JP3518544B1 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker with improved rice cooking performance by cooking rice while supplying steam and heating the supplied steam with a heating plate. SOLUTION: It comprises a pot 34, a boiler 42 for generating steam, and a heating plate 38 which covers an upper portion of the pot 34, and steam generated from the boiler 42 passes through a steam path 45 to the pot 3
4 is a rice cooker in which steam supplied and supplied is heated by a heating plate 38 and the heated steam is brought into contact with rice.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker that uses steam having a boiling point of water or higher in order to improve rice cooking performance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a typical domestic rice cooker, a pot heating means arranged at the bottom of the pot for heating rice and water in the pot is mainly used. The heating means in the lid is the rice in the pot. , Through the space above the water, resulting in supplemental heating. Therefore, the rice in the upper layer in the pot lacks the heating amount, and the rice and water in the pot cannot be heated uniformly.

Furthermore, in the case of rice cooking, it is the final step of rice cooking in which water is almost lost and the fluidity of rice disappears.
In the steaming process, it is essential to continue heating until that time to complete gelatinization of rice starch, but in this process, if heating is continued, cooked rice near the bottom of the pan burns. Often, the heating was weakened because of the heat.

As a means for preventing insufficient gelatinization due to weakened heating and improving rice cooking performance, the lid is provided with an induction heating coil which is a high heat source to heat rice from above the pot opening. There was such a thing (for example, refer patent document 1, patent document 2).

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of Patent Document 1. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body case, and a bottom plate 3 having support legs 2 on the lower surface.
Is stuck. Reference numeral 4 is a protective frame made of heat-resistant plastic, and a flange portion 5 provided on the upper peripheral portion is fixed to the upper surface of the main body case 1. 6 is a bottom heating induction coil mounted on the bottom bottom of the protective frame 4,
Reference numeral 7 denotes a side heating induction coil installed on the lower side of the protective frame 4, which is a pan 8 having a magnetic metal layer housed in the protective frame 4.
Is heated by the induction coil 6 for heating the bottom surface, and the pan 8 is heated.
The contents of rice and water are cooked by heating. Reference numeral 9 is a temperature sensor mounted in a through hole provided at the center of the bottom surface of the protective frame 4, and 10 is a lid body having a knob 11, which is detachably mounted on the flange portion 5 at the upper end of the protective frame 4. And
An inner cover 12 made of heat-resistant plastic is fixed via a heat insulating material 13. Reference numeral 14 denotes an inner lid that is detachably attached to the inner cover 12 by a pin 20, and the peripheral portion of the inner lid is placed on the collar portion of the pot 8 to cover the pot 8. Reference numeral 15 is a main body side upper induction coil installed on the inner surface of the flange portion 5 of the protective frame 4 and is connected to a power supply portion (not shown) in the main body case 1.

Reference numeral 16 denotes a lid-side induction coil excited by the main body-side upper induction coil 15, which is attached to a portion of the lid 10 facing the main body-side induction coil 15 and is excited by the lid-side induction coil 16. An electric current flows through the induction coil 19, and the magnetic flux of the induction coil 19 causes the heating plate 17 formed of a magnetic metal plate to be induction-heated, so that rice cooking heating or heat retention heating can be performed from the upper portion in the pan 8.

Since the basic structure of Patent Document 2 is the same as that of Patent Document 1, the detailed description thereof is omitted here.

[0008]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 2988050

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-62956

[0009]

However, in the above-described conventional rice cooker, the rice in the upper layer of the pan is directly heated by the heat radiation of the induction heating coil. There is a phenomenon that the water content of the product evaporates and dries. Therefore, if the whole cooked rice in the pan is heated from the upper part of the pan with an induction heating coil to a temperature at which sufficient cooking performance can be ensured, the upper layer of the pan will be dried and the taste will be adversely deteriorated. , The taste was not perfect throughout the pot.

Further, although the larger the amount of cooked rice, the more the amount of heating needs to be increased, the larger the amount of cooked rice, the more the rice in the upper layer approaches the induction heating coil, and the more easily it dries, so the heating is weakened. There was a contradiction that it had to be.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and includes a steam generating means for generating steam, an outer lid for covering an upper part of a pot, and a lid provided in the outer lid. Heating means, a heating plate provided on the lower surface of the outer lid, facing the pot opening and being heated by the lid heating means, a steam input hole for supplying the steam generated from the steam generating means to the pan, and one end of which steam is generated. The means is provided with a steam path having the other end communicated with the steam introduction hole, and the steam generated by the steam generating means is a rice cooker heated by a heating plate.

