JP4762282B2 - Cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heating cooker that cooks by heating an inner pot containing an object to be heated (rice, water, etc.), and in particular, steam generated during cooking is stored in a water tank containing cooling water. The present invention relates to a cooking device that cools and condenses water by guiding it inside.

Conventionally, as this type of cooking device, a rice cooker provided with a water tank outside the main body (for example, see Patent Document 1) or a rice cooker provided with a water tank inside the rice cooker main body (for example, see Patent Document 2). Has been proposed.
JP-A-7-279 (2nd page, FIG. 1) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-106532 (pages 2 and 3, FIGS. 1 to 2)

In this type of cooking device, it is indispensable to secure a large amount of water for condensing in the aquarium, that is, it is necessary to ensure the capacity of the aquarium according to the amount of water.
In the rice cooker of patent document 1, since the water tank is provided in the exterior as a separate body from a rice cooker, there exists a problem that the whole is bulky and the installation place of a rice cooker is restricted. Moreover, in the rice cooker of patent document 2, since the water tank is arrange | positioned in the comparatively narrow space between the housing | casing of a rice cooker main body, and an inner pot, sufficient tank capacity cannot be ensured, but water tank capacity It is necessary to enlarge the rice cooker body.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is capable of increasing the water tank capacity and stably condensing steam without increasing the size of the entire heating cooker. The purpose is to obtain a cooker.

The cooking device according to the present invention includes an inner pot for storing an object to be heated, a steam conduit for guiding the steam generated from the inner pot to the outside of the inner pot, and the steam guided by the steam conduit being cooled by internal cooling water. A water tank for condensing and storing, a lower housing in which an inner pan and a water tank are detachably provided, and an upper lid that is provided with a steam conduit and covers an upper surface of the lower housing so as to be freely opened and closed. A water tank is attached to the housing to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped lower part of the main body, and the water tank is formed to have a size that constitutes one of the side surfaces of the lower part of the main body and a part of two surfaces adjacent to the surface. It constitutes a part of the exterior of the lower part of the main body, the facing surface of the lower housing with the water tank is formed in a convex shape along the outer peripheral shape of the inner pot, and the facing surface of the water tank with the lower housing is It is formed in a concave shape along the convex opposing surface of the lower housing, and the convex shape and concave shape of each opposing surface are each formed by a plurality of surfaces. Are those formed.

According to the present invention, since the surface facing the lower housing of the water tank is a concave shape along the convex facing surface of the lower housing , compared to the case of simply forming a rectangular parallelepiped shape without considering the outer peripheral shape of the inner pot. Thus, it is possible to increase the water tank capacity without increasing the size of the entire heating cooker, and thus it is possible to obtain a heating cooker capable of stably condensing steam.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state in which the upper lid 50 is closed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rice cooker of FIG. 1 with the upper lid 50 opened. In the following drawings including FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the size relationship of each component may be different from the actual one.

  The rice cooker 1 is disposed at the bottom of the inner casing 11, the lower casing 10 having an opening in the upper part, the inner pot 11 detachably accommodated in the upper opening of the lower casing 10, and the inner pot 11. An induction heating coil (not shown) for electromagnetic induction heating, and a water tank 20 in which a predetermined amount of water is stored, steam generated from the inner pot 11 is allowed to flow into the water, cooled, and condensed to recover the steam. And an upper lid 50 that is provided on the lower housing 10 so as to be rotatable by the hinge portion 40 and covers the upper opening of the lower housing 10 and the upper surface of the water tank 20 so as to be freely opened and closed. The lower housing 10 has a pedestal portion 10a into which the water tank 20 is detachably fitted, and the main body lower portion 30 in a state in which the water tank 20 is mounted on the pedestal portion 10a is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

  The upper lid 50 is connected to the lower housing 10 by a hinge portion 40 provided on the rear side of the lower housing 10, and the front side of the upper lid 50 rotates in the vertical direction with the hinge portion 40 as a fulcrum. The upper lid 50 has an engaging portion 57 that engages with a locking portion 31 provided on the lower housing 10 on the front (front) side of the surface facing the lower housing 10. So that it can be locked and disengaged. In order to release the lock, the lock release button 58 provided on the front surface of the upper lid 50 may be pushed to disengage the engagement portion 57 and the locking portion 31. Note that the upper lid 50 may be removable from the lower housing 10 or may be fixed by the hinge portion 40.

