Cooking utensil with separate safety locking structure

Abstract

A cooking utensil with a split safety locking structure, the cooking utensil comprising a pot base, an inner pot placed on the pot base, and a pot cover hingedly connected to the rear end of the pot base in a flippable manner, the inner pot having a rigid pot edge protruding outward, the pot cover comprising an outer cover and a rigid member installed under the outer cover, the pot cover being used to cover the pot opening of the inner pot based on a lid closing action; the cooking utensil is characterized in that it also comprises a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism being used to complete a double locking mechanism, the double locking mechanism comprising locking not only the rigid member and the rigid pot edge, but also the inner pot and the pot base when the pot base and the pot cover are closed; wherein the locking mechanism comprises a first locking mechanism and a second locking mechanism, the first locking mechanism being used to lock the rigid member and the rigid pot edge in response to a lid closing instruction action of the pot cover allowing flipping and lid closing, and the second locking mechanism being used to first lock the inner pot and the pot base when the inner pot is placed on the pot base before lid closing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a cooking utensil which can be used for cooking food, and in particular to a cooking utensil with a separate safety locking structure. Background Art

[0002] Pressure cookers are common kitchen cooking appliances in daily life. They use the principle that the boiling point of liquid increases with the increase of air pressure to create a high-pressure cooking environment in the food cooking chamber of the pressure cooker, thereby achieving the effect of accelerating the cooking speed of food. The air pressure in the food cooking chamber is very high, often up to 4KPa or more. If the lid of the pressure cooker is accidentally opened under the high-pressure expansion force, it will inevitably cause serious harm to the user. In order to avoid accidents, the traditional solution is to set a plurality of spaced upper rotating pot teeth on the outer edge of the pot of the pot cover, and set lower rotating pot teeth matching the upper rotating pot teeth on the top of the pot base. The pot cover is tightly locked to the pot base through the rotational connection between the upper rotating pot teeth and the lower rotating pot teeth. However, such a structure limits the pot cover and the pot base to be installed in a rotating manner, and the pot cover and the pot base must also be a split structure. In this way, whether the pot cover is installed on the pot base or removed from the pot base, it must be operated with both hands, which is very inconvenient.

[0003] In order to solve the above problems, a clamping cover structure was later proposed. For example, the micro-pressure rice cooker disclosed in patent 201710108580.X includes a pot body 1 and a pot cover 2, one end of which is hinged on the pot body 1, and the pot body 1 contains an inner pot 3. The pot cover 2 includes an outer cover and an inner cover 4, and the inner cover 4 can be covered on the inner pot 3 to form a relatively sealed cooking cavity for the inner pot 3. A clamping portion that can float up and down is provided on the inner cover 4, and the clamping portion includes a caliper 7 and a caliper bracket 8. The caliper 7 can clamp the edge of the inner cover 4 and the pot edge of the inner pot to achieve the locking of the inner cover 4 and the inner pot 3. On the basis of using the clamping portion to achieve the locking of the inner cover 4 and the inner pot 3, a hinged structure can be used between the pot cover 2 and the pot body 1, which facilitates the opening and closing operation of the pot cover 2. Summary of the invention

[0004] The inner cover of the micro-pressure rice cooker disclosed in Patent 201710108580.X is clamped by a caliper to keep the inner cover closed on the inner pot. However, since the pot cover is hinged on the pot body, in order to enable the pot cover to open automatically, a driving torsion spring that can drive the pot cover to open automatically is often provided. The torsion of the driving torsion spring is very large, and the pot cover and the inner pot can often be lifted together, so that the inner pot leaves the heating plate provided on the pot body, which not only affects the use, but also destroys the overall appearance of the cooking utensil. How to ensure the safety of the use of the cooking utensil while enabling the pot cover to stably cover the pot body is a technical problem that needs to be further solved.

[0005] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention proposes a cooking utensil with a split safety locking structure, the cooking utensil comprising a pot base, an inner pot placed on the pot base, and a pot cover hinged to the rear end of the pot base in a flippable manner, the inner pot having a rigid pot rim protruding outward, the pot cover comprising an outer cover and a rigid member installed under the outer cover, the pot cover being used to cover the pot opening of the inner pot based on a cover closing action; the cooking utensil is characterized in that it also comprises a locking mechanism, the locking mechanism being used to complete a double locking mechanism, the double locking mechanism comprising not only locking the rigid member with the pot base when the pot base and the pot cover are closed, but also locking the rigid member with the pot lid when the pot base and the pot cover are closed. The rigid pot edge is locked between the inner pot and the pot base; wherein the locking mechanism comprises a first locking mechanism and a second locking mechanism, the first locking mechanism being used to lock the rigid member and the rigid pot edge in response to a cover closing instruction action of the pot lid that allows the lid to be flipped and closed, and the second locking mechanism being used to lock the inner pot and the pot base when the inner pot is placed on the pot base before closing the lid; and an unlocking device is also included, the unlocking device being used to transmit a cover opening instruction, at least driving the first locking mechanism to release the lock between the rigid member and the rigid pot edge.

[0006] According to the above technical scheme, compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effect of the present invention lies in that, due to the provision of the double locking mechanism, compared with the prior art, not only the sealing scheme of the inner pot is simplified by locking between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge, but also the closing scheme of the entire cooking utensil is simplified, especially the connection stability and controllability between the outer cover of the pot lid and the pot base during the cooking process are improved; wherein, the second locking mechanism is used to lock and connect the inner pot with the pot base when placing the inner pot on the pot base before closing the lid, so that the outer cover is stably covered on the pot base through the connection relationship between the outer cover and the rigid component and the locking relationship between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge, and the inner pot can also be directly placed on the pot base in a correct posture to ensure the normal use of the cooking utensil.

