Heating Regulator

Abstract

To provide a cooker equipped with a pressure adjustment mechanism capable of simplifying a structure.SOLUTION: A cooker 10 includes: an inner pot; a cooker body 20 for storing the inner pot; a lid body 30 for closing the cooker body; and an inner lid 40 attached to the lid body for closing the inner pot, through which a pressure adjustment hole 45 is opened. The lid body includes a valve body 70 disposed so as to be displaced on an upper side of the pressure adjustment hole in a direction orthogonal to the pressure adjustment hole for opening / closing the pressure adjustment hole, and a pressure adjustment mechanism 50 connected to the valve body and including drive means 60 for displacing the valve body. The drive means is a solenoid 60 including a fixed part 61 fixed to the lid body and a movable part 65 with which the valve body is engaged, and which moves in a displacement direction of the valve body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking appliance such as a rice cooker for cooking food by heating, and more specifically, to a cooking appliance capable of performing pressure cooking to increase the pressure inside the inner pot.

Background Art

[0002] In a cooking appliance such as a rice cooker, an inner pot into which food is put is set in the main body of the cooker and closed with a lid, and the inner pot is heated. At this time of heating, for example, in Patent Document 1, the inside of the inner pot is kept airtight by a pressure adjustment mechanism and pressure cooking is performed.

[0003] The pressure adjustment mechanism of Patent Document 1 includes a valve body that opens and closes a pressure adjustment hole provided in an inner lid that closes the inner pot. The valve body closes the pressure adjustment hole by its own weight, and by protruding a rod of a solenoid provided on the side of the valve body, the valve body is lifted to forcibly open the pressure adjustment hole.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The valve body is displaced in the vertical direction with respect to the pressure adjustment hole, but the rod of the solenoid moves in the horizontal direction. Therefore, in order to allow and regulate the movement of the valve body, a member for converting the movement direction from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction is required, which leads to an increase in the number of parts and a complication of the structure.

[0006] In addition, it is desired that the set pressure inside the inner pot can be appropriately set according to the type and amount of food and the cooking program. However, it is difficult to adjust the set pressure with a pressure adjustment mechanism that only regulates the opening and closing of the valve body.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a cooking appliance equipped with a pressure adjustment mechanism that can simplify the structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The heating appliance of the present invention is Inner pot and A cooking appliance body that houses the inner pot, A lid that covers the main body of the cooking appliance, An inner lid that is attached to the lid and seals the inner pot, the inner lid having a pressure adjustment hole through it, Equipped with, The cover includes a valve body positioned above the pressure adjustment hole and displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the pressure adjustment hole, which opens and closes the pressure adjustment hole, and a pressure adjustment mechanism connected to the valve body, which includes a driving means for displacing the valve body. A cooking appliance having, The driving means is a solenoid comprising a fixed part fixed to the cover and a movable part that engages with the valve body and moves in the direction of displacement of the valve body.

[0009] The solenoid can be a push solenoid in which the movable part moves from the fixed part towards the pressure adjustment hole when energized, and the movable part retracts in the opposite direction to the fixed part when energized.

[0010] The movable part has a movable iron core that slides within the fixed part and a push rod that extends from the movable iron core in the direction of the pressure adjustment hole. The valve body can be engaged with the push rod.

[0011] The aforementioned fixing portion has a fixing iron core through which the push rod is inserted. A spacer can be placed between the fixed core and the movable core.

[0012] The solenoid and the valve body can be connected by a packing member that biases the valve body in the retraction direction.

[0013] The valve body has a cylindrical portion into which the push rod fits. It is desirable that the cylindrical portion has a length such that it cannot come out of the push rod even when the valve body is pulled downward and the packing member is fully extended.