  In addition, the upper surface of the upper lid 50 is configured with LEDs (light-emitting diodes) that display the setting status and operating state of the rice cooker, a liquid crystal display, a fluorescent tube, electroluminescence, a plasma display, and the like. The display unit 60 and various operation switches such as a rice cooking switch and a reservation switch, and an operation unit 61 that receives an instruction from the user are provided. The display unit 60 and the operation unit 61 may be integrally configured as an operation display unit.

  The upper lid 50 detachably holds an inner lid 51 that closes the upper opening of the inner pot 11 during cooking and a steam conduit 53 through which steam generated in the inner pot 11 passes. The inner lid 51 is configured to be in close contact with the upper surface of the lower housing 10 via the lid packing 52 so that steam does not leak to the outside from between the upper lid 50 and the upper surface of the lower housing 10. Yes. The inner lid 51 has a small hole 54 for discharging steam generated from the inner pot 11 during cooking to the steam conduit 53. The shape and number of the small holes 54 are not particularly limited as long as the vapor can pass therethrough. The inner lid 51 is provided with a lid sensor 51a for detecting the initial water temperature and boiling of the object to be heated during cooking. The lid sensor 51a only needs to be able to measure the temperature of the object to be heated accommodated in the inner pot 11, and the type and location are not particularly limited thereto.

  One end of the steam conduit 53 provided in the upper lid 50 communicates with a portion where the small hole 54 provided in the inner lid 51 is formed, and the other end communicates with a steam discharge port 55 provided on the lower surface of the upper lid 50. The steam generated in the inner pot 11 is received through the small hole 54 and guided to the steam outlet 55. The steam conduit 53 also has a function of separating and recovering a viscous fluid (hereinafter referred to as a rice ball) containing components such as rice starch contained in the steam from the steam.

  A packing 56 is fixed around the steam outlet 55, and by closing the upper lid 50, the packing 56 is pressed against and closely contacts the upper surface of the water tank 20, and steam is generated from between the upper lid 50 and the water tank 20. It is designed not to leak outside.

  The water tank 20 has a steam supply port 21 communicating with the steam discharge port 55 of the upper lid 50 on the upper surface, and the steam discharged from the upper lid 50 flows through the steam supply port 21.

  As described above, the water tank 20 stores a predetermined amount of water, cools the steam generated in the inner pot 11 by flowing it into the water, condenses and collects it. Thus, since the steam generated in the inner pot 11 flows into the water tank 20, the temperature of the water in the water tank 20 gradually rises in the process of condensing the steam. For this reason, if the amount of water stored in the aquarium 20 is small, not only the original purpose of cooling and condensing steam becomes difficult, but also the aquarium 20 itself becomes hot and burns when the cooling water is discarded. there's a possibility that. In order to suppress such a temperature rise in the water tank 20, it is effective to ensure a large capacity of the water tank 20.

  Here, if the water tank 20 is made into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and is simply enlarged in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape to increase the capacity of the water tank 20, the main body lower part 30 is also enlarged accordingly. Therefore, in the present example, the surface 22 facing the inner pot 11 in the water tank 20 is set to the inner pot 11 so as not to increase the overall size of the main body lower portion 30 while ensuring a large capacity of the water tank 20. The space generated by the difference in shape between the inner pot 11 and the outer shape of the main body lower portion 30 is effectively used. Thereby, the capacity | capacitance of the water tank 20 can be enlarged, without enlarging the magnitude | size of the main body lower part 30 whole. In addition, the recessed shape 22 of the water tank 20 may be a shape in which a plurality of straight lines having different inclinations are connected as shown in FIG. 2, or may be an arc shape 22a as shown in FIG. It is sufficient that the shape is in conformity with the outer peripheral shape of 11.

  Moreover, the water tank 20 is formed in the size which occupies the whole right side of the main body lower part 30 from the front surface of the main body lower part 30 to the rear surface, and has ensured sufficient magnitude | size. In addition, in FIG.1 and FIG.2, although the example which has arrange | positioned the water tank 20 in the right side (right side surface of the lower housing | casing 10) of the inner pot 11 is shown, the arrangement position of the water tank 20 is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 4, it may be arranged behind the lower part 30 of the main body. In addition, in the example of FIG. 4, the water tank insertion part 20a which inserts the water tank 20 in the back of the inner pot 11 is provided by forming the concave shape along the outer periphery shape of the inner pot 11, and the water tank 20 is provided with respect to this water tank insertion part 20a. It is designed to be detachable.

