Conditioner

Abstract

To suppress spill over from a cooker.SOLUTION: A cooker includes: a container for storing a heating object; a heating part for heating the container or the inside of the container; a passage for discharging steam generated inside the container to the outside; a pressure reduction valve provided on the passage, for controlling a pressure inside the container; and a valve control part for controlling the opening of the pressure reduction valve. The valve control part can vary the valve opening speed, when the pressure inside the container is returned to the atmospheric pressure by opening the pressure reduction valve.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking appliance.

Background Art

[0002] There is provided a cooking appliance that heats and cooks food materials under a pressure equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cooking appliance including a cooking pot that accommodates food materials, a lid body disposed at an opening of the cooking pot, and an inner lid detachably attached to the lid body. The lid body has an exhaust passage for discharging steam in the cooking pot, and the inner lid has an exhaust hole that constitutes a part of the exhaust passage. The lid body further includes a valve body disposition portion provided at a portion facing the exhaust hole, an elastic member that closes an end of the valve body disposition portion, and a valve body disposed on an inner side of the lid body in the valve body disposition portion. By moving the valve body in the vertical direction, it is possible to close the exhaust hole of the inner lid to increase the pressure in the cooking pot, or open the exhaust hole to return the pressure inside the cooking pot to atmospheric pressure.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problem to be Solved by Invention

[0004] In such a cooking appliance, after heating and cooking food materials under a pressure equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure, if the valve is opened all at once to return the pressure inside the cooking pot to atmospheric pressure, food materials and the like may spill out from the exhaust hole together with steam.

[0005] The present disclosure provides a technique for suppressing spilling in a cooking appliance.

Means for Solving Problem

[0006] To solve the above problems, a cooker according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a container for containing food to be heated, a heating unit for heating the container or the inside of the container, a passage for releasing steam generated inside the container to the outside, a valve provided in the passage for controlling the pressure inside the container, and a valve control unit for controlling the opening degree of the valve. The valve control unit makes the speed at which the valve is opened to return the pressure inside the container to atmospheric pressure variable. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to suppress boil-overs in cooking appliances. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Perspective view of a cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 [Figure 2] Perspective view of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 with the lid removed. [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view of a cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 [Figure 4A] Perspective view of the underside of the inner lid of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 [Figure 4B] Perspective view of the surface of the inner lid of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 [Figure 5A] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the valve unit of the cooking appliance in Embodiment 1. [Figure 5B] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the valve unit of the cooking appliance in Embodiment 1. [Figure 5C] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the valve unit of the cooking appliance in Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the valve unit of the cooking appliance in Embodiment 2. [Figure 7A] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the valve unit of the cooking appliance in Embodiment 3. [Figure 7B] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the valve unit of the cooking appliance in Embodiment 3. [Figure 7C] This diagram schematically shows the configuration of the valve unit of the cooking appliance in Embodiment 3. [Figure 8] A schematic diagram showing the configuration of the valve unit of the cooking appliance. [Figure 9] Diagram showing an example of a user interface of the cooker according to Embodiments 1 to 3 [Figure 10] Cross-sectional view showing the configuration around a valve unit of the cooker according to Embodiment 4 [Figure 11] Diagram showing the time change of the opening area of a pressure reducing valve [Figure 12] Diagram showing the relationship between the opening area and the flow path area of a pressure reducing valve [Figure 13] Diagram showing the relationship between the opening area and the flow path area of a pressure reducing valve [Figure 14] Diagram showing the relationship between the opening area and the flow path area of a pressure reducing valve [Figure 15] Configuration diagram of a valve control unit for controlling the opening degree of a pressure reducing valve [Figure 16] Configuration diagram of a valve control unit for controlling the opening degree of a pressure reducing valve [Figure 17A] Diagram showing the state of a drive mechanism when a pressure reducing valve is fully closed [Figure 17B] Diagram showing the state of a drive mechanism when a pressure reducing valve is fully closed [Figure 17C] Diagram showing the state of a drive mechanism when a pressure reducing valve is fully closed [Figure 18A] Diagram showing the state of a drive mechanism when a pressure reducing valve is opened [Figure 18B] Diagram showing the state of a drive mechanism when a pressure reducing valve is opened [Figure 18C] Diagram showing the state of a drive mechanism when a pressure reducing valve is opened [Figure 19] Functional configuration diagram of the cooker according to Embodiment 4 [Figure 20] Diagram showing an example of the opening and closing speed of a pressure reducing valve in the cooker of Embodiment 4 [Figure 21] Diagram showing another example of the opening and closing speed of a pressure reducing valve in the cooker of Embodiment 4 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted.

