Heating Regulator

Abstract

To provide a cooker in which water attached to biasing means biasing a lid body in an opening direction can be reliably recovered.SOLUTION: A cooker according to the present invention comprises a main body 1, a lid body 2 capable of opening / closing an upper opening of the main body 1, hinge springs 13A and 13B biasing the lid body 2 in an opening direction, a heating coil 11 heating a pan 4 capable of being housed in the main body 1, a board unit 41 driving the heating coil 11 and a lid heater 31, and a unit case 47 housing the board unit 41, the cooker further comprises a water receiving portion 62 between stretched portions 58A and 58B of the hinge springs 13A and 13B and the unit case 47, and thereby collects water attached to the hinge springs 13A and 13B, into the water receiving portion 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device having a lid that opens and closes with a hinge mechanism. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventionally known cooking appliance is a rice cooker described in Patent Document 1. The rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a dew collection case (5) detachably attached to the rear of the main body (1), and when the lid (3) is opened after cooking is complete, condensation on the inner surface flows down into the dew collection groove (9), passes through the drainage hole (11) and the passage (13), and falls into the dew collection case (5). To remove the dew that has accumulated in the dew collection case (5), the case (5) is removed, and after draining the water, the empty dew collection case (5) is returned to its original state.

[0003] On the other hand, Figure 2 of Patent Document 2 shows a rice cooker in which the extension of the biasing means that biases the lid (2) in the opening direction extends to a position above the unit case that houses the heating board assembly (44). In this figure, there is no water receiving portion between the extension and the unit case. In other words, water that adheres to the extension drips onto the upper surface of the unit case and flows along the upper surface of the unit case toward the front, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-230010 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-052974 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, in the rice cooker described in Patent Document 1, condensation on the inner surface of the lid (3) can be reliably collected in the condensation case (5), but there is a problem in that the condensation case (5) needs to be removed from the main body (1) to drain the condensation, making the draining process cumbersome.

[0006] Furthermore, the rice cooker described in Patent Document 2 has a problem in that it is not possible to reliably collect water adhering to the extension portion and make it flow in a predetermined path.

[0007] Furthermore, when a cooking appliance, including a rice cooker, is made more functional (multifunctional), for example, in the rice cooker described in Patent Document 2, the heating board assembly (44) including the heating control means (22) becomes larger, and the unit case accommodating the heating board assembly (44) also becomes larger. As a result, the unit case abuts on the extension, and the extension is inserted into the unit case from the top surface of the unit case. This causes problems such as water adhering to the extension being unable to be reliably drained and water flowing into the unit case.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to solve the above problems and provide a heating cooker that does not require the user to perform draining work and can reliably recover water that has adhered to the biasing means that biases the lid in the direction of opening. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The rice cooker of the present invention comprises a main body, a lid body that can open and close an upper opening of the main body, a biasing means that biases the lid body in a direction to open it, a heating means that heats an inner pot that can be housed in the main body, a drive circuit that drives the heating means, and a case that houses the drive circuit, and an extension of the biasing means 、 The case integrally formed Water receiving part and, The present invention is characterized by having the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, water adhering to the biasing means can be reliably collected in the water receiving section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the rice cooker of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the water receiving portion and its surroundings with the rear cover of the present invention removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover and other parts of the present invention are removed to expose the hinge spring. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a unit case according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a unit case according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the cooking device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below do not limit the content of the present invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described below are necessarily essential requirements of the present invention.

[0013] Figures 1 to 6 show one embodiment of a cooking device according to the present invention. First, the overall configuration of a rice cooker as a cooking device will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body, which, when viewed from above, is generally rectangular with a front, rear, left, and right sides facing each other, and has an open top. Reference numeral 2 denotes a lid that can be opened and closed to cover the top opening of main body 1. Similar to main body 1, lid 2 also has a generally rectangular shape with a front, rear, left, and right sides facing each other, when viewed from above, and has a generally flat top. Main body 1 has a pot housing 3 with an open top. When lid 2 is opened, a bottomed pot 4, which serves as a container for holding water and rice to be cooked, is removably housed in pot housing 3. Pot housing 3 is constructed by combining a bowl-shaped resin inner frame 5 and other components, and the overall shape is cylindrical with a bottom.

[0014] Pot 4, the inner pot, is made of aluminum as its main material 7, which has good thermal conductivity, and heating element 8, made of a magnetic metal plate such as ferritic stainless steel, is joined to the outer surface of main material 7 from the lower side to the bottom. Additionally, on the outer surface of inner frame 5, which faces the lower side of pot 4 toward the bottom, heating coil 11 is provided as a heating means for electromagnetic induction heating of heating element 8 of pot 4. When high-frequency current is supplied to heating coil 11, the alternating magnetic field generated by heating coil 11 causes heating element 8 of pot 4 to heat, thereby heating the food inside pot 4 during cooking and keeping warm. Furthermore, pot sensor 12, which serves as a pot temperature detection means, is disposed in the center of the bottom of inner frame 5 so that it comes into elastic contact with the outer bottom of pot 4.

