JP2008220444A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a lid body from opening even when an unintended lid opening operation is performed and to release the engagement of an engaging means with a few operations. <P>SOLUTION: A body 1 storing a pot 11 is covered with the lid body 21, and the closed state of the body 1 and the lid body 21 is held by a clamp 34 and a clamp receiver 38. Blocking means 121 for blocking the movement in the releasing direction of the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 and a control means for controlling the blocking means 121 are provided, and the control means is constituted of a lid opening switch 32 as an operation means provided on the clamp 34, detection means 45 for detecting the change of the lid opening switch 32, and a heating control means 111 as a control part for receiving detection output from the detection means 45 and operating the blocking means 121. Then, by the operation of the lid opening switch 32, the control means moves the blocking means 121 to make it possible to release the engagement by the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker that performs pressurization and decompression.

In general, a rice cooker in which a pan is provided in a main body so as to be freely housed and a lid is provided so as to cover the main body is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. In addition, such rice cookers are also known that are provided with a decompression means for bringing the inside of the main body into a state lower than the atmospheric pressure.
JP 2006-350 A

  However, the structure of the conventional rice cooker described above has the following problems.

  In general, a rice cooker has a structure in which the operating means is operated to release the engagement of the engaging means, and the lid is opened by the urging means. However, in the pressure rice cooker, when the main body is other than the atmospheric pressure, there is nothing that obstructs the engaging means, and there is a concern that if the fallen object hits the operating means, the lid opens.

  In addition, even if the operating means is operated, the lid may not open immediately, and it is not clear whether the operating means has been operated. For example, it is impossible to perform unreasonable or unnecessary operations. There was a possibility of adversely affecting the performance.

  By the way, in order to bring the main body into a state below atmospheric pressure, the pressure reducing means is operating. However, no matter how much the decompression means performs decompression while the lid is open, the main body is not in a decompressed state and wastes power.

  In recent rice cookers, pressure rice cookers aimed to cook rice with the main body in a pressurized state have become mainstream. However, if the lid is provided with pressure reducing means for making the main body below atmospheric pressure, there is a problem with the biasing means for biasing the lid in a predetermined direction with respect to the main body.

  In order to avoid such a problem, it is conceivable that the decompression means is provided not on the lid but on the main body. However, parts such as a valve body that keeps the main body in a reduced pressure state below atmospheric pressure and a pressure reducing means in the main body cause an increase in cost. In addition, since these parts pass through the lid and the main body, there is a concern that the respective parts are damaged due to stress on each part accompanying opening and closing of the lid and the desired decompression performance cannot be maintained.

  In the rice cooker provided with the pressure reducing means, a pressure adjusting device for adjusting the pressure of the main body is provided. In this case, a structure in which the valve is supported by the support member at the time of pressure increase or decrease has been already proposed. However, in the case of a rice cooker whose purpose is only to bring the main body into a reduced pressure state, if the pressure adjusting device having the above-described structure is incorporated as it is, the pressure adjusting device is not required to be in a pressurized state. Even unnecessary parts are added as product costs, resulting in high products.

  Further, when the pressure regulating device fails to function for some reason, there is a concern that the pressure of the main body becomes abnormal and adversely affects the main body.

  In view of the above problems, the first object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that can prevent the lid from opening even if an unintended lid opening operation is performed.

  The second object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that improves usability when the lid is opened and enables energy saving.

  The third object of the present invention is to provide a structure in which the pressure reducing means is disposed on the lid, while reducing the cost and enabling stable pressure reduction performance to be maintained, and even with a predetermined biasing force. The object is to provide a rice cooker that can open the body.

  The fourth object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that reduces the cost of the pressure regulating device and further improves safety when the pressure regulating device does not operate normally.

  In the rice cooker according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the detection means detects the operation when the engagement of the engagement means is about to be released as the change of the operation means, the inhibition of the movement to the engagement means by the inhibition means is inhibited. For example, the lid can be opened from the main body. Therefore, in the operation to the unintended operation means, the detection means cannot detect this as a change of the operation means, and it is possible to prevent the lid from being opened unexpectedly. Further, by detecting a change in the operation means for operating the opening / closing of the lid instead of the engagement means, the engagement of the engagement means can be released with less operation (light operation force). .

  In the rice cooker according to claim 2 of the present invention, by using a magnetic material for the detection means, it is possible to achieve compactness as the detection means and improvement in detection accuracy.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 3 of the present invention, since the detection means for detecting the operation when the engagement of the engagement means is to be released operates integrally with the operation means for operating the opening and closing of the lid, The detection accuracy of the means can be improved.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 4 of the present invention, the detection means for detecting the operation when the engagement of the engagement means is to be released and the operation means for operating the lid to open / close operate integrally with the engagement means. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the detection means can be further improved.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 5 of the present invention, since the inhibiting means is integrally configured as a pressure releasing means for returning the inside of the pan from the state other than the atmospheric pressure to the atmospheric pressure, it is possible to reduce the size and cost by sharing the parts. be able to.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 6 of the present invention, since the magnetic material used as the detecting means is provided on the lid body that pivotally supports the engaging means, the variation in assembly dimensions is suppressed, and the detection accuracy of the detecting means is reduced. Can be improved.

  In the rice cooker according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the movement of the blocking means and the disengagement of the engaging means can be operated by the same operating means, there is no need to operate separate operating means when opening the lid. , Operability can be improved.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 8 of the present invention, by providing the opening / closing detection means, the open / closed state of the lid can be recognized, and in particular, when the opening / closing detection means detects that the lid is open, the operation of the decompression means is activated. Stop. Thus, when the lid is open, hair or the like is prevented from being sucked by the decompression means to improve usability, and wasteful power consumption can be avoided and energy saving can be realized. Furthermore, since the control means receives the signal of the opening / closing detection means only during a predetermined stroke, the control configuration during an unnecessary stroke can be simplified.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 9 of the present invention, stable detection can be realized as compared with, for example, mechanical detection by detecting the electrical signal from the open / close detection means.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 10 of the present invention, the open / closed state of the lid can be reliably detected by separately providing the main body side detection unit and the lid side detection unit on the main body side and the lid side as the open / close detection means.

  In the rice cooker according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, if the lid body side detection unit is a magnetic material, the wiring process in the lid body can be simplified or unnecessary, and a rice cooker with a reduced product cost can be provided.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 12 of the present invention, each part such as a tube for air suction is disposed in the lid body by disposing the decompression means on the lid body in the vicinity of or near the discharge portion side for discharging the steam. It can be routed at the minimum necessary distance, and the lid can be made compact and cost can be reduced. Moreover, since such a tube does not pass the hinge part etc. which move on the way, damage to a tube can be prevented and the stable decompression performance can be maintained.

  In the rice cooker according to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, by arranging the pressure reducing means in a predetermined direction of the cap, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the lid and an influence on the appearance design, and a compact lid structure can be realized.

  In the rice cooker according to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the pressure reducing means is arranged in a predetermined direction of the shaft support portion so that the pressure reducing means is hardly affected by the weight increase due to the arrangement of the pressure reducing means on the lid, and the lid is removed from the main body. The urging force of the urging means that tries to open automatically can be weakened.

  In the rice cooker according to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, when the main body is at a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, the support member supports the valve, and in the pressure regulator, the sealing performance by the valve and the support member is ensured. The inside can be kept sealed. In addition, since the main body is not in a pressurized state, even if the pressure adjusting device does not have a pressure support member, the pressure reducing function is not hindered, and the cost can be reduced by omitting the pressure support member. . Moreover, even if the penetration portion of the support member is blocked for some reason, it can be returned to atmospheric pressure by another open portion, and safety can be improved.

  In the rice cooker according to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, as long as the main body is depressurized in the normal pressure range, the opening / closing means closes the opening, so that the depressurization operation is not an obstacle to the normal operation. Performance can be improved.

  In the rice cooker according to the seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the opening portion can be reliably closed during the normal pressure-reducing operation by using the biasing force of the holding means.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 18 of the present invention, when the pressure to the open portion exceeds the elastic force of the elastic member, the open portion can be opened and returned to the atmospheric pressure, and safety and decompression performance are further improved. Can do.

  In the rice cooker according to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, by utilizing the elastic force of the support member, the sealing performance by the valve and the support member can be further ensured, and the pressure reduction performance can be further improved.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 1 of the present invention, the lid can be prevented from opening even if an unintended lid opening operation is performed, and the engagement of the engagement means can be released with a small number of operations. can do.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 2 of the present invention, the detection means can be made compact and the detection accuracy can be improved.

  According to the rice cooker of Claim 3 of this invention, the detection precision of a detection means can be improved.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 4 of the present invention, the detection accuracy of the detection means can be further improved.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 5 of the present invention, it is possible to achieve compactness and cost reduction by sharing parts.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 6 of the present invention, variation in assembly dimensions can be suppressed and detection accuracy of the detection means can be improved.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 7 of the present invention, it is not necessary to operate separate operating means when opening the lid, and the operability can be improved.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 8 of the present invention, it is possible to improve usability when the lid is opened, to save energy, and to simplify the control configuration during an unnecessary process.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 9 of the present invention, stable detection can be realized as compared with, for example, mechanical detection.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 10 of the present invention, the open / closed state of the lid can be reliably detected.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 11 of the present invention, the wiring process in the lid can be simplified or made unnecessary, and the product cost can be reduced.

  According to the rice cooker of the twelfth aspect of the present invention, although the pressure reducing means is arranged on the lid body, the lid body can be made compact and cost can be reduced, and stable decompression performance can be maintained.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 13 of the present invention, the lid can be made compact.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 14 of the present invention, the lid can be opened even with a weak biasing force.

  According to the rice cooker of the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the cost of the pressure regulating device without impeding the pressure reducing function, and to improve safety when the pressure regulating device does not operate normally. Can be made.

  According to the rice cooker of the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the pressure reduction performance can be improved so as not to be an obstruction factor for the pressure reduction operation in the normal time.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 17 of the present invention, it is possible to reliably close the opening portion during a normal decompression operation.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 18 of the present invention, safety and decompression performance can be further improved.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 19 of the present invention, the pressure reduction performance can be further improved.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a rice cooker according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a basic overall configuration of a rice cooker common to each embodiment. In the figure, a main body 1 that forms the outline of a rice cooker includes an upper frame 2 that constitutes an upper surface and an upper side surface thereof, a substantially cylindrical outer frame 3 that constitutes a side surface, and a bottom plate 4 that covers a bottom opening of the outer frame 3. It consists of. Moreover, it is mentioned later by the substantially cylindrical pot accommodating part 5 formed by hanging down integrally from the upper surface inner peripheral part of the upper frame 2, and the inner frame 6 provided so as to cover the lower surface opening of the pot accommodating part 5. A pot-shaped container 7 made of a non-magnetic material and having a bottomed cylindrical shape for storing the pot 11 is formed.