[0007] A further technical solution may be that the unlocking device is also used to synchronously drive the second locking mechanism to release the lock between the inner pot and the pot base when driving the first locking mechanism to release the lock between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge. In this way, the inner pot can be conveniently pulled out of the pot base after opening the lid with one button, thereby improving the convenient use experience of the cooking appliance.

[0008] Of course, in order to release the lock between the inner pot and the pot base, the following technical solution can be further adopted, wherein an inner pot release device is also provided on the pot base, and starting the inner pot release device can drive the second locking mechanism to release the lock between the inner pot and the pot base.

[0009] As for the second locking mechanism, the following technical solution can be further adopted, wherein the second locking mechanism includes a pair of upper and lower hooks that can be hooked together, the upper hook is arranged on the inner pot, and the lower hook is arranged on the pot base; or the second locking mechanism includes a pair of magnets that can be magnetically attracted to each other, and the pair of magnets are separately arranged on the inner pot and the pot base.

[0010] As for the first locking mechanism, the following technical solution can be further adopted, wherein the first locking mechanism includes at least one pair of support frames slidably arranged on the outer cover, wherein the support frames can not only move toward the center direction of the outer cover in response to the closing action but also move toward the outer side of the outer cover in response to the opening command transmitted by the unlocking device; at least one rigid clamp with a clamp is arranged on the support frame, wherein the rigid clamp is used to clamp the rigid component and the rigid pot edge of the inner pot through the clamp when the support frame moves with it toward the center direction of the outer cover, and the rigid clamp is also used to release the rigid pot edge of the inner pot when the support frame moves with it toward the outer side of the outer cover.

[0011] Wherein, the first locking mechanism comprises at least one pair of support frames slidably arranged on the outer cover, and at least one rigid clamp with a clamp is arranged on the support frame. The above characteristics define that the locking mechanism may include two, three, four or even more support frames. And each of the support frames may be provided with one, two, three or even more rigid clamps. The rigid clamp may be provided with one clamp or multiple clamps. The rigid component and the rigid pot edge of the inner pot are clamped at the same time by the same clamp on the same rigid clamp; or the rigid component is clamped by one clamp on the same rigid clamp, and the rigid pot edge of the inner pot is clamped by another clamp; or the rigid component is clamped by a pair of rigid clamps on the support frames, and the rigid pot edge of the inner pot is clamped by another pair of rigid clamps on the support frames. There are many clamping schemes of the rigid clamp, which are not described one by one here.

[0012] In order to drive the support frame to move toward the center direction of the outer cover and keep the rigid clamp on the support frame in a clamping state, the following technical solution can be further adopted:

[0013] The first support frame locking drive scheme: the first locking mechanism also includes a locking driver, which is a tension spring with a reset driving force, and the tension spring is used to drive the support frame to move in the center direction of the outer cover in response to the lid closing action; the unlocking device includes an intermediate transition arm body movably arranged on the pot cover, and the intermediate transition arm body is used to respond to the lid opening instruction and has a positive moving torque. When moving forward, it drives the support frame to move toward the outer side of the outer cover and drives the tension spring to expand and store energy. It is also used to move in the reverse direction in response to the lid closing action and the support frame can move toward the center direction of the outer cover when moving in the reverse direction.

[0014] On the basis of the above-mentioned first support frame locking drive scheme, the following technical scheme can be further adopted, in which second magnets capable of attracting each other are respectively provided on the outer cover and the intermediate transition arm body, and when the intermediate transition arm body loses the forward moving torque in response to the cover closing action, the second magnet and the locking driver cooperate to drive the intermediate transition arm body to move in the reverse direction. According to the above technical scheme, when the intermediate transition arm body loses the forward moving torque in response to the cover closing action, the intermediate transition arm body will be subjected to a dual driving force capable of driving it to move in the reverse direction, one driving force comes from the magnetic attraction driving force of the second magnet, and the other driving force comes from the direct or indirect driving force of the tension spring.

[0015] On the basis of adopting the first support frame locking drive solution, the installation structure of the tension spring can further select one of the following implementations:

[0016] The first installation structure of the tension spring is implemented as follows: the two ends of the tension spring are respectively connected to a pair of support frames arranged on the left and right, and the intermediate transition arm body directly presses against the pair of support frames arranged on the left and right or indirectly presses against the pair of support frames arranged on the left and right through a pair of swing arms. When the intermediate transition arm body has a positive moving torque in response to the cover opening instruction and moves forward, it can drive the pair of support frames to move away from each other, that is, move toward the outer side of the outer cover and drive the tension spring to open and store energy. On the contrary, when the intermediate transition arm body loses the positive moving torque in response to the cover closing action, the tension spring can drive the pair of support frames to move relatively close, that is, move toward the center of the outer cover, and the power of the pair of support frames moving relatively close can reversely drive the intermediate transition arm body to move in the opposite direction.

[0017] The second installation structure of the tension spring is implemented as follows: one end of the tension spring is connected to the outer cover and the other end is connected to the intermediate transition arm body, and the intermediate transition arm body is movably connected to the support frame or is movably connected to the support frame through a swing arm. When the intermediate transition arm body has a positive moving torque in response to an opening instruction and moves forward, it can drive the support frame to move toward the outer side of the outer cover and drive the tension spring to open and store energy. Conversely, when the intermediate transition arm body loses the positive moving torque in response to a closing action, the tension spring can drive the support frame to move toward the center of the outer cover and can also drive the intermediate transition arm body to move in the opposite direction.

[0018] The second support frame locking drive solution: the first locking mechanism also includes a locking driver, and the locking driver is a pair of first magnets that can attract each other, and the pair of first magnets are disposed on a pair of support frames arranged on the left and right.