[0010] The attached drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand this disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] The cooking appliance of this disclosure has the function of heating and cooking food under a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure. First, in Embodiments 1 to 3, a technique for integrally configuring a valve for adjusting the pressure inside the container of the cooking appliance and a safety valve for preventing the pressure inside the container from becoming abnormally high will be described. Next, in Embodiment 4, a technique for preventing the food being heated inside the container from overflowing when the pressure inside the container is returned to atmospheric pressure will be described.

[0012] (Embodiment 1) Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5C.

[0013] [1-1. Structure] Figures 1 to 3 show the configuration of the cooking appliance 10 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance 10 according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance 10 according to Embodiment 1 with the lid removed. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking appliance 10 according to Embodiment 1.

[0014] The cooking appliance 10 comprises a main body 11, a lid 12, a handle 13, a container 14, and a stirring blade 15.

[0015] Container 14 is detachably housed inside the main body 11 and contains the material to be heated. A stirring blade 15 for stirring the material to be heated is provided inside container 14. The stirring blade 15 is rotated by a motor. The motor is controlled by a control device. Container 14 is heated by a heating unit. The heating unit is controlled by a control device.

[0016] The lid 12 opens and closes the opening of the main body 11 in which the container 14 is housed. The cooker 10 of this embodiment is configured to increase the pressure inside the container 14 to atmospheric pressure or higher during heating. For this reason, an inner lid 17 is provided inside the lid 12 to airtightly close the opening of the container 14 when the lid 12 is closed. The space between the lid 12 and the inner lid 17 is sealed by a sealing portion 93. The sealing portion 93 may be a packing made of an elastic material. The sealing portion 93 may be provided on the lid 12, on the inner lid 17, or on both the lid 12 and the inner lid 17. The lid 12 is provided with an exhaust hole 16 for releasing steam generated inside the container 14 to the outside. A valve unit 20 for controlling the pressure inside the container 14 is provided in the middle of the passage 18 from the inner lid exhaust hole 19 to the exhaust hole 16, which is provided to release steam generated inside the container 14 to the outside.

[0017] Figure 4A is a perspective view of the underside of the inner lid 17. Figure 4B is a perspective view of the top surface of the inner lid 17. In order to heat the object to be heated by increasing the pressure inside the container 14 to a pressure above atmospheric pressure, a pressure reducing valve, which functions as a second valve to control the pressure inside the container 14, and a safety valve, which functions as a first valve to release pressure when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds a predetermined value, are provided in the middle of the passage 18. These valves need to be housed within the range 94 sealed by the seal portion 93. If multiple pressure reducing valves and safety valves are to be installed at different positions on the inner lid 17, a large number of mounting holes will need to be provided in the inner lid 17 at intervals necessary for processing, so the range 94 needs to be made wider. If this happens, when the pressure inside the container 14 is pressurized to a pressure above atmospheric pressure, stress will be applied to the range 94 of the inner lid 17, and the plane of the range 94 may deform out of plane, potentially reducing the airtightness between it and the seal portion 93. Also, the size of the seal portion 93 will increase, which will increase the cost of materials.

[0018] To solve these problems, the cooker 10 of this embodiment has a valve unit 20 integrating a pressure reducing valve and a safety valve, which is provided within the range 94 of the inner lid 17. This allows the inner lid 17 to be formed into a constricted shape so that the range 94 is reduced, thereby suppressing out-of-plane deformation of the inner lid 17 under pressure, and improving pressure resistance and airtightness. In addition, the material cost of the seal portion 93 can be reduced.

