JP2011239903A - Electric rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent wires for connection from being damaged by a coil spring portion in an electric rice cooker wherein an electric board is provided on the lid body side and is connected to the electric board provided on the rice cooker body side by the predetermined wires for connection and a coil spring is provided in the hinge portion to make a lid body be automatically opened.SOLUTION: The electric rice cooker includes: an inner pot; a rice cooker body in which the inner pot is stored; and the lid body that is provided in the upper part of the rice cooker body in such a manner that it can open and close via the hinge portion and covers the upper part of the inner pot stored in the rice cooker body when it remains closed. Inside the lid body, a second electric board is provided that is connected to a first electric board inside the rice cooker body via the predetermined wires for connection. In the hinge portion, the coil spring for urging the lid body to be opened is provided. The coil spring has engagement pieces on both sides that deviate in mutually opposite directions in the right and left direction to be engaged with the lid body side and the rice cooker body side, respectively.

Description

  The present invention relates to a configuration of a lid opening / closing mechanism of an electric rice cooker including an electric substrate connected to a main body side electric substrate in a lid.

  In general, an electric rice cooker is provided with an inner pot, a rice cooker body that accommodates the inner pot, and an upper portion of the rice cooker body that can be opened and closed via a hinge portion. And a lid that covers the cover. And as for the said cover body as a means for making the opening operation easy and maintaining an open state, it urges | biases a cover body in the opening direction at the hinge part which is a pivot part with a rice cooker main body. A coil spring is provided (see Patent Document 1).

  Recently, an operation panel having various operation keys and a liquid crystal display unit on the lid side has been installed to make it easy to see and operate from the upper side.

  In such a type, of course, an electric board such as an operation board or a microcomputer board is provided inside the lid, and the electric board is connected to a rice cooker via a connecting wire such as a flexible flat cable. It is connected to an electric board such as a control board on the main body side.

  Now, the outline of the structure of the hinge part which pivots | attaches the cover body of this type of electric rice cooker, the rice cooker main body, a cover body, and the rice cooker main body is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 6, reference numeral 1 denotes a rice cooker body in which an inner pot is housed inside an inner protective frame, and a shoulder member 10 is integrated with a shoulder portion of the outer case 5.

  A hinge bracket 10a for attaching a hinge shaft (center axis OO ′) is provided at the center position on the rear end side of the body of the shoulder member 10, and the hinge shaft (OO ′) is provided on the hinge bracket 10a. It extends from side to side and is pivotally attached.

  In addition, a control board B <b> 1 that is a first electric board is erected in a space between the protective frame and the outer case 5 inside the rear end side of the rice cooker body 1.

  On the other hand, reference numeral 2 denotes a lid, which is provided with at least an outer peripheral side outer cover and an inner cover on the inner side of the outer cover, and is provided with a fitting recess for the hinge bracket 10a described above at the rear end. The insertion recesses at both ends of the hinge shaft (OO ′) are provided on both sides of the fitting recess. Then, by inserting both ends of the above-described hinge shaft (OO ′) into the insertion hole, the lid 2 is opened and closed to the upper portion of the rice cooker body 1 through the hinge shaft (OO ′). It is pivotally attached as possible.

  Reference numeral 40 denotes a conventional coil spring that urges the lid 2 to an open state. The coil spring 40 has a U-shaped engaging piece 43 that engages with the shoulder member 10a on the rice cooker body 1 side at the center. The coil portions 41L and 41R having a plurality of equal number of windings are formed on both left and right ends thereof, and 180 ° opposite to the U-shaped engagement pieces 43 on both ends of the coil portions 41L and 41R. Engagement pieces 42L and 42R to the inside of the lid 2 that extend straight in the direction are provided.

  And the cover body 2 is maintained in the open state as shown in figure by the urging | biasing force to the direction which opens the cover body 2 of the coil parts 41L and 41R.

