Electric device

Abstract

To provide an electric device capable of improving overall design and workability by adopting a flame-retardant resin only in a part of an exterior casing.SOLUTION: An electric device 10 comprises an exterior casing 50 and electric circuit components 40 and 43 housed in the exterior casing, where the exterior casing includes a first casing 51 and a second casing 53 covering an opening 51a formed on a side surface of the first casing, the electric circuit components are disposed near the opening of the first casing, and the second casing is made of a resin having excellent flame retardancy compared with the first casing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical appliance such as a cooking appliance, and more particularly to an exterior casing for the electrical appliance. [Background technology]

[0002] In a cooking appliance such as a rice cooker, the inner pot into which the ingredients are placed is placed in the rice cooker body, which is then closed with a lid. The inner pot is heated by a heater built into the rice cooker body to cook rice or other dishes. The outer periphery of the rice cooker body is covered by an exterior casing.

[0003] The exterior casing contains electrical circuit components such as a filter board equipped with a noise filter for lightning and noise protection, a charging unit connected to the power supply system, and a control circuit (microcomputer). For example, in Patent Document 1, the exterior casing has a rear protrusion on the rear side, and the electrical circuit components are housed in this rear protrusion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6128380 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Any electrical appliance for home use that is likely to spill liquid under normal circumstances must pass the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) flood test in order to be sold overseas. Rice cookers are included in this category of electrical appliance for home use.

[0006] According to this IEC standard, if the spatial distance between the electrical circuit components and the exterior casing cannot be guaranteed, the exterior casing must be made of a highly flame-retardant resin material. However, the types of flame-retardant resins available are limited, and the colors are also restricted. In addition, flame-retardant resins lack gloss and smoothness on the surface, have low fluidity, making them difficult to process, and are prone to poor appearance, such as a white haze on the surface. For these reasons, flame-retardant resins are unsuitable for exterior casings that require aesthetic appeal.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical device that can improve the overall design and processability by using a flame-retardant resin only in a part of the exterior casing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The electrical device of the present invention comprises: An electrical device having an exterior casing and an electrical circuit component housed in the exterior casing, the exterior casing includes a first casing and a second casing that covers an opening formed in a side surface of the first casing, the electric circuit component is disposed near the opening of the first casing, The second casing is made of a resin that is more flame-retardant than the first casing.

[0009] The second casing may be configured to extend to a bottom surface below the electric circuit components.

[0010] The second casing may have holes formed in the bottom surface for exhaust and / or drainage.

[0011] The second casing has a cord hole through which a power cord that supplies power to the electric circuit components is inserted, and the power cord can be fixed in the cord hole by a cord bushing.

[0012] The electrical appliance is a cooking appliance, The electrical circuit component may be a noise filter and / or a charging part.

[0013] a waterproof sheet covering the electric circuit components is disposed between the electric circuit and the second casing; The water that has entered the exterior casing may be drained through the hole along the second casing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] In the electrical device of the present invention, the outer casing satisfies the IEC standard by using a second casing made of a flame-retardant resin only in the vicinity of the electrical circuit components. In addition, the first casing, which occupies the majority of the outer casing, can be made of a resin that is not flame-retardant, ensuring appearance and processability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rice cooker with the lid removed. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rice cooker as seen from below and behind. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rice cooker seen from the rear and below with the cover removed. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rice cooker seen from the rear bottom, showing the state in which the cover and the waterproof sheet are separated. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the rice cooker seen from the rear with the outer casing removed. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a rear view of the cover. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cover as seen from the front. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cover with the power cord removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, an embodiment in which the electrical device of the present invention is applied to a rice cooker 10 will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to rice cookers 10 and can be applied to various electrical devices including cooking appliances such as pressure cookers, waterless pots, electric kettles, soup jars, multi-cookers, and electric kettles.

[0017] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker 10, Fig. 2 is a perspective view with the lid 60 removed, Fig. 3 is a perspective view seen from the rear bottom, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane along line AA in Fig. 1 and seen in the direction of the arrow. As shown in the figures, the rice cooker 10 of the present invention includes a rice cooker main body 20 and a lid 60 attached to the top surface of the rice cooker main body 20.

