JPH11299641A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cook tasty rice by increasing the pressure in a pot in cooking rice, and simply and safely open a lid at need. SOLUTION: This rice cooker includes a rice cooker main body and a lid rotatably pivoted on the rice cooker main body. The lid includes a pressure mechanism 19, a pressure relief mechanism 48 for communicating the interior of a pot with the atmosphere, and a driving device for sealing the interior of the pressure pot in cooking rice and operating the pressure relief mechanism 48 during heat reserving to communicate the interior of the pot with the atmosphere, and the driving device is formed by a motor 26 and a transmission plate 29.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker for cooking rice by increasing the pressure in a pot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When cooking rice, delicious rice can be cooked in a short time by increasing the pressure in a pot containing rice and water. This is because, by increasing the pressure in the pan, the temperature in the pan rises quickly, and the moisture sufficiently penetrates into the rice.

On the other hand, the lid for closing the pot has one side pivotally supported on the rice cooker body and the other side freely hookable for the convenience of the user, and the rice is taken out. In this case, an operation button provided on the upper surface of the lid is operated to release the locked state. (JP-A-6-46957)

[0004]

In the case of cooking rice by increasing the pressure in the pot, first, the locking by the locking device of the lid is suddenly released by the high pressure in the pot during cooking. Second, when the rice cooking is completed, the latch can be easily released by the user's will. Third, the opening and closing of the lid is not slowed down or suddenly closed by the pressure mechanism provided in the lid. , There is a condition.

However, in the case of the above-mentioned prior art, since the pressure in the pot is not completely released despite the completion of the rice cooking and the heat retention state, the rice is stopped by mechanical displacement due to the pressure. The device could not be unlocked and could not be served.

Further, when the operation button is strongly pressed in the above-described situation, even if the latch of the latch can be released, the lid is rapidly opened simultaneously with the release due to the pressure in the pan. The lid came into contact with the user's hand and hot rice was scattered, which was dangerous.

Since the lid is provided with a pressure mechanism made of an iron plate or a stainless steel part, the weight of the entire lid increases, so that the lid cannot rotate smoothly when opened or is used when closed. There has been a drawback that the lid operation is rapidly performed irrespective of the intention of the user, and a finger is pinched, and electric components and components of each part are damaged by an impact.

According to the present invention, when cooking rice, it is cooked deliciously by pressure, and when the rice needs to be taken out, the lid is opened in a safe state.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems A rice cooker main body, a pot provided in the rice cooker main body for storing the rice cooker, a heating source for heating the rice cooker, and one side of the rice cooker main body by a hinge device. A lid for pivotally supporting the rice cooker body on the other side when the rice cooker is closed, wherein the lid has a pressure mechanism that seals the inside of the pot to high pressure, A pressure release mechanism that communicates with the atmosphere by an external operation, and a driving device that releases the engagement with the pressure release mechanism during rice cooking and engages with the pressure release mechanism during warming to forcibly operate the pressure release mechanism. The driving device is constituted by a motor and a transmission plate driven by the motor and engaged with the pressure release mechanism.

Further, the motor is fixed to the hinge device side of the lid.

A steam port for discharging the pressure or steam in the pot to the outside is provided substantially at the center of the lid, and the steam port is disposed between the motor and the pressure release mechanism. The transmission plate is provided with a play hole that bypasses the steam port and faces the pressure release mechanism.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a rice cooker according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall sectional view of the same, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a rice cooker with an outer plate removed, and FIG. ,
5 is a plan view of FIG. 4 with a pressure mechanism attached thereto, FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part of the same operating state, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of the same operating state of FIG.

(1) is a rice cooker main body, which is constituted by the following components. (2) is an outer case made of synthetic resin,
(3) is an inner case provided in the outer case, (4)
(4) is a heating source (hereinafter referred to as a coil) comprising an induction coil disposed on the outer bottom wall of the inner case, (5) is a pot formed of a non-magnetic material containing rice and water, and (6) is a pot. A heat-sensitive body provided at the center of the bottom wall of the inner case (3) so as to be freely protruded and retracted;
(7) is a frame cover provided on the upper part of the inner case (3), (8) is a bearing provided on a rear portion of the frame cover, and (9) is a frame cover located on a side opposite to the bearing. A stopper fixed to the lower part of (7), (10)
Is an unlock button provided in the vicinity of the stopper and on the upper front surface of the outer case (2).
1) is provided.

