JPH04132522A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the construction of a rice cooker for achieving a remarkable reduction in the cost of the rice cooker although the rice cooker still has the same function as conventional rice cookers, by a method wherein the rice cooker includes an enclosure main body and a cover main body which covers an opening of the enclosure main body, and the enclosure main body consists of an outer shell on the outside and an outer pot on the inside and is made of resin material molded in one piece. CONSTITUTION:An enclosure main body 18 consists of a double shell enclosure 20 and a bottom plate 21 which blocks up the bottom opening. The double shell enclosure 20 consisting of an outer shell 20a on the outside and an outer pot 20b on the inside is made of resin material molded in one piece. A small clearance A is formed between the circumference of a cover 19 and the enclosure main body 18, and hot gas in a space 30 between the outer pot 20b and an inner pot 24 is allowed to escape outside through only the space 30. The cover 19 consists of an outer shell 31 on the outside and art inner cover 32 which is elastically enforced to turn toward an inner pot 24. The outer shell 31 with a handle is made of resin material molded in one piece. Thus, as parts are molded in monoblocks of resin material, the number of parts is reduced and a reduction in cost can be achieved because of monoblock molding.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a rice cooker that is composed of a container body that houses an inner pot and a lid body that closes the opening of the container body. This relates to the structure of the main body and the fitting portion between the container main body and the lid main body.

<Prior Art> FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional rice cooker. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a container body that opens upward, and 2 a lid that closes the opening of the container body 1. The lid 2 is attached to the container body 1 by a hinge mechanism (not shown).

The container body 1 is composed of an outer shell member 1a on the outer surface side and an outer pot 1b on the inner surface side. This outer shell member 1a is formed into a container shape from a resin material or a metal material, and a ring-shaped support member 3 is fitted inside the upper end of this outer shell member 1a. The outer pot 1b is made of a metal material with good heat resistance, and is fixed to the support member 3. 4 is a hot plate provided on the inner bottom surface of the outer pot 1b, and has an electric heater 5 installed therein. Reference numeral 6 denotes an inner pot that is attached to and removed from the hot plate 4 with its bottom surface in close contact with the hot plate 4, and the inner pot 6 is arranged with a predetermined gap between it and the outer pot. Reference numeral 7 denotes a heat-sensitive body disposed in close contact with the center of the bottom surface of the inner pot 46, and is urged upward by a spring 7a so as to come in close contact with the inner pot. A control board 8 is provided in a space formed between the outer shell member 1a and the outer pot 1b, and is equipped with an electronic circuit for controlling the control board.

The lid 2 includes a lid main body 10 having a handle 9 and the like, and an inner lid 11 detachably attached to the inner surface of the lid main body 2a. The above-mentioned lid main body IO includes an outer shell member 1 constituting an outer shell.
A lid cover 10b is fitted on the inner surface of the lid cover 10b, and an annular packing 12 made of silicone rubber or the like is provided on the inner surface of the lid cover 10b to abut against the outer periphery of the inner lid, and this annular packing 12 is fixed to the lid cover 10b. It is constructed by fitting the holder plate 13 to the lid cover 10b.

The inner lid 11 is fitted onto a hanging rod 14 vertically disposed on a holder plate 13 via an elastic member 15 such as silicone rubber, and is urged downward by the elastic member 5. That will happen.

This inner lid 11 is provided with a plurality of steam holes 11a, and the steam generated in the inner pot 6 escapes into the space 16 on the lid 2 side through the steam holes 11a. Reference numeral 17 denotes a steam release device provided to communicate the space 16 on the lid side with the outside, and steam escapes to the outside through steam holes 17a formed in the steam release device 17.

In the rice cooker having the above configuration, when the container body 1 is closed with M2, the inner lid 11 is joined to the upper part of the inner pot 6, and the inner lid 11 is pressed against the inner pot 6 by the elastic member 15. The inside of the inner pot 6 is hermetically sealed. Further, at the upper end of the inner pot 6, an annular packing 12 is provided on the lid 2 over the entire circumference.
are in contact with each other to improve airtightness and prevent boiling over.

