JP2010253135A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve safety by preventing a lid from being opened carelessly even when the supply of power is interrupted. <P>SOLUTION: A rice cooker in which a body 1 storing a pot 11 is covered with a lid 31, includes: a clamp 44 as a locking means for holding the lid 31 on the body 1; and a fixing mechanism 401 for disabling the clamp 44. A shape memory spring 403 is provided as a movable part of the fixing mechanism 401. The shape memory spring 403 whose shape is displaced on sensing the temperature in the pot 11 is used as the movable part of the fixing mechanism 401, whereby even if the power to the rice cooker is interrupted, when the temperature in the pot 11 is high, the clamp 44 is disabled from operating to prevent the lid 31 from being opened carelessly. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker in which a lid and a main body are locked.

  This type of rice cooker is disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like, but includes a locking means for holding the lid body and a fixing means, and the fixing means operates a movable part attached to the electrical component, The locking means was inoperable.

  Further, when the engagement amount of the locking means is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a structure has been employed in which the operation of the adjusting means is prevented so that the inside of the main body is not pressurized.

JP 2007-29402 A

  However, when the power to the rice cooker and thus the electrical component is cut off, the inoperable state of the locking means by the movable part is released. For this reason, if the inside of the main body is in a pressurized state, the lid body may be opened carelessly.

  Further, when the steam passage is blocked and the inside of the main body is in a pressurized state, the lid may open. In particular, if the lid is not sufficiently locked and half-hangs, the possibility of opening the lid increases.

  Furthermore, even if the engagement amount of the locking means is equal to or less than a predetermined value, for example, if the steam passage is closed, the inside of the main body may be in a pressurized state.

  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 being opened carelessly and improve safety even when power supply is cut off. To do.

  Moreover, the 2nd objective of this invention is to provide the rice cooker which can improve safety | security even if the latching state of a cover body is inadequate.

  A third object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that can improve safety with a simple configuration even when the engagement amount of the locking means is insufficient.

  In the rice cooker of claim 1, by using the shape memory material as the movable part of the fixing means, even when the power to the rice cooker is cut off, the operation of the locking means is disabled and the lid is opened carelessly. The safety as a rice cooker can be improved.

  In the rice cooker of Claim 2, the movable part of a fixing means can be operated reliably using the elasticity of shape memory material, and the safety | security as a rice cooker can further be improved.

  In the rice cooker of claim 3, when the locking state of the lid is half-hanging, the detection means detects this, and the adjustment means adjusts the communication state of the steam passage, so the inside of the main body is pressurized. It is possible to prevent the steam passage from being blocked by cooking rice without being a pressure step. Therefore, even if the locking state of the lid is insufficient, the safety as a rice cooker can be improved.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 4, since it is possible to easily detect whether or not the lid is half-hanged with only a simple configuration for detecting the presence or absence of magnetism, complicated mechanical parts are not required. .

  In the rice cooker according to the fifth aspect, the steam passage from the pan can be easily adjusted when only the power supply state to the adjusting means is changed and the lid is half-hanged.

  In the rice cooker according to the sixth aspect, when the lid is half-locked, the detecting means detects this and notifies the user so that the user can notice.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 7, when the lid is half-hanged, the detection means detects this and stops the rice cooking before the inside of the main body is pressurized and the lid opens. be able to.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 8, even when the engagement amount of the locking means with respect to the receiving means is insufficient, the engagement between the locking means and the receiving means is easily prevented when the engagement amount is less than a predetermined amount. it can. Therefore, a safer rice cooker can be provided. Moreover, since it can comprise without adding a some component, manufacture at an inexpensive cost is possible.

  In the rice cooker according to the ninth aspect, the front end of the engaging portion of the locking means can be reliably engaged with the receiving means regardless of the state of the locking means.

  In the rice cooker according to the tenth aspect, regardless of the state of the receiving means, the engaging portion tip of the locking means can be reliably engaged at the base of the receiving means.

  According to the rice cooker of Claim 1, even when supply of electric power is cut off, the lid can be prevented from being opened carelessly, and safety can be improved.

  According to the rice cooker of Claim 2, the safety | security as a rice cooker can further be improved.

  According to the rice cooker of Claim 3, even if the latching state of a cover body is inadequate, the safety | security as a rice cooker can be improved.

  According to the rice cooker of Claim 4, it can detect easily whether the latching state of a cover body is half-hanging.

  According to the rice cooker of Claim 5, when the latching state of a cover body is half-hanging, the vapor | steam channel | path from a pan can be open | released easily.

  According to the rice cooker of the sixth aspect, the user can notice that the locked state of the lid is half-hanging.

  According to the rice cooker of Claim 7, rice cooking can be stopped before the inside of a main body will be in a pressurized state and a cover body will open.

  According to the rice cooker of claim 8, safety can be improved with a simple configuration even when the engagement amount of the locking means is insufficient.

  According to the rice cooker according to the ninth aspect, the front end of the engaging portion of the locking means can be reliably engaged with the receiving means.

  According to the rice cooker of Claim 10, the front-end | tip of the engaging part of a latching means can be reliably engaged with the base of a receiving means.

It is whole sectional drawing of the rice cooker in one Example of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the structure of a lid open button periphery same as the above. It is a top view of a rice cooker same as the above. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pressure adjusting unit and its periphery during pressurization. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pressure adjusting unit and its surroundings during pressure reduction. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part at the time of pressurization represented by a cross-section different from FIG. 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. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when the inner lid assembly is mounted from the state shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when the inner lid is deformed from the state shown in FIG. 12. 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 principal part sectional drawing which shows the fixing mechanism of a clamp 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. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 17 and shows a state where the lid body is normally locked. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 17 and shows a state where the lid is not normally locked. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the periphery of the clamp in a state where the normal lid is closed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the periphery of the clamp in a state where foreign matter is interposed between the lid and the main body. It is a principal part sectional view which shows the relationship between the front-end | tip position in the engaging part of a clamp, and the front-end | tip position of a clamp receiver same as the above. It is the principal part sectional drawing which expanded the latching | locking part of a clamp and a clamp receiver same as the above.

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

  First, based on FIG. 1, the basic structure of a rice cooker will be described. In the figure, a main body 1 that forms the outline of a rice cooker is formed by an upper frame 2 that constitutes an upper surface and an upper side surface thereof, and a substantially cylindrical outer frame 3 that constitutes a side surface, and is located below the outer frame 3. A bottom plate 4 is provided to cover the bottom opening. At that time, the upper frame 2 and the bottom plate 4 are formed of a synthetic resin such as PP (polypropylene), while the outer frame 3 is formed of a metal member such as stainless steel, for example, in order to improve cleanability and appearance quality. The In addition, a substantially cylindrical pan housing portion 6 that is suspended from the inner peripheral portion of the upper frame 2 and is formed of a synthetic resin such as PP integrated with the upper frame 2, and an opening on the lower surface of the pan housing portion 6. A pan container 9 made of a nonmagnetic material and having a bottomed cylindrical shape for accommodating a pan 11 to be described later is formed by an inner frame 8 that is provided so as to be covered and is formed of a synthetic resin such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate).

  In the pot housing 9, a bottomed cylindrical pot 11 for storing a rice to be cooked such as rice or water is detachably accommodated. The pan 11 has a pan body 12 mainly made of aluminum having good thermal conductivity, and a heating element 13 made 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; Consists of. The reason why the heating element 13 is not provided from the center to the top of the side surface of the pan 11 is to reduce the weight of the pan 11. An annular flange portion 14 is formed around the upper end of the pan 11 so as to extend to the outer periphery thereof. In addition, it has the structure which does not provide a heating means in the outer periphery of the pan accommodating part 6. FIG.

  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 generates heat due to the alternating magnetic field generated from the heating coil 16, and the pot 11 and thus the cooked food in the pot 11 are heated when cooking and keeping warm. ing.

  In addition, a thermistor-type pan temperature sensor 17 is disposed as a temperature detecting means 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. Accordingly, the heating amount of the heating coil 16 is adjusted to keep the pan 11 at a constant temperature.

  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 suppression member mounted and mounted on the upper end of the pan container 9 and covers the cord heater 18 from above. A flange heater is configured by including a metal plate 20 that is attached to the heater ring 19 and also serves as a heat-dissipating part and a fixing bracket made of, for example, an aluminum plate that is excellent in thermal conductivity. The metal plate 20 is positioned opposite to the gap between the rice cooker body 1 and the lid 31. 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 9 while being hung on the upper frame 2 of the main body 1. It is like that. Therefore, there is almost no gap between the pan 11 and the upper end of the pan housing 9 in which the pan 11 is housed. Moreover, the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 has an outer shape that is equal to or greater than the size of the cord heater 18, so that the cord heater 18 is covered with the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 from above. . However, although not shown in the drawing, the handle portion (flange portion 14) of the pan 11 is made non-contact, and by partially forming a gap, when cooking rice with water attached to the outer surface of the pan 11, Steam is discharged from the gap.

