JP5497862B2 - Upper lid assembly and electric rice cooker including the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to the field of home appliances, and more particularly, to an electric rice cooker that can supply heat to a rice cooker body during cooking and an upper lid assembly used for the electric rice cooker.

  In a conventional electric rice cooker, in order to achieve uniform heating of cooked rice, an upper lid heater with a small heating power is usually provided on the upper lid in addition to the bottom heater and the side heater. In the cooking process, in order to increase the deliciousness of the cooked rice, evaporation of moisture on the cooked rice surface is usually promoted at the stage of steaming the cooked rice. In the stage of steaming rice, heating is usually performed with only the bottom heater turned on. At this time, the boiling stage is already over, and since there is little moisture in the cooked rice, the amount of heat cannot be uniformly supplied by the circulation of moisture. Therefore, especially for a large amount of rice, the amount of heat in the upper layer of the cooked rice is remarkably insufficient, which tends to cause insufficient gelatinization of the cooked rice in the upper layer, which may give a bad impression to the consumer.

  If the time for steaming rice is extended for the above circumstances, longer cooking time will be required and energy will be wasted. If the heating power of the bottom heater is increased, the cooked rice at the bottom becomes easy to burn because there is less moisture in the cooked rice. Also, if the upper lid heater is turned on and heated, the upper lid heater usually needs to conduct heat to the air above the cooked rice through the aluminum lid plate, so the amount of heat that plays a role in the cooked rice is very small. . Further, for example, if the power of the upper lid heater is increased, the temperature of the upper lid plastic member becomes too high, which may cause a safety risk.

  The present invention is intended to solve at least one of the technical problems in the prior art.

  To this end, the present invention provides an electric rice cooker that can overcome the problem of insufficient gelatinization due to a lack of heat in the cooked rice at the top, in the stage of steaming conventional rice.

  In addition, the present invention provides an electric rice cooker that increases the uniformity of cooking by sealing and does not increase the time or energy consumed for steaming rice.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides an electric rice cooker that can uniformly heat cooked rice, has a simple structure, and can be used safely.

  In view of this, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an electric rice cooker is provided, and the electric rice cooker includes an electric rice cooker body assembly having an opening and an upper lid assembly. The upper lid assembly is for opening or closing the opening, and the upper lid assembly has an air intake port for drawing outside air therein and an exhaust port toward the opening of the electric rice cooker body assembly. A lid that is formed, an intake passage that is formed in the lid and that draws air drawn from the air intake port into the electric rice cooker body assembly through the exhaust port, and An air heating assembly for heating the air, and an exhaust passage for discharging air in the electric rice cooker body assembly are provided apart from the intake passage.

  Accordingly, the configuration of the intake passage, the air heating assembly, and the exhaust passage according to the present invention can increase the uniformity of cooking the cooked rice by providing heat to the rice cooker body at the stage of steaming the rice. In addition, the technical solution of the present invention does not increase the energy consumed in the stage of steaming rice, has a simple structure, and can be used safely.

  The present invention also includes an upper lid assembly, a rice cooker body assembly hinged to the upper lid assembly, and an inner pot provided in the rice cooker body assembly. The upper lid assembly supplies heat to the air inlet and the inner pot. Provided is an electric rice cooker that is provided with a hot air system and a hot air exhaust port to replenish heat.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the hot air system comprises a turbo fan, a connecting pipe (preferably a silica gel tube), a heater and an exhaust duct, which are sequentially connected, and an end of the exhaust duct. The mouth corresponds to the hot air exhaust port.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the upper lid assembly includes a surface lid, an inner lid fixed below the surface lid, a heat insulating seat fixed below the inner lid, and fixed below the heat insulating seat plate. An overflow prevention cover plate, and a steam valve fixed to the surface cover for discharging steam, the hot air outlet is provided in the overflow prevention cover plate, and the turbofan and heater are an inner cover or a heat insulating seat plate. It is fixed to. The heater is provided on the heat insulating seat plate by a push plate, and a heat insulator such as a mica pad is provided between the heater and the push plate.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the air inlet of the hot air system is provided at a hinge connection point between the upper lid assembly and the rice cooker body assembly, or at the surface lid.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the hot air exhaust port is configured to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the exhaust air duct so that the hot air exhaust speed is increased.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heater is preferably a PTC heater.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heater is configured as a pipe type, and the pipe connects the connecting pipe and the exhaust pipe. The heater is directly connected to the hot air outlet.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust duct is a copper pipe and is fixed to the heater by welding.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the exhaust duct is covered with a heat insulating material or a heat insulating material such as heat insulating cotton.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust duct is provided at a relatively high position with respect to the heater, and the hot air exhaust port is designed as a small hole so that steam and heavy water overflow from the hot air system. Try to prevent it from coming out.

  Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the following description, and in part will become more apparent in the following description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

  The above and / or added aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the description of the embodiments with reference to the following drawings, and will be easily understood.

1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electric rice cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which an arrow indicates a flow direction of drawn air. It is a schematic perspective view of the upper cover assembly of the electric rice cooker of one Example of this invention. 1 is a top view of an upper lid assembly of an electric rice cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the top lid of the upper lid assembly is removed. FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing in alignment with AA in FIG. 1 is a schematic bottom view of an upper lid assembly of an electric rice cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is the structure schematic of the heater and intake passage in the electric rice cooker by one Example of this invention. 1 is a schematic structural perspective view in which a part of an upper lid assembly of an electric rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention is broken, with a surface lid being removed.

  Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below. The illustration of the said Example is shown by drawing, and the same or similar code | symbol shows the member which has the same or similar function to the last or the same or similar function to the last. The embodiments depicted below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are used only to interpret the present invention and should not be construed as limitations on the present invention.

  In the description of the present invention, the terms “center”, “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “ The orientation or positional relationship indicated by “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, etc. is the orientation or positional relationship shown on the basis of the drawings, and is merely shown for ease of explanation of the present invention. It should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention, as it does not indicate or imply that an apparatus or member necessarily has a particular orientation or is constructed and operated in a particular orientation.

  It should be understood that the terms “first” and “second” are used merely to describe the purpose and indicate or imply relative importance, or explicitly indicate the number of technical features indicated. must not. Thus, features that are limited to "first" and "second" are express or implied to include one or more of these features. Further, in the present invention, “a plurality” means two or two or more unless otherwise specified.

  Next, an electric rice cooker 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a schematic structural view of an electric rice cooker 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an upper lid assembly 100 of the electric rice cooker 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the electric rice cooker 1 includes an upper lid assembly 100 and an electric rice cooker body assembly 400. The electric rice cooker body assembly 400 has an opening 401 and, optionally, the inner pot 200 can be provided therein. The top lid assembly 100 is for opening or closing the opening 401. According to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the top lid assembly 100 is pivotally connected to the electric rice cooker body assembly 400.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the upper lid assembly 100 may include a lid body 101, an air heating assembly 163, an intake passage 160, and an exhaust passage 170. An air intake port 167 and an air exhaust port 141 can be formed in the lid 101. The air inlet 167 is for drawing outside air into the lid 101. The air exhaust port 141 faces the opening 401 of the electric rice cooker body assembly 400. The intake passage 160 is formed in the lid body 101, and is used to supply the air drawn in by the air intake port 167 into the electric rice cooker body assembly 400 through the exhaust port 141. The air heating assembly 163 is for heating the air that has entered the intake passage 160. The exhaust passage 170 needs to be separated from the intake passage 160, and is for exhausting the air in the electric rice cooker body assembly 400.

  Accordingly, a hot air system for heating the air is provided in the upper lid assembly 100 of the electric rice cooker 1 and the heated air is supplied into the electric rice cooker to steam the rice. When moisture is significantly reduced, the hot air system including the air heating assembly 163, the intake passage 160, and the exhaust passage 170 can continuously supply extra hot air above the cooked rice 300, so that the cooked rice can be more evenly distributed. Can be cooked.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the air heating assembly 163 heats the air from 90 degrees to 130 degrees. Thereby, favorable gelatinization of the top surface of the cooked rice is promoted, the content of water vapor above the cooked rice is adjusted, the golden moisture content of the cooked rice is guaranteed, and the cooked rice can be made more delicious. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the air heating assembly 163 heats the air from 98 degrees to 120 degrees in order to achieve a better steaming effect.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the intake passage 160 may include a turbo fan 161 and an air intake duct 1601. The turbo fan 161 is provided in the lid body 101, the first end 1602 of the air intake duct 1601 is connected to the turbo fan 161, and the second end 1603 of the air intake duct 1601 is connected to the air exhaust port 141. It is connected.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the air heating assembly 163 is a heater, and the heater is provided in the air intake duct 1601. As shown in FIG. 6, since the heater 163 heats against air, the entire process is basically in an baked state, and for safety reasons, a temperature sensor or an baked protector is added to an ordinary heater. Or, alternatively, a PTC heater can be used, and the PTC heater itself has a function of automatically adjusting power to prevent overheating and baking. As shown in FIG. 6, the heater 163 is a pipe-type heater and may be connected to the air intake pipe 1601, so that when heated, the air is directly heated by the air supplied by the air intake pipe 1601. Therefore, heating efficiency can be increased.