  In addition, a liquid crystal display unit 21 is provided in the front side operation panel unit 20 portion of the lid 2, and the outer periphery thereof is not illustrated, but for example, a rice cooking switch, a heat retention switch, a timer reservation switch, Various operation keys such as a cancel switch, hour specification switch, minute specification switch, menu selection switch, and the like are provided.

  A second electric board B2 such as a microcomputer board corresponding to them is installed on the lower side of the operation panel unit 20 (between the outer cover and the inner cover).

  Reference numeral 2e denotes a fitting hole of a steam pipe (pressure adjusting unit) for releasing steam at the time of boiling from the lower surface on the inner pan side of the lid body 2 to the upper side on the outer peripheral surface side. Is provided.

JP 2008-54916 A (refer to the structure of the hinge portion in FIG. 1)

  However, in the case of the configuration as described above, if the second electric board B2 on the lid body 2 side is to be connected to the first electric board B1 on the rice cooker body 1 side through, for example, a flat cable, Connect from the central part of the electric board B2 to the first electric board B1 on the rice cooker body 1 side through the coil spring U-shaped part 43 in the center of the hinge part, or hinge from any part on the left and right sides of the second electric board B2. Either one of the left and right sides of the part must be connected to the first electric board B1 on the rice cooker main body 1 side through the coil parts 41L and 41R of the coil spring 40.

  However, in the case of the former configuration, the steam pipe fitting hole 2e in the center of the lid must be bypassed and connected, and the flat cable is kept flat as well as bypassing the complicated heat insulating lid. It is difficult to pass the central part of the coil spring in the state (wiring work is also difficult). Moreover, if it tries to make a big detour, the length of a required flat cable will become long.

  On the other hand, in the latter case, there is no such problem, but the connection wiring such as a flat cable frequently passes through the coil portions 41L and 41R which are enlarged, reduced, and rotated each time the lid is opened and closed. There is a problem that it is easily damaged such as wire breakage due to stress caused by friction, tension and bending.

  Of course, in order to prevent the above disconnection, etc., the width of the hinge part can be enlarged, and the strength and material of the cable can be increased. .

  This invention was made in order to solve such a problem, and the structure of the above-mentioned coil spring was shifted to the lid body side and the rice cooker main body side with its both-end side locking pieces displaced in the left and right directions, respectively. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric rice cooker that does not cause the above-described conventional problems by being engaged.

  In order to achieve the above object, each invention of the present application includes the following problem solving means.

(1) Invention of Claim 1 The electric rice cooker of this invention is provided in the upper part of an inner pot, the rice cooker main body which accommodates this inner pot, and this rice cooker main body so that opening and closing is possible via a hinge part, A lid that covers the upper part of the housed inner pot in the closed state, and the lid is connected to a first electric substrate in the rice cooker body via a predetermined connection wiring. And an electric rice cooker in which the hinge portion is provided with a coil spring for urging the lid body in an open state, and the coil spring has an engagement piece on both ends thereof. They are characterized by being respectively displaced in the left and right reverse directions and engaged with the lid body side and the rice cooker body side.

  In this way, the coil springs that automatically urge the lid in the opening direction are arranged so that the engagement pieces on both ends are displaced in the left and right directions and engaged with the lid and the rice cooker body. If this is the case, there will be a space for connecting wiring due to the displacement, and this space can be used to enable safe and easy-to-work, straight wiring that does not cause damage. Reliability is also improved.

(2) Invention of Claim 2 The electric rice cooker of this invention is the structure of the invention of the said Claim 1, The coil spring consists of two sets of left and right coil springs, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to such a configuration, the entire one of the left and right coil springs can be provided closer to the displacement direction of the engagement piece, so that more space for connecting wiring is provided. It is possible to ensure a wide area and use a wider connection wiring.

(3) Invention of Claim 3 The electric rice cooker of this invention is a structure opposite to the displacement direction of the cover side engaging piece of a coil spring in the structure of the invention of the said Claim 2, 2nd electric board | substrate. It is characterized by being offset.