  The lid 31 is formed with an outer lid 32 as an outer part forming an outer shell of the upper surface, a lower surface which is an inner surface of the lid 31, a metallic heat sink 34 anodized with stainless steel or aluminum, and an outer lid 32. The main component is an outer lid cover 35 serving as a lid base material that is positioned below, covers the upper opening of the pan 11 and connects the outer lid 32 and the heat sink 34. A lid heater 36 as a lid heating means is provided on the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 34 inside the lid 31. The lid heater 36 may be an electric heating heater such as a cord heater or a heating coil by electromagnetic induction heating.

  A hinge portion 38 connected to the lid 31 is provided behind the upper frame 2. The hinge portion 38 is provided with a pair of holes (not shown) in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and a hinge spring 40 formed of 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 35 so as to face the hole provided in the hinge portion 38. By inserting a rod-shaped hinge shaft 41 in common with the hinge hole and the hole of the hinge portion 38, the main body 1 and the lid 31 are pivotally supported with the hinge shaft 41 as a fulcrum. Further, one end and the other end of the hinge spring 40 are hooked on the outer cover cover 35 and the outer frame 2, respectively, so that the cover body 31 is always urged in the opening direction.

  On the front upper surface of the lid 31, a lid opening button 46 is disposed in an exposed state. When the lid opening button 46 is pressed, the engagement between the lid 31 and the main body 1 is released and the lid is opened by the hinge spring 40. The body 31 opens automatically.

  Here, the configuration around the lid opening button 46 will be described in more detail based on the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. A clamp 44 corresponding to a locking means is disposed on the lid 31. The clamp 44 is pivotally supported with respect to the outer lid cover 35 around a clamp shaft 45 as a shaft provided inside the lid 31. The lid opening button 46 corresponding to the lid opening / closing means is disposed in an exposed state from the front upper surface of the lid 31 so that the user can operate it. Clamp biasing means (not shown) such as a spring for biasing the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44 toward the lid opening button 46 is provided inside the lid 31 so that the lid opening button 46 is always upward. The force to push up is applied.

  In addition to the base end portion 44 </ b> A that contacts the lid opening button 46, the clamp 44 has a drooping portion 44 </ b> B that protrudes downward from a clamping hole 48 on the lower surface of the outer lid cover 35, and a substantial distal end portion of the clamp 44. It corresponds to an engaging portion 44C extending from the lower end of the hanging portion 44B to the inside of the main body 1 as a starting point. The clamp 44 is formed of a metal part such as stainless steel, and the engaging portion 44C is substantially L-shaped. By doing so, it is possible to obtain engagement with the clamp receiver 50 having a higher strength than when the clamp 44 is made of synthetic resin. Further, the engaging portions 44C are provided at substantially equal positions on the left and right sides from the center of the lid 31. The hanging portion 44B and the engaging portion 44C are provided on the lower side of the clamp 44 and are provided in a pair on the left and right. The clamp shaft 45 serving as the rotation center of the clamp 44 is disposed along the upper end of the hanging portion 44B, and the engaging portion 44C swings substantially in the front-rear direction of the main body 1.

  On the other hand, a clamp receiver 50 corresponding to a receiving means is disposed in front of the upper frame 2 at a position substantially opposite to the hinge portion 38 provided on the upper frame 2, and the lid 31 is attached to the main body 1 side. The clamp 44 rotates around the clamp shaft 45 by the urging force of the clamp urging means and engages with the clamp receiver 50, thereby closing the lid 31 with respect to the main body 1. It comes to hold. The clamp receiver 50 is formed of a metal part such as stainless steel. By doing so, compared with the case where the clamp receiver 50 is made of a synthetic resin, the engagement with the clamp 44 having a higher strength can be obtained. On the other hand, when opening the lid 31, the lid opening button 46 is pushed, the base end of the clamp 44 is pushed downward, the clamp 44 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the engaging portion 44 </ b> C is moved to the body 1. The engagement between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 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 44 rotates about the clamp shaft 45. The clearance between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 is set to have a dimensional relationship that is larger than the normal engagement amount of the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50. Further, the dimensional relationship is set to be larger than the gap between the outer lid cover 35 and the upper frame 2.

  Here, the movable clamp 44 on the lid body 31 side is referred to as a locking means, and is a receiving means for the fixed clamp receiver 50 on the main body 1 side. However, a locking means fixed to the lid body 31 is provided, The main body 1 may be provided with movable receiving means.

  Reference numeral 55 denotes an inner lid assembly provided on the outer side, that is, the lower side of the heat radiating plate. This inner lid assembly 55 has a disk shape that is substantially the same diameter as the upper opening of the pan 11, and closes the gap between the pan 11 and the inner lid 56 with a metallic inner lid 56 anodized with stainless steel or aluminum. Therefore, a cover packing 57 made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber or fluorine rubber and a pressure adjusting unit 58 for adjusting the internal pressure of the inner hook are provided on the entire outer periphery of the inner cover 56. The inner lid 56 and the lid packing 57 are integrated by a packing base 59, whereby the inner lid assembly 55 is detachably provided on the inner surface of the outer lid cover 35. Further, the lid packing 57 formed in an annular shape contacts the upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 when the lid 31 is closed (when the lid is closed), and the gap between the pan 11 and the inner lid 56 The steam generated from the pan 11 is sealed.

  Referring back to FIG. 1 again, the heat radiating plate 34 is used for performing temperature management of the inner lid 56 by the lid heater 36 as lid temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the inner lid 56 attached to the lid 31. A thermistor-type lid temperature sensor 61 is provided. Further, a steam port 146 that can be attached to and detached from the upper surface side of the lid 31 is provided at a portion closer to the upper surface rear side of the lid 31.

  The inner lid 56 includes a plurality of holes communicating with the inside of the pan 11, that is, communication holes 77 and 181. In addition, as an opening / closing means for opening and closing these communication holes 77 and 181, a pressure adjusting unit 58 and an opening / closing valve 62 are provided separately. When the inner lid 56 is attached to the lower side of the outer lid cover 35, the pressure adjusting unit 58 and the on-off valve 62 are both provided facing the inlet side of the steam port 146. Communicate internally. The pressure adjusting unit 58 and the on-off valve 62 open or close the communication holes 77 and 181 to adjust the pressure in the pan 11.

  Here, the configuration of the pressure adjusting unit 58 that opens and closes the communication hole 77 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. The pressure adjusting unit 58 as pressure adjusting means includes a pressure adjusting valve 65 for pressure adjustment, a pressure adjusting valve holder assembly 66 that holds the pressure adjusting valve 65, and a dome-shaped pressure adjusting valve cover 67 that covers the pressure adjusting valve 65. Is done. The pressure regulating valve 65 is a material excellent in corrosion resistance and may be any component having a certain weight, and is formed of, for example, an austenitic stainless sphere.

  The pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 includes a first holder 68, a second holder 69, a first pressure regulating packing 71 corresponding to a pressure reducing support member, a second pressure regulating packing 72, and a pressure from the inside of the pan 11. In order not to directly apply to the 1 pressure regulation packing 71, there is a valve support 73 below the first pressure regulation packing 71, corresponding to a pressure support member, and a valve support on the lower surface of the first pressure regulation packing 71. And a pressure regulating spring 74 as an elastic body that urges the valve support 73 in the direction in which the 73 abuts. The valve support 73 is provided with a pressure regulating hole 70 that abuts below the ball-shaped pressure regulating valve 65 when the inside of the pan 11 is pressurized. The pressure adjusting hole 70 is for communicating the pot 11 and the outside of the lid 31. When the steam in the pot 11 passes through the pressure adjusting hole 70, the pressure adjusting hole 70 is discharged from the steam port 146 to the outside air. Yes. The first holder 68 and the second holder 69 are provided with a convex engaging portion 75 and a concave engaged portion 76 for fitting each other. The first holder 68 and the second holder 69 are attached to a communication hole 77 provided in the inner lid 56 as a holding member for holding the first pressure regulating packing 71, the valve support 73, and the like. The first holder 68 is entirely formed in a cap shape, and has a through hole 68A at the center thereof. The first holder 68 has a peripheral portion 68B of the through hole 68A and an upper end portion 69A of the second holder 69. The base is clamped. The second holder 69 has a cylindrical shape, and a flange 69B is formed on the lower side of the second holder 69 so as to abut the lower surface of the inner lid 56 around the communication hole 77. A concave groove 69 </ b> C for fitting the two pressure regulating packings 72 is formed. Furthermore, a projecting piece 69d having an L-shaped cross section is formed on the inner peripheral side of the second holder 69 in order to fit one end of the pressure adjusting spring 74.

  When assembling the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66, first, the pressure regulating packing 72 fitted into the concave groove 69C of the second holder 69 is inserted into the communication hole 77 provided in the inner lid 56, and the inside of the second holder 69 is inserted. The valve support 73 is inserted from above the second holder 69 so as to sandwich the pressure adjusting spring 74 on the circumferential side. Next, the first pressure regulation packing 71 is placed on the valve support 73 so as to cover the valve support 73 and the upper end 69A of the second holder 69, and the first pressure regulation packing 71 is further sandwiched from this state. In this manner, the first holder 68 is covered from above, the engaging portion 75 and the engaged portion 76 are fitted to each other, and the first holder 68 is attached to the second holder 69. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 is assembled, the inner surface of the second holder 69 and the lower surface of the valve support 73 are directly opposed to the inside of the pan 11. The first pressure regulating packing 71 arranged on the upper side of the two holders 69 and the valve support 73 has a structure that does not require direct pressure from the inside of the pan 11.