[0014] The solenoid can vary the pushing force of the movable part by adjusting the amount of electric power.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] In the cooking heater of the present invention, by aligning the displacement direction of the valve body and the moving direction of the movable part engaged with the valve body, parts such as a slide member for converting the movement direction are unnecessary, and a simple structure can be achieved. Also, the force of the solenoid can be directly transmitted to the valve body, enabling accurate pressure adjustment. Furthermore, by adopting a push solenoid as the solenoid, the pushing force of the movable member is released during a power outage, and the valve body opens the pressure adjustment hole, so a safety mechanism for pressure release during a power outage can be made unnecessary.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the rice cooker with the lid open, showing the state where the inner lid is attached to the lid. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the rice cooker with the lid open, showing the state where the inner lid is removed from the lid. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the inner lid. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lid, showing the state where the valve body has opened the pressure adjustment hole. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the pressure adjustment mechanism, showing the state where the valve body has opened the pressure adjustment hole. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a (a) side view, (b) cross-sectional view, and (c) perspective view of the packing member in a state where the valve body has opened the pressure adjustment hole. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lid body, showing a state where the valve body has closed the pressure adjustment hole. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the pressure adjustment mechanism, showing a state where the valve body has closed the pressure adjustment hole. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a (a) side view, (b) cross-sectional view, and (c) perspective view of the packing member in a state where the valve body has closed the pressure adjustment hole. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a graph showing the correlation between the voltage value of the solenoid and the pressure value of the inner pot.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the cooking heater of the present invention is applied to the rice cooker 10 will be described. Note that the cooking heater may be a pressure cooker, a non-water cooker, or the like.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rice cooker 10 according to the present embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views showing a state where the lid body is opened. The rice cooker 10 includes a cooker main body 20 that houses an inner pot (not shown) into which food ingredients are put, and a lid body 30 that closes the cooker main body 20.

[0019] A heater (not shown) such as a work coil is disposed at a position facing the side surface and the bottom surface of the inner pot in the cooker main body 20 so that the inner pot can be heated. A temperature sensor is disposed in the cooker main body 20 so that the temperature of the bottom of the pot can be measured. Then, based on the operation of the operation switch 31, control of, for example, a heater is performed according to a program stored in advance in a control means (microcomputer), and cooking such as rice cooking and warming is performed.

[0020] The inner pot can be exemplified by a general type of metal pot or clay pot adopted in the rice cooker 10, and houses food ingredients (in the case of the rice cooker 10, rice, water, etc.). A flange is formed outwardly on the upper edge of the inner pot, and is in airtight contact with the inner lid packing 42 of the lid body 30 shown in FIG. 2.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, the upper surface of the lid 30 has an operation switch 31 for operating the rice cooker 10, a display unit 32 that shows the cooking status (such as cooking or keeping warm in the case of the rice cooker 10), the operation details, the time, etc., and an exhaust vent 37 for releasing steam from inside the inner pot. Hereinafter, the side with the operation switch 31 will be referred to as the "front". The rear end of the lid 30 can be hinged to the cooking unit body 20 so as to be able to be opened and closed, and it closes the inner pot when the inner lid 40 (Figure 2) is attached. The lid 30 is always biased in the opening direction relative to the cooking unit body 20, and the lid 30 opens when the opening / closing lever 21 of the cooking unit body 20 is operated, and it is held in the closed position when the lid 30 is pressed in the closing direction.

[0022] An inner lid 40 is fitted to the lower surface of the lid 30, as shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5. The inner lid 40 can be constructed by attaching an inner lid packing 42 that contacts the flange of the inner pot to the outer circumference of a disc-shaped inner lid plate 41. In this embodiment, as shown in the exploded view in Figure 4, the inner lid 40 consists of an inner lid plate 41, an inner lid packing 42, an inner lid ring 43, a cover packing 44, and an inner lid cover 46, and is equipped with a negative pressure valve 47 and a safety valve 48.

[0023] The inner lid plate 41 has a dish-like shape that is recessed downwards, and the inner lid packing 42 can be attached to and removed from its outer circumference.

[0024] The inner lid plate 41 is fitted onto the inner lid ring 43. The inner lid ring 43 has locking pieces 43a and 43b on its front and rear ends. The lid body 30 is also provided with a clip 33 that holds the locking piece 43a and a locking receiving portion 34 into which the locking piece 43b fits. As shown in Figure 3, with the inner lid 40 removed from the lid body 30, the inner lid 40 is attached to the lid body 30 by fitting the locking piece 43b into the locking receiving portion 34 and pushing the locking piece 43a into the clip 33, as shown in Figure 2.

[0025] The negative pressure valve 47 and the safety valve 48 are attached to the inner cover plate 41 by a resin cover packing 44 and a metal inner cover 46.

