JP2012005558A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker wherein it is possible to suppress an opening/closing valve provided in a rice gruel return hole from unintentionally falling off.SOLUTION: The rice cooker includes: a rice cooker body 1; an inner pot 2 detachably housed in the rice cooker body 1; a lid body 10 covering an upper opening of the rice cooker body 1; heating means 3 for heating the inner pot 2; and a steam port unit 20 provided in the lid body 10 and discharging steam produced in the inner pot 2 to outside the rice cooker body 1 during rice cooking. The steam port unit 20 includes: an introduction port 22a for guiding steam produced in the inner pot 2 into the steam port unit 20; the rice gruel return hole 28 for returning rice gruel in the steam port unit 20 into the inner pot 2; and the opening/closing valve 29 that opens or closes the rice gruel return hole depending on the pressure in the inner pot 2. The steam port unit is provided with a filter 30 that has a first small hole 31a whose the diameter is smaller than the outside diameter of the opening/closing valve 29 in a plane view and covers the opening/closing valve 29 from the inner pot 2 side.

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more particularly to a rice cooker provided with an opening / closing valve in a hole for returning a rice bowl contained in steam generated by heating to an inner pot.

  As a conventional rice cooker, “a plurality of screw return holes 19 communicating with the inner pot 6 through the steam hole unit 10 and the steam holes 5 b of the inner lid 5 are provided. It is proposed to be opened and closed by an on-off valve 20 provided in the portion 18 so as to be movable up and down. This rice cooker closes the return hole if the on-off valve is pushed up when the internal pressure of the inner pot rises, and opens the return hole if the on-off valve descends when the internal pressure of the inner pot drops. Return the screw into the inner hook through the screw return hole. In this way, by returning the rice balls to the rice in the inner pot, it is possible to cook glossy and sticky rice. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3820541 (page 4, FIG. 3)

  As described above, the on-off valve is an important part for cooking rice. However, this on-off valve is attached to a portion that is exposed when the lid of the rice cooker is opened. For this reason, the user's hand touched the on-off valve during cleaning or the like, and the on-off valve may fall off. Moreover, since the on-off valve is a small part, there is a risk that it will be lost if it is dropped without the user's knowledge. And if the on-off valve is not attached, the function of the above-mentioned on-off valve will not be exhibited, but the quality of rice cooking may fall.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a rice cooker that can prevent the on-off valve provided in the return hole from dropping off when it is not intended. .

  A rice cooker according to the present invention includes a rice cooker body, an inner pot that is detachably accommodated in the rice cooker body, a lid that covers an upper opening of the rice cooker body, and heating that heats the inner pot. Means and a steam port unit that is provided in the lid body and discharges steam generated in the inner pot during rice cooking to the outside of the rice cooker body, and the steam port unit is disposed in the inner pot. An introduction hole for guiding the generated steam to the inside of the steam port unit, a return hole for returning the screw in the steam port unit into the inner hook, and the return hole depending on the pressure in the inner pot. And an opening / closing valve for opening and closing the opening / closing valve, and having a first small hole having a diameter smaller than an outer diameter in a plan view of the opening / closing valve and covering the opening / closing valve from the inner hook side.

  The rice cooker according to the present invention has a first small hole that is smaller than the outer diameter in plan view of the on-off valve, and is provided with a filter that covers the on-off valve from the inner pot side. Sometimes it is possible to prevent the on-off valve from falling off.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a main part of the steam port unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a main part of the steam port unit according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is the figure which looked at the on-off valve vicinity which concerns on Embodiment 1 from the bottom. 3 is a plan view of the filter according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the partition plate according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the positional relationship of the on-off valve and filter which concern on Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a small hole according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining a filter according to Embodiment 3. FIG.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a rice cooker according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main part of the steam port unit of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing the main part of the steam port unit of FIG. 4 is a view of the vicinity of the on-off valve according to the first embodiment as viewed from below, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the filter according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 1, the rice cooker body 1 has an opening at the top, and the opening is opened and closed by a lid 10. An inner lid body 11 is detachably attached to the lower surface of the lid body 10. An opening portion of the inner lid 2 is provided at the peripheral portion of the inner lid main body 11 so that when the lid body 10 is closed, steam does not leak to the outside from between the upper surface of the inner lid 2 (described later) and the lid body 10. An annular fixed frame (seal rubber) 12 for sealing is provided.

