JP2011125605A - Container and rice cooker with this container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a container with well visible scale marks which enables precise measurement easily and a rice cooker provided with this container. <P>SOLUTION: An inner pan 10 is provided with a scale section 20 on the inner surface which is displayed by the combination of letters 21 and figures 22, 23. The display of the letters 21 or the display of figures 22, 23 of the scale section 20 is composed of a recursive reflective material 201 and the section composed of the recursive reflective material 201 is made in a way that the part below the water surface of the water contained in the inner pan 10 is displayed brighter than the part above the water surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a container provided with a water level scale on an inner surface and a rice cooker provided with this container.

Some containers, such as the inner pot of a rice cooker, are provided with a water level scale indicating the capacity of the contents.
The water level scale of the inner pot of the conventional rice cooker was comprised combining the straight line and number which show a water level (for example, refer patent document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-10906 (FIG. 1)

  The water level scale provided in the inner pot of a conventional rice cooker is composed of straight lines and numbers. It is difficult to see the water level when water is put in the container. For this reason, as a result, accurate water adjustment cannot be performed. For example, when adding or subtracting water during cooking, the state of cooked rice may be greatly affected.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a container having a water level scale with good visibility and capable of easily performing accurate weighing, and a rice cooker including the container. To do.

  The container according to the present invention is a container having a scale portion displayed on the inner surface by a combination of characters and figures, and the scale portion is configured to display characters or figures by a retroreflective portion, The brightness displayed on the upper and lower sides of the surface of the water stored in the container is different for the portion constituted by the reflecting portion.

  The scale part of the container according to the present invention comprises a retroreflective part for displaying characters or graphics, and the upper part and the lower part with respect to the surface of water contained in the container for the part constituted by the retroreflective part. Since the brightness displayed in is different, the visibility of the water level is increased, and the user can easily grasp the current amount of the weighing object when weighing. Therefore, accurate weighing can be easily performed.

It is explanatory drawing of the inner pot and scale part of the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state which open | released the cover body of the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the mode of the water level adjustment by the scale part which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the mode of the water level adjustment by the scale part which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure explaining the mode of the water level adjustment by the scale part which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure explaining the mode of the water level adjustment by the scale part which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a figure explaining the mode of the water level adjustment by the scale part which concerns on Embodiment 5. FIG. It is a figure explaining the structure of the retroreflection part which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the retroreflection part which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the relationship between the refractive index of the water accommodated in the adhering layer, cover layer, and container which comprise the retroreflection part based on this invention, and the reflection coefficient of the light in the incident cover layer interface.

Hereinafter, the case where the inner pot of the rice cooker is used as a container will be described as an example.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of an inner pot and a scale portion of a rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lid of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 is opened.

(Composition of rice cooker)
In FIG. 2, a rice cooker 100 includes a rice cooker body 1 having an upper opening, and a lid 2 that can open and close the upper opening of the rice cooker body 1. As for the rice cooker main body 1, the inner pot accommodating part which can accommodate the inner pot 10 is formed in the inside.
The lid 2 includes an upper lid 2a, an inner lid 2b provided with a heater (not shown) between the upper lid 2a, and an inner lid 2c that is formed in a substantially concave shape and is detachably attached to the upper lid 2a. It is connected to the rice cooker body 1 by a hinge (not shown) and opens and closes the upper opening of the rice cooker body 1. A packing 3 is attached to the outer peripheral side lower surface of the inner lid 2c. The packing 3 is a sealing member for hermetically sealing the inner pot 10 with the lid 2 and is made of a material having elasticity such as rubber. When the lid 2 is closed, a part of the packing 3 enters the upper part of the inner pot 10 to fill the gap between the inner pot 10 and the inner lid 2c, thereby ensuring the sealing between the inner lid 2c and the inner pot 10.