  11 is a bottomed cylindrical pot which accommodates to-be-cooked rices, such as rice and water, and is detachably accommodated in the pot accommodating body 9 constituting the main body 1. This pan 11 is a pan body 12 mainly made of aluminum with good thermal conductivity, and a heating element 13 composed of a magnetic metal plate such as ferritic stainless steel joined from the lower side to the bottom of the outer surface of the pan body 12. It consists of. An annular flange portion 14 is formed around the upper end of the pan 11 so as to extend to the outer periphery thereof.

  A heating coil 16 as heating means for electromagnetic induction heating of the bottom of the pan 11 is provided on the lower and bottom sides of the inner frame 8 facing the heating element 13 on the outer surface. When a high frequency current is supplied to the heating coil 16, the heating element 13 of the pan 11 is heated by the alternating magnetic field generated from the heating coil 16, and the cooked rice in the pan 11 and thus the pan 11 is heated. Yes.

  In addition, a temperature sensor 17 serving as a pan temperature detecting means is disposed at the center of the bottom of the inner frame 8 so as to elastically contact the outer surface of the bottom of the pan 11, and detects the temperature of the pan 11. The heating temperature of the bottom of the pan 11 by 16 is mainly controlled.

  A cord heater 18 for heating the upper part of the side surface of the pan 11, particularly the flange portion 14, is arranged in an annular shape at the upper end of the pot housing 9. The cord heater 18 is an electric heater, and is held on a heater ring 19 as a heat dissipation suppressing member mounted and mounted on the upper end of the pan container 7 and covers the cord heater 18 from above. A metal plate 20 attached to the heater ring 19 is provided to constitute a flange heater. The metal plate 20 is positioned to face a gap between the main body 1 and a lid 21 described later. Then, the lower surface of the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 is placed on the upper surface of the metal plate 20, whereby the pan 11 is accommodated in the pan accommodating body 7 while being hung on the upper frame 2 of the main body 1. It is like that.

  As shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 21 includes an outer lid 22 that forms an upper shell of the lid 21 and a three-dimensional metal lid that covers the upper surface of the outer lid 22. 23, a heat radiating plate 24 whose outer surface forms the inner surface (lower surface) of the lid body 21, and an outer lid cover 25 as a lid base material that combines the outer lid 22 and the heat radiating plate 24 to form the skeleton of the lid body 21. Is the main component. A lid heater 26 as a lid heating means is provided inside the lid 21 and on the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 24. The lid heater 26 may be an electric heating heater such as a cord heater or a heating coil by electromagnetic induction heating.

  A hinge portion 28 connected to the lid 21 is provided behind the upper frame 2. The hinge portion 28 is provided with a pair of holes (not shown) in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and a hinge spring 29 as an urging means formed by a torsion coil spring or the like is accommodated therein. . On the other hand, an outer lid cover hinge hole (not shown) as a hinge receiving portion is also provided behind the outer lid cover 25 so as to face the hole provided in the hinge portion. By inserting a rod-shaped hinge shaft 30 in common with the hinge hole and the hole of the hinge portion 28, the main body 1 and the lid 21 are pivotally supported with the hinge shaft 30 of the hinge portion 28 as a fulcrum. The Further, one end and the other end of the hinge spring 29 are respectively hooked on the outer lid cover 25 and the upper frame 2, so that the lid body 21 is always urged in the opening direction by using the elastic repulsive force of the hinge spring 29. .

  On the front upper surface of the lid body 21, a lid opening button 32 is disposed in an exposed state. When the lid opening button 32 is pressed, the engagement between the lid body 21 and the main body 1 is released, and the lid is closed by a hinge spring 29. The body 21 is configured to automatically open.

  Here, the opening / closing structure of the lid 21 and the main body 1 in the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. The lid 21 is provided with a clamp 34 corresponding to the engaging portion. The clamp 34 is pivotally supported with respect to the outer lid cover 25 around a clamp shaft 35 provided inside the lid 21. A lid opening button 32 corresponding to an operating means for opening and closing the lid body 21 is disposed in an exposed state from the front upper surface of the lid body 21 so that the user can operate it. Clamp biasing means 36 such as a spring for biasing the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34 toward the lid opening button 32 is provided inside the lid body 21, so that a force for constantly pushing the lid opening button 32 upward is provided. It comes to work.

  In addition to the base end portion 34A that contacts the lid opening button 32, the clamp 34 penetrates through a clamping hole 37 on the lower surface of the outer lid cover 25 and projects downwardly, and a substantial portion of the clamp 34. It corresponds to the tip portion, and is configured by an engaging portion 34C extending from the lower end of the hanging portion 34B to the inside of the main body 1 from the starting point. The clamp 34 is formed of a metal part such as stainless steel, and the engaging portion 34C is substantially L-shaped. By doing so, compared with the case where the clamp 34 is made of a synthetic resin, the engagement with the clamp receiver 38 having a higher strength can be obtained. Further, when viewed from the front side of the rice cooker and the main body 1, the engaging portions 34 </ b> C of the clamp 34 are provided at substantially equal positions on the left and right sides from the center. The hanging portion 34B and the engaging portion 34C are provided on the lower side of the clamp 34 and are provided in a pair on the left and right. A clamp shaft 35 serving as a rotation center of the clamp 34 is disposed along the upper end of the hanging portion 34B, and the engaging portion 34C swings substantially in the front-rear direction of the main body 1.

  On the other hand, a clamp receiver 38 corresponding to an engagement receiving portion is disposed in front of the upper frame 2 and is located on the substantially opposite side of the hinge portion 28 provided on the upper frame 2, and the lid 21 is attached to the main body. When closing to the side 1, the clamp 34 rotates about the clamp shaft 35 as a central axis by the biasing force of the clamp biasing means 36, and engages with the clamp receiver 38. It is designed to be kept closed. The clamp receiver 38 is formed of a metal part such as stainless steel. By doing so, compared with the case where the clamp receiver 38 is made of a synthetic resin, the engagement with the clamp 34 having a higher strength can be obtained. On the other hand, when the lid 21 is opened, the lid opening button 32 is pushed, the proximal end portion of the clamp 34 is pushed downward to rotate the clamp 34 in the reverse direction, and the engaging portion 44C is moved to the body 1. The engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is released by moving forward. The lower part of the clamp receiver of the upper frame 2 needs to have a depth that does not collide when the clamp 34 rotates about the clamp shaft 35. Further, the gap between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is set to have a dimensional relationship that is larger than the normal engagement amount of the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38. Further, the dimensional relationship is set to be larger than the gap between the outer lid cover 25 and the upper frame 2.

  Here, the movable clamp 34 on the lid 21 side is referred to as an engaging portion, and the fixed clamp receiver 38 on the main body 1 side is used as the engaging receiving portion. The main body 1 may be provided with a movable engagement receiving portion. In any case, the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 constitute engaging means for maintaining the closed state of the main body 1 and the lid 21.

  Next, the detection configuration for detecting the displacement of the lid opening button 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C and FIGS. 5 to 8 in addition to FIGS. On the back (inside) side of the lid opening button 32, a substrate 43 on which the LED 41 and the Hall element 42 are mounted is disposed. The LED 41 is disposed to face the upper surface portion of the lid opening button 32, and is provided as an alarm unit that is turned on when a pressure reducing unit 91 described later operates. Further, the Hall element 42 as a magnetic detection element is disposed to face a magnet 44 as a magnetic body provided on the outer lid 22 in a state where the lid opening button 32 is not pressed. When the Hall element 42 is operated to push the lid opening button 32 to release the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38, the Hall element 42 is separated from the magnet 44 to detect its operation and generate a detection signal. Output. That is, the Hall element 42 and the magnet 44 here are provided as detection means 45 that detects a change in the lid opening button 32. Note that the detection means 45 having an equivalent function may be configured by another sensor. Further, the magnet 44 of the present embodiment is provided on the lid body 21 that pivotally supports the clamp 34, but is not limited as long as the original purpose is exhibited as the detection means 45.

  5 and 6 show examples of attaching the substrate 43. FIG. Here, the substrate 43 is surrounded by a substrate holder 47 and a substrate cover 48 made of a transparent member in order to transmit the LED 41 as an alarm means to the outside. The substrate cover 48 is formed with a flat plate portion 50 around the bulging portion 49 that accommodates the substrate 43, and a convex light guide portion 32A that forms the central portion of the lid opening button 32 is formed facing the LED 41. At the same time, a flange 51 is formed on the edge of the flat plate portion 50 to prevent water and the like from entering the substrate 43 from the outside. In addition, the plurality of lead wires 52 for electric wiring connected to the substrate 43 are led out of the substrate cover 48 through the through-hole portion 53 formed in the side portion of the bulging portion 49. In order to prevent intrusion of water, steam, etc. from 53, a groove portion 54 through which the lead wires 52 are inserted one by one is formed in the through hole portion 53. The substrate holder 47 is attached and fixed to the substrate cover 48 so as to block the opening surface of the bulging portion 49 and to face the substrate 43.

  Further, the above-described lid opening button 32 is attached and fixed to the outer surface of the substrate cover 48 at a position opposite to the side on which the substrate holder 47 is attached. Accordingly, the lid opening button 32 and the substrate 43 are configured as an integral movable part assembly 55 including the substrate holder 47 and the substrate cover 48, and the substrate on which the Hall element 42 is mounted together with the pushing operation of the lid opening button 32. 43 will also move.

  FIG. 6 shows a structure for fixing the movable part assembly 55 and the clamp 34. The substrate holder 47 is formed with a positioning portion 57 in which the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34 abuts and fits, and the movable part assembly 55 is attached and fixed at a desired position of the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34 by a screw 58. The Note that an attachment structure in which the screw 58 is not provided, and only fitting is also possible. Thus, as shown in FIG. 7, the movable part assembly 55 and the clamp 34 are configured as an integral clamp unit 59 that can move together, and the Hall element 42 correctly detects not only the lid opening button 32 but also the change of the clamp 34. can do.

