JPH10117928A - Automatic rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a rice washing tank to be removed downward with the total height of a rice cooker constant by enabling an elevating unit to be lowered to a space where the cooker is placed. SOLUTION: A support frame for mounting an upper cover of a rice cooker and being supported elevatably with a rail member 102 comprises a pair of right and left arm parts 94 and a mounting part fixed to the rear of the arm part 94. A pair of upper and lower rollers 103 fitted in a groove of the rail member 102 is supported onto the outer surface of right and left wall parts of the mounting part and the support frame is supported elevatably thereby. Stopping means 92 comprises brake levers arranged at the paired rail members 102, and a spring 107 pressing the same. The spring 107 is interposed compressionwise between an upper wall 106a of the brake lever and a spring receiving part fixed to a mounting part inner surface, and a brake pad 110 is pressed against the rear surface of rail member 102 through a contact wall 106c by the energizing force of the spring 107. Accordingly, the support frame is made impossible to move up and down.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic rice cooker for automatically weighing rice, washing rice, adding water, and cooking rice under the control of a microcomputer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a weighed rice is put into a rice washing tank, water is supplied to the rice washing tank, and the rice is washed by stirring the rice with a stirring means. By lowering the rice valve to open the rice discharge hole, the microcomputer performs a series of operations of dropping and supplying the hydrated rice to the inner pot of the rice cooker located below the rice washing tank and cooking rice with the rice cooker. There is an automatic rice cooker that automatically performs the control.

[0003] The inner pot of the rice cooker for opening and closing the upper end opening of the rice cooker is formed with an opening which is opened and closed by a shutter so that the rice and the like discharged from the rice washing tank can be opened and closed by this opening. The rice that has passed through the inner pot is supplied with washed rice and the like. In this automatic rice cooker, an elevating device for elevating and lowering the top lid of the rice cooker is provided between the rice washing tank and the rice cooker. The rice cooker can be pulled out forward and the inner pot can be taken out with the rice cooker left behind.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, when the rice cooker is pulled out forward, there is no restriction means, so that the rice cooker may return to the original position. There is. In addition, in order to perform cleaning of the rice washing tank and maintenance of stirring means provided in the rice washing tank, it is considered to remove the rice washing tank. In this case, a stirring member is provided in the rice washing tank. Because it is provided,
It is difficult to remove laterally. Therefore, it is preferable to remove it downward, but there is an elevating device for the upper lid on the lower side, and in order to remove the rice washing tub below, it is necessary to consider the interference with the elevating device. Further, if the vertical distance between the lifting device and the rice washing tub is increased in order to avoid interference with the lifting device, there arises a problem that the height of the entire automatic rice cooker increases.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic rice cooker which has solved the above-mentioned problems.

[0006]

The technical means taken by the present invention to achieve the above object is a rice washing tank 4 for washing rice.
A rice cooker 5 is provided below the rice cooker 5 and an upper lid 5C is provided between the rice washing tub 4 and the rice cooker 5 to open and close the inner pot 5A of the rice cooker 5 freely.
In an automatic rice cooker provided with an elevating device 90 for elevating
When the rice cooker 5 is removed, the lifting device 90 can be lowered into the rice cooker arrangement space.

It is preferable that the rice washing tank 4 can be detached downward. Further, a rice discharge port 25 which is closed by the rice discharge valve 26 and opened by lowering the rice discharge valve 26 is provided at the lower end of the rice washing tank 4, and the rice discharge valve 26 can be detached downward. Good to do. In addition, the rice discharge valve 26 is supported by a valve stem 27 provided in the rice washing tank 4 in a vertical direction,
This valve stem 27 is provided with a lifting means 5 provided above the rice washing tank 4.
0 and is lowered by the urging force of a spring 64, and a regulating member 6 for regulating the upward movement of the valve rod 27 when the valve rod 27 is lowered.
5 is preferably provided.

The elevating device 90 has a support frame 91 to which the upper lid 5C is attached and which is supported so as to be able to move up and down.
Stop means 92 for stopping the elevation of the support frame 91
And a releasing means 93 for releasing the stopping means 92.
Of the support frame 91 and the grip operating portion 121 for operating the release means 93.
It is good to provide it near.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic general configuration diagrams of a commercial (or household) fully automatic rice cooker 1 for automatically performing rice metering to rice cooking under microcomputer control. A rice storage 3 is fixed to an upper part of a main frame 2 of the automatic rice cooker 1, and a rice washing tub 4 is attached and fixed to a lower surface of the rice storage 3 and a rice cooker is provided below the rice washing tub 4. 5 is provided, and a main frame 2 is provided.
A rice cooker 5 is placed on the lower end side of the tray, and a placing table 6 that can be pulled out forward is provided.

The main frame 2 has support members 8 erected on the left and right sides on the rear end side of a rectangular base member 7 at the lower end in a plan view, and these left and right support members 8 are mutually connected by upper and lower connecting members 9. The main structure is connected. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rice storage 3 has a box-shaped case 10, and the case 10 has a front surface and an upper surface that can be opened and closed. A hopper 1 for storing rice is provided in an upper part of the case 10.
The upper end opening of the hopper 11 serves as an inlet for charging rice, and has substantially the same size as the upper opening of the case 10. At the lower end of the hopper 11,
A weighing machine 12 for weighing a desired amount of rice in the hopper 11 and discharging the weighed rice downward is provided.