  The rice cooker main body 1 is detachably accommodated in an inner pot 2 having a bottomed cylindrical shape into which water, rice and the like are opened and having an open top surface, and is cooked by heating by a heating means 3 such as an electromagnetic induction coil. It has become. When the lid 10 of the rice cooker is closed, the fixed frame 12 at the peripheral edge of the inner lid main body 11 comes into close contact with the flange 2 a provided on the outer periphery of the upper end of the inner pot 2. In the first embodiment, the inner lid body 11 and the introduction hole forming portion 13 to be described later constitute the inner lid of the present invention.

  Between the lid 10 and the inner lid body 11, the steam generated in the inner pot 2 is discharged from the inner pot 2 to the outside of the rice cooker body 1, and part of the rice bowl included in the steam is discharged. A steam port unit 20 for returning to the inner pot 2 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the steam port unit 20 includes a substantially cylindrical guide tube 22 that introduces steam generated in the inner pot 2 into the steam port unit 20. An introduction hole 22 a for introducing steam is opened at the lower end of the guide cylinder 22, and a discharge hole 22 b for discharging steam from the guide cylinder 22 is opened at the upper end. On the downstream side of the discharge hole 22b, for example, a flow path 23 through which steam including a screw made of a substantially cylindrical case passes is provided. In the first embodiment, in order to suppress the product height, the flow direction of the steam in the flow path 23 is almost horizontal, but the flow direction of the flow path 23 in the flow direction is perpendicular to the product (ground). It may be made to become.

  A steam discharge port 24 is provided at substantially the central portion on the outlet side (downstream side) of the flow channel 23, and a general discharge port 25 is provided on the lower outer peripheral side on the downstream side of the flow channel 23 (FIG. 1). On the downstream side of the steam discharge port 24, there is provided a substantially cylindrical steam discharge tube 24 a connecting the external discharge port 27 that is an outlet for discharging steam to the outside of the rice cooker body 1 and the steam discharge port 24. Yes.

  Around the lower portion of the guide tube 22, there is a reservoir recess 21 formed so as to be lower than the bottom surface of the flow path 23. In addition, the bottom surface of the flow path 23 is an inclined surface that descends toward the accumulation recess 21 so that a screw can easily accumulate in the accumulation recess 21. On the bottom surface of the reservoir recess 21, there is provided a return hole 28 that allows the interior of the reservoir recess 21 to communicate with the interior of the inner hook 2. The screw return hole 28 has an opening 28a that is substantially circular in plan view, and a cutout 28b that is formed by cutting out a part of the outer peripheral edge of the opening 28a. The inner diameter of the notch 28b is larger than the outer diameter of the opening 28a. An open / close valve 29 is attached to the return hole 28 so as to be movable up and down.

The on-off valve 29 includes a head portion 29a, a column portion 29b, and a substrate 29c. The outer diameter of the head 29a is larger than the inner diameter of the opening 28a of the return hole 28, but smaller than the outer diameter of the notch 28b. The outer diameter of the column portion 29 b is smaller than the inner diameter of the opening portion 28 a of the return hole 28, and the height of the column portion 29 b is longer than the thickness of the bottom of the pooling recess 21. Further, the outer diameter of the substrate 29c is generally larger than the outer diameter of the cutout portion 28b of the return hole 28.
For this reason, when the internal pressure in the inner hook 2 is low, the opening / closing valve 29 is lowered, the head 29a is locked to the peripheral edge of the upper surface portion of the opening 28a of the return hole 28, and the opening / closing valve 29 falls off. In addition, the cutout portion 28b of the return hole 28 is held open. Further, during cooking, that is, when the inner pressure of the inner pot 2 is high, the on-off valve 29 is raised by this inner pressure, the upper surface of the substrate 29c comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the return hole 28, and the opening 28a of the return hole 28 And the notch 28b is closed. The on-off valve 29 is made of a material such as silicon rubber which has heat resistance and hardly changes over time. The on-off valve 29 can be fitted into the opening 28a from the head 29a side while being deformed by its elastic force.

  In the first embodiment, the introduction hole 22a and the rough return hole 28 are provided in the introduction hole forming part 13 constituting a part of the inner lid. The introduction hole forming portion 13 is detachably attached to the inner lid main body 11. The reason why the inner lid main body 11 and the introduction hole forming portion 13 are configured separately is to facilitate cleaning of the steam port unit 20 by removing the introduction hole forming portion 13. 13 may be provided, and the inner lid body 11 may be provided with the introduction hole 22a and the return hole 28.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, the filter 30 is a member that covers the on-off valve 29 from the lower side (that is, the inner hook 2 side). In the first embodiment, the bottom portion 30a and the peripheral wall 30b are formed in a substantially circular dish shape in plan view. In the first embodiment, the filter 30 is formed in a size that also covers the introduction hole 22a. The filter 30 is fixed to the inner lid by screwing with the outer periphery of the introduction hole forming portion 13.

