JP2011161094A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

To obtain an inexpensive rice cooker having a simple structure, in which steam is discharged outside the main body only during cooking with strong steam, and when steam weakens, the steam can be kept warm without escaping.
SOLUTION: A rice cooker body 1, a lid body 10 covering an upper opening of the rice cooker body 1, an inner pot 2 detachably accommodated in the rice cooker body 1, and a heating means for heating the inner pot 2 And a steam port unit 20 having a steam cylinder that is provided in the lid body 10 and that discharges steam generated during rice cooking from the inner pot 2 to the outside of the rice cooker body 1, and a steam port 24b on the downstream side of the steam cylinder. Is provided with a steam opening / closing mechanism having a steam control valve 30. The steam control valve 30 constitutes a valve mechanism biased toward the steam port 24b, and when the steam power generated during cooking reaches a predetermined value, The steam port 24b is opened against the urging force of the valve mechanism, and when the steam force weakens and falls below a predetermined value, the steam port 24b is closed by the urging force of the valve mechanism.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker. More specifically, the steam is discharged from the main body only during cooking in which steam is strong, and when the steam weakens, a steam port unit that can keep warm without missing the steam is provided. It relates to a rice cooker.

  Since the conventional rice cooker has a large opening at the steam opening, the amount of water evaporation increases during the long-term heat retention, the heat-insulated rice tends to dry, and the heat-retaining performance may decrease. For this reason, a temperature sensitive metal is disposed in the steam cylinder, and there is a technique in which the steam cylinder is operated by utilizing a magnetic change characteristic depending on the temperature of the temperature sensitive metal (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-107021 (page 3 to page 4, FIG. 1 to FIG. 2)

  According to the rice cooker of patent document 1, even if rice cooking is completed and steam is not emitted, if the temperature of the temperature-sensitive metal does not decrease, the moisture of the rice evaporates and the rice is easily dried. there were.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has a simple structure. Steam is discharged outside the main body only during cooked rice where steam is strong, and when steam weakens, steam does not escape. The purpose is to obtain an inexpensive rice cooker that can be kept warm.

The rice cooker according to the present invention includes a rice cooker body, a lid that covers the upper opening of the rice cooker body, an inner pot that is detachably accommodated in the rice cooker body, and a heating means that heats the inner pot. Provided with a steam port unit having a steam cylinder that is provided on the lid and discharges steam generated during rice cooking from the inner pot to the outside of the rice cooker body;
A steam opening / closing mechanism having a steam control valve is provided at the steam port on the downstream side of the steam cylinder, and the steam control valve constitutes a valve mechanism biased toward the steam port side so that the steam force generated during rice cooking becomes a predetermined value. When the steam force reaches, the steam port is opened against the biasing force of the valve mechanism, and when the steam force weakens and falls below a predetermined value, the steam port is closed by the biasing force of the valve mechanism.

  With a simple and inexpensive structure, steam other than when cooking with high heat can be confined in the inner pot, making it difficult for rice to dry and improving heat retention. Further, since the heat retention performance has been improved, it is possible to reduce the amount of power consumption required for heat insulation and achieve energy saving.

It is a perspective view of the rice cooker which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part of the cover part of FIG. It is a perspective view of the principal part of FIG. It is the perspective view which expanded the principal part of FIG. It is a top view of the principal part of FIG. It is effect | action explanatory drawing of the rice cooker which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is effect | action explanatory drawing of the rice cooker which concerns on one embodiment of this invention.

  In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the rice cooker body 1 has an opening at the top, and this opening is opened and closed by a lid 10. An inner lid 11 is provided on the inner side of the lid body 10, and a peripheral portion of the inner lid 11 is provided between the upper surface of the inner hook 2 (described later) and the lid body 10 when the lid body 10 is closed. An annular fixed frame (seal rubber) 12 that seals the opening of the inner hook 2 is provided so that steam does not leak to the outside.