A confirmation window 13A having a rectangular opening closed by a transparent plate is formed on the front surface of the hopper 11, and a confirmation window 13A is formed on the front surface of the case 10 at a position corresponding to the confirmation window 13A. A similar confirmation window 13B is formed so that the remaining amount of rice in the hopper 11 can be confirmed from outside. The rice washing tank 4 has a cylindrical upper part and a funnel-shaped lower part, and is open vertically. The rice washing tank 4 is attached to the lower wall of the case 10 via a tank support 14.

The tank support 14 is composed of a cylindrical tubular portion 14a having a vertically open shape penetrating the lower wall of the case 10 of the rice storage 3 and a lid portion 14b for closing an upper end opening of the tubular portion 14a. The cover 14b is attached and fixed to the upper surface of the lower wall of the case 10. A flange portion 15 is formed on a lower outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 14a, and the rice washing tank 4 is externally fitted to the lower portion of the cylindrical portion 14a from below until the flange portion 15 comes into contact with the flange portion 15.
The rice washing tank 4 is detachably attached to the cylindrical portion 14a at a lower side by fixing the rice washing tank 4 to the cylindrical portion 14a by fixing the plurality of fixtures 16 to the tube 4a.

In the rice washing tank 4, a stirring member such as a stirring rod 17 for stirring rice in the tank is provided. The stirring rod 17 is fixed to the lid 14b of the tank support 14. The supporting cylinder 18 is rotatably supported around a vertical axis, and is fixed to a cylindrical rotating shaft 19 that is driven to rotate by a motor provided at a lower portion inside the case 10.

As shown in FIG. 5, a drain jacket 2 for draining water from a lower end opening is provided at a lower end portion of the rice washing tank 4.
0 is provided. The drainage jacket 20 is formed in a tubular shape, and has an upper and lower opening shape, and is engaged with the lower end side of the rice washing tank 4 from below. A flange plate 21 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface on the lower end side of the rice washing tank 4, and the flange plate 21 closes the gap between the rice washing tank 4 and the upper end opening of the drain jacket 20.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, on the upper surface of the drain jacket 20, the upper surface of the flange plate 21 is sandwiched. A semi-circular mounting plate 22 is provided at the lower part of the tank 4 for fixing. This mounting plate 22
One end side of the drainage jacket 20 is
Is fixed to the outer surface of the drain jacket 20 at the other end thereof so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis.
4 is provided with an engaging portion 22a which is detachably engaged.

Therefore, the drainage jacket 20 can be detached downward by disengaging the fixture 24 from the engaging portion 22a and rotating the mounting plate 22 in the direction A around the mounting bolt 23. ing. The lower end opening of the drainage jacket 20 is a rice discharge port 25, which is closed by a conical rice discharge valve 26, and the rice discharge valve 26 is connected to the rotary shaft 19.
Is attached to the lower end of the valve stem 27 through which the shaft is inserted.

In the drainage jacket 20, there is provided a separation plate 28 formed in a truncated conical cylindrical shape so as to surround the space between the lower end opening of the rice washing tank 4 and the rice discharge port 25. It has a number of small holes that allow water to pass through but not rice, so that the rice sharpener can be drained with small impurities. The drainage jacket 20 has a drainage pipe 29
The drain pipe 29 is connected to a drain box 30 and drained from here to sewage or the like. This drain box 30
The bottom wall 31 of the drain box 30 can be separated from the main body of the drain box 30, and the drain pipe 29 extends upward integrally from the end of the bottom wall 31 to form a part of the side wall of the drain box 30. It is integrally connected to the rising wall 32. An engaging portion 34 is formed on the bottom wall 31 and the rising wall 32 to be engaged with a fixture 33 fixed to the main body of the drain box 30. The bottom wall 31 and the rising wall 32 are It is detachably attached and fixed to the main body of the drain box 30.

Therefore, the drainage jacket 20 comprises a drainage pipe 29, a bottom wall 31 and a rising wall 32 of the drainage box 30.
And can be removed downward. Drain box 3
A vertical drain pipe 35 is connected to the upper surface side of the tank 0, and the vertical drain pipe 35 is connected to an overflow port 36 provided in the cylindrical portion 14 a of the tank support 14.

A drain valve 30 is provided in the drain box 30 to open and close the drain port of the drain pipe 29 in an openable and closable manner. The on-off valve 37 is slidably supported by a valve guide 38 fixed to the drain box 30 and has a spring (compression coil spring) 39.
The valve stem 40 is urged in the valve opening direction by operating the bell-crank operating arm 41 about the support shaft 41A, whereby the valve stem 40 is pushed against the urging force of the spring 39. Thereby, the on-off valve 37 is configured to close the drain port of the drain pipe 29.

The operating arm 41 is provided with a vertical drain pipe 35.
The case 1 is disposed inside the case 10 while passing through the inside.
The opening / closing valve 37 is rotated by a wire 42 pulled by a motor provided in the lower portion of the inside of the cylinder. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG.
7 is formed, and the rice discharging valve 2 is formed.
A pair of holding pieces 44 are superimposed on the lower surface of 6, and the base 44a side is rotatable about the vertical axis by a mounting bolt 45 that penetrates these holding pieces 44 and is screwed into a screw hole formed in the rice discharge valve 26. It is mounted and supported.