  A plurality of small holes 31 are provided in the bottom 30 a of the filter 30. The small hole 31 has a plurality of first small holes 31a having a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the on-off valve 29 in plan view (that is, the outer diameter of the substrate 29c in plan view), and the diameter is smaller than that of the first small hole 31a. It is constituted by a plurality of second small holes 31b. For example, if the diameter of the on-off valve 29 in a plan view is about 15 to 20 mm, the small hole 31 can be in the range of about 2 to 15 mm. Since the first small hole 31a is a hole for returning the screw into the inner hook 2 as will be described later, the first small hole 31a is made as small as possible so as to ensure the flow of the screw while making it smaller than the diameter of the on-off valve 29. Good. Since the second small hole 31b is a hole for allowing steam to enter the introduction hole 22a, it is possible to prevent rice grains and the like from entering the introduction hole 22a by making the second small hole 31b as small as possible. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the first small holes 31a are constituted by a plurality of types of small holes having different diameters, but these may have the same diameter.

  Further, the first small hole 31 a and the second small hole 31 b are provided at positions symmetrical with respect to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the plan view of the filter 30.

  Two protrusions 32 projecting outward are provided on the peripheral wall 30b of the filter 30 symmetrically in plan view. The protrusion 32 is used as a clue when the filter 30 is attached to and detached from the inner lid. When attaching or detaching the filter 30, a hand is put on the protrusion 32 and rotated in the circumferential direction, so that it can be screwed into or released from the introduction hole forming portion 13. In addition, two positioning marks 33 are provided on the bottom surface of the bottom portion 30a so as to be aligned when the filter 30 is attached in a vertically symmetrical manner in plan view. The filter 30 is attached so that any one of the positioning marks 33 is aligned with the positioning mark 14 provided in the introduction hole forming portion 13.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a partition plate 26 is provided on the lower surface of the introduction hole forming portion 13. The partition plate 26 is configured by vertical ribs that project downward, and is divided into an introduction hole 22 a side and a generally return hole 28 side. . The partition plate 26 is partitioned so that the space on the return hole 28 side is larger than the introduction hole 22a side. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the partition plate 26. As shown in FIG. 6, the clearance S between the lower end portion of the partition plate 26 and the upper surface of the bottom portion 30a of the filter 30 is configured to be smaller than the diameter of the second small hole 31b. In addition, you may provide the partition plate comprised by the vertical rib which protrudes upwards on the upper surface of the filter 30. FIG. Also in this case, the gap S between the upper end portion of the partition plate and the lower surface of the introduction hole forming portion 13 is configured to be smaller than the diameter of the second small hole 31b. In FIG. 6, the size of the gap S is exaggerated for the sake of explanation.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the on-off valve 29 and the filter 30 according to the first embodiment, and the first small hole 31a, the second small hole 31b, and the introduction hole 22a when the filter 30 is attached. , And the position of the on-off valve 29. The filter 30 is attached so as to cover the introduction hole 22a and the open / close valve 29 from below so that the second small hole 31b, which is a small hole having a small diameter, is positioned below the introduction hole 22a. A part of the first small hole 31 a and the second small hole 31 b are located below the on-off valve 29.

  Next, operation | movement of the rice cooker provided with the steam port unit 20 is demonstrated. When the inner pot 2 containing water and rice is accommodated in the rice cooker main body 1, the lid 10 is closed, and the power switch provided in the operation unit (not shown) is turned ON, the inner pot 2 is operated by the heating means 3. Is heated. When the water in the inner pot 2 boils, steam containing a beanbag is generated. At this time, since the internal pressure of the inner pot 2 is rising, the opening / closing valve 29 of the steam port unit 20 closes the return hole 28 if it is pushed up. For this reason, the steam containing the rice cake enters the guide tube 22 through the second small hole 31 b and the introduction hole 22 a provided in the filter 30 and is guided into the flow path 23.