A locking piece 4a is provided on the front surface side of the upper lid 2a, and a locking portion 4b is provided on the front surface side of the rice cooker main body 1. The lid body 2 is closed, and the locking piece 4a is locked to the locking portion 4b. By doing so, the lid 2 and the rice cooker body 1 are locked.
Moreover, the operation part 5 is provided in the front side of the rice cooker main body 1, and the user can perform the operation | movement instruction | indication with respect to the rice cooker 100 via this operation part 5. FIG.

  An induction heating coil 6 is provided inside the rice cooker body 1. The induction heating coil 6 is a heating means for heating the inner pot 10 and is provided in the vicinity of the lower surface of the inner pot accommodating portion of the rice cooker body 1. Moreover, the control circuit which is not shown in figure is provided in the inside of the rice cooker main body 1, This control circuit drives the induction heating coil 6 according to the program stored beforehand based on the operation instruction from the operation part 5. FIG. Control. Moreover, the power cord 7 for supplying electric power to the induction heating coil 6 etc. is provided on the rear side of the rice cooker body 1.

(Composition of inner pot)
1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inner pot 10, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the scale portion 20.
The inner pot 10 has a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape having a side surface portion 11 and a bottom surface portion 12, and a flange 13 is provided on the outer periphery of the upper end portion of the side surface portion 11. The inner pot 10 is manufactured by a surface treatment such as cleaning after blasting, coating with a primer containing black paint, and applying a fluorine top coat. Moreover, the scale part 20 comprised by the retroreflection part 201 mentioned later is provided in the inner wall surface of the inner pot 10. As shown in FIG. In addition, in all embodiment including Embodiment 1, the case where the maximum rice cooking capacity of the inner pot 10 is 5 go is demonstrated to an example.

The scale part 20 includes a plurality of numerical value display parts 21 that are characters, and a plurality of line segment parts 22 and a belt-like part 23 that are figures for displaying a water level.
The numbers “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, and “5” of the numerical display units 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, and 21e are 1 to 2, respectively. The case of 3 go, 4 go and 5 go is shown. A plurality of line segment parts 22 are arranged close to a plurality of numerical value display parts 21, and display the water level which becomes an appropriate amount corresponding to the total number of rice used for cooking rice. The belt-like part 23 has a shape extending from the lower part of the inner side surface of the inner pot 10 to the upper part.
All of the numerical value display part 21 constituting the scale part 20, the plurality of line segment parts 22 and the band-like part 23 constituting the figure are formed using the retroreflective part 201. This forming method will be described later.

(Configuration of retroreflective part)
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the retroreflective portion 201, FIG. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional view, and FIG. 8B is a diagram in which the retroreflective portion 201 is attached to the side surface portion 11 of the inner pot 10. It is a figure of a state.
The retroreflective portion 201 has a multi-layer structure, and a base material layer 210 attached to the side surface portion 11 of the inner pot 11 via an adhesive or the like, and a reflective layer 220 laminated on the base material layer 210, A plurality of spherical transparent bodies 230 disposed on the reflective layer 220, a fixing layer 240 laminated so as to cover the plurality of spherical transparent bodies 230, and a cover layer 250 attached on the fixing layer 240, The display of the scale part 20 is printed on the fixing layer 240 side of the cover layer 250 (the surface facing the fixing layer 240). The display of the part to be retroreflected is transparent without applying the printing paint, and the display of the part not to be retroreflected is printed with a normal paint.

As the base material layer 210, a resin having good adhesiveness between the adhesive layer and the reflective layer 220 that adheres to the side surface portion 11 of the inner pot 11 is suitable. For example, urethane resin is used.
The reflective layer 220 has a configuration for retroreflecting, and is arranged so that the spherical transparent body 230 is buried about half in the reflective layer 220 using an aluminum vapor deposition layer, a resin containing aluminum powder, or the like.
The spherical transparent body 230 is configured to retroreflect, and is a bead made of glass or ceramic having an absolute refractive index with respect to vacuum of about 2.3 and a particle size of about 70 μm. For example, a road surface manufactured by Sumitomo 3M Limited. A display material used for the display material 380WR or the like is used.
The fixing layer 240 has a configuration for fixing the spherical transparent body 230 and the cover layer 240 and uses urethane resin or the like. The thickness of the fixed layer 240 is assumed to be the heat at which the spherical transparent body 230 is buried about half.
The cover layer 250 protects the fixing layer 240 and prints on the side facing the fixing layer 240 to form the display of the scale unit 20. Since printing is performed on the side facing the fixing layer 240, it is possible to prevent the printing from peeling off when the inner pot 11 is washed.