The tip ends of the pair of holding pieces 44 are supported by support bolts 46 that penetrate through the holding pieces 44 and are screwed into screw holes formed in the rice discharge valve 26. The insertion hole 47 is formed in an arc shape centering on the mounting bolt 45. Of each holding piece 44,
The valve stem 27 is provided between the mounting bolt 45 and the support bolt 46.
A semicircular engagement groove 48 that fits into the small-diameter portion 27a is formed, and the holding piece 44 is a spring (torsion coil spring) 4.
9 urges the small diameter portion 27a of the valve stem 27 in the direction of sandwiching it.

Therefore, the engagement groove 48 is separated from the small-diameter portion 27a of the valve rod 27 by bringing the base portion 44a of the holding piece 44 close to the urging force of the spring 49. Can be removed downward. Then, when removing the rice washing tank 4, first, the rice discharging valve 2
6 is removed and the drain jacket 20, the drain pipe 29, the bottom wall 31 and the rising wall 32 of the drain box 30 are removed, and the rice washing tank 4 can be removed downward.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the upper part of the valve stem 27 is supported by an elevating means 50 provided at the lower part of the inside of the case 10 so as to be able to move up and down. The mouth 25 is opened and closed. The lifting means 50 is
Support member 51 erected on lid 14b of tank support 14
The lifting arm 53 is supported in a vertically swingable manner via a lateral support shaft 52, and the motor 54 mounted on the supporting member 51 drives the lifting arm 53 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. And a cam 55 to be driven.

One end of the lifting arm 53 is bent in a curved shape, and a shaft member 56 is provided inside the bent portion. The shaft member 56 is connected to a pressing member 57 bolted to the lifting arm 53 and a lifting member 53. It is rotatably held by one end side and movably held in the longitudinal direction of the elevating arm. On the other hand, the upper portion of the valve stem 27 is formed to have a small diameter, and is formed to project upward through one end of the elevating arm 53, the shaft member 56, and the pressing member 57. A notch 5 above the valve rod 27 that allows movement in the longitudinal direction of the lifting arm is provided in one end of the lifting arm 53 and the pressing member 57.
8, 59 are formed.

A screw portion 60 is formed on the upper portion of the valve stem 27. The screw portion 60 penetrates the holder 61 and is screwed to a pair of nuts 62 held by the holder 61. Further, a spring (compression coil spring) 63 is interposed between the holder 61 and the shaft member 56 in a compressed state. The lifting arm 53 and the lid 14 of the tank support 14 are also provided.
A spring (tension coil spring) 64 that urges one end of the elevating arm 53 so as to be pulled down is interposed therebetween.

Therefore, when the cam 55 is rotated in the direction B, the other end of the elevating arm 53 is pushed down by the cam 55, so that one end of the elevating arm 53 is gradually raised, and the shaft member 56 and the spring 63 are moved. The valve stem 27 and the rice discharge valve 26 are pulled up via the holder 61 and the nut 47, and the rice discharge port 25 is closed. The cam 55 is further rotated in the direction B from the state where the valve stem 27 is pulled up. The valve stem 27 and the rice discharge valve 26 are pushed down via the shaft member 56, and the rice discharge port 25 is opened.

The elevating means 50 is provided with a restricting member 65 for restricting the other end of the elevating arm 53 from falling even when the valve rod 27 is pushed up from below when the valve rod 27 is pulled down. I have. This is performed with the valve stem 27 lowered when the rice ejection valve 26 is attached and detached. However, when the rice ejection valve 26 is attached, if the valve stem 27 moves upward, the rice ejection valve 26 Because it cannot be mounted.

One end of the regulating member 65 is connected to a support shaft 66 rotatably supported by the support member 51 about a horizontal axis.
It is supported below the lifting arm 53. The support shaft 66 supports a lower portion of a restriction release member 67 located on the side of the lifting arm 53. An upper end of the restriction release member 67 has a contact portion that contacts the cam 55. 67a
Is provided. Further, one end of a spring (tension coil spring) 68 is hooked on the lower end side of the regulation release member 67,
The other end of the spring 68 is hooked on a hook member 69 fixed on the lid portion 14b of the tank support 14, and the regulation release member 6
7 and the regulating member 65 are urged to swing from the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 8 to the position shown by the virtual line.

Therefore, when the valve stem 27 is pulled down, the regulation release member 67 and the regulation member 65 are at the positions shown by the solid lines in FIG. And the lower end of the lifting arm 53 is restricted. In addition, the valve stem 27
8, the contact 67a of the restriction release member 67 contacts the cam 55 before the lifting arm 53, and the restriction release member 67 is pushed in the direction of arrow C in FIG. Are tilted to allow the lifting arm 53 to swing around the support shaft 52.

Reference numeral 70 denotes a detection member fixed to the lifting arm 53 and engaged with a sensor to detect the position of the rice discharge valve 26. In the cylindrical portion 14 a of the tank support 14, the cylindrical portion 1 is located above the overflow port 36.
A sprinkling plate 71 is provided, which divides 4a up and down and has a large number of water passage holes 71a.

