Rice cooker

Abstract

To provide a rice cooker which enables reduction of resistant feeling felt by a user when closing an outer cover.SOLUTION: A rice cooker comprises: a main body; an inner pot housed in the main body; a cover which can open and close an opening of the main body; a pressure regulation mechanism provided in the cover and adjusting pressure inside the inner pot; and a steam hole 60 provided in the cover and discharging steam from the inner pot toward the pressure regulation mechanism. The steam hole 60 is provided in such a manner that a diameter of the steam hole 60 decreases from an inlet port 60a into which steam from the inner pot flows toward the discharge port 60b having the pressure regulation mechanism and discharging the steam. The inlet port 60a includes a radiused part at the opening part on the inflow side into which the steam from the inner pot flows.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5B

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] When using a rice cooker, the outer lid is frequently opened and closed, but air resistance inside the inner pot can make it difficult to close the outer lid. Patent Document 1 describes a rice cooker in which "the air blower and the air flow path are located closer to the hinge axis than the display unit installed on the lid body, making it possible to reduce the size of the lid body and improve usability in opening and closing the lid." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-5362 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 had an issue where steam concentrated at the entrance to the steam port through which steam from the inner lid flows, causing pressure loss and resulting in resistance when closing the outer lid.

[0005] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional rice cooker, and aims to provide a rice cooker that can reduce the resistance felt when closing the lid. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is characterized in that it comprises a main body, an inner pot stored in the main body, a lid that can open and close the opening of the main body, a pressure regulating mechanism that is provided within the lid and adjusts the pressure inside the inner pot, and an exhaust path that is provided within the lid and exhausts steam from the inner pot toward the pressure regulating mechanism, and the exhaust path is configured so that the cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust path is small from an inlet through which steam flows in from the inner pot to an exhaust port where the pressure regulating mechanism is located and through which the steam is exhausted. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, a rice cooker can be provided that can reduce the resistance felt when closing the lid. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker with the lid open. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the inner lid of the rice cooker. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the rice cooker. [Figure 5A] FIG. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 5A. [Figure 5C] This is an oblique view of the rounded steam hole as seen from the inner pot side. [Figure 6A] This is a cross-sectional view of a steam hole with C-chamfering. [Figure 6B] This is an oblique view of the steam hole with C-chamfering as seen from the inner pot side. [Figure 7A] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a steam hole as a comparative example. [Figure 7B] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a steam hole as a comparative example, seen from the inner pot side. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a flow analysis diagram when the steam hole is changed to various shapes. [Figure 9] 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure loss of the steam hole shown in FIG. 8 and the dimensions of the inlet shape. [Figure 10A] This is a cross-sectional view of a steam hole with R processing. [Figure 10B] This is an oblique view of the steam hole with R processing as seen from the inner pot side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The rice cooker of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and different embodiments may be combined or modified as desired without significantly impairing the effects of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the same components will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted. Furthermore, components having the same functions will be given the same names. The contents of the drawings are merely schematic, and for the sake of illustration, the actual configuration may be changed, or some components may be omitted or modified between drawings, without significantly impairing the effects of this embodiment.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rice cooker of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, rice cooker 10 comprises main body 1 and lid 2 that closes the top opening of main body 1. Lid 2 is rotatably attached to main body 1 via hinge 24 (see FIG. 2). Lid 2 comprises outer lid 21 and inner lid 22 (see FIG. 2). Outer lid 21 is exposed to the outside. The top surface of outer lid 21 is provided with a steam vent 8, an operation unit 31, and a display unit 32. Steam vent 8 exhausts steam generated inside inner pot 4 (see FIG. 2). Operation unit 31 is used to operate various menus and is, for example, a button. Display unit 32 displays various information such as the time, the progress of rice cooking, and settings for various menus and is, for example, an LCD display. By operating operation unit 31 while checking display unit 32, the user can start rice cooking, set various menus, set timer cooking, etc.

[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rice cooker of this embodiment with the lid open. As shown in Figure 2, the inner pot 4 is detachably attached to the main body 1 and can contain rice, water, etc. Cooked rice is obtained by cooking the rice. The inner pot 4 is housed in the outer pot 7 (see Figure 4). The inner lid 22 is attached to the main body 1 so as to cover at least the upper opening 4b of the inner pot 4. The lower peripheral edge of the inner lid 22 is provided with a gasket 23 that comes into tight contact with the flange 4a at the upper end of the inner pot 4 when the lid 2 is closed. The upper opening 4b of the inner pot 4 is sealed by the gasket 23.