[0019] Figures 5A, 5B, and 5C schematically show the configuration of the valve unit 20 of the cooker 10 of Embodiment 1. The valve unit 20 is an integral configuration of a second valve, a pressure reducing valve 21, and a first valve, a safety valve 24. The valve unit 20 is provided in the middle of a passage 18 that runs from the inner lid exhaust hole 19 of the inner lid 17 to the exhaust hole 16 of the lid 12, and is provided to release steam generated inside the container 14 to the outside. The valve unit 20 is fixed to the inner lid 17 by a nozzle fixing spring 88 and a fixing nut 89. This prevents the valve unit 20 from coming off the inner lid 17 and prevents steam from leaking through gaps. Figure 5A shows the state in which the pressure reducing valve 21 and the safety valve 24 are closed. Figure 5B shows the state in which the pressure reducing valve 21 is open. Figure 5C shows the state in which the safety valve 24 is open.

[0020] The pressure reducing valve 21 comprises a valve body 22 that is movable in the vertical direction and a pressure reducing valve spring 23 that biases the valve body 22 upward. The pressure reducing valve spring 23 has a biasing force sufficient to support the weight of the valve body 22. The safety valve 24 comprises a valve body 25 that is movable in the vertical direction and a safety valve spring 26 that biases the valve body 25 downward.

[0021] In the closed state (Figure 5A), where the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21 is at its uppermost position and the valve body 25 of the safety valve 24 is at its lowermost position, the pressure reducing valve 21 closes the passage 81 between the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21 and the valve body 25 of the safety valve 24, and the safety valve 24 closes the passage 82 between the valve body 25 of the safety valve 24 and the base 97. As a result, the inside of the container 14 is pressurized to above atmospheric pressure.

[0022] In the pressure reducing valve open state (Figure 5B), when the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21 is moved to its lowest position, the pressure reducing valve 21 opens the flow path 81. As a result, steam inside the container 14 flows into the inside of the cover 90 through the holes 91 on the side and the holes 92 on the bottom of the cover 90 that cover the inner lid exhaust hole 19, and as shown by the arrows in Figure 5B, it is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust hole 16 via the inner lid exhaust hole 19, the flow path 83 and flow path 81 which constitute part of the passage 18, and the opening 96 of the outer shell 95, thus reducing the pressure inside the container 14. The cooker 10 can either close the pressure reducing valve 21 to increase the pressure inside the container 14 or open the pressure reducing valve 21 to reduce the pressure inside the container 14 during cooking. This allows for a rapid pressure change to be applied to the food being heated during cooking, causing the food to move inside the container 14, thereby reducing uneven heating and enabling efficient heating. It also allows for faster depressurization after cooking is complete. When cooking is complete, the cooker 10 gradually pushes down the upper part of the valve body 22 protruding from the upper end of the valve unit 20, opening the passage 18. This allows the steam inside the container 14 to be released to the outside through the exhaust hole 16, and the pressure inside the container 14 is returned to atmospheric pressure, so that the lid 12 can be opened. The valve body 22 may be moved electrically by a drive means such as a stepping motor, by a mechanical drive mechanism, or manually. The drive means or drive mechanism functions as a pressure control unit that controls the pressure inside the container 14 by controlling the opening and closing of the pressure reducing valve 21.

[0023] When the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds the biasing force of the safety valve spring 26, the valve body 25 of the safety valve 24 is pushed upward together with the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21, creating a gap between the valve body 25 and the base 97. That is, in the safety valve open state (Figure 5C) when the valve body 25 has moved to its uppermost position, the safety valve 24 opens the passage 82. As a result, the steam inside the container 14 flows into the cover 90 through the holes 91 on the side and the holes 92 on the bottom of the cover 90 that cover the inner lid exhaust hole 19, and is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust hole 16, passing through the inner lid exhaust hole 19, the passage 83 and passage 82 which constitute part of the passage 18, and the opening 96 of the outer shell 95, as shown by the arrows in Figure 5C, thus reducing the pressure inside the container 14. The biasing force of the safety valve spring 26 is adjusted so that when the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure value, the valve body 25 moves upward and the safety valve 24 opens. This ensures that even if the pressure reducing valve 21 malfunctions, the pressure inside the container 14 does not exceed the safety valve opening pressure value. If the pressure reducing valve 21 does not malfunction, the safety valve 24 remains closed and does not open.

