JP3298540B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker used for general household or business use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional rice cooker, when the rice is cooked and the temperature is maintained, the power supply to the heating means is turned off and the temperature is lowered to a predetermined temperature to keep the temperature.
In this state, excess water is evaporated and dew forms on the lid and the side of the pot, and the heating means is intermittently energized to prevent problems such as the dripping of the condensed water and sticky rice.

[0003]

However, in the rice cooker described above, since the excess water is prevented from sticking to the pot or the radiator plate by heating the heating means, the rice is heated more than necessary and the rice is deteriorated. As discoloration becomes remarkable,
Since the excess water in the pot cannot be forcibly discharged to the outside by heating, there is a problem in that dew condensation water easily adheres to a low temperature portion due to a temperature difference caused by unevenness in heating of the heating means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and has a structure that is easy to clean, reduces excess moisture of rice to prevent stickiness of rice, and reduces the temperature of the rice quickly to a heat retaining temperature to reduce deterioration of the rice. It is in.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a main body, a pot removably housed in the main body, heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, A lid that covers the upper opening and is pivotally supported so that it can be opened and closed, a steam passage that communicates with the lid and a steam port that discharges steam during cooking, and a vent that is above the pan and that communicates with the inside of the pan. And a fan cover provided with a blower in the middle of the blower passage, the blower guide of the blower being provided on a lower surface member of the cover and a removable cover on the lower surface member of the cover.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 comprises a main body,
A pot removably housed in the main body, heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, a lid that covers an upper opening of the main body and is pivotally supported to open and close; A steam passage communicating with a pot having a steam port for discharging steam, a blow passage communicating with the inside of the pan by a blow port above the pan, and a blower in the middle of the blow passage, and a blower guide of the blower. The bottom surface of the cover and the fan cover that is detachably attached to the bottom surface of the cover make it possible to remove the fan cover and clean it when the blower part gets dirty. As well as reducing the deterioration of rice.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the blower is separated into a motor portion and a fan portion by a cover lower surface member, the motor portion is disposed inside the cover, and the fan portion is detachably provided on the cover lower surface member. By arranging the fan cover rotatably on the fan cover and disposing the fan cover in the air guide, the fan cover and the fan unit can be removed for washing, and the air guide can be cleaned more easily.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the operation in a state where the fan cover or the fan unit of the blower is forgotten by providing a detecting means for detecting the attachment / detachment of the fan cover or the fan unit of the blower. Can be.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a detecting means for detecting attachment / detachment of the fan cover or the fan unit of the blower, and a notifying means for notifying that the user has forgotten to attach the fan cover or the fan unit when the fan unit is not attached. By doing
It is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to attach the cover of the fan or the casing.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the main body 1 has an upper surface opened, and a protective frame 3 which is a storage portion of the pot 2 is disposed inside the main body 1 and a heating means is provided outside the protective frame 3. An induction coil 4 is provided.

A cover 5 covers an upper opening of the main body 1. The lid 5 is rotatably connected to a hinge member 7 integrally formed on an upper portion of an upper frame 6 constituting the upper portion of the main body 1 via a pin 8. Supported. Reference numeral 9 denotes an outer lid cover which is a lower surface member of the lid. The outer lid cover 9 is fixed inside the lid 5. A heat radiating plate 10 as a heating element and a heat radiating plate unit 12 having a pot packing 11 are detachably attached to the outer lid cover 9, and the upper part of the radiating plate 10 is supported by the outer lid cover 9. The lid induction coil 13 as the lid heating means is located. Due to the electromagnetic action of the lid induction coil 13, the heat sink 10
Generates heat.

When the lid 5 is closed, the pan packing 11 is pressed against the flange 14 of the pan 2 to hermetically close the pan 2.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a steam cylinder detachably provided on the lid 5. A float 16 having a magnetic property is provided below the steam cylinder 15 so as to be movable when cooking rice. SW at a position facing the float 16 inside
17 are arranged. When the rice reaches the float 16, the float 16 moves, and the reed SW 17 detects it and controls the output to the induction coil 4 as a heating means, thereby preventing the rice from leaking out. Further, it is configured to move when the lid 5 is opened and closed, and also serves as detection of opening and closing of the lid 5.

The steam cylinder 15 is provided with a steam valve 19 so as to close an internal steam port 18.
A core plate 21 provided with a first magnet 20 is provided on the outer peripheral flange portion so as to be vertically movable, and the steam valve 19 is raised when the core plate 21 is raised. On the other hand, a steam valve drive unit 22 is provided inside the lid 5, and the steam valve drive unit 22 has a first magnet 20 oriented at a position opposite to the first magnet 20 so as to have a different polarity from the first magnet 20. A rotatable rotor 24 provided with two magnets 23,
A steam valve drive motor 25 for rotating the rotor 24 is provided. When the rotor 24 is rotated by controlling the steam valve drive motor 25 and the second magnet 23 and the first magnet 20 are opposed to each other, the core plate 21 is repelled by the repulsive force of the second magnet 23 and the first magnet 20. The steam port 18 can be opened by raising the steam valve 19 and moving up.

