Rice cooker

Abstract

To suppress dew formation in a transparent window part with an inexpensive configuration.SOLUTION: A rice cooker 100 includes a body 11, an outer lid 12 for covering an upper part of the body, a panel (panel sheet 13) having a transparent window part 20 provided in an outer covering of the outer lid, and a sealing space 15 formed of the outer lid and the panel in which a display part (liquid crystal display part 14) is stored. In the sealing space, a cover member (panel cover 16) for forming a first air layer 21 is provided below the transparent window part of the panel, and a transparent inner member 18 for forming a second air layer 22 is provided below the cover member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice cooker. [Background technology]

[0002] A rice cooker uses a heating section to heat an inner pot that contains rice and water as food to be cooked. The rice cooker is equipped with a display section for displaying operation information operated by an operator and information related to rice cooking. The display section is made visible through a transparent window section. However, a temperature difference occurs between the inside and outside of the transparent window due to a rise in temperature during rice cooking (cooking), which can cause condensation on the transparent window and reduce visibility of the display section. Therefore, for example, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a technology for suppressing condensation on the transparent window section.

[0003] Patent document 1 describes a rice cooker in which a control unit storage chamber that houses a display unit and a control unit is formed by an outer lid and a panel with a transparent window, and which has a duct and an intake and exhaust port connecting the control unit storage chamber to the outside air outside the outer lid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-119930 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, a control unit storage chamber that contains a display unit and a control unit is formed by an outer lid and a panel with a transparent window, and a duct and an intake and exhaust port are provided to connect the control unit storage chamber to the outside air outside the outer lid. This conventional technology has a complex structure due to the provision of the duct and the intake and exhaust port, which may increase manufacturing costs. It is desirable to suppress condensation on the transparent window with an inexpensive configuration for this conventional technology. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a rice cooker comprising a main body, an outer lid covering the upper part of the main body, a panel having a transparent window portion provided on the exterior of the outer lid, and a sealed space formed by the outer lid and the panel and housing a display portion, wherein the sealed space is provided with a cover member which forms a first air layer below the transparent window portion of the panel, and a transparent inner member which forms a second air layer below the cover member. Other means will be described later. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an outer lid of a rice cooker according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of the outer lid of the rice cooker according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a manufacturing explanatory diagram of the outer lid of the rice cooker according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of the outer lid of a rice cooker according to a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is merely a schematic illustration to allow a sufficient understanding of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to only the illustrated examples. In addition, in each drawing, common or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0009] <Rice cooker configuration> Hereinafter, the configuration of the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 3. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of the outer lid 12 of the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the inside of the outer lid 12 of the rice cooker 100. Fig. 3 is a manufacturing explanatory diagram of the outer lid 12 of the rice cooker 100.

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment includes a main body 11 and an outer lid 12. The main body 11 is a component having a rice cooking function. The main body 11 has an inner pot (not shown) for holding rice and water as food to be cooked, an inner container (not shown) for detachably storing the inner pot (not shown), and a heating coil (not shown) for heating the inner pot (not shown). The outer lid 12 is a member that covers the upper part of the main body 11.

[0011] A sealed space 15 for accommodating a liquid crystal display unit 14 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as a "display unit") is formed inside the upper part of the outer lid 12. The sealed space 15 is a space formed by the outer lid 12 and a panel sheet 13 described below. The liquid crystal display unit 14 is arranged horizontally inside the sealed space 15.

[0012] Above the liquid crystal display unit 14, a panel sheet 13, a panel cover 16, a display sheet 17, and a transparent inner member 18 are arranged.

[0013] The panel sheet 13 is a sheet-like member provided (used) on the exterior of the outer lid 12. Hereinafter, the panel sheet 13 may be referred to as a "panel." The panel sheet 13 has a transparent window portion 20 at an arbitrary location to allow an operator to visually recognize the display of the liquid crystal display portion 14. The entire panel sheet 13, or at least an arbitrary portion including the transparent window portion 20, is transparent.

[0014] The panel cover 16 is a member that covers the lower surface side of the panel sheet 13. Hereinafter, the panel cover 16 may be referred to as a "cover member." The panel cover 16 has a recess 31 on its upper surface. The panel cover 16 is attached to the lower surface of the panel sheet 13 with an adhesive 41. In this way, the panel cover 16 reinforces the panel sheet 13 from below, and the recess 31 forms a first air layer 21 (FIG. 2) below the transparent window portion 20 of the panel sheet 13.

[0015] In this embodiment, the panel cover 16 is configured to have a recess 31 on the upper surface, that is, to have a bottom. The panel cover 16 may be entirely transparent, or at least the portion located below the transparent window portion 20. However, the panel cover 16 may be configured to have a through hole (not shown) instead of the recess 31, and to have a display sheet 17 attached to the lower surface so that the lower side of the through hole (not shown) is covered with the display sheet 17. In this case, the panel cover 16 may be configured from a non-transparent ABS resin (acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene copolymer synthetic resin).

