JP4793760B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker that performs pressure regulation in a main body.

  In general, a rice cooker provided with a pressure regulator is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, while a pan is provided in the main body so that the pan can be freely stored and a lid is provided to cover the pan. In this patent document 1, rice cooking and heat insulation are performed while adjusting the inside of a main body with a pressure adjusting device.

In addition, pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure inside the main body to a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure is provided, and during the setting process, the pressure inside the main body is set to a reduced pressure state so as to cook rice or keep warm.
JP 2006-350 A

  However, the structure of the conventional rice cooker described above has the following problems.

  2. Description of the Related Art Rice cookers that improve cooking and heat retention performance by freely controlling the pressure regulation state in the body are known. In such a rice cooker, when the pressure inside the main body is adjusted, the inner lid provided on the lid receives pressure and moves in a predetermined direction. That is, the inner lid body moves by receiving a force in a predetermined direction corresponding to the pressure in the main body, but in order to heat the inner lid body, the distance between the lid heating means provided in the predetermined portion and the inner lid body is There is a problem that it is not stable.

  The lid heating means is provided for the purpose of heating the inner lid body at the time of rice cooking and heating the inner lid body at the time of heat retention.

  As described above, when the inner lid body moves in a predetermined direction according to the pressure in the main body, the gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means is not stable, and the usability deteriorates. On the other hand, if such a phenomenon occurs at the time of heat retention due to the gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means, the heat retention performance is lowered.

Depending on the means between the inner lid body and the lid body so as not to change the gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means, it may be difficult to remove the inner lid body from the lid body, or a large force may be applied when closing the lid. It becomes necessary, and usability decreases .

In view of the above problems, the present invention can stabilize the distance between the inner lid body and the lid body without reducing the usability of the inner lid body, and further, during the rice cooking process or the heat insulation process, It stabilized perfecting a thermal influence on the inner lid from the heating means, to provide a cooker capable of improving the cooking performance and insulation performance, and purpose of it.

  In the rice cooker according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the state in which the inner lid is attached to the lid, the inner lid is always pressed to the predetermined direction side, so that the gap between the inner lid and the lid is constant. Kept at a distance. Therefore, the distance between the inner lid and the lid can be stabilized without reducing the usability of the inner lid.

In addition, the second gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means during the rice cooking process is influenced by the pressure in the main body, etc., compared to the first gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means, in a state other than the rice cooking process. To fluctuate. In other words, during the rice cooking process, the gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means can be changed to an optimum distance, so that the heat effect from the lid heating means to the inner lid body is optimal during the rice cooking process. It can stabilize to a state and can improve rice cooking performance.

Furthermore, the 2nd clearance gap between an inner cover body and a lid | cover heating means when the inside of a main body exists in a pressure regulation state during a rice cooking process is smaller than the 1st clearance gap when a rice cooker is in states other than a rice cooking process. Therefore, at least during the pressure regulation state of the rice cooking process, a rice cooker in which the inner lid and the lid are easy to use can be provided. Moreover, after boiling during cooking in which steam is generated from the cooked material, reducing the second gap is effective for evaporating water droplets adhering to the inner lid and improving energy saving, and heating the lid Since the calorific value of the means can be suppressed, energy saving can be improved.

In the rice cooker according to claim 2 of the present invention, the third gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means during the heat-retaining process is different from the first gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means in the off state. It fluctuates under the influence of the internal pressure. In other words, during the heat retention stroke, the gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means can be varied to an optimum distance, so that the heat effect from the lid heating means to the inner lid body during the heat retention stroke is optimized. The state can be stabilized and the heat retention performance can be improved.

In the rice cooker in Claim 3 of this invention, the 2nd clearance gap between an inner cover body and a lid | cover heating means when the inside of a main body exists in a pressure reduction state during the rice cooking process is when a rice cooker is in states other than a rice cooking process. It is smaller than the first gap. Therefore, at least during the reduced-pressure state of the rice cooking process, a rice cooker in which the inner lid and the lid are easy to use can be provided.

In the rice cooker in Claim 4 of this invention, the 3rd clearance gap between an inner cover body and a lid | cover heating means when the inside of a main body is a pressure reduction state during a heat retention process is the 1st clearance gap when a rice cooker is a cutting | disconnection state. Smaller than. Therefore, at least during the decompression state of the heat retention process, a rice cooker in which the inner lid and the lid are easy to use can be provided. Moreover, the rice cooker which improved the heat retention performance at the time of heat retention of a lid | cover heating means can be provided .

According to the rice cooker of Claim 1 of this invention, the distance between an inner cover body and a cover body can be stabilized, without reducing the usability of an inner cover body. Moreover, the heat influence from a lid | cover heating means to an inner cover body can be stabilized in an optimal state during a rice cooking process, and rice cooking performance can be improved. Furthermore, energy-saving property can be improved and an easy-to-use rice cooker can be provided.

According to the rice cooker of claim 2 of the present invention, the heat effect from the lid heating means to the inner lid body can be stabilized in an optimum state during the heat insulation process, and the heat insulation performance can be improved.

According to the rice cooker of claim 3 of the present invention, an easy-to-use rice cooker can be provided.

According to the rice cooker of claim 4 of the present invention, an easy-to-use rice cooker can be provided .

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a rice cooker according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a basic overall configuration of a rice cooker common to each embodiment. In the figure, a main body 1 that forms the outline of a rice cooker includes an upper frame 2 that forms an upper surface and an upper side surface thereof, a substantially cylindrical outer frame 3 that forms a side surface, and a bottom plate 4 that covers a bottom opening of the outer frame 3. It consists of. Moreover, it is mentioned later by the substantially cylindrical pot accommodating part 5 formed by hanging down integrally from the upper surface inner peripheral part of the upper frame 2, and the inner frame 6 provided so as to cover the lower surface opening of the pot accommodating part 5. A pot-shaped container 7 made of a non-magnetic material and having a bottomed cylindrical shape for storing the pot 11 is formed.

  11 is a bottomed cylindrical pot which accommodates to-be-cooked rices, such as rice and water, and is detachably accommodated in the pot accommodating body 9 constituting the main body 1. This pan 11 is a pan body 12 mainly made of aluminum with good thermal conductivity, and a heating element 13 composed of a magnetic metal plate such as ferritic stainless steel joined from the lower side to the bottom of the outer surface of the pan body 12. It consists of. An annular flange portion 14 is formed around the upper end of the pan 11 so as to extend to the outer periphery thereof.

  A heating coil 16 serving as a pan heating means for electromagnetically heating the pan 11 in particular, the bottom thereof, is provided on the lower and bottom sides of the inner frame 6 facing the heating element 13 on the outer surface. When a high frequency current is supplied to the heating coil 16, the heating element 13 of the pan 11 is heated by the alternating magnetic field generated from the heating coil 16, and the cooked rice in the pan 11 and thus the pan 11 is heated. Yes.

  In addition, a temperature sensor 17 serving as a pan temperature detecting means is disposed in the center of the bottom of the inner frame 6 so as to elastically contact the outer surface of the bottom of the pan 11, and detects the temperature of the pan 11. The heating temperature of the bottom of the pan 11 by 16 is mainly controlled.

  A cord heater 18 for heating the upper part of the side surface of the pan 11, particularly the flange portion 14, is arranged in an annular shape at the upper end of the pan container 7. The cord heater 18 is an electric heater, and is held on a heater ring 19 as a heat dissipation suppressing member mounted and mounted on the upper end of the pan container 7 and covers the cord heater 18 from above. A metal plate 20 attached to the heater ring 19 is provided to constitute a flange heater. The metal plate 20 is positioned to face a gap between the main body 1 and a lid 21 described later. Then, the lower surface of the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 is placed on the upper surface of the metal plate 20, whereby the pan 11 is accommodated in the pan accommodating body 7 while being hung on the upper frame 2 of the main body 1. It is like that.

  As shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lid 21 includes an outer lid 22 that forms an upper shell of the lid 21 and a three-dimensional metal lid that covers the upper surface of the outer lid 22. 23, a heat radiating plate 24 whose outer surface forms the inner surface (lower surface) of the lid body 21, and an outer lid cover 25 as a lid base material that combines the outer lid 22 and the heat radiating plate 24 to form the skeleton of the lid body 21. Is the main component. A lid heater 26 as a lid heating means is provided inside the lid 21 and on the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 24. The lid heater 26 may be an electric heating heater such as a cord heater or a heating coil by electromagnetic induction heating.

  A hinge portion 28 connected to the lid 21 is provided behind the upper frame 2. The hinge portion 28 is provided with a pair of holes (not shown) in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and a hinge spring 29 as an urging means formed by a torsion coil spring or the like is accommodated therein. . On the other hand, an outer lid cover hinge hole (not shown) as a hinge receiving portion is also provided behind the outer lid cover 25 so as to face the hole provided in the hinge portion. By inserting a rod-shaped hinge shaft 30 in common with the hinge hole and the hole of the hinge portion 28, the main body 1 and the lid 21 are pivotally supported with the hinge shaft 30 of the hinge portion 28 as a fulcrum. The Further, one end and the other end of the hinge spring 29 are respectively hooked on the outer lid cover 25 and the upper frame 2, so that the lid body 21 is always urged in the opening direction by using the elastic repulsive force of the hinge spring 29. .

  On the front upper surface of the lid body 21, a lid opening button 32 as an operating means is disposed in an exposed state. When the lid opening button 32 is pressed, the engagement between the lid body 21 and the main body 1 is released, The lid 21 is automatically opened by the hinge spring 29.

  Here, the opening / closing structure of the lid 21 and the main body 1 in the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. The lid 21 is provided with a clamp 34 corresponding to the engaging portion. The clamp 34 is pivotally supported with respect to the outer lid cover 25 around a clamp shaft 35 provided inside the lid 21. The lid opening button 32 for opening and closing the lid 21 is disposed in an exposed state from the front upper surface of the lid 21 so that the user can operate it. Clamp biasing means 36 such as a spring for biasing the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34 toward the lid opening button 32 is provided inside the lid body 21, so that a force for constantly pushing the lid opening button 32 upward is provided. It comes to work.

  In addition to the base end portion 34A that contacts the lid opening button 32, the clamp 34 penetrates through a clamping hole 37 on the lower surface of the outer lid cover 25 and projects downwardly, and a substantial portion of the clamp 34. It corresponds to the tip portion, and is configured by an engaging portion 34C extending from the lower end of the hanging portion 34B to the inside of the main body 1 from the starting point. The clamp 34 is formed of a metal part such as stainless steel, and the engaging portion 34C is substantially L-shaped. By doing so, compared with the case where the clamp 34 is made of a synthetic resin, the engagement with the clamp receiver 38 having a higher strength can be obtained. Further, when viewed from the front side of the rice cooker and the main body 1, the engaging portions 34 </ b> C of the clamp 34 are provided at substantially equal positions on the left and right sides from the center. The hanging portion 34B and the engaging portion 34C are provided on the lower side of the clamp 34 and are provided in a pair on the left and right. A clamp shaft 35 serving as a rotation center of the clamp 34 is disposed along the upper end of the hanging portion 34B, and the engaging portion 34C swings substantially in the front-rear direction of the main body 1.