[0019] According to the above-mentioned first support frame locking and driving scheme and the second support frame locking and driving scheme, the tension spring or the pair of the first magnets can make the rigid clamp on the support frame move toward the center direction of the outer cover and remain in the clamping state, but the tension spring or the pair of the first magnets cannot prevent the positive movement of the intermediate transition arm body to drive the support frame to move toward the outer side of the outer cover. In addition, the tension spring or the pair of the first magnets form a flexible connection relationship between the pair of support frames, which is conducive to the rigid clamp being able to flexibly adjust the clamping position to adapt to clamp the rigid component and the rigid pot edge of the inner pot, avoiding the increase of safety hazards due to the existence of assembly errors or manufacturing errors that cause the rigid clamp to fail to clamp the rigid component and the rigid pot edge of the inner pot. Therefore, the above scheme can further improve the operational stability and use safety of the cooking appliance and reduce malfunctions of the equipment operation.

[0020] In order to be able to drive the support frame to move automatically, the following technical solution can be further adopted: the first locking mechanism also includes an electric driver arranged on the outer cover, the electric driver is connected to the support frame in a transmission manner, and the electric driver is used to drive the support frame to move toward the center direction of the outer cover in response to the cover closing instruction action and can also move toward the outer side direction of the outer cover in response to the cover opening instruction transmitted by the unlocking device. According to the technical solution, the support frame can be automatically controlled by the electric driver.

[0021] A further technical solution may be that the unlocking device further comprises a button, and the button is used to respond to the cover opening action instruction to provide a positive moving torque for the intermediate transition arm body and drive the intermediate transition arm body to move forward.

[0022] If the rigid clamp returns to the locked position after opening the lid and before closing the lid, it will definitely affect the next lid closing operation, so the rigid clamp needs to be kept in the unlocked position before closing the lid. In view of this, a further technical solution may also be that the unlocking device also includes an unlocking holding mechanism, and the unlocking holding mechanism is used to keep the intermediate transition arm body in the unlocked position after the intermediate transition arm body loses the forward moving torque. Among them, the unlocked position refers to the position where the intermediate transition arm body moves to the position that can release the lock between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge in response to the lid opening instruction. When the intermediate transition arm body remains in the unlocked position, the rigid clamp remains in the unlocked position.

[0023] A further technical solution may be that the unlocking and holding mechanism includes a movable positioning column movably arranged on the intermediate transition arm body, a holding spring arranged between the intermediate transition arm body and the movable positioning column and capable of driving the movable positioning column to move downward, a receiving hole arranged on the outer cover for receiving one end of the movable positioning column, and a protrusion arranged on the pot base facing the receiving hole; when the pot lid is closed, the protrusion can be inserted into the receiving hole to push the movable positioning column out of the receiving hole, at which time the intermediate transition arm body loses its holding force and moves in the reverse direction and leaves the receiving hole with the movable positioning column, and when the intermediate transition arm body moves forward to complete the unlocking, the pot lid begins to flip up, and the movable positioning column not only moves to the top of the receiving hole but also is reinserted into the receiving hole under the drive of the holding spring to keep the intermediate transition arm body in the unlocked position.

[0024] If the pot cover is opened rashly when the cooking environment in the inner pot is in a high pressure state or a high temperature state, the food in the pot will be ejected and scald the user, or even the pot cover will be blown out and hit the user under the high pressure, which is very threatening. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the opening conditions of the pot cover. A further technical solution may be that the pot cover is also provided with a self-locking mechanism that can respond to the air pressure or temperature in the inner pot, the self-locking mechanism includes a self-locking column, and the intermediate transition arm body or the support frame is provided with a self-locking hole that can receive the self-locking column. The self-locking column is used to insert the self-locking hole when the air pressure or temperature in the pot of the inner pot is higher than the threshold value, so that the intermediate transition arm body or the support frame cannot move on the outer cover to achieve self-locking. According to the above technical solution, when the air pressure or temperature in the pot of the inner pot is higher than the threshold value, the movement of the intermediate transition arm body or the pair of support frames is limited by the self-locking column, and the pot cover cannot be opened at this time. Only when the air pressure or temperature in the inner pot is lower than a threshold value, the self-locking column disengages from the self-locking hole to release the lock of the intermediate transition arm or the support frame, and the pot cover can be opened at this time, thus effectively improving the safety performance of the cooking utensil.

[0025] A further technical solution may be that the rigid component forms an inner cover of the pot cover, or an inner cover is installed under the rigid component, and the inner cover is used to cover the pot mouth of the inner pot based on a lid closing action.

[0026] A further technical solution may be that a clamping edge of the rigid clamp is closely attached to the upper surface of the outer edge of the rigid component and moves left and right along with the support frame on the upper surface of the outer edge of the rigid component. In this way, during assembly, the upper surface of the outer edge of the rigid component can provide a positioning reference for the assembly positioning of the rigid clamp. Compared with the existing solution of configuring upper and lower double gaps, the operation of controlling the assembly dimensions of the rigid component and the rigid clamp in the upper and lower directions is reduced, thereby reducing the difficulty of assembly. In addition, it is also beneficial to reduce the amount of consumables of the rigid component and reduce costs.