Therefore, the boiling point of water under atmospheric pressure (100 ° C.)
By supplying the above superheated steam to the rice from above the opening of the pan, firstly, the steam is supplied so that the rice is not dried, and secondly, when steam is supplied at a temperature of 100 ° C or less Although water only adheres, since it is steam at 100 ° C. or higher, it has the energy necessary to promote gelatinization of rice, promotes gelatinization, and improves rice cooking performance. Furthermore, the optimum heating amount can be set regardless of the amount of cooked rice.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 is a removable pan, steam generating means for generating steam, an outer lid for covering the upper portion of the pot, and a lid provided in the outer lid. Heating means, a heating plate provided on the lower surface of the outer lid and facing the pot opening and being heated by the lid heating means, and a steam charging hole for supplying steam generated from the steam generating means to the pan, The steam generating means is provided at one end, and the steam path is connected to the steam introducing hole at the other end. The steam generated by the steam generating means is heated by the heating plate to generate steam at 100 ° C. or higher. Can be fed to rice,
The rice cooking performance is improved, and moreover, not only heating the steam by heating it with a heating plate, but also the atmospheric temperature in the pan can be heated at the same time, so the heat can be efficiently added to the whole rice. It is possible to further improve the rice cooking performance.

According to a second aspect of the invention, particularly in the first aspect of the invention, the steam injection hole is provided in the vicinity of the lid heating means, so that the temperature of the steam can be efficiently raised.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in particular, in the invention according to any one of the first and second aspects, the steam discharged from the steam injection hole into the pan is discharged along the heating plate. , The efficiency of heat exchange with the steam after it has been released into the pan is improved. The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which an opening / closing valve is provided in the steam injection hole, and steam or rice cooked during cooking flows back into the steam path. It is possible to keep the steam route clean at all times.

The invention as defined in claim 5 is particularly defined by claims 1 to 4.
In the invention described in any one of 1, the temperature detecting means of the heating plate is provided, and it is detected that the generation of steam is stopped due to the temperature increase of the heating plate, and the heating plate is prevented from being baked. In addition, the steam temperature can be controlled and the steam temperature can be supplied according to the amount of cooked rice.

The invention according to claim 6 particularly claims 1 to 5.
In the invention described in any one of 1 above, by making the steam path detachable, the inside of the steam path can be maintained, and the inside of the steam path can be kept clean.
Since the rice cooker user can check the condition in the route, he can feel a sense of security.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in particular, the invention according to the sixth aspect further includes a vapor path detecting means,
It is possible to prevent forgetting to install the steam path, which improves the safety of the product.

The invention as defined in claim 8 is particularly defined by claims 1 to 5.
In the invention described in any one of 1, the heating plate is detachable, and at least a part of the steam path is integrated with the heating plate. In addition to improving cleanliness, the heating plate and the steam path can be attached / detached at once, so that not only the cleanliness but also the careability can be improved.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, particularly in the eighth aspect of the present invention, which has a heating plate detecting means, it is possible to detect attachment / detachment of the heating plate, and at the same time, it is possible to detect attachment / detachment of the vapor path. Of.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, particularly in the eighth aspect, the fitting piece of the heating plate is provided with a hook button engaging portion for opening and closing the outer lid. If the lid is not closed without it, the user can surely prevent forgetting to attach the heating plate and the steam path.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. In the figure, 31 is a substantially cylindrical body having an open top surface. The upper frame 32 is attached to the opening of the body 31. Inside the body 31, an upper frame 32 and a coil base 33 form a pan 34 storage portion. The coil base 33 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and the upper end of the coil base 33 is fixed to the upper frame 32. The coil base 33 is provided with a bottom induction coil 35 for inductively heating a pan 34 which is a pan heating means.
The pot 34 is induction-heated.

A bottom sensor 36 for detecting the temperature of the pot 34 is urged by a sensor spring (not shown) on the bottom of the pot 34 to detect the pot temperature during rice cooking and heat retention.
The food in the pan 34 is controlled so as to reach the optimum temperature.

Reference numeral 37 is an outer lid made of synthetic resin.
Is rotatably supported by a hinge member 32a integrally formed on the rear portion of the upper frame 32 via a pin.