[0016] The width of the panel cover 16 in the left-right direction is equal to or slightly smaller than the width of the panel sheet 13 in the left-right direction. In addition, the width of the panel cover 16 in the front-rear direction is smaller than the width of the panel sheet 13 in the front-rear direction.

[0017] The display sheet 17 is a sheet-like member on which information such as "cooking rice", "keep warm", and "off" are printed. The display sheet 17 is disposed on the lower surface side of the panel cover 16. The entire display sheet 17, or at least the portion located under the transparent window portion 20, is transparent.

[0018] The transparent internal member 18 is a member disposed below the panel cover 16 (below the display sheet 17 in the illustrated example). The transparent internal member 18 forms a second air layer 22 (FIG. 2) below the panel cover 16 (below the display sheet 17 in the illustrated example). The entire transparent internal member 18, or at least the portion located below the transparent window portion 20, is transparent.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the panel sheet 13 is attached to the panel cover 16 and the outer lid 12 with an adhesive 41 provided around the outer periphery of the transparent window portion 20 on the lower surface side. The panel sheet 13 is provided with a recess 31 on the upper surface. Therefore, the panel cover 16 is attached to the lower surface of the panel sheet 13, and the recess 31 forms a first air layer 21 below the transparent window portion 20 of the panel sheet 13. The display sheet 17 is disposed directly below the panel cover 16. The display sheet 17 is preferably disposed so that the upper surface thereof is in close contact with the lower surface of the panel cover 16. The transparent internal member 18 is disposed directly below the display sheet 17. The transparent internal member 18 is shaped to have a recess 32 on the upper surface side. The transparent internal member 18 is disposed so that the upper surface thereof is in close contact with the lower surface of the display sheet 17, and the recess 32 on the upper surface side forms a second air layer 22 below the display sheet 17. The liquid crystal display unit 14 is disposed below the transparent internal member 18.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, when the rice cooker 100 is manufactured, the liquid crystal display unit 14 is placed inside the sealed space 15 of the outer lid 12. Then, the panel cover 16, the display sheet 17, and the transparent inner member 18 are integrated and placed above the liquid crystal display unit 14. After that, the panel sheet 13 is placed above the panel cover 16. At this time, the adhesive 41 applied to the lower surface of the panel sheet 13 attaches the panel sheet 13 to the panel cover 16 and the outer lid 12. Therefore, in the rice cooker 100, the first air layer 21 can be easily and inexpensively formed below the transparent window portion 20 of the panel sheet 13 simply by adhering the panel cover 16, which has a recess 31 on its upper surface, below the panel sheet 13.

[0021] Here, in order to explain the action and effect of the rice cooker 100 according to the present embodiment, the configuration of a comparative rice cooker 1000 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the inside of the outer lid 120 of the comparative rice cooker 1000. The comparative rice cooker 1000 corresponds to a conventional rice cooker.

[0022] 4, the transparent window portion 20 of the outer lid 120 of the rice cooker 1000 of the comparative example is configured such that a panel cover 1116 is disposed below the panel sheet 13. The panel cover 1116 is configured to be in close contact with the lower surface and side surfaces of the panel sheet 13. A transparent internal member 18 is disposed directly below the panel cover 1116, and a display sheet 17 is disposed directly below the transparent internal member 18.

[0023] As described above, the panel cover 1116 is configured to be in close contact with the bottom and side surfaces of the panel sheet 13. Therefore, unlike the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, the rice cooker 1000 of the comparative example is configured not to form a first air layer 21 between the panel sheet 13 and the transparent internal member 18. The transparent window portion 20 of the outer lid 120 of the rice cooker 1000 of the comparative example is exposed to cold outside air 51 from the outside and hot inside air 52 from the inside during cooking and keeping rice warm. At this time, the rice cooker 1000 of the comparative example may have condensation on the transparent window portion 20 due to the temperature difference between the outside air 51 and the inside air 52.

[0024] In contrast, as shown in Fig. 2, the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment is configured to form a first air layer 21 in addition to a second air layer 22 between the panel sheet 13 and the transparent internal member 18. The rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment can reduce the amount of heat transfer between the cold outside air 51 side and the hot inside air 52 side by the first air layer 21 and the second air layer 22. Therefore, the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment can suppress condensation on the transparent window part 20 with an inexpensive configuration.

[0025] <Main features of the rice cooker> (1) As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the rice cooker 100 according to the present embodiment includes a main body 11, an outer lid 12, a panel sheet 13 (panel), and a sealed space 15. The outer lid 12 is a member that covers the upper part of the main body 11. The panel sheet 13 (panel) is a member having a transparent window portion 20 provided on the exterior of the outer lid 12. The sealed space 15 is a space formed by the outer lid 12 and the panel sheet 13, and houses a liquid crystal display unit 14 (display unit). The sealed space 15 is provided with a panel cover 16 (cover member) and a transparent internal member 18. The panel cover 16 is a member that covers the lower side of the panel sheet 13, reinforces the panel sheet 13 from below, and forms a first air layer 21 below the transparent window portion 20 of the panel sheet 13. The transparent internal member 18 is a member that is disposed below the panel cover 16, and forms a second air layer 22 below the panel cover 16.