[0012] For example, during cooking and keeping rice warm, steam generated in the inner pot 4 flows through the steam vent 34 and the recovery port 35 into the storage section 33 (see FIG. 4), which is the space formed between the outer lid 21 and the inner lid 22. The steam that flows into the storage section 33 is cooled by outside air passing through the outer lid 21 and turns into condensed water. Therefore, the storage section 33 is provided in the lid 2 and stores the condensed water. Furthermore, when the lid 2 is stood upright with condensed water adhering to the inner lid 22, the condensed water flows down along the surface of the inner lid 22 and flows into the storage section 33 through the recovery port 35 formed on the side of the hinge 24. The condensed water that flows in is stored in the storage section 33.

[0013] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the inner lid. 3, inner lid 22 is formed in a substantially disk shape and has an insertion portion 22a that is inserted into the rear portion of recess 21a (see FIG. 2) formed in outer lid 21 (see FIG. 2), and a locking portion 22b that is locked into the front portion of recess 21a. In addition, pressure adjustment mechanism 13 is provided in the radial center of inner lid 22.

[0014] Furthermore, a dish portion 25 is detachably attached to the inner lid 22. This dish portion 25 is located under the inner lid 22 when the lid 2 is closed. Furthermore, the dish portion 25 has a disk shape that covers the pressure adjustment mechanism 13 of the inner lid 22.

[0015] In this embodiment, the rice cooker 10 provided with the dish portion 25 has been described as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to a rice cooker provided with a lid 2 that does not have a dish portion 25.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the rice cooker. As shown in Figure 4, a reservoir 33 is formed in the inner lid 22. The rice cooker 10 is equipped with a first heating mechanism 15. The first heating mechanism 15 heats the lid 2, and in this embodiment, it heats the inner lid 22. The first heating mechanism 15 is, for example, an induction heating coil, and when current is applied to the induction heating coil, the opposing inner lid 22 is heated. The first heating mechanism 15 is equipped in, for example, the outer lid 21, and the entire surface of the inner lid 22 is heated evenly by the first heating mechanism 15.

[0017] The rice cooker 10 is equipped with a second heating mechanism 19. The second heating mechanism 19 heats the upper part (e.g., the upper side) of the inner pot 4, and is, for example, an induction heating coil. When current is applied to the induction heating coil, the opposing upper side wall of the inner pot 4 is heated. The second heating mechanism 19 can mainly heat the side wall (the side wall of the inner pot 4) above the rice contained in the inner pot 4.

[0018] The rice cooker 10 is equipped with a third heating mechanism 14. The third heating mechanism 14 heats the bottom of the inner pot 4, and is, for example, an induction heating coil. When current is applied to the induction heating coil, the bottom of the opposing inner pot 4 is heated, and as a result, the entire inner pot 4, which has thermal conductivity, is heated.

[0019] The inner lid 22 includes an inner lid steam passage 11 through which steam generated in the inner pot 4 passes, an outer lid steam passage 12 connected to the steam port 8, and a pressure adjustment mechanism 13 placed on the top of the inner lid steam passage 11 and blocking the inner lid steam passage 11. The pressure adjustment mechanism 13 includes a pressure adjustment ball 13a and a pressure adjustment base 13b. The pressure adjustment ball 13a is mounted on the pressure adjustment base 13b. The pressure adjustment ball 13a is moved as desired by an opening mechanism 16 (e.g., a solenoid) operated by the control device 50, allowing the pressure in the inner pot 4 to be freely adjusted. The pressure adjustment base 13b is formed by narrowing the passage from the inner lid steam passage 11 that passes through the inner lid 22. For example, when the power is turned off, the opening mechanism 16 stops pressing the pressure adjustment ball 13a, allowing the inner lid steam passage 11 and the outer lid steam passage 12 to communicate with each other.

[0020] During heating, if the steam pressure inside the inner pot 4 exceeds a predetermined pressure, the pressure adjustment ball 13a is lifted, the pressure is released through the outer lid steam passage 12, and the steam is discharged outside the main body 1 through the steam vent 8. If the steam pressure falls below the predetermined pressure, the pressure adjustment ball 13a closes the inner lid steam passage 11 again, causing the steam pressure to increase. This process is repeated until the pressure inside the inner pot 4 is adjusted to the predetermined pressure.