  When the steam including the rice cake that has exited the guide tube 22 travels in the flow path 23, it is cooled by air or collides with the peripheral wall of the flow path 23 and condenses and accumulates as water droplets and accumulates in the recess 21. Further, the rice balls included in the steam are separated from the steam in the course of the steam flowing in the flow path 23 and are accumulated in the accumulation recess 21. The steam flowing through the flow path 23 enters the steam discharge cylinder 24 a through the steam discharge port 24, and is discharged from the external discharge port 27 to the outside of the rice cooker body 1. In the process of passing through the inside of the steam discharge cylinder 24a, water drops generated by condensation of steam and the rice cake separated from the steam are accumulated through the discharge port 25 and collected in the recess 21. In addition, the bottom surface of the steam discharge cylinder 24a is an inclined surface that descends toward the exhaust port 25 so that water drops and rice balls can easily pass through the exhaust port 25.

  When the heating is stopped and the internal pressure of the inner pot 2 is reduced, the on-off valve 29 is lowered due to its own weight and the weight of the tongue and water droplets, and the notch portion 28b of the tongue return hole 28 provided in the bottom surface of the reservoir recess 21 is provided. Open. As a result, the rice cake collected in the accumulation recess 21 falls from the food return hole 28 and further falls into the inner hook 2 from the small hole 31 provided below the opening / closing valve 29. When the rice ball returns to the rice in the inner pot 2, the ingredients of the deliciousness contained in the rice ball are given to the rice, and it is possible to cook a delicious and sticky rice.

  Thus, in the first embodiment, the filter 30 having the small hole 31 having a diameter smaller than the outer diameter in plan view of the on-off valve 29 and covering the on-off valve 29 from the inner hook 2 side is provided. For this reason, since the on-off valve 29 is not exposed by being covered with the filter 30, it is possible to prevent the on-off valve 29 from dropping unintentionally at the time of cleaning or when serving rice. Further, since the small hole 31 has a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the opening / closing valve 29 in plan view, the opening / closing valve 29 does not drop through the small hole 31. Also, since the filter 30 is provided with a plurality of small holes 31, even if a rice grain or the like is stuck and any of the small holes 31 is closed, the rice cake is dropped from the other small holes 31. If it is possible, it will not interfere with the fall.

  The filter 30 is also configured to cover the introduction hole 22a that guides the steam including the beak generated in the inner pot 2 to the inside of the steam port unit 20, and the first small hole is formed below the introduction hole 22a. A second small hole 31b having a smaller diameter than 31a was provided. For this reason, it can suppress that a rice grain, the ingredients of cooked rice, a minor grain, etc. penetrate | invade into the introduction hole 22a. If rice grains or the like enter the introduction hole 22a and become clogged, the pressure in the inner pot 2 may be excessively increased, but according to the first embodiment, such a situation can be avoided.

  Further, the partition plate 26 that partitions the space formed between the introduction hole forming portion 13 provided with the introduction hole 22a and the return hole 28 and the upper surface of the filter 30 into the introduction hole 22a side and the return return hole 28 side. Was provided. For this reason, even if rice grains and the like enter the filter 30 from the first small holes 31a having a diameter larger than that of the second small holes 31b, the rice grains and the like are blocked by the partition plate 26 and enter the introduction holes 22a. Can be suppressed.

  Further, since the gap between the lower end portion of the partition plate 26 and the upper surface of the filter 30 is made smaller than the diameter of the second small hole 31b, it is possible to further suppress the rice grains and the like from entering the introduction hole 22a. Further, by providing a gap between the lower end portion of the partition plate 26 and the upper surface of the filter 30, it is possible to circulate steam or the like between the introduction hole 22a side and the return hole 28 side. For this reason, even if the second small hole 31b is blocked by rice grains or the like, the steam that has entered from the first small hole 31a can enter the introduction hole 22a through the gap, so that a steam discharge port can be secured. It is possible to suppress the internal pressure in the inner hook 2 from increasing too much.

  Further, the partition plate 26 partitions the space on the return hole 28 side so that the area on the return hole 28 side is larger than the introduction hole 22a side. 2 can be returned.

  In addition, since the filter 30 is detachably provided, the filter 30 can be easily removed by removing the filter 30 while preventing the on-off valve 29 from falling when the filter 30 is attached.