  On the other hand, a clamp receiver 38 corresponding to an engagement receiving portion is disposed in front of the upper frame 2 and is located on the substantially opposite side of the hinge portion 28 provided on the upper frame 2, and the lid 21 is attached to the main body. When closing to the side 1, the clamp 34 rotates about the clamp shaft 35 as a central axis by the biasing force of the clamp biasing means 36, and engages with the clamp receiver 38. It is designed to be kept closed. The clamp receiver 38 is formed of a metal part such as stainless steel. By doing so, compared with the case where the clamp receiver 38 is made of a synthetic resin, the engagement with the clamp 34 having a higher strength can be obtained. On the other hand, when the lid 21 is opened, the lid opening button 32 is pushed, the proximal end portion of the clamp 34 is pushed downward to rotate the clamp 34 in the reverse direction, and the engaging portion 44C is moved to the body 1. The engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is released by moving forward. The lower part of the clamp receiver of the upper frame 2 needs to have a depth that does not collide when the clamp 34 rotates about the clamp shaft 35. Further, the gap between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is set to have a dimensional relationship that is larger than the normal engagement amount of the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38. Further, the dimensional relationship is set to be larger than the gap between the outer lid cover 25 and the upper frame 2.

  Here, the movable clamp 34 on the lid 21 side is referred to as an engaging portion, and the fixed clamp receiver 38 on the main body 1 side is used as the engaging receiving portion. The main body 1 may be provided with a movable engagement receiving portion. In any case, the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 constitute engaging means for maintaining the closed state of the main body 1 and the lid 21.

  Next, the detection configuration for detecting the displacement of the lid opening button 32 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 4C and FIGS. 5 to 8 in addition to FIGS. On the back (inside) side of the lid opening button 32, a substrate 43 on which the LED 41 and the Hall element 42 are mounted is disposed. The LED 41 is disposed to face the upper surface portion of the lid opening button 32, and is provided as a display unit that is turned on when a pressure reducing unit 91 described later is driven. Further, the Hall element 42 as a magnetic detection element is disposed to face a magnet 44 as a magnetic body provided on the outer lid 22 in a state where the lid opening button 32 is not pressed. When the Hall element 42 is operated to push the lid opening button 32 to release the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38, the Hall element 42 is separated from the magnet 44 to detect its operation and generate a detection signal. Output. That is, the Hall element 42 and the magnet 44 here are provided as detection means 45 that detects a change in the lid opening button 32. Note that the detection means 45 having an equivalent function may be configured by another sensor. Further, the magnet 44 of the present embodiment is provided on the lid body 21 that pivotally supports the clamp 34, but is not limited as long as the original purpose is exhibited as the detection means 45.

  5 and 6 show examples of attaching the substrate 43. FIG. Here, the substrate 43 is surrounded by a substrate holder 47 and a substrate cover 48 made of a transparent member in order to transmit the LED 41 as an alarm means to the outside. The substrate cover 48 is formed with a flat plate portion 50 around the bulging portion 49 that accommodates the substrate 43, and a convex light guide portion 32A that forms the central portion of the lid opening button 32 is formed facing the LED 41. At the same time, a flange 51 is formed on the edge of the flat plate portion 50 to prevent water and the like from entering the substrate 43 from the outside. In addition, the plurality of lead wires 52 for electric wiring connected to the substrate 43 are led out of the substrate cover 48 through the through-hole portion 53 formed in the side portion of the bulging portion 49. In order to prevent intrusion of water, steam, etc. from 53, a groove portion 54 through which the lead wires 52 are inserted one by one is formed in the through hole portion 53. The substrate holder 47 is attached and fixed to the substrate cover 48 so as to block the opening surface of the bulging portion 49 and to face the substrate 43.

  Further, the above-described lid opening button 32 is attached and fixed to the outer surface of the substrate cover 48 at a position opposite to the side on which the substrate holder 47 is attached. Accordingly, the lid opening button 32 and the substrate 43 are configured as an integral movable part assembly 55 including the substrate holder 47 and the substrate cover 48, and the substrate on which the Hall element 42 is mounted together with the pushing operation of the lid opening button 32. 43 will also move.

  FIG. 6 shows a structure for fixing the movable part assembly 55 and the clamp 34. The substrate holder 47 is formed with a positioning portion 57 in which the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34 abuts and fits, and the movable part assembly 55 is attached and fixed at a desired position of the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34 by a screw 58. The Note that an attachment structure in which the screw 58 is not provided, and only fitting is also possible. Thus, as shown in FIG. 7, the movable part assembly 55 and the clamp 34 are configured as an integral clamp unit 59 that can move together, and the Hall element 42 correctly detects not only the lid opening button 32 but also the change of the clamp 34. can do.

  FIG. 8 shows an example in which the magnet 44 is disposed on the outer lid cover 25. The lid opening button 32 provided with the hall element 42 is integrated with the clamp 34 as the clamp unit 59 as described above, but the outer lid cover 25 of the lid body 21 that pivotally supports the clamp 34 is provided with a detecting means. A certain magnet 44 is preferably arranged. The reason for this is that if the magnet 44 is attached to a member other than the outer lid cover 25, the displacement between the member to which the magnet 44 is attached and the outer lid cover 25 is increased as the lid opening button 32 is pushed. This is because it will not be possible to correctly detect how much the lid opening button 32 has moved. If the magnet 44 is attached to the outer lid cover 25, a decrease in detection accuracy due to the displacement between the members does not occur.

  Reference numeral 61 denotes an inner lid assembly that is detachably provided on the outer side, that is, the lower side of the heat radiating plate 24. The inner lid assembly 61 has a disk shape that is substantially the same diameter as the upper opening of the pan 11 and seals between the pan 11 and the inner lid 62 with a metal inner lid 62 anodized with stainless steel or aluminum. For this purpose, a cover packing 63 made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber or fluorine rubber, and a pressure adjusting unit 64 for adjusting the internal pressure of the inner hook are provided on the entire outer periphery of the inner lid 62. When the lid 21 is closed (when the lid is closed), the ring-shaped lid packing 63 abuts against the upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 and closes the gap between the pan 11 and the inner lid 62. The steam generated from the pan 11 is sealed.

  The heat radiating plate 24 is provided with a thermistor-type lid temperature sensor 65 for performing temperature management of the inner lid 62 by the lid heater 51 as lid temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the inner lid 62 of the lid 21 in particular. It is. Further, a vapor discharge unit 66 as a vapor discharge unit that can be attached and detached from the upper surface side of the lid 21 is provided at a portion closer to the rear of the upper surface of the lid 21. The steam discharge unit 66 and the pressure adjustment unit 64 communicate with each other inside the lid body 21, and the steam discharge for discharging the steam generated in the pan 11 to the outside by the steam discharge unit 66 and the pressure control unit 64. A mechanism is formed.

  Here, the configuration of the pressure adjusting unit 64 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. The pressure adjusting unit 64 includes a pressure adjusting valve 69 for adjusting pressure, a pressure adjusting valve holder assembly 70 that holds the pressure adjusting valve 69, and a dome-shaped pressure adjusting valve cover 71 that covers the pressure adjusting valve 69. The pressure regulating valve 69 is a material excellent in corrosion resistance and may be a part having a certain weight, and is formed of, for example, a ball made of austenitic stainless steel.

  The pressure regulating valve holder assembly 70 includes a first holder 72, a second holder 73, a first pressure regulating packing 75 corresponding to a pressure reducing support member, a second pressure regulating packing 76, and a pressure from the inside of the pan 11. In order not to directly apply to the 1 pressure regulation packing 75, there is a valve support 77 below the first pressure regulation packing 75 and corresponding to a pressure support member, and a valve support on the lower surface of the first pressure regulation packing 75. And a pressure regulating spring 78 as an elastic body that urges the valve support 77 in the direction in which 77 abuts. The valve support 77 is provided with a communication hole 74 that contacts the lower side of the ball-shaped pressure regulating valve 69 when the inside of the pan 11 is pressurized. The communication hole 74 is for communicating the pan 11 and the inner lid 62, and the steam passing through the communication hole 74 is discharged from the steam discharge unit 66 to the outside air. The first holder 72 and the second holder 73 are provided with a convex engaging portion 79 and a concave engaged portion 80 for fitting each other. The first holder 72 and the second holder 73 are mounted in a hole 81 provided in the inner lid 62 as a holding member for holding the first pressure regulating packing 75, the valve support 77, and the like. The first holder 72 is entirely formed in a cap shape, and has a through hole 72A in the center thereof. The first pressure regulating packing 75 is formed by a peripheral portion 72B of the through hole 72A and an upper end portion 73A of the second holder 73. The base is clamped. The second holder 73 has a cylindrical shape, and a flange 73B that contacts the lower surface around the hole 81 of the inner lid 62 is formed on the lower side of the second holder 73, and the ring-shaped second holder 73 is formed on the upper outer periphery of the flange 69. A concave groove 73C for fitting the pressure regulating packing 76 is formed. Further, a projecting piece 73D having an L-shaped cross section is formed on the inner peripheral side of the second holder 73 in order to fit one end of the pressure adjusting spring 78.

  When assembling the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 70, first, the pressure regulating packing 76 fitted into the concave groove 73C of the second holder 73 is inserted into the hole 81 provided in the inner lid 62, and the inner circumference of the second holder 73 is inserted. The valve support 77 is inserted from above the second holder 73 so as to sandwich the pressure adjusting spring 78 on the side. Next, the first pressure regulating packing 75 is placed on the valve supporting body 77 so as to cover the valve support 77 and the upper end portion 73A of the second holder 73, and the first pressure regulating packing 75 is further sandwiched from this state. In this manner, the first holder 72 is covered from above, the engaging portion 79 and the engaged portion 80 are fitted to each other, and the first holder 72 is attached to the second holder 73. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, when the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 70 is assembled, the inner surface of the second holder 73 and the lower surface of the valve support 77 are directly opposed to the inside of the pan 11. The first pressure regulating packing 75 disposed on the upper side of the two holders 73 and the valve support 77 has a structure that does not require direct pressure from the inside of the pan 11.

  The pressure regulating valve 69 is held by the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 70 assembled as described above, and the pressure regulating valve cover 71 is covered from above to constitute the pressure regulating section 64. At this time, the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 70 and the pressure regulating valve cover 71 may be attached by claw fitting or may be stopped using a fastening member such as a screw or a rivet. The pressure regulating valve cover 71 is for restricting the movement range of the pressure regulating valve 69, and is provided with a plurality of holes for guiding the steam discharged from the communication hole 74 to the steam discharge unit 66. Further, since the inner lid 62 is held by the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 and the pressure regulating valve cover 71, the hole 81 of the inner lid 62 is not exposed.

  The opening area of the communication hole 74 of the valve support 77 is smaller than the area of the surface 84 that receives pressure directly from the inside of the pan 11 inside the leg 83 formed on the lower side of the valve support 77. Thereby, the pressure in the pan 11 can be adjusted by the opening area of the communication hole 74 and the weight of the pressure regulating valve 69.

  A solenoid 82 for adjusting the sealing degree of the lid 21, that is, adjusting the internal pressure of the pan 11 by moving the pressure regulating valve 69 is provided inside the lid 21. When the solenoid 82 is not energized, its tip is held in the advanced position, and the pressure regulating valve 69 is retracted from the communication hole 74, while when the solenoid 82 is energized, its tip is retracted and the pressure regulating valve 69 is retreated. 74 is caused to roll by its own weight, the communication hole 74 is closed, and pressure is put into the pan 11.

  Both the first pressure regulating packing 75 and the second pressure regulating packing 76 are made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber. Thus, particularly when the pressure in the pan 11 shown in FIG. 10 is reduced, the pressure regulating valve 69 is brought into close contact with the first pressure regulating packing 75 due to elastic deformation of the first pressure regulating packing 75, and the opening in the first pressure regulating packing 75. That is, the sealing performance of the hole 75A is improved.