  The pressure regulating valve 65 is held by the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 assembled in this manner, and the pressure regulating section 58 is configured by covering the pressure regulating valve cover 67 from above. At this time, the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 and the pressure regulating valve cover 67 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 67 is for restricting the movement range of the pressure regulating valve 65, and is provided with a plurality of holes (not shown) for guiding the steam discharged from the pressure regulating hole 70 to the steam port 146. Further, since the inner lid 56 is supported by the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 and the pressure regulating valve cover 67, the communication hole 77 of the inner lid 56 is not exposed.

  The opening area of the pressure regulating hole 70 of the valve support 73 is smaller than the area of the surface 80 that receives pressure directly from the inside of the pan 11 inside the leg 79 formed on the lower side of the valve support 73. Further, the pressure regulating valve 65 is held so as to close the pressure regulating hole 70. Therefore, the pressure in the pan 11 can be adjusted by the opening area of the pressure adjusting hole 70 and the weight of the pressure adjusting valve 65.

  As an operation source for adjusting the sealing degree of the lid 31 by moving the pressure regulating valve 65, that is, the internal pressure of the pan 11, the outer lid cover 35 in the lid 31 has a solenoid 78 for moving the pressure regulating valve 65 in the pressure regulating unit 58. Is provided. When the solenoid 78 is not energized, its tip is held in the advanced position and the pressure regulating valve 65 is retracted from the pressure adjusting hole 70, while when the solenoid 78 is energized, its tip is retracted and the pressure regulating valve 65 is adjusted. The pressure hole 70 is caused to roll by its own weight, the pressure adjusting hole 70 is closed, and the pressure is put into the pan 11.

  Both the first pressure regulating packing 71 and the second pressure regulating packing 72 are made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber. Accordingly, particularly when the pressure in the pan 11 shown in FIG. 5 is reduced, the pressure regulating valve 65 comes into close contact with the first pressure regulating packing 71 due to elastic deformation of the first pressure regulating packing 71, and the opening in the first pressure regulating packing 71. That is, the sealing performance of the hole 71A is improved.

  Here, the operation means of the pressure adjusting unit 58 will be described with further reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 in addition to FIGS. Inside the lid 31 is provided a pressure adjusting solenoid 78 that moves the pressure adjusting valve 65 in the pressure adjusting unit 58 by retracting the plunger 151 from the inside by electromagnetic force. Similarly, the pressure adjusting frame 152 that moves together with the plunger 151 toward the outer lid cover 35 and the flexible pressure adjusting packing 153 that holds the inside of the lid 31 in a watertight state are also the outer lid in the lid 31. The cover 35 is provided. The pressure regulation packing 153 has a concave attachment portion 153A that faces the pressure adjustment portion 58 and fits to the periphery of an attachment hole provided in the outer lid cover 35. As shown also in FIG. 6, the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 and the pressure adjusting frame 152 are accommodated and arranged in a pressure regulating accommodating portion 154 formed in the lid 31 by the outer lid cover 35.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the pressure adjusting frame 152 is a frame portion provided so as to surround the pressure adjusting operation portion 161 as the pressure adjusting valve operating means protruding toward the pressure adjusting valve 65 and the pressure adjusting solenoid 78. 162 and a clamp operation restricting portion 163 as restricting means provided on the substantially opposite side of the pressure adjusting operation portion 161. The plunger 151 of the solenoid 78 and thus the pressure adjusting frame 152 are always positioned so as to push the pressure adjusting valve 65 in order to bring the inside of the pan 11 into a non-pressurized state. The position of the pressure adjusting frame 152 at this time is defined as a first frame position. In particular, a portion of the pressure adjustment frame 152 that operates the pressure adjustment valve 65 is the pressure adjustment operation unit 161. In this way, when the lid 31 is to be opened, the inside of the pan 11 is communicated with the outside air, and a smooth lid opening operation can be obtained without being affected by negative pressure.

  In addition to the pressure adjusting unit 58 facing the communication hole 77, an open / close valve 62 that opens and closes the communication hole 181 is provided on the upper surface side of the inner lid 56 so as to face another communication hole 181. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the on-off valve 62 includes an on-off valve shaft 201 that can move up and down, a shaft presser 202, a shaft spring 203 that is a coil spring that is an elastic body, and a lower portion of the on-off valve shaft 201. And a shaft packing 204 to be mounted on. The shaft retainer 202 has a cylindrical shape, and the lower end abuts around the communication hole 181 of the inner lid 56, while the on-off valve shaft 201 is inserted from the upper end. A shaft spring 203 is provided between a flange 201A formed on the outer periphery of the on-off valve shaft 201 and an upper end of the shaft presser 202, and always urges the on-off valve shaft 201 in a direction in which the shaft packing 204 is separated from the communication hole 181. To do. As described above, the open / close shaft 201 including the shaft packing 204 is constantly urged in the direction to open the communication hole 181 by the shaft spring 203, and this causes Oneva accumulated in the upper portion of the inner lid 56 to be connected to the communication hole 181. When the lid 31 is closed, the air is easily released from the inside of the pan 11 through the communication hole 181 to reduce the force applied when the lid is closed. Further, the shaft packing 204 provided facing the communication hole 181 is formed of a flexible material so as to reliably close the communication hole 181 when the on-off valve shaft 201 moves downward.

  205 is a cylindrical on-off valve cover that covers the outer periphery of the on-off valve shaft 201 and the shaft spring 203 and is attached to the upper part of the shaft presser 202. The on-off valve cover 205 may be attached to the pressure regulating valve cover 67, or may be provided separately from the pressure regulating valve cover 67.

  An on-off valve operating means 211 as an operating means is attached to the outer lid cover 35, located above the on-off valve 62. The on-off valve operating means 211 includes a first on-off shaft 212A and a second on-off shaft 212B as operation members 212 for operating the on-off valve 62, an on-off frame 175 that is a frame member that moves the operation member 212 up and down, Between the first opening / closing shaft 212A and the second opening / closing shaft 212B, an elastic member 215 made of a coil spring, a flexible seal member 217 for closing the hole 216 of the outer lid cover 35, and an upper portion of the seal member 217 And a cap 218 attached to. The seal member 217 is provided with a seal portion 221 that seals the inside of the lid 31 on the outer peripheral portion thereof, and a bottomed cylindrical operation portion 222 that covers the operation member 212 is provided at the center portion. The operation part 222 is in contact with the upper end surface of the on-off valve shaft 201. Here, the seal part 221 has a U-shaped cross section and is attached to the periphery of the hole part 216 of the outer lid cover 35. Further, the seal part 221 is arranged between the periphery of the hole part 216 and the outer periphery of the cap 218. Sandwiched between. Further, the seal portion 221 and the operation portion 222 are connected by a connecting portion 223 that is thinner than the seal portion 221 and the operation portion 222 and is rich in flexibility. The connecting portion 223 is formed in a shape having a curved cross section. However, if the operating portion 222 is movable in the same vertical direction as the on-off valve shaft 201 in conjunction with the operating member 212, the connecting portion 223 has a shape other than a curved shape. May be.

  An elastic member 215 is attached between the operation member 212 inserted through the cap 218 and the operation portion 222 of the seal member 217. Further, a hole 213 through which the operation member movable portion 188 of the opening / closing frame 175 passes and contacts is provided above the operation member 212.

  An annular groove 241 is formed on the upper outer periphery of the first open / close shaft 212A having a bottomed cylindrical shape, while a lower inner periphery of the second open / close shaft 212B is formed, and a claw 242 is fitted into the groove 241. The second opening / closing shaft 212B is mounted on the upper portion of the first opening / closing shaft 212A so as to be vertically movable with the elastic member 215 interposed therebetween. Here, by providing the groove 241 with a certain width, the movement range of the first opening / closing shaft 212A relative to the second opening / closing shaft 212B is regulated by the width of the groove 241. Thus, the operation member 212 is controlled. Is provided at a predetermined mounting position of the elastic member 215. In other words, the groove 241 and the claw 242 here are a regulation that uniformly regulates the upper and lower limits of the total length of the operation member 212 that can be changed in the vertical direction without depending on the elastic force and dimensional variation between the elastic members 215. It is provided as a means.