At the upper part of the inner lid 11 of the lid body 10, there is provided a steam port unit 20 having, for example, a centrifugal bevel separation mechanism (steam cylinder) that supplements and separates the bean mixed into the steam.
This tough separation mechanism is provided with a flow path (described later) inside, and when steam containing a goblet entering from the guide tube 22 provided in the reservoir recess 21 travels inside the flow path, it is subjected to centrifugal force. The stick is separated, and the stick is discharged from the discharge port (described later) and returned to the inner pot 2, the steam is discharged from the steam discharge port (described later), and discharged to the outside through the steam hole 27 on the top of the lid body 10. is there. The inflow and outflow directions of this generally separating mechanism are made horizontal in order to suppress the product height.

  The rice cooker body 1 detachably accommodates an inner pot 2 having a bottomed cylindrical shape into which water, rice, etc. can be put, and having an open top surface, so that rice is cooked by a heating means (not shown) such as an electromagnetic induction coil. It has become. When the lid 10 of the rice cooker is closed, the fixed frame 12 at the peripheral edge of the inner lid 11 is brought into close contact with the flange 2 a provided on the outer periphery of the upper end of the inner pot 2.

With reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, the generally described separation mechanism (steam cylinder) will be described in detail.
A cylindrical case 23 (hereinafter, referred to as a cylindrical flow path) having a flow path through which steam containing the powder passes is disposed substantially horizontally inside the generally separating mechanism. The cylindrical flow path 23 forms a substantially closed space, and includes a steam inlet 22a (outlet of the guide tube 22) including a tow, opposite to the inlet 22a, that is, downstream of the cylindrical flow path 23. A steam exhaust port 24 and a generally exhaust port 25 located on the side are provided.
The cylindrical flow path 23 has a cross-sectional area that increases from the inlet 22a side toward the steam outlet 24 side. Is easy to fall down.

  Inside the cylindrical flow path 23, a spiral partition plate (spiral wing) 26 that is substantially orthogonal to the traveling direction of the steam including the tortoise is provided, and the spiral flow path Is forming. The mixed fluid of steam and rice is separated into steam and rice by a swirling flow. The spiral partition plate 26 is made of an elastic material such as silicon rubber.

  The inlet 22a (guide cylinder 22) to the cylindrical flow path 23 is shifted to one side from the center of the cylindrical flow path 23, that is, a position that is substantially tangential to the inner wall of the cylindrical flow path 23. Is provided. In this way, the steam bed is forcibly swirled, and the steam and bed are separated by the centrifugal force.

  A steam discharge port 24 is provided in the substantially central portion on the outlet side (downstream side) of the cylindrical flow path 23, and a general discharge port 25 is provided outside the lower portion on the downstream side of the swirl flow. The steam containing the beak is swirled by its centrifugal force, and the beak is separated radially outward of the cylindrical flow path 23, and the steam is separated into the central portion of the cylindrical flow path 23. Discharge from the outlet 24 and the outlet 25

  The steam discharge port 24 provided on the outlet side of the cylindrical flow path 23 is configured as an inlet portion of a steam outflow cylinder 24a formed in a cylindrical shape and disposed substantially horizontally. It extends to the steam hole 27 side which is an outlet. In addition, the upstream side of the steam outlet 24, that is, the upstream side of the steam outlet cylinder 24a extends in a cylindrical shape inside (upstream side) of the cylindrical flow path 23, so that the separated rice bowl does not flow out from here. It plays the role of "return".