  In addition, the inner lid assembly 61 is provided with a safety valve 85 that opens when the pressure in the pan 11 is increased to an abnormal pressure that is equal to or higher than a set value for some reason, and reduces the internal pressure of the pan 11. The pressure adjusting unit 64 and the safety valve 85 are provided facing the inlet side of the steam discharge unit 66 when the inner lid 62 is attached to the lower side of the outer lid cover 25. The inner lid 62, the lid packing 63, the pressure adjusting unit 64, and the safety valve 85 are integrated with a packing base 86 provided on the outer periphery of the inner lid assembly 61, and are detachably provided on the inner surface of the outer lid cover 25. The annular packing base 86 is for mounting the inner lid 62 and the lid packing 63. Here, in addition to the mounting portion of the inner lid 62 and the mounting portion of the lid packing 63, the outer lid cover 25 An attachment portion and a handle portion are formed so that the user can easily attach and detach the inner lid assembly 61.

  91 is a pressure reducing means provided in order to make the inside of the pan 11 lower than the normal atmospheric pressure with the lid 21 closed on the main body 1. The decompression means 91 includes a decompression pump 92 as a decompression drive source provided at the rear portion of the lid 21 and a hole (not shown) provided in the inner lid 62 from the decompression pump 92 through the main body 1 and the lid 21. And a tubular path 94 to the end. In addition, an electromagnetic valve 95 (see FIG. 8) as an opening / closing means for opening / closing the base end portion of the path 94 is provided inside the lid body 21. Connected to the solenoid valve 95 is a cylindrical decompression packing (not shown) protruding downward from the heat radiating plate 24 toward the periphery of the hole of the inner lid 62.

  When the inner lid assembly 61 including the inner lid 62 is attached to the lower surface of the lid body 21, the decompression packing is hermetically abutted against the upper surface of the inner lid 62 while being elastically deformed, thereby communicating the pan 11 and the decompression pump 92. A path 94 is formed. When the lid 21 is closed with the inner lid assembly 61 attached, the lid packing 63 is in close contact with the pan 11 and the pressure regulating valve 69 closes the communication hole 74. 82 communicates with the route 82. When the decompression pump 92 is started from this state, the solenoid valve 95 and thus the path 94 are opened, and the air in the pan 11 is exhausted to the outside of the main body 1 through the path 94 and the decompression pump 92, and the inside of the sealed pan 11 The pressure drops. Further, when the pressure in the pan 11 drops below the atmospheric pressure by a certain value, the electromagnetic valve 95 and thus the path 94 are closed to keep the pan 11 in a reduced pressure state. Furthermore, even when the pressure in the pan 11 rises due to the slow leak, the solenoid valve 95 and thus the path 94 are opened, and the pressure reducing pump 92 is activated to maintain the pan 11 in a state lower than the atmospheric pressure. .

  In such a state where the inside of the pan 11 is lower than the atmospheric pressure, the air inside the leg portion 83 constituting the valve support 77 is sucked into the pan 11 and the pressure regulating valve 69 and this pressure regulating valve 69 are mounted accordingly. The valve support body 77 to be placed is lowered against the bias of the pressure adjusting spring 78. However, when the opening 70 of the valve support 77 moves to a position lower than the hole 75 </ b> A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, the pressure regulating valve 69 is mounted on the first pressure regulating packing 75 instead of the previous valve support 77. Since the hole 75A of the first pressure regulating packing 75 is closed, the inside of the pan 11 is secured, and the pressure can be continuously reduced (see FIG. 10).

  Conversely, when the inside of the pan 11 is pressurized to atmospheric pressure or higher, for example during rice cooking, the inside of the valve support leg 79 receives direct pressure from the inside of the pan 11, so that the valve support 77 against the dead weight of the pressure regulating valve 69. Rises. Here, when the opening 70 of the valve support 77 moves to a position higher than the hole 75A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, the pressure regulating valve 69 replaces the previous first pressure regulating packing 75 with the valve support 77. The pressure regulating valve 69 that is placed and closes the communication hole 74 and that is placed on the valve support 77 rises in the same manner as the valve support 77. After the valve support 77 is raised, the valve support 77 comes into contact with the first pressure regulating packing 75, thereby blocking the steam and the like that is going to pass through the hole 75 </ b> A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, thereby maintaining the hermetic seal in the pan 11. Yes (see FIG. 9).

  Next, the structure around the decompression pump 92 constituting the decompression means 91 will be described with reference to FIGS. The decompression pump 92 is fixed on a pump case 96 in the vicinity of a steam discharge unit 66 that discharges steam generated from the inside of the pan 11 to the outside. The pump case 96 is arranged behind the outer lid cover 25. A bush 97 made of an elastic member is attached to a fixed portion of the pump case 96 to which the decompression pump 92 is attached in order to reduce vibration transmission from the decompression pump 92. The decompression pump 92 is provided with a suction port 92A for sucking air and a discharge port 92B for discharging the sucked air to the outside. The electromagnetic valve 95 and the suction port 92A are communicated with each other through a tube path 94. The air in the pan 11 located below the inner lid 62 is sucked. In addition, since the air discharged from the decompression pump 92 contains some water that evaporates from the object to be cooked, the air is discharged through the path 98 that connects the discharge port 92B and the boss formed in the outer lid cover 25 in the air. The moisture is discharged to the outside of the lid 21.

  The pump case 96 is an auxiliary part for installing the decompression pump 92 on the outer lid cover 25, and does not force its use. In this embodiment, because the lid reinforcing plate 99 is provided as a reinforcing member for covering the outer lid cover 25, it is difficult to directly install the decompression pump 92 on the outer lid cover 25. Yes.

  In the present embodiment, a pump cover 105 and a pump case cover 106 are provided separately from the outer lid 22 in order to assert the presence of the decompression pump 92 disposed on the lid 21. The pump case cover 106 is provided so as to surround the decompression pump 92 together with the pump case 96, and the pump case 105 is located above the pump case cover 106 and forms a part of the outer part of the lid 21. . A waterproof packing 107 (see FIG. 1) made of an elastic member is provided in the groove portion of the outer lid 22, and the waterproof packing 107 is sandwiched between the edges of the pump case 96 and the pump case cover 106, thereby supplying water to the decompression pump 92. And intrusion of steam and so on.

  Since all the decompression means 91 including the decompression pump 92 are disposed in the lid body 21, the path 94 from the decompression pump 92 to the electromagnetic valve 95 can be routed with the shortest distance. Further, the path 94 does not pass through the hinge portion 28 that is movable in the middle of the path 94, so that the path 94 can be prevented from being damaged.

  1 to 3 again, an operation panel 101 is provided at the front portion of the main body 1. Inside the operation panel 101, there are an LCD 102 for displaying the time and the selected menu, an LED for displaying the current process (not shown), and an operation switch 103 for starting cooking and selecting a menu. Further, a substrate on which a depressurization selection switch for selecting a depressurized state in the pan 11 is disposed. The operation panel 101 displays button names and the like to prevent dust and water from adhering to the control means that is an electronic component. The operation panel 101 may be provided on the front side of the lid 21.

  111 is a heating control means provided in the front inside the main body 1. The heating control unit 111 includes a heating element (not shown) for driving the heating coil 16, which is a heating unit, on a substrate. The element that drives the heating coil 16 is heated along with the oscillation of the heating coil 16, but has a use condition temperature that guarantees the operating state, and therefore needs to be used at a certain temperature or lower. For this purpose, the element that drives the heating coil 16 is thermally connected to a fin-like radiator 112 made of a material having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum and emits from a cooling fan 113 that is a cooling means. The element is driven within the operating temperature by applying wind to the radiator 112 to remove heat. Further, a cord reel 116 for winding a power plug (not shown) is provided inside the main body 1.

  In addition to the decompression means 91, an inhibition means 121 that restricts the movement of the clamp 34 is provided inside the lid 21. The configuration of the inhibiting means 121 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 18. The pressure regulating solenoid 82 moves the pressure regulating valve 69 to adjust the sealing degree of the lid body 21, that is, the internal pressure of the pan 11. The plunger 151 is moved in and out from the inside by force, and the pressure regulating valve 69 in the pressure regulating section 64 is moved. Further, inside the lid 21, a pressure regulating frame 152 that moves together with the plunger 151 toward the outer lid cover 25, and a flexible pressure regulating packing 153 for keeping the inside of the lid 21 in a watertight state (FIG. 2). And FIG. 3). As shown also in FIG. 13, the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the pressure adjusting frame 152 are accommodated and arranged in a pressure regulation accommodating portion 154 formed in the lid 21 by the outer lid cover 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the pressure adjustment frame 152 includes a pressure adjustment operation unit 161 as an operation unit protruding toward the pressure adjustment valve 69, and a frame unit 162 provided so as to surround the pressure adjustment solenoid 82. And a pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 provided on the substantially opposite side of the pressure adjusting operation part 161.

  Further, here, an opening / closing solenoid 172 is arranged in another opening / closing means accommodating portion 171 formed in the lid 21 by the outer lid cover 25. Similarly to the pressure adjusting solenoid 82, the opening / closing solenoid 172 also has a configuration in which the plunger 173 is caused to appear and retract from the inside by electromagnetic force. Further, inside the lid body 21 is movable together with the plunger 173, and the opening / closing frame 175 housed and arranged in the pressure regulation housing portion 154 together with the opening / closing solenoid 172, and a flexible for holding the inside of the lid body 21 in a watertight state. An open / close packing 176 (see FIGS. 17 and 18) is provided.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the inner lid 62 is provided with an opening / closing hole 181 different from the hole 81 facing the pressure adjusting portion 64, and faces the opening / closing hole 181. A valve opening / closing means 183 containing a moving opening / closing valve 182 is mounted on the upper surface side of the inner lid 62. Therefore, in this modification, in addition to the pressure adjusting unit 64 and the safety valve 85, the valve opening / closing means 183 is provided in the inner lid 62. The valve opening / closing means 183 includes an opening / closing valve 182 above the opening / closing hole 181 and an opening / closing valve spring 184 as an urging means for urging the opening / closing valve 182 in the direction in which the opening / closing hole 181 is opened. I have. Further, the flexible opening / closing packing 176 is disposed on the lid 21 side so as to face the upper portion of the opening / closing valve 182 and have a predetermined gap. The flexible opening / closing packing 176 is interlocked with the operation of the opening / closing shaft 186 provided on the outer lid cover 25.

  Between the opening / closing shaft 186 and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172, an arm-shaped opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 provided integrally with the front of the opening / closing frame 175 is disposed. The opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 is formed with a cam surface 188A facing the upper portion of the opening / closing shaft 186. The opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 opens and closes as the opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 interlocked with the plunger 173 appears. By changing the position of the cam surface 188A with which the upper portion of the shaft 186 contacts, the opening / closing shaft 186 and thus the on-off valve 182 move up and down. Specifically, in the non-energized state of the opening / closing solenoid 172 shown in FIG. 17, the opening / closing valve 182 is separated from the opening / closing hole 181 by the opening / closing valve spring 184 so that the opening / closing valve 182 and the opening / closing shaft 186 are pushed up. When the plunger 173 and the opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 are moved to the advanced position and the opening / closing solenoid 172 shown in FIG. 18 is energized, the opening / closing shaft operating portion is resisted against the bias of the opening / closing valve spring 184. The plunger 173 and the opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 are configured such that the cam surface 188A of the 188 pushes down the opening / closing shaft 186 and thus the opening / closing valve 182 so that the lower portion of the opening / closing valve 182 closes the opening / closing hole 181 of the inner lid 62. Moves to the retracted position. Therefore, in the energized state of the open / close solenoid 172, the open / close valve 182 closes the open / close hole 181 communicating with the steam port 146 so that pressure can be applied into the pan 11.