Reference numeral 38 is a pan packing 39 attachment / detachment heating plate, which is attached to an outer lid cover 40 constituting the lower surface of the outer lid 37. Further, a lid induction coil 41, which is a lid heating means for inductively heating the heating plate 38, is installed on the outer lid cover 40, and the heating plate 38 energizes the lid induction coil 41 in the same manner as the heating principle of the electromagnetic cooker. The heating amount of the heating plate 38 is determined by the magnitude of the applied current, the number of turns of the lid induction coil 41, etc., but the effect of the heating plate in the rice cooker is as much as possible in order to exert the oven effect from the top of the rice. Requires strong heating power.

Further, a boiler 42 as a steam generating means is installed in the upper frame 32, and a storage portion of the boiler 42 is a boiler cover 43 attached to the upper frame 32.
Is formed by. A boiler induction coil 44 for inductively heating the boiler 42 is wound around the boiler cover 43, and is configured to heat the boiler 42 and generate steam. Above the boiler 42, a steam path 45 for supplying the generated steam to the pan 34.
Is provided, and the sealing between the steam path 45 and the boiler 42 is performed by the boiler packing 46 installed in the steam path 45. With these configurations,
The steam generated in the boiler 42 passes through the steam path 45, and enters the pan 34 from the steam injection hole 47 provided in the heating plate 38.
It is supplied within.

The heating plate 38 and the steam path 45 are sealed by a heating plate packing 48, and the heating plate 38 and the steam path 45 are sealed.

As described above, the heating from the heating plate 38 needs to be performed with a strong heating power in order to exert the effect of the oven. However, in the steaming process of cooked rice, the water in the pan 34 has already been removed. It has disappeared, and the strong heating by the heating plate 38 causes the rice to dry, and there is a limit to the heating. Here, if steam is added at the same time as the heating plate 38 is heated during the unevenness process, the heating plate 38 enables maximum heating while preventing the rice from drying. Further, the heating by the heating plate 38 not only heats the rice, but also heats the introduced steam, so that the steam comes into contact with the rice while being heated to 100 ° C. or higher. As a result, not only the introduced steam adheres to the surface of the rice, but also the steam at 100 ° C. or higher comes into contact with the rice, thereby promoting gelatinization of the rice. Further, the heating of only the heating plate 38 only heats the surface of the rice, but the heated steam can pass through not only the surface of the rice but also the rice gap and affect the middle layer of the rice.

The heating of the heating plate 38 is performed by the lid induction coil 4
Although the configuration in which the steam is heated by the self-heating due to the electromagnetic induction heating of No. 1 has been described, the heating plate 38 can be heated by using the configuration other than the electromagnetic induction heating method.

Further, the heating method of the boiler 42, which is the steam generating means, has been described in this configuration as the electromagnetic induction heating method using the boiler induction coil 44, but the same effect can be obtained even with another heating method.

Further, in the present construction, the steam input hole 47 is provided in the heating plate, but the heating plate 38 is provided with the steam discharge hole 49 for discharging the steam to the outside of the main body. Due to the configuration that also serves as the holes 49, steam may be thrown into the pan.

Further, the heating plate 38 is provided with a steam introduction hole 47 for introducing the steam, but the steam introduction hole 47 is provided in the heating plate 38.
It does not need to be provided in any place, and may be provided in any place as long as it is a steam injection hole capable of supplying steam into the pot 34.

(Second Embodiment) A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The basic structure of the rice cooker is the same as the above-mentioned structure, and therefore its description is omitted. In the figure, 51 is a pot, 52 is an upper frame, 53 is a coil cover,
54 is a bottom induction coil, 55 is an outer lid that covers the upper portion of the pot 51, and a pot packing 56 that covers the upper surface of the pot 51 below the outer lid 55.
An integral heating plate 57 is provided. This heating plate 57
Is a lid induction coil 59 provided on the outer lid cover 58, which is heated by electromagnetic induction and the heating plate 57 itself generates heat.

Reference numeral 60 denotes a boiler which is a steam generating means, and a boiler cover 61 which forms a storage portion for the boiler 60 is installed in the upper frame 52. A boiler induction coil 62 is wound around the boiler cover 61, and the boiler 60 is also self-heated by the boiler induction coil 62 to generate steam. This boiler 6
0 is connected to the pan 51 by the steam path 63, and the steam generated in the boiler 60 is introduced into the pan through the steam introduction hole 63 of the heating plate 57, and the introduced steam is heated to 100 ° C. or more by the heating plate 57. It is heated by and comes into contact with the rice.

