JPH0789982B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker in which a control circuit unit incorporated in a main body is more reliably waterproofed.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there are many devices equipped with a microcomputer for cooking under program control. An example of this is found in rice cookers, in which the control circuit section consisting of a microcomputer, other electronic components, operation switches, and pilot lamps is built into the main body or lid, and, for example, an operation panel is placed on the surface of the lid to operate the operation switches from above. It is equipped with a switch operating device that can be used to operate and to see the operating status from above with a pilot lamp.

Conventionally, the switch operating device of this type of cooker has a structure as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 4, the cooker main body A includes a lower main body 101, an upper frame 102, a protective frame 103, a heating element (not shown), and the like, and a pan 104 is housed inside. The lid B covers the upper opening of the cooking device, and packs the outer lid 105 and the lower surface of the outer lid 105.
It is composed of a heat radiating plate 107 which is covered via 106 and an inner lid 108 which covers the upper opening of the pan 104.

A push switch (hereinafter referred to as a switch) is provided on the lid B.
109, a pilot lamp 110, and a control circuit board 111 on which a control circuit unit such as a microcomputer (not shown) is mounted.
The control circuit board 111 is mounted in the seal box 112, and the switch 109 and the pilot lamp 110 are mounted toward the outer lid 105. The opening of the seal box 112 is watertightly covered with a seal box cover 114 through a packing 113, and a flexible transparent waterproof film 115 is adhered to the back surface of the seal box 112 to switch operating hole 116 and pilot lamp hole 117.
Is watertightly covered.

An operation panel mounting hole 119 is formed in the outer lid 105 so as to face the seal box 112 and has a step portion 118 that expands inward. A transparent or translucent material that fits into the operation panel mounting hole 119 is formed. The operation panel 120 consisting of is inserted.
The operation panel 120 is provided with a switch operation button hole 122 through which a crown-shaped switch operation button 121 freely passes.

The seal box 112 is assembled as described above and the frame-shaped portion 123 connected to the seal box 112 and the operation panel 120.
It is screwed to the inner surface of the outer lid 105 via.

In the above structure, the switch operation button 121 is replaced with the compression spring 125.
When pressed against the spring force, the switch 109 is pressed through the waterproof film 115 and the elastic arm 126 extending from the seal box 112, the contacts are closed, and a signal is output to the control circuit unit.

Further, with respect to water that enters between the operation panel 120 and the switch operation button 121 and water vapor generated from the cooking product in the pan 104 and entering the lid B, the seal box cover 114
Since the waterproof film 115 and the waterproof film 115 cover the seal box 112 in a watertight manner, the control circuit board 111 is protected in a watertight manner.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the conventional configuration, the seal box 112 and the waterproof film 115 are required to protect the control circuit board 111 from water vapor or the like, and as a result, the height of the switch operating device increases. Therefore, the height of the entire cooking device is increased, which requires a large number of constituent members and required amounts, which increases the number of assembling steps and further increases the cost.

In addition, the frame strip 123 of the seal box 112 and the operation panel 120.
The space surrounded by is large in volume, and a large amount of water invades into the space through the gap between the operation panel 120 and the switch operation button 121, and is difficult to be discharged, which is a cause of the offensive odor.

Further, there is a problem that water that enters through the gap between the outer lid 105 and the operation panel 120 also collects in the lid B and emits a strange odor over a long period of time.

Further, since the pilot lamp 110 displays the operation state via the waterproof film 115 and the operation panel 120, there is a problem that the display is difficult to see.

The present invention is to solve the above conventional problems, the configuration is simple, the number of members and the required amount can be reduced, the cost is low, and moreover,
A first object is to keep the control circuit section watertight and improve operability.

The second purpose is to improve the operability and make the display section easier to see.

Means for Solving the Problems A first means of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned first object is a rice cooker body having an upper surface opened, and an operation hole portion which is attached to the upper surface opening portion and is provided on the front surface side. An upper frame, a lid that covers the upper surface opening of the rice cooker body in an openable and closable manner, a control board that is provided inside the front surface of the upper frame and that controls the rice cooker body, and an upper surface side of the control board. A liquid crystal display element that is located at, and displays the control content, and a glass laminated pressure sensitive element that is located on the upper surface side of the liquid crystal display element and that is operated from the outside.
A light-transmitting waterproof thin film, which is located on the upper surface side of the glass laminated pressure-sensitive element, covers the operation hole and is kept watertight with the upper frame, and the waterproof thin film is provided in the operation hole. Protrusions are provided at substantially corresponding positions to reduce the gap between the waterproof thin film and the glass laminated pressure sensitive element.

A second means of the present invention for achieving the above second object is to provide a recess for watertightly holding a waterproof thin film on a front surface of an upper frame, and to provide an operation hole inside the recess for the operation. At least the outer periphery of the hole portion on the front side is made thin, and notches are provided at a plurality of positions of the thin portion.

Action In the above-mentioned first means, when the rice cooker is operated, the operation is performed by pressing a necessary portion from the surface side of the translucent waterproof thin film according to the control content displayed on the liquid crystal display element.