[0024] The outer shell 95 of the valve unit 20 is made of a high-strength material to support the biasing force of the safety valve spring 26. The opening 96 provided in the outer shell 95 is preferably made as large as possible within the limits that the strength of the outer shell 95 is maintained in order to ensure ease of cleaning. The outer shell 95 is detachably fixed to the top surface of the valve unit 20 by female and male screws or the like. The outer shell 95 may be configured to be detachably fixed to the top surface of the valve unit 20 by rotating the outer shell 95. The outer shell 95 may be configured to be detachably fixed to the top surface of the valve unit 20 by hooking it onto the top surface of the valve unit 20 with a claw. This allows the outer shell 95 to be removed and the inside of the valve unit 20 to be cleaned, making it less likely for clogging to occur.

[0025] The pressure reducing valve 21, safety valve 24, and base 97 are arranged on the same axis. The pressure reducing valve 21, safety valve 24, and base 97 are housed in the same housing and are positioned by the outer shell 95 of the valve unit 20 so that they are arranged on the same axis. This ensures a margin of safety in the sealing area while securing the radial sealing area between the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21 and the valve body 25 of the safety valve 24, and the sealing area between the valve body 25 of the safety valve 24 and the base 97, thereby allowing the size of the valve unit 20 to be reduced. In order to quickly discharge steam from inside the container 14 when the pressure reducing valve 21 is open, the opening area (open area: Q in Figure 5B) formed by the pressure reducing valve 21 and the safety valve 24 when the pressure reducing valve 21 is open should be equal to or greater than the opening area (flow path area: S in Figure 5B) of the inner lid exhaust port 19 (for example, 28 mm²). 2 It is desirable that the above conditions are met. The open area Q and the flow path area S may be determined to match the opening area when the cooker 10 heats food or dishes without pressurizing the inside of the container 14 with the pressure reducing valve 21 open. In the cooker 10 of this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 21 and the safety valve 24 are arranged concentrically on the same axis as described above, and the valve body is configured to operate by moving up and down, so that an open area Q equal to or greater than the flow path area S can be secured with the minimum arrangement area, so that even when the pressure reducing valve is open, the steam inside the container 14 is not quickly discharged and does not become pressurized.

[0026] The pressure reducing valve 21 and the safety valve 24 are located in the same passage 18 for discharging steam from the inside of the container 14 to the outside. Furthermore, the pressure reducing valve 21 and the safety valve 24 share an inner lid exhaust port 19 and a flow path 83 for discharging steam from the inside of the container 14. This allows for a larger area of ​​the inner lid exhaust port 19 while suppressing the pressure on each component, enabling rapid discharge of steam from inside the container 14 to the outside during depressurization. Additionally, the number of holes in the inner lid 17 can be reduced, improving airtightness and lowering manufacturing costs.

[0027] It is preferable to reduce the thickness and weight of parts common to the pressure reducing valve 21 and the safety valve 24, while ensuring sufficient pressure resistance and opening area for exhaust. This allows for a reduction in the size of the valve unit 20. Furthermore, since the pressure reducing valve 21 can be made smaller, the biasing force of the safety valve spring 26, which is located outside the pressure reducing valve 21, can be reduced. Consequently, the wire diameter of the safety valve spring 26 can be reduced, suppressing variations in the biasing force of the safety valve spring 26 and enabling stable operation. In addition, the number of safety valves 24 can be reduced, thereby lowering the number of parts and manufacturing costs, and improving ease of assembly.

[0028] Since both the pressure reducing valve 21 and the safety valve 24 are opened and closed by the movement of their valve bodies in the vertical direction, placing them side by side increases the horizontal size of the valve unit 20. In the valve unit 20 of this embodiment, instead of placing the pressure reducing valve 21 and the safety valve 24 side by side, the pressure reducing valve 21 is integrally configured so that it is enclosed inside the safety valve 24, thereby reducing the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 20. In addition, since the passage 18 can be shared, the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 20 can be reduced, and the convenience for the user when cleaning can be improved. Furthermore, the restrictions on the layout of parts can be reduced. In addition, since the convex shape of the inner cover 17 can be reduced, snagging of heated objects and snagging during cleaning can be reduced. The pressure reducing valve 21 and the safety valve 24 may be provided adjacent to each other. In this case as well, since the passage 18 can be shared, the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 20 can be reduced, and the convenience for the user when cleaning can be improved.

