JP5447601B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker provided with pressure adjusting means.

  A conventional rice cooker is provided with only one decompression means for decompressing the inside of the pan, and this one decompression means is operated only for the rice cooking reservation process and the process of keeping warm.

JP 2007-29402 A

  However, in the prior art, water and rice at the time of reserved rice cooking standby are left in the pan until the start of rice cooking, so that there is a problem that the rice is excessively absorbed and the surface of the rice is softened. This is one of the causes of degrading the taste of cooked rice.

  Conventionally, since only one decompression means was attached to the rice cooker, it took a long time to achieve a certain vacuum value that was reduced in the soaking process in rice cooking. For this reason, even if the pressure was reduced, the rice could not absorb water sufficiently. Conventionally, since the pressure reducing means is controlled by one, the life of the pressure reducing means is limited, and the performance of the pressure reducing means cannot be fully used in each process.

The purpose of the present invention is to exert a vacuum effect than before, is to provide a cooker to achieve palatability improving steaming process or cooking up food also operates the pressure reducing means immediately.

In the rice cooker of Claim 1 , the main body, the lid | cover which covers the said main body, the pressure regulation means which adjusts the pressure in the said main body with which the said cover was equipped, the several pressure reduction means to decompress | depress the inside of the said main body, and the said lid | cover And detecting means for detecting the opening of the. In the operation of the decompression means at the start of decompression, a plurality of the decompression means are operated simultaneously. Further, in the operation of the decompression means for the second and subsequent times during the decompression, a plurality of decompression means are operated alternately.

The rice cooker according to claim 2 has a function of operating a plurality of the decompression means to decompress the interior of the main body during the dipping process.

The rice cooker according to claim 3 is characterized in that a plurality of the decompression means are operated during the unevenness process.

The rice cooker according to claim 4 is characterized in that, after cooking, when the lid is not opened within a predetermined time, the pressure reducing means is operated.

The rice cooker according to claim 5 is characterized in that a plurality of the decompression means are operated simultaneously during a reserved rice cooking standby.

According to the rice cooker of Claim 1 , the depressurization speed in a pan becomes quick by having provided several decompression means. Moreover, the inside of a pan is made into atmospheric pressure or less by operating several decompression means at the time of a heat retention start. Moreover, since the inside of the pan becomes a predetermined value below the atmospheric pressure by the first decompression means operation, only one decompression means is operated after the second time. When this one decompression unit operates, the plurality of decompression units are operated alternately, so that the operation time of one decompression unit can be reduced.

According to the rice cooker of Claim 2 , the pressure reduction speed in the pan in the dipping process is further increased.

According to the rice cooker of Claim 3 , the effect which discharge | releases the excess water vapor | steam and dew in a pot in a pottery process out of a pot is improved.

According to the rice cooker of the fourth aspect , during the heat transfer , the decompression means is operated for the first time after detecting the opening of the lid, and excess water vapor in the pan and the water on the rice surface are discharged out of the pan.

According to the rice cooker of Claim 5 , the pressure reduction speed in a pan can be made still faster by operating simultaneously several pressure reduction means at the time of reservation rice cooking standby.

It is whole sectional drawing of the rice cooker in 1st Example of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the structure of a lid open button periphery same as the above. It is a top view of a rice cooker same as the above. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pressure adjusting unit and its periphery during pressurization. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pressure adjusting unit and its surroundings during pressure reduction. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part at the time of pressurization represented by a cross-section different from FIG. 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. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when the inner lid assembly is mounted from the state shown in FIG. 11. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when the inner lid is deformed from the state shown in FIG. 12. It is a perspective view of a pressure regulation part same as the above. It is a perspective view of the state which integrated the fitting member into the pressure regulation valve cover same as the above. It is a perspective view around a pressure regulation valve cover same as the above. It is a perspective view of the state which incorporated the fixing | fixed part in the pressure regulation valve cover as above. It is a front view which shows the hinge mechanism vicinity of a safety valve cover same as the above. It is sectional drawing of a safety valve cover same as the above. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the inner lid. 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. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the rice cooker in 2nd Example of this invention. It is a timing chart showing the transition of the temperature and pressure in a pan, and the operation state of each part.

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

  First, based on FIG. 1, the basic structure of a rice cooker will be described. In the figure, a main body 1 that forms the outline of a rice cooker is formed by an upper frame 2 that constitutes an upper surface and an upper side surface thereof, and a substantially cylindrical outer frame 3 that constitutes a side surface, and is located below the outer frame 3. A bottom plate 4 is provided to cover the bottom opening. At that time, the upper frame 2 and the bottom plate 4 are formed of a synthetic resin such as PP (polypropylene), while the outer frame 3 is formed of a metal member such as stainless steel, for example, in order to improve cleanability and appearance quality. The In addition, a substantially cylindrical pan housing portion 6 that is suspended from the inner peripheral portion of the upper frame 2 and is formed of a synthetic resin such as PP integrated with the upper frame 2, and an opening on the lower surface of the pan housing portion 6. A pan container 9 made of a nonmagnetic material and having a bottomed cylindrical shape for accommodating a pan 11 to be described later is formed by an inner frame 8 that is provided so as to be covered and is formed of a synthetic resin such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate).

  In the pot housing 9, a bottomed cylindrical pot 11 for storing a rice to be cooked such as rice or water is detachably accommodated. The pan 11 has a pan body 12 mainly made of aluminum having good thermal conductivity, and a heating element 13 made 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; Consists of. The reason why the heating element 13 is not provided from the center to the top of the side surface of the pan 11 is to reduce the weight of the pan 11. An annular flange portion 14 is formed around the upper end of the pan 11 so as to extend to the outer periphery thereof. In addition, it has the structure which does not provide a heating means in the outer periphery of the pan accommodating part 6. FIG.

  A heating coil 16 as heating means for electromagnetic induction heating of the bottom of the pan 11 is provided on the lower and bottom sides of the inner frame 8 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 generates heat due to the alternating magnetic field generated from the heating coil 16, and the pot 11 and thus the cooked food in the pot 11 are heated when cooking and keeping warm. ing.

  In addition, a thermistor-type pan temperature sensor 17 is disposed as a temperature detecting means at the center of the bottom of the inner frame 8 so as to elastically contact the outer surface of the bottom of the pan 11. Accordingly, the heating amount of the heating coil 16 is adjusted to keep the pan 11 at a constant temperature.

  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 pot housing 9. The cord heater 18 is an electric heater, and is held on a heater ring 19 as a heat dissipation suppression member mounted and mounted on the upper end of the pan container 9 and covers the cord heater 18 from above. A flange heater is configured by including a metal plate 20 that is attached to the heater ring 19 and also serves as a heat-dissipating part and a fixing bracket made of, for example, an aluminum plate that is excellent in thermal conductivity. The metal plate 20 is positioned opposite to the gap between the rice cooker body 1 and the lid 31. 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 9 while being hung on the upper frame 2 of the main body 1. It is like that. Therefore, there is almost no gap between the pan 11 and the upper end of the pan housing 9 in which the pan 11 is housed. Moreover, the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 has an outer shape that is equal to or greater than the size of the cord heater 18, so that the cord heater 18 is covered with the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 from above. . However, although not shown in the drawing, the handle portion (flange portion 14) of the pan 11 is made non-contact, and by partially forming a gap, when cooking rice with water attached to the outer surface of the pan 11, Steam is discharged from the gap.

  The lid 31 is formed with an outer lid 32 as an outer part forming an outer shell of the upper surface, a lower surface which is an inner surface of the lid 31, a metallic heat sink 34 anodized with stainless steel or aluminum, and an outer lid 32. The main component is an outer lid cover 35 serving as a lid base material that is positioned below, covers the upper opening of the pan 11 and connects the outer lid 32 and the heat sink 34. A lid heater 36 as a lid heating means is provided on the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 34 inside the lid 31. The lid heater 36 may be an electric heating heater such as a cord heater or a heating coil by electromagnetic induction heating.

  A hinge portion 38 connected to the lid 31 is provided behind the upper frame 2. The hinge portion 38 is provided with a pair of holes (not shown) in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and a hinge spring 40 formed of 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 35 so as to face the hole provided in the hinge portion 38. By inserting a rod-shaped hinge shaft 41 in common with the hinge hole and the hole of the hinge portion 38, the main body 1 and the lid 31 are pivotally supported with the hinge shaft 41 as a fulcrum. Further, one end and the other end of the hinge spring 40 are hooked on the outer cover cover 35 and the outer frame 2, respectively, so that the cover body 31 is always urged in the opening direction.

  On the front upper surface of the lid 31, a lid opening button 46 is disposed in an exposed state. When the lid opening button 46 is pressed, the engagement between the lid 31 and the main body 1 is released and the lid is opened by the hinge spring 40. The body 31 opens automatically.

  Here, the configuration around the lid opening button 46 will be described in more detail based on the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. A clamp 44 corresponding to a locking means is disposed on the lid 31. The clamp 44 is pivotally supported with respect to the outer lid cover 35 around a clamp shaft 45 as a shaft provided inside the lid 31. The lid opening button 46 corresponding to the lid opening / closing means is disposed in an exposed state from the front upper surface of the lid 31 so that the user can operate it. Clamp biasing means (not shown) such as a spring for biasing the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44 toward the lid opening button 46 is provided inside the lid 31 so that the lid opening button 46 is always upward. The force to push up is applied.