[0026] The negative pressure valve 47 is positioned to close the negative pressure valve hole 41a provided in the inner lid plate 41. It closes the negative pressure valve hole 41a when the pressure inside the inner pot becomes high, and opens the negative pressure valve hole 41a due to its own weight at normal or negative pressure. The safety valve 48 is positioned to close the safety valve hole 41b provided in the inner lid plate 41, and opens the safety valve hole 41b to release pressure when the pressure inside the inner pot becomes excessive.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, a pressure adjustment hole frame 41c is provided through the inner lid plate 41, and a pressure adjustment hole 45 is provided in the cover packing 44. The pressure adjustment hole 45 can be formed from an elastic material such as a packing material with high sealing properties so that it can airtightly contact the valve body 70, which will be described later. As shown in Figure 6, it has a cylindrical hole portion 45a that fits into the pressure adjustment hole frame 41c, and a springy reduced-diameter portion 45b that extends upward from the cylindrical hole portion 45a. The reduced-diameter portion 45b protrudes from a hole portion 46a provided in the inner lid cover 46.

[0028] The lid 30 has a steam passage 35 (part of which is shown in Figure 5) formed directly above the inner lid cover 46 through which steam that has passed from the inner pot through the pressure adjustment hole 45 passes, and it communicates with a pressure regulating space 36 provided on the rear side of the lid 30. The pressure regulating space 36 cools the steam containing the sticky substance generated from inside the inner pot, separates the steam from the sticky substance, and releases the steam from the exhaust hole 37. The steam release route is shown by arrow A in the figure.

[0029] A pressure adjustment mechanism 50 is provided above the pressure adjustment hole 45 in the steam passage 35. The pressure adjustment mechanism 50 adjusts the pressure state inside the inner pot by opening and closing the pressure adjustment hole 45.

[0030] The pressure adjustment mechanism 50 includes a valve body 70 that closes the pressure adjustment hole 45 from above, and a solenoid 60 that displaces the valve body 70. The solenoid 60 is the driving means of the present invention. The valve body 70 moves in a direction perpendicular to the pressure adjustment hole 45, so that in Figure 5 the displacement direction is up and down, to open and close the pressure adjustment hole 45. The solenoid 60 also displaces the valve body 70 in the vertical direction.

[0031] As shown in Figures 6 and 9, the solenoid 60 has a fixed part 61 and a movable part 65 that can move up and down relative to the fixed part 61. The fixed part 61 of the solenoid 60 is attached to the solenoid case 39, and the solenoid case 39 is fixed to the cover 30.

[0032] The solenoid 60 can be a push solenoid, and when energized, the movable part 65 protrudes downward from the fixed part 61 along the displacement direction of the valve body 70, and when energized, the movable part 65 retracts upward due to the restoring force of the return spring (packing member 90, described later in this embodiment). The energization of the solenoid 60 and the disconnection of the energization are performed by a control means.

[0033] As shown in Figure 6, the fixed portion 61 has a recessed pipe portion 61a into which the movable portion 65 of the above shape is slidably fitted. The pipe portion 61a has a fixed portion bottom surface 61b at its lower end, and a shaft hole 61c into which the push rod 67 is fitted is formed in the fixed portion bottom surface 61b. The fixed portion 61 expands in a conical shape upward from the fixed portion bottom surface 61b, and its upper part has a cylindrical shape. The fixed portion bottom surface 61b and the vicinity of its upper side constitute the fixed iron core 62. Furthermore, an excitation coil 63 is wound around the pipe portion 61a and the fixed iron core 62.

[0034] The movable part 65 can be constructed by providing a push rod 67 protruding from the lower end of the movable core 66 (plunger). The movable core 66 has a cylindrical upper part and a conical lower part, and has a movable lower surface 65a facing the fixed bottom surface 61b. The push rod 67 protrudes downward from the center of the movable lower surface 65a.

[0035] An annular spacer 68 is provided between the lower surface 65a of the movable part and the bottom surface 61b of the fixed part, through which the push rod 67 passes. The spacer 68 prevents the fixed part 61 and the movable part 65 from directly adhering to each other, which would cause variations in the set pressure value. It also prevents the fixed part 61 and the movable part 65 from directly colliding, thereby suppressing the generation of metallic noise caused by these collisions.

[0036] In the above configuration, it is desirable to employ a solenoid 60 that allows for variable force of the protrusion of the movable part 65 by changing the amount of power applied to the excitation coil 63. That is, by increasing the amount of power, the downward force of the movable part 65 can be increased, and the force pressing the valve body 70 (described below) against the pressure adjustment hole 45 can be increased (see Figure 11 below). The amount of power can be controlled by a control means.