  Further, in the water tank 20 of this example, the housing itself of the water tank 20 also serves as a part of the exterior of the main body lower part 30 (that is, in the example of FIG. 1, the entire right side surface of the main body lower part 30 and a part of the front and rear surfaces). Since a separate decorative plate is not provided around the water tank 20, it is possible to use the thickness of the decorative plate as the water tank 20 as compared with a case where a separate decorative plate is provided around the water tank 20. it can. In this case, the capacity of the water tank 20 can be increased without changing the overall size of the main body lower portion 30. As described above, when the wall surface of the water tank 20 is used as the exterior of the main body lower part 30, the wall surface of the water tank 20 needs to be strong. It is preferable to use a member having higher strength than other portions.

  Moreover, in this example, since the water tank 20 is arrange | positioned on the right side of the lower housing | casing 10, and the latching | locking part 31 is not interposed between the water tank 20 and the lower housing | casing 10, the shape of the opposing surface 22 of the water tank 20 is made. In making the determination, it is not necessary to consider such that the locking portion 31 is avoided. This also applies to the case where the water tank 20 is disposed on the left side or the rear side of the lower housing 10.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
The second embodiment is a rice cooker in which the water tank 20 is disposed at a position facing the hinge portion 40 with respect to the inner pot 11, that is, in front of the main body lower portion 30.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the rice cooker according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and is an explanatory diagram for explaining the shape of the water tank 20 and the installation position of the water tank 20 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, the upper lid 50 is not shown, and only the lower main body 30 is shown. In FIG. 5, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The rice cooker according to the second embodiment has a water tank 20 disposed in front of the lower housing 10. In the water tank 20, the surface 22 facing the inner pot 11 is formed in a concave shape along the outer peripheral shape of the inner pot 11. The point is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the second embodiment can obtain the same function and effect as the first embodiment.

  By the way, on the front side of the upper surface of the lower housing 10, an engaging portion 31 that engages with an engaging portion 57 (see FIG. 2) formed on the upper lid 50 is disposed. That is, since the latching part 31 is arrange | positioned between the inner pot 11 and the water tank 20, the latching part 31 is provided in parts other than between the inner pot 11 and the water tank 20 like Embodiment 1. FIG. Unlike the case, it is necessary to determine the shape of the facing surface 22 of the water tank 20 while avoiding the arrangement position of the locking portion 31. In this case, the capacity of the water tank 20 is reduced by an amount that avoids the arrangement position of the locking portion 31 compared to the case where the arrangement position of the locking portion 31 is not required to be avoided as in the first embodiment. However, this point is solved by extending the opposing surface 22 of the water tank 20 to the rear (hinge 40 side) so as to be as close to the inner pot 11 as possible, thereby increasing the capacity of the water tank 20. it can. In addition, in FIG. 5, although the right and left both sides of the opposing surface 22 of the water tank 20 have shown the shape extended back with respect to the inner pot 11, the shape extended backward only on one side may be sufficient.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
Embodiment 3 changes the structure of the water tank 20, and aims at size reduction of the whole rice cooker.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and also shows an enlarged perspective view of a water tank portion. In FIG. 6, the upper lid 50 is not shown, and only the lower main body 30 is shown. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, almost all of the front side, the right side, the left side, and the rear side of the main body lower part 30 are configured by the water tank 20, but in the third embodiment, the water tank 20 Is formed in a substantially right triangular prism shape having a right-angle portion where two adjacent surfaces except the upper and lower surfaces of the six surfaces constituting the main body lower portion 30 formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape face each other. In other words, the space generated by the difference in shape between one corner of the lower body 30 and the inner pot 11 is used as the water tank 20. In addition, about the point which made the opposing surface 22 with the inner pot 11 in the water tank 20 into the concave shape along the outer peripheral shape of the inner pot 11, it is the same as that of Embodiment 1. FIG.

  Although it cannot be denied that the size of the water tank 20 itself is smaller than that of the first and second embodiments, it is between the one corner of the lower body 30 and the inner pot 11. It is possible to ensure the necessary and sufficient water tank capacity by effectively utilizing the space. Moreover, compared with Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, it becomes possible to reduce the magnitude | size of the whole rice cooker. Thus, since the whole rice cooker can be reduced in size, it is possible to reduce the size and size of the packaging when shipped as a product.