The steam outlet 24b at the downstream end of the steam outlet cylinder 24a of the separation mechanism (steam cylinder) is provided with a steam opening / closing mechanism having a steam control valve 30, and further on the downstream side of the lid 10 through the passage 29. Are connected to the vapor hole 27.
The steam control valve 30 includes a lower case 31 and an upper case 32 that can be attached to the lower case 31.
The upper case 32 is provided with an upper opening hole 32a for allowing vapor to pass upward, and the upper opening hole 32a communicates with a passage 29 provided in the upper part.
The lower case 31 is formed with an inclined portion 31a that is inclined downward toward the steam port 24b. The inclined portion 31a includes, for example, three straight portions. The straight portions form the bottom of the lower case 31, and each straight line. The portion is inclined downward toward the center of the steam port 24b. In a space surrounded by the upper case 32 and the lower case 31, a steam adjusting ball (opening / closing member) 33 made of a lightweight member such as a resin that is substantially spherical and movable in the front-rear direction by the force of steam is disposed. The bottom of the lower case 31 is urged toward the center of the steam port 24b along the inclined portion by its own weight.

  Thus, the steam adjusting ball 33 normally closes the steam port 24b. When the steam power generated during cooking reaches a predetermined value, that is, when steam is strongly discharged, When the adjusting ball 33 moves to the opposite side of the steam port 24b, that is, above the inclined portion 31a (right side in the figure), the steam port 24b is opened, and when the steam power is weakened and falls below a predetermined value, the steam adjusting ball 33 is moved by its own weight. The steam port 24b is closed by moving to the lower side (left side in the figure) of the inclined portion 31a so that the steam stays in the main body 1.

  In addition, even when the steam port 24b is closed by the steam control ball 33, in order to prevent the steam control ball 33 from sticking closely to the steam port 24b, the steam control ball 33 is interposed between the steam control ball 33 and the steam port 24b. A slight gap is provided to close the hole. In the present embodiment, unevenness is provided on the surface of the steam adjusting ball 33, and a gap is formed between the steam adjusting ball 33 and the steam port 24b. Further, the steam port 24b may be provided with unevenness, and the steam control valve 30 may be provided with unevenness.

  A stepped portion 34 protruding upward is provided in the vicinity of the steam port 24b of the inclined portion 31a provided in the lower case 31, so that the steam adjusting ball 33 moved to the steam port 24b side is surely stopped. Yes. If the step portion 34 is further provided with an inclined portion that is inclined downward toward the steam port 24b, the stop of the steam adjusting ball 33 is ensured. The step portion 34 may not be provided separately, but may be formed in the lower case itself by further increasing the inclination angle of the inclined portion 31a in the vicinity of the steam port 24b side of the lower case 31.

Next, the operation of the rice cooker including the steam port unit 20 having the above-described separation mechanism will be described.
When the inner pot 2 containing water and rice is accommodated in the rice cooker body 1, the lid 10 is closed, and the rice cooking switch provided in the operation unit is turned on, the inner pot 2 is heated by the action of the electromagnetic induction coil. When the water in the kettle 2 boils, steam containing rice crackers is generated. At this time, since the internal pressure of the inner pot 2 is rising, the on-off valve 28 of the steam port unit 20 is pushed up to close the return hole 28a. The tube 22 is led into the cylindrical flow path 23 of the separation mechanism.

  Vapor including a bowl that exits the guide tube 22 flows into the flow channel from the tangential direction of the inner wall of the cylindrical flow channel 23, and forces the spiral flow channel along the spiral partition plate 26. And is separated into steam and roughly by the centrifugal force. Then, the rice balls are discharged from the rice outlet 25 and stored in the pool recess 21. On the other hand, the steam passes from the steam outlet 24 through the steam outlet cylinder 24a to the steam outlet 24b located at the downstream end thereof. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the steam adjusting ball 33 is moved downstream along the inclined portion 31a at the bottom of the steam control valve 30 and the steam port 24b is opened due to the force of the steam generated by the strong fire process. The opening 24b and the steam hole 27 at the top of the lid 10 communicate with each other, and the steam in the inner pot 2 is discharged to the outside.

  When the high-fire process is completed and the steaming process is started, and the internal pressure of the inner pot 2 decreases and the steam discharge amount decreases, the steam adjustment ball 33 is placed at the bottom of the steam control valve 30 by its own weight as shown in FIG. It moves to the steam port 24b side along the inclined portion 31 to block the steam port 24b so that the steam in the lid 10 is not discharged to the outside.