[0021] The rice cooker 10 is equipped with a control device 50. The control device 50 controls the operation of the rice cooker 10, and controls the operation (e.g., turning on and off electricity, controlling the electricity rate when electricity is turned on, etc.) of the first heating mechanism 15, the second heating mechanism 19, and the third heating mechanism 14. By controlling these, the control device 50 executes the rice cooking process and the keep-warm process.

[0022] The control device 50 is configured to include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 51, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 52, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 53. The control device 50 is realized when a predetermined rice cooking program stored in the ROM 53 is loaded into the RAM 52 and executed by the CPU 51.

[0023] The rice cooker 10 is equipped with a first temperature sensor 18 that measures the temperature of the inner pot 4. The first temperature sensor 18 is provided at the bottom of the outer pot 7 and is in contact with the outer bottom of the inner pot 4. The measurement value by the first temperature sensor 18 is input to the control device 50 as temperature information of the inner pot 4. The rice cooker 10 is equipped with a second temperature sensor 27 that measures the temperature of the lid 2 (inner lid 22). The second temperature sensor 27 is provided in contact with the inner lid 22. The measurement value by the second temperature sensor 27 is input to the control device 50 as temperature information of the inner lid 22.

[0024] Fig. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the inner lid. Fig. 5B is an enlarged view of part A in Fig. 5A. Fig. 5C is a perspective view of the rounded steam hole as seen from the inner pot side. Note that Fig. 5A does not show the outer lid steam passage 12. As shown in Figure 5A, pressure adjustment base 13b, which supports pressure adjustment ball 13a, is formed with a steam hole 60 (exhaust path) that releases steam from within inner pot 4 to outer lid steam passage 12 (see Figure 4). Steam hole 60 is formed in a tubular shape that is sufficiently smaller in diameter than pressure adjustment ball 13a. Pressure adjustment ball 13a is covered and held by holding portion 26. Holding portion 26 is formed with a notch through which a push rod fixed to a solenoid is inserted and a notch through which steam escapes to outer lid steam passage 12.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 5B, the steam hole 60 has an inlet 60a through which steam from the inner pot 4 flows in and an outlet 60b through which steam is discharged. The steam hole 60 also has a rounded portion 60c formed from the inlet 60a to the outlet 60b through which steam is discharged, where the pressure regulating mechanism 13 (pressure regulating ball 13a) is located, where the diameter of the steam hole 60 (the cross-sectional area of ​​the steam hole 60) is reduced. This rounded portion 60c is formed by rounding the opening portion of the steam hole 60 located on the inlet 60a side. The rounding refers to forming a rounded surface at the corner formed by the surface of the opening edge of the steam hole 60 and the surface facing the steam hole 60.

[0026] 5C, the rounded portion 60c has a rounded opening around the entire circumference of the inlet 60a. Furthermore, the steam hole 60 has a straight pipe portion 60d with a wall surface parallel to the axial direction formed on the exhaust port 60b side of the rounded portion 60c. This straight pipe portion 60d is a flow path with a flow path cross-sectional shape of the same diameter from the rounded portion 60c toward the exhaust port 60b side.

[0027] As described above, rice cooker 10 of this embodiment comprises main body 1, inner pot 4 housed in main body 1, lid 2 (lid body) that can open and close the opening of main body 1, pressure regulating mechanism 13 provided in lid 2 to adjust the pressure inside inner pot 4, and steam vent 60 (exhaust path) provided in lid 2 to exhaust steam from inner pot 4 toward pressure regulating mechanism 13. Steam vent 60 is positioned so that the cross-sectional area of ​​steam vent 60 decreases from inlet 60a, through which steam flows in from inner pot 4, to exhaust port 60b, through which pressure regulating mechanism 13 is located, through which the steam is exhausted. This reduces the pressure loss of air passing through steam vent 60 when lid 2 is closed, and reduces the resistance felt when closing lid 2.

[0028] In addition, in this embodiment, the inlet 60a is rounded at the opening on the inlet side through which steam flows in from the inner pot 4. This reduces the resistance felt when closing the lid 2.