  As described above, in the vicinity of the pressure regulating solenoid 82, a pressure regulating operation unit 161 for moving the pressure regulating valve 69 is provided in front of the pressure regulating frame 152, while on the rear side of the pressure regulating frame 152. A protruding pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 is provided. Similarly, an opening / closing shaft operating portion 188 having a cam surface 188A is provided in front of the opening / closing frame 175 around the opening / closing solenoid 172, and a protruding opening / closing frame lock piece is provided behind the opening / closing frame 175. 189 is provided. When the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 is in the retracted position, the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 is connected to the proximal end of the clamp 34 in order to restrict the movement of the clamp 34 in the direction of disengagement from the clamp receiver 38. The opening / closing frame lock piece 189 is arranged so as to sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34 even when the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 is in the retracted position. Is done. Conversely, when the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 is in the advanced position, the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 is separated from the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 is in the advanced position. In addition, the open / close frame lock piece 189 is separated from the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34. That is, when the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and / or the open / close frame lock piece 189 are located below the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, the operation of the clamp 34 is restricted, and the clamp 34 is clamped 38. However, when both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 are separated from the lower side of the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, the operation of the clamp 34 is not restricted, and the lid opening button 32 When the push operation is performed, the clamp 34 is detached from the clamp receiver 38, and the lid 21 is opened.

  FIG. 19 is a sectional view of the safety valve 85. The safety valve 85 is provided around the hole 201 formed in the inner lid 62, and a base member 202 attached from below the hole 201, a cap member 203 attached from above the hole 201, and the cap member 203 The opening / closing holding means 204 is provided, and an annular packing 206 that seals the inner surface of the hole 201 and the base member 202 in a watertight manner. Among them, the opening / closing holding member 204 includes an opening / closing means 207 as a valve body provided in the cap member 203 so as to be movable up and down, and an elastic member 208 interposed between the cap member 203 and the opening / closing means 207. . The base member 202 has an opening portion 211 communicating with the steam discharge unit 66 from the inside of the hole 201 of the inner lid 62 and thus the safety valve 85, and an opening / closing holding means so as to always close the opening portion 211. An elastic member 208 constituting 204 is configured to bias the opening / closing means 207 in one direction.

  Next, the control system will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 111 denotes a heating control means, which is a hole provided in the lid opening button 32 in addition to each temperature information from the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 65 and an operation signal from the operation switch 103. In response to a detection signal from the element 42 or another Hall element 191 that detects the opening / closing of the lid 21, the heating coil 16 that heats the bottom of the pan 11 at the time of cooking and warming, and the side of the pan 11 are heated. The cord heater 18 and the lid heater 36 for heating the lid body 21 are respectively controlled, and the above-described decompression pump 92 and electromagnetic valve 95 are respectively controlled. Here, the lid opening / closing detection means including the Hall element 191 will be described. The lid 21 is provided with a magnet (not shown) as a lid side detection unit. In addition, the Hall element 191 is disposed at a position that overlaps with the magnet when the lid 21 is closed. The hall element 191 is disposed on the upper frame 2 of the main body 1. The circuit having the Hall element 191 is provided as a main body side detection unit, and constitutes lid opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the lid body 21 together with the magnet. The lid opening / closing detection means may be provided on the clamp 34 side in front of the rice cooker, or may be provided on the hinge part 28 side in the rear of the rice cooker. Thus, the opening / closing of the lid 21 can be detected electrically by utilizing the fact that the magnetic field reaching the Hall element 191 from the magnet changes according to the opening / closing of the lid 21. In this embodiment, the magnet used as the magnetic material and the Hall element 191 are used. However, an alternative electrical element may be used as long as the same function can be achieved. Various sensors may be employed, and a configuration in which opening / closing of the lid 21 is mechanically detected may be employed.

  The heating control means 111 of this embodiment mainly controls the temperature of the bottom of the pan 11 by controlling the heating coil 16 based on the temperature detected by the pan temperature sensor 17, and mainly based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 65. The lid heater 26 is controlled so that the temperature of the heat radiating plate 24 and the inner lid 62 is controlled. The heating control means 111 includes, as a function on the control sequence of the program stored in its own storage means (not shown), a rice cooking control means 117 that heats the cooked food in the pan 11 during rice cooking, Insulation control means 118 for maintaining and heating the rice in the pan 11 to a predetermined temperature is provided.

  The heat retention control means 118 here includes a timer means 119. When the heat retention operation starts, the timer means 119 is activated to measure the elapsed heat retention time, and this heat retention elapsed time is set to a preset time (for example, 1 hour). When the temperature reaches, the pressure in the pan 11 returns from the pressurized state to almost the atmospheric pressure, and the temperature in the pan 11 is reduced to the heat retention temperature, so that the so-called heat retention is in a stable state. In addition, the heating control means 11 receives a reservation rice start instruction from the operation switch 103 and cooks rice to be cooked in the pan 11 at a predetermined time previously stored in the storage means. Reservation rice cooking control means 120 capable of executing a reserved rice cooking course for controlling the cooking is provided. The predetermined time can be changed as appropriate by operating, for example, the hour key or minute key of the operation switch 103.

  Reference numeral 122 denotes a heating coil driving unit that incorporates a high-frequency inverter circuit that receives a control signal from the heating control unit 111 and supplies a predetermined high-frequency current to the heating coil 16. Separately from this, the output side of the heating control means 111 receives a control signal from the heating control means 111 and drives the lid heater 36 so as to heat the radiator plate 24 and the inner lid 62. 123, a code heater driving means 124 for turning on the code heater 18, a solenoid driving means 125 for individually turning on or off the solenoids 82, 172, a pump driving means 126 for driving the decompression pump 92, and an electromagnetic valve 89 An electromagnetic valve driving means 127 for turning on or off and a display driving means 129 for driving the display means 128 including the LED 41 and the LCD 102 described above are provided. At the time of cooking by the rice cooking control means 117 and at the time of heat retention by the heat retention control means 118, the heating coil 16 heats the bottom of the pot 11 by the temperature detection from the pot temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 65, and the code heater 18 The heating is performed on the side surface of the pan 11 and the lid body 36 is heated by the lid heater 36. In addition, after the rice cooking by the rice cooking control means 117 is finished and the cooked food in the pan 11 is cooked as rice, it automatically shifts to heat retention by the heat insulation control means 118, and the temperature detected by the pan temperature sensor 17 is reached. Based on this, by adjusting the heating of the pan 11 by the heating coil 16 and the cord heater 18, the rice is kept at a predetermined temperature (about 70 ° C. to 76 ° C.).

  In particular, supplementary explanation of the heating by the cord heater 18 is as follows.When the temperature of the rice drops from about 100 ° C. to about 73 ° C. after the rice cooking, the code heater 18 generates heat when the temperature is stable at about 73 ° C. Heat is radiated from the metal plate 19 to the space between the lid 21 and the main body 1 to suppress cooling due to the intrusion of outside air from the gap, and the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 is heated. In addition, the cord heater 18 also heats the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 during the period of reheating the rice during the heat insulation, so that moisture generated by the heating of the rice is prevented from condensing on the upper inner surface of the pan 11. ing.

  Furthermore, the heating control means 111 in the present embodiment is a period until the rice cooking at the standby time of the reserved rice cooking by the reservation rice cooking control means 120 or the time until the rice cooking control means 117 starts substantial rice cooking. Depressurization control that operates the depressurization pump 92 and the depressurization state maintaining electromagnetic valve 95 so that the inside of the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure after the period or the heat retention control means 118 determines that the above-described heat retention is in a stable state. A function as means 130 is also provided.

  Next, the effect | action of the said structure is demonstrated based on the timing chart of FIG. 21 and FIG. In FIG. 21, each graph in the uppermost stage and the next stage shows changes in pressure and temperature in the pan 11, and hereinafter, the operation timing of the decompression selection switch, the operation timing of the decompression display lamp by the LCD, and The operation timing of the decompression pump 92 and the operation timing of the solenoid valve 95 are respectively shown (the painted state is on). In FIG. 22, each graph in the uppermost stage and the next stage shows changes in temperature and pressure in the pan 11, and hereinafter, the operation timing of the pressure regulating valve 69 (pressure regulating solenoid 82), and the on-off valve The operation timing of 182 (opening / closing solenoid 172) is shown (the painted state is on).

  In the cut-off state where rice cooking or heat insulation is not performed, both the pressure regulating solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are in a non-energized (off) state. At this time, the plunger 151 of the pressure regulating solenoid 82 is in the advanced position, the pressure regulating valve 69 is moved so that the communication hole 74 is opened, and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 is also in the advanced position, The opening / closing valve 182 moves upward so that the opening / closing hole 181 of the lid 62 is opened. Therefore, the inside of the pan 11 communicates with the outside through the communication hole 74 and the opening / closing hole 181 and is maintained at atmospheric pressure. Further, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the open / close frame lock piece 189 are located away from the lower side of the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, the operation of the clamp 34 is not restricted and the lid opening button 32 is pressed. When operated, the clamp 34 is detached from the clamp receiver 38. That is, in the cut state, the lid 21 can be freely opened and closed.

  Next, the operation at the time of reserved rice cooking will be described. By operating the hour key and minute key of the operation switch 103, the desired cooking time corresponding to the predetermined time is set, and the cooked food in the pan 11 is cooked. When a certain rice and water are put in and then another timer switch, for example, of the operation switch 103 is operated, a reserved rice cooking course by the reserved rice control means 120 is set (set), and a standby state for reserved rice is entered. In this reserved rice cooking course, the rice cooking control means 117 is controlled so that the cooked food in the pan 11 is cooked up at a predetermined time, but the reduced pressure is reduced from the standby state of the reserved rice cooking until the time when rice cooking starts substantially. The pressure reducing pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are controlled so that the control means 130 operates and the pressure in the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure (1 atm = 1013 hPa).

  Specifically, when the reserved rice cooking course is set, the decompression control means 130 turns on the decompression selection switch until immediately before the rice cooking starts, and displays on the display means 128 that the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. . Thereby, the user can know that the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. Further, the decompression control means 130 outputs a signal for driving the decompression pump 92 to the pump drive means 126 in order to discharge air from the inside of the pan 11, and the electromagnetic valve 95 and thus the path 94 in synchronization with the decompression pump 92. Is output to the solenoid valve driving means 127. Thereafter, the decompression control means 130 stops driving the decompression pump 92 and closes the electromagnetic valve 95 and consequently the path 94 to maintain the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state.

  While waiting for reserved rice cooking, the heating control means 111 turns the solenoid 82 on (energized), so the pressure regulating valve 69 is rolled to a position that closes the communication hole 74, but there is a slight amount in the pan 11. However, air enters (slow leak), and the pressure in the pan 11 gradually increases from the time when the solenoid valve 95 is closed. The depressurization control means 130 drives the depressurization pump 92 again after a certain period of time and opens the electromagnetic valve 95 and thus the path 94 to discharge air from the pot 11. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the pressure reducing pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are simultaneously turned on and off, and the pressure in the pan 11 is maintained at a value within a desired range. In addition, since the operation | movement after substantial rice cooking started is common with the normal rice cooking operation mentioned later, it abbreviate | omits here.