  In addition to the base end portion 44 </ b> A that contacts the lid opening button 46, the clamp 44 has a drooping portion 44 </ b> B that protrudes downward from a clamping hole 48 on the lower surface of the outer lid cover 35, and a substantial distal end portion of the clamp 44. It corresponds to an engaging portion 44C extending from the lower end of the hanging portion 44B to the inside of the main body 1 as a starting point. The clamp 44 is formed of a metal part such as stainless steel, and the engaging portion 44C is substantially L-shaped. By doing so, it is possible to obtain engagement with the clamp receiver 50 having a higher strength than when the clamp 44 is made of synthetic resin. Further, the engaging portions 44C are provided at substantially equal positions on the left and right sides from the center of the lid 31. The hanging portion 44B and the engaging portion 44C are provided on the lower side of the clamp 44 and are provided in a pair on the left and right. The clamp shaft 45 serving as the rotation center of the clamp 44 is disposed along the upper end of the hanging portion 44B, and the engaging portion 44C swings substantially in the front-rear direction of the main body 1.

  On the other hand, a clamp receiver 50 corresponding to a receiving means is disposed in front of the upper frame 2 at a position substantially opposite to the hinge portion 38 provided on the upper frame 2, and the lid 31 is attached to the main body 1 side. The clamp 44 rotates around the clamp shaft 45 by the urging force of the clamp urging means and engages with the clamp receiver 50, thereby closing the lid 31 with respect to the main body 1. It comes to hold. The clamp receiver 50 is formed of a metal part such as stainless steel. By doing so, compared with the case where the clamp receiver 50 is made of a synthetic resin, the engagement with the clamp 44 having a higher strength can be obtained. On the other hand, when opening the lid 31, the lid opening button 46 is pushed, the base end of the clamp 44 is pushed downward, the clamp 44 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the engaging portion 44 </ b> C is moved to the body 1. The engagement between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 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 44 rotates about the clamp shaft 45. The clearance between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 is set to have a dimensional relationship that is larger than the normal engagement amount of the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50. Further, the dimensional relationship is set to be larger than the gap between the outer lid cover 35 and the upper frame 2.

  Here, the movable clamp 44 on the lid body 31 side is referred to as a locking means, and is a receiving means for the fixed clamp receiver 50 on the main body 1 side. However, a locking means fixed to the lid body 31 is provided, The main body 1 may be provided with movable receiving means.

  Reference numeral 55 denotes an inner lid assembly provided on the outer side, that is, the lower side of the heat radiating plate. This inner lid assembly 55 has a disk shape that is substantially the same diameter as the upper opening of the pan 11, and closes the gap between the pan 11 and the inner lid 56 with a metallic inner lid 56 anodized with stainless steel or aluminum. Therefore, a cover packing 57 made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber or fluoro rubber, and a pressure adjusting unit 58 for adjusting the internal pressure of the pan 11 are provided. The inner lid 56 and the lid packing 57 are integrated by a packing base 59, whereby the inner lid assembly 55 is detachably provided on the inner surface of the outer lid cover 35. Further, the lid packing 57 formed in an annular shape contacts the upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 when the lid 31 is closed (when the lid is closed), and the gap between the pan 11 and the inner lid 56 The steam generated from the pan 11 is sealed.

  Referring back to FIG. 1 again, the heat radiating plate 34 is used for performing temperature management of the inner lid 56 by the lid heater 36 as lid temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the inner lid 56 attached to the lid 31. A thermistor-type lid temperature sensor 61 is provided. Further, a steam port 146 that can be attached to and detached from the upper surface side of the lid 31 is provided at a portion closer to the upper surface rear side of the lid 31.

  The inner lid 56 includes a plurality of holes communicating with the inside of the pan 11, that is, communication holes 77 and 181. In addition, as an opening / closing means for opening and closing these communication holes 77 and 181, a pressure adjusting unit 58 and an opening / closing valve 62 are provided separately. When the inner lid 56 is attached to the lower side of the outer lid cover 35, the pressure adjusting unit 58 and the on-off valve 62 are both provided facing the inlet side of the steam port 146. Communicate internally. The pressure adjusting unit 58 and the on-off valve 62 open or close the communication holes 77 and 181 to adjust the pressure in the pan 11.

  Here, the configuration of the pressure adjusting unit 58 that opens and closes the communication hole 77 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. The pressure adjusting unit 58 as pressure adjusting means includes a pressure adjusting valve 65 for pressure adjustment, a pressure adjusting valve holder assembly 66 that holds the pressure adjusting valve 65, and a dome-shaped pressure adjusting valve cover 67 that covers the pressure adjusting valve 65. Is done. The pressure regulating valve 65 is a material excellent in corrosion resistance and may be any component having a certain weight, and is formed of, for example, an austenitic stainless sphere.

  The pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 includes a first holder 68, a second holder 69, a first pressure regulating packing 71 corresponding to a pressure reducing support member, a second pressure regulating packing 72, and a pressure from the inside of the pan 11. In order not to directly apply to the 1 pressure regulation packing 71, there is a valve support 73 below the first pressure regulation packing 71, corresponding to a pressure support member, and a valve support on the lower surface of the first pressure regulation packing 71. And a pressure regulating spring 74 as an elastic body that urges the valve support 73 in the direction in which the 73 abuts. The valve support 73 is provided with a pressure regulating hole 70 that abuts below the ball-shaped pressure regulating valve 65 when the inside of the pan 11 is pressurized. The pressure adjusting hole 70 is for communicating the pot 11 and the outside of the lid 31. When the steam in the pot 11 passes through the pressure adjusting hole 70, the pressure adjusting hole 70 is discharged from the steam port 146 to the outside air. Yes. The first holder 68 and the second holder 69 are provided with a convex engaging portion 75 and a concave engaged portion 76 for fitting each other. The first holder 68 and the second holder 69 are attached to a communication hole 77 provided in the inner lid 56 as a holding member for holding the first pressure regulating packing 71, the valve support 73, and the like. The first holder 68 is entirely formed in a cap shape, and has a through hole 68A at the center thereof. The first holder 68 has a peripheral portion 68B of the through hole 68A and an upper end portion 69A of the second holder 69. The base is clamped. The second holder 69 has a cylindrical shape. A flange 69B is formed on the lower side of the second holder 69 so as to abut the lower surface of the inner lid 56 around the communication hole 77. The ring-shaped first outer ring is formed on the upper outer periphery of the flange 69B. A concave groove 69 </ b> C for fitting the two pressure regulating packings 72 is formed. Furthermore, a projecting piece 69d having an L-shaped cross section is formed on the inner peripheral side of the second holder 69 in order to fit one end of the pressure adjusting spring 74.

  When assembling the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66, first, the pressure regulating packing 72 fitted into the concave groove 69C of the second holder 69 is inserted into the communication hole 77 provided in the inner lid 56, and the inside of the second holder 69 is inserted. The valve support 73 is inserted from above the second holder 69 so as to sandwich the pressure adjusting spring 74 on the circumferential side. Next, the first pressure regulation packing 71 is placed on the valve support 73 so as to cover the valve support 73 and the upper end 69A of the second holder 69, and the first pressure regulation packing 71 is further sandwiched from this state. In this manner, the first holder 68 is covered from above, the engaging portion 75 and the engaged portion 76 are fitted to each other, and the first holder 68 is attached to the second holder 69. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 is assembled, the inner surface of the second holder 69 and the lower surface of the valve support 73 are directly opposed to the inside of the pan 11. The first pressure regulating packing 71 arranged on the upper side of the two holders 69 and the valve support 73 has a structure that does not require direct pressure from the inside of the pan 11.

  The pressure regulating valve 65 is held by the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 assembled in this manner, and the pressure regulating section 58 is configured by covering the pressure regulating valve cover 67 from above. At this time, the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 and the pressure regulating valve cover 67 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 67 is for restricting the movement range of the pressure regulating valve 65, and is provided with a plurality of holes (not shown) for guiding the steam discharged from the pressure regulating hole 70 to the steam port 146. Further, since the inner lid 56 is supported by the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 and the pressure regulating valve cover 67, the communication hole 77 of the inner lid 56 is not exposed.

  The opening area of the pressure regulating hole 70 of the valve support 73 is smaller than the area of the surface 80 that receives pressure directly from the inside of the pan 11 inside the leg 79 formed on the lower side of the valve support 73. Further, the pressure regulating valve 65 is held so as to close the pressure regulating hole 70. Therefore, the pressure in the pan 11 can be adjusted by the opening area of the pressure adjusting hole 70 and the weight of the pressure adjusting valve 65.

  As an operation source for adjusting the sealing degree of the lid 31 by moving the pressure regulating valve 65, that is, the internal pressure of the pan 11, the outer lid cover 35 in the lid 31 has a solenoid 78 for moving the pressure regulating valve 65 in the pressure regulating unit 58. Is provided. When the solenoid 78 is not energized, its tip is held in the advanced position and the pressure regulating valve 65 is retracted from the pressure adjusting hole 70, while when the solenoid 78 is energized, its tip is retracted and the pressure regulating valve 65 is adjusted. The pressure hole 70 is caused to roll by its own weight, the pressure adjusting hole 70 is closed, and the pressure is put into the pan 11.

  Both the first pressure regulating packing 71 and the second pressure regulating packing 72 are made of an elastic member such as silicone rubber. Accordingly, particularly when the pressure in the pan 11 shown in FIG. 5 is reduced, the pressure regulating valve 65 comes into close contact with the first pressure regulating packing 71 due to elastic deformation of the first pressure regulating packing 71, and the opening in the first pressure regulating packing 71. That is, the sealing performance of the hole 71A is improved.