(Operation of retroreflective part)
Next, the display operation of the retroreflecting unit 201 configured as described above will be described.
In order for a user to explain the display mode of the scale portion 20 provided on the side surface portion 11 of the inner pot 11, the behavior of light from the user's viewpoint side toward the scale portion 20 will be described.
Light from the user's viewpoint passes through the cover layer 250 through the air when the display of the scale unit 11 is above the surface of the water contained in the inner pot 10 and through the water when below the surface of the water. In the region where the paint is applied to the printing surface of the cover layer 250 on the fixed layer 240 side, the light is reflected by the portion where the paint is applied, and this display portion is visually recognized by the user.
In a region where the coating is not applied to the printed surface of the cover layer 250 on the fixing layer 240 side, light is transmitted and enters the fixing layer 240.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the behavior of light incident on the spherical transparent body 230.
The refractive index (absolute refractive index with respect to vacuum) of the fixed layer 240 is n1, and the refractive index (absolute refractive index with respect to vacuum) of the transparent body 230 is nb.
Light incident on the vertex P0 on the cover layer 250 side of the spherical transparent body 230 from the fixing layer 240 passes through the center O of the spherical transparent body 230 and reaches the vertex P2 on the reflective layer 230 side of the spherical transparent body 230. The light reaching the apex P2 is reflected at the interface between the spherical transparent body 230 and the reflective layer 230 at the apex P2, passes through the center O again, passes through the fixing layer 240 and the cover layer 250 from the apex P0, and returns to the user side. .

  Next, light incident on the point P1 on the spherical transparent body 230 from the fixed layer 240 (the angle formed by the vertex P0 with respect to the center O is refracted) is refracted at the interface between the fixed layer 240 and the spherical transparent body 230. Assuming that the surface extending from the point O, the point P1, and the point P2 is an incident surface, the incident angle θi at the point P is θ. Assuming that the transmission angle is θt, n1 × sin θi = nb × sin θt according to the law of refraction. θi = θ, and light refracted by being incident on the point P1 where θt = θ / 2 is directed to the point P2. In this case, θ = 2 × arccos (nb / (2 × n1)). If θ is small and approximated as sin θ≈θ, n1 × θ = nb × θ / 2. Therefore, if nb≈2 × n1 is selected, the light incident on the region (paraxial) where θ is in a small range goes to the apex P2.

  The light reaching the apex P2 is reflected at the interface between the spherical transparent body 230 and the reflective layer 230 at the apex P2, and travels to a point P3 that is symmetrical to the point P1 with respect to the apex P0. The light reaching the point P3 is refracted at the interface between the spherical transparent body 230 and the fixed layer 240 at the point P3, and travels in the direction opposite to the direction incident on the point P1. Then, it passes through the fixing layer 240 and the cover layer 250 and returns to the user side.

  The case where light enters the point P1 on the spherical transparent body 230 from the fixed layer 240 has been described. However, when light enters the point P2 on the spherical transparent body 230, the light enters the point P1. It follows the reverse optical path and goes in the direction opposite to the direction incident on the point P1. Similarly, when the light beam is incident on a point on the cone having the center O and the vertex P0 as the central axis and passing through the points P1 and P2 with the center O as the vertex, the direction is also opposite to the incident direction.

  In addition, since the sphere is symmetrical around the point O, the light incident on the spherical transparent body 230 is reflected in the incident direction regardless of the incident direction. Therefore, there is light reflected to the user side with respect to light incident from the user's viewpoint side.

