JP2022188408A - rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a rice cooker including a lid opening brake structure which is excellent in processing properties and assembling properties and obtains stable braking force in the rice cooker equipped with a brake unit rotating together with a rotating shaft of a lid.SOLUTION: A lid opening brake structure applying a brake to motions of opening a lid includes a rotating body which has a through hole of a hinge shaft and rotates together with the hinge shaft and a brake unit including a rotating shaft hole where the hinge shaft rotatably penetrates, a root part held in a manner that rotations to a rice cooker body side are regulated, and a U-shaped tabular spring which is positioned on a tip end side with respect to the rotating shaft hole and has a narrow part where a width is narrower than the root part. The rotating body is arranged to be sandwiched by the U-shaped tabular spring and has an inclined thick part where a width of the rotating body gradually changes in a circumferential direction so as to widen the U-shaped tabular spring in association with the rotation of the hinge shaft when the lid opens. The hinge shaft where the rotating body is mounted is formed into a D-cut shaft, and the through hole of the rotating body is formed in a D-cut through hole fitting to the D-cut shaft.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more particularly to a rice cooker having a lid-opening brake structure that brakes the operation of opening the lid.

A rice cooker is generally configured such that the lid is opened by a spring force when the hook portion of the lid is operated to be released. In order to prevent the rice cooker body from lifting when the lid opens and the lid from shaking due to reaction, a lid-opening brake structure is used in which braking is applied before the lid fully opens.

As a lid opening brake structure, for example, a brake structure described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. In Patent Document 1, a hinge brake that rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the lid is provided on the lid, a brake plate is provided at a position where the hinge brake is sandwiched between the hinges, and a convex portion is provided on the surface of the hinge brake. is provided, and the protrusion is pressed against the brake plate at an angle where the opening angle of the lid does not hinder the putting in and taking out of the pan, thereby generating a braking force.

JP-A-2003-038342

In the lid-opening brake structure of Patent Document 1, a hinge brake is provided integrally with the rotating shaft of the lid, and the rotation of the hinge brake is braked by a brake plate. In addition, since there are few related parts, there is an advantage that the braking force is stable.

However, in the lid opening brake structure of Patent Document 1, the rotating shaft of the lid rotates together with the lid, and the hinge brake needs to rotate together with the rotating shaft. It is necessary to fit in a shape other than a circle, such as. When braking is applied to the hinge brake, a large torsional force is applied to this fitting portion, so there is a possibility that the protrusions and grooves will be damaged during use. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to ensure strength, such as by machining the rotating shaft and hinge brake integrally from metal. In addition, the shaft hole on the lid side and the rotating shaft need to be fitted so that the rotating shaft rotates together with the opening and closing of the lid. Become. In addition, the rotating shaft integrated with the hinge brake needs to pass through the shaft hole on the main body side and the torsion coil spring that opens the lid, so there is room for improvement in assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a rice cooker equipped with a brake unit that rotates together with the rotating shaft of the lid, which is excellent in workability and assembly and has a lid opening brake structure that provides stable braking force. to do.

In order to achieve the above objects, the rice cooker of the present invention is configured as described in the claims.
Specifically, the rice cooker of the present invention includes, for example, a rice cooker main body and a lid attached to the rice cooker main body by a hinge portion at the rear of the rice cooker main body so as to open and close with respect to the rice cooker main body. It passes through the body hinge hole formed in the container body, the lid hinge hole formed in the lid, the body hinge hole and the lid hinge hole, is rotatably supported by the body hinge hole, and interlocks with the opening and closing operation of the lid. A rice cooker comprising a hinge shaft fitted in a lid hinge hole so as to rotate, provided coaxially with the hinge shaft, and equipped with a torsion coil spring that biases the lid in the opening direction, and brakes the lid opening operation. As a lid-opening brake structure that adds pressure, it has a through hole through which the hinge shaft passes, and the rotating body that rotates together with the hinge shaft, the rotating shaft hole through which the hinge shaft can rotate, and the rice cooker body are restricted in rotation. and a U-shaped leaf spring having a narrow width portion located on the tip side of the rotary shaft hole and having a narrower width than the root portion. It is arranged to be sandwiched between the leaf springs, and has an inclined thick portion in which the width of the rotating body gradually changes in the circumferential direction so as to widen the U-shaped leaf spring as the hinge shaft rotates when the lid is opened. , the hinge shaft to which the rotating body is attached is formed in a D-cut shaft, and the through hole of the rotating body is formed in a D-cut through hole that fits into the D-cut shaft.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the rice cooker provided with the brake unit which rotates with the rotating shaft of a lid|cover, it is excellent in workability and assemblability, and can implement|achieve the lid|cover opening brake structure which can obtain a stable braking force.
Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a rice cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the structure of the hinge portion of the rice cooker shown in Fig. 1; FIG. 2 is a partially perspective view of the brake unit of the rice cooker shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the brake unit of the rice cooker shown in FIG. 1; 2 is an exploded view of the brake unit of the rice cooker shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the rice cooker of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a structural perspective view of the hinge portion of the rice cooker, showing a state in which the outer cover member of the lid is removed. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view for explaining the structure of the brake unit of the rice cooker.