  According to such a configuration, the imbalance between the left and right sides of the lid support force due to the displacement of the engagement piece between the coil spring and the lid to the left or right is caused by the weight of the second electric board. Corrected to be as close as possible to equality.

  In addition, the connection width between the electric substrate and the connection wiring can be increased.

  As a result, according to the present invention, the lid-side electric board and the rice cooker body-side electric board can be reliably and reliably connected, and the connection work itself is facilitated.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the internal structure of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external structure of the electric rice cooker. It is a rear view which shows the structure of the hinge part of the electric rice cooker. It is a rear view which shows the structure of the coil spring itself in the hinge part of the electric rice cooker. It is the schematic for demonstrating clearly the characteristic of the structure of the hinge part of the electric rice cooker. It is a rear view which shows the structure of the hinge part of the conventional electric rice cooker. It is the schematic for demonstrating clearly the characteristic of the structure of the hinge part of the conventional electric rice cooker.

  1-5 has shown the structure of the rice cooker main body and principal part of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

(Configuration of the entire rice cooker)
In this electric rice cooker, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, a hot pot (for example, a ceramic earthen pot) made of a non-metallic material is adopted as an inner pot (rice cooker or heat insulation container) 3 as an example. The bottom central surface (flat surface portion) of the bottom wall portion 3a and the curved surface portion (R surface portion) on the outer periphery of the bottom wall portion 3a can each be self-heated by an eddy current induced therein, such as silver paste. Metal first and second induction heating elements G1 and G2 are provided.

  And in this electric rice cooker, the inner side pot 3 of the same structure, the dish-shaped bottom wall part 4a made from the lower side synthetic resin formed so that this inner pot 3 can be arbitrarily accommodated and set, and the upper side cylindrical shape An inner case (protective frame) 4 comprising a side wall portion 4b, a bottomed cylindrical outer case 5 as an outer casing for holding the inner case 4, and a bottom integrally fitted to the lower portion of the outer case 5 The case 13 is composed of a lid 2 that can be opened and closed at the top of a rice cooker body 1 formed by integrating the outer case 5 and the inner case 4 with a shoulder 10.

  On the other hand, a coil cover (coil base) 6 having a ferrite core housing portion is provided below the bottom wall portion 4a of the inner case 4, and a ferrite core (reference numeral omitted) is disposed below the coil cover (coil base). Between the induction heating elements G1 and G2 of the first and second sets of the center side flat surface part and the outer peripheral side curved surface part of the bottom wall part 3a of the inner pot 3, respectively. First and second sets of work coils C1 and C2 in which wires are wound concentrically are provided, and the first and second induction heating elements G1 of the inner pot 3 are energized. , G2 is induced to eddy current to heat the inner pot 3 efficiently.

  Between the outer case (side wall) 5a of the rear side rice cooker body 1 of the inner case 4 (side wall part 4b), the IGBT for driving and controlling the work coils C1, C2, the heat retaining heater H1, etc. as described above A state in which a first electric board (control board) B1 and an electric board cover (control board cover) 7 provided with a heater drive circuit, a rectifier circuit composed of a diode bridge for power supply voltage rectification, a smoothing circuit, etc. stand up and down. Is provided.

  As will be described later, a second electric board (microcomputer board) B2 on the lid 2 side is connected to the first electric board B1 via a flexible flat cable 25 that is a connection wiring.

  The dish-shaped bottom wall portion 4a of the inner case 4 is formed with a sensor portion fitting port of the bottom sensor 18 in which a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the bottom portion 3a of the inner pot 3 is provided at the center of the bottom surface portion. A donut-shaped heat shield 8 is provided on the outer peripheral upper surface of the sensor part fitting port. Further, a flange-shaped step portion 9 projecting outward in a predetermined width radial direction is provided on the upper end side of the outer peripheral curved surface portion, and the lower end side of the upper cylindrical side wall portion 4b is engaged with the step portion 9 portion. It is placed together.

  On the other hand, the upper end of the upper side tubular side wall 4b is connected and fixed to the shoulder member 10 side of the upper end of the rice cooker body outer case 5 via an inner frame member (not shown).