Further, a blower 26 is provided on the lower surface of the outer lid cover 9.
Is formed by the outer lid cover 9. Further, a fan cover 28-a is detachably provided on the blower guide 28. The fan unit 27 of the blower 26 is rotatably supported by the fan cover 28-a. The motor unit 29 of the blower 26 is provided on the inside of the cover 5 of the outer cover 9. For this reason, since the intake air passing through the fan unit 27 does not pass through the motor unit 29, the motor unit 29 is configured such that steam or moist outside air does not directly pass.
Since the fan cover 28-a is detachable, if the inside of the air guide 28 becomes dirty, the fan cover 28-a
Can be removed for cleaning. Further, the fan unit 27
Can be removed together with the fan cover 28-a, so that the fan section 27 can be removed and washed with water, and the inside of the air guide 28 can be cleaned more easily.

A detection magnet 46 is provided on the fan cover 28-a, and a detection lead switch 47 for detecting attachment / detachment of the fan cover 28-a is provided at a position of the outer lid cover 9 opposite to the detection magnet 46. , Fan cover 2
This constitutes 8-a detection means. Therefore, if the user forgets to attach the fan cover 28-a, the detection reed switch 4
The operation can be stopped by detecting that the user has forgotten to mount the camera on the vehicle. In this embodiment, the detecting means is constituted by the magnet and the reed switch. However, other means such as a micro switch on the outer cover 9 and a lever for pushing the micro switch on the fan cover 28-a are provided. May constitute the detecting means. Further, an LED is provided on the operation board 48 provided on the upper surface of the lid 5 and provided with a display unit for displaying the operation state of the rice cooker and an operation unit for operating the rice cooker.
49 is provided, and the LED 49 that is detected by the detecting means detects that the user has forgotten to attach the fan cover 28-a, thereby notifying the user of forgetting to attach the fan cover 28-a. Instead of the LED 49, a buzzer or an LCD may be used for notification.

Further, the motor magnet 29 is
0, by providing the fan magnet 31 in the fan unit 27, when the motor unit 29 is rotated, the fan unit 27 is rotated in a state where the motor unit 29 and the fan unit 27 are separated by the attraction of the motor magnet 30 and the fan magnet 31. Can be done. Therefore, the motor unit 29 and the fan unit 2
7 is completely separated by an outer lid cover 9 and the fan 2
Since there is no passage for steam or the like to enter the motor unit 29 from the position 7, safety is further improved.

The radiator plate unit 12 has an intake valve 32 with a spring 33 and an air outlet 34 of the radiator plate unit with the intake valve packing 3.
5 urges in the closing direction. A valve lever 36 is provided on the outer lid cover 9 above the intake valve 32 with a lever packing 37 to cover the lid 5.
It is installed to seal with the inside. Intake valve 3
The opening and closing of 2 is performed by pushing down a valve lever 36 with a cam 39 from a motor unit 29 of the blower 26 via a gear unit 38.

A gap 43 is provided between the main body 1 and the lid 5, and even if the lid 5 or the main body 1 is deformed or warped, the gap 43 is provided.
In order to ensure the above, a rib is provided in a portion where the main body 1 and the lid 5 face each other. Further, the heat sink unit 12 and the lid 5
A gap is provided between the outer cover 9 and the outer cover 9 constituting the lower part of the air passage to form the air passage 44.

The outside air is sucked into the blower 26 from the gap 43 between the lid 5 and the main body 1 through the blower passage 44, and the wind sent from the blower 26 flows from the blower port 34 of the heat sink unit 12 to the pan 2.
Sent inside. Thereby, outside air can be sent into the pot 2 without making a hole other than the steam port 18 on the outer surface of the lid 5.

The connection between the steam cylinder 15 and the heat radiating plate 10 is sealed by a steam plate packing 40 so that the exhaust gas in the pan 2 does not leak between the heat radiating plate unit 12 and the outer cover. The radiator plate 10 is provided with a connecting hole 41 that connects to the steam cylinder 15, and forms a steam passage 45. Further, between the heat radiating plate 10 and the fan case 28, an air outlet gasket 42 is provided.
The blast from 6 does not leak.

By arranging the blower port 34 and the blower 26 inside the cover induction coil 13, the space inside the cover 5 can be used effectively, and the heat insulation performance can be improved with a compact size.