Now, in such a rice cooker, rice is cooked using the heat sensitive element 7.
The temperature curve detected by the sensor is controlled so that it has characteristics as shown in FIG. 5, for example. When rice is cooked in this way, the above does not occur much until the water stored in the inner pot 6 boils, but once the water boils and reaches point A (100°C), a large amount of steam is generated. Evaporation continues until the water is completely evaporated. The generated evaporation escapes from the steam hole 11a of the inner lid 11 into the space 16, and from there escapes to the outside from the steam hole 17a of the steam release device 17. By continuing heating for the period C, the moisture continues to evaporate, and when the temperature of the inner pot 6 rapidly rises and reaches point B, the electric heater 5
This is done by stopping the power supply to the device.

Problems to be Solved by the Present Invention> By the way, when rice is cooked normally, if the rice soup (so-called "onabe") boils over due to bumping, there will be a lack of moisture and the rice will not be cooked properly. This may damage the rice cooker, which is an electrical appliance, and even if it is not damaged, it may stain the rice cooker.

Therefore, by forming a steam passage leading to the outside as described above and increasing the sealing degree of the inner pot 6, the steam in the inner pot 6 can be properly released to the outside, and the inner pot 6 can be kept tightly sealed to prevent boiling over. I'm trying to prevent it from happening.

For this reason, in the conventional rice cooker, the inner lid 11 is strongly pressed against the inner pot 6 by an elastic member 15, and the outer periphery of the inner pot is further held down by an annular packing 12. Furthermore, a holder plate 13 and a hanging rod 14 are provided to support the ill, and a lid cover 10b is provided to support the holder plate 13.

As described above, conventional rice cookers have a very complicated structure, and have a large number of parts, making assembly complicated and expensive.

Moreover, since the container body 1 is composed of the outer shell member 1a, the outer pot 1b, and the support member 3, the number of parts is large, and assembly is complicated and the cost is high.

Further, in the conventional rice cooker, the inner lid 11 is pressed against the inner pot 6 by the elastic member 15 to maintain the airtightness inside the inner pot 6, but it is not possible to obtain a sufficient airtightness with the elastic member 15 alone. Therefore, it is necessary to use a strong pressing force for the annular gasket 12 or to provide the annular gasket 12 as described above, which increases the number of parts in the rice cooker, complicates assembly, and increases the cost of the rice cooker. It was an invitation to the town.

In view of the above-mentioned points, an object of the present invention is to simplify the structure of a rice cooker while having the same functions as conventional ones, thereby making it possible to significantly reduce the cost of the rice cooker.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following features: A container body that accommodates an inner pot and a lid body that closes an opening of the container body, the container body having an outer surface. The outer shell part on the side and the outer pot part on the inner side are integrally molded from a resin material, and a small gap is formed at the fitting part between the container body and the lid body.

2. It is composed of a container body that accommodates the inner pot and a lid body that closes the opening of the container body, and the lid body is attached directly to the outer shell part on the outer surface side and the inner surface side of this outer shell part. The inner lid is configured to close the opening of the inner pot and is elastically biased toward the inner pot, and the inner lid is provided with a steam release part for escaping steam from the inner pot. An opening is provided in the inner lid of the steam relief section to return the steam collected in the steam relief section to the inner pot.

3. It is composed of a container body that accommodates the inner pot and a lid body that closes the opening of the container body, and the lid body is attached directly to the outer shell part on the outer surface side and the inner surface side of this outer shell part. an inner lid that closes the opening of the inner pot and is elastically biased toward the inner pot; and an inclined surface that opens toward the inner lid at the fitting portion of the inner pot with the inner lid. At the same time, an inclined surface that joins to an inclined surface of the inner pot is formed at a portion of the inner lid that fits into the inner pot.

<Function> With the above configuration, 1. Since the outer shell portion of the container body and the outer pot portion are integrally molded from a resin material, the number of parts is reduced and costs can be reduced by integral molding.

In this case, a small gap is formed at the fitting part of the container body and the lid body, so some of the hot air inside the outer pot escapes to the outside through this small gap, and the temperature in the outer pot does not become extremely high. . Therefore, even if the outer pot portion is made of a resin material, deformation of the outer pot portion does not occur.

2. Since the inner cover is attached directly to the inner surface of the outer shell of the above-mentioned cover body, the parts conventionally provided to support the inner cover are omitted, reducing the number of parts and simplifying the structure. Enables cost reduction.