  In addition, a side heater H1 that functions as a heating means at the time of rice cooking and warming is provided on the outer periphery of the upper side cylindrical side wall 4b of the inner case 4, and the inner pot 3 is heated at the time of rice cooking and warming. The entire circumference is effectively and uniformly heated.

  Reference numeral 11 denotes a cooling fan provided at the upper part of the air suction port of the bottom case 13 fitted and integrated with the bottom side of the outer case 5, 12 is a hinge cover, and 19 is a cord reel.

(Structure of the lid)
Further, reference numeral 2 denotes the lid body. The lid body 2 constitutes the outer peripheral surface thereof, and has a steam pipe (pressure adjusting unit) 14 having a function of returning to the steam pipe fitting hole 2e at the center. An outer cover 2a made of synthetic resin, an inner cover 2b made of synthetic resin fitted and integrated inside the outer periphery of the outer cover 2a, and a metal provided below the inner cover 2b The heat radiating plate 2c, a lid heater H2 provided on the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 2c, and a metal inner lid 2d provided below the heat radiating plate 2c are configured.

  Moreover, packing is provided in the outer peripheral part lower part of the heat sink 2c, and the outer peripheral part lower part of the inner cover 2d, respectively, and the inner cover 2d is the upper surface of the opening edge part 3c of the inner pot 3 via the packing. It is made to contact the part. The steam pipe 14 is formed with a steam discharge passage 15 that communicates with the zigzag structure from the steam inlet port of the lower inner cover 2d toward the upper steam outlet port 14a. 14c is a pressure regulating valve (spherical valve) in the steam discharge passage 15, 14d is a cylindrical valve seat having a valve opening on the lower side, and 14e is fitted to the lower end of the valve seat. It is a pressure regulating cap.

  The lid 2 is attached to the shoulder member 10 on the rear wall 5a of the outer case 5 via a hinge portion (hinge mechanism) so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and the inner peripheral surface on the open end side. Is provided with an engaging portion 2f that engages with the lock claw 17a on the rice cooker main body 1 side that engages with the lid 2 and locks the lid 2 from being opened upward.

  When the lock claw 17a is released by the ON operation of the lock mechanism unlocking operation portion 17 provided at the upper position on the front side of the outer case 1, the lid is lifted by urging forces of coil springs 40L and 40R described later. The body 2 is automatically opened upwards.

  Reference numeral 16 denotes a lid sensor (steam sensor) that detects the temperature and boiling state in the inner pot 3.

  On the other hand, in the center of the front portion of the outer cover 2a of the lid body 2, a concave groove portion for fitting the operation panel portion 20 constituting the operation portion and the display portion of the rice cooker is formed. The operation panel unit 20 is fitted into an outer peripheral surface that is continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the cover 2a.

  The operation panel unit 20 is made of, for example, a thin box structure (made of synthetic resin), and is detachably fitted into the concave groove. And while having the transparent window corresponding to the liquid crystal display part 21 in the upper center part of the upper side member, in the circumference | surroundings, the rice reservation switch for rice cooking, the rice cooking switch, the heat insulation cancellation switch, the rice cooking menu (for example, white rice) Operation keys 22a to 22h (refer to FIG. 2) of a menu switch for specifying quick cooking, rice cake, rice porridge, brown rice, etc.), a time setting switch for the clock and timer, and a time setting switch for the clock and timer are provided. Yes.

  On the other hand, on the inner side of the operation panel section 20, display components such as switch parts of the various switches and operation states of the operation switches, the first and second work coils C1, C2, the heat retaining heater H1, the lid heater H2 are displayed. The liquid crystal display unit 21 together with the second electric board (microcomputer board) B2 provided with a microcomputer control unit having a function of controlling energization of each of the liquid crystal display parts 21 has a predetermined relative relation to the operation panel 20 surface (upper surface of the upper member) It is provided with a corner.