  With the structure of the intake passage 160, the air that has entered through the air inlet 167 can be heated, and the heated air can be drawn into the electric rice cooker body assembly 400 through the air outlet 141. In addition, the above structure is merely one example for implementing the intake passage 160, and after reading the present invention, a normal engineer heats the air in the upper lid assembly 100 and places it in the electric rice cooker body assembly 400. It is obvious that other structures of intake passages can be adopted as long as they can be supplied.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heater 163 may be provided at the second end 1603 of the air intake duct 1601 and directly connected to the air outlet 141. For convenience of connection, in one embodiment of the present invention, the air intake pipe 1601 may be provided in a bent shape between the heater 163 and the hot air exhaust port 141.

  Hereinafter, the structure of the lid 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the lid body 101 includes a surface lid 110, an inner lid 120, a heat insulating seat plate 130, and an overflow prevention lid plate 140. A steam valve 150 is disposed on the surface lid 110. The inner lid 120 is fixed below the surface lid 110. The heat insulating seat plate 130 is fixedly provided below the inner lid 120, and a storage space 180 is limited between the heat insulating seat plate 130 and the surface lid 110, and the intake passage 160 and the air heating assembly 163 are arranged. Used for storage. The overflow prevention cover plate 140 is provided below the heat insulating seat plate 130, and the exhaust outlet 141 can be provided in the overflow prevention cover plate 140, and the overflow prevention cover plate 140 is located above the cooked rice 300 in the inner pot 200. It is in contact with air. An exhaust passage 170 is formed in the inner lid 120, the heat insulating seat plate 130, and the overflow prevention lid plate 140, and excess steam generated in the electric rice cooker body assembly 400 communicates with the steam valve 150 through the exhaust passage 170. And prevent the rice from overflowing. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the exhaust passage 170 is formed from a steam exhaust port corresponding to the steam valve 150 formed in the surface lid 110, the inner lid 120, the heat insulating seat plate 130, and the overflow prevention lid plate 140. The steam exhaust port is provided with a circumferential seal 190 so as to form an exhaust passage 170. As shown in FIG. 4, the circumferential seal 190 is engaged with the inner lid 120 and the periphery of the heat insulating seat plate 130 to separate the exhaust passage 170 and the storage space 180. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper lid assembly 100 is further provided with a latch switch 500. The latch switch 500 is used for engaging the upper lid assembly 100 with the electric rice cooker body assembly 400 when cooking. Is. The hook structure is an existing design and will not be described in detail here. In addition, the outer peripheral edge of the heat insulating seat plate 130 and the overflow prevention lid plate 140 may be sealed by the circumferential snap-in structure 210.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the turbofan 161 is fixed to the inner lid 120. As shown in FIG. 3, the heater 163 is provided by being pushed against the heat insulating seat plate 130. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heater 163 can be pushed by the heat insulating seat plate 130 after being fixed by the push plate 164 and formed on the inner lid 120 adjacent to the heater 163 as shown in FIG. The support column 168 is provided, and the push plate 164 is screwed to the support column 168 so that pressure can be applied to the upper surface of the heater 163 to fix it. Since the temperature exceeds 100 ° C. when the heater 163 operates, a heat insulating pad 166 is further provided between the heater 163 and the pressing plate 164. In the present invention, the heat insulating pad 166 is a mica pad, The connecting pipe 162 between the heater 163 and the turbo fan 161 can be made of heat-resistant silica gel.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, in order to improve heat conduction and make it difficult to lower the temperature of hot air flowing through the intake passage 160, the air intake pipe 1601 between the PTC heater 163 and the exhaust outlet 141 is made of copper. A tube is used and fixed to the PTC heater 163 by welding, and the surface of the copper tube is covered with a heat insulating layer (for example, one layer of heat insulating cotton). On the other hand, the heat conduction speed of the copper tube is extremely high, and it can be assured that the temperature basically matches that of the PTC heater, while the heat retaining layer can prevent the temperature from being lowered. Of course, a heat insulating layer may be selectively coated on the outer surface of the entire air suction pipe.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in order to prevent heavy hot water that overflows during the rice cooking process from entering the upper lid assembly 100, at least a part of the air suction pipe 1601 at the second end 1603 extends along the vertical direction. The exhaust port 141 may be formed from a plurality of small holes (not shown) formed in the overflow prevention lid plate 140. As a result, heavy hot water in the rice cooking process receives resistance from the small holes and cannot easily enter the upper lid assembly 100. Even if some heavy hot water enters the air intake duct 1601, the air outlet 141 Since the air intake pipe line 1601 connected to the position is provided so as to be relatively high, heavy hot water is further prevented from entering the upper lid assembly 100. According to one embodiment of the present invention, since the cross-sectional area of the air exhaust port 141 can be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the second end 1603 of the air intake duct 1601, the air pressure at the air exhaust port 141 is increased. In addition, since the exhaust air temperature is higher and the speed is higher, the heated air can enter the electric rice cooker body assembly 400 at a higher speed, so that the heating effect is improved. , Cooking of cooked rice becomes more uniform.

