JPH03261423A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the visibility of an operating part and a display part, and the operability of the operating part by providing the operating part in an upward state on the upper part of the main body, and providing the display part for displaying the process of a rice cooking operation in the vicinity of the operating part. CONSTITUTION:An operating panel 9 provided with an operating part 2 and a luminous body 22 as a display part, and a digital timer 23 is provided on the upper part of a main body 1. In the case the main body 1 is installed in a place being lower than height of user's eyes such as a table and a sink as the time of regular use, the operating panel 9 becomes a high part and easily visible, and also, an operating part 21 can also be operated easily. Moreover, in this case, since the operating panel 9 is provided in an upward state, even in a standing stage without stooping the waist, it does not occur that eyes become too oblique against the operating panel 9, the operating panel 9 can be looked at more easily, a character of 'warming', etc., put to the operating part 21 and the operating panel 9 and the visibility of light emitted from the luminous body 22 can be improved and the operability of the operating part 21 can also be improved.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a rice cooker equipped with an operation section for performing operations related to rice cooking operation and a display section for displaying the process of rice cooking operation. .

(Prior Art) In a conventional rice cooker, an operation panel is generally attached to the lower part of the outer circumferential side of the main body along the outer circumferential side, and an operating section is provided on this operation panel so that it can be operated from the outside. A light emitting body such as a display lamp or a light emitting diode is disposed on the operation panel, and the operation panel is operated to operate the rice cooking operation, and the light from the light emitting body is emitted based on the operation through a window section provided on the operation panel. The process of rice cooking operation can be confirmed by visually checking the process through the rice cooker.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In general, rice cookers are usually placed on low places such as tables or sinks in order to scoop out the rice from the pot after cooking. Therefore, the position of the user's eyes is also usually higher than the main body. However, in this case,
In the conventional device described above, the operation panel is provided at the lower part of the outer peripheral side of the main body along the outer peripheral side of the main body, so the operation panel is so low that it is not only difficult to see the operation panel without bending down, but also the operation panel is difficult to see without bending down. The drawback was that it was difficult to operate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a rice cooker that can improve the visibility of the operation section and the display section, as well as improve the operability of the operation section. There is something to do.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an operation section facing upward at the top of the main body for performing operations related to the rice cooking operation. The present invention is characterized in that a display section for displaying the process is provided near the operation section.

(Function) According to the above-mentioned means, since the operation section and the display section are provided at a higher position than in the past, when the main body is placed on a table or a sink during normal use, The operation section and display section are easier to see than before. Moreover, since the operating section faces upward, it is easy to operate.

(Example) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 is the main body, and this is the outer case 2. Inner case 3 and bottom plate 4
Although not shown, a rice cooking heater is disposed at the inner bottom of the inner case 3, and a pot is removably housed in the inner case 3. Reference numeral 5 denotes an annular frame body provided between the upper part of the outer case 2 and the upper part of the inner case 3. Reference numeral 6 denotes a vertically elongated case made of synthetic resin, in which an L-shaped engagement protrusion 7 protruding from the inner surface is engaged with an engagement hole 8 formed in the outer case 2, and then the lower part is opened. It is supported by a bottom plate 4 and is attached to the outer peripheral side of the main body 1 along the outer peripheral surface of the outer case 2 from the bottom plate 4 to the frame 5. The upper part of the case 6 protrudes outward from the lower part, and the operation panel 9 is provided on the upper part so as to face upward. Particularly in this embodiment, the operation panel 9 is formed integrally with the case 6 so that the upper surface thereof is inclined downwardly slightly forwardly. is formed, and a recess 11 recessed from the nameplate mounting recess 10 and a finger rest recess 1 recessed further from the recess 11 are formed at the front end.
2 is formed. In addition, a predetermined portion of the nameplate mounting recess 10 has an opening 13 for operation and a plurality of openings 1 for display.
4 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) and an opening 15 for displaying a digital timer. Reference numeral 16 denotes a name plate made of an elastic sheet stuck to the name plate mounting recess 10 of the operation panel 9, and each opening 1B of the name plate mounting recess 10
, 14.15 are formed respectively (see FIG. 3), and among them, the window 18 has letters indicating the rice cooking process, such as "cooking" (not shown), for example.
It is marked with "keep warm" etc. Reference numeral 20 denotes a printed circuit board that is screwed onto the back side of the operation panel 9 along the operation panel 9, and on the top surface thereof there is an operation section 21 for operation switches for performing operations related to the rice cooking operation, and a A light emitting body 22 and a digital timer 23, which serve as display sections for displaying the process, are installed in the openings 13, 14, . . . of the operation panel 9, respectively.
Therefore, the window 17 on the nameplate 16 facing the operating section 21 constitutes a part of the operating section 21, and the windows 18 and 19 form part of the display section. It makes up the department. A lead wire 24 is led out from the printed circuit board 20, and is led inside the case 6, along the outer surface of the outer case 2, and from the bottom plate 4 into the main body 1. On the other hand, 25 is a light-transmitting cover made of synthetic resin, for example, which has one end attached to the outer case 2 of the nameplate mounting recess 10 of the operation panel 9.
The cover 25 covers the operating section 211, the light emitting body 22 serving as the display section, and the digital timer 23 from above via the nameplate 16 so as to be rotatable. When the cover 25 is closed, the tip of the other end of the cover 25 protrudes from the front end of the nameplate mounting recess 10, and an inclined draining portion 26 that slopes downwardly forward is formed here. A space 27 is formed between the recess 11 of the operation panel 9 and the finger rest recess 12. Here, the cover 2 is shown in Figure 1.
The closed state of No. 5 is shown by a solid line, and the open state is shown by a two-dot chain line.