[0037] As shown in Figure 6, the valve body 70 attached to the solenoid 60 includes a valve plate 71 that closes the pressure adjustment hole 45 and a cylindrical portion 72 projecting upward from the valve plate 71. The valve plate 71 is sized and shaped to be able to airtightly contact the pressure adjustment hole 45. The cylindrical portion 72 fits over the push rod 67, thereby engaging the valve body 70 with the solenoid 60. The upper end of the cylindrical portion 72 has an outward-facing flange portion 72a. An annular valve body mounting bracket 80 is fitted around the outer circumference of the cylindrical portion 72 between the upper surface of the valve plate 71 and the flange portion 72a. The valve body mounting bracket 80 has an annular engagement groove 80a formed on its lower side, which engages with the packing member 90, which will be described next. In addition, a rim portion 72b for holding the packing member 90 is formed upward on the outer circumference of the valve plate 71.

[0038] As shown in Figures 6 and 9, the valve body 70 and the solenoid 60 are airtightly connected by a packing member 90. This separates the solenoid 60 from the steam passage 35, preventing corrosion of the solenoid 60 by steam and thus preventing malfunction.

[0039] As shown in Figures 6 and 9, and Figures 7 and 10 which show the packing member 90 alone, the packing member 90 has a valve body holding portion 91 that is airtightly connected to the valve body 70 and a flange 92 that is airtightly connected to the solenoid case 39, and the valve body holding portion 91 and the flange 92 are connected by a bellows portion 93.

[0040] The valve body retaining portion 91 is provided at the lower end of the packing member 90 and holds the valve body 70 via the valve body mounting bracket 80. The valve body retaining portion 91 has a retaining groove 91a with a substantially U-shaped cross-section that encloses the valve body mounting bracket 80 on its inner circumference. The outer circumference of the valve body retaining portion 91 is sized to fit inside the rim portion 72b of the valve body 70. An annular engaging projection 91b is formed facing upward at the inner end of the lower edge of the retaining groove 91a, which engages with the engaging groove 80a of the valve body mounting bracket 80.

[0041] As shown in Figures 7 and 10, the flange 92 is an annular member formed on the upper end of the packing member 90. As shown in Figure 5, the flange 92 can be sandwiched between the solenoid case 39 and the solenoid mounting frame 38 provided on the cover 30. However, as the packing member 90 expands and contracts due to the operation of the solenoid 60, the flange 92 may be pulled out from between the solenoid case 39 and the solenoid mounting frame 38. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, as shown in the enlarged view of the circled area in Figure 5 and in Figure 7, a retaining portion 92a is formed on the flange 92. For example, the retaining portion 92a can be made thicker on the outer circumference side than on the inner circumference side. As shown in the enlarged view above, the retaining portion 92a engages with the upward-facing projection 38a formed on the inner circumference of the solenoid mounting frame 80 when the flange 92 is sandwiched between the solenoid case 39 and the solenoid mounting frame 38, thereby preventing the packing member 90 from falling out.

[0042] Furthermore, in order to prevent steam from entering the solenoid 60 from between the packing member 90 and the solenoid case 39, a triangular rib 92b is provided in an annular projection on the upper surface of the flange 92, as shown in the enlarged view of the circled area in Figure 5 and in Figure 7. When the flange 92 is sandwiched between the solenoid case 39 and the solenoid mounting frame 38, the rib 92b comes into contact with the solenoid case 39 and is compressed and deformed, preventing steam from entering.

[0043] The bellows section 93 airtightly connects the valve body holder 91 and the flange 92. As shown in Figures 7 and 10, the bellows section 93 expands upward from the valve body holder 91, with a stepped section formed in the middle. The bellows section 93 has spring properties, and as shown in Figure 10, when the bellows section 93 is extended, its restoring force causes it to contract so that the valve body holder 91 moves inside the flange 92, as shown in Figure 7.

[0044] The packing member 90 and the valve body 70 are configured such that even when the bellows section 93 of the packing member 90 is fully extended, the cylindrical section 72 of the valve body 70 does not come off the push rod 67. Specifically, the lower end of the push rod 67 remains attached to the cylindrical section 72 when the bellows section 93 is fully extended. This prevents the cylindrical section 72 from coming off the push rod 67 even if the user pulls on the valve body 70 for any reason, thereby preventing failure of the pressure adjustment mechanism 50.

[0045] As shown in Figure 2, the lid 30, which is equipped with the pressure adjustment mechanism 50 described above, has an inner lid 40 attached to it. As a result, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the pressure adjustment hole 45 of the inner lid 40 is aligned with the valve body 70.

[0046] In an unloaded state, that is, when the solenoid 60 is not energized, the valve body 70 remains in an upward position due to the restoring force of the packing member 90, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and the pressure adjustment hole 45 is open.