[0029] Fig. 6A is a cross-sectional view of a C-chamfered steam hole. Fig. 6B is a perspective view of the C-chamfered steam hole as seen from the inner pot side. The configuration excluding the steam hole 70 of the lid 2 is the same as in the above-mentioned embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6A, the pressure adjusting base 13b is formed with a steam hole 70 (exhaust path) that releases steam from inside the inner pot 4 to the outer lid steam passage 12. The steam hole 70 is formed in a tubular shape that is sufficiently smaller in diameter than the pressure adjusting ball 13a.

[0030] The steam hole 70 is formed with an inlet 70a through which steam from the inner pot 4 flows in and an outlet 60b through which steam is discharged. The steam hole 70 is formed with a C-chamfered portion 70c from the inlet 70a to the outlet 70b through which steam is discharged, where the pressure adjustment mechanism 13 (pressure adjustment ball 13a) is located, where C-chamfered processing is performed to reduce the diameter (cross-sectional area) of the steam hole 70. The C-chamfered portion 70c is formed by C-chamfering the opening portion of the steam hole 70 located on the inlet 70a side. The C-chamfering is a process in which the corner formed by the surface of the opening edge of the steam hole 70 and the surface facing the steam hole 70 is beveled at a 45° angle.

[0031] 6B, the C-chamfered portion 70c has a C-chamfered shape around the entire opening of the inlet 70a. Furthermore, the steam hole 70 has a straight pipe portion 70d with a wall surface parallel to the axial direction formed on the exhaust port 70b side of the C-chamfered portion 70c. This straight pipe portion 70d is an air passage with a flow path cross-sectional shape of the same diameter as the C-chamfered portion 70c on the exhaust port 70b side.

[0032] As described above, the rice cooker of this embodiment comprises main body 1, inner pot 4 housed in main body 1, lid 2 (lid body) that can open and close the opening of main body 1, pressure regulating mechanism 13 provided within lid 2 to adjust the pressure inside inner pot 4, and steam vent 70 (exhaust path) provided within lid 2 to exhaust steam from inner pot 4 toward pressure regulating mechanism 13. Steam vent 70 is positioned so that the cross-sectional area (diameter) of steam vent 70 decreases from inlet 70a, through which steam flows in from inner pot 4, to exhaust port 70b, through which pressure regulating mechanism 13 is located, and through which the steam is exhausted. This reduces the pressure loss of air passing through steam vent 70 when lid 2 is closed, and reduces the resistance felt when closing lid 2.

[0033] In addition, in a modification of this embodiment, the inlet 70a has a chamfered opening on the inlet side through which steam from the inner pot 4 flows in. This reduces the resistance felt when closing the lid 2.

[0034] Below, a steam hole 100 as a comparative example is shown. Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view of the steam hole as a comparative example. Figure 7B is a perspective view of the steam hole as a comparative example when viewed from the inner pot side. 7A and 7B, the pressure regulating stand 13b is formed with a steam hole 100 that releases steam from the inner pot 4 to the outer lid steam passage 12. This steam hole 100 is formed in a tubular shape that is sufficiently smaller in diameter than the pressure regulating ball 13a. The steam hole 100 is also a straight pipe section with the same diameter from the inlet 100a to the outlet 100b.

[0035] FIG. 8 is a flow analysis diagram when the steam hole is changed to various shapes. As shown in FIG. 8 , the top diagram shows Comparative Example 1, and the bottom diagram shows Comparative Example 2. Comparative Example 1 is a case where the steam hole 100 shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B is formed. Comparative Example 2 is a case where C-chamfering is performed on the entire area from the inlet 70a to the exhaust port 70b. The second to fourth diagrams from the top of FIG. 8 show the shapes of the steam holes 60, 70 according to the embodiment. That is, the second diagram from the top shows a case where R-chamfering is performed on the opening portion of the inlet 60a and the straight pipe portion 60d (see FIG. 5B ) is extended in the axial direction. The third diagram from the top shows a case where C-chamfering is performed on the opening portion of the inlet 70a and the straight pipe portion 70d (see FIG. 7A ) is extended in the axial direction. The fourth diagram from the top shows a case where R-chamfering is performed on the entire area from the inlet 60a to the exhaust port 60b. Note that in FIG. 8 , the shade of color indicates the level of pressure loss, with dark black indicating the highest pressure loss.