  Here, the configuration of the open / close frame 175 and its surroundings will be described based on FIGS. 7 and 8 and FIG. 10 described above, and is different from the pressure regulation housing portion 154 formed in the lid 31 by the outer lid cover 35. An open / close solenoid 172 is disposed in the open / close housing portion 171. Similarly to the pressure adjusting solenoid 78, the opening / closing solenoid 172 also has a configuration in which the plunger 173 is moved in and out by an electromagnetic force. The open / close frame 175 is accommodated in the open / close accommodating portion 171 together with the open / close solenoid 172, and is movable together with the plunger 173. As described above, the open / close frame 175 constituting the open / close valve operating means 211 operates with the open / close solenoid 172, preferably a solenoid, as a drive source, so that the open / close frame 175 can be reliably moved in the rice cooking process. Become. Similarly, the pressure adjusting frame 152 operates with the pressure adjusting solenoid 78, preferably a solenoid, as a driving source, so that the pressure adjusting frame 152 can be reliably moved in the rice cooking process.

  The operation member movable portion 188 is located between the operation member 212 and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172, and is formed in the shape of an arm piece integrally with the rear of the opening / closing frame 175. Further, in front of the opening / closing frame 175, a protruding clamp operation restricting portion 189 as a restricting means is provided, which is positioned substantially opposite to the operation member movable portion 188. The operation member movable portion 188 has a shape having a height difference between the central portion 188A and the tip portion 188B, and is further set in a state of penetrating through a hole 213 provided in the operation member 212. In other words, the operation member movable portion 188 here forms a cam surface 188C at the contact portion with the operation member 212, and as the operation member movable portion 188 interlocked with the plunger 173 extends and retracts, By changing the position of the cam surface 188C with which the operation member 212 is in contact, the opening / closing shaft 186 and thus the opening / closing valve 182 move up and down.

  Reference numeral 251 denotes a safety valve provided on the inner lid 56 of the inner lid assembly 55. The safety valve 251 is opened 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 the internal pressure of the pan 11 is decreased.

  When the inner lid assembly 55 is attached to the lower surface of the outer lid cover 35, the upper end surface of the on-off valve shaft 201 pushed upward by the shaft spring 203 comes into contact with the operation portion 222 of the seal member 217. At this time, the opening / closing solenoid 172 is in a non-energized state, and since the central portion 188A of the operating member movable portion 188 is positioned in the hole 213 of the operating member 212, the elastic member 215 is bent and the first of the operating member 212 is moved. The open / close shaft 212A is pushed upward. Therefore, the shaft packing 204 is separated from the communication hole 181 and the communication hole 181 is kept open. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, when the opening / closing solenoid 172 is not energized in the normal state, the operation member 212 abuts on the central portion 188A of the operation member movable portion 188, and the first opening / closing shaft 212A or the opening / closing valve of the operation member 212 Since the open / close valve shaft 201 of 62 is located above, the communication hole 181 formed in the inner lid 56 remains open.

  Conversely, as shown in FIG. 12, when a predetermined process of rice cooking is started and the opening / closing solenoid 172 is energized, the opening / closing frame 175 operates to operate the operation member movable portion 188 in the hole 213 of the operation member 212. Retreats and moves through, and the operation member 212 is held in contact with the distal end portion 188B of the operation member movable portion 188. As described above, the central portion 188A and the distal end portion 188B of the operating member movable portion 188 have a height difference, and the distal end portion 188B has the cam surface 188C with which the operating member 212 abuts lower than the central portion 188A. is doing. Therefore, the operation member 212 and the operation portion 222 of the seal member 217 move downward while the operation member 212 maintains the entire length in a certain range by fitting the groove 241 and the claw 242, and the inner cover assembly 55 is provided. When the on-off valve shaft 201 is pushed downward by the operating portion 222 of the seal member 217, the shaft packing 204 attached to the tip of the on-off valve shaft 201 closes the communication hole 181. At this time, in order for the shaft packing 204 to reliably close the communication hole 181, the force by which the operating portion 222 of the seal member 217 pushes the on-off valve shaft 201 downward is that the shaft spring 203 biases the on-off valve shaft 201 upward. To be greater than the power to do. Further, in this embodiment, the stroke (movement distance) when the operating member movable portion 188 of the opening / closing frame 175 pushes the opening / closing valve shaft 201 is defined within a certain range by the fitting of the groove 241 and the claw 242. The shaft packing 204 can block the communication hole 181 stably.

  As described above, in the vicinity of the pressure regulating solenoid 78, a pressure regulating operation unit 161 for moving the pressure regulating valve 65 is provided behind the pressure regulating frame 152, while on the front side of the pressure regulating frame 152. A protruding clamp operation restricting portion 163 is provided. Similarly, an operation member movable portion 188 having a cam surface 188C is provided behind the opening / closing frame 175 in the vicinity of the opening / closing solenoid 172, and a protruding clamp operation restricting portion 189 is provided in front of the opening / closing frame 175. Is provided. Then, when the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 moves to the retracted position, which is the second frame position, such as by starting cooking rice and moving to a predetermined process of pressurizing, the clamp 44 is engaged from the clamp receiver 50. In order to restrict the movement in the releasing direction, the clamp operation restricting portion 163 is arranged so as to sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 is similarly set to the second position. When moved to the retracted position, which is the frame position, the clamp operation restricting portion 189 is disposed so as to sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44. At this time, even if the clamp 44 is pushed by the lid opening button 46, the movement of the clamp 44 is restricted and the engagement with the clamp receiver 50 cannot be released.

  Conversely, when the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 is in the advanced position, which is the first frame position, the clamp operation restricting portion 163 is separated from the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44 and the plunger of the opening / closing solenoid 172 Similarly, when 173 is in the advanced position, which is the first frame position, the clamp operation restricting portion 189 is separated from the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44. That is, when the clamp operation restricting portion 163 and / or the clamp operation restricting portion 189 are located below the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the operation of the clamp 44 is restricted, and the clamp 44 is removed from the clamp receiver 50. Although the engagement cannot be released, when both the clamp operation restricting portion 163 and the clamp operation restricting portion 189 are separated from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the operation of the clamp 44 is not restricted and the lid opening button 46 is pressed. When the moving operation is performed, the clamp 44 is detached from the clamp receiver 50 and the lid 31 is opened. The clamp operation restricting portions 163 and 189 may be any shape as long as they have a position and a shape for restricting the operation of the clamp 44 without being submerged below the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44. .

  81 is a pressure reducing means provided to lower the inside of the pan 11 below the normal atmospheric pressure with the lid 31 closed to the main body 1. The decompression means 81 includes a decompression pump 82 serving as a decompression drive source, and a tubular path 84 extending from the decompression pump 82 through the main body 1 and the lid 31 to the hole 83 provided in the inner lid 56. Further, an electromagnetic valve 87 as an opening / closing body for opening and closing the base end portion of the path 84 and a valve housing body 88 for housing the electromagnetic valve 87 are provided inside the lid body 31. Connected to the valve housing 88 is a cylindrical decompression packing 89 protruding downward from the heat radiating plate 34 toward the periphery of the hole 83 of the inner lid 56. Here, the hole 83 in the inner lid 56 is provided as a vacuum communication hole for evacuation, and the electromagnetic valve 87 is provided between the hole 83 and the decompression pump 82. The path 84 is formed of a pipe such as a rubber tube, for example, and connects between the pressure reducing pump 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87. In FIG. 1, the decompression pump 82 is provided at the rear part of the main body 1, but this may be provided at the rear part of the lid 31 as shown in FIG. 7.

  Then, when the inner lid assembly 55 including the inner lid 56 is attached to the lower surface of the lid body 31, the decompression packing 89 is hermetically abutted against the upper surface of the inner lid 56 while being elastically deformed, whereby the hole 83 and the decompression pump 82 are connected. A communication path 84 is formed. Further, when the lid 31 is closed with the inner lid assembly 55 attached, if the lid packing 57 is in close contact with the pan 11 and the communication holes 77 and 181 are closed, the sealed pan 11 and the electromagnetic pump 82 are closed. Communicates with each other via a path 84. When the decompression pump 82 is started from this state, the solenoid valve 87 and thus the path 84 are opened, and the air in the pan 11 is exhausted to the outside of the main body 1 through the path 84 and the decompression pump 82, and the inside of the sealed pan 11 The pressure drops. In addition, when the pressure in the pan 11 drops below the atmospheric pressure by a certain value, the electromagnetic valve 87 and thus the path 84 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 electromagnetic valve 87 and consequently the path 84 are opened, and the decompression pump 82 is activated to maintain the pan 11 in a state lower than the atmospheric pressure. .

  In such a depressurized state in the pan 11 lower than the atmospheric pressure, the air inside the leg 79 constituting the valve support 73 is sucked into the pan 11 and accordingly the pressure regulating valve 65 and the pressure regulating valve 65 are The valve support 73 to be placed and supported is lowered against the bias of the pressure adjusting spring 74. However, when the opening 70 of the valve support 73 moves to a position lower than the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 71, the pressure regulating valve 65 is mounted on the first pressure regulating packing 71 in place of the previous valve support 73. And the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 71 is closed, so that the inside of the pan 11 is secured and the pressure reduction can be continued (see FIG. 5).