  Next, the design of the air inlet 167 will be described. As described above, the air inlet 167 is mainly for drawing outside air into the lid 101 and supplies the air through the air heating assembly 163 to the electric rice cooker body assembly 400 through the intake passage 160. Like that. Since the turbo fan 161 is used, it is necessary to communicate with the atmosphere, and it is ensured that a sufficient amount of gas enters the turbo fan 161, and the air inlet 167 can be provided by opening a hole in the surface lid 110. Optionally, an air inlet 167 can be provided at the pivot hinge connection point of the upper lid assembly 100 and the electric rice cooker body assembly 400, which is safe to use and beautifully, as shown in FIGS. In addition, the consistency of the surface of the surface lid 110 is not destroyed.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic structural perspective view of a portion of an upper lid assembly 100 of an electric rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a surface lid 110 is removed. The design of another type of air inlet 167 is shown. As shown in FIG. 7, the air suction port 167 is formed on the bottom surface of the lid body 101 and adjacent to the outer peripheral edge 121 of the inner lid 120. The air suction port 167 communicates with the storage space 180 and is used to draw external air into the storage space 180 after the upper lid assembly 100 is engaged with the electric rice cooker body assembly 400. Since the turbo fan 161 is fixed to the inner lid 120, the entered air can enter the air intake duct 1601 conveniently by the turbo fan 161. At this time, the air suction port 167 is on the bottom surface of the lid 101 and is difficult to see during use, which increases the beauty and safety of the product.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the flow direction of hot air in the present embodiment. First, air enters the turbo fan 161 from the air inlet 167 and is heated by the heater 163 to hot air having a temperature of 98 ° C. or higher than 120 ° C. through the air inlet duct 1601, and then the heated air is discharged from the air outlet 141. Enters the inner pot 200. The steam above the cooked rice 300 is pushed through the exhaust passage 170 to the steam valve 150 and discharged out of the electric rice cooker, and the hot air flows continuously over the cooked rice 300 to replenish the cooked rice with heat. .

  Hereinafter, the cooking process of one electric rice cooker of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  After the rice is put in the inner pot 200 and water is added again, cooking is started on the rice. Since there is still water in the inner pot 200 at the boiling stage in the cooking stage, the amount of heat of the bottom heater (not shown) of the electric rice cooker 1 can be transmitted to the top of the cooked rice by the fluidity of the water. At this time, the air heating assembly 163 in the upper lid assembly 100 is not yet operated. Optionally, the air heating assembly 163 may be activated when the boiling phase is about to end.

  When the electric rice cooker proceeds to the stage of steaming the rice, the water in the inner pot 200 at this time is remarkably reduced. At this time, since there is no moisture, the temperature of the bottom of the cooked rice becomes relatively high. The temperature will drop gradually. At this time, the air heating assembly 163 and the turbo fan 161 are activated to operate the hot air system. At this time, the turbo fan 161 is opened to guide the wind, and the hot air heated by the heater 163 continuously flows from the hot air exhaust port 141 to above the cooked rice 300. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the heater 163 heats the air in the intake passage 160 to 90 degrees to 130 degrees, thereby promoting good gelatinization of the upper surface of the cooked rice. By adjusting the content and guaranteeing the golden water content of the cooked rice, the effect of steaming better rice can be achieved.