  Here, the operation means of the pressure adjusting unit 58 will be described with further reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 in addition to FIGS. Inside the lid 31 is provided a pressure adjusting solenoid 78 that moves the pressure adjusting valve 65 in the pressure adjusting unit 58 by retracting the plunger 151 from the inside by electromagnetic force. Similarly, the pressure adjusting frame 152 that moves together with the plunger 151 toward the outer lid cover 35 and the flexible pressure adjusting packing 153 that holds the inside of the lid 31 in a watertight state are also the outer lid in the lid 31. The cover 35 is provided. The pressure regulation packing 153 has a concave attachment portion 153A that faces the pressure adjustment portion 58 and fits to the periphery of an attachment hole provided in the outer lid cover 35. As shown also in FIG. 6, the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 and the pressure adjusting frame 152 are accommodated and arranged in a pressure regulating accommodating portion 154 formed in the lid 31 by the outer lid cover 35.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the pressure adjusting frame 152 is a frame portion provided so as to surround the pressure adjusting operation portion 161 as the pressure adjusting valve operating means protruding toward the pressure adjusting valve 65 and the pressure adjusting solenoid 78. 162 and a clamp operation restricting portion 163 as restricting means provided on the substantially opposite side of the pressure adjusting operation portion 161. The plunger 151 of the solenoid 78 and thus the pressure adjusting frame 152 are always positioned so as to push the pressure adjusting valve 65 in order to bring the inside of the pan 11 into a non-pressurized state. The position of the pressure adjusting frame 152 at this time is defined as a first frame position. In particular, a portion of the pressure adjustment frame 152 that operates the pressure adjustment valve 65 is the pressure adjustment operation unit 161. In this way, when the lid 31 is to be opened, the inside of the pan 11 is communicated with the outside air, and a smooth lid opening operation can be obtained without being affected by negative pressure.

  In addition to the pressure adjusting unit 58 facing the communication hole 77, an open / close valve 62 that opens and closes the communication hole 181 is provided on the upper surface side of the inner lid 56 so as to face another communication hole 181. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the on-off valve 62 includes an on-off valve shaft 201 that can move up and down, a shaft presser 202, a shaft spring 203 that is a coil spring that is an elastic body, and a lower portion of the on-off valve shaft 201. And a shaft packing 204 to be mounted on. The shaft retainer 202 has a cylindrical shape, and the lower end abuts around the communication hole 181 of the inner lid 56, while the on-off valve shaft 201 is inserted from the upper end. A shaft spring 203 is provided between a flange 201A formed on the outer periphery of the on-off valve shaft 201 and an upper end of the shaft presser 202, and always urges the on-off valve shaft 201 in a direction in which the shaft packing 204 is separated from the communication hole 181. To do. As described above, the open / close shaft 201 including the shaft packing 204 is constantly urged in the direction to open the communication hole 181 by the shaft spring 203, and this causes Oneva accumulated in the upper portion of the inner lid 56 to be connected to the communication hole 181. When the lid 31 is closed, the air is easily released from the inside of the pan 11 through the communication hole 181 to reduce the force applied when the lid is closed. Further, the shaft packing 204 provided facing the communication hole 181 is formed of a flexible material so as to reliably close the communication hole 181 when the on-off valve shaft 201 moves downward.

  205 is a cylindrical on-off valve cover that covers the outer periphery of the on-off valve shaft 201 and the shaft spring 203 and is attached to the upper part of the shaft presser 202. The on-off valve cover 205 may be attached to the pressure regulating valve cover 67, or may be provided separately from the pressure regulating valve cover 67.

  An on-off valve operating means 211 as an operating means is attached to the outer lid cover 35, located above the on-off valve 62. The on-off valve operating means 211 includes a first on-off shaft 212A and a second on-off shaft 212B as operation members 212 for operating the on-off valve 62, an on-off frame 175 that is a frame member that moves the operation member 212 up and down, Between the first opening / closing shaft 212A and the second opening / closing shaft 212B, an elastic member 215 made of a coil spring, a flexible seal member 217 for closing the hole 216 of the outer lid cover 35, and an upper portion of the seal member 217 And a cap 218 attached to. The seal member 217 is provided with a seal portion 221 that seals the inside of the lid 31 on the outer peripheral portion thereof, and a bottomed cylindrical operation portion 222 that covers the operation member 212 is provided at the center portion. The operation part 222 is in contact with the upper end surface of the on-off valve shaft 201. Here, the seal part 221 has a U-shaped cross section and is attached to the periphery of the hole part 216 of the outer lid cover 35. Further, the seal part 221 is arranged between the periphery of the hole part 216 and the outer periphery of the cap 218. Sandwiched between. Further, the seal portion 221 and the operation portion 222 are connected by a connecting portion 223 that is thinner than the seal portion 221 and the operation portion 222 and is rich in flexibility. The connecting portion 223 is formed in a shape having a curved cross section. However, if the operating portion 222 is movable in the same vertical direction as the on-off valve shaft 201 in conjunction with the operating member 212, the connecting portion 223 has a shape other than a curved shape. May be.

  An elastic member 215 is attached between the operation member 212 inserted through the cap 218 and the operation portion 222 of the seal member 217. Further, a hole 213 through which the operation member movable portion 188 of the opening / closing frame 175 passes and contacts is provided above the operation member 212.

  An annular groove 241 is formed on the upper outer periphery of the first open / close shaft 212A having a bottomed cylindrical shape, while a lower inner periphery of the second open / close shaft 212B is formed, and a claw 242 is fitted into the groove 241. The second opening / closing shaft 212B is mounted on the upper portion of the first opening / closing shaft 212A so as to be vertically movable with the elastic member 215 interposed therebetween. Here, by providing the groove 241 with a certain width, the movement range of the first opening / closing shaft 212A relative to the second opening / closing shaft 212B is regulated by the width of the groove 241. Thus, the operation member 212 is controlled. Is provided at a predetermined mounting position of the elastic member 215. In other words, the groove 241 and the claw 242 here are a regulation that uniformly regulates the upper and lower limits of the total length of the operation member 212 that can be changed in the vertical direction without depending on the elastic force and dimensional variation between the elastic members 215. It is provided as a means.

  Here, the configuration of the open / close frame 175 and its surroundings will be described based on FIGS. 7 and 8 and FIG. 10 described above, and is different from the pressure regulation housing portion 154 formed in the lid 31 by the outer lid cover 35. An open / close solenoid 172 is disposed in the open / close housing portion 171. Similarly to the pressure adjusting solenoid 78, the opening / closing solenoid 172 also has a configuration in which the plunger 173 is moved in and out by an electromagnetic force. The open / close frame 175 is accommodated in the open / close accommodating portion 171 together with the open / close solenoid 172, and is movable together with the plunger 173. As described above, the open / close frame 175 constituting the open / close valve operating means 211 operates with the open / close solenoid 172, preferably a solenoid, as a drive source, so that the open / close frame 175 can be reliably moved in the rice cooking process. Become. Similarly, the pressure adjusting frame 152 operates with the pressure adjusting solenoid 78, preferably a solenoid, as a driving source, so that the pressure adjusting frame 152 can be reliably moved in the rice cooking process.

  The operation member movable portion 188 is located between the operation member 212 and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172, and is formed in the shape of an arm piece integrally with the rear of the opening / closing frame 175. Further, in front of the opening / closing frame 175, a protruding clamp operation restricting portion 189 as a restricting means is provided, which is positioned substantially opposite to the operation member movable portion 188. The operation member movable portion 188 has a shape having a height difference between the central portion 188A and the tip portion 188B, and is further set in a state of penetrating through a hole 213 provided in the operation member 212. In other words, the operation member movable portion 188 here forms a cam surface 188C at the contact portion with the operation member 212, and as the operation member movable portion 188 interlocked with the plunger 173 extends and retracts, By changing the position of the cam surface 188C with which the operation member 212 is in contact, the opening / closing shaft 186 and thus the opening / closing valve 182 move up and down.

  Reference numeral 251 denotes a safety valve provided on the inner lid 56 of the inner lid assembly 55. The safety valve 251A is opened 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 the internal pressure of the pan 11 is decreased. The safety valve 251 is provided around a hole 252 formed in the inner lid 56, and a base member 253 attached from the lower side of the hole 252; a dome-shaped safety valve cover 254 attached from the upper side of the hole 252; and a safety valve cover An opening / closing holding means 255 provided in 254 and an annular packing 256 that seals the inner surface of the hole 252 and the base member 253 in a watertight manner. Among them, the opening / closing holding means 255 is an opening / closing means 257 as a valve body provided in the safety valve side cover member 254 so as to be movable up and down, and an urging means interposed between the safety valve side cover member 254 and the opening / closing means 257. Coil spring 258. The base member 253 is formed with an opening 259 that communicates with the hole 252 of the inner lid 56 and thus the inside of the safety valve 251 to the steam port 146, and an elastic member 260 provided at the tip of the opening / closing means 257 is opened. A coil spring 258 constituting the opening / closing holding means 255 urges the opening / closing means 257 in one direction so as to always close the 259.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a fitting member 261 for adding the pressure regulating valve cover 67 of the pressure regulating unit 58 to the inner lid 56 is added. The fitting member 261 is made of an elastic linear body, and is formed of a metal ring-shaped fixing portion 262 having corrosion resistance that fits in an annular groove portion 67A formed on the side portion of the pressure regulating valve cover 67. The hook part 263 is bent from both ends and is inserted into the insertion hole 67B of the pressure regulating valve cover 67. Further, the pressure regulating valve cover 67 is formed with a slit 67 </ b> C serving as a cut portion so as to be easily elastically deformed when the fitting member 261 is attached and to be easily engaged with the first holder 68. The shape of the slit 67C and the like are not particularly limited, and the slit 67C may not be provided if the pressure regulating valve cover 67 itself is a material that is relatively elastic. Reference numeral 302 denotes a filter presser.