When rice cooking is completed in the rice cooker configured as described above, the blower 26 is operated for a certain period of time to send outside air into the pot 2. When outside air is sent into the pan 2, excess water in the pan 2 is discharged to the outside from the exhaust hole 41 of the radiator plate 10 through the steam tube 15 so that excess water vapor in the pan 2 is discharged to the outside. To prevent condensation on the side surface of the pot 2 and the radiator plate unit 12 to prevent sticky rice. In other words, the same effect can be obtained by using rice put in a wooden wrap as rice that absorbs excess water from the rice and becomes non-sticky rice. In addition, by discharging the air inside the pot 2 and putting in the outside air, the smell of the rice generated due to deterioration due to heat retention can be discharged to the outside. Can be done. Further, the outside air lower than the temperature in the pan 2 flows into the pan 2, so that the temperature of the rice in the pan 2 can be quickly lowered to a predetermined temperature. The longer the holding time at high temperature is, the greater the deterioration and discoloration due to oxidation and the like, and the deterioration and discoloration can be reduced by rapidly lowering the temperature to a predetermined temperature.

Further, by driving the blower 26 not only at the time of keeping the temperature but also immediately before the completion of the rice cooking, the moisture remaining on the surface when the rice is cooked can be blown out, and the cooked state of the rice can be improved. I can do it.

In the description of the present embodiment, the direction of blowing the air from the blower 26 into the pan 2 is reversed. However, the blowing direction of the blower 26 is reversed, and the moist air in the pan 2 is passed through the blower 26. The effect is the same even in the direction of discharging from the gap 43 between the lid 5 and the main body 1. In this case, the intake is performed from the steam port 18.

Further, in the present embodiment, the method using induction heating is shown as the heating means, but the same applies when a sheath heater, a halogen heater, or the like is used. In addition, the intake valve is provided on the radiator plate, and the intake valve is opened and closed by the output of the blower, but the position of the intake valve may be either the intake side or the blow side of the blower, and the drive of the intake valve is also for driving. A motor or a solenoid may be used.

[0028]

As described above, the first aspect of the present invention provides
A main body, a pot removably housed in the main body, a heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, a lid that covers an upper opening of the main body and is pivotally supported to open and close; A steam passage communicating with a pot having a steam port for discharging steam during cooking rice, a ventilation passage communicating with the inside of the pan by a ventilation port above the pan, and a blower in the middle of the ventilation passage,
By configuring the blower guide of the blower with a cover lower member and a fan cover detachably provided on the cover lower member,
When the blower part gets dirty, the fan cover is removed and cleaning is possible, and while keeping the sticky rice,
Deterioration of rice can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the blower is separated into a motor portion and a fan portion by a cover lower surface member,
The motor part is placed inside the lid, and the fan part is rotatably supported on a fan cover that is detachably provided on the lower surface of the lid and is placed inside the blower guide, so that the fan cover and the fan part are removed and washed. And cleaning of the air guide becomes easier.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is provided with a detecting means for detecting the attachment / detachment of the fan cover or the fan unit of the blower, thereby preventing the operation when the fan cover or the fan unit of the blower is forgotten to be mounted. can do.

Further, the invention according to claim 4 further comprises a detecting means for detecting attachment / detachment of the fan cover or the fan part of the blower, and a notifying means for notifying that the user has forgotten to mount the fan cover or the fan part of the blower when the fan part is not mounted. , It is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to attach the fan or the cover of the casing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rice cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention in a front-rear direction.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the rice cooker in a transverse direction.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the essential part in the horizontal direction when air is blown into the pot of the rice cooker.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Pot 5 Lid 12 Heat sink unit 13 Lid induction coil 18 Steam port 26 Blower 27 Fan part 28 Ventilation guide 28-a fan cover 29 Motor part 46 Detection magnet 47 Detection lead switch 49 LED

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-9-266854 (JP, A) JP-A-3-191915 (JP, A) JP-A-4-321414 (JP, A) JP-A 8- 191752 (JP, A) JP-A-4-307010 (JP, A) JP-A-2000-217701 (JP, A) JP-A-6-30847 (JP, A) JP-A-10-71077 (JP, A) ( 58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47J 27/00 103 A47J 27/14

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A main body, a pot removably housed in the main body, heating means provided in the main body for heating the pan, and a lid that covers an upper opening of the main body and is pivotally supported so as to be openable and closable. A steam passage communicating with the inside of the pot having a steam outlet for discharging steam during cooking of the rice in the lid, an air passage connected to the inside of the pan by an air outlet above the pan, and a blower in the middle of the air passage. A rice cooker comprising: a blower guide of the blower; a lower cover member and a fan cover detachably provided on the lower cover member. 2. The blower has a cover lower surface member which is separated into a motor portion and a fan portion. The motor portion is disposed inside the lid, and the fan portion is rotatable on a fan cover detachably provided on the cover lower surface member. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the rice cooker is supported in the blower guide and is arranged in the air guide. 3. The rice cooker according to claim 1, further comprising detection means for detecting attachment / detachment of the fan cover or the fan of the blower. 4. A system according to claim 1, further comprising detection means for detecting attachment / detachment of the fan cover or the fan of the blower, and notification means for notifying that the fan cover or the fan of the blower has been forgotten to be mounted when the fan is not mounted. The rice cooker according to any one of Items 1 to 3.