  FIG. 8 shows an example in which the magnet 44 is disposed on the outer lid cover 25. The lid opening button 32 provided with the Hall element 42 is integrated with the clamp 34 as the clamp unit 59 as described above, but the magnet 44 as a detecting means is attached to the outer lid cover 25 that pivotally supports the clamp 34. It is preferable to arrange. The reason for this is that if the magnet 44 is attached to a member other than the outer lid cover 25, the displacement between the member to which the magnet 44 is attached and the outer lid cover 25 is increased as the lid opening button 32 is pushed. This is because it will not be possible to correctly detect how much the lid opening button 32 has moved. If the magnet 44 is attached to the outer lid cover 25, a decrease in detection accuracy due to the displacement between the members does not occur.

  Reference numeral 61 denotes an inner lid assembly as a lower member of the lid body 21 provided on the outside, that is, the lower side of the heat radiating plate 24. The inner lid assembly 61 has a disk shape that is substantially the same diameter as the upper opening of the pan 11 and seals between the pan 11 and the inner lid 62 with a metallic inner lid 62 anodized with stainless steel or aluminum. For this purpose, a cover packing 63 made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber or fluorine rubber, and a pressure adjusting unit 64 for adjusting the internal pressure of the inner hook are provided on the entire outer periphery of the inner lid 62. When the lid 21 is closed (when the lid is closed), the ring-shaped lid packing 63 abuts against the upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 and closes the gap between the pan 11 and the inner lid 62. The steam generated from the pan 11 is sealed.

  The heat radiating plate 24 is provided with a thermistor-type lid temperature sensor 65 for performing temperature management of the inner lid 62 by the lid heater 51 as lid temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the inner lid 62 of the lid 21 in particular. It is. Further, a vapor discharge unit 66 as a vapor discharge unit that can be attached and detached from the upper surface side of the lid 21 is provided at a portion closer to the rear of the upper surface of the lid 21. The steam discharge unit 66 and the pressure adjustment unit 64 communicate with each other inside the lid body 21, and the steam discharge for discharging the steam generated in the pan 11 to the outside by the steam discharge unit 66 and the pressure control unit 64. A mechanism is formed.

  Here, the configuration of the pressure adjusting unit 64 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. The pressure adjusting unit 64 includes a pressure adjusting valve 69 for adjusting pressure, a pressure adjusting valve holder assembly 70 that holds the pressure adjusting valve 69, and a dome-shaped pressure adjusting valve cover 71 that covers the pressure adjusting valve 69. The pressure regulating valve 69 is a material excellent in corrosion resistance and may be a part having a certain weight, and is formed of, for example, a ball made of austenitic stainless steel.

  The pressure regulating valve holder assembly 70 includes a first holder 72, a second holder 73, a first pressure regulating packing 75 corresponding to a pressure reducing support member, a second pressure regulating packing 76, and a pressure from the inside of the pan 11. In order not to directly apply to the 1 pressure regulation packing 75, there is a valve support 77 below the first pressure regulation packing 75 and corresponding to a pressure support member, and a valve support on the lower surface of the first pressure regulation packing 75. And a pressure regulating spring 78 as an elastic body that urges the valve support 77 in the direction in which 77 abuts. The valve support 77 is provided with a communication hole 74 that contacts the lower side of the ball-shaped pressure regulating valve 69 when the inside of the pan 11 is pressurized. The communication hole 74 is for communicating the pan 11 and the inner lid 62, and the steam passing through the communication hole 74 is discharged from the steam discharge unit 66 to the outside air. The first holder 72 and the second holder 73 are provided with a convex engaging portion 79 and a concave engaged portion 80 for fitting each other. The first holder 72 and the second holder 73 are mounted in a hole 81 provided in the inner lid 62 as a holding member for holding the first pressure regulating packing 75, the valve support 77, and the like. The first holder 72 is entirely formed in a cap shape, and has a through hole 72A in the center thereof. The first pressure regulating packing 75 is formed by a peripheral portion 72B of the through hole 72A and an upper end portion 73A of the second holder 73. The base is clamped. The second holder 73 has a cylindrical shape, and a flange 73B that contacts the lower surface around the hole 81 of the inner lid 62 is formed on the lower side of the second holder 73, and the ring-shaped second holder 73 is formed on the upper outer periphery of the flange 69. A concave groove 73C for fitting the pressure regulating packing 76 is formed. Further, a projecting piece 73D having an L-shaped cross section is formed on the inner peripheral side of the second holder 73 in order to fit one end of the pressure adjusting spring 78.

  In assembling the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 70, first, the pressure regulating packing 72 fitted into the concave groove 73C of the second holder 73 is inserted into the hole 81 provided in the inner lid 62, and the inner circumference of the second holder 73 is inserted. The valve support 77 is inserted from above the second holder 73 so as to sandwich the pressure adjusting spring 78 on the side. Next, the first pressure regulating packing 75 is placed on the valve supporting body 77 so as to cover the valve support 77 and the upper end portion 73A of the second holder 73, and the first pressure regulating packing 75 is further sandwiched from this state. In this manner, the first holder 72 is covered from above, the engaging portion 79 and the engaged portion 80 are fitted to each other, and the first holder 72 is attached to the second holder 73. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, when the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 70 is assembled, the inner surface of the second holder 73 and the lower surface of the valve support 77 are directly opposed to the inside of the pan 11. The first pressure regulating packing 75 disposed on the upper side of the two holders 73 and the valve support 77 has a structure that does not require direct pressure from the inside of the pan 11.

  The pressure regulating valve 69 is held by the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 assembled in this manner, and the pressure regulating valve cover 71 is covered from above to constitute the pressure regulating section 64. At this time, the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 and the pressure regulating valve cover 71 may be attached by claw fitting or may be stopped using a fastening member such as a screw or a rivet. The pressure regulating valve cover 71 is for restricting the movement range of the pressure regulating valve 69, and is provided with a plurality of holes (not shown) for guiding the steam discharged from the communication holes 74 to the steam discharge unit 66. Further, since the inner lid 62 is held by the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 and the pressure regulating valve cover 71, the hole 81 of the inner lid 62 is not exposed.

  The opening area of the communication hole 74 of the valve support 77 is smaller than the area of the surface 84 that receives pressure directly from the inside of the pan 11 inside the leg 83 formed on the lower side of the valve support 77. Thereby, the pressure in the pan 11 can be adjusted by the opening area of the communication hole 74 and the weight of the pressure regulating valve 69.

  A solenoid 82 for adjusting the sealing degree of the lid 21, that is, adjusting the internal pressure of the pan 11 by moving the pressure regulating valve 69 is provided inside the lid 21. When the solenoid 82 is not energized, its tip is held in the advanced position, and the pressure regulating valve 69 is retracted from the communication hole 74, while when the solenoid 82 is energized, its tip is retracted and the pressure regulating valve 69 is retreated. 74 is caused to roll by its own weight, the communication hole 74 is closed, and pressure is put into the pan 11.

  Both the first pressure regulating packing 75 and the second pressure regulating packing 76 are made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber. Thus, particularly when the pressure in the pan 11 shown in FIG. 10 is reduced, the pressure regulating valve 69 is brought into close contact with the first pressure regulating packing 75 due to elastic deformation of the first pressure regulating packing 75, and the opening in the first pressure regulating packing 75. That is, the sealing performance of the hole 75A is improved.

  In addition, the inner lid assembly 61 is provided with a safety valve 85 that opens when the pressure in the pan 11 is increased to an abnormal pressure that is equal to or higher than a set value for some reason, and reduces the internal pressure of the pan 11. The pressure adjusting unit 64 and the safety valve 85 are provided facing the inlet side of the steam discharge unit 66 when the inner lid 62 is attached to the lower side of the outer lid cover 25. The inner lid 62, the lid packing 63, the pressure adjusting unit 64, and the safety valve 85 are integrated with a packing base 86 provided on the outer periphery of the inner lid assembly 61, and are detachably provided on the inner surface of the outer lid cover 25. The annular packing base 86 is for mounting the inner lid 62 and the lid packing 63. Here, in addition to the mounting portion of the inner lid 62 and the mounting portion of the lid packing 63, the outer lid cover 25 An attachment portion and a handle portion are formed so that the user can easily attach and detach the inner lid assembly 61.

  91 is a pressure reducing means provided in order to make the inside of the pan 11 lower than the normal atmospheric pressure with the lid 21 closed on the main body 1. The decompression means 91 includes a decompression pump 92 as a decompression drive source provided at the rear portion of the lid 21 and a hole (not shown) provided in the inner lid 62 from the decompression pump 92 through the main body 1 and the lid 21. And a tubular path 94 to the end. In addition, an electromagnetic valve 95 (see FIG. 8) as an opening / closing means for opening / closing the base end portion of the path 94 is provided inside the lid body 21. Connected to the solenoid valve 95 is a cylindrical decompression packing (not shown) protruding downward from the heat radiating plate 24 toward the periphery of the hole of the inner lid 62.

  When the inner lid assembly 61 including the inner lid 62 is attached to the lower surface of the lid body 21, the decompression packing is hermetically abutted against the upper surface of the inner lid 62 while being elastically deformed, thereby communicating the pan 11 and the decompression pump 92. A path 94 is formed. When the lid 21 is closed with the inner lid assembly 61 attached, the lid packing 63 is in close contact with the pan 11 and the pressure regulating valve 69 closes the communication hole 74. 82 communicates with the route 82. When the decompression pump 92 is started from this state, the solenoid valve 95 and thus the path 94 are opened, and the air in the pan 11 is exhausted to the outside of the main body 1 through the path 94 and the decompression pump 92, and the inside of the sealed pan 11 The pressure drops. Further, when the pressure in the pan 11 drops below the atmospheric pressure by a certain value, the electromagnetic valve 95 and thus the path 94 are closed to keep the pan 11 in a reduced pressure state. Furthermore, even when the pressure in the pan 11 rises due to the slow leak, the solenoid valve 95 and thus the path 94 are opened, and the pressure reducing pump 92 is activated to maintain the pan 11 in a state lower than the atmospheric pressure. .