  Next, when light incident on the cover layer 250 from the user's viewpoint side is incident via air (when the user views the scale unit 20 from above the water surface of the water stored in the inner pot 10), The case where the light enters through water (when the user looks at the scale portion 20 from below the surface of the water stored in the inner pot 10) will be described.

FIG. 10 illustrates the relationship between the refractive index of water contained in the fixing layer 240, the cover layer 250 and the inner pot (container) constituting the retroreflective portion 201 and the reflection coefficient of light at the interface of the incident cover layer. It is a figure to do. Here, the thickness of the cover layer 250 is d.
Reference numeral 260 denotes a medium through which light incident on the cover layer 250 passes, and indicates water or air. The transmittance of light perpendicularly incident on the cover layer 250 from the medium and transmitted to the pinned layer 240 is n1 as the refractive index of the pinned layer 240 (absolute refractive index with respect to vacuum), and the refractive index of the cover layer 250 (absolute refractive index with respect to vacuum). ) Is n2, and the refractive index of water (absolute refractive index with respect to vacuum) is n3 as a medium. The wavelength of light is λ.

At this time, when d = (2 × m + 1) × λ / 4 (m is an integer) and n2 = √ (n1 × n3), the light reflection coefficient at the interface of the cover layer becomes zero. The former condition is a condition in which the real part of the reflection coefficient is zero, and the latter condition is a condition in which the imaginary part of the reflection coefficient is zero. Therefore, if n2 is set so as to satisfy the latter condition, n2 = √ (n1 × n3), the reflection coefficient becomes smaller than the case where it is not satisfied (when the medium is air), and as a result, the cover layer 250 The permeability coefficient to the fixing layer 240 at the interface between the fixing layer 240 and the fixing layer 240 increases.
That is, since the amount of light transmitted from the medium 260 to the fixed layer 240 increases, the amount of light reflected from the spherical transparent body 230 also increases. Therefore, the lower part of the surface of the water stored in the inner pot 10 is displayed brighter than the upper part of the portion constituted by the retroreflecting unit 201 for the user. That is, the displayed brightness differs between above and below the water surface.

(Cooking operation)
Next, operation | movement of the rice cooker 100 provided with the inner pot 10 comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.
The user first houses the inner pot 10 containing rice and an appropriate amount of water in the rice cooker housing portion of the rice cooker body 1 and closes the lid 2. Thereby, the latching piece 4a provided in the cover body 2 is latched by the latching | locking part 4b provided in the rice cooker main body 1, and the cover body 2 and the rice cooker main body 1 are locked.
Next, when the rice cooking switch of the operation unit 5 is turned on, rice cooking is started according to a program incorporated in a control circuit (not shown). When the rice cooking switch is turned on, a preheating process is first started, and the inner pot 10 is heated to about 40 to 60 ° C., for example. When a predetermined time elapses, the rice cooking process is started. In the rice cooking process, the heating power is increased to bring the water to a boiling state, and the boiling is continued until the water in the inner pot 10 runs out. When the water in the inner pot 10 is exhausted, the heat consumed by the latent heat of vaporization of water until then is used to raise the temperature of the inner pot 10, and the temperature of the inner pot 10 increases rapidly. . When this temperature rise is detected by a temperature sensor (not shown) and a predetermined condition is satisfied, the rice cooking process is terminated, and thereafter the steaming process is started. And when predetermined time passes, it will transfer to a heat retention process and will complete rice cooking.

(Water level adjustment)
Next, the water level adjustment operation using the inner pot 10 and the operation of the scale unit 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the scale portion 20 of the inner pot 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3A shows a state where water is not stored, and FIG. 3B shows a state where water is stored up to a certain water level (L1).

  When adjusting the water level, first put the polished rice into the inner pot 10, then add the approximate amount of water according to the amount of rice to be cooked, and then compare the scale and water level with water. It is common to adjust.

