JPH0411203B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a rice cooking device particularly suitable for use by being incorporated into a sink, a cooking table, etc.

By liquefying and recovering the steam during cooking,
Rice cookers that attempt to eliminate the inconvenience caused by vapor dissipation into a room have been known for some time. This system guides the steam filling the space between the inner and outer lids of the rice cooker to a heat exchanger made of spiral pipes inside the rice cooker's exterior, where the heat is radiated. However, in this conventional rice cooker, heat radiation in the heat exchanger is due to natural convection of air, and the hot air from the rice cooker also affects the heat exchanger, making it impossible to perform efficient cooling. In addition, the rice cooker was a stand-alone rice cooker, and no consideration was given to the fact that it could be used by incorporating it into a sink, cooking table, etc.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, efficiently liquefies and recovers the steam released during rice cooking, exhausts the steam as low-temperature, low-humidity air, and is used by incorporating it into sinks, cooking tables, etc. We provide a rice cooking device suitable for cooking.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention divides the inside of the cabinet into two rooms, provides a rice cooker in one room so that it can be taken out freely, and connects the steam port of the rice cooker to the other room so that steam can be discharged from the rice cooker. A steam condensing device is provided for condensing the steam, and the steam condensing device has a part connected to an exhaust port of the cabinet main body, and the other part has a drain port for condensed water,
Further, the steam condensing device is equipped with a forced cooling means for forcibly cooling the steam.

With this configuration, the steam condensing device is not affected by the hot air of the rice cooker, and the steam can be efficiently cooled by being forced to cool. It is not dangerous even if the steam is discharged to the front, so it can be used by incorporating it into a sink, cooking table, etc.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a cabinet body whose interior is partitioned into two rooms by a partition 1a. Reference numeral 2 denotes a drawer disposed in one room of the cabinet body 1. A rice cooker 3 is removably disposed in the drawer 2, and the rice cooker 3 can be freely taken out from the cabinet body 1. Reference numeral 4 denotes a power switch disposed on the front surface of the cabinet main body 1. Reference numeral 5 designates a steam condensing device provided in the other room of the cabinet body 1, and a part thereof communicates with an exhaust port 6 opened at the front surface of the cabinet body, and the other part has a condensed water discharge port 7. The steam condensing device 5 also has steam forced cooling means, which will be described later. 8
is a steam inlet provided in the steam condensing device 5.
9 is a steam port provided in the lid 10 of the rice cooker 3. Reference numeral 11 denotes a steam guide with both ends open. One end 12 is disposed at a position facing the steam port 9, and the other end is in close contact with the steam inlet 8 of the steam condensing device 5. and the steam port 9 of the rice cooker 3 are connected. Reference numeral 13 denotes a water supply tank, which is disposed within the cabinet body 1 above the steam condensing device 5. Water is appropriately supplied to this from a water supply pipe 15 provided with a water supply valve 14. Of course, the water supply pipe 15 is connected to a water supply source (not shown) such as water supply. Reference numeral 16 denotes a cooling pipe, which is spirally wound in order to increase the heat exchange area inside the steam condensing device 5. One end 17 is connected to the lower part of the water tank 13 via a solenoid valve 18, and the other end 19 is connected to a drain pipe. It is connected to 20. Of course, the drain pipe 20 is connected to a sewer (not shown). Reference numeral 21 denotes a drain pipe that communicates the drain port 7 for condensed water of the steam condensing device 5 with the drain pipe 20 . 22 is a float switch that controls the water supply valve so as to keep the water level in the water supply tank 13 constant. The water supply tank 13, water supply pipe 16, electromagnetic valve 18, etc. described above constitute forced cooling means for the steam condensing device 5.

The operation of the rice cooking device configured as above will be explained below. First, put rice and water in a rice cooker, then set rice cooker 3 in drawer 2. Next, when the power switch 4 is turned on, rice cooking starts, and after a certain period of time, the solenoid valve 18 is activated, and the water in the water tank 13 flows through the cooling pipe 16 and is drained through the drain pipe 20 into the sewer or the like. The steam released from the steam port 9 passes through the steam guide 11 and is guided into the steam condensing device 5, where it comes into contact with the cooling pipe 16 and is forcibly deprived of thermal energy by the water flowing inside the cooling pipe 16 and is cooled. Dew condenses on the surface of the pipe 16 and becomes low-temperature, low-humidity air that is exhausted from the drain port 6. Since there is no risk of burns or the like due to this exhaust, the exhaust port 6 can be provided at the front of the cabinet body 1. Therefore, there is no need to discharge steam from the side of the cabinet body 1, and it can be incorporated into a sink, a cooking table, etc. Further, the condensed water is drained from the drain port 7 through the drain pipe 21 and the drain pipe 20 to a sewer or the like. Here, the rice cooker 3, the steam condensing device 5,
Since the water supply tank 13 and the like are partitioned by the partition body 1a, the forced cooling means is not affected by the hot air of the rice cooker 3, and the steam is efficiently cooled. When rice cooking is finished and steam is no longer released, the solenoid valve 18 stops operating.

The operations described above are performed by an appropriate control circuit (not shown) such as a timer.

In this embodiment, water is used as the cooling medium of the steam forced cooling means, but any other medium such as air may be used.

As described above, according to the rice cooking device of the present invention, the steam is forcibly cooled by the steam condensing device, and the forced cooling means is not affected by the hot air of the rice cooker, so that the steam can be efficiently cooled. The steam is condensed and can be exhausted as low-temperature, low-humidity air. Therefore, moisture will not accumulate inside the room. Further, even if the exhaust port is provided in the front of the cabinet body, there is no danger of burns or the like, so there is no need to exhaust steam from the side of the cabinet body, and a large space is not required for installation. Therefore, it can be incorporated into a sink, cooking table, etc. to form a system.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooking device showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the same rice cooking device. 1... Cabinet body, 1a... Partition body, 3
...Rice cooker, 5...Steam condensing device, 6...Exhaust port, 16...Cooling pipe.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Partition the inside of the cabinet into two rooms,
One room is provided with a rice cooker that can be taken out freely, and the other room is provided with a steam condensing device that is connected to the steam port of the rice cooker and condenses the steam released from the rice cooker. The steam condenser is connected to the exhaust port of the main body of the cabinet, and has a drain port for condensed water in other parts, and the steam condenser is equipped with forced cooling means to forcibly cool the steam.