  Here, with the pressure regulating valve 65 being held on the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 previously mounted on the inner lid 56, the fitting member 261 is attached to the pressure regulating valve cover 67 after covering the pressure regulating valve cover 67 from above. . When the hook 263 is inserted into the insertion hole 67B of the pressure regulating valve cover 67 while the fixing portion 262 of the fitting member 261 is fitted in the annular groove 67A of the pressure regulating valve cover 67, the elastic force of the fitting member 261 acts. Thus, the pressure regulating valve cover 67 is elastically deformed in the direction in which the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 is tightened, and the pressure regulating valve cover 67 can be engaged with the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66, and thus the inner lid 56. In addition, when cleaning the details of the inner lid assembly 61, simply removing the fitting member 261 from the pressure regulating valve cover 67 causes no elastic force to act on the pressure regulating valve cover 67, and the pressure regulating valve cover 67 is removed. It can be easily removed from the holder assembly 66. Therefore, in this case, the pressure regulating valve cover 67, the pressure regulating valve 65, the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66, and the like can be individually cleaned.

  Thus, in this example, the main body 1 including the pan 11, the lid body 21 that covers the main body 1, the inner lid 56 that can be attached to and detached from the lid body 21, and pressure adjusting means that adjusts the pressure in the main body 1. In the rice cooker provided with the pressure adjusting unit 58, a fitting member 261 for engaging the pressure adjusting unit 58 with the inner lid 56 is provided, and the fitting member 261 is a fixing unit for fixing the pressure adjusting unit 58 262 and a hooking portion 263 that is detachably engaged with the pressure regulating valve cover 67 of the pressure regulating portion 58. In this case, since the pressure adjusting unit 58 can be engaged with the inner lid 56 using the fitting member 261 different from the pressure adjusting unit 58, the engagement state between the pressure adjusting unit 58 and the inner lid 56 The pressure regulating unit 58 can be incorporated into the inner lid 56 in a stable state without impairing the operation. In addition, simply attaching or removing the hooking portion 263 to or from the pressure regulating valve cover 67 allows the pressure regulating portion 58 and the inner lid 56 to be easily attached and detached, which not only facilitates assembly work but also facilitates user cleaning. A rice cooker can be provided.

  Further, since the fitting member 261 in the present example is made of an elastic member, the pressure adjusting unit 58 can be kept engaged with the inner lid 56 by using the elastic force of the fitting member 261.

  Further, the pressure adjusting unit 58 here includes a pressure adjusting valve 65 and at least a pressure adjusting valve holder assembly 66 that is a holding member of the pressure adjusting valve 65 or a pressure adjusting valve cover 67 as a cover member. Is fixed by a fixing portion 262. As described above, when the pressure regulating valve cover 67 of the pressure regulating portion 58 is fixed to the fixing portion 262 of the fitting member 261, for example, a slit 67C that is a cut portion is inserted into the pressure regulating valve cover 67 to provide a slight elasticity. Therefore, the pressure regulating valve cover 67 and the inner lid 56 of the pressure regulating portion 58 can be easily attached and detached without stopping the conventional engagement by press fitting and receiving damage.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 to 19, the pressure regulating valve cover 67 is integrally attached or integrally formed with the on-off valve cover 205 and the safety valve cover 254, and is a concave groove provided on the outer peripheral surface of the base member 253. Three engagement claw pieces 262A, 262B, and 262C that can be engaged with 300 are equally provided at three locations on the inner peripheral surface of the safety valve cover 254, and the engagement claw pieces 262C on the pressure regulating valve side thereof are By a pair of slits 301, 301 as cut portions formed on both the left and right sides of the piece 262C, the left and right lower sides except for the upper side are formed as free ends on the safety valve cover 254. Therefore, the engagement claw piece 262C on the pressure regulating valve side is formed as a safety valve. A hinge structure H is provided that allows the safety valve cover 254 to swing in the radial direction about the upper side connected to the cover 254 as an axis. On the outer periphery of the engaging claw piece 262C on the pressure regulating valve side, there is provided a projecting portion 264 that projects from the inside to the outside of the safety valve cover 254 toward the pressure regulating valve cover 67. Is provided with an inclined surface 265 formed to be inclined from top to bottom from the inside to the outside of the safety valve cover 254, and the upper surface 266 of the outer end portion of the projecting portion 264 continuous with the inclined surface 265. Is formed horizontally. Here, the upper surface 266 of the outer end portion of the projecting portion 264 is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the fixing portion 262 in a state of being fitted in the annular groove portion 67A.

  Here, when the three engagement claw pieces 262A, 262B, and 262C are respectively locked in the concave groove 300 and the safety valve cover 254 is attached to the base member 253, the three engagement claw portions 262A, 262B, and 262C When the attachment claw portions 262A and 262B having strength as rigid bodies are provided with a hinge structure H by a pair of slits 301 and 301 formed on the left and right sides of the engagement claw piece 262C on the pressure regulating valve side, Since the lower part of the engaging claw piece 262C on the pressure regulating valve side is elastically deformed in the direction of opening outward along the outer peripheral surface of the base member 253 by the hinge structure H, the engagement on the pressure regulating valve side is easily performed. Not only the claw piece 262C but also the engaging claw portions 262A and 262B as other rigid bodies can be easily engaged with the base member 253 and thus the inner lid 56. Thereafter, when the fixing portion 262 of the fitting member 261 is fitted into the annular groove portion 67A of the pressure regulating valve cover 67, the fixing portion 262 moves the annular groove portion 67A along the inclined surface of the locking claw piece 262C, When abutting against the upper surface 266 of the outer end portion of the locking claw piece 262C, the elastic deformation in the opening direction of the engagement claw piece 262C on the pressure regulating valve side is restricted, and the three engagement claw pieces 262A and 262B are restricted. , 262C and the recessed groove 300 are fixed. By providing a hinge structure H with a pair of slits 301 and 301 on the engagement claw piece 262C on the pressure regulating valve side, the load on the three engagement claw pieces 262A, 262B and 262C at the time of attachment by engagement with the base member 253 is reduced. Minimize and prevent damage during installation. Further, since the safety valve cover 254 is fixed to the base member 253 by the fixing portion 262 that fixes the pressure control valve cover 67 to the pressure control valve holder assembly 66, the number of parts can be increased.

  Further, by removing the fixing portion 262 that fixes the pressure regulating valve cover 67 to the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66, the restriction of elastic deformation in the direction to open the engaging claw piece 262C on the pressure regulating valve side is released, and the safety valve cover Can be easily detached from the base member 253. Since the safety valve cover 67 can be easily removed in this way, it is possible to prevent damage to parts during replacement.

  As shown in FIG. 20, a step-like first step 267 provided at the upper periphery of the base member 253 and a step-like first step provided at the lower periphery of the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 corresponding to the first step. The connecting means 269 is configured to connect the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 and the base member 253 which is composed of two step portions 268 and is configured to be able to be engaged with the second step portion 268 over the first step portion 267. ing.

  Here, since the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 is overlapped on the base member 253 by the connecting means, the pressure regulating valve cover 67 or the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 is attached due to a malfunction of the pressure regulating valve cover 67 or both. Even when the portion is broken, the base member 253 holds the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 from below by the connecting means, so that the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 can be prevented from falling off from the inner lid 56. In this way, the connecting means 269 between the attachment portion of the pressure regulating valve cover 67 and the base member 253 can prevent the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 from coming off from the inner lid 56 in a double manner.

  When the inner lid assembly 55 is attached to the lower surface of the outer lid cover 35, the upper end surface of the on-off valve shaft 201 pushed upward by the shaft spring 203 comes into contact with the operation portion 222 of the seal member 217. At this time, the opening / closing solenoid 172 is in a non-energized state, and since the central portion 188A of the operating member movable portion 188 is positioned in the hole 213 of the operating member 212, the elastic member 215 is bent and the first of the operating member 212 is moved. The open / close shaft 212A is pushed upward. Therefore, the shaft packing 204 is separated from the communication hole 181 and the communication hole 181 is kept open. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, when the opening / closing solenoid 172 is not energized in the normal state, the operation member 212 comes into contact with the central portion 188A of the operation member movable portion 188, and the first opening / closing shaft 212A or the opening / closing valve of the operation member 212 Since the open / close valve shaft 201 of 62 is located above, the communication hole 181 formed in the inner lid 56 remains open.

  Conversely, as shown in FIG. 12, when a predetermined process of rice cooking is started and the opening / closing solenoid 172 is energized, the opening / closing frame 175 operates to operate the operation member movable portion 188 in the hole 213 of the operation member 212. Retreats and moves through, and the operation member 212 is held in contact with the distal end portion 188B of the operation member movable portion 188. As described above, the central portion 188A and the distal end portion 188B of the operating member movable portion 188 have a height difference, and the distal end portion 188B has the cam surface 188C with which the operating member 212 abuts lower than the central portion 188A. doing. Therefore, the operation member 212 and the operation portion 222 of the seal member 217 move downward while the operation member 212 maintains the entire length in a certain range by fitting the groove 241 and the claw 242, and the inner cover assembly 55 is provided. When the on-off valve shaft 201 is pushed downward by the operating portion 222 of the seal member 217, the shaft packing 204 attached to the tip of the on-off valve shaft 201 closes the communication hole 181. At this time, in order for the shaft packing 204 to reliably close the communication hole 181, the force by which the operating portion 222 of the seal member 217 pushes the on-off valve shaft 201 downward is that the shaft spring 203 biases the on-off valve shaft 201 upward. To be greater than the power to do. Further, in this embodiment, the stroke (movement distance) when the operating member movable portion 188 of the opening / closing frame 175 pushes the opening / closing valve shaft 201 is defined within a certain range by the fitting of the groove 241 and the claw 242. The shaft packing 204 can block the communication hole 181 stably.