In the scale part 20 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), the numerical value display parts 21aW and 21bW, the line segment parts 22aW and 22bW, and the belt-like part 23W located below the L1 are smaller than the L1. It is displayed brighter than the numerical value display portions 21c to 21e, the line segment portions 22c to 22e, and the strip portion 23 positioned above. Therefore, even if the inner surface of the inner pot 10 is formed in a dark color tone, the user can easily visually recognize the current water level displayed at the boundary between the strip-shaped portion 23W displayed brightly and the strip-shaped portion 23 displayed dark. it can. Moreover, the change of the water level can also be visually recognized easily. Therefore, the water level can be easily adjusted.
In addition, the brightly displayed numerical value display portions 21aW and 21bW and the line segment portions 22aW and 22bW are easily visible, and the relationship between the desired total number of rice when cooking rice and the current water level can be easily grasped.

  Thus, according to the inner pot 10 provided with the water level scale 20 according to the first embodiment, the water level can be easily adjusted, so that the user-friendliness can be improved. Moreover, according to the inner pot 10, since a more accurate water level adjustment is possible, delicious rice can be cooked with an appropriate amount of water.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of the scale portion 20 of the inner pot 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The water level adjustment using the scale unit 20 will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.
In the first embodiment, all of the numerical display unit 21 constituting the scale unit 20, the plurality of line segment units 22 and the strip-like unit 23 constituting the figure are formed using the retroreflective unit 201. 2, only the belt-like portion 23 is formed using the retroreflecting portion 201. Other configurations are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

Fig.4 (a) shows the state in which water is not accommodated, FIG.4 (b) shows the state in which water is accommodated to a certain water level (L1).
In the scale part 20 according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the band-like part 23W located below the water level L1 is displayed brighter than the band-like part 23 located above L1. . Therefore, even if the inner surface of the inner pot 10 is formed in a dark color tone, the user can easily visually recognize the current water level displayed at the boundary between the strip-shaped portion 23W displayed brightly and the strip-shaped portion 23 displayed dark. it can. Moreover, the change of the water level can also be visually recognized easily. Therefore, the water level can be easily adjusted.
In addition, although the retroreflective part 201 is not used about the numerical display parts 24a-24e and the line segment parts 25a-25e, if it prints with the paint of a bright color tone, even if it is under the water level L1, visibility will fall. This can be suppressed.

  Thus, according to the inner pot 10 provided with the water level scale 20 according to the second embodiment, the water level can be easily adjusted, so that the user-friendliness can be improved. Moreover, according to the inner pot 10, since a more accurate water level adjustment is possible, delicious rice can be cooked with an appropriate amount of water.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of the scale portion 20 of the inner pot 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The water level adjustment using the scale unit 20 will be described focusing on the differences from the second embodiment.
In the second embodiment, the belt-like portion 23 that constitutes a part of the scale portion 20 has a shape that extends without a break (intermittent portion) from the lower inner side surface of the inner pot 10 to the upper portion, but the belt-like portion in the third embodiment. The part 28 forms intermittent parts 26a to 26e at five places. This position (height) is formed corresponding to the position (height) of the plurality of line segment portions 22a to 22e in the second embodiment, but does not have the plurality of line segment portions 22a to 22e. Other configurations are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

Fig.5 (a) shows the state in which water is not accommodated, FIG.b (b) shows the state in which water is accommodated to a certain water level (L1).
In scale part 20 concerning Embodiment 3, as shown in Drawing 5 (b), beltlike part 28W located below water level L1 is displayed brighter than beltlike part 23 located above L1. . Therefore, even if the inner surface of the inner pot 10 is formed in a dark color tone, the user can easily visually recognize the current water level displayed at the boundary between the strip-shaped portion 23W displayed brightly and the strip-shaped portion 23 displayed dark. it can. Moreover, the change of the water level can also be visually recognized easily. Therefore, the water level can be easily adjusted.
In addition, although the retroreflective part 201 is not used about the numerical display parts 24a-24e, if it prints with the paint of a bright color tone, it can suppress that a visibility falls even if it is under the water level L1. In addition, since the plurality of line segments 25 are substituted by the plurality of intermittent portions 26, a space for displaying the plurality of line segments 25 is not necessary, and the area occupied by the scale unit 20 can be reduced. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be suppressed. Furthermore, since the line segment portion 25 is substantially integrated with the belt-like portion 23, correspondence between the water level and the water level scale becomes easy.