[0036] As described above, it was confirmed that Comparative Example 1 (where the steam hole was not subjected to any rounding or chamfering) had the highest pressure loss of the fluid discharged from the steam hole 100. Comparative Example 2 (chamfered inlet corner) had the second highest pressure loss of the fluid discharged from the steam hole after Comparative Example 1. In contrast, in the case of the second row from the top (rounded inlet corner + extended hole depth), it was confirmed that the pressure loss of the fluid discharged from the steam hole 60 was lower than in Comparative Examples 1 and 2. The hole depth is the portion indicated by the symbol L in FIG. 5B. Furthermore, in the case of the third row from the top (chamfered inlet corner + extended hole depth), it was confirmed that the pressure loss of the fluid discharged from the steam hole 70 was lower than in Comparative Examples 1 and 2. The hole depth is the portion indicated by the symbol L in FIG. 6A. Furthermore, in the case of the fourth row from the top (rounded inlet corner), it was confirmed that the pressure loss of the fluid when discharged from the steam hole was lower than in Comparative Examples 1 and 2. In this way, as in the cases of the shapes in the second, third, and fourth figures from the top, the pressure loss can be made lower than in Comparative Examples 1 and 2. As a result, it is possible to reduce the resistance felt when closing the lid 2 (making the operation feel lighter).

[0037] In the case of Comparative Example 2 (chamfered inlet corners), the diameter of the steam hole is set to be small from the inlet 70a through which steam flows in from the inner pot 4 to the outlet 70b through which the steam is exhausted, where the pressure adjustment mechanism 13 is located. However, in this case, since no straight pipe portion is formed at all, the pressure loss of the fluid when it is discharged from the outlet is higher than in the other embodiments, and there is a greater sense of resistance when closing the lid.

[0038] Figure 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure loss of the steam hole shown in Figure 8 and the dimensions of the inlet shape. Note that "♦" indicates the case of the current shape, "●" indicates the case where the inlet corner is rounded and the hole depth is extended, "△" indicates the case where the inlet corner is chamfered and the hole depth is extended, "□" indicates the case where the inlet corner is rounded compared to the current shape, and "◯" indicates the case where the inlet corner is chamfered compared to the current shape. The dimensions on the horizontal axis are the radius dimensions for those with rounding, and the chamfer dimensions for those with chamfering. Note that chamfering refers to C-chamfering.

[0039] As shown in Figure 9, when the inlet corner (opening of the inlet 50a) indicated by the "●" is rounded, it was confirmed that the pressure loss decreases as the R increases, for example, from R0.1 to R0.2, R0.5, and R1.0. It was also confirmed that in the case of R3.0, there is no significant difference from R1.0. From these findings, it was discovered that the inlet shape, rather than the hole depth, is a major factor in reducing pressure loss. The second diagram from the top in Figure 8 shows the case of R3.0.

[0040] When C-chamfering was performed on the inlet corner (opening of the inlet 70a) indicated by "△," it was confirmed that the pressure loss decreased as the C-chamfering dimension increased, for example, to C0.1, C0.2, C0.5, and C1.0. It was also confirmed that there was no significant difference between C3.0 and C1.0. From these findings, it was discovered that the inlet shape (chamfered shape) is a major factor in reducing pressure loss, rather than hole depth. The third diagram from the top in Figure 8 shows the case of C3.0.

[0041] It was confirmed that when R machining was applied to the inlet corner (opening of the inlet 50a) indicated by "□", the pressure loss decreased as the R dimension increased. It was also confirmed that in the case of R3.0, there was no significant difference from R1.0. From these findings, it was discovered that the inlet shape (R shape) is the major factor in reducing pressure loss, and not the hole depth.