  In such a state where the inside of the pan 11 is lower than the atmospheric pressure, the air inside the leg portion 83 constituting the valve support 77 is sucked into the pan 11 and the pressure regulating valve 69 and this pressure regulating valve 69 are mounted accordingly. The valve support body 77 to be placed is lowered against the bias of the pressure adjusting spring 78. However, when the opening 70 of the valve support 77 moves to a position lower than the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, the pressure regulating valve 69 is mounted on the first pressure regulating packing 75 in place of the previous valve support 77. Since the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 75 is closed, the inside of the pan 11 is secured and the pressure can be continuously reduced (see FIG. 10).

  Conversely, when the inside of the pan 11 is pressurized to atmospheric pressure or higher, for example during rice cooking, the inside of the valve support leg 79 receives direct pressure from the inside of the pan 11, so that the valve support 77 against the dead weight of the pressure regulating valve 69. Rises. Here, when the opening 70 of the valve support 77 moves to a position higher than the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, the pressure regulating valve 69 replaces the previous first pressure regulating packing 75 with the valve support 77. The pressure regulating valve 69 that is placed and closes the communication hole 74 and that is placed on the valve support 77 rises in the same manner as the valve support 77. After the valve support 77 is lifted, it comes into contact with the first pressure regulating packing 75, thereby blocking the steam and the like trying to pass through the hole 71 </ b> A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, thereby maintaining the sealing inside the pan 11. Yes (see FIG. 9).

  Next, the structure around the decompression pump 92 constituting the decompression means 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. The decompression pump 92 is fixed to a pump case 96 in the vicinity of a steam discharge unit 66 that discharges steam generated from the inside of the pan 11 to the outside. The pump case 96 is arranged behind the outer lid cover 25. A bush 97 made of an elastic member is attached to a fixed portion of the pump case 96 to which the decompression pump 92 is attached in order to reduce vibration transmission from the decompression pump 92. The decompression pump 92 is provided with a suction port 92A for sucking air and a discharge port 92B for discharging the sucked air to the outside. The electromagnetic valve 95 and the suction port 92A are communicated with each other through a tube path 94. The air in the pan 11 located below the inner lid 62 is sucked. In addition, since the air discharged from the decompression pump 92 contains some water that evaporates from the object to be cooked, the air is discharged through the path 98 that connects the discharge port 92B and the boss formed in the outer lid cover 25 in the air. The moisture is discharged to the outside of the lid 21.

  The pump case 96 is an auxiliary part for installing the decompression pump 92 on the outer lid cover 25, and does not force its use. In this embodiment, because the lid reinforcing plate 99 is provided as a reinforcing member for covering the outer lid cover 25, it is difficult to directly install the decompression pump 92 on the outer lid cover 25. Yes.

  In the present embodiment, a pump cover 105 and a pump cover case 106 are provided separately from the outer lid 22 in order to assert the presence of the decompression pump 92 disposed on the lid 21. The pump cover case 106 is provided so as to surround the decompression pump 92 together with the pump case 96, and the pump case 105 is located above the pump cover case 106 and forms a part of the outer part of the lid 21. . A waterproof packing 107 (see FIG. 1) made of an elastic member is provided in the groove portion of the outer lid 22, and the waterproof packing 107 is sandwiched between the edges of the pump case 96 and the pump cover case 106, thereby And intrusion of steam and so on.

  Since all the decompression means 81 including the decompression pump 92 are disposed in the lid body 21, the path 94 from the decompression pump 92 to the electromagnetic valve 95 can be routed with the shortest distance. Further, the path 94 does not pass through the hinge portion 28 that is movable in the middle of the path 94, so that the path 94 can be prevented from being damaged.

  Next, other modified examples related to the structure around the decompression pump 92 are shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, respectively. The steam discharge unit 66 covers a bowl-shaped steam port 108 that forms a flow path of steam from the inside of the pan 11 and a plurality of steam discharge holes that cover the upper opening of the steam port 108 and are steam passage holes on the upper surface thereof. The decompression pump 92 is disposed at the rear of the steam discharge unit 66. In particular, in the first modification shown in FIG. 13, a finger hooking portion 109 </ b> A is extended behind the steam port cap 109 so that the steam discharge unit 66 can be easily removed from the lid body 21. It is located below 109A. Thereby, the decompression pump 92 can be accommodated in the lid 21 in a compact manner, and the increase in the size of the lid 21 and the influence on the appearance design can be suppressed.

  Further, in the second modified example shown in FIG. 14, the decompression pump 92 is arranged on the upper portion of the hinge portion 28. In this case, a relatively heavy decompression pump 92 is disposed in the vicinity of the hinge shaft 30 of the hinge portion 28, which is the rotation center of the lid body 21, so that the lid body 21 is urged to automatically open. The moment of the hinge spring 29 can be made weaker than usual, and cost increase factors such as increasing the thickness of the lid 21 and the main body 1 and adding auxiliary parts can be suppressed.

  1 to 3 again, an operation panel 101 is provided at the front portion of the main body 1. Inside the operation panel 101, there are an LCD 102 for displaying the time and the selected menu, an LED for displaying the current process (not shown), and an operation switch 103 for starting cooking and selecting a menu. Further, a substrate on which a depressurization selection switch for selecting a depressurized state in the pan 11 is disposed. The operation panel 101 displays button names and the like to prevent dust and water from adhering to the control means that is an electronic component. The operation panel 101 may be provided on the front side of the lid 21.

  111 is a heating control means provided in the front inside the main body 1. The heating control unit 111 includes a heating element (not shown) for driving the heating coil 16, which is a heating unit, on a substrate. The element that drives the heating coil 16 is heated along with the oscillation of the heating coil 16, but has a use condition temperature that guarantees the operating state, and therefore needs to be used at a certain temperature or lower. For this purpose, the element that drives the heating coil 16 is thermally connected to a fin-like radiator 112 made of a material having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum and emits from a cooling fan 113 that is a cooling means. The element is driven within the operating temperature by applying wind to the radiator 112 to remove heat. Further, a cord reel 116 for winding a power plug (not shown) is provided inside the main body 1.

  In addition to the decompression means 91, an inhibition means 121 that restricts the movement of the clamp 34 is provided inside the lid 21. The configuration of the inhibiting means 121 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 20. The pressure regulating solenoid 82 moves the pressure regulating valve 69 to adjust the sealing degree of the lid 21, that is, the internal pressure of the pan 11. The plunger 151 is moved in and out from the inside by force, and the pressure regulating valve 69 in the pressure regulating section 64 is moved. Further, inside the lid 21, a pressure regulating frame 152 that moves together with the plunger 151 toward the outer lid cover 25, and a flexible pressure regulating packing 153 for keeping the inside of the lid 21 in a watertight state (FIG. 2). And FIG. 3). As shown also in FIG. 15, the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the pressure adjusting frame 152 are accommodated and arranged in a pressure regulating accommodating portion 154 formed in the lid 21 by the outer lid cover 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the pressure adjusting frame 152 includes a pressure adjusting operation part 161 as an operation part protruding toward the pressure adjusting valve 69, and a frame part 162 provided so as to surround the pressure adjusting solenoid 82. And a pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 provided on the substantially opposite side of the pressure adjusting operation part 161.

  Further, here, an opening / closing solenoid 172 is arranged in another opening / closing means accommodating portion 171 formed in the lid 21 by the outer lid cover 25. Similarly to the pressure adjusting solenoid 82, the opening / closing solenoid 172 also has a configuration in which the plunger 173 is caused to appear and retract from the inside by electromagnetic force. Further, inside the lid body 21 is movable together with the plunger 173, and the opening / closing frame 175 housed and arranged in the pressure regulation housing portion 154 together with the opening / closing solenoid 172, and a flexible for holding the inside of the lid body 21 in a watertight state. Open / close packing 176 (see FIGS. 19 and 20) is provided.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the inner lid 62 is provided with an opening / closing hole 181 different from the hole 81 facing the pressure adjusting portion 64. A valve opening / closing means 183 containing a moving opening / closing valve 182 is mounted on the upper surface side of the inner lid 62. Therefore, in this modification, in addition to the pressure adjusting unit 64 and the safety valve 85, the valve opening / closing means 183 is provided in the inner lid 62. The valve opening / closing means 183 includes an opening / closing valve 182 above the opening / closing hole 181 and an opening / closing valve spring 184 as an urging means for urging the opening / closing valve 182 in the direction in which the opening / closing hole 181 is opened. I have. Further, the flexible opening / closing packing 176 is disposed on the lid 21 side so as to face the upper portion of the opening / closing valve 182 and have a predetermined gap. The flexible opening / closing packing 176 is interlocked with the operation of the opening / closing shaft 186 provided on the outer lid cover 25.

  Between the opening / closing shaft 186 and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172, an arm-shaped opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 provided integrally with the front of the opening / closing frame 175 is disposed. The opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 is formed with a cam surface 188A facing the upper portion of the opening / closing shaft 186. The opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 opens and closes as the opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 interlocked with the plunger 173 appears. By changing the position of the cam surface 188A with which the upper portion of the shaft 186 contacts, the opening / closing shaft 186 and thus the on-off valve 182 move up and down. Specifically, in the non-energized state of the opening / closing solenoid 172 shown in FIG. 19, the opening / closing valve 182 is separated from the opening / closing hole 181 by the opening / closing valve spring 184 so that the opening / closing valve 182 and the opening / closing shaft 186 are pushed up. When the plunger 173 and the opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 are moved to the advanced position and the opening / closing solenoid 172 shown in FIG. 20 is energized, the opening / closing shaft operating portion is resisted against the bias of the opening / closing valve spring 184. The plunger 173 and the opening / closing shaft operating section 188 are configured such that the cam surface 188A of the opening / closing valve 188 pushes down the opening / closing shaft 186 and thus the opening / closing valve 182 so Moves to the retracted position. Therefore, in the energized state of the open / close solenoid 172, the open / close valve 182 closes the open / close hole 181 communicating with the steam port 146 so that pressure can be applied into the pan 11.