[0027] In order to keep one of the clamping edges of the rigid clamp in close contact with the outer edge of the rigid component, the following technical solution can be further adopted: a threaded column is provided on the outer cover, the column passes through the support frame above the outer cover, a pressure screw is screwed on the top of the column, a spring sleeve is also sleeved on the column, a pressure spring is provided between the spring sleeve and the screw head of the pressure screw, the spring sleeve presses on the support frame so that one of the clamping edges of the rigid clamp is kept in close contact with the outer edge of the rigid component. According to the above technical solution, the pressure spring is restricted and compressed between the spring sleeve and the screw head of the pressure screw and presses the spring sleeve downward so that one of the clamping edges of the rigid clamp is kept in close contact with the outer edge of the rigid component, and a flexible connection can also be formed between the support frame and the outer cover. When the high-pressure expansion force pushes the inner cover to float up during the cooking pressurization process, the rigid component can drive the support frame to float up through the rigid clamp to resist the elastic top pressure of the top pressure spring, thereby buffering the high-pressure expansion force, which is beneficial to reducing the high-pressure expansion force transmitted from the inner cover to the outer cover, thereby avoiding serious deformation of the outer cover after being subjected to force.

[0028] Since the present invention has the above characteristics and advantages, it can be applied to cooking utensils, especially cooking utensils with a split safety locking structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the top view of a cooking utensil with a separate safety locking structure to which the technical solution of the present invention is applied;

[0030] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure in the AA direction;

[0031] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure in the BB direction;

[0032] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure in the CC direction;

[0033] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the outer cover 21;

[0034] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the pot cover 2, in which the decorative surface cover 23 is omitted;

[0035] Figure 7 This is the second installation structure of the tension spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The structure of the cooking device using the technical solution of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0037] As shown in the figure, the present invention proposes a cooking utensil with a split safety locking structure. The cooking utensil comprises a pot base 1, an inner pot 11 placed on the pot base 1, and a pot cover 2 which is hingedly connected to the rear end of the pot base 1 in a flippable manner. The inner pot 11 has a rigid pot edge 110 protruding outwards, and the pot cover 1 is used to cover the pot mouth of the inner pot 11 based on a lid closing action. The pot cover 2 comprises an outer cover 21, a decorative surface cover 23 installed on the outer cover 21, and a rigid member 22 installed under the outer cover 21, and the rigid member 22 is used to bear or share the air pressure in the inner pot 11. In this embodiment, the rigid member 22 is the inner cover of the pot cover 2, and the inner cover is used to cover the pot mouth of the inner pot 11 based on a lid closing action. The pot base 1 further includes a locking mechanism, which is used to complete a double locking mechanism. The double locking mechanism includes not only locking the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110, but also locking the inner pot 11 and the pot base 1 when the pot base 1 and the pot cover 2 are closed; wherein the locking mechanism includes a first locking mechanism 100 and a second locking mechanism 100a, wherein the first locking mechanism 100 is used to lock the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 in response to a closing instruction action of the pot cover 2 that allows the lid to be turned over and closed, and the second locking mechanism 100a is used to first lock the inner pot 11 and the pot base 1 when the inner pot 11 is placed on the pot base 1 before closing the lid. The pot base 1 further includes an unlocking device 200, which is used to transmit a lid opening instruction, and at least drive the first locking mechanism to release the lock between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge.

[0038] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the locking mechanism comprises a first locking mechanism 100, and the first locking mechanism 100 comprises a pair of left and right support frames (3, 3a) slidably arranged on the outer cover 21, and the support frames (3, 3a) can not only move relatively close to each other in response to the cover closing action, i.e., move toward the center direction of the outer cover 21, but also move relatively away from each other in response to the cover opening instruction transmitted by the unlocking device 200, i.e., move toward the outer side direction of the outer cover 21. Two rigid clamps 4 (rigid clamp 4a and rigid clamp 4b, rigid clamp 4c and rigid clamp 4d, respectively) are arranged on the support frames (3, 3a). Of course, in other embodiments, three, four or even more support frames may be arranged, and it is also feasible to arrange one, three or even more rigid clamps on each support frame), and the rigid clamp 4 has an upper clamp edge 41 and a lower clamp edge 42 arranged in an upper and lower manner, and a clamp connection wall 43 connected between the upper clamp edge 41 and the lower clamp edge 42. A clamping opening 40 is formed between the upper clamping opening edge 41, the lower clamping opening edge 42 and the connecting wall 43 (of course, in other embodiments, each rigid clamp 4 may also be provided with two, three or more clamping openings). The rigid clamp 4 is used to clamp the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 of the inner pot 11 through the clamping opening 40 when the support frame (3, 3a) moves it toward the center direction of the outer cover 21, and the rigid clamp 4 is also used to release the rigid pot edge 110 of the inner pot 11 when the support frame (3, 3a) moves it toward the outer side direction of the outer cover 21. In order to be able to drive the support frame (3, 3a) to move toward the center direction of the outer cover 21 and keep the rigid clamp 4 on the support frame (3, 3a) in a clamping state, the locking mechanism also includes a locking driver, which is a tension spring 6 with a reset driving force, and the two ends of the tension spring 6 are respectively connected to a pair of left and right support frames (3, 3a). The tension spring 6 is used to drive the support frame (3, 3a) to move toward the center direction of the outer cover 21 in response to the cover closing action.

[0039] The unlocking device 200 includes an intermediate transition arm 5 that is movably arranged on the outer cover 21. The intermediate transition arm 5 is associated with the support frame (3, 3a). Specifically, the intermediate transition arm 5 indirectly abuts against a pair of support frames (3, 3a) arranged on the left and right through a pair of swing arms (51, 52). Of course, in other embodiments, the intermediate transition arm 5 can also directly abut against a pair of support frames (3, 3a) arranged on the left and right. When the intermediate transition arm 5 has a positive moving torque in response to the cover opening instruction and moves forward, it can drive the support frames (3, 3a) to move away from each other, that is, to move toward the outside direction of the outer cover 21, and also drive the tension spring 6 to open and store energy. When the intermediate transition arm body 5 loses the forward moving torque in response to the cover closing action, the tension spring 6 can drive the pair of support frames (3, 3a) to move relatively close to each other, that is, to move toward the center direction of the outer cover 21, and the power of the pair of support frames (3, 3a) moving relatively close to each other can reversely drive the intermediate transition arm body 5 to move in the opposite direction.