A lid 4 of the rice cooker is attached to the rice cooker main body 1 by a hinge portion 2 at the rear of the rice cooker main body 1 so as to open and close the rice cooker main body 1 . Main body hinge holes 3 are provided on the left and right rear sides of the rice cooker main body 1 . Lid hinge holes 5 are provided on the left and right rear sides of the lid 4 . A hinge shaft 6 is provided so as to pass through the body hinge hole 3 and the lid hinge hole 5 , and the hinge shaft 6 is rotatably supported by the body hinge hole 3 . The hinge shaft 6 and the lid hinge hole 5 are fitted so that the hinge shaft 6 rotates in conjunction with the opening/closing operation of the lid 4. - 特許庁

A hook portion 7 is provided in front of the rice cooker main body 1 and a lid fitting portion 8 is provided in front of the lid 4 . By fitting the hook portion 7 and the lid fitting portion 8 together, the front portion of the lid 4 is engaged with the rice cooker main body 1 and the lid 4 is closed.

A torsion coil spring 9 is provided on the hinge portion 2 substantially coaxially with the hinge shaft 6 . A body-side arm 9-1 at one end of the torsion coil spring 9 is held by the rice cooker body 1, and a lid-side arm 9-2 at the other end is held by the lid 4. As shown in FIG. When the lid 4 is closed, a spring force is accumulated between the body side arm 9-1 and the lid side arm 9-2 of the torsion coil spring 9, and the torsion coil spring 9 generates a biasing force in the direction of opening the lid 4. . When the user operates the hook portion 7 with the hook lever on the front of the rice cooker, the hook portion 7 is disengaged from the lid fitting portion 8, and the spring force accumulated in the torsion coil spring 9 moves the lid side arm 9-2. , the opening operation of the lid 4 is started.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hinge shaft 6 is provided with a brake unit 10 for braking the operation of the lid 4. As shown in FIG. The details of the brake unit 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the brake unit of this embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the parts of the brake unit of this embodiment.

The brake unit 10 is composed of a U-shaped leaf spring 11 and a rotor 12 .
The U-shaped plate spring 11 is formed by bending a plate spring made of stainless steel or the like into a U-shaped cross section. The U-shaped plate spring 11 has a narrow portion 11-2 narrower than the root portion 11-1 that abuts on the holding portion 13 of the main body of the rice cooker. The width of the narrow portion 11-2 is narrower than the width of the rotating body 12 where the inclined thick portion described later is formed. However, it is not necessary that the width of all the regions where the thick slant portions are formed is narrow, and the width of the narrow portion 11-2 may be wide in the regions where the width of the thick slant portions is small. The U-shaped plate spring 11 is provided with two rotary shaft holes 11-3. The narrow portion 11-2 is located on the tip side (free end side) of the rotation shaft hole 11-3 of the U-shaped plate spring. A rotor 12 is provided between the U-shapes of the U-shaped leaf spring 11 so as to be sandwiched therebetween. The base portion 11-1 of the U-shaped leaf spring 11 abuts against the holding portion 13 of the main body of the rice cooker so that its rotation is restricted.

The rotor 12 is made of polyacetal resin (POM) or the like, which has excellent abrasion resistance. Bosses 12-1 are provided on both sides of the rotor 12, and the bosses 12-1 pass through the rotation shaft hole 11-3 of the U-shaped plate spring 11 and rotate inside the rotation shaft hole 11-3. A through hole 12-2 is provided in the boss portion 12-1. The through hole 12-2 of the boss portion 12-1 is provided so that the hinge shaft 6 penetrates therethrough. The hinge shaft 6 positioned within the through hole 12-2 is a D-cut shaft, and the hole shape of the through hole 12-2 has the same shape as the D-cut cross section of the hinge shaft 6 (D-cut through hole). As a result, the hinge shaft 6 and the through hole 12-2 of the rotating body 12 are fitted, and the rotating body 12 rotates together with the hinge shaft 6 when the lid 4 is opened and closed. Since the fitting between the through hole 12-2 of the rotor 12 and the hinge shaft 6, which constitute the brake unit 10, does not depend on projections or grooves, the fitting portion is not subjected to a large amount of force when a braking force is generated in the brake unit 10. Although a torsional force is applied, there is less risk of damage compared to protrusions and grooves, and since it can be realized by simple shape processing, there is no problem of cost increase. Although the hinge shaft 6 may be a D-cut shaft over its entire length, it may be partially formed as a D-cut shaft at the position of the lid hinge hole 5 and the position at which the brake unit 10 is attached to the hinge shaft 6 . However, it is necessary to form a D-cut shaft from one end of the hinge shaft 6 to the position where the brake unit 10 is attached.