The lid 14b of the tank support 14 is provided with a pair of front and rear water supply ports 72, and a water supply pipe 73 connected to a water supply for supplying water into the rice washing tank 4 is provided at the water supply port 72. It is connected. Therefore, from the water supply pipe 73 to the water inlet 7
The water supplied through 2 is once accumulated on the water sprinkling plate 71, and is dropped and supplied into the rice washing tank 4 from the water passage hole 71 a of the water sprinkling plate 71.

An electromagnetic valve 74 for controlling the supply of water to the rice washing tank 4 is provided upstream of the branch of the water supply pipe 73.
A flow meter 75 for detecting the flow rate of water flowing in the water supply pipe 73 is provided, and a manual water stop valve 76 is provided on the upstream side. The lid 14b of the tank support 14 is connected to the metering machine 12 and the rice washing tank 4 from the sprinkling plate 71 to the lid 14b to supply rice from the metering machine 12 into the rice washing tank 4. Rice passage hole 77 is formed.

On the front side of the case 3 of the rice storage 3, a control device 79 having an operation panel 78 is provided. On the operation panel 78, in addition to a start switch for starting the automatic rice cooker 1, a rice amount input switch for inputting an amount of rice to be cooked, a washing selection switch for selecting a degree (light to careful) of rice washing, A switch for selecting the degree of cooking (soft to hard) and a switch for selecting the type of cooking (normal white rice, brown rice, rice, rice porridge, etc.) are provided. Depending on the conditions input by these switches, ,
The control device 79 operates automatically so that the rice is washed, water-adjusted, and cooked according to the amount of water supplied and the washing method according to the amount of rice.

That is, when the operation is started, first, a selected amount of rice is measured and dropped into the rice washing tank 4, and water is supplied from the water supply pipe 73 into the rice washing tank 4 via the water spray plate 71. While stirring the rice with the stirring rod 14, the rice in the rice washing tank 4 is washed. At this time, turbid water or the like is simultaneously drained from the drain jacket 20 while supplying water, or a predetermined amount of rice washing water is supplied and drainage from the drain jacket 20 is stopped to perform the rice washing operation. After performing the rice washing operation for a predetermined time, the supply of water is stopped, the water is drained, and the rice is stirred by the stirring rod 14 to perform the rice polishing operation. After the rice washing operation and the rice polishing operation are performed several times, Then, the drainage from the drainage jacket 20 is stopped, water is supplied into the rice washing tank 4 with stirring, and turbid water or the like is drained from the overflow port 36. With the above, the rice washing is completed.

When the rice washing is completed, all the water in the rice washing tank 4 is drained from the drain jacket 20 once, and is drained.
Then, after the water is adjusted by the selected amount of rice and the amount of rice to be cooked, the rice discharge valve 26 is lowered, and the rice is put into the inner pot 5A of the rice cooker 5 together with the water from the rice discharge port 25. The rice is dropped and supplied, and the rice cooker 5 is activated by the control device 79 to cook rice.

The solenoid valve 74 and the flow meter 75 are connected to a control device 79. The signal from the flow meter 75 calculates the amount of water to be supplied into the rice washing tank 4, and the solenoid valve 74 controls the flow rate. Water supply / water stop control is performed so that the required amount of water is supplied. In addition, an air intake 80 composed of a number of small holes is formed on the side surface of the case 10 of the rice storage 3 of the automatic rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment.
Inside, a suction blower 81 for taking in air from the air inlet 80 into the case 10 and cooling it is provided.

A cover 82 is attached to the lower surface of the case 10 to cover the upper part of the cylindrical portion 14a of the tank support 14. On the lower wall of the case 10, the suction blower 81 A discharge hole 83 for discharging the taken-in air is formed, and the air sent into the cover 82 is exhausted from a gap between the cover 82 and the cylindrical portion 14a. The rising steam is diffused, and the steam is prevented from entering the case 10.

Further, the cover 82 has a sensor 85 for detecting the presence or absence of a detection member 84 provided above the rice washing tank 4.
Is provided, and is configured to lock a motor that rotationally drives the rotating shaft 19 so that the stirring bar 17 does not rotate by a signal from the sensor 85 when detecting that the rice washing tank 4 has been removed. I have. As shown in FIGS. 1, 9, and 10, the rice cooker 5 includes the inner pot 5A and the inner pot 5A.
And an upper lid 5C for closing the upper end opening of the inner hook 5A. Note that an electric stove or a gas stove controlled by the control device 79 or a control device provided in the rice cooker 5 is provided below the outer pot 5B.

The upper lid 5C has an inner pot 5A at the radial center of the upper wall.
Of the upper lid 5C is located below the edge 86 of the inner pot 5A, and a middle part of the upper wall of the upper lid 5C is inclined. A pressure release port 87 is formed in the middle of the wall.
The contents (moisture and dissolved rice components) blown out of the upper wall can be stored in the space above the outer peripheral portion of the upper wall.