[0040] In addition, in other embodiments, the tension spring 6 may also adopt another installation structure, such as Figure 7 As shown, one end of the tension spring 6' is connected to the outer cover 21' and the other end is connected to the intermediate transition arm 5', and the intermediate transition arm 5' is movably connected to the support frame (3', 3a'). There are various movable connection structures between the intermediate transition arm 5' and the support frame (3', 3a'), for example, the support frame (3', 3a') is respectively provided with a slide groove (30', 30a') inclined thereto, and the intermediate transition arm 5' is respectively provided with a lever arm (51', 52') extending into the slide groove (30', 30a'). When the intermediate transition arm body 5' has a positive moving torque and moves in the positive direction, it can cooperate with the slide groove (30', 30a') and the lever arm (51', 52') to drive a pair of the support frames (3', 3a') to move toward the outer side of the outer cover 21' and drive the tension spring 6' to open and store energy. On the contrary, when the intermediate transition arm body 5' loses the positive moving torque in response to the cover closing action, the tension spring 6' can cooperate with the slide groove (30', 30a') and the lever arm (51', 52') to drive the support frames (3', 3a') to move relatively close, that is, to move toward the center direction of the outer cover 21', and can also drive the intermediate transition arm body 5' to move in the opposite direction. Of course, in other embodiments, the intermediate transition arm body 5' can also be movably connected to the support frame (3', 3a') through a swing arm.

[0041] According to the above technical solution, the tension spring 6 can make the rigid clamp 4 on the support frame (3, 3a) move toward the center direction of the outer cover 21 and maintain it in a clamping state, but the tension spring 6 cannot prevent the intermediate transition arm 5 from moving forward to drive the support frame (3, 3a) to move toward the outer side of the outer cover 21. In addition, the tension spring 6 forms a flexible connection between a pair of the support frames (3, 3a), which is conducive to allowing the rigid clamp 4 to flexibly adjust the clamping position to adapt to clamp the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 of the inner pot 11, avoiding the rigid clamp 4 from being unable to clamp the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 of the inner pot 11 due to assembly errors, manufacturing errors or deformation of the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 of the inner pot 11 during use, thereby increasing safety hazards. Therefore, the above solution can improve the operational stability and use safety of the cooking appliance and reduce malfunctions of the equipment operation. In addition to being the tension spring 6, in other embodiments, the locking driver can also be a pair of first magnets (not shown) that can attract each other, and the pair of first magnets are disposed on a pair of left and right support frames (3, 3a). When the intermediate transition arm 5 has a positive moving torque and moves forward, it can resist the mutual magnetic attraction between the first magnets and drive the pair of support frames (3, 3a) to move toward the outer side of the outer cover 21. On the contrary, when the intermediate transition arm loses the positive moving torque in response to the cover closing action, the first magnet can drive the support frames (3, 3a) to move relatively close, that is, to move toward the center of the outer cover 21, and can also drive the intermediate transition arm 5 to move in the opposite direction.

[0042] Furthermore, second magnets (not shown in the figure) that can attract each other are respectively arranged on the outer cover 21 and the intermediate transition arm 5. When the intermediate transition arm 5 loses the forward moving torque in response to the cover closing action, the intermediate transition arm 5 will be subjected to a dual driving force that can drive it to move in the reverse direction. One driving force comes from the magnetic attraction driving force of the second magnet, and the other driving force comes from the direct or indirect driving force of the tension spring 6. The second magnet and the tension spring 6 cooperate to drive the intermediate transition arm 5 to move in the reverse direction.

[0043] like Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the connection relationship between the pair of support frames (3, 3a) and the outer cover 21 is the same, and the connection relationship between the support frame 3 and the outer cover 21 is taken as an example for description. Two left and right escape notches (210, 211) are arranged on the left side of the outer cover 21. The rigid clamp 4a is arranged in the escape notch 210, the upper clamp edge 41 of the rigid clamp 4a is arranged above the rigid member 22, and the lower clamp edge 42 is arranged below the rigid member 22. Threaded columns (212, 213) are arranged on the outer cover 21. The columns (212, 213) respectively pass through the support frame 3 above the outer cover 21. Top ends of the columns (212, 213) are respectively screwed with pressure screws (31, 32). Spring sleeves (33, 34) are also respectively sleeved on the columns (212, 213). Pressure springs (35, 36) are respectively arranged between the spring sleeves (33, 34) and the screw heads of the pressure screws (31, 32). The spring sleeves (33, 34) press on the support frame 3 so that the upper clamping edge 41 of the rigid clamp 4a is kept in close contact with the outer edge of the rigid component 22 and moves left and right on the outer edge of the rigid component 22 along with the support frame 3. According to the above technical solution, the pressing spring (35, 36) is limited and compressed between the spring sleeve (33, 34) and the screw head of the pressing screw (31, 32) and presses the spring sleeve (33, 34) downward to keep the upper clamp edge 41 of the rigid clamp 4a close to the upper outer edge of the rigid member 22. In this way, during assembly, the upper outer edge of the rigid member 22 can provide a positioning reference for the assembly positioning of the rigid clamp 4a. Compared with the existing solution of configuring the upper and lower double gaps, the operation of controlling the assembly dimensions of the rigid member 22 and the rigid clamp 4a in the upper and lower directions is reduced, thereby reducing the difficulty of assembly. In addition, it is also beneficial to reduce the amount of consumables of the rigid clamp 4a and reduce costs. Secondly, it can also form a flexible connection between the support frame 3 and the outer cover 21. When the high-pressure expansion force pushes the inner cover to float up during the cooking pressurization process, the rigid component 22 can drive the support frame (3, 3a) to float up against the elastic pressure of the pressure spring (35, 36) through the rigid clamp 4c, thereby buffering the high-pressure expansion force, which is beneficial to reducing the high-pressure expansion force transmitted from the inner cover to the outer cover 21, thereby avoiding serious deformation of the outer cover 21 after being stressed. In addition, the rigid clamp 4b is arranged in the avoidance gap 211, and the upper clamp edge of the rigid clamp 4b is also kept in close contact with the outer edge of the rigid component 22 through the above structure.