  As described above, in the vicinity of the pressure regulating solenoid 82, a pressure regulating operation unit 161 for moving the pressure regulating valve 69 is provided in front of the pressure regulating frame 152, while on the rear side of the pressure regulating frame 152. A protruding pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 is provided. Similarly, an opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 having a cam surface 188A is provided in front of the opening / closing frame 175 around the opening / closing solenoid 172, and a protruding opening / closing frame lock piece is provided behind the opening / closing frame 175. 189 is provided. When the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 is in the retracted position, the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 is connected to the proximal end of the clamp 34 in order to restrict the movement of the clamp 34 in the direction of disengagement from the clamp receiver 38. The opening / closing frame lock piece 189 is arranged so as to sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34 even when the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 is in the retracted position. Is done. Conversely, when the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 is in the advanced position, the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 is separated from the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 is in the advanced position. In addition, the open / close frame lock piece 189 is separated from the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34. That is, when the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and / or the open / close frame lock piece 189 are located below the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, the operation of the clamp 34 is restricted, and the clamp 34 is clamped 38. However, when both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 are separated from the lower side of the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, the operation of the clamp 34 is not restricted, and the lid opening button 32 When the push operation is performed, the clamp 34 is detached from the clamp receiver 38, and the lid 21 is opened.

  FIG. 21 is a sectional view of the safety valve 85. The safety valve 85 is provided around the hole 201 formed in the inner lid 62, and a base member 202 attached from below the hole 201, a cap member 203 attached from above the hole 201, and the cap member 203 The opening / closing holding means 204 is provided, and an annular packing 206 that seals the inner surface of the hole 201 and the base member 202 in a watertight manner. Among them, the opening / closing holding member 204 includes an opening / closing means 207 as a valve body provided in the cap member 203 so as to be movable up and down, and an elastic member 208 interposed between the cap member 203 and the opening / closing means 207. . The base member 202 has an opening portion 211 communicating with the steam discharge unit 66 from the inside of the hole 201 of the inner lid 62 and thus the safety valve 85, and an opening / closing holding means so as to always close the opening portion 211. An elastic member 208 constituting 204 is configured to bias the opening / closing means 207 in one direction.

  Next, the control system will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 111 denotes a heating control means, which is a hole provided in the lid opening button 32 in addition to each temperature information from the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 65 and an operation signal from the operation switch 103. In response to a detection signal from the element 42 or another Hall element 191 that detects the opening / closing of the lid 21, the heating coil 16 that heats the bottom of the pan 11 at the time of cooking and warming, and the side of the pan 11 are heated. The cord heater 18 and the lid heater 36 for heating the lid body 21 are respectively controlled, and the above-described decompression pump 92 and electromagnetic valve 95 are respectively controlled. Here, the lid opening / closing detection means including the Hall element 191 will be described. The lid 21 is provided with a magnet (not shown) as a lid side detection unit. In addition, the Hall element 191 is disposed at a position that overlaps with the magnet when the lid 21 is closed. The hall element 191 is disposed on the upper frame 2 of the main body 1. The circuit having the Hall element 191 is provided as a main body side detection unit, and constitutes lid opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the lid body 21 together with the magnet. The lid opening / closing detection means may be provided on the clamp 34 side in front of the rice cooker, or may be provided on the hinge part 28 side in the rear of the rice cooker. Thus, the opening / closing of the lid 21 can be detected electrically by utilizing the fact that the magnetic field reaching the Hall element 191 from the magnet changes according to the opening / closing of the lid 21. In this embodiment, the magnet used as the magnetic material and the Hall element 191 are used. However, an alternative electrical element may be used as long as the same function can be achieved. Various sensors may be employed, and a configuration in which opening / closing of the lid 21 is mechanically detected may be employed.

  The heating control means 111 of this embodiment mainly controls the temperature of the bottom of the pan 11 by controlling the heating coil 16 based on the temperature detected by the pan temperature sensor 17, and mainly based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 65. The lid heater 26 is controlled so that the temperature of the heat radiating plate 24 and the inner lid 62 is controlled. The heating control means 111 includes, as a function on the control sequence of the program stored in its own storage means (not shown), a rice cooking control means 117 that heats the cooked food in the pan 11 during rice cooking, Insulation control means 118 for maintaining and heating the rice in the pan 11 to a predetermined temperature is provided.

  The heat retention control means 118 here includes a timer means 119. When the heat retention operation starts, the timer means 119 is activated to measure the elapsed heat retention time, and this heat retention elapsed time is set to a preset time (for example, 1 hour). When the temperature reaches, the pressure in the pan 11 returns from the pressurized state to almost the atmospheric pressure, and the temperature in the pan 11 is reduced to the heat retention temperature, so that the so-called heat retention is in a stable state. In addition, the heating control means 11 receives a reservation rice start instruction from the operation switch 103 and cooks rice to be cooked in the pan 11 at a predetermined time previously stored in the storage means. Reservation rice cooking control means 120 capable of executing a reserved rice cooking course for controlling the cooking is provided. The predetermined time can be changed as appropriate by operating, for example, the hour key or minute key of the operation switch 103.

  Reference numeral 122 denotes a heating coil driving unit that incorporates a high-frequency inverter circuit that receives a control signal from the heating control unit 111 and supplies a predetermined high-frequency current to the heating coil 16. Separately from this, the output side of the heating control means 111 receives a control signal from the heating control means 111 and drives the lid heater 36 so as to heat the radiator plate 24 and the inner lid 62. 123, a code heater driving means 124 for turning on the code heater 18, a solenoid driving means 125 for individually turning on or off the solenoids 82, 172, a pump driving means 126 for driving the decompression pump 92, and an electromagnetic valve 89 An electromagnetic valve driving means 127 for turning on or off and a display driving means 129 for driving the display means 128 including the LED 41 and the LCD 102 described above are provided. At the time of cooking by the rice cooking control means 117 and at the time of heat retention by the heat retention control means 118, the heating coil 16 heats the bottom of the pot 11 by the temperature detection from the pot temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 65, and the code heater 18 The heating is performed on the side surface of the pan 11 and the lid body 36 is heated by the lid heater 36. In addition, after the rice cooking by the rice cooking control means 117 is finished and the cooked food in the pan 11 is cooked as rice, it automatically shifts to heat retention by the heat insulation control means 118, and the temperature detected by the pan temperature sensor 17 is reached. Based on this, by adjusting the heating of the pan 11 by the heating coil 16 and the cord heater 18, the rice is kept at a predetermined temperature (about 70 ° C. to 76 ° C.).

  In particular, supplementary explanation of the heating by the cord heater 18 is as follows.When the temperature of the rice drops from about 100 ° C. to about 73 ° C. after the rice cooking, the code heater 18 generates heat when the temperature is stable at about 73 ° C. Heat is radiated from the metal plate 29 to the space between the lid 21 and the main body 1 to suppress cooling due to the intrusion of outside air from the gap, and the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 is heated. In addition, the cord heater 18 also heats the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 during the period of reheating the rice during the heat insulation, so that moisture generated by the heating of the rice is prevented from condensing on the inner upper surface of the pan 11. ing.

  Furthermore, the heating control means 111 in the present embodiment is a period until the rice cooking at the standby time of the reserved rice cooking by the reservation rice cooking control means 120 or the time until the rice cooking control means 117 starts substantial rice cooking. Depressurization control that operates the depressurization pump 92 and the depressurization state maintaining electromagnetic valve 95 so that the inside of the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure after the period or the heat retention control means 118 determines that the above-described heat retention is in a stable state. A function as means 130 is also provided.

  Next, the effect | action of the said structure is demonstrated based on the timing chart of FIG. 23 and FIG. In FIG. 23, each graph in the uppermost stage and the next stage shows changes in pressure and temperature in the pan 11, and hereinafter, the operation timing of the decompression selection switch, the operation timing of the decompression display lamp by the LCD, and The operation timing of the decompression pump 92 and the operation timing of the solenoid valve 95 are respectively shown (the painted state is on). Further, in FIG. 24, each graph in the uppermost stage and the next stage shows changes in temperature and pressure in the pan 11, and hereinafter, the operation timing of the pressure regulating valve 69 (pressure regulating solenoid 82), and the on-off valve The operation timing of 182 (opening / closing solenoid 172) is shown (the painted state is on).

  In the cut-off state where rice cooking or heat insulation is not performed, both the pressure regulating solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are in a non-energized (off) state. At this time, the plunger 151 of the pressure regulating solenoid 82 is in the advanced position, the pressure regulating valve 69 is moved so that the communication hole 74 is opened, and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 is also in the advanced position, The opening / closing valve 182 moves upward so that the opening / closing hole 181 of the lid 62 is opened. Therefore, the inside of the pan 11 communicates with the outside through the communication hole 74 and the opening / closing hole 181 and is maintained at atmospheric pressure. In addition, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the open / close frame lock piece 189 are located away from the lower side of the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, the operation of the clamp 34 is not restricted and the lid opening button 32 is pressed. When operated, the clamp 34 is detached from the clamp receiver 38. That is, in the cut state, the lid 21 can be freely opened and closed.

  Next, the operation at the time of reserved rice cooking will be described. By operating the hour key and minute key of the operation switch 103, the desired cooking time corresponding to the predetermined time is set, and the cooked food in the pan 11 is cooked. When a certain rice and water are put in and then another timer switch, for example, of the operation switch 103 is operated, a reserved rice cooking course by the reserved rice control means 120 is set (set), and a standby state for reserved rice is entered. In this reserved rice cooking course, the rice cooking control means 117 is controlled so that the cooked food in the pan 11 is cooked up at a predetermined time, but the reduced pressure is reduced from the standby state of the reserved rice cooking until the time when rice cooking starts substantially. The pressure reducing pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are controlled so that the control means 130 operates and the pressure in the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure (1 atm = 1013 hPa).

  Specifically, when the reserved rice cooking course is set, the decompression control means 130 turns on the decompression selection switch until immediately before the rice cooking starts, and displays on the display means 128 that the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. . Thereby, the user can know that the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. Further, the decompression control means 130 outputs a signal for driving the decompression pump 92 to the pump drive means 126 in order to discharge air from the inside of the pan 11, and the electromagnetic valve 95 and thus the path 94 in synchronization with the decompression pump 92. Is output to the solenoid valve driving means 127. Thereafter, the decompression control means 130 stops driving the decompression pump 92 and closes the electromagnetic valve 95 and consequently the path 94 to maintain the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state.

  While waiting for reserved cooking, the heating control means 111 turns the solenoid 82 on (energized), so the pressure regulating valve 69 is rolled to a position that closes the communication hole 74, but there is a slight amount in the pan 11. However, air enters (slow leak), and the pressure in the pan 11 gradually increases from the time when the solenoid valve 95 is closed. The depressurization control means 130 drives the depressurization pump 92 again after a certain period of time, and opens the electromagnetic valve 95 and thus the path 94 to discharge air from the pot 11. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the pressure reducing pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are simultaneously turned on and off, and the pressure in the pan 11 is maintained at a value within a desired range. In addition, since the operation | movement after substantial rice cooking started is common with the normal rice cooking operation mentioned later, it abbreviate | omits here.