In the center of the upper wall of the upper lid 5C, there is formed a circular rice inlet 88 through which the washed rice passes.
The rice inlet 88 is provided with a shutter 8 disposed on the upper surface of the upper lid 5C.
9 closes openably and closably. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 9 to 14, an elevating device 9 for raising and lowering the upper lid 5 </ b> C to open and close the space between the rice washing tub 4 and the rice cooker 5.
0 is provided. The elevating device 90 includes a support frame 91 to which the upper lid 5C is attached and which is supported by the main frame 2 so as to be able to move up and down, stopping means 92 for stopping the elevating of the supporting frame 91, and releasing means for releasing the stopping means 92. 93.

The support frame 91 is formed of a plate material, and is positioned on the left and right sides of the rice slot 88 above the upper lid 5C and extends in the front-rear direction.
4 and a mounting portion 95 fixed to the rear portion. The front part of the left and right arm parts 94 is bent obliquely upward, the front end side is connected to each other by a grip part 96 made of a cylindrical bar, and the rear part is behind the rice input port 88,
The arms 94 are connected to each other by a connecting portion 97 extending integrally from the lower end. In addition, each left and right arm section 94
A projecting portion 98 is integrally extended from the lower end to the left and right in the front portion, and the front side of the projecting portion 98 is engaged with a slider 99 provided on the upper lid 5C. 98a, and the rear side of the projecting portion 98 is formed to protrude outward in the left-right direction beyond the engaging portion 98a, and serves as a restricting portion 98b for restricting the backward movement of the slider 99 (that is, the upper lid 5C).

The slider 99 is connected to the rice inlet 8 of the upper lid 5C.
15, a pair of front and rear sides is provided on each of the left and right sides, and as shown in FIG.
A fitting groove (circumferential groove) 100 is formed in the upper frame 5 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The upper frame 5C is attached to and supported by the support frame 91 to move the support frame 91 up and down. After cooking the rice, the upper lid 5C is moved upward, and the mounting table 6 is pulled out forward, so that the inner pot 5A is cooked.
Can be taken out.

When the upper lid 5C is moved forward, the slider 99 slides on the engaging portion 98a of the overhang 98, and the upper lid 5C is detached from the support frame 91. . The mounting portion 95 includes a front wall portion 95a disposed between the rear portions of the left and right arm portions 94, and a side wall portion 95 integrally extending rearward and downward from upper left and right sides of the front wall portion 95a.
b, and upper and lower wall portions 95c and 95d integrally extending rearward from upper and lower ends of the front wall portion 95a,
The lower portions of the left and right side wall portions 95b are fixed to the left and right outer surfaces of the arm portion 94.

A pair of left and right rail members 102 provided between the upper and lower connecting members 9 of the main frame 2 are disposed on both left and right sides of the mounting portion 95.
Numeral 2 is formed in a U-shape in a flat cross section in which the open side is opposed to the open side. A pair of upper and lower rollers 103 which are fitted in the grooves of the rail member 102 so as to be movable in the up-down direction are rotatably supported on the outer surfaces of the left and right side walls 95b of the mounting portion 95. It is supported by the right and left rail members 102 so as to be able to move up and down.

The support plate 1 is mounted on the upper wall 95c of the mounting portion 95.
04 is fixed, and the box 10
5 is fixed. The stopping means 92 mainly includes the left and right rail members 102 as shown in FIGS.
And a pair of left and right brake levers 106 disposed inward in the left-right direction, and a spring (compression coil spring) 107 for pressing each brake lever 106. The brake lever 106 includes an upper wall 106a and left and right side walls 106 integrally extending downward from left and right sides of the upper wall 106a.
b, and a contact wall 106c extending outward in the left-right direction from the outer side wall 106b.

The brake lever 106 is supported between the support pieces 108 extending from the upper portions of the left and right side wall portions 95b of the support frame mounting portion 95 so as to project rearward.
09 is supported rotatably around the left-right axis, a contact wall 106c is opposed to the rear surface of the rail member 102, and a brake pad 110 is provided on the contact wall 106c opposite the rail member 102. Is fixed.

The spring 107 is provided at the front side of the support shaft 109 with the spring lever 11 fixed to the upper surface of the brake lever 106a and the inner surface of the side wall 95b of the support frame mounting portion 95.
1 between the brake member 110 and the rail member 1 by the urging force.
02 on the back. Thus, the support frame 91 cannot be moved up and down.

The releasing means 93 is provided with a pull-down member 112.
, A relay lever 113, and a pair of left and right arms 114. The pull-down member 112 is formed of a rod, is fitted inside the spring 107, and penetrates the spring receiver 111 and the brake lever upper wall 106a. A screw portion 115 is formed on an upper portion of the pull-down member 112, and the screw portion 115 penetrates a collar 116 arranged on the brake lever upper wall 106a, and a nut 117 is screwed thereto.

The relay lever 113 is formed of a bell crank, and has a middle part whose support piece 11 extends forward from a middle part of the left and right side wall parts 95 b of the support frame mounting part 95.
The lower end of the pull-down member 112 is pivotally connected to one end (upper side) of the pull-down member 112. The arm 114 is formed from a plate material,
It is arranged inside the arm 94 of the support frame 91 in the front-rear direction, and the rear end is the other end (lower side) of the relay lever 113.
The shaft is pivotally connected via a shaft 120 so as to be rotatable around a left-right axis. The front sides of the left and right arms 114 are bent obliquely in a slanting manner for removal, and the front ends are connected to each other by a gripping operation unit 121 made of a bar.