  In addition, since the first small holes 31a are provided symmetrically with respect to the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in the plan view of the filter 30, the filter 30 can be attached in the same manner even if the filter 30 is rotated 180 degrees. . For this reason, the filter 30 can be attached without worrying about the orientation of the filter 30, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the second embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described.
FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the small hole 31 of the filter 30 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the peripheral edge of the upper surface side (side facing the on-off valve 29) of the small hole 31 is chamfered. 8A shows an example in which the chamfered portion 34a is provided with the ridge line of the upper edge side of the small hole 31 as the C surface, and FIG. 8B shows the ridge line of the upper edge side edge of the small hole 31 as R. The example (round chamfering) which provided the chamfer part 34b on the surface is shown, respectively. By chamfering the peripheral edge of the upper surface side of the small hole 31, the rice ball that has fallen into the filter 30 (upper surface side of the bottom portion 30 a) through the screw return hole 28 can easily flow into the small hole 31. For this reason, it is possible to quickly return to the inner hook 2.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the third embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described.
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining a filter 30A according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the bottom portion 30aA of the filter 30A is formed in a mortar shape that protrudes toward the inner hook 2, and has an inclined surface that descends from the outer peripheral side toward the center. Accordingly, the height of the partition plate 26A is made higher than that of the first embodiment. By making the bottom 30aA of the filter 30A into a mortar shape that protrudes toward the inner pot 2, a bowl that falls into the filter 30 (upper side of the bottom 30a) is inclined by the bottom 30aA being inclined. It flows toward the center of the bottom 30aA and falls into the inner hook 2 from the small hole 31. A small amount of rice balls flow and gather toward the center of the bottom portion 30aA, so that they can easily fall from the small holes 31, and the rice balls can be efficiently returned to the inner pot 2.

Although FIG. 9 shows an example in which the bottom 30aA of the filter 30A has a circular arc cross section, the cross sectional shape may be, for example, a V-shaped cross section or a trapezoidal shape. In any case, the same effect can be obtained by providing the bottom 30aA with an inclination.
Further, the second embodiment and the third embodiment may be combined to obtain the same effect.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker main body, 2 Inner pot, 2a flange, 3 Heating means, 10 Cover body, 11 Inner lid main body, 12 Fixed frame, 13 Introduction hole formation part, 14 Positioning mark, 20 Steam port unit, 21 Reservoir recessed part, 22 Guide Cylinder, 22a introduction hole, 22b discharge hole, 23 flow path, 24 steam discharge port, 24a steam discharge cylinder, 25 discharge port, 26 partition plate, 26A partition plate, 27 external discharge port, 28 screw return hole, 28a opening 28b Notch, 29 Open / close valve, 29a Head, 29b Column, 29c Substrate, 30 Filter, 30A Filter, 30a Bottom, 30aA Bottom, 30b Perimeter wall, 31 Small hole, 31a First small hole, 31b Second small hole 32 Projection part 33 Positioning mark 34a Chamfer part 34b Chamfer part S gap

Claims (10)

The rice cooker body,
An inner pot detachably accommodated in the rice cooker body;
A lid that covers the upper opening of the rice cooker body;
Heating means for heating the inner pot;
A steam port unit that is provided on the lid and discharges steam generated in the inner pot during rice cooking to the outside of the rice cooker body;
The steam port unit is
An introduction hole for guiding the steam generated in the inner pot into the steam port unit;
A toe return hole for returning the inside of the steam port unit into the inner pot;
An on-off valve that opens and closes the toe return hole depending on the pressure in the inner hook,
A rice cooker comprising a first small hole having a diameter smaller than an outer diameter in a plan view of the on-off valve, and a filter for covering the on-off valve from the inner pot side. The filter covers the introduction hole in addition to the on-off valve,
Providing a partition that partitions the space formed between the one surface provided with the introduction hole and the return hole and the filter into the introduction hole side and the return hole side;
The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein a second small hole having a diameter smaller than that of the first small hole is provided below the introduction hole. The partition is a vertical rib protruding downward from one surface provided with the introduction hole and the return hole.
The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein a gap between a lower end portion of the partition portion and the filter is made smaller than a diameter of the second small hole. The partition is a vertical rib protruding upward from the upper surface of the filter,
The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein a gap between an upper end portion of the partition portion and the one surface provided with the introduction hole and the return hole is smaller than a diameter of the second small hole. An inner lid that is detachably attached to the lower surface of the lid body and covers the upper opening of the inner pot;
The flow path through which the vapor | steam containing the tomb which flowed in from the said introduction hole was provided between the said inner cover and the said cover body. The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. rice cooker. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the one surface provided with the return hole constitutes a part of the inner lid.   The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the filter is detachably provided. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first small holes are provided symmetrically with respect to a vertical direction and a horizontal direction in a plan view of the filter.   The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the upper edge of the first small hole is chamfered.   The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein a bottom portion of the filter is an inclined surface.

Images