[0029] In the valve unit 20 of this embodiment, the safety valve 24 is provided on the outside of the pressure reducing valve 21. This allows the use of a spring with a larger diameter than the pressure reducing valve spring 23 as the safety valve spring 26 of the safety valve 24, which opens at a higher pressure than the pressure reducing valve 21. This reduces the size and cost of the valve unit 20 and improves the safety of the cooker 10. Furthermore, since the opening area of ​​the pressure reducing valve 21 can be reduced, the operating force of the pressure reducing valve 21 when depressurizing after pressure cooking can be reduced, and the torque of the motor, etc., used to move the valve body 22 can be reduced, thus allowing the valve unit 20 to be miniaturized. The opening area of ​​the valve unit 20 may be larger than the opening area of ​​the pressure reducing valve 21. This improves ease of cleaning.

[0030] [1-2. Operation] The operation and function of the cooking appliance 10, which is configured as described above, will now be explained. The user grasps the handle 13 and opens the lid 12, and places the food to be heated, such as ingredients, into the container 14. The user closes the lid 12, sets heating conditions such as temperature, heating time, and whether or not to stir, via the user interface of the cooking appliance 10, and instructs the start of heating. The control device of the cooking appliance 10 controls the heating unit for heating the container 14, the motor for rotating the stirring blade 15, and other components according to the set heating conditions.

[0031] When the internal pressure of container 14 is at atmospheric pressure, the pressure reducing valve 21 is open. When the control device pressurizes the inside of container 14 during heating, it closes the pressure reducing valve 21. This causes the internal pressure of container 14 to increase due to the steam generated inside container 14. When the control device depressurizes the inside of container 14 during heating, it opens the pressure reducing valve 21. This causes some of the steam to be released to the outside through the exhaust port 16 via the passage 18, and the internal pressure of container 14 drops to near atmospheric pressure (1.05 atmospheres or less).

[0032] If the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure value due to a malfunction of the pressure reducing valve 21 or the like, the safety valve 24 opens and steam is released to the outside through the exhaust port 16 via the passage 18. This prevents the internal pressure of the container 14 from exceeding the safety valve opening pressure value.

[0033] When heating is complete, the control device gradually opens the pressure reducing valve 21 by gradually pushing down the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21, gradually releasing the steam inside the container 14 to the outside and reducing the pressure inside the container 14. When the pressure inside the container 14 returns to atmospheric pressure, the user grasps the handle 13 to open the lid 12 and removes the heated object from the container 14.

[0034] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the cooker 10 comprises a container 14 for containing the food to be heated, a heating unit for heating the container 14 or the inside of the container 14, a safety valve 24 provided in a passage 18 for releasing steam generated inside the container 14 to the outside and releasing pressure when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds a predetermined value, and a pressure reducing valve 21 provided in the passage 18 for controlling the pressure inside the container 14, with the safety valve 24 and the pressure reducing valve 21 being integrally configured. This makes it possible to reduce the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the cooker 10.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cooker 10 includes a pressure control unit that controls the pressure inside the container 14 by controlling the opening and closing of the pressure reducing valve 21. This allows for appropriate control of the pressure inside the container 14.