  In the description herein, reference is made to "one example", "some examples", "exemplary examples", "exemplary", "specific examples" or "some examples". The terminology means that a particular feature, structure, material, or feature depicted in combination with this embodiment or illustration is included in at least one embodiment or illustration of the present invention. In this specification, exemplary descriptions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same examples or illustrations. Also, the particular features, structures, materials, or features described can be combined in any manner or in any suitable manner in the examples or illustrations.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, various changes, modifications, changes and modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principle and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (9)

An electric rice cooker body assembly having an opening;
An upper lid assembly for opening or closing the opening;
The upper lid assembly is
An air inlet for drawing external air into the lid, and a lid body formed with an air outlet toward the opening of the electric rice cooker body assembly;
An intake passage formed in the lid and for supplying air drawn in from the air inlet into the electric rice cooker body assembly through the air outlet;
An air heating assembly for heating the air in the intake passage;
An exhaust passage for exhausting air in the electric rice cooker body assembly, separated from the intake passage ,
The intake passage is
A turbofan provided in the lid,
An air suction pipe having a first end connected to the turbofan and a second end connected to the exhaust port;
The air heating assembly is a heater, and the heater is provided in the wind duct;
The upper lid assembly is pivotally connected to the electric rice cooker body assembly;
The lid is
A surface lid on which a steam valve is installed;
An inner lid fixed below the surface lid;
A heat insulating seat plate that is disposed below the inner lid and in which a storage space for storing the intake passage and the air heating assembly is limited to the surface lid;
An overflow prevention cover plate disposed below the heat insulating seat plate and in which the air exhaust port is disposed;
An exhaust passage is formed in the center of the inner lid, the heat insulating seat plate, and the overflow prevention lid plate, and steam generated in the electric rice cooker body assembly is communicated with the steam valve through the exhaust passage. An electric rice cooker characterized by 2. The electric rice cooker according to claim 1 , wherein the heater is provided at the second end of the air intake duct and is directly connected to the air outlet. A steam exhaust port corresponding to each of the center of the surface cover, the inner cover, the heat insulating seat plate and the overflow prevention cover plate is formed so as to constitute the exhaust passage, and at the steam exhaust port. The electric rice cooker according to claim 1 , further comprising a circumferential seal. 4. The electric rice cooker according to claim 3 , wherein the air suction port is formed in the surface lid or in a pivotal connection portion between the upper lid assembly and the electric rice cooker body assembly. 5. The air inlet is formed on the bottom surface of the lid body so as to draw the external air into the storage space, and is configured to communicate with the storage space in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the inner lid. The electric rice cooker according to claim 3 . The electric rice cooker according to claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the exhaust port is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the second end of the air suction pipe. The electric rice cooker according to claim 1 , wherein a heat insulating layer is coated on an outer surface of the air intake duct. The at least part of the air intake duct at the second end extends in a vertical direction, and the air exhaust port includes a plurality of small holes provided in the overflow prevention cover plate. Item 10. An electric rice cooker according to Item 1 . An upper lid assembly used for an electric rice cooker for covering an opening of an electric rice cooker body assembly of an electric rice cooker,
The upper lid assembly is
An air inlet for drawing external air into the lid, and a lid body formed with an air outlet toward the opening of the electric rice cooker body assembly;
An intake passage formed in the lid and for supplying air drawn in from the air inlet into the electric rice cooker body assembly through the air outlet;
An air heating assembly for heating the air in the intake passage;
An exhaust passage for exhausting air in the electric rice cooker body assembly apart from the intake passage ;
The lid is
A surface lid on which a steam valve is installed;
An inner lid fixed below the surface lid;
A heat insulating seat plate that is disposed below the inner lid and in which a storage space for storing the intake passage and the air heating assembly is limited to the surface lid;
An overflow prevention cover plate disposed below the heat insulating seat plate and in which the air exhaust port is disposed;
An exhaust passage is formed in the center of the inner lid, the heat insulating seat plate, and the overflow prevention lid plate, and steam generated in the electric rice cooker body assembly is communicated with the steam valve through the exhaust passage. An upper lid assembly for use in an electric rice cooker.

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