  On the other hand, 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 73 resists the weight of the pressure regulating valve 65. Rises. Here, when the opening 70 of the valve support 73 moves to a position higher than the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 71, the pressure regulating valve 65 is replaced by the valve support 73 instead of the first pressure regulating packing 71 so far. The pressure regulating valve 65 that is placed and closes the pressure regulating hole 70 and that is placed on the valve support 73 rises in the same manner as the valve support 73. After the valve support 73 is lifted, the valve support 73 comes into contact with the first pressure regulating packing 71, thereby blocking the steam and the like trying to pass through the hole 71 </ b> A of the first pressure regulating packing 71, thereby maintaining the hermetic seal in the pot 11. Yes (see FIG. 4).

  Returning to FIG. 1 again, an operation panel 101 is provided at the front of the main body 1. Inside this operation panel 101 is an LCD 102 for displaying the time and the selected menu, an LED for displaying the current process, and an operation for starting cooking and selecting a menu, although none of them are shown in the figure. In addition to the switch 103 (see FIG. 5), a substrate on which a depressurization selection switch for selecting a depressurization 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 31.

  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.

  The cooling fan 113 is disposed below or on the side of the radiator 112 attached to the heating control means 111. Also, a hole for discharging the air that is warmed by taking heat from the radiator 112 attached to the heating control means 111 to the outside of the main body 1 at the bottom or side of the main body 1. A plurality of (not shown) are provided. The heating control means 111 is housed inside the product, that is, in the main body 1, but may be disposed at any position on the outer periphery of the pan 11. Moreover, you may arrange | position the hole provided in the bottom part or side part of the main body 1 in any position. However, in recent years, there is a demand for miniaturization of products, and the heating control means 111 and the cooling fan 113 and the hole 114 for discharging warm air are arranged at substantially opposite positions across the pan 11. Is preferred.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 141 denotes a substrate attached to the back (inside) side of the lid opening button 46. On this substrate 141, an LED 142 as an alarm means that is turned on when the pressure reducing means 81 operates and a Hall element 143 as a magnetic detection element are mounted. As shown in FIG. 3, the LED 142 is provided opposite to the upper surface of the lid opening button 46, and the hall element 143 is provided on the outer lid 32 when the lid opening button 46 is not pressed. It is arranged to face the magnet 144 as a magnetic body. When the Hall element 143 tries to release the engagement between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50, the Hall element 143 detects the operation by separating from the magnet 144 and outputs a detection signal to the heating control means 111 described later. Provided as a means. In addition, you may comprise the detection means which has an equivalent function with another sensor.

  LED 142 is continuously lit only when the pressure reducing means 81 is activated in the initial stage of rice cooking or heat retention, and the inside of the pan 11 is below atmospheric pressure, and when the inside of the pan 11 is below atmospheric pressure during the heat insulation step, When the engagement between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 is to be released, a detection output from the hall element 143 is received, blinks for a predetermined time, and is then provided as display means that turns off. Instead of the LED 142, other display means such as an LCD may be used, or a notification means such as a buzzer may be provided. In this case, the notification means may be configured in a similar manner or in conjunction with the process. In addition to the outer lid 32, the heat radiating plate 34, the outer lid cover 35, and the inner lid assembly 55 described above, the lid body 31 is provided with an outer lid 32 in order to improve the appearance quality of the lid body 31. A three-dimensional metal lid 33 covering the upper surface portion may be provided.

  Next, the control system will be described with reference to FIG. In the same figure, 111 is the above-mentioned heating control means, which is provided on the lid opening button 46 in addition to the temperature information from the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 61 and the operation signal from the operation switch 103. In response to the detection signal from the hall element 143 and another hall element 191 that detects the opening and closing of the lid 31, the heating coil 16 that heats the bottom of the pan 11 during cooking and warming, and the side of the pan 11 Each of the cord heater 18 for heating and the lid heater 36 for heating the lid 31 is controlled, and the above-described decompression pump 82, electromagnetic valve 87, solenoids 78 and 172 provided inside the lid 31 and LED 142 The display means 128 including each is controlled. In particular, the heating control means 111 of the present 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 controls the temperature based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 52. Then, the lid heater 26 is controlled so that the temperature of the heat radiating plate 34 and the inner lid 56 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 118 that heats the cooked food in the pan 11 during rice cooking, Insulation control means 119 for maintaining and heating the rice in the pan 11 to a predetermined temperature is provided.

  Here, the Hall element 191 that is a lid opening / closing detection means will be described. The Hall element 191 faces, for example, a magnet (not shown) that is a magnetic body provided at the rear of the lid body 31 so as to face the interior of the main body 1. Mounted on. Note that another sensor may be used instead of the Hall element 191 as long as the same function can be exhibited.

  The heat retention control means 119 here includes a timer means 120. When the heat retention operation starts, the timer means 120 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 command for starting reserved rice cooking from the operation switch 103, and the rice cooking control means 118 so that the cooked rice in the pan 11 is cooked at a predetermined time previously stored in the storage means. Reservation rice cooking control means 121 capable of executing a reservation 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 34 and the inner lid 56. 123, code heater driving means 124 for turning on the code heater 18, solenoid driving means 125 for turning on or off the solenoids 78, 172, pump driving means 126 for driving the decompression pump 82, and solenoid valve 89 on Alternatively, an electromagnetic valve driving means 127 for turning off and a display driving means 129 for driving the display means 128 are provided. At the time of cooking by the rice cooking control means 118 and at the time of heat retention by the heat retention control means 119, the heating to the bottom of the pan 11 by the heating coil 16 and the code heater 18 by detecting each temperature from the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 61. The heating is performed on the side surface of the pan 11 and the lid 31 is heated by the lid heater 36. In addition, after the rice cooking by the rice cooking control means 118 is finished and the cooked food in the pan 11 is cooked as rice, it automatically shifts to heat insulation by the heat insulation control means 119, and the temperature detected by the pot 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 20 to the space between the lid 31 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 upper inner 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 time of standby of the reserved rice cooking by the reserved rice control means 121 or the time until the rice cooking control means 118 starts substantial rice cooking. Depressurization control to operate the decompression pump 82 and the decompression state maintaining electromagnetic valve 87 so that the inside of the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure after the period and the heat insulation control means 119 determine that the above-mentioned heat insulation is stable. A function as means 130 is also provided.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described based on the timing chart of FIG. In FIG. 15, 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 65 (pressure regulating solenoid 78), the on-off valve 182 The operation timing of the (opening / closing solenoid 172) is shown (the painting state is on).

  In a cut-off state where rice cooking or heat insulation is not performed, both the pressure regulating solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are in a non-energized (off) state. At this time, the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 is in the advanced position, the pressure adjusting valve 65 is moved so that the pressure adjusting hole 70 is opened, and the plunger 173 of the opening and closing solenoid 172 is also in the advanced position, The on-off valve shaft 201 moves upward so that the communication hole 181 of the inner lid 56 is opened. Therefore, the inside of the pan 11 communicates with the outside through the pressure adjusting hole 70 and the communication hole 181 and is maintained at atmospheric pressure. In addition, since both of the clamp operation restricting portions 163 and 189 are located away from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the operation of the clamp 44 is not restricted, and if the lid opening button 46 is pushed, 44 is detached from the clamp receiver 50. That is, in the cut state, the lid 31 can be freely opened and closed.

  Thereafter, when rice and water 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 118 is started. Here, the rice cooking control means 118 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. During this time, the decompression pump 82 and the solenoid valve 87 of the decompression means 81 are operated, and when the inside of the pan 11 is below atmospheric pressure, both the pressure regulating solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are energized (on). The plunger 151 of the pressure regulating solenoid 78 and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 are moved to the retracted positions. As a result, the pressure adjustment operation part 161 is separated from the pressure adjustment valve 65, the pressure adjustment valve 65 closes the hole 71 </ b> A of the first pressure adjustment packing 71, and the operation member 212 comes into contact with the tip end part 188 </ b> B of the operation member movable part 188. Since the on-off valve shaft 201 is pushed downward and the shaft packing 204 closes the communication hole 181 of the inner lid 56, the inside of the pan 11 is secured. In addition, since the clamp operation restricting portions 163 and 189 are both under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, even if the rotation of the clamp 44 is restricted and the lid opening button 46 is pushed, The engagement with the clamp receiver 50 is double-locked, and the lid 31 is prevented from opening.

  Further, when the start process is started, the decompression control means 130 turns on the decompression selection switch until just before the substantial rice cooking is started, and displays on the LCD of 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. Thereafter, the decompression control means 130 stops driving the decompression pump 82 and closes the solenoid valve 87 and consequently the path 84 to maintain the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state. After a lapse of time, the decompression control means 130 drives the decompression pump 82 again and opens the electromagnetic valve 87 and thus the path 84 to discharge air from the pot 11. By repeating such an operation, the pressure reducing pump 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87 are simultaneously turned on and off, and the pressure in the pan 11 is maintained at a value within a desired range.

  In this manner, the inside of the pan 11 is maintained in a reduced pressure state at the time of time. At the time of this pressure reduction, the pressure regulating valve 65 is placed on the first pressure regulating packing 71 and closes the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 71, 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.

  After that, when the predetermined time is over, the rice cooking control means 118 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 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87 are turned off until the subsequent heat retention becomes stable.