[0036] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the safety valve 24 is provided on the outside of the pressure reducing valve 21. This reduces the size and cost of the cooking appliance 10, and also improves the safety of the cooking appliance 10.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the safety valve 24 and the pressure reducing valve 21 open and close by the movement of their valve bodies in the vertical direction. This reduces the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the cooking appliance 10.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first valve is a safety valve 24 that releases pressure when the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure value, and the second valve is a pressure reducing valve 21 that lowers the internal pressure of the container 14 when open and raises the internal pressure of the container 14 when closed. The second valve may be the safety valve 24, or a pressure regulating valve that releases pressure when the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds a pressure regulating valve opening pressure value that is lower than the safety valve opening pressure value. This allows for appropriate control of the internal pressure of the container 14.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 21 is configured such that its valve body 22 is biased to close the passage 18, and the passage 18 is opened by mechanically or manually moving the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21. The safety valve 24 is configured such that its valve body 25 is biased to close the passage 18, and the pressure inside the container 14 is released when the valve body 25 of the safety valve 24 moves when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds the biasing force. This makes it possible to reduce the size and cost of the cooker 10, as well as improve the safety of the cooker 10.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 21 is configured such that the passage 18 is opened when the valve body 22 moves downward, and the safety valve 24 is configured such that the passage 18 is opened when the valve body 25 moves upward. This makes it possible to reduce the size and cost of the cooker 10, as well as to improve the safety of the cooker 10.

[0041] (Embodiment 2) Embodiment 2 will be described below with reference to Figure 6.

[0042] [2-1. Structure] Figure 6 schematically shows the configuration of the valve unit 20 of the cooker 10 of Embodiment 2. The cooker 10 of Embodiment 2 is equipped with a pressure regulating valve 27 as a second valve, instead of the pressure reducing valve 21 of the cooker 10 of Embodiment 1. The other configurations and operations are the same as in Embodiment 1. Figure 6 shows the state in which the pressure regulating valve 27 and the safety valve 24 are closed.

[0043] The pressure regulating valve 27 comprises a valve body 28 that is movable in the vertical direction and a pressure regulating valve spring 29 that biases the valve body 28 downward. The pressure regulating valve 27 opens when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds the pressure regulating valve opening pressure value and closes when the pressure inside the container 14 falls below the pressure regulating valve opening pressure value. This maintains a constant pressure inside the container 14. The pressure regulating valve 27 may be configured to allow adjustment of the pressure regulating valve opening pressure value. For example, the spring constants of the pressure regulating valve spring 29 and the safety valve spring 26 may be adjusted by making the outer shell 95 movable. The biasing force of the pressure regulating valve spring 29 and the safety valve spring 26 may be electrically adjusted by a driving means such as a motor, by a mechanical driving mechanism, or by manual adjustment. The other configurations and operation of the pressure regulating valve 27 are the same as those of the pressure reducing valve 21 in Embodiment 1.

[0044] According to the cooking appliance 10 of this embodiment, the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 20 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the passage 18 can be made common, the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 20 can be reduced, and the convenience for the user when cleaning can be improved. In addition, since a spring with a larger diameter than the pressure regulating valve spring 29 can be used as the safety valve spring 26 of the safety valve 24, which opens at a higher pressure than the pressure regulating valve 27, the size and cost of the valve unit 20 can be reduced, and the safety of the cooking appliance 10 can be improved. Furthermore, since the pressure inside the container 14 can be maintained at the pressure regulating valve opening pressure value, the food to be heated can be cooked more appropriately. Furthermore, the restrictions on the layout of parts can be reduced. Furthermore, since the convex shape can be reduced, snagging of the food to be heated and snagging during cleaning can be reduced. The pressure regulating valve 27 and the safety valve 24 may be provided adjacent to each other. The pressure regulating valve 27 and the safety valve 24 may be interchangeable. In this case as well, since the passage 18 can be standardized, the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 20 can be reduced, and the convenience for users when performing maintenance can be improved.

[0045] [2-2. Operation] The operation and function of the cooking appliance 10 configured as described above are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0046] [2-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the cooker 10 comprises a container 14 for containing the food to be heated, a heating unit for heating the container 14 or the inside of the container 14, a safety valve 24 provided in a passage 18 for releasing steam generated inside the container 14 to the outside and releasing pressure when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds a predetermined value, and a pressure regulating valve 27 provided in the passage 18 for controlling the pressure inside the container 14, with the safety valve 24 and the pressure regulating valve 27 being integrally configured. This reduces the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the cooker 10.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cooker 10 includes a pressure control unit that controls the pressure inside the container 14 by controlling the opening and closing of the pressure regulating valve 27. This allows the pressure inside the container 14 to be appropriately adjusted.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the safety valve 24 is provided on the outside of the pressure regulating valve 27. This reduces the size and cost of the cooker 10, and also improves the safety of the cooker 10.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the safety valve 24 and the pressure regulating valve 27 open and close by the movement of their valve bodies in the vertical direction. This reduces the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the cooking appliance 10.