  As described above, in the vicinity of the pressure regulating solenoid 78, a pressure regulating operation unit 161 for moving the pressure regulating valve 65 is provided behind the pressure regulating frame 152, while on the front side of the pressure regulating frame 152. A protruding clamp operation restricting portion 163 is provided. Similarly, an operation member movable portion 188 having a cam surface 188C is provided behind the opening / closing frame 175 in the vicinity of the opening / closing solenoid 172, and a protruding clamp operation restricting portion 189 is provided in front of the opening / closing frame 175. Is provided. Then, when the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 moves to the retracted position, which is the second frame position, such as by starting cooking rice and moving to a predetermined process of pressurizing, the clamp 44 is engaged from the clamp receiver 50. In order to restrict the movement in the releasing direction, the clamp operation restricting portion 163 is arranged so as to sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 is similarly set to the second position. When moved to the retracted position, which is the frame position, the clamp operation restricting portion 189 is disposed so as to sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44. At this time, even if the clamp 44 is pushed by the lid opening button 46, the movement of the clamp 44 is restricted and the engagement with the clamp receiver 50 cannot be released.

  Conversely, when the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 is in the advanced position, which is the first frame position, the clamp operation restricting portion 163 is separated from the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44 and the plunger of the opening / closing solenoid 172 Similarly, when 173 is in the advanced position, which is the first frame position, the clamp operation restricting portion 189 is separated from the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44. That is, when the clamp operation restricting portion 163 and / or the clamp operation restricting portion 189 are located below the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the operation of the clamp 44 is restricted, and the clamp 44 is removed from the clamp receiver 50. Although the engagement cannot be released, when both the clamp operation restricting portion 163 and the clamp operation restricting portion 189 are separated from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the operation of the clamp 44 is not restricted and the lid opening button 46 is pressed. When the moving operation is performed, the clamp 44 is detached from the clamp receiver 50 and the lid 31 is opened. The clamp operation restricting portions 163 and 189 may be any shape as long as they have a position and a shape for restricting the operation of the clamp 44 without being submerged below the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44. .

  As another example, a pressure detection means (not shown) is arranged below the movable portion of the pressure adjusting frame 152 in the outer lid cover 35, and the pressure detection valve is biased downward by, for example, a spring that is an elastic member. It may be configured. In this case, the upper part of the pressure detection valve is configured to push up the clamp operation restricting means. In addition, a packing is provided between the pressure detection valve and the clamp operation restricting means to move the clamp operation restricting means up and down in accordance with the vertical movement of the pressure detection valve according to the pressure state inside the pan 11. The pressure detection valve is held by, for example, a cover and a holder, and the pressure detection valve is always urged downward by the spring provided between the lower side of the pressure detection valve and the cover. Further, it is preferable to provide a packing for sealing between the pressure detection unit and the inner lid 56.

  In this example, when the internal pressure of the pan 11 reaches a predetermined value, the pressure detection valve moves upward. This occurs when the ratio between the area directly receiving the pressure from the pan 11 and the internal pressure below the pressure detection valve is higher than the biasing force of the spring. When the pressure detection valve moves upward against the biasing force of the spring, the clamp operation restricting means also moves upward. The clamp operation restricting means that moves upward and protrudes becomes a position that prevents the operation of the frame, that is, the third frame position that prevents the return from the second frame position to the first frame position. At this time, the pressure regulating valve 58 is arranged such that the frame 152 is buried under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44 while the pressure regulating hole 70 is opened.

  81 is a pressure reducing means provided to lower the inside of the pan 11 below the normal atmospheric pressure with the lid 31 closed to the main body 1. The decompression means 81 includes a decompression pump 82 serving as a decompression drive source, and a tubular path 84 extending from the decompression pump 82 through the main body 1 and the lid 31 to the hole 83 provided in the inner lid 56. Further, an electromagnetic valve 87 as an opening / closing body for opening and closing the base end portion of the path 84 and a valve housing body 88 for housing the electromagnetic valve 87 are provided inside the lid body 31. Connected to the valve housing 88 is a cylindrical decompression packing 89 protruding downward from the heat radiating plate 34 toward the periphery of the hole 83 of the inner lid 56. Here, the hole 83 in the inner lid 56 is provided as a vacuum communication hole for evacuation, and the electromagnetic valve 87 is provided between the hole 83 and the decompression pump 82. The path 84 is formed of a pipe such as a rubber tube, for example, and connects between the pressure reducing pump 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87. In FIG. 1, the decompression pump 82 is provided at the rear part of the main body 1, but this may be provided at the rear part of the lid 31 as shown in FIG. 7.

  Then, when the inner lid assembly 55 including the inner lid 56 is attached to the lower surface of the lid body 31, the decompression packing 89 is hermetically abutted against the upper surface of the inner lid 56 while being elastically deformed, whereby the hole 83 and the decompression pump 82 are connected. A communication path 84 is formed. Further, when the lid 31 is closed with the inner lid assembly 55 attached, if the lid packing 57 is in close contact with the pan 11 and the communication holes 77 and 181 are closed, the sealed pan 11 and the electromagnetic pump 82 are closed. Communicates with each other via a path 84. When the decompression pump 82 is started from this state, the solenoid valve 87 and thus the path 84 are opened, and the air in the pan 11 is exhausted to the outside of the main body 1 through the path 84 and the decompression pump 82, and the inside of the sealed pan 11 The pressure drops. In addition, when the pressure in the pan 11 drops below the atmospheric pressure by a certain value, the electromagnetic valve 87 and thus the path 84 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 electromagnetic valve 87 and consequently the path 84 are opened, and the decompression pump 82 is activated to maintain the pan 11 in a state lower than the atmospheric pressure. .

  In such a depressurized state in the pan 11 lower than the atmospheric pressure, the air inside the leg 79 constituting the valve support 73 is sucked into the pan 11 and accordingly the pressure regulating valve 65 and the pressure regulating valve 65 are The valve support 73 to be placed and supported is lowered against the bias of the pressure adjusting spring 74. However, when the opening 70 of the valve support 73 moves to a position lower than the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 71, the pressure regulating valve 65 is mounted on the first pressure regulating packing 71 in place of the previous valve support 73. And the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 71 is closed, so that the inside of the pan 11 is secured and the pressure reduction can be continued (see FIG. 5).

  On the other hand, 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 73 resists the weight of the pressure regulating valve 65. Rises. Here, when the opening 70 of the valve support 73 moves to a position higher than the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 71, the pressure regulating valve 65 is replaced by the valve support 73 instead of the first pressure regulating packing 71 so far. The pressure regulating valve 65 that is placed and closes the pressure regulating hole 70 and that is placed on the valve support 73 rises in the same manner as the valve support 73. After the valve support 73 is lifted, the valve support 73 comes into contact with the first pressure regulating packing 71, thereby blocking the steam and the like trying to pass through the hole 71 </ b> A of the first pressure regulating packing 71, thereby maintaining the hermetic seal in the pot 11. Yes (see FIG. 4).

  Returning to FIG. 1 again, an operation panel 101 is provided at the front of the main body 1. Inside this operation panel 101 is an LCD 102 for displaying the time and the selected menu, an LED for displaying the current process, and an operation for starting cooking and selecting a menu, although none of them are shown in the figure. In addition to the switch 103 (see FIG. 5), a substrate on which a depressurization selection switch for selecting a depressurization 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 31.

  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.

  The cooling fan 113 is disposed below or on the side of the radiator 112 attached to the heating control means 111. Also, a hole for discharging the air that is warmed by taking heat from the radiator 112 attached to the heating control means 111 to the outside of the main body 1 at the bottom or side of the main body 1. A plurality of (not shown) are provided. The heating control means 111 is housed inside the product, that is, in the main body 1, but may be disposed at any position on the outer periphery of the pan 11. Moreover, you may arrange | position the hole provided in the bottom part or side part of the main body 1 in any position. However, in recent years, there is a demand for miniaturization of products, and the heating control means 111 and the cooling fan 113 and the hole 114 for discharging warm air are arranged at substantially opposite positions across the pan 11. Is preferred.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 141 denotes a substrate attached to the back (inside) side of the lid opening button 46. On this substrate 141, an LED 142 as an alarm means that is turned on when the pressure reducing means 81 operates and a Hall element 143 as a magnetic detection element are mounted. As shown in FIG. 3, the LED 142 is provided opposite to the upper surface of the lid opening button 46, and the hall element 143 is provided on the outer lid 32 when the lid opening button 46 is not pressed. It is arranged to face the magnet 144 as a magnetic body. When the Hall element 143 tries to release the engagement between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50, the Hall element 143 detects the operation by separating from the magnet 144 and outputs a detection signal to the heating control means 111 described later. Provided as a means. In addition, you may comprise the detection means which has an equivalent function with another sensor.

  LED 142 is continuously lit only when the pressure reducing means 81 is activated in the initial stage of rice cooking or heat retention, and the inside of the pan 11 is below atmospheric pressure, and when the inside of the pan 11 is below atmospheric pressure during the heat insulation step, When the engagement between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 is to be released, a detection output from the hall element 143 is received, blinks for a predetermined time, and is then provided as display means that turns off. Instead of the LED 142, other display means such as an LCD may be used, or a notification means such as a buzzer may be provided. In this case, the notification means may be configured in a similar manner or in conjunction with the process. In addition to the outer lid 32, the heat radiating plate 34, the outer lid cover 35, and the inner lid assembly 55 described above, the lid body 31 is provided with an outer lid 32 in order to improve the appearance quality of the lid body 31. A three-dimensional metal lid 33 covering the upper surface portion may be provided.