  When shifting to the rice cooking process, the rice cooking control means 118 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 31 is stabilized at 90 ° C or higher, it is assumed that the inside of 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 118 turns off the solenoid 78 and retracts the pressure regulating valve 65 from the pressure regulating hole 70. As a result, the pan 11 is maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure, but the open / close solenoid 172 is still on, and the clamp operation restricting portion 189 is located below the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44 to open the lid 31. I can't do that.

  Note that the fact that the temperature of the lid 31 described above is stable at 90 ° C. or higher is detected by the rate of temperature increase of the detected temperature from the lid temperature sensor 61. In this boiling detection, the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 61 can confirm that both the bottom of the pan 11 and the lid 31 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 31 reaches a detection temperature that is not 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 31 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 31 other than that. When the temperature is lower than 90 ° C, the pan temperature sensor 17 or the lid temperature sensor 61 in this 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 shifting to continuation of boiling, the rice cooking control means 118 starts lid heating by the lid heater 36. The lid heating here is managed by the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 61 so that the temperature of the inner lid 56 becomes 100 to 110 ° C. 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 118 is terminated, and the heat insulation control means 119 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 61 to prevent dew condensation on the inner lid 56, and the temperature is high enough that the rice does not burn (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 119.

  When the temperature is kept warm, the heating coil 16 heats the bottom and the lower side of the pan 11 and is slightly higher than the temperature of the rice contained in the pan 11, and the lower surface of the lid 31 is heated by the lid heater 36. The temperature of the side of the pan 11 is controlled by the cord heater 18 so that the rice does not dry and a large amount of dew does not adhere. The temperature of the rice in the pan 11 is maintained at 70-76 ° C. Even when the temperature is kept, the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 61 are abnormally high or abnormally low. Detects abnormalities and prevents this abnormal heating.

  As described above, when the boiling state in the pan 11 is detected, cooking (continuous boiling heating) and unevenness are performed continuously. While the rice cooking control means 118 stops the operation of the decompression means 81, both the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned on, the communication hole 77 is closed by the pressure adjustment unit 58, and another communication hole 181 is provided. It closes with the on-off valve 62. Thereby, while cooking rice cooking is continued, the communication between the inside of the pan 11 and the outside is blocked, and the pressure in the pan 11 increases. At this time, since both the clamp operation restricting portion 163 and the clamp operation restricting portion 189 sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the engagement between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 is double-locked, and the lid body 31 cannot be opened.

  After that, when it is detected that the inside of the pan 11 has reached a predetermined pressure, the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 is switched from the on state to the off state, so that the pressure adjusting operation part 161 pushes the pressure adjusting valve 65. The pressure adjusting hole 70 is opened and the pressure in the pan 11 approaches the atmospheric pressure. In this state, the clamp operation restricting portion 163 of the pressure adjustment frame 152 moves to a position away from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, but the clamp operation restricting portion 189 of another opening / closing frame 175 continues to be clamp 44. Therefore, even if the clamp 44 is pushed by the lid opening button 46, the movement of the clamp 44 is restricted and the lid 31 cannot be opened.

  When shifting to the unevenness, the operation of gradually returning the inside of the pan 11 to the atmospheric pressure is performed in consideration of the fact that the lid 31 can be opened immediately after the start of the subsequent heat insulation. Then, the rice cooking control means 118 switches the pressure regulating solenoid 78 from the on state to the off state in the middle of the unevenness, retracts the pressure regulating valve 65 from the pressure regulating hole 70, opens the communication hole 77 and opens the inside of the pan 11 Return to atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the opening / closing solenoid 172 is switched from the on state to the off state, and another communication hole 181 is opened. In this way, at least after opening the pressure adjusting hole 70, the lid 31 cannot be opened until the opening / closing solenoid 172 is turned off, and the inside of the pan 11 cannot return to atmospheric pressure. Inadvertent opening of the lid 31 can be prevented.

  Immediately after the unevenness that is substantial rice cooking is completed and the process proceeds to the heat retaining step, the inside of the pan 11 communicates with the outside through the pressure adjusting hole 70 and the communication hole 181 and is maintained at atmospheric pressure. At the same time, since both the clamp operation restricting portions 163 and 189 are located away from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the lid 31 can be freely opened and closed.

  When the rice cooking process is completed, the heat retention control means 119 starts to measure the heat retention elapsed time by the timer means 120. At this time, the decompression control means 130 repeatedly performs decompression display for a short time using the LCD of the display means 128 until the heat retention elapsed time reaches a preset time, that is, until it is determined that the heat retention is stable. Make it. Thereby, the user can understand that the inside of the pan 11 has not yet shifted to the reduced pressure state after cooking. When the heat retention elapsed time reaches a preset time, the heat retention control unit 119 controls the decompression pump 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87 again so that the pressure in the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure by the pressure reduction control unit 130. . At the same time, the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 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 clamp operation restricting portion 163 and the clamp operation restricting portion 189 sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, and the rotation of the clamp 44 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 step, not after a predetermined time of the heat retaining step.

  Thereafter, the decompression control means 130 stops driving the decompression pump 82 and closes the solenoid valve 87 and consequently the path 84 to maintain the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state. After a lapse of time, the decompression control means 130 drives the decompression pump 82 again and opens the electromagnetic valve 87 and thus the path 84 to discharge air from the pot 11. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the pressure reducing pump 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87 are simultaneously turned on and off, and the pressure in the pan 11 is maintained at a value within a desired range.

  When the process proceeds to the heat retaining step, the heat retaining control means 119 receives the detection signals from the Hall elements 143 and 191. That is, during the operation control of the pressure reducing means 81 for reducing the pressure inside the pan 11, the user intends to open the lid 31 with the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 turned on simultaneously. When the lid opening button 46 is pushed, the clamp 44 is restricted in its rotation, but the lid opening button 46 is pushed slightly downward due to the elasticity of the clamp 44 and the hall element 143 is magnetized. Move away from 144. When the heat retention control means 119 receives the detection signal from the hall element 143 at this time, the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned off in conjunction with each other, and both plungers 151 and 173 are advanced to adjust. While the pressure hole 70 and the communication hole 181 are opened, the rotation restriction on the clamp 44 is also released, and the lid 31 can be opened by continuing to push the lid opening button 46.

  After that, when the cooked rice is taken out of the pan 11 and the lid 31 is closed again, another hall element 191 detects the closed state of the lid 31 and sends the signal to the heat retaining control means 119. Send it out. In response to this, the heat retention control means 119 activates the pressure reducing means 81 again after a predetermined time and simultaneously turns on the pressure regulating solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 so that the lid 31 is not opened carelessly.

  Thus, by repeating the operation of opening and closing the two communication holes 77 and 181 provided in the inner lid 56, the pressure in the pan 11 can be freely changed. And by changing the pressure at the time of pressurization according to a rice cooking course or the amount of rice cooking, it becomes possible to vary the amount of cooking.

  Further, during the unevenness and heat retention process, when the pressure reducing means 81 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 31 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 46 is intended to be pushed to when the lid 31 can actually be opened, the clamp 44 of the lid 31 and the clamp receiver 50 of the main body 1 When the Hall element 143 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, if the LED 142 is automatically turned off, the lid is immediately turned off. The user can understand whether the body 31 does not open.

  Next, the characteristic part in a present Example is demonstrated based on FIGS. In addition, the code | symbol which attaches a common code | symbol to the member which has the function which is common in the basic structure of the rice cooker mentioned above, and the description about the member is abbreviate | omitted as much as possible in order to avoid duplication.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a clamp 44 that is a locking means and a fixing mechanism 401 that disables the operation of the clamp 44 as necessary. In the figure, the clamp 44 is provided so as to be rotatable in the lid 31 around the clamp shaft 45 as described above. On the other hand, a fixing mechanism 401 as a fixing means includes a shaft 402, a shape memory spring 403, covers 404 and 405, return springs 406 and 407, a packing 408, a cam shaft 409, and a frame 410. It is a constituent member.

  A cup-shaped cover 404 attached to the upper surface of the inner lid 56 has a hole 404A formed in the upper portion thereof, and a hole 56A communicating with the inside of the pan 11 is also formed in the inner lid 56 so as to face the hole 404A. . A rod-shaped shaft 402 is provided through the pair of upper and lower holes 56A, 404A, and a shape memory spring having the characteristics of a shape memory alloy is provided between a flange 402A formed at a substantially middle portion of the shaft 402 and the inner lid 56. 403 is provided, and a return spring 406 is provided between the flange 402A and the upper portion of the cover 404. Therefore, here, the configuration is such that the shape memory spring 403 and the return spring 406 attached to the shaft 402 are incorporated into the removable inner lid 56 together with the cover 401.