[0047] The rice cooker 10 is used in the following manner.

[0048] First, ingredients, such as rice and water in the case of cooking rice, are placed in the inner pot, and it is set in the cooking unit body 20, and the lid 30 is closed. The inner lid 40 is sealed tightly by the inner lid gasket 42 against the flange of the inner pot. At this time, the solenoid 60 has not yet been energized, so the pressure adjustment hole 45 is open.

[0049] The cooking program is executed when the user presses the operation switch 31. For example, in the case of rice cooking, the rice cooking program is executed. The rice cooking program may include processes such as water absorption, temperature rise, pressure cooking, final cooking, further cooking, and steaming.

[0050] The water absorption process involves allowing the rice to absorb water. The heater is operated at a low temperature as needed to maintain the temperature of the inner pot, as measured by a temperature sensor, at approximately 30°C. In the subsequent heating process, the power supplied to the heater is increased to rapidly raise the temperature of the inner pot to nearly 100°C. During this heating process, once the temperature of the inner pot reaches a predetermined temperature, for example, approximately 80°C, the process moves to the pressure cooking stage.

[0051] In the pressure cooking process, the solenoid 60 is energized, and the pressure adjustment hole 45 is sealed by the valve body 70. Specifically, by energizing the excitation coil 63 of the fixed part 61, a magnetic field is generated in the excitation coil 63, magnetizing the movable iron core 66 of the movable part 65. From the state shown in Figures 5 and 6, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, it descends towards the fixed iron core 62 against the biasing force of the packing member 90 and is attracted. As a result, the valve body 70, which is engaged with the push rod 67 of the movable part 65, has a valve plate 71 that seals the pressure adjustment hole 45 of the inner cover 40. Since the pressure adjustment hole 45 is provided with a reduced diameter portion 45b made of a springy resin packing member, the valve plate 71 can contact the reduced diameter portion 45b and seal the pressure adjustment hole 45 more airtightly. When the movable part 65 is attracted to the fixed part 61, a spacer 68 is placed between the lower surface 65a of the movable part and the bottom surface 61b of the fixed part, which suppresses the generation of metallic noise caused by the collision between the movable part 65 and the fixed part 61.

[0052] The valve body 70 seals the pressure adjustment hole 45, creating a sealed environment inside the inner pot. As the inner pot is further heated by the heater, the steam generated from the food creates high pressure inside the inner pot, resulting in pressure cooking. The set pressure (maximum pressure) inside the inner pot can be adjusted by the amount of power applied to the excitation coil 63. The amount of power can be adjusted, for example, by adjusting the voltage value, power value, current value, whether or not power is supplied, or by PWM control. Figure 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the voltage value of the solenoid 60 and the pressure value of the inner pot according to one embodiment. The applied voltage value of the excitation coil 63 can be controlled by a control means. For example, the set pressure inside the inner pot during the pressure cooking process can be set to approximately 1.25 atmospheres. If the pressure inside the inner pot exceeds the set pressure during the pressure cooking process, the valve body 70 moves upward against the downward force of the movable iron core 66, releasing the pressure and maintaining the set pressure. Furthermore, since a spacer 68 is placed between the movable part 65 and the fixed part 61, the lower surface 65a of the movable part will not be attracted to the bottom surface 61b of the fixed part, thus preventing variations in the set pressure value.

[0053] Once the pressure cooking process is complete, the power supplied to the heater is further increased to transition to the final cooking process, maintaining a boiling state inside the inner pot. In the final cooking process, the moisture inside the inner pot is thoroughly evaporated. For example, the inner pot is heated to approximately 260°C. If the pressure inside the inner pot exceeds the set pressure during the final cooking process, the valve body 70 moves upward against the downward force of the solenoid 60, releasing the pressure and maintaining the set pressure.

[0054] After the initial cooking process, the process moves to a re-cooking stage. In the re-cooking stage, the heater is powered intermittently, and the set pressure in the inner pot is drastically reduced compared to the pressure cooking and initial cooking stages (for example, to about 1.05 atmospheres) to cause any remaining moisture between the rice grains to boil and to stir the starch. Specifically, the control means reduces the amount of power applied to the excitation coil 63 of the solenoid 60, causing the valve body 70 to move upward and release the pressure to the set pressure. At this time, a spacer 68 is placed between the movable part 65 and the fixed part 61, so that the movable part 65 does not get stuck to the fixed part 61, thus preventing variations in the set pressure value.