[0050] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first valve is a safety valve 24 that releases pressure when the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure value, and the second valve is a pressure regulating valve 27 that maintains the internal pressure of the container 14 at the pressure regulating valve opening pressure value. The first valve may be a pressure regulating valve 27. The second valve may be a pressure reducing valve 21 or a safety valve 24. This allows the internal pressure of the container 14 to be appropriately adjusted.

[0051] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure regulating valve 27 is configured such that its valve body 28 is biased to close the passage 18, and the passage 18 is opened by mechanically or manually moving the valve body 28 of the pressure regulating valve 27. The safety valve 24 is configured such that its valve body 25 is biased to close the passage 18, and the pressure inside the container 14 is released when the valve body 25 of the safety valve 24 moves when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds the biasing force. This makes it possible to reduce the size and cost of the cooker 10, as well as improve the safety of the cooker 10.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure regulating valve 27 is configured such that the passage 18 is opened when the valve body 28 moves upward, and the safety valve 24 is configured such that the passage 18 is opened when the valve body 25 moves upward. This makes it possible to reduce the size and cost of the cooker 10, as well as to improve the safety of the cooker 10.

[0053] (Embodiment 3) Embodiment 3 will be described below with reference to Figures 7A to 9.

[0054] [3-1. Structure] The cooking appliance 10 of Embodiment 3 is equipped with a valve unit 30 in place of the valve unit 20 of the cooking appliance 10 of Embodiment 1. The other configurations and operations are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0055] Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C schematically show the configuration of the valve unit 30 of the cooker 10 of Embodiment 3. The valve unit 30 is an integral configuration of a second valve, a pressure reducing valve 31, and a first valve, a safety valve 34. Figure 7A shows the pressure reducing valve 31 in the open state. Figure 7B shows the pressure reducing valve 31 in the closed state. Figure 7C shows the safety valve 34 in the open state. The valve unit 30 is provided in the middle of the passage 18 from the inner lid exhaust hole 19 of the inner lid 17 to the exhaust hole 16 of the lid 12, which is provided to release steam generated inside the container 14 to the outside.

[0056] The pressure reducing valve 31 comprises a valve body 32 that is movable in the vertical direction and a pressure reducing valve spring 33 that biases the valve body 32 upward. The pressure reducing valve spring 33 has a biasing force greater than or equal to the weight of the valve body 32 and the pressure applied to the valve body 32. The safety valve 34 comprises a valve body 35 that is movable in the vertical direction and a safety valve spring 36 that biases the valve body 35 downward.

[0057] In the open state (Figure 7A), when the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31 is moved to its uppermost position, the pressure reducing valve 31 opens the flow path 84 below the valve body 32. As a result, the steam inside the container 14 is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 16 via the flow path 84, which forms part of the passage 18, as shown by the arrow in Figure 7A, thus reducing the pressure inside the container 14.

[0058] In the closed state (Figure 7B), when the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31 and the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34 are both in their lowest positions, the pressure reducing valve 31 closes the flow path 84. This increases the pressure inside the container 14 to above atmospheric pressure. Conversely to the pressure reducing valve 21 in Embodiment 1, in the initial state when no load is applied to the pressure reducing valve 31, the valve body 32 is biased by the pressure reducing valve spring 33 and is in the uppermost position, so the pressure reducing valve 31 is in the open state. The cooker 10 increases the pressure inside the container 14 by closing the pressure reducing valve 31 during cooking, or decreases the pressure inside the container 14 by opening the pressure reducing valve 31. This applies a rapid pressure change to the food being heated during cooking, causing the food to move inside the container 14, thus reducing uneven heating and enabling efficient heating. It also speeds up the depressurization after cooking is complete. When the cooker 10 increases the pressure inside the container 14 during cooking, it moves the valve body 32 to its lowest position by pushing it down, thereby closing the pressure reducing valve 31. The valve body 32 may be moved electrically by a drive means such as a stepping motor, by a mechanical drive mechanism, or manually. By pushing down the outer shell 95, the valve body 32 may also be indirectly pushed down by a spring 99 provided between the outer shell 95 and the valve body 32. The drive means or drive mechanism functions as a pressure control unit that controls the pressure inside the container 14 by controlling the opening and closing of the pressure reducing valve 31. When cooking is finished, the cooker 10 gradually reduces the force pushing down the valve body 32, gradually moving the valve body 32 upward and opening the passage 98. As a result, the steam inside the container 14 is released to the outside through the exhaust hole 16, and the inside of the container 14 is returned to atmospheric pressure, so the lid 12 can be opened.