  On the other hand, the packing 408 is formed of a flexible resin material having flexibility, and is mounted and assembled in a step hole 35A formed in the outer lid cover 35. In addition, a cover 405 that is positioned above the packing 408 and has an insertion hole 405 </ b> A in the horizontal direction is attached to the upper surface of the outer lid cover 35. Here, the frame 410 is movably provided through the insertion hole 405A so that the distal end portion can move below the proximal end portion 44A of the clamp 44 at the upper portion of the outer lid cover 35. A taper hole 410A that contacts the cam portion 409A of the camshaft 409 is formed on the base end side of the plate-shaped frame 410, and a camshaft 409 that is inserted into the taper hole 410A is formed in the upper portion of the cover 405. It is supported up and down on the same axis as the shaft 402 by 405B and the convex portion 408A of the packing 408. The return spring 407 is for urging the camshaft 409 toward the shaft 402, and is provided between the cover 405 and the cam portion 409A of the camshaft 409. Here, a packing 408 is incorporated in the outer lid cover 35, and a frame 410, a camshaft 409, and a return spring 407 are incorporated between the packing 408 and the cover 405.

  In the above configuration, when the inside of the pan 11 is 100 ° C. (corresponding to 1 atm) or less, the shape memory spring 403 is contracted, so that the biasing force of the return spring 406 acts and the shaft 402 is positioned below. At the same time, only the urging force of the return spring 407 acts on the camshaft 409, and the camshaft 409 is positioned downward. As shown by the solid line in FIG.

  On the other hand, when the temperature in the pan 11 reaches 100 ° C. and the shape memory spring 403 extends upward against the urging force of the return spring 406, the shaft 402 is lifted to press the packing 408 and inserted into the packing 408. The camshaft 409 is lifted against the urging force of the return spring 407. As a result, the contact position between the cam portion 409A of the camshaft 409 and the tapered hole 410A of the frame 410 changes, and the frame 410 is moved horizontally to the dotted line position shown in FIG. Therefore, the frame 410 enters the rotational operation range of the clamp 44, and locks the clamp 44 at a position where the engagement portion 44C is locked to the clamp receiver 50.

  As described above, when the temperature in the pan 11 reaches a predetermined value of, for example, 100 ° C., the shape memory spring 403 that is a movable part of the fixing mechanism 401 is deformed to operate the frame 410, and the operation of the clamp 44 is locked, that is, cannot be performed. To do. If the temperature in the pan 11 is 100 ° C. or lower, the pressure in the pan 11 is normal. In this case, the shape memory spring 403 returns to the original shape, and the operation lock of the clamp 44 is released. Therefore, by pressing the lid opening button 46 and rotating the clamp 44, the engagement between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 is released, and the lid 31 can be safely opened.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the pan 11, the main body 1 that houses the pan 11, the lid body 31 that covers the main body 1, the clamp 44 as a locking means that holds the lid body 31 on the main body 1, the clamp In the rice cooker provided with a fixing mechanism 401 as a fixing means for disabling 44, a shape memory spring 403 made of a shape memory material is provided as a movable part of the fixing mechanism 401.

  In this way, for example, even when the power to the rice cooker is cut off by using the shape memory spring 403 that senses the temperature in the pan 11 and its shape is displaced as a movable part of the fixing mechanism 401, the pan 11 If the inside temperature is high, the operation of the clamp 44 can be disabled so that the lid 31 does not open carelessly, and the safety as a rice cooker can be improved.

  In addition, since the shape memory spring 403 here has elasticity, the shape memory spring 403 that is a movable part of the fixing mechanism 401 can be reliably operated using the elasticity of the shape memory spring 403, and rice cooking The safety as a vessel can be further improved.

  Next, the locking structure between the lid 31 and the main body 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In each of these drawings, a clamp button presser 411 as a presser member is provided below the clamp button 46 that is exposed and arranged in front of the lid 31. The clamp 44 is pivotally supported on the outer lid cover 35 of the lid 31 via a clamp shaft 45 that is a shaft, and a biasing means (not shown) constantly biases the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 toward the clamp receiver 50 side. Thereby, when the lid body 31 is closed with respect to the main body 1, the engaging portion 44 </ b> C as the clamp locking portion is engaged with the clamp receiver 50.

  When the user opens the cover 31, when the clamp button 46 is pressed against the biasing force of the biasing means, the force is transmitted to the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44 via the clamp button presser 411. Then, the clamp 44 rotates around the clamp shaft 45 in a direction in which the engaging portion 44C is separated from the clamp receiver 50. Then, when the engagement between the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 is released, the biasing force of the hinge spring 40 provided on the rear side of the lid 31 acts, so that the lid 31 automatically opens. It has become.

  Here, in this example, a magnet 412 as a magnet member is provided inside the lid 31. The magnet 412 corresponds to the magnet 144 and is fixed to the lid 31 via a magnet presser 413. In addition, a clamp IC 411 that moves together with the clamp 44 so as to face the magnet 412 is provided with a Hall IC 414 corresponding to the Hall element 143 as detection means for detecting the presence or absence of magnetism. In this case, the magnet 412 is provided at a fixed portion of the lid 31, while the Hall IC 414 is provided on a member that is movable directly with the clamp 44 or together with the clamp 44. It suffices to be in a position where a change can be detected. The Hall IC 414 generates an electrical signal corresponding to the detected amount of magnetism, and outputs this electrical signal to the heating control means 111.

  FIG. 18 shows a state in which the lid 31 is normally locked to the main body 1. In this case, the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 is locked to the clamp receiver 50, and the Hall IC 414 is located closest to the magnet 412.

  FIG. 19 shows a state where the lid 31 is not normally locked to the main body 1. This is a state in which the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 are not completely locked, and another portion of the clamp 44 is locked to the main body 1. This locked state is “half-hanging”. That's it. In this case, the Hall IC 414 is separated from the magnet 412 and is in the same state as when the lid 31 is open. When rice is cooked in the state shown in FIG. 19, in normal rice cooking, the pressure in the pan 11 is adjusted while controlling the release of steam from the pan 11 to the steam port 164 with the pressure regulating solenoid 78. Becomes an abnormal pressure, and the lid 31 does not open. However, if the steam passage is blocked by pack cooking, the pressure cannot be adjusted, the pressure in the pan 11 rises, and the lid 31 may open.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, when the Hall IC 414 detects this half-hanging, the heating control means 111 controls the operation of each part as follows. The Hall IC 414 detects that the amount of magnetism from the magnet 412 is lower than that in the normal locking state shown in FIG.

  First, the heating control means 111 stops energization of the solenoid 78 at least from the start of rice cooking to the end of rice cooking, and retracts the pressure regulating valve 65 from the pressure regulating hole 70. By doing so, the steam path from the inside of the pan 11 to the steam port 146 through the pressure adjusting unit 58 is opened, and the inside of the pan 11 in a pressurized state is returned to a pressure equivalent to the atmospheric pressure (outside pressure).

  Secondly, the heating control means 111 stops energization to the solenoid 172 at least from the start of rice cooking to the end of rice cooking, and moves the on-off valve shaft 201 which is an open shaft upward to form the inner lid 56. Open the communication hole 181. By doing so, the steam passage from the inside of the pan 11 to the steam port 146 through the opening / closing valve 62 is opened, and the inside of the pan 11 in a pressurized state is returned to a pressure equivalent to the atmospheric pressure (outside pressure).

  Thirdly, when the Hall IC 414 detects half-hanging, when the operation switch 103 for starting rice cooking is pressed, the heating control means 111 causes the LCD 102 or LED, which is the display means, to indicate that there is an abnormality. Then, for example, a buzzer as a notification means is used to notify the error.

  Fourth, when the Hall IC 414 detects half-hanging at least between the start of rice cooking and the end of rice cooking, for example, the heating control means 111 energizes the heating coil 16, the code heater 18, and the lid heater 36, for example. All are shut off, and the cooking of cooking the cooked rice in the pan 11 is stopped.

  The first to fourth operations may be performed singly or in combination. By performing the first operation or the second operation, when the lid 31 is half-hanged with respect to the main body 1, rice cooking is performed without the pressure process in which the inside of the pan 11 is pressurized. It is possible to prevent the steam passage from being blocked by a pack or the like. Further, by performing the third operation, it is possible to make the user notice by display or notification that the locked state of the lid 31 is half-hanging. Furthermore, by performing the 4th operation | movement, before the pressure in the pan 11 rises and the cover body 31 opens, rice cooking can be stopped forcibly.

  Thus, in the above embodiment, for example, in the rice cooker having the Hall IC 414 as a means for detecting the locked state of the lid 31 with respect to the main body 1, for example, the Hall IC 414 may When a half-hanging state in the stopped state is detected, the communication state of the steam passage from the main body 1 is adjusted, and preferably, solenoids 78 and 172 as electrical components are provided as adjustment means for opening the steam passage.

  In this way, when the lid 31 is half-locked, the Hall IC 414 detects this, adjusts the communication state of the steam passage by the solenoids 78 and 172, and opens the steam passage. It is possible to prevent the steam passage from being clogged by performing rice cooking without the pressure process in which the inside is pressurized. Therefore, even if the locked state of the lid 31 is insufficient, the safety as a rice cooker can be improved.

  In addition, the Hall IC 414 here detects the presence or absence of magnetism, and is a Hall element, for example. Therefore, it is a simple configuration that detects the presence or absence of magnetism. Can be detected easily, and no complicated mechanical parts are required.