  Thus, even when the standby time until the rice cooking is started is set long after the reserved rice cooking course is set, the inside of the pan 11 is kept in a decompressed state. Further, at the time of this pressure reduction, the pressure regulating valve 69 is placed on the first pressure regulating packing 75 and closes the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, so that the inside of the pan 11 is secured. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent various germs from growing in the pan 11 and the rot of rice and water as cooked rice. Therefore, finally, delicious rice can be obtained when cooking. Further, in this embodiment, the pressure control means 130 performs control to reduce the pressure in the pan 11 over the whole period of waiting for reserved rice cooking. For example, after the reserved rice cooking course is set, When the time (for example, 2 hours) elapses, the pressure reduction control for the pan 11 may be performed. In this way, by reducing the pressure of the pan 11 below the atmospheric pressure for a certain period of time while waiting for reserved rice cooking, for example, the waiting time until the start of rice cooking is not so long, but decompression control into the pan 11 is Forcibly performed, it is possible to eliminate the concern of consuming unnecessary electric power to operate the decompression pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95.

  Next, the operation | movement is demonstrated about the normal rice cooking which does not perform reservation rice cooking. In addition, as above-mentioned, the operation | movement after the substantial rice cooking in a reservation rice cooking course is started is common with the operation | movement of the normal rice cooking demonstrated from now on.

  When rice and water, which are to be cooked, are put into the pan 11 and a rice cooking key of the operation switch 103 is operated, for example, rice cooking by the rice cooking control means 117 is started. Here, the rice cooking control means 117 is based on the temperature detection of the bottom of the pan 11 by the pan temperature sensor 17 in order to promote water absorption to the rice in the pan 11 before starting the substantial rice cooking. The bottom and side portions of the pan 11 are heated by the cord heater 18 and the water temperature in the pan 11 is maintained at about 45 to 60 ° C. for 15 to 20 minutes.

  At this time, the decompression pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are controlled so that the decompression control means 130 operates and the pressure in the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure. Specifically, when the start of the process is started, the decompression control means 130 turns on the decompression selection switch until just before the substantial rice cooking is started, and the LCD of the display means 128 indicates that the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. Display. Thereby, the user can know that the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. Further, the decompression control means 130 outputs a signal for driving the decompression pump 92 to the pump drive means 126 in order to discharge air from the inside of the pan 11, and the electromagnetic valve 95 and thus the path 94 in synchronization with the decompression pump 92. Is output to the solenoid valve driving means 127. Thereafter, the decompression control means 130 stops driving the decompression pump 92 and closes the solenoid valve 95 and thus the path 94 to maintain the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state, taking into account the pressure increase due to the slow leak, and a predetermined time. After a lapse of time, the decompression control means 130 drives the decompression pump 92 again for a predetermined time and opens the electromagnetic valve 95 and consequently the path 94 to discharge air from the pot 11. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the pressure reducing pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are simultaneously turned on and off, and the pressure in the pan 11 is maintained at a value within a desired range.

  When the inside of the pan 11 is under atmospheric pressure, both the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are energized (on), and the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned on. Each moves to the retracted position. As a result, the pressure regulating valve 69 closes the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 75 and the opening / closing valve 96 closes the opening / closing hole 181 of the inner lid 62, so that the inside of the pan 11 is secured. In addition, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 sink under the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, the rotation of the clamp 34 is restricted, and the lid opening button 32 is pushed. In addition, the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is double-locked, so that the lid 21 does not open.

  In this manner, the inside of the pan 11 is maintained in a reduced pressure state at the time of time. Further, at the time of this pressure reduction, the pressure regulating valve 69 is placed on the first pressure regulating packing 75 and closes the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 75, so that the inside of the pan 11 is secured. Therefore, the inside of the pan 11 can be depressurized in a sealed state at the time of passing, and the rice can sufficiently absorb water in the pan 11.

  Thereafter, when the predetermined time has expired, the rice cooking control means 117 starts a substantial rice cooking operation, the decompression control to the pan 11 by the decompression control means 130 is interrupted, the decompression selection switch is turned off, and the LCD The display indicating that the pressure is reduced is also stopped. At the same time, the decompression pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are turned off until the subsequent heat retention becomes stable. Further, the rice cooking control means 11 retracts the pressure regulating valve 69 from the communication hole 74. As a result, the pan 11 is maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure, but the open / close solenoid 172 is still in the on state, and the open / close frame lock piece 189 is positioned below the proximal end portion 34A of the clamp 34 to open the lid 21. I can't do that.

  When the boiling state in the pan 11 is detected, cooking (continuous boiling heating) and unevenness are carried out continuously, but until the middle of the unevenness, the rice cooking control means 117 is While the operation of the decompression means 91 is stopped, the pressure regulating solenoid 82 is turned on, and the communication port 70 is closed by the pressure regulating valve 69. Thereby, the communication between the inside of the pan 11 and the outside is blocked. Further, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34, the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is double-locked, and the lid body 21 cannot be opened.

  When shifting to the rice cooking process, the rice cooking control means 117 strongly heats the pan 11 by the heating coil 16 and performs boiling heating to the cooked rice. When the temperature of the bottom of the pan 11 becomes 90 ° C or higher during this boiling heating and the temperature of the lid 21 is stabilized at 90 ° C or higher, it is assumed that the pan 11 is in a boiling state, and the heating amount is reduced more than before. Shift to continuous boiling heating. During boiling heating, the rice cooking control means 117 turns off the solenoid 82 and retracts the pressure regulating valve 69 from the communication port 70. As a result, the pressure adjusting unit 64 is in an open state in which the inside and outside of the pan 11 are communicated without being sealed, and the pan 11 is maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure. On the other hand, the open / close solenoid 172 continues to be in the ON state, and the open / close frame lock piece 189 is positioned below the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34 so that the lid 21 cannot be opened. Note that the fact that the temperature of the lid 21 is stable at 90 ° C. or higher is detected by the temperature increase rate of the detected temperature from the lid temperature sensor 65. In this boiling detection, the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 65 can confirm that both the bottom of the pan 11 and the lid 21 have reached 90 ° C. or more, and the pan 11 has completely boiled. Can be detected accurately.

  Further, when any of the bottom part of the pan 11, the side part of the pan 11 or the lid body 21 reaches a detection temperature which cannot be normally 120 ° C. or higher, the heating control means 111 determines that there is some abnormality and cooks rice. The amount of heating in the heating is reduced so that all operations are stopped, or the operation is shifted to the unevenness described later, or the heat is kept to prevent abnormal heating. Conversely, either the bottom of the pan 11 or the lid 21 has reached 90 ° C. or more and a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has passed, but either the bottom of the pan 11 or the lid 21 other than that. When the temperature is lower than 90 ° C, the pan temperature sensor 17 or the lid temperature sensor 65 in the low temperature state determines that the temperature detection accuracy has deteriorated for some reason (dirt, tilt, poor contact, etc.). Similarly, the amount of heating in rice cooking heating is reduced so that all operations are stopped, or the operation is shifted to unevenness, or the heat is kept, and this is dealt with.

  When the boiling state in the pan 11 is detected, cooking (continuous boiling heating) and unevenness are carried out continuously, but until the middle of the unevenness, the rice cooking control means 117 is While the operation of the decompression means 91 is stopped, the pressure regulating solenoid 82 is turned on, and the communication hole 74 is closed by the pressure regulating valve 69. Thereby, the communication between the inside of the pan 11 and the outside is blocked. Further, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34, the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is double-locked, and the lid body 21 cannot be opened.

  Moreover, when it shifts to boiling continuation, the rice cooking control means 117 starts lid heating by the lid heater 36. The lid heating here is managed by the detected temperature of the lid temperature sensor 65 so that the temperature of the inner lid 62 becomes 100 to 110 ° C. In addition, when shifting to boiling continuous heating, the rice cooking control means 117 periodically turns the solenoid 82 on and off. In this continuous boiling heating, it is preferable to change the power interruption timing of the solenoid 82 in accordance with the menu selected by the operation switch 103. As a result, the degree of sealing of the pressure adjusting unit 64 leading to the pan 11 can be changed to an optimum one according to the selected menu.

  And when the bottom of the pan 11 has a predetermined temperature rise, the cooking in the pan 11 is detected, the rice cooking process by the rice cooking control means 117 is terminated, and the heat insulation control means 118 shifts to the heat insulation process. It shifts to nomura. During unevenness, the lid heater 36 is cut off by temperature control based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 65 to prevent dew condensation on the inner lid 62, and the temperature is high enough to prevent the rice from burning (98-100 ° C). The temperature at the bottom of the pan 11 is controlled so that it is maintained. The unevenness is continued for a predetermined time (15 to 20 minutes), and when the unevenness is completed, the operation shifts to heat retention by the heat retention control means 118.

  In addition, when the operation shifts to unevenness, the operation of gradually returning the inside of the pan 11 to atmospheric pressure is performed in consideration of the fact that the lid 21 is opened immediately after the start of the subsequent heat retention. The heat retention control means 118 first switches the pressure regulating solenoid 82 from the on state to the off state during the unevenness, retracts the pressure regulating valve 69 from the communication hole 74, and then opens and closes after a predetermined time has elapsed. The solenoid 172 is switched from the on state to the off state. In this way, at least after the communication hole 74 is opened, the lid 21 cannot be opened until the opening / closing solenoid 172 is turned off, and before the inside of the pan 11 has returned to the atmospheric pressure, there is a problem. The lid 21 can be prevented from opening in preparation.

  Immediately after the transition to the heat insulation process, the inside of the pan 11 communicates with the outside through the communication hole 74 and the opening / closing hole 181 and is maintained at atmospheric pressure. At the same time, since both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the open / close frame lock piece 189 are located away from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 34, the lid 21 can be freely opened and closed.

  Thereafter, as described in the above embodiment, the heat retention control unit 118 is configured to reduce the pressure in the pan 11 so that the pressure in the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure by the pressure reduction control unit 130 when the heat retention elapsed time reaches a preset time. 92 and solenoid valve 95 again control the operation. At the same time, the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are simultaneously turned on in order to seal the inside of the pan 11. As a result, both the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the open / close frame lock piece 189 enter under the base end portion 34A of the clamp 34, and the rotation of the clamp 34 is restricted. Such an operation may be performed when the pan temperature sensor 17 detects that the inside of the pan 11 has reached a predetermined temperature in the heat retaining stroke, not after a predetermined time of the heat retaining stroke.

  When the temperature is kept warm, the heating coil 16 heats the bottom and bottom of the side of the pan 11 and is slightly higher than the temperature of the rice contained in the pan 11, and the lid heater 36 heats the lower surface of the lid 21. Further, the temperature of the side surface of the pan 11 is controlled by the cord heater 18 so that the rice is not dried and a large amount of dew does not adhere. The temperature of the rice in the pan 11 is maintained at 70 to 76 ° C. Even when the temperature is kept, the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 65 are abnormally high or abnormally low. Detects abnormalities and prevents this abnormal heating.