[0055] At this time, the high-pressure, high-temperature steam and gas containing the sticky substance inside the inner pot pass through the steam passage 35 from the pressure adjustment hole 45, as shown by arrow A in Figure 5, and reach the pressure regulating space 36. In the pressure regulating space 36, the steam containing the sticky substance is cooled, separating the steam from the sticky substance, and the steam is released from the exhaust hole 37.

[0056] Thus, in this invention, the set pressure inside the inner pot can be easily adjusted by adjusting the voltage applied to the solenoid 60.

[0057] Once the reheating process is complete, the steaming process begins. During the steaming process, the heater is energized as needed, and then the pressure inside the inner pot is returned to atmospheric pressure. Specifically, the excitation coil 63 of the solenoid 60 is de-energized. As a result, the pressure adjustment mechanism 50, with the packing member 90 acting as a return spring, uses its restoring force to retract the valve body 70 upward together with the movable part 65. Consequently, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the valve body 70 moves away from the pressure adjustment hole 45, the pressure adjustment hole 45 opens, and as indicated by arrow A in Figure 5, the inner pot communicates with the atmosphere through the steam passage 35, the pressure regulating space 36, and the exhaust hole 37, becoming atmospheric pressure.

[0058] After returning the air pressure inside the inner pot to atmospheric pressure, the steaming process is completed by operating the heater for a predetermined time, and the rice cooking program ends. After this, you can operate the heater as needed to keep the rice warm, etc.

[0059] Furthermore, if the power supply to the rice cooker 10 is interrupted due to a power outage or unplugging of the power cord while pressurizing, the power supply to the solenoid 60 will also stop. As a result, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, the pressure adjustment mechanism 50 causes the valve body 70 to retract upward together with the movable part 65 due to the restoring force of the packing member 90, and the valve body 70 moves away from the pressure adjustment hole 45, allowing the inner pot to be released to the atmosphere. Therefore, a safety mechanism for pressure release in the event of a power outage is unnecessary.

[0060] The above description is for the purpose of explaining the present invention and should not be interpreted as limiting or restricting the scope of the invention described in the claims. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0061] For example, although the restoring force of the packing member 90 is used to restore the solenoid 60, a separate return spring may be connected to the movable part 65, and the solenoid 60 may be restored by the return spring.

[0062] Furthermore, the solenoid 60 is not limited to a push solenoid, but may also be a pull solenoid, a self-holding solenoid, or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 10. Rice cooker (cooking appliance) 20 Cooking appliance body 30 Lid 36 Pressure-regulating space 40 Inner lid 42 Inner lid gasket 45 Pressure adjustment holes 50 Pressure adjustment mechanism 60 Solenoid (driving mechanism) 61 Fixed part 65 Moving parts 68 Spacers 70 Valve body 90 Packing material

Claims

1. Inner pot and A cooking appliance body that houses the inner pot, A lid that covers the main body of the cooking appliance, An inner lid that is attached to the lid and seals the inner pot, the inner lid having a pressure adjustment hole through it, Equipped with, The cover includes a valve body positioned above the pressure adjustment hole and displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the pressure adjustment hole, which opens and closes the pressure adjustment hole, and a pressure adjustment mechanism connected to the valve body, which includes a driving means for displacing the valve body. A cooking appliance having, The driving means is a solenoid comprising a fixed portion fixed to the cover and a movable portion that engages with the valve body and moves in the direction of displacement of the valve body. The solenoid is a push solenoid in which, when energized, the movable part moves from the fixed part towards the pressure adjustment hole, and when energized, the movable part retracts in the opposite direction to the fixed part. The movable part has a movable iron core that slides within the fixed part and a push rod that extends from the movable iron core in the direction of the pressure adjustment hole. The valve body is engaged with the push rod so as to be movable relative to it. Heating cooker.

2. The aforementioned fixing portion has a fixing iron core through which the push rod is inserted. A spacer is placed between the fixed core and the movable core. A heating appliance according to claim 1.

3. The solenoid and the valve body are connected by a packing member that biases the valve body in the retraction direction. A heating appliance according to claim 1.

4. The valve body has a cylindrical portion into which the push rod is fitted, The cylindrical portion has a length such that it does not come off the push rod even when the valve body is pulled downward and the packing member is fully stretched. A cooking appliance according to claim 3.

5. The solenoid allows for variable downward force on the movable part by adjusting the amount of power. A cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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