  Thereafter, the on / off valve 28 provided on the bottom surface of the reservoir recess 21 is lowered by its own weight and the weight of the tomb due to a decrease in the internal pressure of the inner hook 2, and opens a toque return hole 28a. As a result, the rice cake collected in the accumulation recess 21 falls into the inner hook 2 from the food return hole 28a. When the rice ball returns to the rice in the inner pot 2, the ingredients of the deliciousness contained in the rice ball are given to the rice, and it is possible to cook a delicious and sticky rice.

  The steam port unit 20 of the rice cooker according to the present invention is provided with a steam opening / closing mechanism having a steam control valve 30 on the downstream side of the steam port 24b of the steam cylinder, and the steam control valve 30 is biased to the steam port 24b side. When the steam force generated during rice cooking reaches a predetermined value and the steam is strongly discharged, the steam port 24b is opened against the urging force and the steam power is weakened. When the pressure drops below a predetermined value, the steam port 24b is closed by the urging force of the valve mechanism so that the steam can remain in the main body, so that steam other than when cooking rice with strong fire with a simple and inexpensive structure Can be confined in the inner pot 2, so that the rice is difficult to dry and the heat retention is improved. In addition, since the heat retention performance has been improved, it is possible to reduce the amount of power consumption required for heat insulation and achieve energy saving.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker main body, 2 Inner pot, 10 Cover body, 20 Steam port unit, 22 Guide cylinder, 22a Inflow port, 23 Cylindrical flow path (flow path), 24 Steam discharge port, 24a Steam outflow tube, 24b Steam port, 25, exhaust port, 26 spiral partition plate, 27 steam hole (exit for discharging steam out of the machine), 30 steam control valve, 31a inclined part, 33 steam control ball (opening / closing member), 34 step part.

Claims (12)

A rice cooker body, a lid that covers the upper opening of the rice cooker body, an inner pot that is detachably accommodated in the rice cooker body, a heating means that heats the inner pot, and a lid provided on the lid A steam port unit having a steam cylinder for discharging steam generated during rice cooking from the inner pot to the outside of the rice cooker body,
A steam opening / closing mechanism having a steam control valve is provided at the steam port on the downstream side of the steam cylinder, and the steam control valve constitutes a valve mechanism biased toward the steam port side, and steam power generated during rice cooking is predetermined. The steam port is opened against the biasing force of the valve mechanism when the value reaches a value, and the steam port is closed by the biasing force of the valve mechanism when the steam force weakens and falls below a predetermined value. A featured rice cooker.   The steam control valve includes an opening / closing member biased toward the steam port side, and when the steam force generated during rice cooking reaches a predetermined value, the steam port resists the biasing force by the steam force. The steam port is opened by moving in the opposite direction, and when the steam power weakens and falls below a predetermined value, the opening / closing member moves to the steam port side by an urging force and the steam port is closed. The rice cooker according to claim 1.   The steam control valve has an inclined portion inclined downward on the steam port side, and the opening / closing member is biased toward the steam port side by its own weight along the inclined portion. 2. The rice cooker according to 2.   The rice cooker according to claim 3, wherein the inclined portion is inclined toward a central portion of the steam port.   The rice cooker according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a step portion is provided in the vicinity of the steam port of the inclined portion.   6. The rice cooker according to claim 5, wherein the stepped portion is further inclined downward near the steam port in the vicinity of the steam port.   The rice cooker according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein a gap is provided between the steam port and the opening / closing member to close the steam port.   The rice cooker according to claim 7, wherein unevenness is provided on a surface of the opening / closing member.   The rice cooker according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the opening and closing member is substantially spherical.   The rice cooker according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the opening / closing member is made of a resin member.   The rice cooker according to claim 7, wherein the steam port is provided with irregularities.   The rice cooker according to claim 7, wherein the steam control valve is provided with irregularities.

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