  When the process proceeds to the heat insulation process, the heat control means 118 receives the detection signals from the Hall elements 42 and 191. That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, during the operation control of the pressure reducing means 91 for reducing the pressure inside the pot 11, the pressure adjusting solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned on at the same time, and the user closes the lid. When an attempt is made to push the lid opening button 32 with the intention of opening the body 21, the proximal end 34A of the clamp 34 hits the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189, and its rotation is restricted. However, the lid opening button 32 is pushed slightly downward by the elasticity of the clamp 34 and the Hall element 42 moves to a position away from the magnet 44 (FIG. 4B). When the heat retention control means 118 receives the detection signal from the hall element 42 at this time, the pressure regulating solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned off in conjunction with each other, and both plungers 151 and 173 advance to communicate with each other. The hole 74 and the opening / closing hole 181 are opened, and the rotation restriction of the pressure adjusting frame lock piece 163 and the opening / closing frame lock piece 189 with respect to the clamp 34 is also released. By pressing the lid opening button 32 again, the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver The engagement with 38 is released, and the lid 21 can be opened.

  When the lid 21 is opened, the Hall element 191 of the lid open / close detection means is separated from the magnet, and a signal corresponding thereto is output from the Hall element 191 to the heating control means 111. As a result, the decompression control means 130 constituting the heating control means 111 does not output a signal for driving the decompression means 91 while determining that the lid 21 is open based on the detection signal from the Hall element 191.

  After that, when the cooked rice is taken out of the pan 11 and the lid 21 is closed again, the distance between the Hall element 191 and the magnet becomes a predetermined value or less, and a signal corresponding thereto is heated from the Hall element 191 to the heating control means. Send to 111. In response to this, the decompression control means 130 and the heat retention control means 118 operate the decompression means 91 again after a predetermined time while determining that the lid 21 is closed based on the detection signal from the Hall element 191. Further, the pressure regulating solenoid 82 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are simultaneously turned on so that the lid 21 is not opened carelessly.

  The heating control means 111 reads the signal from the Hall element 191 only during the heat retention that is a predetermined process. In this case, the heating control means 111 receives a signal from the Hall element 191 but does not perform control using the received signal. By doing so, the software configuration as the heating control means 111 can be simplified. Further, the heating control unit 111 may read a signal from the Hall element 191 in a process other than the heat retention.

  In addition, during the unevenness and warming process, when the pressure reducing means 91 is operated and the inside of the pan 11 is at atmospheric pressure or lower, the heating control means 111 sends a control signal for continuously lighting the LED 142 to the display driving means 129. Thereby, the user can recognize immediately that the lid 21 and the main body 1 are engaged and locked because the inside of the pan 11 is being decompressed. In addition, since there is a slight time lag from when the lid opening button 32 is intended to be pushed to when the lid 21 can actually be opened, the clamp 34 of the lid 21 and the clamp receiver 38 of the main body 1 When the Hall element 42 outputs a detection signal when it is intended to release the engagement of the LED, the LED 142 switches to a blinking operation. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the LED 142 is automatically turned off. The user can understand whether the body 21 does not open.

  As described above, when the detecting means 45 detects the movement when the engagement between the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 is about to be released as the change of the lid opening switch 32, the inhibition means 121 inhibits the movement to the clamp 34. The lid 21 is released, and the lid 21 can be opened from the main body 1. Therefore, in an unintended operation on the lid opening switch 32, the detection means 45 cannot detect this as a change in the lid opening switch 32, and the lid 21 can be prevented from opening unexpectedly. In addition, by detecting the change of the lid opening switch 32 for operating the opening and closing of the lid 21 instead of the clamp 34 itself, the clamp 34 and the clamp receiver 38 can be engaged with less movement (light operating force). It can be made releasable.

  Next, the positional relationship between the inner lid 62 constituting the inner lid assembly 61 and the lid heater 26 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The inner lid assembly 61 directly covers the upper part of the pan 11 when the lid 21 is closed to the main body 1 (when the lid is closed), and is detachable from the outer lid cover 25 constituting the lid 21. Provided. The inner lid assembly 61 is provided with an insertion portion (not shown). When the inner lid assembly 61 is attached to the lid body 21, first, the insertion portion is inserted into a corresponding portion of the outer lid cover 25 and then substantially opposite to the insertion portion. An attachment portion (not shown) provided on the outer lid cover 25 is engaged with an attached portion (not shown) of the outer lid cover 25.

  As described above, the inner lid assembly 61 includes the metal inner lid 62 that receives heat from the lid heater 26, the lid packing 63 that seals the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 when the lid is closed, and the lid packing 63. A packing base 86 for mounting on the outer periphery of the inner lid 62 is provided. The packing base 86 is provided with a handle portion (not shown) so that the inner lid assembly 61 can be easily held by hand, in addition to the insertion portion and attachment portion described above. The inner lid assembly 61 can be removed from the outer lid cover 25 by grasping the handle while releasing the engagement. The inner lid 62 may be made of, for example, aluminum or stainless steel. In short, in order to efficiently transmit the heat from the lid heater 26 to the whole, a material having excellent thermal conductivity may be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 23 to 26, when the lid 21 is closed with the inner lid assembly 61 and thus the inner lid 62 attached to the lid 21, the inner lid assembly 61 is moved to the lower pan 11 side. An urging means 221 for always urging is provided. In each of these drawings, the biasing means 221 is provided below the heat radiating plate 24 and is located near the lid heater 26 disposed above the inner lid 62. It may be provided. In any case, it is only necessary to provide the urging means 221 so that a force that constantly urges the inner lid assembly 61 toward the pan 11 works when the lid is closed.

  The lid heater 26 may be composed of an induction heating coil in addition to the code heater, and is disposed above the inner lid assembly 61. In the case of a cord heater such as the lid heater 26, it is mounted with an adhesive tape 222 in a state of being placed on the upper surface of the heat sink 24 made of aluminum. Mounted on 25. In this embodiment, since the heat from the lid heater 26 is transmitted to the inner lid 62 via the heat radiating plate 24, the inner lid heating means 223 for heating the inner lid assembly 61 includes the lid heater 26 as a heating source. The heat radiating plate 24 facing the inner lid 62 is substantially constituted.

  FIG. 23 shows the positional relationship of each part in a cut state where the inside of the pan 11 is not pressurized or depressurized. In the cut state, a constant gap T1 corresponding to the first gap is formed between the lower surface of the heat radiating plate 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 facing each other when the lid is closed.

  On the other hand, the inside of the rice cooker is provided with pressurizing means for bringing the inside of the pan 11 into a pressurized state higher than the atmospheric pressure. Specifically, the pressurizing means includes a pressure adjusting unit 64 for sealing the inside of the pan 11 and a heating coil 16 for generating steam from the cooked rice in the pan 11. As described above, during the predetermined process during cooking rice, the pot 11 is heated in a sealed state to bring the pot 11 into a pressurized state higher than atmospheric pressure. At this time, the inner lid assembly 61 receives pressure from the inside of the pan 11, but the lid body 21 including the heat radiating plate 24 hits the main body 1, and the entire lid body 21 is further upward from the main body 1. When reaching the upper end position where it cannot move, only the inner lid assembly 61 is lifted upward so as to approach the lid 21 side against the biasing of the biasing means 221. In this case, the gap T2 between the lower surface of the heat sink 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 is smaller than the gap T1 in the cut state (T2 <T1) as shown in FIG.

  When the distance between the lower surface of the heat radiating plate 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 is closer than the state of T2 <T1, that is, the cut state, the heat exchange from the inner lid heating means 223 to the inner lid assembly 61 becomes better. Thus, water droplets attached to the inner lid 62 can be sufficiently evaporated with less power consumption. It is generally after boiling that the inside of the pan 11 is in a pressurized state, and since steam is generated from the cooked rice in the pan 11 after boiling, a heat sink after the boiling process during cooking Reducing the gap T2 between the lower surface of 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 is effective for evaporating water droplets adhering to the inner lid 62 and improving energy saving.

  On the other hand, the lid body 21 is provided with a decompression means 91 for bringing the inside of the pan 11 into a decompressed state lower than the atmospheric pressure, so that, for example, the rice in the pan 11 has reached a predetermined temperature during a predetermined process during the heat retention. Is detected by the temperature sensor 17, the decompression means 91 is driven to bring the inside of the pan 11 into a decompressed state. This is because the oxygen concentration in the pan 11 is lowered to prevent oxidative deterioration of the rice. It should be noted that the decompression means 91 may be driven to put the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state during the initial stage of the rice cooking process.

  When the inside of the pan 11 is in a depressurized state, the inner lid assembly 61 is drawn to the pan 11 side and moves downward, contrary to the pressurized state. At this time, since the inner lid assembly 61 is constantly urged toward the pan 11 by the urging means 221, the gap between the lower surface of the heat sink 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 is the same distance as in the cut state. The lid 21 to which the inner lid assembly 61 is attached is also pulled into the main body 1 side while maintaining the above.

  Eventually, when the inner lid assembly 61 hits the pan 11, the inner lid assembly 61 is no longer drawn into the pan 11 side. A gap between the lower surface of the heat dissipation plate 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 at the time when the downward movement of the inner lid assembly 61 is completed is defined as T3 '(see FIG. 25). Further, when the gap between the lower surface of the lid 21 and the upper surface of the main body 1 at this time is T4, the dimensions of the respective parts are set so as to maintain the relationship of T3 ′ <T4.

  When the downward movement of the inner lid assembly 61 is completed, only the lid body 21 (that is, the outer lid cover 25) to which the inner lid assembly 61 is attached is pulled downward. As shown in FIG. 26, when the gap between the lower surface of the heat sink 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 at this time is T3, the gap T3 is gradually smaller than the gap T1 in the cut state (T3 <T3). '= T1). Here, if the relationship of T3 ′ <T4 as described above is maintained, even if the lid 21 is pulled in until the lower surface of the heat radiating plate 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 are in contact with each other, A gap T4 between the lower surface and the upper surface of the main body 1 does not become zero. Therefore, the gap T3 between the lower surface of the heat radiating plate 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 is always stabilized when the pressure reducing force in the pan 11 and the repulsive force of the urging means 221 are balanced.

  Incidentally, in FIG. 25, when the dimensions of each part are set in such a relationship that T3 ′> T4, only the lid 21 is pulled from the state of FIG. The main body 1 comes first, and the vertical position of each part is defined there. Therefore, the gap T3 between the lower surface of the heat radiating plate 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 is not stable, and the heat exchange from the inner lid heating means 223 to the inner lid assembly 61 varies. This variation may cause evaporation of water droplets adhering to the inner lid assembly 61 or cause the rice surface in the pan 11 to be overheated.

  The gap between the lower surface of the heat radiating plate 24 and the upper surface of the inner lid 62 may be set as small as possible. However, the outer lid cover 25 and the main body 1 come into contact first, and the vertical position of each part is defined. As a result, the force generated when the clamp 34 is engaged with the clamp receiver 38 in an attempt to close the lid 21 toward the main body 1 is increased, which is not desirable. Therefore, it is important to maintain the relationship of T3 '<T4.

Thus, in this embodiment, the pan 11, the heating coil 16 as a pan heating means for heating the pan 11, the main body 1 including the pan 11 and the heating coil 16, and the lid that covers the main body 1 so as to be freely opened and closed. 21, cover the pot 11, detachably attached to the lower surface of the lid 21, the rice cooker with the inner closure assembly 61 as an internal lid that vertically movable opposite the lid 21 As a means for constantly urging the inner lid assembly 61 toward the pan 11 which is a predetermined direction, an urging means 221 is provided on the lid 21.