  Thus, according to the inner pot 10 provided with the water level scale 20 according to the third embodiment, the water level can be easily adjusted, so that the user-friendliness can be improved. Moreover, according to the inner pot 10, since a more accurate water level adjustment is possible, delicious rice can be cooked with an appropriate amount of water.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of the scale portion 20 of the inner pot 10 according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The water level adjustment using the scale unit 20 will be described focusing on the differences from the second embodiment.
In the fourth embodiment, there is no belt-like portion 23 in the first embodiment. Further, the plurality of numerical value display portions 21 in the second embodiment are formed without using the retroreflecting portion 201. A plurality of line segment parts 22 are arranged on both sides of the plurality of numerical value display parts, and these line segment parts 22 are formed using the retroreflecting part 201.

Fig.6 (a) shows the state in which water is not accommodated, FIG.6 (b) shows the state in which water is accommodated to a certain water level (L1).
In the scale part 20 according to the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B, the line segments 22aW, 22bW, 27aW, and 27bW located below the water level L1 are line segments located above the L1. It is displayed brighter than the parts 22c-e and 27c-e. Therefore, even if the inner surface of the inner pot 10 is formed in a dark color tone, the user is displayed brightly, the line segment 22bW displayed brightly, the positional relationship between the line segment 22c displayed dark and the water level L1. The current water level can be easily visually recognized by the positional relationship between the line segment 27bW, the line segment 27c displayed darkly, and the water level L1. Therefore, the water level can be easily adjusted.
In addition, although the retroreflective part 201 is not used about the numerical display parts 24a-24e, if it prints with the paint of a bright color tone, it can suppress that a visibility falls even if it is under the water level L1. Moreover, since the strip-shaped portion 23 is deleted, a space for displaying the strip-shaped portion 23 becomes unnecessary, and the area occupied by the scale portion 20 can be reduced. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  Thus, according to the inner pot 10 provided with the water level scale 20 according to the fourth embodiment, the water level can be easily adjusted, so that the user-friendliness can be improved. Moreover, according to the inner pot 10, since a more accurate water level adjustment is possible, delicious rice can be cooked with an appropriate amount of water.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of the scale portion 20 of the inner pot 10 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
In Embodiment 5, the long line segment part 29 arrange | positioned in the diagonally right direction and the some line segment part 30 and 31 orthogonal to this are arrange | positioned. A plurality of numerical value display units 32 are arranged adjacent to the plurality of line segment units 30 arranged above the line segment unit 29. The numerical display unit 32 is not formed using the retroreflecting unit 201. The line segment 29 and the plurality of line segments 30 arranged above the line segment 29 are not formed using the retroreflecting unit 201. On the other hand, the plurality of line segments 31 arranged below the line segment 29 is formed using the retroreflecting unit 201.

FIG. 7A shows a state where water is not stored, and FIGS. 7B and 7C show a state where water is stored up to the water level (L1) and the water level (L2), respectively.
In the scale unit 20 according to the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the line segments 31aW, 32bW, and 32cW located below the water level L1 and the water level L2 are line segments 31d. And 31e are displayed brighter. Therefore, even if the inner side surface of the inner pot 10 is formed in a dark color tone, the user can determine whether the current line segment 31cW, the line segment 31dW displayed darker, and the water levels L1 and L2 The water level is easily visible. Therefore, the water level can be easily adjusted.
The numerical display units 32a to 32e, the line segment unit 29, and the plurality of line segment units 30 do not use the retroreflective unit 201. However, if printing is performed with a light-colored paint, the values are below the water levels L1 and L2. However, it can suppress that visibility falls.