[0015] A hinge portion 13 is provided at the rear of the lid body 2, which connects it to the main body 1. A lid body operating body 14 is disposed in an exposed state on the front upper surface of the lid body 2, and when the lid body operating body 14 is pressed, the engagement between the main body 1 and the lid body 2 is released, and two hinge springs 13A, 13B provided at the upper rear of the main body 1 cause the lid body 2 to open around a hinge shaft 13C of the hinge portion 13 as the center of rotation.

[0016] A steam vent 15 is provided on the upper rear surface of the lid 2, which allows steam generated from the food being cooked in the pot 4 to be released to the outside of the rice cooker. In addition to the steam vent 15 and the lid operating mechanism 14, the top surface of the lid 2 is also provided with an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 16 as a screen display unit for displaying various information related to rice cooking, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display 17 as a status display unit, and an operating mechanism 19 consisting of a touch sensor and located above the LCD 16 for starting rice cooking and selecting the time and cooking course. Inside the lid 2 is a control PC (Printed Circuit) board 21 equipped with display and operating control means (not shown) for controlling the LCD 16, LED display 17, and operating mechanism 19.

[0017] An inner lid assembly 23 is disposed below the lid 2 as a lower component of the lid 2. The inner lid assembly 23 is made of a metal material and has a disk shape with approximately the same diameter as the upper opening of the pot 4. The inner lid assembly 23 includes an inner lid 24 that covers the upper opening of the pot 4, a lid gasket 25 as an elastic member provided around the entire outer periphery of the inner lid 24 to seal the gap between the inner lid 24 and the pot 4, and a pressure regulator 26 that adjusts the internal pressure of the pot 4. The annular lid gasket 25 abuts against the top of the pot 4 when the lid 2 is closed as shown in FIG. 2, sealing the gap between the pot 4 and the inner lid 24 and sealing out steam generated from the pot 4.

[0018] Inside lid 2 are provided lid heater 31 as lid heating means for heating inner lid 24, and a thermistor-type lid temperature sensor 32 for controlling the temperature of inner lid 24 using lid heater 31. Inside lid 2, a steam exhaust path 33 is formed that connects steam vent 15 and pressure adjustment part 26 and serves as a passage for releasing steam generated inside pot 4 to the outside.

[0019] Pressure adjustment unit 26 is provided with a pressure adjustment valve 34 that opens and closes steam exhaust path 33 between the inside of pot 4 and steam vent 15. Pressure adjustment valve 34 is ball-shaped and operates in conjunction with a solenoid 35 provided inside lid 2. Solenoid 35 rotates pressure adjustment valve 34 to open steam exhaust path 33 when steam inside pot 4 is to be released to the outside and to close steam exhaust path 33 when the pressure inside pot 4 is to be pressurized or reduced. When pressurizing, high-frequency current is applied to heating coil 11 to heat the food inside pot 4, causing the food to boil and generate steam. This steam fills pot 4, and when the internal pressure of pot 4 reaches a predetermined value, pressure adjustment valve 34 opens steam exhaust path 33 against its own weight, thereby maintaining the pressure inside pot 4 at or above atmospheric pressure. A pressure sensor (not shown) is provided inside lid 2 facing pressure adjustment unit 26 to detect the pressure inside pot 4.

[0020] Reference numeral 38 denotes a pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure inside pot 4 below normal atmospheric pressure while lid 2 is closed to main body 1. Pressure reducing means 38 reduces the internal pressure of sealed pot 4 by accommodating pot 4 in pot accommodating body 3, closing lid 2, and then energizing solenoid 35 so that pressure regulating valve 34 closes steam exhaust path 33.

[0021] A unitized board unit 41 including a heating control means for controlling the heating coil 11, the lid heater 31, etc. is disposed at the rear inside the main body 1. The board unit 41 is mainly composed of a board main body 42, and a heat sink 43 and various electronic components 44 mounted on the board main body 42. The board unit 41 is housed in a unit case 47 (see Figures 5 and 6) for electrically insulating and protecting the board unit 41.

[0022] 3 shows a state in which the rear cover 2A disposed on the rear side of the lid body 2 has been removed. The hinge portion 13 has a hinge shaft 13C, a pair of left and right hinge sleeves 51A, 51B through which the hinge shaft 13C is inserted, a pair of left and right hinge springs 13A, 13B, coil accommodating portions 53A, 53B that accommodate the coil portions 52A, 52B of the hinge springs 13A, 13B, a shaft reinforcing plate 54, and a pair of left and right shaft insertion walls 55A, 55B through which the hinge shaft 13C is inserted.