The rotor 12 is provided with an inclined thick portion 12-3. The inclined thick portions 12-3 are formed on both sides of the rotor 12 in this embodiment. The inclined thick portion 12-3 is formed such that the width of the rotating body 12 (width in the axial direction of the hinge shaft 6) gradually changes in the circumferential direction. When the lid 4 moves in the opening direction, the narrow portion 11-2 of the U-shaped plate spring 11 is gradually widened as the rotation angle of the rotating body 12 increases. In this embodiment, the inclined thick portion 12-3 of the rotating body 12 pushes the narrow portion 11-2 of the U-shaped leaf spring 11 wide, and the inclined thick portion 12-3 of the rotating body 12 and the U-shaped leaf spring 11 The braking force is obtained by the frictional force generated between the narrow portion 11-2 of the . When the opening angle of the lid 4 reaches, for example, 40 degrees, the inclined thick portion 12-3 of the rotating body 12 begins to spread the narrow portion 11-2 of the U-shaped leaf spring 11, and reaches around 60 to 70 degrees. Considering the width dimension of the narrow portion 11-2 of the U-shaped plate spring 11, a substantial braking force is generated and the braking force increases rapidly as the opening angle of the lid 4 approaches 90 degrees. An inclined thick portion 12-3 is provided. The inclined thick portion 12-3 of the rotating body 12 is formed at a position in the circumferential direction in consideration of the hole shape of the through hole 12-2 (the position of the D-cut portion of the through hole 12-2). That is, since the through hole 12-2 of the boss portion 12-1 of the rotating body 12 is formed in a hole shape so as to fit with the D-cut shaft of the hinge shaft 6, the brake unit 10 is attached to the hinge shaft 6. At that time, the circumferential position of the inclined thick portion 12-3 is also determined. Therefore, the circumferential position where the inclined thick portion 12-3 is formed is set in consideration of the position of the D-cut portion of the through hole 12-2 so that a desired braking force can be obtained at a predetermined rotation angle of the lid 4. It is It should be noted that the width of the rotating body 12 in the region where the inclined thick portion 12-3 is not formed is smaller than that of the narrow width portion 11-2. Further, the region where the inclined thick portion 12-3 is formed is located at a position that does not come into contact with the narrow width portion 11-2 when the lid 4 is closed. Depending on the size and position of the narrow width portion 11-2, the maximum width portion of the inclined thick portion 12-3 is positioned closer to the base than the rotary shaft hole 11-3 of the U-shaped plate spring 11. FIG.

The brake unit 10 having the above configuration is inserted into the hinge portion 2 when the hinge shaft 6 is passed through the main body hinge hole 3 and the lid hinge hole 5 in the process of attaching the lid 4 to the rice cooker main body 1 and incorporated as a rotating shaft. By passing the hinge shaft 6 through the through hole 12-2 together with the torsion coil spring 9, it is incorporated into the rice cooker.

As described above, the inclined thick portion 12-3 of the rotating body 12 is set in consideration of the position of the D-cut portion of the through hole 12-2. 6 can be easily incorporated by only positioning the rotation angle.

Further, when the brake unit 10 is fixed to the hinge portion 2 by the hinge shaft 6, the root portion 11-1 of the U-shaped plate spring 11 is in contact with the holding portion 13 of the rice cooker main body 1, and the rotation is restricted. is held and fixed by

When the user operates the hook portion 7 of the rice cooker in which the brake unit 10 is incorporated, the fitting with the lid fitting portion 8 is released, and the lid 4 is moved by the torsion coil spring 9 via the lid side arm 9-2. Start the movement in the opening direction. Since the hinge shaft 6 is fitted in the through hole 12-2 of the rotating body 12, the rotating body 12 rotates in conjunction with the operation of opening the lid 4. As shown in FIG. When the lid 4 opens at a certain angle, for example, an angle of 40 degrees, the inclined thick portion 12-3 of the rotating body 12 begins to spread the narrow portion 11-2 of the U-shaped leaf spring 11, and the inclined thick portion 12 -3 and the narrow portion 11-2 apply a braking force to the opening operation of the lid side arm 9-2. As the opening angle approaches 90 degrees, the inclined thick part 12-3 is set so that the U-shaped plate spring 11 is pushed wide and the braking force increases rapidly, so that the lid 4 can be opened vigorously. There is no Needless to say, when the user closes the lid 4, the movement is reversed, and the lid 4 returns to the closed state.