[0018] The rice cooker main body 20 is constructed by covering a chassis 22, on which various parts are mounted, with an exterior casing 50. The underside of the exterior casing 50 is covered by a bottom case 26. Details of the exterior casing 50 will be described later.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, a shoulder case 24 is provided on the inside of the upper edge of the exterior casing 50, which serves as the top plate of the rice cooker main body 20. As shown in Fig. 4, an inner case 25 with an open top is attached to the chassis 22 in the shoulder case 24, and the inner case 25 detachably houses the inner pot 11. The inner pot 11 can be, for example, a metal pot or an earthenware pot, and food ingredients (rice, water, etc. in the case of the rice cooker 10) are placed in the inner case 25.

[0020] The illustrated shoulder case 24 is provided with a baffle plate 24a to prevent foreign matter from entering the hinge 23 side, which will be described later, when the lid 60 is opened. In addition, an overflow opening 72 to an overflow passage 70 (see FIG. 7) provided inside the rice cooker main body 20 is formed on the rear side of the baffle plate 24a. The overflow passage 70 will be described later.

[0021] The rice cooker body 20 has heaters 30 such as work coils disposed on the shoulders and bottom (shoulders in the illustration) of the inner case 25, which are capable of heating the inner pot 11. In addition, a temperature sensor 31 protrudes from the bottom of the inner case 25 to measure the temperature of the inner pot 11.

[0022] Electrical circuit components 40 and 43 are also provided inside the rice cooker main body 20. The electrical circuit component designated by reference numeral 40 is an electrical element 41, such as a microcomputer, that controls various operations of the rice cooker 10 and is arranged on the control circuit board 40. The electrical circuit component designated by reference numeral 43 is a noise filter circuit 44 for lightning and noise protection, a charging unit 45 connected to the power supply system, and other components arranged on the circuit board (referred to as the "filter circuit board 43"). The power cord 34 is connected to the charging unit 45.

[0023] These electric circuit components 40, 43 are arranged on the rear side of the rice cooker body 20, that is, in a position facing the cover 53, as will be described in detail later.

[0024] The rice cooker main body 20 is also equipped with a fan 32 that cools the electric circuit components 40, 43. In this embodiment, the fan 32 is located directly below the control circuit board 40, as shown in Figure 4. Additionally, for example, the reference numeral 33 shown in Figures 4 and 6 is a speaker that notifies users when the rice is cooked, and is located on the bottom side of the rice cooker main body 20.

[0025] A lid 60 that covers the shoulder case 24 is attached to the rice cooker body 20. The top side of the lid 60 is covered with a lid case 61, and as shown in Figure 4, an inner lid 64 attached to the bottom side airtightly seals the inner pot 11 when the lid 60 is closed.

[0026] The lid 60 is rotatably connected to the upper rear part of the chassis 22 of the rice cooker main body 20 by a hinge 23 (Fig. 4). A coil spring (not shown) is provided on the hinge 23, which biases the lid 60 in the open direction. In this embodiment, the lid 60 can engage with a lever 21 provided on the upper front side of the rice cooker main body 20. When the lever 21 is pushed downward from the closed state of the lid 60 shown in Fig. 4, the lid 60 disengages from the lever 21, and the biasing force of the coil spring causes the lid 60 to rotate upward around the hinge 23 and open. Furthermore, when the lid 60 is pushed from the open state in the closing direction against the biasing force of the coil spring, the lid 60 is re-engaged with the lever 21, thereby maintaining the lid 60 in the closed state.

[0027] The top surface of the lid 60 is formed with an operation switch 62 for operating the rice cooker 10, a display 62a that displays the cooking status, operation details, time, etc., and an exhaust hole 63 for discharging steam from the inner pot 11. Reference numeral 65 denotes a lid-side circuit board for the operation switch 62 and display 62a, which are provided inside the lid 60. The lid-side circuit board 65 is connected to the control circuit board 40 by wiring such as a flexible flat cable.

[0028] A pressure adjustment mechanism such as a pressure adjustment valve 66 that adjusts the pressure inside the inner pot 11 is provided inside the lid 60. Steam released from the pressure adjustment valve 66 is exhausted through the exhaust hole 63.