  The second electric board (microcomputer board) B2 corresponds to the entire operation panel unit 20 and is located below the liquid crystal display unit 21, and is smaller than the forward tilt angle of the operation panel unit 20. It has a forward tilt angle and is installed on the upper surface side of the bottom wall portion in the operation panel 20 storage box.

(Relationship between lid and rice cooker body)
A hinge bracket 10a for attaching the hinge shaft 30 is provided at the center position on the rear end side of the shoulder member 10 of the rice cooker body 1, and the hinge bracket (center axis OO ′) 30 is attached to the hinge bracket 10a. Is pivoted in both left and right directions.

  In addition, in the space between the protective frame 4 and the outer case wall 5a inside the rear end side of the rice cooker body 1, the first electric board (control board) B1 is erected as described above. .

  On the other hand, a fitting recess for the hinge bracket 10a described above is provided at the rear end of the lid 2, and insertion holes at both ends of the hinge shaft 30 are provided on both side walls 10b and 10e of the fitting recess. Is provided. Then, both ends of the hinge shaft 30 described above are inserted (freely fitted) into the insertion hole, so that the lid 2 is pivotally attached to the upper portion of the rice cooker body 1 via the hinge shaft 30 so as to be opened and closed. ing.

  A hydraulic damper mechanism 31 is provided at the center of the hinge shaft 30 so that the lid 2 can be opened and closed gently.

  On the other hand, reference numerals 40L and 40R are a pair of left and right coil springs (same size and shape) that urge the lid 2 in the open state. The coil springs 40L and 40R are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, for example. As shown, shaft-like engagement pieces 43L and 43R that engage with the inside of the rice cooker body 1 side shoulder member 10a at the lower right end, respectively, and shaft-like engagement that engages with the inside of the lid 2 at the upper left end. The pieces 42L and 42R have, for example, positions that are different from each other by about 180 °, and a plurality of equal number of windings between the left and right engaging pieces 43L, 43R, 42L, and 42R. The coil portions 41L and 41R are formed so as to obtain a necessary biasing force in the lid opening direction.

  And these coil parts 41L and 41R are fitted to the outer periphery of the said hinge axis | shaft 30 like FIG. 3, and each said engagement piece 42L, 42R, 43L, 43R is each the said cover body 2, shoulder member corresponding, respectively. By engaging with 10 engaging member portions, the lid body 2 is always urged in the opening direction, and the lid body 2 is maintained in an open state.

  That is, in the case of the configuration of this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the left and right paired coil springs 40L and 40R are provided with left and right end locking pieces 42L, 43L, 42R and 43R. Each of the positions is different from each other by about 180 ° and is displaced in the left and right reverse directions (left side and right side), and is engaged with the inside of the lid body 2 and the inside of the shoulder member 10 of the rice cooker body 1. It is a feature.

  As described above, the locking pieces 42L, 43L, 42R, and 43R on both ends of the coil springs 40L and 40R that automatically urge the lid 2 in the opening direction are displaced in the left and right reverse directions, respectively. When the inner side and the inner side of the shoulder member 10 of the rice cooker body 1 are engaged, the positions of the coil portions 41L and 41R of the lid body 2 and the rice cooker body 1 are respectively as shown in FIG. Even if they are provided at positions that are equal to the left and right from the center position A-A ', the positions of the respective lid body 2 side engaging pieces 42L and 42R are both greatly displaced to the left and engaged. Accordingly, the flat cable 25, which is a connection wiring, is connected to the right portion of the coil spring 40R by the amount that the engagement pieces 42L and 42R (particularly the engagement piece 42R of the right coil spring 40R on the right side) on the lid 2 side are displaced to the left side. Since a sufficiently wide arrangement space (an arrangement space that is not obstructed by the engagement piece 42R to the lid 2) is generated, there is no fear of cable damage using the same space (the shoulder member 10 side engagement piece 43R and As for the coil portion 41R, since a cable is arranged through the back side of the coil portion, there is no problem even if they are overlapped). Therefore, safe and workable wiring is possible, and the reliability of the product is improved.