According to the above embodiment of the present invention, the braking force of the lid opening brake structure is determined by the width of the narrow portion 11-2 of the U-shaped plate spring 11 and the width of the narrow portion 11-2 for opening the lid 4. It is determined by the shape of the inclined thick portion 12-3 of the rotating body 12 that spreads as it rotates. There is no particular need to adjust the braking force when assembling the rice cooker, and a stable braking force can be obtained. In addition, since both the narrow width portion 11-2 of the U-shaped leaf spring 11 and the inclined thick portion 12-3 of the rotating body 12 provide a braking force, for example, the inclined thickness of the rotating body 12 The brake unit 10 can be made more compact than when only the portion 12-3 is provided. In addition, since the braking force of the brake is not generated from the angle just before the lid 4 is fully opened, but the braking force can be applied from the early stage of the lid opening operation, the reaction during the opening operation of the lid 4 is suppressed. be able to. The brake unit 10 can be attached by passing the hinge shaft 6 through the through hole 12-2 of the brake unit 10 at the same time that the hinge shaft 6 passes through the main body hinge hole 3, the lid hinge hole 5, and the torsion coil spring 9. . As described above, the tilted thick portion 12-3 is formed in consideration of the position of the D-cut portion of the through hole 12-2 so that the desired braking force can be obtained at the rotation angle of the lid 4. 6 and the D-cut portion of the through-hole 12-2 of the brake unit 10 are fitted into the holes, and the brake unit 10 is put into a state in which a desired braking force can be obtained from a predetermined lid opening angle. can be assembled.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. In addition, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Moreover, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

For example, the narrow portion 11-2 is the tip of the U-shaped leaf spring 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. Braking force can be effectively obtained if it is on the tip side from the center of the rotation shaft hole 11-3 of the U-shaped plate spring. Further, although the boss portion 12-1 is provided on the rotating body 12, it may not be formed. However, it is desirable to form it in consideration of strength and assembly.

1 rice cooker body 2 hinge part 3 body hinge hole 4 lid 5 lid hinge hole 6 hinge shaft 7 hook part 8 lid fitting part 9 torsion coil spring 9-1 body side arm 9-2 lid side arm 10 brake unit 11 U-shaped plate spring 11-1 Root portion 11-2 Narrow portion 11-3 Rotating shaft hole 12 Rotating body 12-1 Boss portion 12-2 Through hole 12-3 Inclined thick portion 13 Holding portion

Claims (2)

A rice cooker body and a lid attached to the rice cooker body by a hinge part at the rear of the rice cooker body so as to open and close with respect to the rice cooker body,
The hinge portion
a body hinge hole formed in the rice cooker body;
a lid hinge hole formed in the lid;
a hinge shaft that passes through the body hinge hole and the lid hinge hole, is rotatably supported in the body hinge hole, and is fitted in the lid hinge hole so as to rotate in conjunction with the opening and closing operation of the lid; ,
A rice cooker comprising a torsion coil spring that is provided coaxially with the hinge shaft and biases the lid in the opening direction,
As a lid opening brake structure that applies braking to the lid opening operation,
a rotating body having a through hole through which the hinge shaft passes and rotating together with the hinge shaft;
a rotary shaft hole through which the hinge shaft rotatably penetrates; a root portion held by the rice cooker main body so as to be restricted in rotation; A brake unit comprising a U-shaped leaf spring having a narrowed narrow portion,
The rotating body is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the U-shaped leaf springs, and the width of the rotating body extends in the circumferential direction so as to expand the width of the U-shaped leaf spring as the hinge shaft rotates when the lid is opened. having a gradually changing inclined wall thickness,
The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the hinge shaft to which the rotating body is attached is formed as a D-cut shaft, and the through hole of the rotating body is formed as a D-cut through hole that engages with the D-cut shaft. In the rice cooker according to claim 1,
The rotating body has boss portions formed with the D-cut through holes on both sides in the width direction, and the boss portions penetrate through the rotation shaft hole of the U-shaped plate spring and rotate within the rotation shaft hole.

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