[0029] As a general control method, the inner pot 11 containing ingredients is placed in the inner case 25, the lid 60 is closed, and the operation switch 62 is operated, and the microcomputer controls, for example, the heater 30 according to a predetermined program to perform cooking such as cooking rice or keeping it warm.

[0030] In the rice cooker 10 of this embodiment, the inner case 25 is positioned slightly toward the front of the rice cooker body 20, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, to make it easier for the user to insert and remove the inner pot 11 and to serve and remove cooked ingredients. Therefore, the electric circuit components 40, 43 are positioned toward the rear of the rice cooker body 20, where there is more space. To satisfy the IEC standard, as described above, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient spatial distance between the electric circuit components 40, 43 and the outer casing 50, or to construct the outer casing 50 itself from a flame-retardant resin. Ensuring a sufficient spatial distance between the electric circuit components 40, 43 and the outer casing 50 is undesirable because it would increase the size of the outer casing 50. Therefore, it is being considered to fabricate the outer casing 50 from a flame-retardant resin.

[0031] However, in rice cooker 10, exterior casing 50, together with lid 60, constitutes a design component that characterizes the appearance of rice cooker 10, and it is therefore required to use a resin with a wide range of color and gloss. For example, the shape of casing body 51 shown in the figure has an oval upper edge in a plan view, a diameter that gradually tapers downward, and a large inward arc near the bottom.

[0032] Flame-retardant resins are poor in processability and have color restrictions, making them difficult to process into the above-mentioned shapes and unsuitable for the exterior casing 50.

[0033] Therefore, in the present invention, the exterior casing 50 is configured such that, as shown in Figure 1 etc., an attractively designed casing main body 51 covers most of the front, rear, left and right sides of the rice cooker main body 20, and a cover 53 made of flame-retardant resin is attached to a position close to the electric circuit components 40, 43. The casing main body 51 corresponds to the first casing of the present invention, and the cover 53 corresponds to the second casing.

[0034] For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, an opening 51a is formed on the rear side of a casing body 51, and a cover 53 is attached to close the opening 51a.

[0035] The casing body 51 is made of resins such as non-flame-resistant ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) resin and PP (polypropylene) resin, which are easy to process and have few color restrictions. These resins are suitable for design parts because of their easy processability, but because they are non-flame-resistant, they are inferior in flame retardancy.

[0036] On the other hand, the cover 53 is made of a resin that is more flame-retardant than the casing body 51. It is preferable that a flame-retardant resin with a flame-retardant grade of V-0 or higher is used for the cover 53. Examples of this type of flame-retardant resin include ABS resin and PP resin with a flame-retardant grade of V-0 or higher.

[0037] As described above, the exterior casing 50 has a cover 53 made of a flame-retardant resin in the portion adjacent to the electric circuit components 40, 43, and the rest of the exterior casing 50 is made of a casing body 51 made of a resin that is easy to process and is not subject to color restrictions, thereby ensuring design while satisfying IEC standards.

[0038] The structure of the rear part of the rice cooker main body 20 will be described below, focusing on the cover 53 and the electric circuit components 40, 43.

[0039] The rear of the rice cooker body 20 is covered by the casing body 51 and cover 53 of the exterior casing 50. As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the exterior casing 50 has a downward U-shaped opening 51a formed in the lower center of the rear side. In addition, the bottom case 26 has a U-shaped cutout 26a that is connected to the opening 51a. This opening 51a and cutout 26a are covered by the cover 53 as shown in Figure 3.

[0040] As shown in Figures 8 to 10, the cover 53 has a rear cover portion 54 extending approximately vertically, a bottom cover portion 55 extending forward from the rear cover portion 54, and a side cover portion 56 protruding forward from the rear cover portion 54.

[0041] The rear cover portion 54 has a slightly curved arc-shaped cross section, and has a space 54a on the rear side for attaching a nameplate label. By attaching a nameplate label to the rear cover portion 54, the directly visible area of ​​the cover 53, which is inferior to the casing body 51 in terms of design, color, and gloss, can be reduced.

[0042] Bottom cover 55 has exhaust port 55a, a hole for both draining and exhausting air, on the rear cover 54 side, and air intake 55b formed in front of it. Exhaust port 55a and air intake 55b are formed in a mesh pattern. Bottom cover 55 also has speaker 33 (see FIGS. 4 and 6) facing the front side of air intake 55b, and sound-passing hole 55c through which sound from speaker 33 passes.