  Thus, even when the standby time until the rice cooking is started is set long after the reserved rice cooking course is set, the inside of the pan 11 is kept in a decompressed state. Further, at the time of this pressure reduction, the pressure regulating valve 69 is placed on the first pressure regulating packing 75 and closes the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, so that the inside of the pan 11 is secured. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent various germs from growing in the pan 11 and the rot of rice and water as cooked rice. Therefore, finally, delicious rice can be obtained when cooking. Further, in this embodiment, the pressure control means 130 performs control to reduce the pressure in the pan 11 over the whole period of waiting for reserved rice cooking. For example, after the reserved rice cooking course is set, When the time (for example, 2 hours) elapses, the pressure reduction control for the pan 11 may be performed. In this way, by reducing the pressure of the pan 11 below the atmospheric pressure for a certain period of time while waiting for reserved rice cooking, for example, the waiting time until the start of rice cooking is not so long, but decompression control into the pan 11 is Forcibly performed, it is possible to eliminate the concern of consuming unnecessary electric power to operate the decompression pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95.

  Next, the operation | movement is demonstrated about the normal rice cooking which does not perform reservation rice cooking. In addition, as above-mentioned, the operation | movement after the substantial rice cooking in a reservation rice cooking course is started is common with the operation | movement of the normal rice cooking demonstrated from now on.

  When rice and water, which are to be cooked, are put into the pan 11 and a rice cooking key of the operation switch 103 is operated, for example, rice cooking by the rice cooking control means 117 is started. Here, the rice cooking control means 117 is based on the temperature detection of the bottom of the pan 11 by the pan temperature sensor 17 in order to promote water absorption to the rice in the pan 11 before starting the substantial rice cooking. The bottom and side portions of the pan 11 are heated by the cord heater 18 and the water temperature in the pan 11 is maintained at about 45 to 60 ° C. for 15 to 20 minutes.

  At this time, the decompression pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are controlled so that the decompression control means 130 operates and the pressure in the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure. Specifically, when the start of the process is started, the decompression control means 130 turns on the decompression selection switch until just before the substantial rice cooking is started, and the LCD of the display means 128 indicates that the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. Display. Thereby, the user can know that the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. Further, the decompression control means 130 outputs a signal for driving the decompression pump 92 to the pump drive means 126 in order to discharge air from the inside of the pan 11, and the electromagnetic valve 95 and thus the path 94 in synchronization with the decompression pump 92. Is output to the solenoid valve driving means 127. Thereafter, the decompression control means 130 stops driving the decompression pump 92 and closes the solenoid valve 95 and thus the path 94 to maintain the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state, taking into account the pressure increase due to the slow leak, and a predetermined time. After a lapse of time, the decompression control means 130 drives the decompression pump 92 again for a predetermined time and opens the electromagnetic valve 95 and consequently the path 94 to discharge air from the pot 11. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the pressure reducing pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are simultaneously turned on and off, and the pressure in the pan 11 is maintained at a value within a desired range.

  When the inside of the pan 11 is under atmospheric pressure, both the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are energized (on), and the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned on. Each moves to the retracted position. As a result, the pressure regulating valve 69 closes the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 75 and the opening / closing valve 96 closes the opening / closing hole 181 of the inner lid 62, so that the inside of the pan 11 is secured. In addition, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 sink under the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, the rotation of the clamp 34 is restricted, and the lid opening button 32 is pushed. In addition, the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is double-locked, so that the lid 21 does not open.

  In this manner, the inside of the pan 11 is maintained in a reduced pressure state at the time of time. Further, at the time of this pressure reduction, the pressure regulating valve 69 is placed on the first pressure regulating packing 75 and closes the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, so that the inside of the pan 11 is secured. Therefore, the inside of the pan 11 can be depressurized in a sealed state at the time of passing, and the rice can sufficiently absorb water in the pan 11.

  Thereafter, when the predetermined time has expired, the rice cooking control means 117 starts a substantial rice cooking operation, the decompression control to the pan 11 by the decompression control means 130 is interrupted, the decompression selection switch is turned off, and the LCD The display indicating that the pressure is reduced is also stopped. At the same time, the decompression pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are turned off until the subsequent heat retention becomes stable. Further, the rice cooking control means 11 retracts the pressure regulating valve 69 from the communication hole 74. As a result, the pan 11 is maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure, but the open / close solenoid 172 is still in the on state, and the open / close frame lock piece 189 is positioned below the proximal end portion 34A of the clamp 34 to open the lid 21. I can't do that.

  When the boiling state in the pan 11 is detected, cooking (continuous boiling heating) and unevenness are carried out continuously, but until the middle of the unevenness, the rice cooking control means 117 is While the operation of the decompression means 91 is stopped, the pressure regulating solenoid 82 is turned on, and the communication port 70 is closed by the pressure regulating valve 69. Thereby, the communication between the inside of the pan 11 and the outside is blocked. In addition, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34, the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is double-locked, and the lid body 21 cannot be opened.

  When shifting to the rice cooking process, the rice cooking control means 117 strongly heats the pan 11 by the heating coil 16 and performs boiling heating to the cooked rice. When the temperature of the bottom of the pan 11 becomes 90 ° C or higher during this boiling heating and the temperature of the lid 21 is stabilized at 90 ° C or higher, it is assumed that the pan 11 is in a boiling state, and the heating amount is reduced more than before. Shift to continuous boiling heating. During boiling heating, the rice cooking control means 117 turns off the solenoid 82 and retracts the pressure regulating valve 69 from the communication port 70. As a result, the pressure adjusting unit 64 is in an open state in which the inside and outside of the pan 11 are communicated without being sealed, and the pan 11 is maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, the open / close solenoid 172 continues to be in the ON state, and the open / close frame lock piece 189 is positioned below the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34 so that the lid 21 cannot be opened. Note that the fact that the temperature of the lid 21 is stable at 90 ° C. or higher is detected by the temperature increase rate of the detected temperature from the lid temperature sensor 65. In this boiling detection, the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 65 can confirm that both the bottom of the pan 11 and the lid 21 have reached 90 ° C. or more, and the pan 11 has completely boiled. Can be detected accurately.

  Further, when any of the bottom part of the pan 11, the side part of the pan 11 or the lid body 21 reaches a detection temperature which cannot be normally 120 ° C. or higher, the heating control means 111 determines that there is some abnormality and cooks rice. The amount of heating in the heating is reduced so that all operations are stopped, or the operation is shifted to the unevenness described later, or the heat is kept to prevent abnormal heating. Conversely, either the bottom of the pan 11 or the lid 21 has reached 90 ° C. or more and a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has passed, but either the bottom of the pan 11 or the lid 21 other than that. When the temperature is lower than 90 ° C, the pan temperature sensor 17 or the lid temperature sensor 65 in the low temperature state determines that the temperature detection accuracy has deteriorated for some reason (dirt, tilt, poor contact, etc.). Similarly, the amount of heating in rice cooking heating is reduced so that all operations are stopped, or the operation is shifted to unevenness, or the heat is kept, and this is dealt with.

  When the boiling state in the pan 11 is detected, cooking (continuous boiling heating) and unevenness are carried out continuously, but until the middle of the unevenness, the rice cooking control means 117 is While the operation of the decompression means 91 is stopped, the pressure regulating solenoid 82 is turned on, and the communication hole 74 is closed by the pressure regulating valve 69. Thereby, the communication between the inside of the pan 11 and the outside is blocked. Further, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34, the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is double-locked, and the lid body 21 cannot be opened.

  Moreover, when it shifts to boiling continuation, the rice cooking control means 117 starts lid heating by the lid heater 36. The lid heating here is managed by the detected temperature of the lid temperature sensor 65 so that the temperature of the inner lid 62 becomes 100 to 110 ° C. In addition, when shifting to boiling continuous heating, the rice cooking control means 117 periodically turns the solenoid 82 on and off. In this continuous boiling heating, it is preferable to change the power interruption timing of the solenoid 82 in accordance with the menu selected by the operation switch 103. As a result, the degree of sealing of the pressure adjusting unit 64 leading to the pan 11 can be changed to an optimum one according to the selected menu.

  And when the bottom of the pan 11 has a predetermined temperature rise, the cooking in the pan 11 is detected, the rice cooking process by the rice cooking control means 117 is terminated, and the heat insulation control means 118 shifts to the heat insulation process. It shifts to nomura. During unevenness, the lid heater 36 is cut off by temperature control based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 65 to prevent dew condensation on the inner lid 62, and the temperature is high enough to prevent the rice from burning (98-100 ° C). The temperature at the bottom of the pan 11 is controlled so that it is maintained. The unevenness is continued for a predetermined time (15 to 20 minutes), and when the unevenness is completed, the operation shifts to heat retention by the heat retention control means 118.

  In addition, when the operation shifts to unevenness, the operation of gradually returning the inside of the pan 11 to atmospheric pressure is performed in consideration of the fact that the lid 21 is opened immediately after the start of the subsequent heat retention. The heat retention control means 118 first switches the pressure regulating solenoid 82 from the on state to the off state during the unevenness, retracts the pressure regulating valve 69 from the communication hole 74, and then opens and closes after a predetermined time has elapsed. The solenoid 172 is switched from the on state to the off state. In this way, at least after the communication hole 74 is opened, the lid 21 cannot be opened until the opening / closing solenoid 172 is turned off, and before the inside of the pan 11 has returned to the atmospheric pressure, there is a problem. The lid 21 can be prevented from opening in preparation.

  Immediately after the transition to the heat insulation process, the inside of the pan 11 communicates with the outside through the communication hole 74 and the opening / closing hole 181 and is maintained at atmospheric pressure. At the same time, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the open / close frame lock piece 189 are located away from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34, the lid 21 can be freely opened and closed.

  Thereafter, as described in the above embodiment, the heat retention control unit 118 is configured to reduce the pressure in the pan 11 so that the pressure in the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure by the pressure reduction control unit 130 when the heat retention elapsed time reaches a preset time. 92 and solenoid valve 95 again control the operation. At the same time, the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are simultaneously turned on in order to seal the inside of the pan 11. As a result, both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the open / close frame lock piece 189 enter under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34, and the rotation of the clamp 34 is restricted. Such an operation may be performed when the pan temperature sensor 17 detects that the inside of the pan 11 has reached a predetermined temperature in the heat retaining stroke, not after a predetermined time of the heat retaining stroke.