When the grip operation section 121 is pulled forward, the relay lever 113 is turned around the support shaft 119 in the direction indicated by the arrow D in FIG. 16 to push the pull-down member 112 against the urging force of the spring 107. And lowered,
The brake lever 106 rotates in the direction of arrow F in FIG.
The support frame 91 is allowed to move up and down away from the rear surface of the support frame 91.

The grip operating section 121 is disposed slightly parallel to the rear of the grip section 96 of the support frame 91, and the grip section 96 and the grip section 96 are held close to the grip section 96. The operating portion 121 can be grasped at the same time, whereby the lifting operation of the support frame 91 (that is, the upper lid 5C) can be performed immediately after the stopping means 92 is released, and the grasping operation portion 121 can be grasped at an arbitrary position. When the holding is released, the support frame 91 can be easily stopped at the position.

Although the stop means 92 is illustrated by friction in the illustrated example, a meshing claw is provided in place of the brake lever, and a projection or a recess is formed on the rear side of the rail member 102 with which the meshing claw is meshed. Alternatively, the supporting frame 91 may be surely stopped, and the engaging claw may be a ratchet mechanism to which the engaging of the supporting frame 91 is automatically released when the supporting frame 91 is lifted.

The roller 1 is provided in the groove of the rail member 102.
A pair of upper and lower stopper members 122 with which the upper frame 03 contacts are provided, and the upper and lower limits of the support frame 91 are determined so that the upper lid 5C can move up and down from the position where the inner pot 5A is covered. As shown in FIGS. 9, 10 and 17, the shutter 89 for closing the rice slot 88 of the upper lid 5C is turned around the vertical axis through the support shaft 123 whose rear left end is fixed to the upper lid 5C. It is movably supported, and on top lid 5C,
A pair of front and rear stopper members 124 are provided on the left side of the shutter 89 and regulate the leftward rotation of the shutter 89 around the support shaft 123.

The shutter 89 is fitted over the support shaft 123, one end of the shutter 89 is hooked on the stopper member 124, and the other end is hooked on the engaging portion 125 extending upward from the shutter 89. It is urged to the left around the support shaft 123 by a torsion coil spring 126. The shutter 89
Is opened and closed by the opening and closing device 127. This opening / closing device 127 is supported by a support frame 91, and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 18, a pulling member 128 for pulling the shutter 89 backward, a motor 129 as a driving means for driving the pulling member 128, and an interlocking mechanism 130 for linking the motor 129 and the pulling member 128 are connected. It is mainly composed of

The pulling member 128 is made of a plate material, and is bent in an inclined manner so that the front part moves upward as the front part moves forward, and a long side-to-side engagement is provided on the rear side of the bent part 128a. A hole 131 is formed.
An engaging pin 132 fixed to the shutter 89 so as to protrude upward is inserted into the shutter 89, and the upper surface of the engaging pin 132 is formed in a spherical shape.

The pulling member 128 is formed with a guide groove 133 which is long in the front-rear direction.
The oblong fitting portion 134a of the fixing member 134, which is inserted through the guide groove 133 from above and fixed to the connecting portion 97 of the support frame 91, is fitted.
8 is supported by the support frame 91 so as to be movable back and forth. Further, at the rear of the pulling member 128, the pulling member 1 is provided.
By bending 28, a fitting groove 135 which is long in the left-right direction and has an upper opening shape is formed.

The motor 129 is housed in the box 105 provided on the mounting portion 95 of the support frame 91. The interlocking mechanism 130 is arranged in the up-down direction, the upper end is connected to the output shaft 136 of the motor 129 and is driven around the vertical axis, and the lower end of the turning shaft 137 is connected. Arm 138 and this arm 138
The fitting groove 1 of the pulling member 128
And a roller 139 that fits with the roller 35.

Therefore, when the motor 129 is operated to rotate the rotation shaft 137 from the state shown in FIG. 17, the arm 138 and the roller 139 are rotated around the rotation shaft 137 in FIG.
7, the pulling member 128 is pulled rearward, and the engaging pin 132 is pulled rearward. As a result, the shutter 89 rotates rearward (in the direction indicated by the arrow H in FIG. 17) around the support shaft 123, and opens the rice inlet 88.
Further, by inverting the motor 129, the shutter 89 is closed by an operation reverse to the above.

A support shaft 140 is supported on the bottom wall of the box 105 so as to protrude downward so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The upper end of the support shaft 140 projects into the box 105 and a cam 141 is provided. One end of a swing arm 142 is fixed to the lower end of the support shaft 140. A vertical pin 143 is fixed to the other end of the swing arm 142, and the swing arm 142 abuts a locking portion 144 extending upward and protruding from the rear end left side of the shutter 89. As described above, is urged by a spring (tension coil spring) 145. Further, a pair of front and rear detectors 147 having a contact 146 that contacts the cam 141 are provided in the box 105.

Then, as shown in FIG.
9 is closed, the cam 141 is connected to the front detector 14.
When the shutter 89 is opened by detecting that the shutter 89 is closed by pressing the contact 146 of FIG. 7, the pin 143 is pressed by the locking portion 144, and the swing arm 142 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
, The cam 141 rotates to release the pressing of the contact 146 of the front detector 147 and to press the contact 146 of the rear detector 147. It is configured to detect that the shutter 89 is open.