[0043] The side cover portion 56 has a cord hole 56a on one side (the left side as viewed from the rear in the drawing) through which the power cord 34 is inserted, as shown in Fig. 10. The power cord 34 is attached to the cord hole 56a by a cord bushing 34a, as shown in Fig. 9. In the present invention, the power cord 34 is attached to the cover 53, which is a separate member from the casing main body 51, which improves assembly ease, as will be described later.

[0044] 4, the electric circuit components 40, 43 are a control circuit board 40 and a filter circuit board 43. The control circuit board 40 is disposed on the inner case 25 side, and the filter circuit board 43 is disposed behind it. These electric circuit components 40, 43 are disposed near the opening 51a of the casing main body 51, in positions generally opposite the opening 51a.

[0045] In addition, a fan 32 is disposed below the control circuit board 40. Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views showing a state in which the cover 53 is removed, and by referring to these figures, the filter circuit board 43 and the fan 32 can be seen.

[0046] Electrical elements 41 are arranged on the front side of control circuit board 40, and control circuit board 40 also serves as a control board cover. A noise shield 48 is arranged on the rear side of control circuit board 40, i.e., between it and filter circuit board 43. Noise shield 48 is arranged to protect control circuit board 40 from the effects of noise from filter circuit board 43, and can be, for example, a sheet made of multiple layers of aluminum sheet and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0047] As shown in Fig. 4, a noise filter circuit 44 and a charging unit 45 are arranged on the rear side of the filter circuit board 43, and the filter circuit board 43 also serves as a filter circuit cover. The charging unit 45 is formed on the lower side of the filter circuit board 43 so as to face a cover 53, which will be described later. The charging unit 45 is provided with a connector 46 to which the wiring (not shown) of the power cord 34 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is connected. The connector 46 can be, for example, a direct-attach cord screw.

[0048] 5 to 7, a waterproof sheet 49 is draped over the filter circuit board 43. This waterproof sheet 49 is a sheet for protecting the filter circuit board 43 from liquid passing through the overflow passage 70 that leads to the overflow opening 72 of the shoulder case 24. In this embodiment, as described below, the overflow passage 70 is configured to drain water through the right side when viewed from the rear, and therefore the waterproof sheet 49 is placed only on the right side of the filter circuit board 43.

[0049] The overflow passage 70 guides liquid that overflows from the inner pot 11 into the shoulder case 24, that drips down the inner lid 64 into the shoulder case 24 when the lid 60 is opened, or that spills from the inner pot 11 into the shoulder case 24 when the rice cooker 10 is tilted backward into the interior of the rice cooker body 20 and drains it from the bottom. In a specific embodiment, the overflow passage 70 is formed by the rear surface of the inner chassis 22 of the rice cooker body 20, a guide rib 71 formed on the rear surface, and the exterior casing 50 (not shown in FIG. 7), as well as the inner surface of the waterproof sheet 49 and cover 53 as shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 7, the overflow passage 70 guides liquid to the right when viewed from the rear. The guided liquid flows downward as indicated by arrow B in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, as will be described in detail below.

[0050] Also, the air drawn in by the fan 32 flows in the direction indicated by arrow C in FIGS. 4 and 5, and cools the control circuit board 40 and the filter circuit board 43, as will be described in detail later.

[0051] As described above, control circuit board 40 and filter circuit board 43, more specifically, filter circuit board 43, particularly charging section 45, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, face opening 51a of casing main body 51. Cover 53 made of resin that is more flame-retardant than casing main body 51 is attached to opening 51a.

[0052] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the power cord 34 is attached to the cover 53 via a cord bushing 34a. First, the power cord 34 is connected to the connector 46 of the filter circuit board 43. If a direct-attach cord screw is used as the connector 46, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the wiring can be attached and the direct-attach cord screw can be tightened. In this embodiment, the power cord 34 is attached to the divided cover 53 rather than the casing main body 51. This allows the power cord 34 to be fixed to the cover 53 in advance, resulting in excellent assembly ease.