[0042] When C-chamfering was performed on the inlet corner (opening of the inlet 60a) indicated by a circle, it was confirmed that the pressure loss decreased as the C-chamfer dimension increased up to C0.1, C0.2, and C0.5. However, it was confirmed that the pressure loss increased as the C-chamfer dimension increased, as in C1.0 and C3.0. Thus, in the case of C3.0, that is, when the C-chamfer dimension is the same as the hole depth and no straight pipe section (straight circular pipe section) is formed, the pressure loss becomes high and this does not fall under the embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, in the case of C1.0, although the pressure loss is somewhat higher, it is lower than the current shape, and therefore it falls under the embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Fig. 10A is a cross-sectional view of a steam hole that has been rounded. Fig. 10B is a perspective view of the steam hole that has been rounded, as seen from the inner pot side. Figs. 10A and 10B show modified examples of steam holes that have been rounded. Steam hole 80 shown in Figs. 10A and 10B is a modified example of steam hole 60 shown in Figs. 5A to 5C. As shown in Fig. 10A, pressure adjustment base 13b supporting pressure adjustment ball 13a is formed with steam hole 80 (exhaust path) that releases steam from inside inner pot 4 to outer lid steam passage 12. Steam hole 80 is formed in a tubular shape that is sufficiently smaller in diameter than pressure adjustment ball 13a.

[0044] The steam hole 80 is configured so that the diameter (cross-sectional area) of the steam hole 80 decreases from the inlet 80a, through which steam flows in from the inner pot 4, to the outlet 80b, through which steam is exhausted and where the pressure adjustment mechanism 13 (pressure adjustment ball 13a) is located. The inlet 80a also has a raised portion 80e, where the opening edge is raised in a convex shape. The raised portion 80e is formed in a donut shape (ring shape) around the entire circumference. An R-shaped portion 80c is formed by applying a rounded cut from the apex P of the raised portion 80e toward the inlet 80a of the steam hole 80.

[0045] 10B, the R-shaped portion 80c has a rounded opening around the entire circumference of the inlet 80a. Furthermore, the steam hole 80 has a straight pipe portion 80d with a circular flow path cross section and wall surfaces parallel to the axial direction formed closer to the outlet 80b than the R-shaped portion 80c. This straight pipe portion 80d is formed closer to the outlet 80b than the R-shaped portion 80c.

[0046] In this way, a raised portion 80e that is raised in a convex shape is formed at the opening edge of the steam hole 80, and the opening portion including the raised portion 80e is rounded. This reduces pressure loss when closing the lid 2 and reduces the resistance when closing the lid 2 (making the operation feel lighter).

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications within the technical concept of the present invention are also encompassed within its scope. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described using examples of both a rounded edge (see FIGS. 5A-5C, 10A, and 10B) and a chamfered edge (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). However, the inlet opening through which steam from the inner pot 4 flows into the inlet may be configured with both a rounded edge and a chamfered edge. For example, the inlet side (inlet side) and the exhaust port side (outlet side) may be configured with a rounded edge. Even with this configuration, the pressure loss of air passing through the steam vent (exhaust path) when the lid 2 is closed can be reduced, thereby reducing the resistance felt when closing the lid 2.

[0048] In this embodiment, the pressure loss reduction structure provided at the inlet opening on the inlet side is described as "R" or "C (45°)", but it may also be a curved structure with multiple radii or variable radii, or an angle other than 45°. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Main unit 2 Lid (lid body) 4. Inner pot 10. Rice cooker 13 Pressure adjustment mechanism 13a Pressure adjustment ball 13b Pressure control table 60, 70, 80 Steam vents (exhaust route) 60a, 70a, 80a inlet 60b, 70b, 80b exhaust port 60c,80c R shape part 60d,70d,80d straight pipe section 70c C chamfer shape part 80e raised part

Claims

1. The main body and an inner pot housed in the main body; a cover that can open and close the opening of the main body; a pressure adjusting mechanism provided in the lid body for adjusting the pressure inside the inner pot; an exhaust path provided in the lid for exhausting steam from the inner pot toward the pressure regulating mechanism, The exhaust path is arranged so that the cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust path is small from the inlet through which steam from the inner pot flows to the exhaust port through which the pressure adjustment mechanism is located and through which the steam is exhausted.

2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, The rice cooker is characterized in that the inlet has a curved opening portion on the inlet side through which steam from the inner pot flows in.

3. The rice cooker according to claim 1, The rice cooker is characterized in that the inlet has a chamfered opening portion on the inlet side through which steam from the inner pot flows in.

4. The rice cooker according to claim 3, A rice cooker characterized in that a straight pipe section is further provided on the outlet side of the chamfered section.

5. The rice cooker according to claim 2, A rice cooker characterized in that a raised portion is formed at the opening edge of the exhaust path, and a rounded processing is applied to the opening portion including the raised portion.

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