[0023] Hinge shaft 13C is made of metal and is formed in a thin cylindrical shape. Hinge sleeves 51A and 51B are made of synthetic resin and function as buffer members between hinge shaft 13C and coil portions 14A and 14B of hinge springs 13A and 13B.

[0024] Hinge springs 13A and 13B are formed of torsion coil springs or the like as biasing means for biasing lid body 2 in the direction of constantly opening, and arm portions 56A and 56B extending from one end of coil portions 14A and 14B are each held by an arm holding portion (not shown) formed inside lid body 2.

[0025] Shaft reinforcing plate 54 has a bottom plate portion 57, and approximately rectangular insertion holes 59A and 59B, through which extension portions 58A and 58B of hinge springs 13A and 13B are inserted, are formed in bottom plate portion 57. Hinge springs 13A and 13B have arm portions 56A and 56B extending forward from one side end of coil portions 14A and 14B, and extension portions 58A and 58B extending downward from the other side end of coil portions 14A and 14B.

[0026] The unit case 47 is disposed below the bottom plate 57. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a rectangular, recessed water receiving portion 62 with an open top is integrally formed on an upper surface 61 of the unit case 47. The water receiving portion 62 has a front wall 63, a rear wall 64, a left wall 65, a right wall 66, and a bottom 67. The front wall 63 is curved and continues to the bottom 67, and the rear wall 64, the left wall 65, and the right wall 66 are formed substantially vertically. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the lower ends 60A and 60B of the extensions 58A and 58B of the hinge springs 13A and 13B extend to the inside of the water receiving portion 62. Therefore, water flowing down along the extensions 58A and 58B drips into the water receiving portion 62. Furthermore, by forming the water receiving portion 62 into a concave shape and configuring the extension portions 58A, 58B to extend into the water receiving portion 62, the distance until the extension portions 58A, 58B come into contact with the unit case 47 is increased compared to when the top surface 61 is flat. Note that the extension portions 58A, 58B do not come into contact with any of the front wall portion 63, rear wall portion 64, left wall portion 65, right wall portion 66, and bottom portion 67.

[0027] A drain hole 69 that passes through water receiving portion 62 is formed in right rear corner 68, which is the connecting portion between rear wall 64, right wall 66, and bottom 67 of water receiving portion 62, so that water that drips and accumulates in water receiving portion 62 can drain out of water receiving portion 62 through drain hole 69. Top surface 61 is formed with gently sloping portion 61A that is lower at the front, so that water that adheres to or drips down top surface 61 flows forward along sloping portion 61A, flows along front surface 48 of unit case 47, or falls through space S1 (see Figure 2) between pot storage portion 3 and unit case 47, and is then drained out of main body 1 through drain holes 9 formed in legs 6 or the like provided on bottom surface 1A of main body 1.

[0028] The upper surface 61 has upwardly convex stepped portions 70, 71 formed on the left and right sides of the water receiving portion 62. A barrier portion 72 is erected upward at the rear end portion of the stepped portion 70. The barrier portion 72 has a vertical barrier portion 72A extending in the front-to-rear direction and a horizontal barrier portion 72B extending in the left-to-right direction. A barrier portion 73 is also erected upward at the rear end portion of the stepped portion 71, and has a vertical barrier portion 73A extending in the front-to-rear direction and a horizontal barrier portion 73B extending in the left-to-right direction.

[0029] A wiring holding portion 74 is formed on the rear side of the step portion 70. The step portion 70 and the barrier portion 72 are intended to prevent water adhering to or dripping from the upper surface portion 61 from flowing toward the wiring holding portion 74 and adhering to the wiring (not shown) held by the wiring holding portion 74.

[0030] An opening 75 penetrating the unit case 47 is formed on the rear side of the step portion 71. The step portion 71 and the barrier portion 73 are intended to prevent water adhering to or dripping from the upper surface portion 61 from flowing toward the opening 75, flowing into the unit case 47 from the opening 75, and adhering to the board unit 41. In this embodiment, the upper surface portion 61 is provided with all of the inclined portion 61A, the step portion 70, and the step portion 71, but a structure in which only one or two of these are provided may also be used.

[0031] A water receiving step 76 that is lower than the upper surface 61 is formed below the drain hole 69. The water receiving step 76 is gently inclined so that the rear side is lower, and water that adheres to or drips onto the water receiving step 76 flows rearward along the incline, flows along the rear surface 49 of the unit case 47, or falls through the space S2 (see Figure 2) between the main body 1 and the unit case 47, and is drained to the outside of the main body 1 through drainage holes 9 formed in the legs 6 or the like provided on the bottom surface 1A of the main body 1.