(12) has, on one side, a shaft (13) pivotally connected to the bearing (8), and on the other side it can be hung on the stopper (9) and engages with the lock release button (10). This is a rotatable lid having a hook lever (14), and its detailed structure is described below. (15) is an outer plate (16) and an inner plate (1).
7) an outer lid comprising a space (18) formed therein;
A pressure plate (19) is fixed in the space (18) and connects the shaft (13) and the hook lever (14) to constitute a pressure mechanism. The pressure plate connects the shaft (13) to the bearing (8). To form a hinge device (20) and a hook lever (14).
Is provided with a hook portion (21) at a lower portion and a hook piece (22) at an upper portion, and the hook portion is pivotally supported by a pressure plate and a spring (23).
A latching device (24) constantly biased inward by (23)
And the engaging piece (22) and the pressing piece (11) are formed.
Is approaching.

(25) The outer plate (16) and the inner plate (1)
7) A steam port which penetrates through the space (18) below the inner plate and communicates with the atmosphere, and (26) is an upper surface of the pressure plate (19) on the hinge device (20) side as shown in FIG. The motor is moved between two positions during cooking and non-cooking. (27) is a synthetic resin support plate having a guide groove (28) fixed on the upper surface of the pressure plate (19) as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and (29) is a play hole provided on one side. (3
0) provided below the motor (26).
The transmission plate has a pointed end (32) provided on the other side engaged with the guide groove (28), and an intermediate portion is provided with the steam port (2).
An enclosure (34) having a large-diameter play hole (33) is formed so as to bypass 5). An operation plate (35) is integrally formed with a holding portion (36) integrally rotatably supported on the support plate (27) on one side by a shaft pin (36) and extending downward on the other side. A patch (37) extending upward
Is integrally molded. The motor (26) and the transmission plate (2)
9) and the operating plate (35) constitute a driving device (38) for forcibly operating a pressure release mechanism described later.

(39) is a follower made of silicon rubber which is located below the operation plate (35) and is attached to the lower plate (17), and (40) is a heat radiator provided below the lower plate (17). A plate (41) is a pressure release button pivotally supported by the outer plate (16) so as to forcibly depress the operating plate (35).

(42) is a pressure regulating valve (4
3) is an inner lid provided so as to be engageable with the steam port (25),
A steam vent hole (44), a pressure relief valve (46) urged to always close the steam vent hole by a spring (45), and a packing (47) closely attached to the outer periphery of the upper periphery of the pot (5). ) Is attached.

The operating plate (35) and the pressure relief valve (46)
Is a pressure relief mechanism (4) for forcibly releasing the pressure in the pan.
8).

Next, the operation will be described. When a pot (5) containing a predetermined amount of rice and water is stored in the inner case (3) and the lid (12) is rotated and covered, the packing (47) of the inner lid (42) is placed in the pot. Closely adhere to the upper edge of (5) to make the inside of the pan tightly closed.

In this state, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pressure release valve (46) opens the pressure release hole (44) because the holding portion (36) of the operating plate (35) is stationary downward. doing. Then, when the cooker button (not shown) is operated,
Since the motor (26) is driven to rotate the cam (31) and the transmission plate (29) moves rightward in FIG. 1, the pressure release valve (46) is raised by the urging force of the spring (45) and the pressure is increased. The hole (44) is closed to shut off the inside of the pot from the atmosphere.
At this time, the operation plate (35) rotates upward by the rise of the pressure release valve (46), and moves the contact piece (37) to the transmission plate (29).
To the point (32).

When an inverter current is applied to the coils (4) and (4), an eddy current flows through the pot (5) and the pot generates heat, thereby performing a rice cooking operation. During rice cooking, the motor (26) does not operate, and the operation plate (35) maintains the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereby the pressure relief valve (46) closes the pressure relief hole (44). keeping.

When the pressure in the pot increases with the progress of the rice cooking operation and reaches a predetermined pressure value, the pressure regulating valve (43) is operated, and the pressure in the pot is released to the atmosphere through the steam port (25). Thereafter, this operation is repeated during rice cooking to maintain the inside of the pot at a predetermined pressure.

Also, during cooking rice, the hook (21) of the hook lever (14) is hooked on the stopper (9) as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 to prevent the lid (12) from opening. ing.