In addition, the upper frame and the waterproof thin film that is kept watertight prevent water from entering the lid, and the gap between the glass laminated pressure-sensitive element and the waterproof thin film is made small so that the waterproof thin film can be inserted with a small pressing force during operation. The operation is performed by operating the laminated glass pressure sensitive element.

In the second means, when the operating portion is provided near the inner side of the outer periphery of the operating hole portion, the pressing force at the time of operating the operating portion is provided by the plurality of notches provided in the thin portion on the outer periphery of the hole portion. Is reduced.

Example An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a rice cooker body including a lower body 2, an upper frame 3, a protective frame 4, a heating element 5, and the like,
A pot 6 is housed inside and has an upper surface opening 7 on its upper surface.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a lid body that covers the upper surface opening portion 7 in an openable and closable manner. The lid body 8 has an outer lid 9 that constitutes an upper portion thereof and a heat radiating plate 11 that covers a lower surface of the outer lid 9 with a packing 10 and the heat radiation. Board 11
And an inner lid 12 that covers the top opening of the pot 6.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a hook button which is provided near the upper part of the front surface of the lower body 2 and which opens and closes the lid body 8.
Is a hook lever rotatably supported in the lower body 2.
14 engaged.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a control board provided inside the front surface of the upper frame 3 and having a control circuit unit such as a microcomputer (not shown) mounted thereon. The control board 15 is fixed to a board base 16 with both ends thereof supported.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a liquid crystal display element which is located on the upper surface side of the control board 15 and which displays control contents.

The liquid crystal display element 17 is fixed to a holder 18 fixed on the control board 15 by supporting both ends thereof.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a glass laminated pressure sensitive element which is located on the upper surface side of the liquid crystal display element 17 and is supported by the holder 18.

The laminated glass pressure sensitive element 19 is composed of a thin glass layer 19a and a thick glass layer 19b, and a minute space 19c is formed between the thin glass layer 19a and the thick glass layer 19b.

Electrodes made of a transparent material are formed in a plurality of patterns on opposite surfaces of the two glass layers 19a and 19b.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a flat concave portion provided on the front surface side of the upper frame 3, and the glass laminated thickness sensitive element is provided inside the flat concave portion 20.
A substantially rectangular operation hole portion 21 is provided at a position corresponding to 19.

Reference numeral 22 denotes a thin portion provided on the outer periphery of the operation hole portion 21, and semicircular cutout portions 23 are provided at a plurality of locations on the front outer periphery of the thin portion 22.

Reference numeral 24 is a translucent waterproof thin film that covers the operation hole portion 21 and is kept watertight with the upper frame 3, and specifically, the upper frame 3
Is attached in a watertight manner to a flat concave portion 20 provided on the front side of the.

The waterproof thin film 24 is provided with a convex portion 25 at a position substantially corresponding to the operation hole portion 21 so that the liquid crystal display element 19 and the outer shape thereof are aligned with each other, and a gap between the waterproof thin film 24 and the glass laminated sensitive element 19 is provided. Is small.

The waterproof thin film 24 has a material thickness such as a thickness of 0.2 mm of a polyethylene sheet, is light-transmissive and soft, and has a waterproof property and is capable of being printed with a display, a mark or the like on the back surface or the front surface.

The waterproof thin film 24, the glass laminated pressure sensitive element 19 and the liquid crystal display element 17 are all positioned so as to be parallel to the inclination of the front surface of the upper frame.

The glass laminated pressure sensitive element 19 and the liquid crystal display element 17 are electrically connected to the control circuit board 15.

The operation of the rice cooker configured as described above will be described below.

When the rice cooker is operated, when the position on the waterproof thin film 24 corresponding to the mark (for example, rice cooked, off, hour, minute, etc.) displayed on the liquid crystal display element 17 is pushed, the waterproof thin film 24 is deformed, A thin glass layer 19a (thickness) which constitutes the glass laminated pressure-sensitive element 19 located under the waterproof thin film 24 by a pressing force.
It is also deformed toward the thick glass layer 19b side, so that the distance of the space 19c of the pressing portion becomes small.

This is detected as a capacitance change by the patterned transparent electrodes and this signal is sent to the control circuit unit on the control board 15 to determine which part the control circuit unit has pushed, and this time this information Is transmitted to the liquid crystal display element 17 for display, whereby the rice cooker is controlled.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the rice cooker body 1 having an open upper surface, the upper frame 3 attached to the upper surface opening 7 and having the operation hole portion 16 on the front side, and the rice cooker body 1 A lid 8 for opening and closing the upper opening 7 of the above and a control board 15 provided inside the front surface of the upper frame 3 for controlling the rice cooker body.
A liquid crystal display element 17 located on the upper surface side of the control board 15 for displaying control contents, a glass laminated pressure sensitive element 19 located on the upper surface side of the liquid crystal display element and operated from the outside, and the glass. It is formed on the upper surface side of the laminated pressure-sensitive element 19 and covers the operation hole portion 16 and is composed of the upper frame 3 and a translucent waterproof thin film 24 that is kept watertight, and on the front surface of the upper frame 3, A recess 20 for holding the waterproof thin film 24 in a watertight manner is provided, the operation hole 21 is provided inside the recess 20, the outer periphery of the operation hole 21 is made thin, and a plurality of portions of the thin part 22 are provided. A semicircular cutout 23 is provided and a convex portion 25 is provided at a position substantially corresponding to the operation hole 21 of the waterproof thin film 24 to reduce the gap between the waterproof thin film 24 and the glass laminated pressure sensitive element 19. As a result, the structure is simpler than in the past, so the number of members can be reduced and the number of assembly steps is small. It can Kusuru, since provided upper frame 3 and the watertight holding the waterproof membrane 24, can take no water to the control board 15. This is especially useful for rice cookers, which often get wet with water.