  In this way, when the inner lid assembly 61 is attached to the lid body 21, the inner lid assembly 61 is always pressed against the pan 11 side, so the mounting dimensions between the inner lid assembly 61 and the lid body 21 The gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the lid body 21 when the lid is closed is kept at a constant distance even if it is not as close as possible. Therefore, the distance between the inner lid assembly 61 and the lid body 21 can be stabilized without reducing the detachability and usability of the inner lid assembly 61.

  Further, in this embodiment, the lid 21 is provided with an inner lid heating means 223 as a lid heating means for heating the inner lid assembly 61, and a heating control means as a control means for controlling the heating coil 16 or the inner lid heating means 223. 111 is provided, and a first gap (gap T1 shown in FIG. 23) between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 in a state other than the rice cooking process, for example, in a cut-off state is defined as the inner lid assembly 61 in the rice cooking process. It is configured to be different from the second gap (gap T2 shown in FIG. 24 and gap T3 shown in FIG. 26) with the lid heating means 223.

  In this way, the first gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 during the rice cooking process is different from the first gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 in the cut state other than the rice cooking process. The two gaps fluctuate due to the influence of the pressure in the main body 1 and the pan 11. In other words, during the rice cooking process, the gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 can be varied to an optimum distance, so that the inner lid assembly from the inner lid heating means 223 during the rice cooking process can be changed. The heat effect on 61 can be stabilized in an optimal state, and rice cooking performance can be improved.

  Similarly, the first gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 in the off state is referred to as the third gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 during the heat insulation process. You may comprise so that it may differ from (gap T2 shown in FIG. 24, or gap T3 shown in FIG. 26).

  In this case, the third gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 during the heat-retaining process is different from the first gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 in the cut state. It fluctuates under the influence of the pressure in 11. In other words, during the heat insulation process, the gap between the inner cover assembly 61 and the inner cover heating means 223 can be varied to an optimum distance, so that the inner cover assembly from the inner cover heating means 223 during the heat insulation process. The heat effect on 61 can be stabilized in an optimal state, and the heat retention performance can be improved.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the pressure adjusting unit 64 for controlling the pressure in the heating coil 16 and the pan 11 is provided as a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the inside of the pan 11 accommodated in the main body 1 to a pressurized state higher than atmospheric pressure, for example. , at least in a pressurized (pressure regulation) state of cooking process, the second gap after boiling the steam generated from the cooking of the pot 11, is configured to be smaller than the first gap . Then, during the rice cooking process, the second gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 when the inside of the pan 11 is in a pressurized state is, for example, when the rice cooker is in a cut state other than the rice cooking process. It is smaller than the first gap. Therefore, at least during the pressurized state of the rice cooking process, the water adhering to the inner lid assembly 61 is likely to evaporate, and when the lid 21 is opened, dripping of water droplets from the inner lid assembly 61 is prevented, The inner lid assembly 61 and the lid 21 can provide a convenient rice cooker. In addition, reducing the second gap after boiling during cooking in which steam is generated from the cooked rice is effective for evaporating water droplets adhering to the inner lid 62 and improving energy saving. Since the amount of heat generated by the heating means 223 can be suppressed, energy saving can be improved.

  Further, in this embodiment, as a pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure inside the pot 11 lower than the atmospheric pressure, a pressure reducing means 91 including a pressure reducing pump 92 and the like, and a pressure adjusting unit 64 for controlling the pressure in the pot 11, The second gap is configured to be smaller than the first gap at least during the reduced pressure state of the rice cooking process. In this way, during the rice cooking process, the second gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 when the inside of the pan 11 is in a reduced pressure state is, for example, when the rice cooker is in a cut state other than the rice cooking process, for example. It is smaller than one gap. Therefore, at least during the reduced pressure state of the rice cooking process, the water adhering to the inner lid assembly 61 tends to evaporate, and when the lid 21 is opened, dripping of water droplets from the inner lid assembly 61 is prevented. The lid assembly 61 and the lid 21 can provide an easy-to-use rice cooker. In addition, since the amount of heat generated by the inner lid heating means 223 can be suppressed, energy saving can be improved.

  Furthermore, you may comprise so that a 3rd clearance gap may become smaller than a 1st clearance gap during the said pressure reduction state of a heat retention process. That is, during the heat retaining process, the third gap between the inner lid assembly 61 and the inner lid heating means 223 when the inside of the pan 11 is in a reduced pressure state is smaller than the first gap when the rice cooker is in the cut state. Therefore, at least during the depressurized state of the heat retention process, the water adhering to the inner lid assembly 61 is likely to evaporate, and when the lid 21 is opened, dripping of water droplets from the inner lid assembly 61 is prevented. The lid assembly 61 and the lid 21 can provide an easy-to-use rice cooker. In addition, since the amount of heat generated by the inner lid heating means 223 can be suppressed, energy savings can be improved, and the rice cooking in the pan 11 can be prevented from overheating during the heat retention, thereby improving the heat retention performance. Can be provided.

  Next, another modification example regarding the control system will be described with reference to FIG. In this modification, a pressure detection means 251 for detecting the pressure value in the pan 11 and a pressure adjustment operation detection means 252 for detecting the operation of the solenoid 82 as the pressure adjustment operation means are connected to the input port of the heating control means 111. Is done. Here, the pressure detection means 251 may adopt a pressure sensor that directly detects the pressure in the pan 11, and as a function incorporated in the heating control means 111, the temperature immediately after boiling is the pan temperature sensor 17 or the lid. A configuration may be adopted in which the pressure is read as the reference temperature from the temperature sensor 65, and then the pressure is relatively converted from the temperature rise change value detected by the pan temperature sensor 17 or the lid temperature sensor 65. Further, the pressure adjustment operation detecting means 252 may use, for example, a mechanical or optical switch that switches between ON and OFF states each time the solenoid 82 moves in and out. Then, the heating control unit 111 detects the solenoid 82 when the pressure detection unit 251 detects that the pressure in the pan 11 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value higher than the pressurized state, or so that the pressure regulating valve 69 does not block the communication hole 74. In spite of being in a non-energized state, when the pressure regulating operation detecting means 252 detects from the operating position of the solenoid 82 that the pressure regulating valve 69 is actually blocking the communication hole 74, a preset predetermined time, Alternatively, the pressure reducing means 91 is continuously driven until the pressure value in the pan 11 detected by the pressure detecting means 251 decreases to a predetermined value. In addition, the structure of other than that is quite common with the structure of the rice cooker shown in FIGS.

  Then, during the series of operations from rice cooking to heat insulation described above, the heating control means 111 reads the detection output from the pressure detection means 251 as needed, and monitors the pressure value in the pan 11. When the pressure detecting means 251 detects that the pressure in the pan 11 has become a predetermined value higher than the pressurized state, the heating control means 111 determines that some abnormality has occurred in the pressure adjusting section 64, and the pressure is reduced. The pump 92 and the solenoid valve 95 are forcibly driven. As a result, the pressure in the pan 11 gradually decreases, and the lid 21 can be opened safely.

  Further, the heating control means 111 reads the detection output from the pressure adjustment operation detection means 252 when the solenoid 82 is controlled to operate in a non-energized state, for example, in order to retract the pressure adjustment valve 69 from the communication hole 74. The operating state of the solenoid 82 is monitored. Here, when the pressure detection means 251 detects the operation state of the solenoid 82 such that the pressure regulating valve 69 blocks the communication hole 74, the heating control means 111 determines that some abnormality has occurred in the pressure regulating section 64, and the pressure is reduced. The pump 92 and the solenoid valve 95 are forcibly driven. Also in this case, the pressure in the pan 11 gradually decreases, and the lid 21 can be opened safely.

  When it is determined that some abnormality has occurred in the pressure adjusting unit 64, the heating control unit 111 decreases the pressure value in the pan 11 detected by the pressure detection unit 251 until the predetermined time elapses, for example, to atmospheric pressure. Until then, the decompression pump 92 and the electromagnetic valve 95 are continuously driven. By doing so, the lid 21 can be safely opened without reducing the pressure in the pan 11 more than necessary. Further, when the solenoid 82 is intermittently energized to eliminate the abnormality of the pressure adjusting unit 64, an unpleasant operation sound is generated. In this modified example, the pressure reducing means 91, not the solenoid 82, is operated to Since the pressure in 11 is returned to atmospheric pressure, such an unpleasant operation sound does not occur.

  Thus, in this modification, the pressure reducing means 91 for bringing the main body 1 and thus the pot 11 into a state lower than the atmospheric pressure, the pressure detecting means 251 as the first detecting means for detecting the pressure in the pot 11, and the pot 11 In the rice cooker provided with the pressure adjusting unit 64 as the pressure adjusting means for making the inside or higher atmospheric pressure, when the pressure detecting means 251 detects a pressure value equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the pressure reducing means 91 is driven, A configuration that reduces the pressure is adopted.

  In this way, even if the inside of the pan 11 rises to a pressure higher than a predetermined value due to an abnormality in the pressure adjusting unit 64, the pressure detection means 251 detects an abnormality in the pressure value in the pan 11 and The pressure in the pan 11 can be lowered by driving. This decompression means 91 is originally intended to bring the inside of the pan 11 into a decompressed state lower than the atmospheric pressure, so even if the pressure adjusting unit 64 becomes abnormal, the inside of the pan 11 is pressurized without incorporating another structure. It is possible to increase the safety when the lid 21 is opened by returning the state (abnormal pressure state) to the atmospheric pressure (normal pressure).

  Further, in this modified example, a solenoid 82 as an operation means for operating opening / closing of the pressure regulating valve 69 constituting the pressure regulating section 64, and a second that detects the actual operating state of the solenoid 82 instead of the pressure detecting means 251. Pressure adjusting operation detection means 252 as detection means may be provided. In this case, the pressure reducing means 91 is configured to be driven for a predetermined time when the pressure adjusting operation detecting means 252 detects an operation state of the solenoid 82 other than the predetermined state.

  In this way, even if the inside of the pan 11 has risen to an abnormal predetermined value or more due to an abnormality in the pressure adjustment unit 64, the pressure adjustment operation detection means 252 detects an operation other than the predetermined of the solenoid 82, The decompression means 91 is driven for a predetermined time, and the inside of the pan 11 can be returned from the pressurized state to the atmospheric pressure. This pressure reducing means 91 is originally intended to make the inside of the pan 11 lower than the atmospheric pressure, so even if the pressure adjusting unit 64 becomes abnormal, the inside of the pan 11 is in a pressurized state without incorporating another structure. The pressure can be returned to atmospheric pressure to increase safety. Furthermore, even if it is not the solenoid 82, the inside of the pan 11 can be returned to the atmospheric pressure which is a normal pressure, so that the operation sound of the solenoid 82 can be prevented and a convenient rice cooker can be provided.

  Furthermore, in this modification, both the pressure detection means 251 and the pressure adjustment operation detection means 252 are provided, and when the pressure adjustment operation detection means 252 detects an operation other than the predetermined operation of the solenoid 82, the pressure in the pan 11 reaches a predetermined value. The pressure reducing means 91 may be driven until the pressure detecting means 251 detects this.

  In this case, even when the inside of the pan 11 has risen to an abnormal pressure or higher due to an abnormality in the pressure adjustment unit 64, the pressure adjustment operation detection unit 252 detects an operation other than the predetermined operation of the solenoid 82. The decompression means 91 is driven until the pressure in the pan 11 reaches a predetermined value, and the inside of the pan 91 can be returned from the pressurized state to the atmospheric pressure. This pressure reducing means 91 is originally intended to make the inside of the pan 11 lower than the atmospheric pressure, so even if the pressure adjusting unit 64 becomes abnormal, the inside of the pan 11 is in a pressurized state without incorporating another structure. The pressure can be returned to atmospheric pressure to increase safety. Furthermore, since the inside of the pan 11 can be returned to the atmospheric pressure without using the solenoid 82, the operation sound of the solenoid 82 can be prevented from being generated, and an easy-to-use rice cooker can be provided.