[0026] The rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment is configured to form a first air layer 21 in addition to a second air layer 22 between the panel sheet 13 and the transparent internal member 18. The rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment can reduce the amount of heat transfer between the cold outside air 51 side and the hot inside air 52 side by the first air layer 21 and the second air layer 22. Therefore, the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment can suppress condensation on the transparent window portion 20 with an inexpensive configuration.

[0027] (2) As shown in Fig. 2, in the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, the panel cover 16 (cover member) has a recess 31 on its upper surface. In addition, the panel cover 16 may be attached to the lower side of the panel sheet 13 (panel) at the outer periphery of the recess 31.

[0028] In the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, the first air layer 21 can be easily and inexpensively formed below the transparent window portion 20 of the panel sheet 13 simply by adhering the panel cover 16, which has a recess 31 on its upper surface, to the underside of the panel sheet 13.

[0029] (3) As shown in FIG. 1, in the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, the panel cover 16 (cover member) has a left-right width that is equal to or slightly smaller than the left-right width of the panel sheet 13 (panel), and a front-to-rear width that is smaller than the front-to-rear width of the panel sheet 13.

[0030] In the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, the panel cover 16 is covered with the panel sheet 13 to seal the first air layer 21, thereby preventing cold outside air 51 from entering the first air layer 21 and making it difficult for condensation to form on the transparent window portion 20.

[0031] (4) As shown in FIG. 2, in the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, the panel sheet 13 (panel) is provided with adhesive 41 (adhesive means) on the outer periphery of the transparent window portion 20 on the underside, and is attached to the panel cover 16 (cover member) and the outer lid 12.

[0032] In the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, the panel sheet 13 can be attached to the panel cover 16 and the outer lid 12 by means of an adhesive 41 provided on the underside of the panel sheet 13 .

[0033] (5) As shown in FIG. 2, in the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, it is preferable that a display sheet 17 (sheet member) is disposed between the panel cover 16 (cover member) and the transparent inner member 18.

[0034] In the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, by disposing a display sheet 17 between the panel cover 16 and the transparent internal member 18, the distance from the upper surface of the panel sheet 13 to the lower surface of the transparent internal member 18 can be made as long as possible, thereby making the transparent window portion 20 less susceptible to condensation.

[0035] (6) In the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, the material of the panel cover 16 (cover member) is preferably ABS resin.

[0036] In the rice cooker 100 according to this embodiment, the panel cover 16 is made of ABS resin, which is inexpensive and has excellent moldability, so that the manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0037] As described above, according to the rice cooker 100 of this embodiment, condensation on the transparent window portion 20 can be suppressed with an inexpensive configuration.

[0038] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to easily explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of the embodiment with another configuration, and it is also possible to add another configuration to the configuration of the embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of each configuration with another configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 11 Main unit 12,120 Outer lid 13 Panel sheet (panel) 14 Liquid crystal display section (display section) 15 Sealed space 16 Panel cover (cover material) 17 Display sheet (sheet material) 18 Transparent internal components 20 Transparent window 21 First Air Layer 22 Second Air Layer 31,32 Recess 41 Adhesive (adhesive means) 51 Outside Air 52 Shy 100,1000 Rice cooker

Claims

1. The main body, An outer lid that covers an upper portion of the main body; A panel having a transparent window portion provided on the exterior of the outer lid; a sealed space formed by the outer lid and the panel and accommodating a display unit; A cover member that forms a first air space below the transparent window portion of the panel, and a transparent inner member that forms a second air space below the cover member are provided in the sealed space. A rice cooker characterized by the above.

2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, The cover member has a recess on an upper surface thereof, and is bonded to the lower portion of the panel at an outer periphery of the recess. A rice cooker characterized by the above.

3. In the rice cooker according to claim 2, The cover member has a width in the left-right direction that is equal to or slightly smaller than the width of the panel in the left-right direction, and a width in the front-rear direction that is smaller than the width of the panel in the front-rear direction. A rice cooker characterized by the above.

4. In the rice cooker according to claim 2, The panel is provided with an adhesive means on the outer periphery of the transparent window portion on the lower surface side, and is attached to the cover member and the outer lid. A rice cooker characterized by the above.

5. The rice cooker according to claim 1, A sheet member is disposed between the cover member and the transparent inner member. A rice cooker characterized by the above.

6. The rice cooker according to claim 1, The material of the cover member is ABS resin. A rice cooker characterized by the above.

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