In this case, since the inner lid is elastically biased toward the inner pot and closes the opening of the inner pot, the tightness of the inner pot is ensured. In addition, while the steam in the inner pot is appropriately released from the steam relief part, the steam collected in the steam relief part is returned to the inner pot through the opening, so that rice is properly cooked without boiling over despite the simple structure.

3. Since the inner cover is attached directly to the inner surface of the outer shell of the cover body, the parts conventionally provided to support the inner cover are omitted, reducing the number of parts and simplifying the structure. This makes cost town possible.

In this case, an inclined surface that opens toward the inner lid is formed at the part of the inner pot that fits with the inner lid, and an inclined surface that joins the inclined surface of the inner pot is formed at the part of the inner lid that fits with the inner pot. When the lid body is closed, the slanted surfaces are pressed together by the elastic member, achieving high airtightness. Despite the simple structure, there is no boiling over, and rice can be cooked properly. be exposed.

<Example> Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 18 denotes a container body whose top side is open, and 19 denotes a lid body for opening and closing the opening of the container body 18.

The container body 18 includes a double-structured container body 20 in which an outer shell portion 20a on the outer surface side and an outer pot portion 20b on the inner surface side are integrally molded from a resin material, and a bottom that closes the lower opening of the container body 20. By combining the container body 20 and the bottom body 21, a hollow container body 18 with an open upper surface is formed. In order to facilitate molding, the container body 20 is formed so that the slope of the mold opening is open to the lower surface side, and is molded from a resin material that has a certain degree of heat resistance and is relatively strong. Note that this resin material is selected from a material that is as low in cost as possible while taking heat resistance and four strengths into consideration. A hot plate 23 having an electric heater 22 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the container body 18.
A metal inner pot 24 is placed on top of the pot 3. Reference numeral 25 denotes a heat sensitive body provided in close contact with the bottom surface of the inner pot 24, and energization to the electric heater 22 related to rice cooking is controlled based on the temperature of the inner pot 24 detected by the heat sensitive body 25. Reference numeral 26 denotes a thermistor for detecting abnormal temperature, which is provided in the outer pot part 20b inside the container body 18, and in response to the output of this thermistor 26, to prevent the outer pot part 20b from becoming abnormally high temperature. When a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature is detected, the electric heater 22 is controlled to be de-energized or to be de-energized. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the electric heater 22 or the control circuit for some reason, the outer pot 2
The temperature of 0b does not rise abnormally, and the outer pot part 20b made of resin material
is not deformed by heat.

27 is a control circuit board, and 28 is a storage section for the food reel.

A stepped portion 29 is formed on the inner surface of the upper end of the container body 18 . The lid main body 19 is fitted into the step 29, and a small gap A is formed between the outer periphery of the lid main body I9 and the inner surface of the step 29, that is, the container main body 18, and a small gap A is formed between the outer periphery of the lid main body I9 and the inner surface of the step 29, that is, the container main body 18. Hot air in the space 30 between the inner pot 24 and the inner pot 24 leaks to the outside through this small gap A. This small gap A is formed to such an extent that the above-mentioned space 30 does not reach an abnormally high temperature due to the outflow of hot air, and its size is determined in consideration of thermal efficiency. In order to form this small gap A, the step portion 29 is appropriately provided with ribs, etc., so that hot air can pass through this small gap A smoothly.

Next, the structure of the lid body 19 will be explained using FIG. 2, which is an enlarged cross-sectional view.

The lid main body 19 is attached directly to the outer shell member 31 on the outer surface side and the inner surface side of the outer shell member 31 to close the opening of the inner pot 24, and is elastically biased toward the inner pot 24 side. and an inner lid 32. The outer shell member 31 is molded from a resin material, and a handle and the like are integrally molded therein. The inner lid 32 is made of the same metal material as the inner WA 24, and is supported by springs 33 and 34 identified on the outer shell member 31, so that steam, which will be described later, is It is fitted inside as an assembly together with the relief part. Since the inner cover 32 is supported by the springs 33 and 34, the inner cover 32 is biased toward the inner pot 24 when the cover body 19 is closed. This inner lid 32 is provided with a steam release part 34 for releasing steam from the inner pot 24. This steam release section 34
, a steam cap 35 formed in the shape of a container open to the bottom side, and an inner lid 32 inside the steam boss 35.
The steam boss 36 is provided in the steam boss 36.