  By the way, the heating control means 111 shown in FIG. 27 receives from the operation switch 103 a signal for stopping the rice cooking operation during rice cooking, and a signal for stopping the heat holding operation during heat insulation, not only when the pressure adjusting unit 64 is abnormal. When it is received, the steam in the pan 11 is collected and discharged to the outside of the rice cooker until a predetermined time elapses or until the pressure value in the pan 11 detected by the pressure detection means 251 decreases to a predetermined value. Therefore, even if the decompression means 91 is continuously driven and the lid opening button 32 is operated, the inhibition means 121 is continuously operated without accepting this operation, whereby the main body 1 and the lid body 21 are closed. The lid 21 is configured so as not to open unexpectedly.

  In addition, the heating control means 111, while driving the pressure reducing means 91 to bring the pan 11 into a reduced pressure state lower than the atmospheric pressure, displays the LED 41 corresponding to the notification means, for example, while the rice is being cooked. When the decompression means 91 is driven to collect the steam in the pan 11 after receiving a signal from the operation switch 103 to stop the rice cooking operation or a signal to stop the heat insulation operation during the heat insulation, the LED 41 is turned on. For example, it is configured to display blinking. That is, the LED 41 here is different from the display when the decompression means 91 is driven in response to a signal to stop the rice cooking operation or the heat retention operation, and the display when the other decompression means 91 is driven. However, instead of the LED 41, for example, a sound output unit may be provided as a notification unit to output different sounds.

  In this case, when the user operates, for example, a turn-off key constituting the operation switch 103 during cooking or heat retention in a state other than the reduced pressure state, a signal for stopping the rice cooking operation or the heat retention operation is transmitted to the heating control unit 111. In response to this, the heating control means 111 drives the decompression means 91 to reduce the amount of steam generated when the lid 21 is opened in order to collect the steam in the pan 11 and discharge it outside. Further, the clamp 34 is disengaged from the clamp receiver 38 until a predetermined time elapses after the driving of the decompression means 91 is started or until the pressure value in the pan 11 detected by the pressure detection means 251 decreases to a predetermined value. The inhibition means 121 continues to operate so that there is no such thing. As a result, while the obstruction means 121 is operating, the lid 21 cannot be opened from the main body 1 even if the lid opening button 32 is pushed, and this occurs when the lid 21 is subsequently opened. The amount of steam to be produced can be reduced reliably.

  Thus, here, the pan 11, the heating coil 16 as a pan heating means for heating the pan 11, the main body 1 provided with the pan 11 and the heating coil 16, and the lid 21 covering the main body 1 and thus the upper portion of the pan 11. In the rice cooker provided with the decompression means 91 for bringing the inside of the pan 11 lower than the atmospheric pressure and the heating control means 111 as the control means for controlling rice cooking and heat retention, the main body 1 and the lid 21 are in a closed state. Inhibiting means 121 is provided as a regulating means to leave, and the heating control means 111 receives a signal to stop the rice cooking operation or the heat retaining operation, drives the decompression means 91, and does not open the lid 21 until a predetermined time elapses. Thus, the inhibition means 121 is configured to operate.

  In such a configuration, when the signal for stopping the rice cooking operation during rice cooking is transmitted to the heating control means 111, or when the signal for stopping the heat retention operation during warming is transmitted to the heating control means 111, the decompression means 91 is driven. Then, the steam in the pan 11 is recovered. In addition, the obstruction means 121 operates until the predetermined time elapses, so that the lid 21 cannot be opened from the main body 1. During that time, the steam in the pan 11 is reliably recovered, and the steam when the lid is opened. Can be suppressed. Therefore, a rice cooker with improved safety can be provided.

  In addition, a pressure detection means 251 is provided as a detection means for detecting the pressure in the pan 11, and the pressure reduction means 91 is driven in response to a signal for stopping the rice cooking operation or the heat retention operation, and the pan 11 detected by the pressure detection means 251. The heating control means 111 may be configured to operate the inhibition means 121 until the internal pressure value reaches a predetermined value.

  Also in this case, when the signal for stopping the rice cooking operation during rice cooking is transmitted to the heating control means 111, or when the signal for stopping the heat retention operation during warming is transmitted to the heating control means 111, the decompression means 91 is driven. The steam in the pan 11 is collected. In addition, the obstruction means 121 operates until the inside of the pan 11 reaches a predetermined pressure value, and the lid 21 cannot be opened from the main body 1. The amount of steam generated when the lid is opened can be suppressed. Therefore, a rice cooker with improved safety can be provided.

  Furthermore, in this modification, the LED 41 is provided as a notification means, and a notification (display) when the decompression means 91 is driven in response to a signal to stop the rice cooking operation or the heat retention operation, and otherwise the inside of the pan 11 is displayed. The LED 41 is configured so that the notification (display) when the decompression means 91 is driven in order to achieve a decompressed state is different. In this case, the display by the LED 41 is different between the case where the pressure reducing means 91 is driven in response to a signal for stopping the rice cooking operation or the heat retaining operation, and the case where the pressure reducing means 91 is driven otherwise. From this difference, steam recovery can be recognized immediately, and an easy-to-use rice cooker can be provided.

  FIG. 28 shows a modification regarding the mounting structure of the lid heater 26. Here, when attaching the lid heater 26, a metal plate 271 and a countersunk screw 272 and a nut 273, which are stoppers, are used instead of the adhesive tape 222 described above.

  More specifically, a burring hole 274 through which the head portion 272A of the countersunk screw 272 engages and the screw portion 272B can penetrate from the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 24 is engaged with the heat radiating plate 24 on which the lid heater 26 is placed. A plurality of protrusions are provided. In addition, a hole 275 through which the screw portion 272B of the countersunk screw 272 can pass is formed in the metal plate 271 provided so as to cover the lid heater 26 and the burring hole 274. Then, a countersunk screw 272 is inserted into the burring hole 274 from the lower surface side of the heat radiating plate 24, and the hole 275 is inserted into the screw part 272B of the countersunk screw 272 protruding from the upper end of the burring hole 274, while the metal plate 271 is attached to the lid heater. 26 and the burring hole 274 are placed on the upper ends of the burring holes 274, and the nuts 273 are screwed onto the screw portions 272B of the countersunk screws 272 protruding from the upper surface of the metal plate 271. The lid heater 26 and the heat radiating plate 24 are in close contact with each other in a stable state. When screwing the metal plate 271 to the heat sink 24, in this example, considering the cleanability of the lower surface of the heat sink 24, the end surface of the head 272A is flush with the lower surface of the heat sink 24 when screwed. However, a pan-head screw or the like may be used as a stopper.

  Thus, in this example, the pan 11 and the lid 21, the inner lid assembly 61 as the inner lid that covers the pan 11 and is detachably provided on the lid 21, and the lid that heats the inner lid assembly 61 In a rice cooker provided with a lid heater 26 as a heating means, the lid heater 26 is sandwiched between a lower surface member of the lid body 21 facing the inner lid assembly 61, that is, a heat radiating plate 24, and a metal plate 271 which is another member. It is configured.

  That is, when the lid heater 26 is sandwiched between the heat radiating plate 24 that is the lower surface member of the lid body 21 and the metal plate 271 that is another member, the lid heater 26 is not peeled off from the heat radiating plate 24 over time. In addition, the adhesion between the lid heater 26 and the heat sink 24 is stabilized. Therefore, the heat transfer efficiency from the lid heater 26 to the inner lid assembly 61 is improved and stabilized, so that water droplets are less likely to adhere to the inner lid 62 of the inner lid assembly 61, and wasteful power consumption can be suppressed.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, It can change in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.

It is whole sectional drawing of the rice cooker in one Example of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the principal part at the time of a lid closing same as the above. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part when the lid is closed, which is a cross-section different from FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in a state where the lid opening button is not pushed when the lid is closed. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in a state where the lid opening button is pushed for the first time when the lid is closed. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part in a state where the lid opening button is pushed for the second time when the lid is closed. It is a perspective view which shows a movable part assembly of the state which removed the substrate holder same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the completed movable part assembly same as the above. It is sectional drawing which shows the completed movable part assembly same as the above. It is sectional drawing which shows the completed movable part assembly same as the above. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a pressure adjusting unit during pressurization. It is an expanded sectional view of the pressure regulation part at the time of pressure reduction same as the above. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pressure regulating unit and the safety valve at the time of pressurization represented by a cross section different from FIG. 9. It is a perspective view inside a cover body of the state which removed the outer cover same as the above. It is a perspective view inside a cover body of the state which removed the outer cover same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows a structure of the periphery of a clamp and a pressure regulating solenoid and an opening / closing solenoid. It is a perspective view which shows a solenoid for pressure regulation and its surrounding structure same as the above. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the opening / closing solenoid and the surrounding structure. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when the open / close solenoid is not energized. It is sectional drawing of the principal part at the time of energization of the solenoid for opening / closing same as the above. It is sectional drawing of a safety valve same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows an electrical structure same as the above. It is a timing chart showing the transition of the temperature and pressure in a pan, and the operation state of each part. It is a timing chart showing the transition of the temperature and pressure in a pan, and the operation state of each part. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the positional relationship between the inner lid and the lid heater in the cut state. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the positional relationship between the inner lid and the lid heater in the pressurized state. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the positional relationship between the inner lid and the lid heater in the reduced pressure state. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the positional relationship between the inner lid and the lid heater in the reduced pressure state. It is a block diagram which shows the modification of an electrical structure. It is a partial expanded sectional view of the principal part which shows the modification regarding the attachment structure of a lid heater same as the above.

1 body
11 Pot
16 heating coil (pan heated hand stage)
21 lid
61 Inner lid assembly (inner lid)
64 pressure regulating (pressure regulating means, pressure reducing means)
91 Pressure reducing means
111 Heating control means (control means )
221 Energizing means
223 Inner lid heating means (lid heating means )

Claims (4)

A pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a main body provided with the pan heating means, a lid, and an inner lid that covers the pan and is provided to be movable up and down facing the lid. In the prepared rice cooker,
The lid body is provided with means for constantly urging the inner lid body in a predetermined direction, lid heating means for heating the inner lid body, and control means for controlling the pot heating means or the lid heating means. ,
The first gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means in a state other than the rice cooking process is configured to be different from the second gap between the inner lid body and the lid heating means during the rice cooking process,
Furthermore, pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure inside the main body is provided,
The rice cooker is configured such that the second gap after boiling, in which steam is generated from the cooked food in the pan, is smaller than the first gap during pressure adjustment in the rice cooking process . It said first gap between the inner lid and the lid heating unit during the switching state, it has the third configuration to be different from the gap between the inner lid and the lid heating means in the heat insulation stroke cooker according to claim 1, wherein. A pressure reducing means for bringing the inside of the main body into a reduced pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure;
During the decompression state of the cooking process, cooker according to claim 1, wherein the second gap is configured to be smaller than the first gap. A pressure reducing means for bringing the inside of the main body into a reduced pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure;
3. The rice cooker according to claim 2 , wherein the third gap is configured to be smaller than the first gap during the reduced pressure state of the heat retaining process.