  In addition, in FIG. 6, although the example which provided the water tank 20 in the back left corner part of the main body lower part 30 is shown, it is not restricted to this position, It is provided in a back right corner part or the front left-right corner part. But of course.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the fourth embodiment, a heat insulating material 70 is provided between the water tank 20 and the inner pot 11 to prevent the heat of the inner pot 11 and the induction heating coil from being transmitted to the water tank 20. The distance can be reduced, and the lower part of the main body 30 and thus the whole rice cooker can be miniaturized.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In FIG. 7, illustration of the upper lid 50 is omitted, and only the lower main body 30 is shown. 7, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
As described above, when the temperature of the cooling water in the water tank 20 rises, not only the recovery of steam becomes difficult, but there is a possibility of burns when the cooling water is discarded. In order to satisfy both the miniaturization of the entire rice cooker and the securing of the water tank capacity, it is preferable to reduce the distance between the inner pot 11 and the induction heating coil (not shown), which are heat sources, and the water tank 20 as much as possible. However, the closer the distance between the inner pot 11 and the water tank 20 is, the more heat is received from the inner pot 11, and the temperature of the wall surface of the water tank 20 and the cooling water is likely to rise, resulting in the above-mentioned problems. Therefore, in order to shorten the distance between the inner pot 11 and the water tank 20, it is effective to block heat radiation from the inner pot 11. Therefore, in Embodiment 4, the heat insulating material 70 is provided between the water tank 20 and the inner pot 11.

  By comprising in this way, compared with the case where the heat insulating material 70 is not provided, the distance of the water tank 20 and the inner pot 11 can be shortened, and size reduction of the whole rice cooker is attained.

  In addition, in FIG. 7, although the example which provided the heat insulating material 70 in the rice cooker of Embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 5 is shown, the heat insulating material 70 is provided in the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2. Even so, of course.

  In Embodiments 1 to 4, an example in which the present invention is implemented in a rice cooker is shown. However, for example, in a cooking device equipped with a water tank that collects steam, such as a cooker for stew equipped with a steam recovery mechanism. If there is, the same effect can be obtained.

It is a perspective view which shows the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view of the state which opened the upper cover of the rice cooker of FIG. It is a perspective view of the upper body which opened the upper cover of the rice cooker which shows the other example of a shape of a water tank. It is a figure which shows the other example of installation of a water tank. It is a figure which shows the rice cooker of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the rice cooker of Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the rice cooker of Embodiment 4 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker, 10 Lower housing | casing, 10a base part, 11 Inner pan, 20 Water tank, 20a Water tank insertion part, 21 Steam supply port, 22, 22a Opposing surface, 30 Main body lower part, 31 Locking part, 40 Hinge part, 50 Upper lid, 51 Inner lid, 51a Lid sensor, 52 Lid packing, 53 Steam conduit, 54 Small hole, 55 Steam outlet, 56 Packing, 57 Engagement part, 58 Lock release button, 60 Display part, 61 Operation part, 70 Thermal insulation Wood.

Claims (3)

An inner pot for storing the object to be heated;
A steam conduit for guiding the steam generated from the inside of the inner pot to the outside of the inner pot;
A water tank that cools the steam guided by the steam conduit with internal cooling water and condenses and stores the water,
A lower housing in which the inner pot and the water tank are provided detachably,
An upper lid for opening and closing the upper surface of the lower housing;
The water tank is attached to the lower housing to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped lower body,
The aquarium is
It is formed in a size that constitutes approximately one of the side surfaces of the lower part of the main body and a part of two surfaces adjacent to the surface, and constitutes a part of the exterior of the lower part of the main body,
The facing surface of the lower housing with the water tank is formed in a convex shape along the outer peripheral shape of the inner pot, and the facing surface of the water tank with the lower housing is a convex shape of the lower housing. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the cooking device is formed in a concave shape along the opposing surface, and the convex shape and the concave shape of each of the opposing surfaces are each formed by a plurality of surfaces.   The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein a part of the water tank that constitutes a part of the exterior of the lower part of the main body has higher strength than other parts.   The heat cooking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a heat insulating material is provided between the water tank and the inner pot.

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