  That is, in the case of the same configuration, it is also necessary to bypass the steam pipe fitting hole 2e at a position slightly rearward of the lid 2 at the center in the left-right direction (on the line A-A ') than the substantially center in the front-rear direction (on the line BB). There is no need to increase the length of the flat cable 25. In addition, the width of the flat cable 25 can be sufficiently widened, and an increase in signal amount can be easily accommodated.

  That is, the bending process of the flat cable 25 is not necessary, and the durability and reliability are improved, the cable processing cost is reduced, and the wiring work is easy.

  By the way, in the case of this embodiment, the coil spring 40 having the above-described configuration is characterized by further comprising two pairs of left and right coil springs 40L and 40R.

  According to such a configuration, the entire one of the pair of left and right coil springs 40L, 40R is moved from the left and right equivalent position P of the configuration of FIG. 3 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, for example. Further, since it is possible to provide the lid 2 side engaging pieces 42L and 42R in the direction of displacement by a predetermined dimension a, a wider space for connecting wiring is provided on the other side (right side). It is possible to secure the coil portion 41R and the engagement piece 43R without overlapping each other. Further, it is possible to use a wider connection wiring (flat cable 25) (the engagement piece of the left coil spring 40L with respect to the center line A-A 'of the left and right half width of the lid 2 in FIG. 5). 42L and the separation dimension WR of the engagement piece 42R of the right coil spring 40R).

  In addition, since the coil springs 40L and 40R are exactly the same (same shape and same size), they are very easy to manufacture and assemble and can be manufactured at low cost.

  In the case of this embodiment, the second electric board B2 on the lid 2 side is, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the displacement direction of the lid 2 side engaging pieces 42L and 42R of the coil springs 40L and 40R. It is characterized by being displaced by a predetermined dimension b in the direction (right) opposite to (left) (the same applies to the case of FIG. 3).

  According to such a configuration, the left and right sides of the lid 2 supporting force (spring force) due to the displacement of the engagement pieces 42L and 42R between the coil springs 40L and 40R and the lid 2 to either the left or right side. Due to imbalance, the center of the rice cooker body 1 and the center of the lid body 2 may be misaligned, and the lid body 2 may not correspond to the upper part of the rice cooker body 1 accurately, but the center of gravity due to the movement of the weight of the second electric board B2 Is corrected to be as close as possible (balanced). As a result, the lid 2 is opened and closed smoothly, and the closed state is accurate and stable.

  Further, the connection width (connector width) corresponding to each other between the electric board B2 and the connection wiring (flat cable 25) can be increased.

  In addition, the code | symbol 25a in FIG. 5 shows the connection end to the 1st electric board | substrate B1 of the rice cooker main body 1 side of the said flat cable 25, 25b shows the connection end to the 2nd electric board | substrate B2 on the lid 2 side. Yes.

  1 is a rice cooker body, 2 is a lid, 3 is an inner pot, 4 is a protective frame, 10a is a hinge bracket, 25 is a flat cable, 30 is a hinge shaft, 40, 40L, 40R are coil springs, 42L, 42R, 43L, 43R is a coil spring engagement piece.

Claims (3)

  An inner pot, a rice cooker body that accommodates the inner pot, and a lid that is provided at the top of the rice cooker body so as to be openable and closable via a hinge portion and covers the upper part of the accommodated inner pot in the closed state. A second electric board connected to the first electric board in the rice cooker body via a predetermined connection wiring is provided in the lid body, and the hinge part includes the second electric board. An electric rice cooker provided with a coil spring for urging the lid in an open state, wherein the coil spring has its both end side engagement pieces displaced in the left and right directions, respectively, and the lid side, the rice cooker body An electric rice cooker characterized by being engaged with the side.   The electric rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the coil spring comprises two pairs of left and right coil springs.   3. The electric rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the second electric substrate is provided so as to be displaced in a direction opposite to a displacement direction of the cover-side engagement piece of the coil spring.

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