Incidentally, in the above configuration, the motor 129
And the detector 147 and the like are housed in the box 105, and the box 105 is provided at a certain interval above the upper lid 5C. Is protected. The lifting device 90 is provided with a regulating member 148 for regulating the forward movement of the upper lid 5C. This regulating member 1
As shown in FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 19, the reference numeral 48 includes a pair of left and right arm portions 149 disposed on the left and right outer sides of the left and right arm portions 94 of the support frame 91.

As shown in FIG. 20, the left and right arm portions 149
Is an arm portion 94 of the support frame 91 formed of a plate material.
The front side is bent upward, and the front ends are mutually connected by a grip 150 made of a bar. At the rear end of the left and right arm portions 149, a rising portion 151 is extended upward.
49 rising portions 151 are connected members 152 made of a plate material
Are interconnected by

An engaging hole 153 is formed in the center of the connecting member 152 in the left-right direction. The engaging hole 153 is formed in the engaging piece 153 on the connecting portion 97 of the support frame 91 with a screw.
4 is inserted, and the regulating member 148 is locked to the support frame 91 so that it cannot move forward and can move upward. Further, at the front of the left and right arm portions 149, a restricting portion 155 extends from the lower end so as to protrude outward in the left-right direction, and the restricting portion 155 contacts the front end of the front slider 99 to move the upper lid 5C forward. And the regulation unit 15
The front part of 5 is bent in an inclined manner so as to move upward as going forward.

The connecting member 152 is fixed to the fixing member 1.
At the front side of 34, it is arranged so as to cross below the pulling member 128. Therefore, by lifting the grip portion 150 upward, as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 19, the restricting portion 155 is disengaged upward from the slider 99, and the connecting member 152 pushes up the pulling member 128 so that the engagement hole 131 is raised. Is disengaged upward from the engagement pin 132, and the upper lid 5C
Can be pulled forward with the shutter 89 attached,
It is possible to select between a state in which the upper lid 5C remains on the machine side and a state in which the upper lid 5C can be taken out together with the inner pot 5A.

Thus, the holding portion 1 of the regulating member 148
If the mounting table 6 is pulled forward with the 50 lifted, the rice cooker 5 moves forward with the upper lid 5C attached and the upper lid 5C comes off the support frame 91. Even without consideration (without waiting for "Murashi"), the next rice cooking operation can be performed by replacing with the spare rice cooker 5.

When setting the rice cooker 5 with the upper lid 5C attached, the rice cooker 5 is placed on the placing table 6 pulled out forward, and the placing table 6 is pushed in as it is, and the slider 99 is moved. By contacting and pressing the lower surface of the inclined bent portion 155a at the front of the restricting portion 155 of the restricting member 152, the restricting portion 155 is lifted upward and the rearward movement of the slider 99 is allowed. Shutter 89
Is pressed against the lower surface of the inclined bent portion 128a at the front of the pulling member 128, whereby the pulling member 128 is lifted upward and the engaging pin 1
32 rearward movements are allowed.

Therefore, when setting the rice cooker 5,
Even when the rice cooker 5 is moved rearward without lifting the grip 150 of the regulating member 148, the upper lid 5C is automatically attached to the support frame 91 as shown in FIG. A spring (tension coil spring) 165 is interposed between the connecting member 9 on the upper side of the main frame 2 and the support shaft 109 of the stopping means 92, and the lifting device 90
May be urged upward.

As shown in FIGS. 21 to 24, the mounting table 6
A handle 156 is fixed to a front portion of the main frame 2, and the mounting table 6 is supported by a base member 7 of the main frame 2 via a support frame 157 so as to be able to be pulled out forward. On the left and right sides of the upper surface of the base member 7, a rail member 158 having an open U-shaped cross section is provided in the front and rear direction inward in the left and right direction, and the support frame 157 is arranged between the left and right rail members 158. . On both left and right sides of the rear end of the support frame 157, rollers 159 rotatably fitted to the rail member 158 are provided rotatably around the axis in the left-right direction.

On the other hand, the left and right side frame members 157 of the support frame 157 are provided on the left and right sides of the front end side of the base member 7.
a Roller 160 which is in contact with and supports the lower surface is rotatably provided around the axis in the left-right direction, and the support frame 157 is movable to the base member 7 in the front-rear direction via the rollers 159 and 160. It is supported by. Also,
A resin block member 161 is attached and fixed to a front end portion and an intermediate portion of each of the left and right rail members 158 to abut against side frame members 157a on both right and left sides of the support frame 157 to stop the play. The roller 159 comes into contact with the block member 161 so that the forward movement of the support frame 157 is restricted.

The left and right frame members 15 of the support frame 157
Reference numeral 7a is formed to have an open U-shaped cross section inward in the left-right direction. A roller 162 that is rotatably fitted to the member 157a is rotatably mounted around a left-right axis. Also,
At the front ends of the left and right frame members 157a of the support frame 157, rollers 163 that contact and support the lower surface of the upper surface of the mounting table 6 are provided rotatably around the left-right axis. The mounting table 6 via the rollers 162 and 163
Are supported movably in the front-rear direction with respect to the support frame 157.