  When the temperature is kept warm, the heating coil 16 heats the bottom and bottom of the side of the pan 11 and is slightly higher than the temperature of the rice contained in the pan 11, and the lid heater 36 heats the lower surface of the lid 21. Further, the temperature of the side surface of the pan 11 is controlled by the cord heater 18 so that the rice is not dried and a large amount of dew does not adhere. The temperature of the rice in the pan 11 is maintained at 70 to 76 ° C. Even when the temperature is kept, the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 65 are abnormally high or abnormally low. Detects abnormalities and prevents this abnormal heating.

  When the process proceeds to the heat insulation process, the heat control means 118 receives the detection signals from the Hall elements 42 and 191. That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, during the operation control of the pressure reducing means 91 for reducing the pressure inside the pot 11, the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned on at the same time, and the user closes the lid. When an attempt is made to push the lid opening button 32 with the intention of opening the body 21, the proximal end 34A of the clamp 34 hits the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189, and its rotation is restricted. However, the lid opening button 32 is pushed slightly downward by the elasticity of the clamp 34 and the Hall element 42 moves to a position away from the magnet 144 (FIG. 4B). When the heat retention control means 118 receives the detection signal from the hall element 42 at this time, the pressure regulating solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned off in conjunction with each other, and both plungers 151 and 173 advance to communicate with each other. The hole 74 and the opening / closing hole 181 are opened, and the rotation restriction of the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 with respect to the clamp 34 is also released. By pressing the lid opening button 32 again, the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver The engagement with 38 is released, and the lid 21 can be opened.

  When the lid 21 is opened, the Hall element 191 of the lid open / close detection means is separated from the magnet, and a signal corresponding thereto is output from the Hall element 191 to the heating control means 111. As a result, the decompression control means 130 constituting the heating control means 111 does not output a signal for driving the decompression means 91 while determining that the lid 21 is open based on the detection signal from the Hall element 191.

  After that, when the cooked rice is taken out of the pan 11 and the lid 21 is closed again, the distance between the Hall element 191 and the magnet becomes a predetermined value or less, and a signal corresponding thereto is heated from the Hall element 191 to the heating control means. Send to 111. In response to this, the decompression control means 130 and the heat retention control means 118 operate the decompression means 91 again after a predetermined time while determining that the lid 21 is closed based on the detection signal from the Hall element 191. Further, the pressure regulating solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are simultaneously turned on so that the lid 21 is not opened carelessly.

  The heating control means 111 reads the signal from the Hall element 191 only during the heat retention that is a predetermined process. In this case, the heating control means 111 receives a signal from the Hall element 191 but does not perform control using the received signal. By doing so, the software configuration as the heating control means 111 can be simplified. Further, the heating control unit 111 may read a signal from the Hall element 191 in a process other than the heat retention.

  In addition, during the unevenness and warming process, when the pressure reducing means 91 is operated and the inside of the pan 11 is at atmospheric pressure or lower, the heating control means 111 sends a control signal for continuously lighting the LED 142 to the display driving means 129. Thereby, the user can recognize immediately that the lid 21 and the main body 1 are engaged and locked because the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. In addition, since there is a slight time lag from when the lid opening button 32 is intended to be pushed to when the lid 21 can actually be opened, the clamp 34 of the lid 21 and the clamp receiver 38 of the main body 1 When the Hall element 42 outputs a detection signal when it is intended to release the engagement of the LED, the LED 142 switches to a blinking operation. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the LED 142 is automatically turned off. The user can understand whether the body 21 does not open.

  Thus, in this embodiment, the main body 1 that houses the pan 11 is covered with the lid 21, and the closed state of the main body 1 and the lid 21 is held by the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 that are engaging means. The clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 are provided with an inhibiting means 121 that inhibits the movement in the release direction, which is a predetermined direction, and an adjusting means that adjusts the movement of the inhibiting means 121. The adjusting means is provided on the clamp 34. The lid opening switch 32 as the operating means, the detection means 45 for detecting the change of the lid opening switch 32, and the heating control means 111 as the control unit for operating the inhibition means 121 in response to the detection output from the detection means 45 By the operation of the lid opening switch 32, the adjusting means moves the inhibiting means 121 so that the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 can be released.

  In this way, when the detection means 45 detects the movement when the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is about to be released as a change of the lid opening switch 32, the inhibition of the movement to the clamp 34 by the inhibition means 121 is released. Then, the lid 21 can be opened from the main body 1. Therefore, in an unintended operation on the lid opening switch 32, the detection means 45 cannot detect this as a change in the lid opening switch 32, and the lid 21 can be prevented from opening unexpectedly. In addition, by detecting the change of the lid opening switch 32 for operating the opening and closing of the lid 21 instead of the clamp 34 itself, the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 can be engaged with less movement (light operating force). It can be made releasable.

  In this embodiment, it is preferable to use a magnet 44, which is a magnetic material, as the detecting means 45. In this way, by using the magnet 44 for the detection means 45, the detection means 45 can be made compact and the detection accuracy can be improved.

  Here, the detection means 45 is configured integrally with the lid opening switch 32, and the detection means 45 for detecting the operation when the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is to be released is used to open and close the lid 21. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the detection unit 45 can be improved.

  Preferably, the detecting means 45 and the lid opening switch 32 are integrally formed with a clamp 34 which is an engaging means. In this way, the detection means 45 for detecting the operation when the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is to be released, and the lid opening switch 32 for operating the opening / closing of the lid body 21 operate integrally with the clamp 34. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the detection means 45 can be further improved.

  In the present embodiment, the inhibiting means 121 is configured integrally with a pressure adjusting frame 152 as pressure means for returning the inside of the main body 1 and thus the pan 11 from a state other than the atmospheric pressure which is a predetermined pressure to the atmospheric pressure which is another pressure. . As a result, the restriction release to the clamp 34 and the operation of returning the inside of the pan 11 to the atmospheric pressure are performed by the common pressure adjusting frame 152, so that it is possible to achieve compactness and cost reduction by sharing parts.

  Further, since the magnet 42 used as the detecting means 45 is provided on the lid body 21 that pivotally supports the swinging clamp 34, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the detecting means by suppressing variations in assembly dimensions. it can.

  In addition, if the lid opening switch 32 is operated while the inside of the pan 11 is less than atmospheric pressure, the obstruction means 121 is moved by the predetermined first operation, the movement restriction to the clamp 34 is released, and the next second time The clamp 34 is moved by operation to be disengaged from the clamp receiver 38. In this way, the movement of the blocking means 121 and the disengagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 can be operated by the same lid opening switch 32, so that it is necessary to operate a separate lid opening switch 32 when opening the lid body 21. The operability can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, a heating coil 16 is provided as a heating means for heating the pan 11, and the heating coil 16 is controlled by a heating control means 111 as a control means, and a clamp 34 and a clamp receiver 38 are provided as engagement means. The device includes a hall element 191 as an opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the lid 21. When the hall element 191 detects that the lid 21 is open, the decompression means 91 is not operated, The heating control means 111 is configured to receive the signal from the Hall element 191 only during the process.

  In this case, by providing the hall element 191, the open / closed state of the lid 21 can be recognized. In particular, when the hall element 191 detects that the lid 21 is open, the operation of the decompression means 91 is stopped. As a result, when the lid 21 is open, hair or the like is prevented from being sucked by the decompression means 91 to improve usability, and at the same time, wasteful power consumption can be avoided and energy saving can be realized. Furthermore, the heating control means 111 reads the signal from the Hall element 191 only during a predetermined stroke, whereby the control configuration during an unnecessary stroke can be simplified.

  Further, the opening / closing detection means is preferably one that detects by an electrical signal, such as the Hall element 191. By detecting the electrical signal from the lid opening / closing detection means, it is more stable than, for example, mechanical detection. Detection can be realized.

  The opening / closing detection means in the present embodiment is composed of a main body side detection unit (Hall element 191) provided on the main body 1 and a lid body side detection part (magnet) provided on the lid body 21. By separately providing a main body side detection unit and a lid side detection unit on the lid side, the open / closed state of the lid 21 can be reliably detected. Furthermore, by configuring the lid-side detector with a magnetic material, the wiring process on the lid 21 side can be simplified or unnecessary, and a rice cooker with a reduced product cost can be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the pressure reducing means 91 for bringing the main body 1 into a state lower than the atmospheric pressure, and the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 as engaging means for maintaining a predetermined state, that is, a closed state of the main body 1 and the lid 21, for example. In the rice cooker provided with a hinge spring 29 as an urging means for urging the lid 21 in the opening direction, it is located at or near the side of the steam discharge unit 66 that is a discharge portion for discharging the steam in the pan 11 to the outside. Thus, the decompression means 91 is disposed on the lid 21.

  As described above, the pressure reducing means 91 is arranged on the lid 21 at or near the side of the vapor discharge unit 66, so that the air suction tube (path 94) and the like in the lid 21 are minimized. Thus, the lid 21 can be made compact and cost can be reduced. In addition, since such a tube does not pass through the hinge part 28 or the like that is movable in the middle, damage to the tube can be prevented and stable decompression performance can be maintained.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the steam outlet unit 66 is configured by a steam port 108 as an exhaust body having a steam flow path and a cap having a steam discharge hole, that is, a steam port cap 109. By disposing the decompression pump 92 of the decompression means 91 below the predetermined direction, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the lid 21 and the influence on the external appearance design, and a compact lid 21 structure can be realized.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the decompression means 91 is arranged by disposing a decompression pump 92 of the decompression means 91 in a predetermined direction, that is, above the hinge portion 28 that is a shaft support portion that pivotally supports the main body 1 and the lid 21. The biasing force of the hinge portion 28 that automatically opens the lid 21 from the main body 1 can be reduced by making it less susceptible to the increase in weight due to the arrangement on the lid 21.