The important point here is the position and shape of the steam injection hole 63 provided in the heating plate 57. As shown in FIG. 2, the steam injection hole 63 is provided in the vicinity of the lid induction coil 59. Further, the steam injection hole 63 is not simply a hole, but the steam is injected straight toward the rice in the injection hole portion. In order to avoid this, the steam is first introduced along the surface of the heating plate 57. The reason for adopting these configurations is that by first installing the steam injection hole 63 in the vicinity of the lid induction coil 59, steam can be injected into the high temperature portion of the heating plate 57 in the temperature distribution of the heating plate 57. , The temperature of the steam can be efficiently raised, and further, the steam having a low temperature comes into contact with the rice because the steam is supplied along the heating plate 57 without being supplied to the rice. In addition, since it is possible to easily receive the heat from the heating plate 57, it is possible to raise the steam temperature more efficiently.

Further, a steam injection hole 63 provided in the heating plate 57
With this shape, it becomes possible to throw steam along the heating plate 57 and also to supply steam intensively to the difficult-to-heat portion of the pan 51 where it is difficult to heat the rice. Not only can it be promoted, but uneven cooking can be reduced.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, by providing the opening / closing valve 65 of the charging hole in the steam charging hole 64, it is possible to prevent the steam or the rice cooked during cooking rice from flowing back into the steam path, and thus the steam path. The inside 66 can be kept clean at all times, and the maintenance of the vapor path of the product can be omitted.

Further, depending on the shape of the on-off valve 65, as described above, the direction of the steam can be manipulated, the temperature of the steam can be efficiently raised, and the unevenness of the cooked rice can be reduced. is there.

If the opening / closing valve 65 is configured to be opened and closed depending on the size of the steam in the pan 67 and the steam in the steam path, the structure itself can be implemented with a simple structure. For example, the steam pressure in the pan 67 is large and the steam path 6
If a check valve that closes when the pressure in 6 is small is adopted, the steam input hole can be opened and closed only by this check valve.

Further, the open / close valve 65 is configured to be openable / closable, and when the temperature is kept warm, the steam path 66 is cooled to some extent, so that water is condensed. When this condensed water drops on the surface of cooked rice, the dropped part becomes watery rice. Therefore, by closing the on-off valve 65 during heat retention, it is possible to prevent water from dripping onto the rice during heat retention and improve heat retention performance.

(Third Embodiment) A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. The basic structure of the rice cooker is the same as the above-mentioned structure, and therefore its description is omitted. In the figure, 71 is a pot, 72 is an upper frame, 73 is a coil cover, 74
Is a bottom induction coil, and 75 is an outer lid that covers the pot 71 above.
Below the outer lid 75, a heating plate 77 integrated with a pan packing 76 covering the upper surface of the pan 71 is provided. The heating plate 77 is electromagnetically induction-heated by a lid induction coil 79 provided on the outer lid cover 78, and the heating plate 77 itself generates heat.

Further, is a boiler 80 which is a steam generating means.
Then, the boiler cover 81 forming the storage portion of the boiler 80 is installed in the upper frame. This boiler cover 81
A boiler induction coil 82 is wound around the boiler induction coil 82, and the boiler 80 also self-heats by the boiler induction coil 82 to generate steam. The boiler 80 is connected to the pan by the steam path 83, and the steam generated in the boiler 80 is supplied to the pan 71 by the steam input hole 84 of the heating plate 77.
The steam introduced into the inside is heated to 100 ° C. or higher by the heating of the heating plate 77 and comes into contact with the rice.

Here, a lid sensor 85 is installed so as to come into contact with the heating plate as a temperature detecting means of the heating plate 77 for heating the steam. When the temperature of the heating plate 77 can be controlled by the lid sensor 85, the temperature of the steam injected from the boiler 80 can also be controlled by the temperature control of the heating plate 77.

The fact that the temperature of the steam introduced can be controlled means that the temperature of the steam can be changed according to the amount of cooked rice. Since the temperature of the steam is heated by the heating plate 77, the further the distance from the heating plate 77 is, the lower the temperature becomes. However, if the amount of rice cooked in the pan is large, the surface of the rice is heated by the heating plate 77. When the amount of cooked rice is small, the food is separated from the heating plate 77. For this reason,
When the amount of cooked rice is small, the heating plate 77 is controlled by controlling the temperature of the heating plate 77 and the temperature of the introduced steam.
By raising the temperature and conversely, when the amount of cooked rice is large, by suppressing the temperature, the steam temperature that contacts the surface of the rice can be kept constant irrespective of the amount of cooked rice. The performance can be secured.