The left and right frame members 15 of the support frame 157
7a, the supporting wall 6 of the mounting table 6
a resin block member 16 which abuts against a to prevent backlash
4, the roller 162 contacts the rear block member 164, and the forward movement of the mounting table 6 with respect to the support frame 157 is restricted.

Each of the rollers 159, 160, 162, 1
63 is constituted by a bearing.

[0073]

According to the present invention, the rice washing tub 4 can be removed downward by configuring the lifting device 90 so as to be able to descend into the rice cooker arrangement space, and the rice washing tub 4 can be removed.
Even if it is detached downward, it is not necessary to increase the distance between the rice washing tank 4 and the elevating device 90, and the height of the automatic rice cooker does not increase.

Further, by lowering the elevating device 90 when the rice cooker 5 is pulled out forward, the return of the rice cooker 5 can be restricted. Also, at the lower end of the rice washing tank 4,
Even if the rice discharge port 25 is closed by the rice discharge valve 26 and opened by lowering the rice discharge valve 26, the rice discharge valve 26 can be removed downward. Thereby, the rice washing tank 4 can be removed downward.

Further, the rice discharge valve 26 is supported by a valve rod 27 provided vertically in the rice washing tank 4, and the valve rod 27 can be raised and lowered by lifting means 50 provided above the rice washing tank 4. In the case where the rice discharge valve 26 is supported and lowered by the urging force of the spring 64, the rice discharge valve 26 is attached and detached in a lowered state. However, the valve rod 2 is
By providing the regulating member 65 for regulating the elevation of the valve rod 27 when the valve 7 is lowered, the rice discharging valve 26 can be easily attached and detached.

The elevating device 90 has a support frame 91 to which the upper lid 5C is attached and which is supported so as to be able to move up and down.
Stop means 92 for stopping the elevation of the support frame 91
And a releasing means 93 for releasing the stopping means 92.
Of the support frame 91 and the grip operating portion 121 for operating the release means 93.
, The upper lid 5C can be easily moved up and down.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall front view of an automatic rice cooker.

FIG. 2 is an overall side view of the automatic rice cooker.

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of a rice storage unit and a rice washing unit.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a rice storage unit and a rice washing unit.

FIG. 5 is a front sectional view showing a lower structure of the rice washing tank.

FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view showing a lower structure of the rice washing tank.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the rice discharging valve.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an elevating device of the rice discharging valve.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a vertical middle part of the automatic rice cooker.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an elevating device for the upper lid and the like.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the elevating / lowering device of the upper lid.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the elevating device for the upper lid.

FIG. 13 is a front view of the elevating device for the upper lid.

FIG. 14 is a rear view showing the elevating / lowering device and the stopping means of the upper lid.

FIG. 15 is a front cross-sectional view showing a mounting support structure of the upper lid.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along line JJ of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing an opening and closing structure of a shutter of the upper lid.

FIG. 18 is a side sectional view showing an opening / closing structure of a shutter of the upper lid.

FIG. 19 is a side sectional view showing a mounting structure of the upper lid.

FIG. 20 is a front sectional view of a regulating member.

FIG. 21 is a side view showing a lower structure of the automatic rice cooker.

FIG. 22 is a plan view showing a lower structure of the automatic rice cooker.

FIG. 23 is a side sectional view showing a support structure of the mounting table.

FIG. 24 is a plan sectional view showing a support structure of the mounting table.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic rice cooker 4 Rice washing tank 5 Rice cooker 5A Inner pot 5C Top cover 90 Elevating device

Claims (5)

[Claims] A rice cooker (5) is provided below a rice washing tank (4) for washing rice, and an inner pot of the rice cooker (5) is provided between the rice washing tank (4) and the rice cooker (5). In an automatic rice cooker provided with a lifting device (90) for raising and lowering an upper lid (5C) for closing and opening the (5A) freely, when the rice cooker (5) is removed, the lifting device (90) is placed in the rice cooker arrangement space. An automatic rice cooker characterized in that the rice cooker is configured to be able to descend to a predetermined height. 2. The automatic rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the rice washing tank (4) can be removed downward. 3. A rice discharging valve (26) is provided at the lower end of the rice washing tank (4).
A rice discharge port (25) which is closed and opened by lowering the rice discharge valve (26), and the rice discharge valve (26) can be detached downward. Item 2. The automatic rice cooker according to Item 2. 4. A rice discharging valve (26) is supported by a valve stem (27) provided vertically in the rice washing tank (4), and the valve stem (27) is provided above the rice washing tank (4). And a spring (6).
The lowering means (50) is lowered by the urging force of 4).
The automatic rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a regulating member (65) for regulating a rise of the valve stem (27) when the valve stem (27) is lowered. Machine. 5. An elevating device (90) having a support frame (9) to which an upper lid (5C) is attached and which is supported so as to be able to move up and down.
1), a stopping means (92) for stopping the elevation of the support frame (91), and a releasing means (93) for releasing the stopping means (92), and holding the support frame (91). The part (96) is arranged above the front part of the upper lid (5C), and the grip operation part (121) for operating the release means (93) is provided with the grip part (9) of the support frame (91).
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said step (c) is provided close to said step (6).
An automatic rice cooker according to any of the above.