According to this embodiment having such a configuration, since the operation panel 9 including the operation section 21, the light emitting body 22 as a display section, and the digital timer 23 is provided on the upper part of the main body 1, the main body 1 can be easily used during normal use. When installed at a location lower than the user's eye level, such as a table or sink, the operation panel 9 is raised higher than before, making it easier to see.
Moreover, the operation of the operation section 21 becomes easier. Moreover, in this case,
Since the operation panel 9 is provided facing upward, the user's line of sight will not be too oblique to the operation panel 9 even when standing without bending over, making it easier to see the operation panel 9. , operation unit 21° The visibility of the characters such as “Keep warm” attached to the operation panel 9 and the light emitted from the light emitting body 22 can be improved, and of course, the operation unit 21
The operability of the system can also be improved. In addition, since the operation of the operation part 21 in this case applies a downward pressing force, unlike the case where the pressing force is applied to the side of the main body like the conventional operation part, the suppression operation of the operation part 21 The main body 1 does not sometimes shift laterally.

Furthermore, in the conventional case where the operation part of the operation panel is oriented horizontally, when another object is moved near the side of the main body, there is a risk that the object may come into contact with the operation part and cause the object to be operated incorrectly. However, in this embodiment, since the operating portion 21 is oriented upward, it is possible to prevent objects from coming into contact with the operating portion 21 as much as possible.

On the other hand, if the operation panel 9 is provided facing upward in this way, there is a situation where the operation panel 9 is likely to be exposed to water droplets, etc.;
Since the cover 25 is provided to cover the light emitting body 22 and the digital timer 23 as a display section from above, the operation panel 9
Even if there are water droplets splashed on the main body 1 when handling the main body 1, or so-called soot spilled from a pot during rice cooking, the cover 25 can catch the water droplets and soot. This can prevent water droplets, slime, etc. from entering the inside of the operation panel 9,
Therefore, the operation section 211, the light emitting body 22, and the digital timer 2
3. It can prevent water getting wet. Further, since dirt such as slime and dust are difficult to adhere to the upper surface of the operation panel 9, only the cover 25 is needed for cleaning, making cleaning easier. Furthermore, since the cover 25 is provided, there is no risk of accidentally touching the operating section 21 and operating it incorrectly.

Moreover, especially according to this embodiment, since the cover 25 is formed to have translucency, the windows 17, 18 of the operation panel 9 can be passed through the cover 25 while the cover 25 remains closed. 19 can be easily seen without compromising visibility. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the inclined draining part 26 is formed at the tip of the cover 25, water etc. that have been applied to the upper surface of the cover 25 can easily flow downward from the draining part 26. Therefore, it is possible to prevent water etc. from accumulating in the cover 25, and since the space 27 is formed below the drain section 26, the water that has fallen from the drain section 26 can reach the lower surface of the cover 25 and the name plate 16. There is no possibility of intrusion between
Overall, drainage can be ensured in the operation panel 9 portion.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, but may be applied to a case where the operation panel 9 is configured separately from the cover 6, for example, without departing from the scope of the invention. This can be implemented with appropriate changes.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, the present invention provides an operating section for performing operations related to the rice cooking operation in an upward direction on the upper part of the main body, and a display section for displaying the process of the rice cooking operation as described above. Since it is located near the operation section, the visibility of the operation section and display section is improved compared to conventional methods when the main unit is installed in a place lower than the user's eye level, such as a table or sink during normal use. This has excellent effects in that it is possible to improve the performance of the user, and also to improve the operability of the operating section.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the main parts, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts with the cover closed, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main parts with the cover open. be. In the drawings, 1 is a main body, 21 is an operating section, and 22 is a light emitting body (display section).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rice cooker, characterized in that an operating section for performing operations related to rice cooking operation is provided at the top of the main body in an upward direction, and a display section for displaying the steps of the rice cooking operation is provided near the operating section.