When the rice cooks and the water in the pot is absorbed or evaporated into the rice, the heat sensing element (6) senses this and stops applying the inverter current to the coils (4) and (4) to stop the rice cooking operation. Then, the process is shifted to the spotting process.

Since it is necessary to keep the temperature in the pot slightly higher during the simmering process, the driving of the motor (26) is stopped, and the squirting process is completed while the pressure in the pan is naturally released.

When the mura processing is completed, the motor (26)
Is driven to rotate the cam (31), the transmission plate (29) moves to the left as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the pointed end (32) presses the abutment piece (37) to push the operating plate (35). Spring (4
5), the upper part of the pressure relief valve (46) is pushed down by the holding part (36) to open the pressure relief hole (44), and the pressure steam in the pan is released to the pressure relief hole (44). It is released to the atmosphere through the steam port (25).

Therefore, since the pressure in the pot decreases,
The hooking part (21) of the hook lever (14) and the stopper (9) are loosened and the lock release button (10) is released.
Is pressed lightly to bring the pressing piece (11) into contact with the hooking piece (22) of the hook lever and rotate the hook lever to release the hooking of the hooking portion (21) and the stopper (9), and the lid The body (12) can be opened.

When the lid (12) is opened, the lid is rotated about the hinge device (20).
Since the depressurizing hole (44) is open, the atmosphere is prevented from entering the pot through the steam port (25) and the depressurizing hole (44) and the inside of the pan is brought into a negative pressure state.

Thereafter, even if all the rice in the pot is taken out and the warming operation is completed, the motor (26) is not driven until the next rice cooker button is operated, and the pressure release hole (4) is not operated.
4) is opened so that the lid (12) can always be easily opened.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, a pressure mechanism that seals the inside of a pan to a high pressure and a pressure release mechanism that connects the inside of the pan to the atmosphere by an external operation are provided on a rotatably provided lid. And a driving device for releasing the engagement with the pressure release mechanism during rice cooking and forcibly operating the pressure release mechanism by engaging with the pressure release mechanism during warming, and the driving device is driven by the motor and the motor. When the rice in the pan is taken out, the pressure in the pan is reduced and the lid can be easily opened and closed.

Since the driving device is constituted by the motor and the transmission plate, the driving force for operating the pressure relief mechanism is increased, and the pressure relief mechanism can be reliably operated.

In addition, since the motor is provided on the hinge device side of the lid, a heavy object (motor) is located on the hinge device, the turning operation when the lid is opened is smooth, and the motor is normally guided from the hinge device. The length of the lead wire is short, and connection is easy.

Since the transmission plate bypasses the steam port and faces the pressure release mechanism, the transmission plate can be prevented from being deformed without touching the high-temperature steam coming out of the steam port. This is to maintain smooth movement of the transmission plate and to ensure the pressure relief operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a rice cooker according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall sectional view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the lid with an outer plate removed.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pressure release mechanism and the driving device.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of FIG. 4 with a pressure mechanism attached.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing an operation state of the same.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the operation state of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker main body 4 Heat source 5 Pan 10 Lock release button 12 Lid 14 Hook lever 19 Pressure plate (pressure mechanism) 20 Hinge device 24 Hook device 25 Steam port 26 Motor 29 Transmission plate 35 Operation plate

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Isamu Yamazaki 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Pref. Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akio Hokimoto 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A rice cooker body, a pot provided in the rice cooker body for storing rice, a heating source for heating the rice, and one side rotatable to the rice cooker main body by a hinge device. A lid that pivots on the other side and locks the other side to the rice cooker body when closed, the lid has a pressure mechanism that seals the inside of the pot and increases the pressure, and the inside of the pot and the atmosphere. A pressure release mechanism that is communicated by an external operation, and a driving device that releases the engagement with the pressure release mechanism during rice cooking and engages with the pressure release mechanism during warming to forcibly operate the pressure release mechanism. A rice cooker comprising: a device; and a transmission plate driven by the motor and engaged with the pressure release mechanism. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the motor is fixed to a hinge of the lid. 3. A steam port for discharging pressure or steam in the pot to the outside is provided at a substantially central portion of the lid, and the steam port is disposed between the motor and the pressure release mechanism. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the transmission plate is provided with a play hole that bypasses the steam port and faces the pressure release mechanism.