  By the way, the rice cooker described above is supported by a valve, that is, the pressure regulating valve 69, when the inside of the pan 11 is heated in order to pressurize the inside of the pan 11 to a pressure larger than the atmospheric pressure by the pressure regulating unit 64 in the rice cooking process. The communication hole 74 of the body 77 is closed and the inside and outside of the pan 11 are closed, but the pressure adjusting unit 64 does not have such a function at the time of pressurization, and when the inside of the pan 11 is decompressed by the decompression means 91 In order to maintain the pressure reduction state in the pan 11 only, the pressure regulating valve 69 closes the inside and outside of the pan 11 and when the pressure inside the pan 11 is returned to atmospheric pressure, the pressure regulating valve 69 allows the inside and outside of the pan 11 to communicate. In some cases, it is preferable to have a configuration of the pressure adjusting unit 64 as shown in FIG. 25 is not provided with the valve support 77 or the pressure adjusting spring 78 shown in FIG. 9 or FIG. 10, and the pressure adjusting valve 64 is used when the inside of the pan 11 is maintained below atmospheric pressure. 69, the hole 75 </ b> A of the first pressure regulating packing 75 is closed. Other configurations as the pressure adjusting unit 64 are the same as those shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

  When the pressure adjusting unit 64 does not pressurize the pan 11, even if a valve support 77 as a pressure support member that supports the pressure adjusting valve at the time of pressurization, or a pressure adjusting spring 78 that biases the pressure support member, Such a valve support 77 and the pressure adjusting spring 78 do not normally function. Therefore, the configuration of the pressure adjusting unit 64 as shown in FIG. 25 can reduce the cost.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the pressure reducing device 91 for reducing the pressure in the pan 11 to less than the atmospheric pressure, and the pressure adjusting device that is provided in the lid 21 and adjusts the degree of pressure reduction when the pressure reducing device 91 operates. In the case where the pressure adjusting unit 64 includes the pressure adjusting unit 64 and does not pressurize the inside of the pan 11, the valve support 77 is unnecessary, and the movable pressure adjusting valve 64 and the support member that supports the pressure adjusting valve 69 at the time of pressure reduction are used. The first pressure regulating packing 75 constitutes a pressure regulating unit 64.

  Thus, the first pressure regulating packing 75 supports the pressure regulating valve 69 when the inside of the pot 11 is at a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, and the pressure regulating valve 69 and the first pressure regulating packing 75 are used in the pressure regulating section 64. Airtightness can be ensured and the inside of the pan 11 can be kept airtight. Therefore, the inside of the pan 11 can be depressurized in a sealed state at the time of time, and the rice can sufficiently absorb water in the pan 11. Further, if the inside of the pan 11 is depressurized in a hermetically sealed state at the time of heat retention, the oxygen concentration in the pan 11 is lowered, and moisture evaporation of the cooked rice can be prevented, and Maillard reaction and oxidation can be sufficiently suppressed. Furthermore, since the inside of the pan 11 is not pressurized, even if the pressure adjusting unit 64 does not have a pressure support member such as the valve support 77, the pressure reduction function is not hindered, and the valve support 77 is omitted. The cost can be reduced accordingly.

  25 is provided with a hole 75A as a penetrating portion in the first pressure regulating packing 75, and the pressure regulating valve 69 closes the hole 75A, thereby maintaining the inside of the pan 11 in a reduced pressure state. Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the lid body 21 has an opening portion 211 separate from the hole 75 </ b> A, and is provided with opening / closing means 212 for opening and closing the opening portion 211. In this way, even if the hole 75A of the first pressure regulating packing 75 is blocked and cannot be opened for some reason, it can be returned to atmospheric pressure by another opening portion 211, reducing damage to the main body 1 and being safe. Can be improved.

  Moreover, since the opening / closing means 212 always closes the opening portion 211, as long as the inside of the pan 11 is depressurized in the normal pressure range, the opening / closing means 212 closes the opening portion 211, and the pressure reducing operation in the normal time. Therefore, the pressure reduction performance can be improved.

  The opening / closing means 212 of this embodiment has a closing holding means 204 as a holding means with an elastic member 205 that biases the opening portion 211 in the closing direction, and using the biasing force of the closing holding means 204, The opening 211 can be reliably closed during normal pressure reducing operation.

  Further, the closure holding means 204 includes an elastic member 205, and when the pressure applied to the opening part 211 exceeds the elastic force of the elastic member 205, the opening part 205 is opened and returned to atmospheric pressure. And the pressure reduction performance can be further improved.

  In addition, since the first pressure regulating packing 75 is made of an elastic member, the sealing force by the pressure regulating valve 69 and the first pressure regulating packing 75 is further ensured by using the elastic force of the first pressure regulating packing 75. Further, the decompression performance can be further improved.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, It can change in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. For example, the configuration as the decompression means 91 is not limited to a combination of the decompression pump 92, the path 94, and the electromagnetic valve 95 as in the present embodiment. Moreover, the set value and set time of the pressure in an Example are only examples, and may be suitably changed according to the specification of each rice cooker.

It is whole sectional drawing of the rice cooker in one Example of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the principal part at the time of a lid closing same as the above. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part when the lid is closed, which is a cross section different from FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in a state where the lid opening button is not pushed when the lid is closed. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in a state where the lid opening button is pushed for the first time when the lid is closed. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in a state where the lid opening button is pushed for the second time when the lid is closed. It is a perspective view which shows a movable part assembly of the state which removed the substrate holder same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the completed movable part assembly same as the above. It is sectional drawing which shows the completed movable part assembly same as the above. It is sectional drawing which shows the completed movable part assembly same as the above. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a pressure adjusting unit during pressurization. It is an expanded sectional view of the pressure regulation part at the time of pressure reduction same as the above. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pressure regulating unit and the safety valve at the time of pressurization represented by a cross section different from FIG. 9. It is a perspective view inside a cover body of the state which removed the outer cover same as the above. It is a principal part sectional drawing which shows another modification of a lid body same as the above. It is a principal part sectional drawing which shows another modification of a lid body rear part same as the above. It is a perspective view inside a cover body of the state which removed the outer cover same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows a structure of the periphery of a clamp and a pressure regulating solenoid and an opening / closing solenoid. It is a perspective view which shows a solenoid for pressure regulation and its surrounding structure same as the above. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the opening / closing solenoid and the surrounding structure. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when the open / close solenoid is not energized. It is sectional drawing of the principal part at the time of energization of the solenoid for opening / closing same as the above. It is sectional drawing of a safety valve same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows an electrical structure same as the above. It is a timing chart showing the transition of the temperature and pressure in a pan, and the operation state of each part. It is a timing chart showing the transition of the temperature and pressure in a pan, and the operation state of each part. It is sectional drawing of the pressure regulation part which shows another modification same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

1 Body
11 Pot
16 Heating coil (heating means)
21 Lid
29 Hinge spring (biasing means)
32 Cover open button (operating means, adjusting means)
34 Clamp (engaging means)
38 Clamp holder (engaging means)
44 Magnet (magnetic material)
45 Detection means
64 Pressure regulator (pressure regulator)
66 Steam discharge unit (discharge section)
75 First pressure regulating packing (supporting member)
75A hole (through)
91 Pressure reducing means
108 Steam outlet (exhaust)
109 Vapor cap (cap)
111 Heating control means (control means)
121 Blocking measures
152 Pressure control frame (pressure means)
191 Hall element (open / close detection means, main body side detection unit)
204 Occlusion holding means (holding means)
205 Elastic member
211 Opening area
212 Opening and closing means

Claims (19)

In a rice cooker comprising a pan, a main body for storing the pan, a lid for covering the main body, and an engaging means,
An inhibiting means for inhibiting movement of the engaging means in a predetermined direction; and an adjusting means for adjusting the movement of the inhibiting means;
The adjusting means includes an operating means provided in the engaging means, and a detecting means for detecting a change in the operating means,
The rice cooker characterized in that the adjustment means moves the inhibition means and allows the engagement means to be disengaged by the operation of the operation means.   2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means uses a magnetic material.   The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the detection means is configured integrally with the operation means.   The said detection means and the said operation means are comprised integrally with the said engagement means, The rice cooker as described in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the inhibiting means is configured integrally with a pressure means for changing from a predetermined pressure state to another pressure.   The said magnetic material is provided in the said cover body, The rice cooker as described in any one of Claims 2-5 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The operation unit is operated in a predetermined pressure state, the inhibition unit is moved by a predetermined operation, and the engagement unit is disengaged by the next operation. 6. The rice cooker according to any one of 6. A pan, a main body that houses the pan, a lid that covers the main body, a decompression unit that brings the main body to a state lower than atmospheric pressure, a heating unit that heats the pan, and a control that controls the heating unit In the rice cooker comprising means and engaging means,
Comprising an opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the lid,
When the open / close detection means detects that the lid is open, the decompression means is not operated,
A rice cooker characterized in that the control means receives a signal from the open / close detection means only during a predetermined stroke.   9. The rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein the open / close detection means detects electric signals.   10. The rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein the open / close detection unit includes a main body side detection unit provided in the main body and a lid body side detection unit provided in the lid body.   The rice cooker according to claim 10, wherein the lid side detection unit is made of a magnetic material. A pan, a main body that houses the pan, a lid that covers the main body, a decompression unit that brings the main body to a state lower than atmospheric pressure, an engagement unit that holds a predetermined state, and the lid body in a predetermined direction In the rice cooker provided with the biasing means for biasing to
A rice cooker characterized in that the pressure reducing means is disposed on the lid body in the vicinity of or near the side of the discharge section for discharging steam.   13. The rice cooker according to claim 12, wherein the discharge unit is configured by a discharge body having a flow path and a cap having a discharge hole, and the decompression unit is arranged in a predetermined direction of the cap.   The rice cooker according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the pressure-reducing means is arranged in a predetermined direction of a shaft support portion that pivotally supports the main body and the lid. A main body, a lid that covers the main body, a decompression unit that depressurizes to less than atmospheric pressure, and a pressure regulator provided on the lid,
The pressure regulator includes a valve and a support member that supports the valve,
The support member is provided with a penetrating portion, and the penetrating portion is closed by the valve so that the main body is held in a reduced pressure state.
The rice cooker further includes an opening part that is separate from the penetrating part, and is provided with opening and closing means for opening and closing the opening part.   The rice cooker according to claim 15, wherein the opening / closing means always closes the opening.   The rice cooker according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the opening / closing means has holding means for biasing the opening portion in a predetermined direction.   The rice cooker according to claim 17, wherein the holding means is constituted by an elastic member, and the opening is opened when the pressure exceeds an elastic force.   The rice cooker according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the support member is made of an elastic member.