  Further, the adjusting means here operates a valve body (the on-off valve 62 and the pressure regulating valve 65) provided in the steam passage. For example, since the solenoid 78 or 172 is a power supply state to the solenoid 78 or 172, that is, By simply changing the energized state, when the lid 31 is half-engaged, it is possible to easily adjust the communication state of the steam passage and open the steam passage.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the Hall IC 414 detects the half-hanging state of the locked state at the start of rice cooking, the notification is made by a notification means such as a buzzer.

  By doing so, when the lid 31 is half-locked, the Hall IC 414 detects this and notifies the user so that the user can notice.

  Furthermore, in a present Example, if Hall IC414 detects the half-hanging state of the said locked state between the start of rice cooking and the end of rice cooking, it will be the structure which stops rice cooking.

  In this way, when the lid 31 is half-hanged, the Hall IC 414 detects this and stops cooking rice before the inside of the main body 1 becomes pressurized and the lid 31 opens. be able to.

  Next, as another example, the locking structure between the lid 31 and the main body 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 16, a shape memory spring 403 as pressure detecting means is arranged below the movable portion of the pressure adjusting frame 152 in the outer lid cover 35, and a shaft as a pressure detecting valve is provided by an elastic member, for example, a return spring 406. 402 is biased downward. In this case, the upper portion of the shaft 402 is configured to push up the camshaft 409 that is a clamp operation restricting means. In addition, a packing 408 is provided between the shaft 402 and the camshaft 409 to move the camshaft 409 up and down in accordance with the vertical movement of the shaft 402 according to the pressure state inside the pan 11. The shaft 402 is held by the cover 404, and the shaft 402 is always urged downward by a return spring 406 provided between the lower portion of the shaft 402 and the cover 404. Further, a packing 408 for sealing between the pressure detection unit and the inner lid 56 is provided.

  In this example, when the internal pressure of the pan 11 reaches a predetermined value, the shaft 402 moves upward. This occurs when the ratio between the area directly receiving the pressure from the pan 11 and the internal pressure below the shaft 402 is higher than the biasing force of the return spring 406. When the shaft 402 moves upward against the urging force of the return spring 406, the camshaft 409 also moves upward. The camshaft 409 that moves upward and protrudes becomes a position that hinders the operation of the frame 410, that is, a third frame position that prevents the return from the second frame position to the first frame position. At this time, the pressure regulating valve 58 has a positional relationship in which the frame 410 sinks below the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44 while the pressure regulating hole 70 is opened.

  FIG. 20 shows the periphery of the clamp 44 in a state where the normal lid 31 is closed, and FIG. 21 shows the periphery of the clamp 44 in a state where a foreign object is interposed between the lid 31 and the main body 1. . In each of these drawings, the shortest distance between the perpendicular passing through the center of the clamp shaft 45 and the tip 44D of the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 locked to the clamp receiver 50 is expressed as an engagement amount T (= T1, T1, respectively). T2). The engagement amount T may be based on a perpendicular line passing through the tip 50A of the clamp receiver 50 instead of the center of the clamp shaft 45. The engagement amount T2 shown in FIG. 21 is smaller than the engagement amount T1 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 21, when the lid 31 is closed with respect to the main body 1 with foreign matter such as rice grains intervening on the upper surface of the upper frame 2 facing the lower side of the lid 31, the gap between the lid 31 and the main body 1. Becomes larger than the case where no normal foreign matter is present. At this time, the engagement portion 44 </ b> C, which is a locking portion of the clamp 44, has an engagement amount T that is less than usual with respect to the clamp receiver 50. The posture of the clamp 44 rotates with respect to the normal and tilts toward the main body 1 side. When the inclination of the clamp 44 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the engagement amount T with the clamp receiver 50 is also equal to or less than the predetermined amount (= T2). In this case, as shown in FIG. 22, if the position of the tip 50A of the clamp receiver 50 is set behind the position of the tip 44D in the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44, the relationship between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 will be described. Stop does not occur. Further, by making the position of the tip 50A of the clamp receiver 50 behind the center of the clamp shaft 45, the rotation of the clamp 44 to be released from the clamp receiver 50 by the vapor pressure received by the lid 31 can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 23, the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 is formed so as to become higher from the root 44E connected to the hanging portion 44B toward the tip. Thereby, even if the posture of the clamp 44 rotates relative to the normal and tilts toward the main body 1, the tip 44D of the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 can be reliably engaged with the clamp receiver 50. it can. Since the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 is locked to the clamp receiver 50 behind the clamp shaft 45, the rotation of the clamp 44 to be released from the clamp receiver 50 by the vapor pressure received by the lid 31 can be prevented.

  The clamp receiver 50 is formed so that the tip 50A of the receiving surface is positioned lower than the root 50B. Even if the clamp 44 is lifted upward together with the lid 31 and the clamp receiver 50 is deformed when the inside of the pan 11 is at atmospheric pressure or higher, the tip 44D of the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 is clamped by the clamp receiver 50. The purpose is to ensure that the base 50B can be engaged.

  As described above, in the above-described embodiment, the pan 11, the main body 1 that stores the pan 11, the lid body 31 that covers the main body 1, and the lid body 31 that locks the main body 1 and the lid body 31. A clamp 44 as a stopping means and a clamp receiver 50 as a receiving means that is provided on the main body 1 and engages with the clamp 44, and when a normal lid is closed with no foreign matter between the main body 1 and the lid 31. In the rice cooker in which the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 are engaged with each other with a predetermined engagement amount T (= T1), the clamp 44 is pivotally supported on the lid 31 by a clamp shaft 45 which is a shaft. By rotating around 45, the clamp receiver 50 is detachably provided. When the engagement amount T is less than a predetermined value, the clamp 44 does not engage with the clamp receiver 50, and the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 The engagement position is located behind the clamp shaft 45.

  Thus, even when the engagement amount T of the clamp 44 with respect to the clamp receiver 50 is insufficient due to foreign matters such as rice, when the engagement amount T becomes a predetermined amount or less, the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 can be easily engaged. Can be prevented. Therefore, a safer rice cooker can be provided. In addition, when the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 are not locked, for example, if the lid 31 is automatically opened by the biasing force of the hinge spring 40, it is possible to notify the user that a foreign object or the like is interposed by the opening operation. Can communicate and improve safety. Furthermore, since it can comprise without adding a some component, manufacture at an inexpensive cost is possible.

  Further, in the clamp 44 here, the tip end 44D side of the engaging portion 44C to be locked to the clamp receiver 50 is positioned higher than the root 44E side.

  Thus, regardless of the state of the clamp, for example, even when the clamp 44 is engaged with the clamp receiver 50 in an inclined posture as compared with the normal state, the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 is securely attached to the clamp receiver 50. The tip 44D can be engaged.

  Further, in the clamp receiver 50 here, the receiving portion that receives the clamp 44, that is, the tip 50A side of the receiving surface is positioned lower than the root 50B side.

  Thus, for example, when the clamp 44 is lifted when the inside of the pan 11 is at atmospheric pressure or higher, the clamp receiver 50 engaged with the clamp 44 may be deformed. The tip 44D of the engaging portion 44C of the clamp 44 can be reliably engaged.

  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.

1 body
31 Lid
44 Clamp (locking means)
45 Clamp shaft
50 Clamp holder (receiving means)
62 On-off valve (valve)
65 Pressure regulating valve (valve)
78,172 Solenoid (Adjustment means)
401 Fixing mechanism (fixing means)
403 Shape memory spring (movable part)
414 Hall IC (detection means)

Claims (10)

In a rice cooker comprising a main body, a lid covering the main body, a locking means for holding the lid on the main body, and a fixing means for disabling the locking means,
A rice cooker characterized in that the movable part of the fixing means is made of a shape memory material.   The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the shape memory material has elasticity. In the rice cooker having means for detecting the locking state of the lid,
A rice cooker comprising adjusting means for adjusting a communication state of the steam passage when the detecting means detects a half-hanging state of the locked state during a predetermined period.   4. The rice cooker according to claim 3, wherein the detecting means detects presence or absence of magnetism.   5. The rice cooker according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the adjusting means operates a valve body provided in the steam passage.   The rice cooker according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein a notification is made when the detecting means detects a half-hanging state of the locked state.   The rice cooking according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the rice cooking is stopped when the detecting means detects half-hanging of the locked state between the start of cooking rice and the end of cooking. vessel. A main body, a lid covering the main body, a locking means provided on the lid for locking the main body and the lid, and a receiving means provided on the main body and engaged with the locking means And
In the rice cooker in which the locking means and the receiving means engage with a predetermined engagement amount,
The locking means is pivotally supported by the lid, and is provided detachably on the receiving means by rotating around the axis.
When the engagement amount is a predetermined value or less, the locking means does not engage with the receiving means,
The rice cooker characterized in that the engaging position between the locking means and the receiving means is behind the shaft.   9. The rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein the locking means is positioned such that a distal end side of an engaging portion that engages with the receiving means is higher than a root side. 10. The rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein the receiving means is such that a tip side of a receiving portion that receives the locking means is positioned lower than a root side.