  In the above description, the refractive index when the medium is water is used as n3. However, if n2 is set using the refractive index of air, the reflection coefficient of light from the air to the interface of the cover layer is zero. be able to. That is, for the user, the upper part of the water constituted in the inner pot 10 is displayed brighter than the lower part of the portion formed by the retroreflective portion 201. That is, the displayed brightness differs between above and below the water surface. Even if comprised in this way, there exists an effect which the visibility of a scale part improves so that it may mention later.

  In the above description, the case where the container provided with the water level scale of the present invention is an inner pot of a rice cooker has been described as an example. However, the water level scale of the present invention is applied to various measuring cups in addition to the measuring cup used for cooking. And the same effect can be obtained.

1 Rice cooker body, 2 lid, 2a upper lid, 2b middle lid, 2c inner lid, 3 packing,
4a locking piece, 4b locking section, 5 operation section, 6 induction heating coil, 7 power cord,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Inner pan (container), 11 side part, 12 bottom part, 13 flange, 20 scale part, 21, 21a-21e, 21aW, 21bW Numerical display part (character),
22, 22a-22e, 22aW, 22bW line segment (figure),
23, 23W Band-shaped part (figure), 24, 24a-e Numerical display part (character),
25, 25a-25e Line segment part (figure), 26, 26a-e Intermittent part,
27, 27a-27e, 27aW, 27bW line segment (figure),
28, 28W strip (figure),
29 Line segment (figure), 30, 30a-30e Line segment (figure),
31, 31a to 31e Line segment (figure), 32, 32a to 32e Numerical display (character),
L1, L2 water level, 100 rice cooker,
201 retroreflective part, 210 base material layer, 220 reflective layer, 230 spherical transparent body, 240 fixing layer, 250 cover layer, 260 medium (air or water).

Claims (7)

A container having a scale portion displayed on the inner surface by a combination of characters and figures,
The scale part is configured with a retroreflective part to display the character or the graphic.
The container which the brightness displayed on the upper part and the lower part differs with respect to the water surface of the water accommodated in the said container about the part comprised by the said retroreflection part. The retroreflecting portion is
A base material layer attached to the inner surface of the container;
A reflective layer laminated on the substrate layer;
A plurality of spherical transparent bodies disposed on the reflective layer;
A fixing layer laminated to cover the plurality of spherical transparent bodies;
A cover layer attached on the fixing layer,
While printing the scale portion display on the fixing layer side of the cover layer,
When the refractive index of the fixed layer is n1, the refractive index of the cover layer is n2, and the refractive index of water stored in the container is n3, n2 is set to a value of a substantially square root of the product of n1 and n3. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the lower part of the portion constituted by the retroreflecting part is displayed brighter than the upper part of the surface of the water stored in the container.   The said container is an inner pot of a rice cooker, The said character displays the total number of the rice provided for rice cooking, The said figure displays the water level, respectively, The container of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The figure is composed of a plurality of line segments, and the line segments are arranged close to the characters and display the water level of an appropriate amount corresponding to the total number of rice used for cooking rice. 4. A container according to claim 3 characterized by the above.   5. The container according to claim 3, wherein the graphic includes a band-like portion extending from the lower part to the upper part of the inner side surface of the container, and is disposed in proximity to the plurality of line segments.   The figure includes an intermittent band-like portion extending from the lower side to the upper side of the container, and is disposed close to the character, and water to be accommodated corresponding to the total number of rice used for cooking rice. The container according to claim 3, wherein the band-shaped intermittent portion is disposed in a portion corresponding to the water level. An inner pot that can hold the food to be cooked,
A rice cooker body whose upper surface is opened and the inner pot is removably accommodated;
An outer lid covering the top opening of the rice cooker body so as to be openable and closable;
An inner lid that is detachably attached to the outer lid and covers the upper surface opening of the inner pot so as to be openable and closable;
Heating means for heating the inner pot,
The rice cooker using the container of any one of Claims 1-6 as said inner pot.

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