This steam cap 35 is fixed to the inner lid 32, and a steam hole 35a is formed in the top surface of the steam cap 35 to communicate the interior space 37 of the steam cap 35 with the outside. The steam boss 36 includes an inner space 3 of the inner pot 24 closed by the inner M32 and a space 3 of the steam cow Yanop 35.
7, and is erected at a predetermined height toward the space 37 within the steam cap 35. 38
is an opening for returning the steam recovered from the internal space 37 of the steam chamber 35 to the inner pot 24, and a plurality of openings 38 are provided in the inner pot M32 around the steam chamber 36. Note that 31a is a stopper projection provided on the inner surface of the end portion of the outer shell member 31, and this stopper projection 31a has an inner M32 which is biased by springs 33 and 34.
When the inner lid 32 is opened, the outer circumference of the inner lid 32 comes into contact with the stopper protrusion 31a, thereby regulating the position of the inner M32.

Next, the fitting structure between the inner pot 24 and the inner lid 32 will be explained using FIG. 2 as well.

An inclined surface 39 that opens toward the inner lid 32 side, that is, toward the upper side, is formed at the portion of the inner pot 24 that fits into the inner lid 32. On the other hand, an inclined surface 40 that joins the inclined surface 39 of the inner pot 24 is formed at a portion of the inner lid 32 that fits into the inner pot 24 . These inclined surfaces 39 and 40 are joined in a plane when the lid main body 19 is closed, and together with the urging force of the springs 33 and 34, the inner space of the inner pot 24 is kept airtight.

With the above configuration, the outer shell part 20a and the outer pot part 20b of the container body 20 are integrally molded from a resin material, so the number of parts is reduced and costs can be reduced by integral molding.

That is, in the past, an outer shell member and an outer pot were separately provided and these were combined using a support member, which required individual parts and was troublesome to assemble.However, as in the above embodiment, the container body 20 By being integrally molded, significant cost reductions can be expected. In the case of this embodiment, the hot air in the space 30 leaks to the outside through the small gap A, so the temperature in the space 30 does not become abnormally high, and the outer pot portion 20b is made of resin material. Even with this configuration, the outer pot portion 20b is prevented from being deformed or melted by heat, and there is no need to use an expensive heat-resistant resin material for this integrally molded resin material. Although the thermal efficiency is slightly reduced due to hot air leaking from the small gap A, there is no particular problem if the size of the small gap A is designed taking into account the temperature received by the outer pot portion 20b and the thermal efficiency. Incidentally, it has been confirmed through experiments that the temperature of the space 30 can be made lower than the melting temperature of the outer pot portion 20b without reducing the thermal efficiency, since the hot air leaks through a very small gap.

In addition, in the rice cooker of the above embodiment, the inner cover 32 is attached directly to the inner surface of the outer shell portion 31 of the cover body 19 using springs 33 and 34, so that parts that were conventionally provided to support the inner cover are (The annular gasket 12 that presses the outer periphery of the inner pot, the holder plate 13 that supports the inner fE11, the hanging rod 14, and the lid cover 10b that supports this holder plate 13) are omitted, reducing the number of parts and simplifying the structure. This makes it possible to reduce costs.

In this case, the inner lid 32 is elastically biased toward the inner pot 24 and closes the opening of the inner pot 24, so that the degree of airtightness of the inner pot 24 is ensured. In addition, while the steam in the inner pot 24 is appropriately released from the steam relief section 34, the steam collected by the steam relief section 34 is returned to the inner pot 24 through the opening, so that rice can be cooked properly without boiling over, despite the simple structure. be exposed.

That is, when adding too much water or cooking porridge, the rice broth (so-called rice porridge) tends to boil over from the inner wh24, but this broth flows from the steam boss 36 of the steam release section 34 to the steam boss.