[0044] like Figure 4As shown, the second locking mechanism 100a is used to lock and connect the inner pot 11 with the pot base 1 when the inner pot 11 is placed on the pot base 1 before closing the lid. The second locking mechanism 100a includes a pair of upper and lower hooks (8, 8a) that can be hooked to each other, the upper hook 8 is arranged on the pot side wall of the inner pot 11, and the lower hook 8a is arranged on the pot base 1. Before closing the lid, when the inner pot 11 is placed on the pot base 1, the upper and lower hooks (8, 8a) are hooked together to lock the inner pot 11 with the pot base 1. Of course, in other embodiments, the upper hook 8 can be arranged on the rigid pot edge 110 of the inner pot 11, and the second locking mechanism 100a can lock the rigid pot edge 110 with the pot base 1. Alternatively, the second locking mechanism can include a pair of magnets that can be magnetically attracted to each other, and the pair of magnets are separately arranged on the inner pot 11 and the pot base 1. An inner pot release device ( Figure 4 (not shown), starting the inner pot release device can drive the second locking mechanism 100a to release the lock between the inner pot 11 and the pot base 1. Of course, in other embodiments, when the unlocking device drives the first locking mechanism to release the lock between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge, it can also synchronously drive the second locking mechanism 100a to release the lock between the inner pot 11 and the pot base 1.

[0045] The cooking utensil also includes a central controller (not shown) and a position sensor, wherein the position sensor is used to sense a position signal indicating that the locking mechanism (100, 100a) has completed the double locking mechanism and has been in place, and to feed back the position signal to the central controller, and the central controller is used to determine whether to start heating or pressurizing according to the position signal. In this way, the central controller can intelligently and effectively control the conditions for starting heating or pressurizing of the cooking utensil. For example, it can be controlled that when the locking mechanism (100, 100a) has not completed the double locking mechanism, pressurizing cannot be started but heating can be started, or that neither pressurizing nor heating can be started, but heating or pressurizing can only be started when the locking mechanism has completed the double locking mechanism and has been in place. Such a control configuration method is conducive to the cooking utensil effectively ensuring the cooking effect of heating or pressurizing, meeting the cooking needs of the user, and also conducive to optimizing the safety performance of the cooking utensil. Further, the sensor is used to sense whether the support frame (3, 3a) or the rigid clamp 4 moves toward the center of the outer cover 21 to reach a predetermined position, and the central controller is used to determine whether to start heating or pressurizing according to the position signal that the support frame (3, 3a) or the rigid clamp 4 has moved toward the center of the outer cover 21 to the predetermined position, otherwise heating or pressurizing is not started. Further, a display is included, through which the analog signal that the double locking mechanism has been executed is displayed.

[0046] The intermediate transition arm 5 is often in a storage state and cannot be directly touched and operated. In view of this, the unlocking device 200 further includes a button 7, which is used to respond to the cover opening action instruction to provide a positive moving torque to the intermediate transition arm 5 and drive the intermediate transition arm 5 to move forward. In this way, in response to an allowed cover opening instruction, the driving force provided by the cover opening instruction automatically releases the lock between the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110, thereby realizing one-key cover opening.

[0047] If the rigid clamp 4 is restored to the locked position after opening the cover and before closing the cover, it will definitely affect the next closing operation, so it is necessary to keep the rigid clamp 4 in the unlocked position after opening the cover and before closing the cover. Figure 4As shown, the unlocking device 200 also includes an unlocking holding mechanism 300, which is used to keep the intermediate transition arm 5 in the unlocking position after the intermediate transition arm 5 loses the forward moving torque. Specifically, the unlocking holding mechanism includes a movable positioning column 9 movably arranged on the intermediate transition arm 5, a holding spring 91 arranged between the intermediate transition arm 5 and the movable positioning column 9 and capable of driving the movable positioning column 9 to move downward, a receiving hole 214 arranged on the outer cover 21 for receiving one end of the movable positioning column 9, and a protrusion 12 arranged on the pot base 1 facing the receiving hole 214. When the pot cover 2 is closed, the protrusion 12 can be inserted into the receiving hole 214 to push the movable positioning column 9 out of the receiving hole 214. At this time, the intermediate transition arm 5 loses its holding force and moves in the opposite direction and takes the movable positioning column 9 out of the receiving hole 214. When the intermediate transition arm 5 moves forward to complete the unlocking, the pot cover 2 begins to flip up, and the movable positioning column 9 not only moves to the top of the receiving hole 214 but also reinserts into the receiving hole 214 under the drive of the retaining spring 91 to keep the intermediate transition arm 5 in the unlocking position. In this way, even if the rigid clamp 4 is subjected to external force, it is not easy to move toward the center direction of the outer cover 21 and mistakenly switches to the locked position to affect the next closing operation of the pot cover 2. In this way, not only can the lid be opened smoothly, but also the lid can be closed smoothly.