  Next, the control system will be described with reference to FIG. In the same figure, 111 is the above-mentioned heating control means, which is provided on the lid opening button 46 in addition to the temperature information from the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 61 and the operation signal from the operation switch 103. In response to the detection signal from the hall element 143 and another hall element 191 that detects the opening and closing of the lid 31, the heating coil 16 that heats the bottom of the pan 11 during cooking and warming, and the side of the pan 11 Each of the cord heater 18 for heating and the lid heater 36 for heating the lid 31 is controlled, and the above-described decompression pump 82, electromagnetic valve 87, solenoids 78 and 172 provided inside the lid 31 and LED 142 The display means 128 including each is controlled. In particular, the heating control means 111 of the present 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 controls the temperature based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 52. Then, the lid heater 26 is controlled so that the temperature of the heat radiating plate 34 and the inner lid 56 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 118 that heats the cooked food in the pan 11 during rice cooking, Insulation control means 119 for maintaining and heating the rice in the pan 11 to a predetermined temperature is provided.

  Here, the Hall element 191 that is a lid opening / closing detection means will be described. The Hall element 191 faces, for example, a magnet (not shown) that is a magnetic body provided at the rear of the lid body 31 so as to face the interior of the main body 1. Mounted on. Note that another sensor may be used instead of the Hall element 191 as long as the same function can be exhibited.

  The heat retention control means 119 here includes a timer means 120. When the heat retention operation starts, the timer means 120 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 command for starting reserved rice cooking from the operation switch 103, and the rice cooking control means 118 so that the cooked rice in the pan 11 is cooked at a predetermined time previously stored in the storage means. Reservation rice cooking control means 121 capable of executing a reservation 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 34 and the inner lid 56. 123, code heater driving means 124 for turning on the code heater 18, solenoid driving means 125 for turning the solenoids 78, 172 on or off, pump driving means 126 for driving the pressure reducing pump 82, and solenoid valve 87 on Alternatively, an electromagnetic valve driving means 127 for turning off and a display driving means 129 for driving the display means 128 are provided. At the time of cooking by the rice cooking control means 118 and at the time of heat retention by the heat retention control means 119, the heating to the bottom of the pan 11 by the heating coil 16 and the code heater 18 by detecting each temperature from the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 61. The heating is performed on the side surface of the pan 11 and the lid 31 is heated by the lid heater 36. In addition, after the rice cooking by the rice cooking control means 118 is finished and the cooked food in the pan 11 is cooked as rice, it automatically shifts to heat insulation by the heat insulation control means 119, and the temperature detected by the pot 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 20 to the space between the lid 31 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 time of standby of the reserved rice cooking by the reserved rice control means 121 or the time until the rice cooking control means 118 starts substantial rice cooking. Depressurization control to operate the decompression pump 82 and the decompression state maintaining electromagnetic valve 87 so that the inside of the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure after the period and the heat insulation control means 119 determine that the above-mentioned heat insulation is stable. 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. 22 and FIG. In FIG. 22, each graph in the uppermost stage and the next stage shows changes in pressure and temperature in the pan 11, and hereinafter, shows the operation timing of the pressure reducing pump 82 and the operation timing of the pressure regulating valve 65, respectively. (The fill state is on). In FIG. 23, 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 65 (pressure regulating solenoid 78), and the on-off valve The operation timing of 182 (opening / closing solenoid 172) is shown (the painted state is on).

  In a cut-off state where rice cooking or heat insulation is not performed, both the pressure regulating solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are in a non-energized (off) state. At this time, the plunger 151 of the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 is in the advanced position, the pressure adjusting valve 65 is moved so that the pressure adjusting hole 70 is opened, and the plunger 173 of the opening and closing solenoid 172 is also in the advanced position, The on-off valve shaft 201 moves upward so that the communication hole 181 of the inner lid 56 is opened. Therefore, the inside of the pan 11 communicates with the outside through the pressure adjusting hole 70 and the communication hole 181 and is maintained at atmospheric pressure. In addition, since both of the clamp operation restricting portions 163 and 189 are located away from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the operation of the clamp 44 is not restricted, and if the lid opening button 46 is pushed, 44 is detached from the clamp receiver 50. That is, in the cut state, the lid 31 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 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87 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 82 to the pump drive means 126 in order to discharge air from the inside of the pan 11, and the electromagnetic valve 87 and the path 94 are synchronized with the decompression pump 82. Is output to the solenoid valve driving means 127. After a predetermined time (for example, about 3 to 4 minutes), the decompression control means 130 stops driving the decompression pump 82 and closes the solenoid valve 87 and the path 94 to maintain the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state. When a certain time (for example, about 1 to 20 minutes) elapses, the electromagnetic valve driving means 127 opens the pressure regulating valve 65 to take in outside air into the pan 11 and return the inside of the pan 11 to atmospheric pressure. By returning the inside of the pan 11 to atmospheric pressure after depressurization for a certain time in this way, the excess water on the surface of the rice is eliminated, the rice over-absorbs and the surface of the rice becomes dull, and the taste of the rice is reduced. Can be prevented. In addition, when the outside air is taken into the pan 11 and the inside of the pan is returned to the atmospheric pressure, the water in the pan 11 is shaken by the air taken into the pan 11, so that the water in the pan 11 is agitated and oxygenated. Natural purification by consumption decomposition (aerobic decomposition) is promoted, corrosion of rice and water in the pan 11 can be prevented, malodor associated with spoilage can be suppressed, and water absorption and uniform water absorption of rice can be suppressed. Can be achieved.

  Thereafter, the pressure inside the pan 11 is returned to atmospheric pressure, and then the pressure regulating valve 65 is closed. After that, when a certain time has elapsed, the decompression control means 130 drives the decompression pump 82 again, and opens the electromagnetic valve 87 and thus the path 94 to discharge air from the pot 11. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the pressure in the pan 11 is maintained at a value within a desired range by the on / off control of the pressure reducing pump 82 and the pressure regulating valve 65, and then returned to the atmospheric pressure repeatedly. Is done. 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.

  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.

  Thereafter, when rice and water 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 118 is started. Here, the rice cooking control means 118 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. During this time, the decompression pump 82 and the solenoid valve 87 of the decompression means 81 are operated, and when the inside of the pan 11 is below atmospheric pressure, both the pressure regulating solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are energized (on). The plunger 151 of the pressure regulating solenoid 78 and the plunger 173 of the opening / closing solenoid 172 are moved to the retracted positions. As a result, the pressure adjustment operation part 161 is separated from the pressure adjustment valve 65, the pressure adjustment valve 65 closes the hole 71 </ b> A of the first pressure adjustment packing 71, and the operation member 212 comes into contact with the tip end part 188 </ b> B of the operation member movable part 188. Since the on-off valve shaft 201 is pushed downward and the shaft packing 204 closes the communication hole 181 of the inner lid 56, the inside of the pan 11 is secured. In addition, since the clamp operation restricting portions 163 and 189 are both under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, even if the rotation of the clamp 44 is restricted and the lid opening button 46 is pushed, The engagement with the clamp receiver 50 is double-locked, and the lid 31 is prevented from opening.

  Further, when the start process is started, the decompression control means 130 turns on the decompression selection switch until just before the substantial rice cooking is started, and displays on the LCD of 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. Thereafter, the decompression control means 130 stops driving the decompression pump 82 and closes the solenoid valve 87 and consequently the path 84 to maintain the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state. After a lapse of time, the decompression control means 130 drives the decompression pump 82 again and opens the electromagnetic valve 87 and thus the path 84 to discharge air from the pot 11. By repeating such an operation, the pressure reducing pump 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87 are simultaneously turned on and off, and the pressure in the pan 11 is maintained at a value within a desired range.

  In this manner, the inside of the pan 11 is maintained in a reduced pressure state at the time of time. At the time of this pressure reduction, the pressure regulating valve 65 is placed on the first pressure regulating packing 71 and closes the hole 71A of the first pressure regulating packing 71, 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.

  After that, when the predetermined time is over, the rice cooking control means 118 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 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87 are turned off until the subsequent heat retention becomes stable.

  When shifting to the rice cooking process, the rice cooking control means 118 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 31 is stabilized at 90 ° C or higher, it is assumed that the inside of 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 118 turns off the solenoid 78 and retracts the pressure regulating valve 65 from the pressure regulating hole 70. As a result, the pan 11 is maintained at substantially atmospheric pressure, but the open / close solenoid 172 is still on, and the clamp operation restricting portion 189 is located below the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44 to open the lid 31. I can't do that.

  Note that the fact that the temperature of the lid 31 described above is stable at 90 ° C. or higher is detected by the rate of temperature increase of the detected temperature from the lid temperature sensor 61. In this boiling detection, the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 61 can confirm that both the bottom of the pan 11 and the lid 31 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 31 reaches a detection temperature that is not 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 31 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 31 other than that. When the temperature is lower than 90 ° C, the pan temperature sensor 17 or the lid temperature sensor 61 in this 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 shifting to continuation of boiling, the rice cooking control means 118 starts lid heating by the lid heater 36. The lid heating here is managed by the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 61 so that the temperature of the inner lid 56 becomes 100 to 110 ° C. 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 118 is terminated, and the heat insulation control means 119 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 61 to prevent dew condensation on the inner lid 56, and the temperature is high enough that the rice does not burn (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 119.

  When the temperature is kept warm, the heating coil 16 heats the bottom and the lower side of the pan 11 and is slightly higher than the temperature of the rice contained in the pan 11, and the lower surface of the lid 31 is heated by the lid heater 36. The temperature of the side of the pan 11 is controlled by the cord heater 18 so that the rice does not dry and a large amount of dew does not adhere. The temperature of the rice in the pan 11 is maintained at 70-76 ° C. Even when the temperature is kept, the pan temperature sensor 17 and the lid temperature sensor 61 are abnormally high or abnormally low. Detects abnormalities and prevents this abnormal heating.