The liquid flows into the space 37 within the tube 35. A part of the water vapor in this boiling liquid is released from the steam escape hole 35a of the steam cap 35.
escape to the outside. The remaining broth is temporarily stored in a space 37 in the steam tank 35, and when the internal pressure of the inner pot 24 is lowered, it is dripped into the inner pot 24 sequentially through the opening 38 and returned to the inner pot 24. In this way, the boiling liquid that is about to boil over is collected in the steam cap 35 and returned to the inner pot 24, so that it does not boil over any further to the outside, and the rice is cooked properly and the rice cooker is not contaminated. There will be no inconvenience of damage to the rice cooker.

In the case of the rice cooker of the above embodiment, an inclined surface 39 that opens toward the inner lid 32 is formed at the portion of the inner pot 24 that fits with the inner M32, and a portion of the inner lid 32 that fits with the inner pot 24 is formed. Since an inclined surface 40 is formed to join the inclined surface 39 of the inner pot 24, when the lid main body 19 is closed, the inclined surfaces 39 and 40 are not biased by the springs 33 and 34, but are connected to each other. It is possible to obtain airtightness, and although it has a simple structure, there is no boiling over, and rice can be cooked properly. This inclined surface 39.
By maintaining the airtightness of the inner M424 by the inner pot 24, the lid packing that was conventionally provided on the lid body 19 side so as to come into contact with the outer periphery of the inner pot 24 is no longer necessary, and costs can be reduced accordingly. Furthermore, since the inner pot 24 is simply placed on the hot plate 23 within the container body 20, its position within the container body 20 tends to become unstable. However, when the lid body 19 is closed, the position of the inner pot 24 on the inner lid 32 is regulated by the connection of the inclined surfaces 39 and 40, and the inner pot 24 can be easily installed in the center of the container body 20 and the hot plate 23 can be ensured and a decrease in thermal efficiency can be prevented. In addition, the inner lid 32
Since the inclined surface 40 is formed by drawing a metal plate, an improvement in structural strength can be expected.

As another example, a rice cooker as shown in FIG. 3 also has a cost reduction effect. The one in FIG. 3 has a lid bar due to the formation of the inclined surfaces 39 and 40.

Since the hinge can be omitted, only the connecting structure of the inclined surfaces 39 and 40 is adopted, and the other structures are the same as the conventional one. In the case shown in FIG. 3, the inner lid 32a is connected to the lid main body 19.
The elastic body 41 such as rubber provided in a is biased toward the inner pot 24, and the connection structure of the inclined surfaces 39 and 40 allows the inner pot 2 to
4, which maintains a high level of airtightness. Thereby, there is no need for a lid gasket that comes into contact with the outer part of the inner pot 24.

Effects> According to the present invention, the cost of the rice cooker can be significantly reduced by reducing the number of parts and simplifying the assembly work, while having the same functions as conventional rice cookers. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of an embodiment of the invention, Fig. 3 is a sectional view of another embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a conventional rice cooker. Figure 5 is a typical rice cooking temperature characteristic diagram. 19 Lid body, 20. Container body, 24 Inner pot, 32
．． Inner lid, 39, 40 sloped surface.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Consisting of a container body that accommodates an inner pot and a lid body that closes the opening of the container body, the container body has an outer shell portion on the outer side and an outer pot portion on the inner side. A rice cooker characterized in that the container body and the lid body are integrally molded from a resin material, and a small gap is formed at the fitting part between the container body and the lid body. 2. It is composed of a container body that accommodates the inner pot and a lid body that closes the opening of the container body, and the lid body is attached directly to the outer shell part on the outer surface side and the inner surface side of this outer shell part. The inner lid is configured to close the opening of the inner pot and is elastically biased toward the inner pot, and the inner lid is provided with a steam release part for escaping steam from the inner pot. A rice cooker characterized in that the inner lid of the steam escape section is provided with an opening for returning the steam collected in the steam escape section to the inner pot. 3. It is composed of a container body that accommodates the inner pot and a lid body that closes the opening of the container body, and the lid body is attached directly to the outer shell portion on the outer surface side and the inner surface side of the outer shell portion, and the inner pot is attached directly to the inner surface side of the outer shell portion. an inner lid that closes the opening of the inner pot and is elastically biased toward the inner pot, and an inclined surface that opens toward the inner lid is formed at the fitting part of the inner pot with the inner lid. In addition, a rice cooker characterized in that an inclined surface that joins to an inclined surface of the inner pot is formed at a portion of the inner lid that fits into the inner pot.