[0048] like Figure 4As shown, if the pot cover 2 is opened rashly when the cooking environment in the pot of the inner pot 11 is in a high pressure state, the food in the pot will be ejected and scald the user, or even the pot cover 2 will fly out under the high pressure and hit the user, which is very dangerous. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the opening condition of the pot cover 2. In view of this, the unlocking action between the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 is subject to the gas pressure in the pot of the inner pot 11. When the gas pressure in the pot of the inner pot is higher than the threshold, the unlocking action between the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 is restricted by the self-locking mechanism 400. The self-locking mechanism is arranged on the rigid component 22 of the pot cover 2 and can respond to the gas pressure in the inner pot 11. The self-locking mechanism 400 includes a self-locking column 92, and the intermediate transition arm 5 is provided with a self-locking hole 50 capable of receiving the self-locking column 92. Of course, in other embodiments, the self-locking hole 50 can also be arranged on the support frame (3, 3a). The self-locking column 92 is used to insert into the self-locking hole 50 when the gas pressure in the inner pot 11 is higher than the threshold value, so that the intermediate transition arm 5 cannot move on the outer cover 21 to achieve self-locking and remain in the locked position. According to the above technical solution, when the gas pressure in the inner pot 11 is higher than the threshold value, the movement of the intermediate transition arm 5 is restricted by the self-locking column 92, and the pot cover 2 cannot be opened at this time. Only when the gas pressure in the inner pot 11 is lower than the threshold value, the self-locking column 92 disengages from the self-locking hole 50 and releases the movement of the intermediate transition arm 5, and then the pot cover 2 can be opened. In this way, the self-locking column 92 limits the unlocking action between the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 in response to the gas pressure in the inner pot 11, which effectively improves the safety performance of the cooking utensil. In addition, the unlocking action between the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 can also be subject to the temperature inside the inner pot 11. When the temperature of the inner pot is higher than a threshold, the unlocking action between the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 is restricted by a self-locking mechanism.

[0049] In order to be able to drive the support frame (3, 3a) to move automatically, in other embodiments, the following driving scheme can also be adopted, wherein the locking mechanism also includes an electric drive arranged on the outer cover 21, the electric drive is connected to the support frame (3, 3a) in a transmission manner, and the electric drive is used to drive the support frame (3, 3a) to move toward the center direction of the outer cover 21 in response to a cover closing instruction action, and can also move toward the outer side direction of the outer cover 21 in response to a cover opening instruction transmitted by the unlocking device 200. According to the technical solution, the support frame (3, 3a) can be automatically controlled by the electric drive.

[0050] According to the above technical solution, it can be found that due to the provision of the double locking mechanism, compared with the prior art, not only the sealing scheme of the inner pot is simplified by locking between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge, but also the closing scheme of the entire cooking utensil is simplified, especially the connection stability and controllability between the outer cover of the pot lid and the pot base during the cooking process are improved; wherein, the second locking mechanism is used to lock and connect the inner pot with the pot base when placing the inner pot on the pot base before closing the lid, so that the outer cover is stably covered on the pot base through the connection relationship between the outer cover and the rigid component and the locking relationship between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge, and the inner pot can also be directly placed on the pot base in a correct posture to ensure the normal use of the cooking utensil.

[0051] The method for opening and closing the pot lid and inner lid of the cooking utensil with the separated safety locking structure is as follows: when placing the inner pot 11 on the pot base 1 before closing the lid, the inner pot 11 and the pot base 1 are first locked, and then in response to a lid closing instruction action that allows flipping and closing the lid, the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 are locked to complete the double locking mechanism to achieve a flip lid; in response to an allowed lid opening instruction, the lock between the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 is released to achieve one-key lid opening. After completing the one-key lid opening, in response to an allowed instruction to open the inner pot 11, the lock between the inner pot 11 and the pot base 1 is released so that the inner pot 11 can be taken out. Of course, it can also be that in response to an allowed lid opening instruction, when the lock between the rigid component 22 and the rigid pot edge 110 is released, the lock between the inner pot 11 and the pot base 1 is simultaneously released.

Claims

1. A cooking utensil with a split safety locking structure, the cooking utensil comprising a pot base, an inner pot placed on the pot base, and a pot cover hingedly connected to the rear end of the pot base in a flip manner, the inner pot having a rigid pot edge protruding outward, the pot cover comprising an outer cover and a rigid member installed under the outer cover, the pot cover being used to cover the pot opening of the inner pot when the pot is closed; characterized in that: The invention also includes a locking mechanism, which is used to complete a double locking mechanism. The double locking mechanism includes locking not only the rigid component and the rigid pot edge, but also the inner pot and the pot base when the pot base and the pot lid are closed; wherein the locking mechanism includes a first locking mechanism and a second locking mechanism, wherein the first locking mechanism is used to lock the rigid component and the rigid pot edge in response to a cover closing instruction action of the pot lid that allows the lid to be turned over and closed, and the second locking mechanism is used to lock the inner pot and the pot base when the inner pot is placed on the pot base before closing the lid; and an unlocking device is also included, wherein the unlocking device is used to transmit a cover opening instruction, and at least drive the first locking mechanism to release the lock between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge; The first locking mechanism comprises at least one pair of support frames slidably arranged on the outer cover, the support frames can not only move toward the center direction of the outer cover in response to the cover closing action but also move toward the outer side direction of the outer cover in response to the cover opening instruction transmitted by the unlocking device; at least one rigid clamp with a clamping opening is arranged on the support frame, the rigid clamp is used to clamp the rigid member and the rigid pot edge of the inner pot through the clamping opening when the support frame moves with it toward the center direction of the outer cover, and the rigid clamp is also used to release the rigid pot edge of the inner pot when the support frame moves with it toward the outer side direction of the outer cover; The first locking mechanism also includes a locking driver, which is a tension spring with a reset driving force, and the tension spring is used to drive the support frame to move in the center direction of the outer cover in response to the lid closing action; the unlocking device includes an intermediate transition arm body movably arranged on the pot cover, and the intermediate transition arm body is used to have a positive moving torque in response to the lid opening instruction, and when moving forward, the support frame is driven to move toward the outer side of the outer cover and drive the tension spring to expand and store energy, and is also used to move in the reverse direction in response to the lid closing action, and the support frame can move toward the center direction of the outer cover when moving in the reverse direction; The second locking mechanism includes a pair of upper and lower hooks that can be hooked together, the upper hook is arranged on the inner pot, and the lower hook is arranged on the pot base; or the second locking mechanism includes a pair of magnets that can be magnetically attracted to each other, and the pair of magnets are respectively arranged on the inner pot and the pot base.

2. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unlocking device is also used to synchronously drive the second locking mechanism to release the lock between the inner pot and the pot base when driving the first locking mechanism to release the lock between the rigid component and the rigid pot edge.

3. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An inner pot release device is also provided on the pot base, and starting the inner pot release device can drive the second locking mechanism to release the lock between the inner pot and the pot base.

4. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first locking mechanism also includes an electric driver arranged on the outer cover, the electric driver is connected to the support frame in a transmission manner, and the electric driver is used to drive the support frame to move toward the center direction of the outer cover in response to a closing instruction action and can also move toward the outer side of the outer cover in response to an opening instruction transmitted by the unlocking device.

5. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two ends of the tension spring are respectively connected to a pair of support frames arranged on the left and right, and the intermediate transition arm body directly presses against the pair of support frames arranged on the left and right or indirectly presses against the pair of support frames arranged on the left and right through a pair of swing arms. When the intermediate transition arm body has a positive moving torque in response to the cover opening instruction and moves forward, it can drive the pair of support frames to move away from each other, that is, move toward the outer side of the outer cover and drive the tension spring to open and store energy. On the contrary, when the intermediate transition arm body loses the positive moving torque in response to the cover closing action, the tension spring can drive the pair of support frames to move relatively close, that is, move toward the center of the outer cover, and the power of the pair of support frames moving relatively close can reversely drive the intermediate transition arm body to move in the opposite direction.

6. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the tension spring is connected to the outer cover and the other end is connected to the intermediate transition arm body. The intermediate transition arm body is movably connected to the support frame or is movably connected to the support frame through a swing arm. When the intermediate transition arm body has a positive moving torque in response to an opening instruction and moves forward, it can drive the support frame to move toward the outer side of the outer cover and drive the tension spring to expand and store energy. Conversely, when the intermediate transition arm body loses the positive moving torque in response to a closing action, the tension spring can drive the support frame to move toward the center of the outer cover and can also drive the intermediate transition arm body to move in the opposite direction.

7. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unlocking device also includes a button, which is used to respond to the cover opening action instruction to provide a positive moving torque for the intermediate transition arm body and drive the intermediate transition arm body to move forward.

8. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unlocking device also includes an unlocking holding mechanism, which is used to keep the intermediate transition arm body in an unlocking position after the intermediate transition arm body loses the forward moving torque.

9. The cooking device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The unlocking and holding mechanism includes a movable positioning post movably arranged on the intermediate transition arm body, a holding spring arranged between the intermediate transition arm body and the movable positioning post and capable of driving the movable positioning post to move downward, a receiving hole arranged on the outer cover for receiving one end of the movable positioning post, and a protrusion arranged on the pot base facing the receiving hole; when the pot cover is closed, the protrusion can be inserted into the receiving hole to push the movable positioning post out of the receiving hole, at which time the intermediate transition arm body loses its holding force and moves in the reverse direction and leaves the receiving hole with the movable positioning post, and when the intermediate transition arm body moves forward to complete the unlocking, the pot cover begins to flip up, and the movable positioning post not only moves to the top of the receiving hole but also is reinserted into the receiving hole under the drive of the holding spring to keep the intermediate transition arm body in the unlocking position.

10. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pot cover is also provided with a self-locking mechanism that can respond to the air pressure or temperature in the inner pot. The self-locking mechanism includes a self-locking column. The intermediate transition arm body or the support frame is provided with a self-locking hole that can receive the self-locking column. The self-locking column is used to insert into the self-locking hole when the air pressure or temperature in the inner pot is higher than a threshold value, so that the intermediate transition arm body or the support frame cannot move on the outer cover to achieve self-locking.

11. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The rigid component forms an inner cover of the pot cover, or an inner cover is installed below the rigid component, and the inner cover is used to cover the pot mouth of the inner pot based on a cover closing action.

12. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A clamping edge of the rigid clamp is closely attached to the outer edge of the rigid component and moves left and right along with the support frame on the outer edge of the rigid component.

13. The cooking device according to claim 12, characterized in that: A threaded column is arranged on the outer cover, and the column passes through the support frame above the outer cover. A pressure screw is screwed on the top of the column, and a spring sleeve is also sleeved on the column. A pressure spring is arranged between the spring sleeve and the screw head of the pressure screw. The spring sleeve presses on the support frame so that a clamping edge of the rigid clamp is kept tightly against the outer edge of the rigid component.

14. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that The first locking mechanism also includes a locking driver, which is a pair of first magnets that can attract each other, and the pair of first magnets are disposed on a pair of left and right supporting frames.

15. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that Second magnets capable of attracting each other are also provided on the outer cover and the intermediate transition arm body respectively. When the intermediate transition arm body loses the forward moving torque in response to the closing action, the second magnet cooperates with the locking driver to drive the intermediate transition arm body to move in the reverse direction.

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