  As described above, when the boiling state in the pan 11 is detected, cooking (continuous boiling heating) and unevenness are performed continuously. While the rice cooking control means 118 stops the operation of the decompression means 81, both the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned on, the communication hole 77 is closed by the pressure adjustment unit 58, and another communication hole 181 is provided. It closes with the on-off valve 62. Thereby, while cooking rice cooking is continued, the communication between the inside of the pan 11 and the outside is blocked, and the pressure in the pan 11 increases. At this time, since both the clamp operation restricting portion 163 and the clamp operation restricting portion 189 sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the engagement between the clamp 44 and the clamp receiver 50 is double-locked, and the lid body 31 cannot be opened.

  After that, when it is detected that the inside of the pan 11 has reached a predetermined pressure, the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 is switched from the on state to the off state, so that the pressure adjusting operation part 161 pushes the pressure adjusting valve 65. The pressure adjusting hole 70 is opened and the pressure in the pan 11 approaches the atmospheric pressure. In this state, the clamp operation restricting portion 163 of the pressure adjustment frame 152 moves to a position away from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, but the clamp operation restricting portion 189 of another opening / closing frame 175 continues to be clamp 44. Therefore, even if the clamp 44 is pushed by the lid opening button 46, the movement of the clamp 44 is restricted and the lid 31 cannot be opened.

  When shifting to the unevenness, the operation of gradually returning the inside of the pan 11 to the atmospheric pressure is performed in consideration of the fact that the lid 31 can be opened immediately after the start of the subsequent heat insulation. Then, the rice cooking control means 118 switches the pressure regulating solenoid 78 from the on state to the off state in the middle of the unevenness, retracts the pressure regulating valve 65 from the pressure regulating hole 70, opens the communication hole 77 and opens the inside of the pan 11 Return to atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the opening / closing solenoid 172 is switched from the on state to the off state, and another communication hole 181 is opened. In this way, at least after opening the pressure adjusting hole 70, the lid 31 cannot be opened until the opening / closing solenoid 172 is turned off, and the inside of the pan 11 cannot return to atmospheric pressure. Inadvertent opening of the lid 31 can be prevented.

  Immediately after the unevenness that is substantial rice cooking is completed and the process proceeds to the heat retaining step, the inside of the pan 11 communicates with the outside through the pressure adjusting hole 70 and the communication hole 181 and is maintained at atmospheric pressure. At the same time, since both the clamp operation restricting portions 163 and 189 are located away from the lower side of the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, the lid 31 can be freely opened and closed.

  When the rice cooking process is completed, the heat retention control means 119 starts to measure the heat retention elapsed time by the timer means 120. At this time, the decompression control means 130 repeatedly performs decompression display for a short time using the LCD of the display means 128 until the heat retention elapsed time reaches a preset time, that is, until it is determined that the heat retention is stable. Make it. Thereby, the user can understand that the inside of the pan 11 has not yet shifted to the reduced pressure state after cooking. When the heat retention elapsed time reaches a preset time, the heat retention control unit 119 controls the decompression pump 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87 again so that the pressure in the pan 11 becomes lower than the atmospheric pressure by the pressure reduction control unit 130. . At the same time, the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 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 clamp operation restricting portion 163 and the clamp operation restricting portion 189 sink under the base end portion 44A of the clamp 44, and the rotation of the clamp 44 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 step, not after a predetermined time of the heat retaining step.

  Thereafter, the decompression control means 130 stops driving the decompression pump 82 and closes the solenoid valve 87 and consequently the path 84 to maintain the inside of the pan 11 in a decompressed state. After a lapse of time, the decompression control means 130 drives the decompression pump 82 again and opens the electromagnetic valve 87 and thus the path 84 to discharge air from the pot 11. Thereafter, the above-described operation is repeated, and the pressure reducing pump 82 and the electromagnetic valve 87 are simultaneously turned on and off, and the pressure in the pan 11 is maintained at a value within a desired range.

  When the process proceeds to the heat retaining step, the heat retaining control means 119 receives the detection signals from the Hall elements 143 and 191. That is, during the operation control of the pressure reducing means 81 for reducing the pressure inside the pan 11, the user intends to open the lid 31 with the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 turned on simultaneously. When the lid opening button 46 is pushed, the clamp 44 is restricted in its rotation, but the lid opening button 46 is pushed slightly downward due to the elasticity of the clamp 44 and the hall element 143 is magnetized. Move away from 144. When the heat retention control means 119 receives the detection signal from the hall element 143 at this time, the pressure adjusting solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 are turned off in conjunction with each other, and both plungers 151 and 173 are advanced to adjust. While the pressure hole 70 and the communication hole 181 are opened, the rotation restriction on the clamp 44 is also released, and the lid 31 can be opened by continuing to push the lid opening button 46.

  After that, when the cooked rice is taken out of the pan 11 and the lid 31 is closed again, another hall element 191 detects the closed state of the lid 31 and sends the signal to the heat retaining control means 119. Send it out. In response to this, the heat retention control means 119 activates the pressure reducing means 81 again after a predetermined time and simultaneously turns on the pressure regulating solenoid 78 and the opening / closing solenoid 172 so that the lid 31 is not opened carelessly.

  Thus, by repeating the operation of opening and closing the two communication holes 77 and 181 provided in the inner lid 56, the pressure in the pan 11 can be freely changed. And by changing the pressure at the time of pressurization according to a rice cooking course or the amount of rice cooking, it becomes possible to vary the amount of cooking.

  Further, during the unevenness and heat retention process, when the pressure reducing means 81 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 31 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 46 is intended to be pushed to when the lid 31 can actually be opened, the clamp 44 of the lid 31 and the clamp receiver 50 of the main body 1 When the Hall element 143 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, if the LED 142 is automatically turned off, the lid is immediately turned off. The user can understand whether the body 31 does not open.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the pan 11 which is a bottomed cylindrical container, the cord reel 116 as a power supply means for supplying commercial power, and the heating coil 16 as a heating means for heating the pan 11 and the pan 11 A rice cooker main body 1 and a lid 31 that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 1, and an inner lid 56 that covers the opening of the pan 11 is detachably attached to the lid 31. The lid 31 is pivotally supported by a hinge shaft 41 that is a hinge shaft, and a clamp 44 is provided on the substantially opposite side of the hinge shaft 41 as a holding portion that holds the closed state of the main body 1 and the lid 31. The inner lid 56 is composed of communication holes 77 and 181 serving as holes communicating with the inside of the pan 11 and an opening / closing valve serving as an opening / closing device that opens and closes the communication hole 181 as an opening / closing means for opening and closing these communication holes 77 and 181. 62 and an opening of the communication hole 77 and consequently a pressure adjusting unit 58 that is a pressure adjusting device for adjusting the pressure in the pan 11, The valve closing 62 includes an opening / closing valve shaft 201 as an opening / closing valve and an opening / closing frame 175 provided with an opening / closing valve operating means 211 as an opening / closing operation means for freely operating opening / closing of the communication hole 181 by the opening / closing valve shaft 201. On the other hand, the pressure adjustment unit 58 includes a pressure adjustment valve 65 and a pressure adjustment frame 152 including a pressure adjustment operation unit 161 as a pressure adjustment operation means for freely operating opening and closing of the communication 77 by the pressure adjustment valve 65. In this case, when it is detected that the power supply from the cord reel 116 is cut off, either the solenoid 172 that is the drive source of the on-off valve operation means 211 or the solenoid 78 that is the drive source of the pressure adjustment operation unit 161 is Separately from the cord reel 116, the driving means 341 is supplied separately from the cord reel 116 by supplying electric power for continuing the operation for a predetermined time, thereby causing the opening / closing frame 175 or the pressure adjusting frame 152 to stay in a position where the movement of the clamp portion 44 is restricted. Provided .

  In this way, when the power supply from the cord reel 116 is interrupted due to a power failure or the like in a state where the on-off valve shaft 201 and the pressure regulating valve 65 block the communication holes 77 and 181 of the inner lid 56, the cord reel 116 is replaced. The drive means 341 supplies power to either the solenoid 172 that is the drive source of the on-off valve operation means 211 or the solenoid 78 that is the drive source of the pressure adjustment operation unit 161, and either of the solenoids 78, 172 The operation is continued for a predetermined time. In this way, the on / off valve operating means 211 or the control valve 211 or the pressure regulating valve 65 is controlled so that the operation of the clamp 44 is regulated for a predetermined time while the communication holes 77 and 181 of the inner lid 56 are closed. Any one of the pressure adjusting operation sections 161 acts. Therefore, even when a power failure occurs during rice cooking, the clamp 44 does not move and the lid 31 does not open unexpectedly, so that it is possible to prevent the rice from being boiled, and to avoid problems such as soiling the periphery of the rice cooker.

  In this embodiment, the inner lid 56 covering the pan 11, the pressure adjusting portion 58 as a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the inner lid 56, and the safety means for adjusting the pressure in the pan 11 when the pressure adjusting portion 58 is closed. In the rice cooker provided with the safety valve 251 as described above, the pressure regulating unit 58 includes a pressure regulating valve 65 disposed in a pressure regulating hole 70 provided in a connecting portion between the inside of the pan 11 and the outside of the inner lid 56, and a pressure regulating valve 65. It consists of a pressure regulating valve cover 67 as a covering pressure regulating cover, a pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 as a pressure regulating holder that holds the pressure regulating valve 65, and a fixing part 252 that fixes the pressure regulating valve cover 67. The safety valve 251 is a safety valve. Open / close holding means 255, a safety valve cover 254 as a safety cover covering the open / close holding means 255 provided integrally with the pressure regulating valve cover 67, and a base member 253 as a safety holder holding the open / close holding means 255. The safety valve cover 254 is fixed to the base member 253 by the fixing portion 252 that fixes the pressure regulating valve cover 67.