[0053] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the cover 53 is attached to cover the opening 51a of the casing body 51 and the notch 26a of the bottom case 26. Because the cover 53 faces the electric circuit components 40, 43, more specifically, the live part 45 of the filter circuit board 43, by using a flame-retardant resin for the cover 53, the IEC standard can be met even if the spatial distance between the cover 53 and the electric circuit components 40, 43 is short, and the exterior casing 50 can be prevented from becoming large. Because the bottom cover portion 55 of the cover 53 is located below the electric circuit components 40, 43, even if an abnormality occurs in the live part 45 and the resin material around the board melts, the flame-retardant resin prevents fire. On the other hand, because the casing body 51 can be made of a material with lower flame retardancy than the cover 53, a resin with excellent processability, color, and gloss can be selected, allowing the rice cooker 10 to have a rich design.

[0054] The cover 53 has an exhaust port 55a facing the overflow passage 70 between the waterproof sheet 49 and the cover 53, and an intake port 55b positioned directly below the fan 32. The sound hole 55c of the cover 53 faces the speaker 33.

[0055] When fan 32 is operated, as shown by arrow C in Figure 4, outside air enters rice cooker body 20 through intake port 55b of cover 53, cools control circuit board 40, turns rearward, cools filter circuit board 43, and then flows downward, creating an airflow that is discharged from exhaust port 55a, cooling electric circuit components 40, 43. This allows heat trapped around these electric circuit components 40, 43 to be efficiently exhausted, reducing heat generation by electric circuit components 40, 43.

[0056] Furthermore, the sound from the speaker 33 is emitted through the sound holes 55c of the cover 53, so it can be heard clearly.

[0057] Liquid that overflows from the inner pot 11 into the shoulder case 24, that drips down the inner lid 64 into the shoulder case 24 when the lid 60 is opened, or that spills from the inner pot 11 into the shoulder case 24 when the rice cooker 10 is tilted backward is guided into the rice cooker body 20 through an overflow opening 72 behind the baffle plate 24a on the shoulder case 24 (see FIG. 2). As shown by arrow B in FIGS. 4, 5, and 7, the liquid passes through an overflow passage 70 formed by the rear surface of the internal chassis 22 of the rice cooker body 20, a guide rib 71 formed on the rear surface, and the exterior casing 50 (not shown in FIG. 7), passes between the waterproof sheet 49 and the cover 53, and is then discharged from the exhaust port 55a (see FIG. 3, etc.), which also serves as a drain port for the cover 53. This ensures waterproofing of the electrical circuit components 40, 43, etc., and allows overflow water to be discharged to the outside without being trapped inside the rice cooker 10.

[0058] The above description is for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the invention described in the claims or narrowing its scope. Furthermore, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 10 Rice cooker (electrical appliance) 11 Inner pot 20 Rice cooker body 26 Bottom case 26a Notch 34 Power cord 34a Code Bush 40 Control circuit board (electrical circuit components) 43 Filter circuit board (electrical circuit component) 44 Noise filter circuit 45 Live parts 48 Noise Shield 49 Tarpaulin 50 outer casing 51 Casing body (first casing) 51a opening 53 Cover (second casing) 55a Exhaust port 55b Air intake 60 Lid 70 Overflow passage

Claims

1. An electrical device having an exterior casing and an electrical circuit component housed in the exterior casing, the exterior casing includes a first casing and a second casing that covers an opening formed in a side surface of the first casing, the electric circuit component is disposed near the opening of the first casing, The second casing is made of a resin having better flame retardancy than the first casing. Electrical equipment.

2. The second casing extends to a bottom surface below the electric circuit components. The electrical device according to claim 1 .

3. The second casing has a hole formed in the bottom surface for exhaust and / or drainage. The electrical device according to claim 2.

4. the second casing has a cord hole through which a power cord for supplying power to the electric circuit component is inserted, and the power cord is fixed in the cord hole by a cord bushing. The electrical device according to claim 3.

5. The electrical appliance is a cooking appliance, The electric circuit component is a noise filter and / or a charging part. The electrical device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. a waterproof sheet covering the electric circuit components is disposed between the electric circuit and the second casing; Water that has entered the outer casing flows through the second casing and is drained through the hole. The electrical device according to claim 5.

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