[0032] A weir wall 71 is erected on the water receiving stage 76. The weir wall 71 is located closer to the center in the left-right direction of the rice cooker than the position directly below the drain hole 69, and prevents water that flows from the drain hole 69 down to the water receiving stage 76 from flowing toward the center in the left-right direction of the rice cooker, flowing into the unit case 47 through the opening 75, and adhering to the base unit 41.

[0033] Here, an example of water flow will be described. When the lid 2 is opened after cooking rice, water droplets adhering to the lid 2 or steam from the pot 4 may adhere to the hinge springs 13A, 13B, or condensation may form on the hinge springs 13A, 13B due to temperature changes. When the lid 2 is open, the water adhering to the hinge springs 13A, 13B flows toward the extensions 58A, 58B due to gravity. Then, as shown by the white arrow W in FIG. 3 , the water flows downward along the extensions 58A, 58B and drips from the lower ends 60A, 60B into the water receiving portion 62. The water that drips into the water receiving portion 62 flows along the bottom 67 of the water receiving portion 62, flows out of the drainage holes 69, and falls into the water receiving step 76. The water that flows down into the water receiving step 76 flows rearward along the slope of the water receiving step 76, flows along the rear surface 49 of the unit case 47, or falls through the space S2 (see Figure 2) between the main body 1 and the unit case 47, and is drained outside the main body 1 through drainage holes 9 formed in the legs 6 or the like provided on the bottom surface 1A of the main body 1.

[0034] As described above, the rice cooker of this embodiment comprises a main body 1, a lid body 2 that can open and close the top opening of the main body 1, hinge springs 13A, 13B that bias the lid body 2 in the direction of opening, a heating coil 11 that heats a pot 4 that can be stored in the main body 1, a board unit 41 that drives the heating coil 11 and the lid heater 31, and a unit case 47 that stores the board unit 41.By providing a water receiving portion 62 between the extension portions 58A, 58B of the hinge springs 13A, 13B and the unit case 47, water adhering to the hinge springs 13A, 13B can be caused to flow into the water receiving portion 62 and be reliably collected.

[0035] Furthermore, in the rice cooker of this embodiment, the water receiving portion 62 is formed with a drain hole 69 for discharging water, so that the drain path for water accumulated in the water receiving portion 62 can be specified as the water drain hole 69.

[0036] Furthermore, in the rice cooker of this embodiment, the upper surface 61 of the unit case 47 is formed with at least one of an inclined portion 61A that causes water to flow forward and steps 70, 71 that prevent water from flowing backward. Therefore, water that adheres to or drips onto the upper surface 61 is more likely to flow forward along the inclined portion 61A. Furthermore, the step 70 prevents water from flowing toward the wire holding portion 74, preventing water from adhering to the wires held by the wire holding portion 74. Furthermore, the step 71 prevents water from flowing toward the opening 75, preventing water from flowing into the unit case 47 from the opening 75 and adhering to the board unit 41.

[0037] Furthermore, in the rice cooker of this embodiment, the water receiving portion 62 is formed integrally with the unit case 47, thereby making it possible to reduce the number of parts.

[0038] Furthermore, in the rice cooker of this embodiment, a water receiving stage 76 is formed in unit case 47 to receive water drained from drain hole 69, and a weir wall 77 is formed in water receiving stage 76 to prevent water from flowing in a predetermined direction. Therefore, water that flows down from drain hole 69 to water receiving stage 76 flows toward the center in the left-right direction of the rice cooker, and is prevented from flowing into unit case 47 through opening 75 and adhering to base unit 41.

[0039] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the water receiving portion 62 is formed integrally with the unit case 47, but the water receiving portion 62 may be formed separately from the unit case 47 and disposed between the extensions 58A, 58B of the hinge springs 13A, 13B and the unit case 47. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Main unit 2 Lid 4 pot (inner pot) 11 Heating coil (heating means) 13A Hinge spring (biasing means) 13B Hinge spring (biasing means) 31 Lid heater (heating means) 41 Board unit (drive circuit) 47 Unit Case (Case) 58A Extension part 58B Extension part 61 Top part 61A Slope 62 Water receiving part 69 Drain hole 70 Step 71 Step 76 Water receiving section 77 Weir wall

Claims

1. The main body and a lid that can open and close an upper opening of the main body; a biasing means for biasing the lid body in a direction to open the lid body; a heating means for heating an inner pot that can be accommodated in the main body; a drive circuit for driving the heating means; a case that houses the drive circuit, A cooking device comprising: an extension of the biasing means; and a water receiving portion formed integrally with the case.

2. 2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the water receiving portion is formed with a drain hole for draining water.

3. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper surface of the case is formed with at least one of an inclined portion that allows water to flow forward and a stepped portion that prevents water from flowing backward.

4. The heating cooker according to claim 2, characterized in that the case is formed with a water receiving step portion that receives water discharged from the drain hole, and the water receiving step portion is formed with a dam wall portion that prevents the water from flowing in a predetermined direction.

Images