By changing the steam temperature according to the taste of the rice cooked by the user, it is possible to change the taste and feel of the cooked rice, and it is possible to meet many demands of the rice cooker. Is possible.

Further, although the temperature detecting means of the heating plate 77 has a structure in which the lid sensor 85 is brought into contact with the heating plate in the present configuration, it is not necessary to make contact if the temperature of the heating plate 77 can be detected.

Further, although the temperature of the heating plate 77 is detected in this structure, the same effect can be obtained even in the structure in which the temperature detecting means for the steam itself is provided and the temperature of the steam itself can be controlled.

(Fourth Embodiment) The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. The basic structure of the rice cooker is the same as the above-mentioned structure, and therefore its description is omitted. In the figure, 91 is a pan, 92 is an upper frame, 93 is a coil cover, and 94.
Is a bottom induction coil, and 95 is an outer lid that covers the upper portion of the pot. Below the outer lid 95, a pot packing 196 body type heating plate 97 that covers the upper surface of the pot 91 is provided. The heating plate 97 is electromagnetically induction-heated by the lid induction coil 99 provided on the outer lid cover 98, and the heating plate 97 itself generates heat.

Further, 100 is a boiler as a steam generating means, 101 is a boiler cover, and 102 is a boiler induction coil, and the 100 boiler also self-heats by the boiler induction coil 102 to generate steam. The boiler 100 is connected to the pan by a steam path 103, and the steam generated in the boiler 100 is introduced into the pan 91 through the steam injection hole 104 of the heating plate 97, and the injected steam is heated to 100 by the heating plate 97. It is heated above ℃ and comes into contact with rice.

Further, the steam passage 103 is integrally constructed with the boiler packing 105, and the steam passage 103 is detachable together with the boiler packing 105. As a detailed configuration, a fitting piece 103a is provided at one end of the steam path 103, and another modification is provided with a fitting claw portion 103b. With this configuration, the fitting piece 103a is first inserted into the fitting portion 98a provided on the outer lid cover 98 at the time of wearing, and the fitting claw portion 103b of the steam path 103 is further engaged with the outer lid cover 98. . On the contrary, at the time of removal, it is removed from the fitting claw portion 103b.

Further, the outer lid cover 98 is provided with a vapor path presence / absence detecting pin 107 which is a vapor path detecting means that moves up and down depending on the presence or absence of the vapor path 103. When the vapor path 103 is installed, it is provided inside the outer lid 95. When the user tries to cook rice without installing the steam path 103, the display shows that the steam path 103 is not installed, and warns the user. Alternatively, the steam route 10 is forcibly set to the mode in which rice cannot be cooked.
It is also possible not to cook rice without attaching 3.

With these constructions, the user of the rice cooker can easily remove the steam path 103 for maintenance, and further prevent forgetting to attach the steam path 103 after maintenance.

Further, the vapor path presence / absence detecting means are not limited to the microswitch method, but various types such as a reed switch method using a magnet and a photosensor method are used.
It does not depend on the detection method.

(Fifth Embodiment) A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The basic structure of the rice cooker is the same as the above-mentioned structure, and therefore its description is omitted. In the figure, 111 is a pot, 112 is an upper frame, 113 is a coil cover, 114 is a bottom induction coil, 115 is an outer lid that covers the upper portion of the pot, and 111 is a pot packing that covers the upper surface of the pot. A heating plate 117 is provided. The heating plate 117 and the pan packing 116 are integrated via a heating plate support 118, and the pan packing 116, the heating plate 117, and the heating plate support 118 are all detachable. The heating plate 117 is electromagnetically induction heated by the lid induction coil 120 provided on the outer lid cover 119, and the heating plate 117 itself generates heat.

Further, 121 is a boiler which is a steam generating means, 122 is a boiler cover, 123 is a boiler induction coil, and the boiler 121 also self-heats by the boiler induction coil 123 to generate steam. The steam generated by the boiler 121 passes through the steam path 124 and is thrown into the pan 111. The steam path 124 is formed by the heating plate support 118, and the heating plate 117 is attached / detached to simultaneously open the steam path 124. It is also configured to be removable. Explaining in detail, the heating plate 11
7 is crimped to the heating plate support 118 together with the pan packing 116. The heating plate support 118 is provided with a fitting piece 118a fitted to the outer lid cover 119 at the tip, and two engaging pieces 125 are attached to the heating plate 118. It is urged in the outer peripheral direction by the engagement spring 126. Here, when removing the heating plate 117, by operating the engaging piece 125, the engaging portion 119a provided on the outer cover 119 to the engaging piece 12 is provided.
It can be removed by releasing 5.