Further, since the glass laminated pressure-sensitive element 19 is composed of the transparent glass layer and the transparent electrode, the display content of the liquid crystal display element 17 can be clearly seen. Further, by providing the convex portion 25 on the waterproof thin film 24 and reducing the gap between the waterproof thin film 24 and the glass laminated pressure-sensitive element 19, the operation can be performed with a smaller pressure, and the operability can be further improved. At the same time, it is possible to prevent moire in a wavy striped pattern that appears when the gap between the waterproof thin film 24 and the glass laminated pressure-sensitive element 19 is large.

Further, since it is desired to display characters, marks, and the like on the display portion of the liquid crystal display element 17 in a large size, even when the operation portion is provided near the outer periphery of the operation hole portion 21, it is provided in the thin portion 22 on the outer periphery of the hole portion. In addition, the plurality of notches 23 reduce the pressing force at the time of operating the operation portion to improve the operability, and the thin wall portion 22 other than the notches 23 can firmly support the waterproof thin film 24.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, in the first means of the present invention, the rice cooker main body having an open upper surface, the upper frame attached to the upper surface opening and having the operation hole on the front side, and the rice cooker A lid that covers the upper opening of the main body so as to be openable and closable, a control board that is provided inside the front surface of the upper frame and that controls the rice cooker main body, and a control content that is located on the upper surface side of the control board and displays control contents A liquid crystal display element, a glass laminated pressure sensitive element located on the upper surface side of the liquid crystal display element and operated from the outside, and a glass laminated pressure sensitive element located on the upper surface side of the glass laminated pressure sensitive element and covering the operation hole. By providing the upper frame and the translucent waterproof thin film that is kept watertight, the structure becomes simpler than in the conventional case, and therefore the number of members can be reduced and the number of assembling steps can be reduced. The waterproof thin film is kept watertight with the upper frame. Therefore, the control board is not splashed with water. Further, by providing a convex portion at a position substantially corresponding to the operation hole portion of the waterproof thin film to reduce the gap between the waterproof thin film and the glass laminated pressure sensitive element, it is possible to operate with a smaller pressure and further improve operability. Can be expected.

In the second means, a recess for holding the waterproof thin film in a watertight manner is provided on the front surface of the upper frame, an operation hole is provided inside the recess, and at least the outer periphery of the operation hole is thin on the front side. In order to display characters, marks, etc. on the display portion of the liquid crystal display element in a large size by providing notches at a plurality of positions on the upper wall portion, an operation portion is provided near the outer periphery of the operation hole portion. Even when provided, the plurality of notches provided in the thin portion on the outer circumference of the hole reduces the pressing force when operating the operating section and improves operability, and also firmly in the thin portion other than the notch. Since the waterproof thin film can be supported, the operability can be improved and at the same time, the displayability due to the large display can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of an essential part of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part of the rice cooker, and FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of an essential part of the rice cooker. FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a main part of a conventional rice cooker. 1 ... Rice cooker body, 3 ... Upper frame, 7 ... Top opening, 8
... Lid, 15 ... Control board, 17 ... Liquid crystal display element, 19 ...
… Glass laminated pressure sensitive element, 20 …… Recessed part, 21 …… Operating hole, 22 …… Thin-walled part, 23 …… Notched part, 24 …… Waterproof thin film,
25 ... convex part.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A rice cooker body having an open upper surface, an upper frame attached to the upper surface opening portion and having an operation hole portion on the front side, and a lid body which covers the upper surface opening portion of the rice cooker body in an openable and closable manner. A control board provided inside the front surface of the upper frame for controlling the rice cooker body; a liquid crystal display element positioned on the upper surface side of the control board to display control contents; and an upper surface side of the liquid crystal display element. And a glass laminated pressure sensitive element that is operated from the outside, and a translucent waterproof that is located on the upper surface side of the glass laminated pressure sensitive element and covers the operation hole portion and is kept watertight with the upper frame. A rice cooker comprising a thin film, wherein the waterproof thin film has a convex portion at a position substantially corresponding to the operation hole portion to reduce a gap between the waterproof thin film and the glass laminated pressure sensitive element. 2. A recess for holding a waterproof thin film in a watertight manner is provided on the front surface of the upper frame, and an operation hole is provided inside the recess, and at least the outer periphery of the operation hole is formed thin. ,
The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein notches are provided at a plurality of locations of the thin portion.