  In this case, it is possible to provide a rice cooker that can securely fix and hold components without increasing the number of components.

  Further, in this embodiment, an engaging claw piece 262C as an engaging portion for engaging the safety valve cover 67 with a base member 253 as a safety valve holder, and a hinge portion for moving the engaging claw piece 262C in the disengagement direction. And the hinge mechanism H is restricted by a fixing portion 252 from moving in the disengagement direction of the hinge mechanism H.

  In this case, the work can be performed without damaging the safety valve cover 67 when replacing the parts.

  Further, in this embodiment, the base member 253 as the safety valve holder is provided with a connecting means 269 as a holding means for holding the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 as the pressure regulating valve holder from the lower side.

  In this case, it is possible to prevent the pressure regulating valve holder assembly 66 from coming off twice.

Further, in this embodiment , the heating coil 16 as a means for heating the cooked food in the pan 11, the flange heater 18 as a function for keeping the cooked food in the pan 11, and the lid as a lid for covering the upper surface of the pan 11 are used. A lid 56, a pressure adjusting unit 58 as a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the pot 11 provided in the inner lid 56, and a pressure reducing pump 82 as a pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure in the pot 11, Operate the decompression pump 82 to decompress the inside of the pan 11, stop the decompression pump 82 after operating for a certain period of time, then close the pressure regulator 58 and hold the decompression in the pan 11 for a certain period of time, The pressure adjusting unit 58 is opened, and the outside air is sent into the pan 11 so that the water surface in the pan 11 is shaken.

  In this case, the inside of the pan 11 is depressurized with the decompression pump 82 in the reserved cooking atmosphere, and after that, after holding for a set time, the pressure regulating unit 58 is opened to release the depressurized state in the pan 11 and the outside air is poured into the pan 11. By shaking the water surface in the feeding pan 11, the water in the pan 11 is agitated and natural purification by oxygen consumption decomposition (aerobic decomposition) is promoted, preventing corrosion of rice and water in the pan 11, and rotting It is possible to suppress the malodor associated with the rice and promote the water absorption of the rice and make the water absorption state uniform.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 24, in this embodiment, a plurality of decompression pumps 82 and 270 (hereinafter referred to as first decompression pump 82 and second decompression pump 270) are provided as a plurality of decompression means driven by the pump drive means 126. Yes. The other configurations in FIG. 24 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described based on the timing chart of FIG. In FIG. 25, each graph in the uppermost stage and the next stage shows changes in pressure and temperature in the pan 11, and hereinafter, operation timings of the first pressure reducing pump 82 and the second pressure reducing pump 270, electromagnetic valves, and so on. The operation timings of 87 are respectively shown (filling state is on).

  The first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are simultaneously operated at the time of the start of the cooking process. Here, the first pressure reducing pump 82 and the second pressure reducing pump 270 are simultaneously operated together with the electromagnetic valve 87 to increase the pressure reducing speed in the pan 11, so that the pressure reducing holding time t1 in the pan during the process becomes longer. . As described above, the reduced pressure holding time t1 in the process of sintering becomes longer, so that the water absorption rate of the rice that is the cooked product becomes higher, and the sashimi without heating becomes possible.

  Further, the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are operated at the time t2 set during the unevenness process. Here, by operating the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 during the unevenness process, the steam in the pan 11 and the dew on the side surface of the pan 11 and the inner lid 56 are discharged out of the pan 11. Sticky rice and sticking of dew can be suppressed.

  Further, after cooking, the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are operated when the lid opening / closing detection means 143, 191 does not detect the opening of the lid 11 within a certain time after cooking. Here, excess water vapor in the pan 11 and excess water on the surface of the rice are discharged out of the pan 11 to suppress stickiness of the cooked rice.

  In the operation of the first pressure reducing pump 82 and the second pressure reducing pump 270 at the first time after cooking or at the first time after detecting the opening of the lid 11 at the time of shifting to heat insulation, the first pressure reducing pump 82 and the second pressure reducing pump 270 are operated. Operate 270 simultaneously. Here, by operating the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 at the same time for a predetermined time t3 (for example, about 3 to 4 minutes), the vacuum value in the pan 11 is reduced to 0.6 by the first time vacuuming. The pressure can be reduced to below atmospheric pressure.

  In the second and subsequent operations of the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 during the heat retention, the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are alternately operated. Here, as an example of the operation of the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 during the heat retention, the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are simultaneously operated at the first time described above, and then the first decompression is performed the second time. The first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are alternately operated after the first time so that only the pump 82 is operated and only the second decompression pump 270 is operated for the third time.

This embodiment corresponds to claim 1 , and includes a heating coil 16 as a means for heating the cooked food in the pan 11, a flange heater 18 as a function for keeping the cooked food in the pan 11, and a lid on the upper surface of the pan 11. An inner lid 56 serving as a lid for performing pressure adjustment, a pressure regulating section 58 serving as a pressure regulating means for regulating the pressure in the pan 11 provided in the inner lid 56, and a first decompression serving as a plurality of decompressing means for decompressing the inside of the pan 11 A pump 82 and a second decompression pump 270, and lid opening / closing detection means 143, 191 for detecting the opening of the inner lid 56 are provided.

  In this case, since the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are provided as the plurality of decompression means, the decompression speed in the pan 11 is increased.

Further, in the first operation of the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 at the start of the decompression, the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are operated simultaneously, and the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are operated at the start of the heat retention. 2 By operating a plurality of pressure reducing pumps 270, the inside of the pan 11 can be depressurized to atmospheric pressure or lower more quickly.

In the operation of the first pressure reducing pump 82 and the second pressure reducing pump 270 for the second and subsequent times at the time of pressure reduction, the first pressure reducing pump 82 and the second pressure reducing pump 270 are alternately operated, so that the first first pressure reducing pump 82 is operated. And the operation of the second pressure reducing pump 270 causes the inside of the pan 11 to be below a predetermined value below the atmospheric pressure, so that only one of the first pressure reducing pump 82 and the second pressure reducing pump 270 is operated after the second time. When one of the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 is operated, the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 are alternately operated. The operation time per unit can be reduced, and the product life of the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 can be extended.

Further, this embodiment corresponds to claim 2 and has a function of operating the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 to decompress the inside of the pan 11 during the soaking process after the start of rice cooking. The pressure reduction speed in the pan 11 in the process is increased.

In addition, during the soak step, by a first vacuum pump 82 and the second vacuum pump 270 is more work, pressure reduction rate in the pot in the soaking process is faster.

Further, this embodiment corresponds to claim 3 , and by operating the first pressure reducing pump 82 and the second pressure reducing pump 270 during the unevenness process, excess water vapor and dew in the pot 11 during the unevenness process are obtained. Is discharged out of the pan 11.

In addition, during the steaming process, enhanced by the first vacuum pump 82 and the second vacuum pump 270 is more work, in steaming step, the excess steam and the effect of discharging the dew pot 11 outside of the pot 11 Let

In this embodiment , the lid opening / closing detection means 143, 191 detects the opening of the lid by operating the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 when the lid 11 is not opened within a predetermined time after cooking. If it is detected that the lid 11 does not open within the set time after cooking, operate the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270, and the excess steam and rice in the pan 11 The surface moisture is discharged out of the pan 11.

Further, this embodiment corresponds to claim 4, and the operation of the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 at the first time after detecting the opening of the lid 11 when shifting to the heat retention, The second decompression pump 270 is operated simultaneously.

Furthermore, the present embodiment corresponds to claim 5 , and the decompression speed in the pan 11 is increased by operating the first decompression pump 82 and the second decompression pump 270 during the reserved rice cooking standby.

Also, at the time of booking cooking stand, by the first vacuum pump 82 and the second vacuum pump 270 is more operation, pressure reduction rate in the pot 11 is faster.

Furthermore, when booking cooking stand, by operating the first vacuum pump 82 and the second vacuum pump 270 at the same time, pressure reduction rate in the pot 11 is made more quickly.

  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. For example, each component configuration of the on-off valve 62 as the on-off valve device and the pressure adjusting unit 58 as the pressure adjusting device is not limited to that in the embodiment. Further, the number of decompression pumps as decompression means is not limited to two as in the second embodiment, and the rice cooker may be provided with three or more decompression pumps.

11 Pan (main unit)
56 Inner lid (lid)
58 Pressure adjustment unit (pressure adjustment means)
65 Pressure regulating valve
82 First pressure reduction pump (pressure reduction means)
143,191 Lid opening / closing detection means
270 Second vacuum pump (pressure reduction means)

Claims (5)

A main body, a lid covering the main body, a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the main body provided in the lid, a plurality of pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure in the main body, and a detecting means for detecting the opening of the lid; comprising a, in operation of the pressure reducing means at the time of incubation, to operate the plurality of the pressure reducing means at the same time the first time, rice cookers, characterized in that Ru is operated a plurality of the reduced pressure means alternately after the first time . Soaked during a process, cooker according to claim 1, characterized in that a function of Ru is vacuum multiple operation is allowed in the body the down pressure means. Unevenness and during a process, cooker according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said pressure reducing means Ru is more work. The time and the first time, rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in der Rukoto after detecting opening of the lid. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of the decompression means are simultaneously operated during a reserved rice cooking standby .