The heating plate support 118 is provided with a steam recovery section 118 extending so as to cover the upper side of the boiler 121.
b is provided, and the extended vapor recovery unit 118 is provided.
b is shaped so as to recover the steam of the boiler 121. Due to this shape, the vapor evaporated from the boiler 121 is the vapor recovery unit 118 formed by the heating plate support 118.
After passing through b, it further passes through the steam path 128 installed toward the steam charging hole 127 provided in the heating plate 117, and is charged into the pan 111.

With these configurations, the steam path 128 can be removed at the same time by removing the heating plate 117, and the heating plate 117 and the steam path 128 can be cleaned at the same time. .

Further, a heating plate presence / absence detecting pin 129 is provided as a heating plate detecting means capable of detecting attachment / detachment of the heating plate 117,
When the heating plate is installed, it can be detected by the micro switch 130 provided inside the outer lid 115. When the heating plate 117 is not provided, the user can be alerted by the display, and the heating plate 117 can be attached. It is possible to prevent forgetting and forgetting to attach the steam path 128.

Further, by providing the fitting piece 118a of the heating plate 117 with the hook button 131 engaging portion 118c for opening and closing the outer lid 115, the outer lid 115 can be closed without attaching the heating plate 117. No longer possible, heating plate 1
It is not necessary to provide 17 detection means.

The heating plate support 118 is attached and detached by urging the engaging piece 125 by the engaging spring 126 to attach the heating plate support 118. The same effect can be obtained even with such a configuration.

Further, the heating plate 117 detecting means is not limited to the micro switch type, but various types such as a reed switch type using a magnet and a photo sensor type are used.
It does not depend on the detection method.

[0063]

As described above, according to the invention described in claims 1 to 10, the rice can be sufficiently heated without being dried, and the steam of 100 ° C. or more is brought into contact with the rice. Since the energy required for gelatinizing rice can be provided to the rice and the gelatinization can be promoted, the rice cooking performance can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a rice cooker according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a rice cooker according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a rice cooker according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a rice cooker according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a rice cooker according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a rice cooker according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a rice cooker according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a conventional rice cooker.

[Explanation of symbols]

34,51,67,71,91,111 Pan 41,59 Lid heating means 42,60,80,100,121 Steam generating means (boiler) 45,66,83,103,128 Steam path 37,55,75, 95, 115 Outer lid 38, 57, 77, 97, 117 Heating plate 47, 63, 64, 84, 104, 127 Steam injection hole 65 On-off valve 85 Temperature detecting means 107 Steam path detecting means (steam path detecting pin) 106 Steam Route detection means (micro switch) 118a Fitting piece 118c Engagement portion 129 Heating plate detection means (heating plate detection pin) 130 Heating plate detection means (micro switch) 131 Hook button

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Atsushi Korai 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Kuniyuki Nakanishi, 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasuyuki Mimura 2-7 Matsubacho, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Solution Technology Co., Ltd. (56) Reference JP-A-55-24074 (JP, A) JP-A-2-283328 ( JP, A) Actual development 59-114828 (JP, U) Japanese public 63-37616 (JP, B2) Actual public 4-27446 (JP, Y2) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47J 27/00 103 A47J 27/00 109

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A removable pan, steam generating means for generating steam, an outer lid for covering the upper part of the pot, a lid heating means provided in the outer lid, and a lower surface of the outer lid. A heating plate facing the pot opening and being heated by the lid heating means, a steam inlet hole for supplying the steam generated from the steam generating means to the pan, and one end of the steam generating means at the other end. A rice cooker comprising: a steam path connected to the steam input hole; and the steam generated by the steam generating means is heated by the heating plate. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the steam introduction hole is provided near the lid heating means. 3. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the steam discharged from the steam introducing hole into the pan is discharged along the heating plate. 4. An opening / closing valve is provided in the steam injection hole.
The rice cooker according to any one of 3 above. 5. A heating plate temperature detecting means is provided.
The rice cooker according to any one of to 4. 6. The steam path is detachable.
The rice cooker according to any one of 1. 7. The rice cooker according to claim 6, further comprising a steam path detecting means. 8. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the heating plate is detachable, and at least a part of a steam path is integrated with the heating plate. 9. The rice cooker according to claim 8, further comprising a heating plate detecting means. 10. The rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein the fitting piece of the heating plate is provided with a hook button engaging portion for opening and closing the outer lid.