[0059] In the open state (Figure 7C), when the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34 is in its uppermost position, the safety valve 34 opens the passage 85 between the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34 and the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31. As a result, the steam inside the container 14 is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 16 via the passage 85, which forms part of the passage 18, as shown by the arrow in Figure 7C, thus reducing the pressure inside the container 14. The biasing force of the safety valve spring 36 is adjusted so that when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure value, the valve body 35 moves upward and the safety valve 34 opens. This ensures that even if there is a malfunction in the pressure reducing valve 31, the pressure inside the container 14 does not exceed the safety valve opening pressure value. If there is no malfunction in the pressure reducing valve 31, the safety valve 34 remains closed and does not open.

[0060] The pressure reducing valve 31 may be configured to allow adjustment of the spring constants of the pressure reducing valve spring 33 and the safety valve spring 36 by pressing down on the outer casing 95. The operating pressure of the pressure reducing valve 31 and the safety valve opening pressure are determined by the amount of movement of the outer casing 95 and the spring force of the pressure reducing valve spring 33 and the safety valve spring 36. In this case, the pressure reducing valve 31 can have the function of both a pressure reducing valve and a pressure regulating valve. Alternatively, the safety valve 34 may be used as a pressure regulating valve. Alternatively, a pressure regulating valve may be provided instead of the pressure reducing valve 31.

[0061] Since both the pressure reducing valve 31 and the safety valve 34 are opened and closed by the movement of their valve bodies in the vertical direction, placing them side by side increases the horizontal size of the valve unit 30. In the valve unit 30 of this embodiment, instead of placing the pressure reducing valve 31 and the safety valve 34 side by side, the safety valve 34 is integrally configured so that it is enclosed inside the pressure reducing valve 31, thereby reducing the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 30. In addition, since the passage 18 can be made common, the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 30 can be reduced, and the convenience for the user when cleaning can be improved. Furthermore, the restrictions on the layout of parts can be reduced. In addition, since the convex shape of the inner cover 17 can be reduced, snagging of heated objects and snagging during cleaning can be reduced. The pressure reducing valve 31 and the safety valve 34 may be provided adjacent to each other. The pressure reducing valve 31 and the safety valve 24 may be interchangeable. In this case as well, since the passage 18 can be standardized, the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 30 can be reduced, and the convenience for users when performing maintenance can be improved.

[0062] In the valve unit 30 of this embodiment, the safety valve 34 is provided inside the pressure reducing valve 31. The pressure reducing valve 31 is configured to be in an open state in its initial state. As a result, even if a malfunction occurs in the driving means or driving mechanism for driving the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31, the passage 18 will not be blocked and the pressure inside the container 14 will not rise, thereby improving safety.

[0063] Figure 8 schematically shows another configuration example of the valve unit 30 of the cooker 10. The valve unit 30 is an integral configuration of a second valve, a pressure reducing valve 31, and a first valve, a safety valve 34. The valve unit 30 is provided in the middle of the passage 18 that runs from the inner lid exhaust hole 19 of the inner lid 17 to the exhaust hole 16 of the lid 12, and is provided to release steam generated inside the container 14 to the outside.

[0064] The pressure reducing valve 31 comprises a valve body 32 that is movable in the vertical direction and a pressure reducing valve spring 33 that biases the valve body 32 upward. The pressure reducing valve spring 33 is provided between the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31 and the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34 and has a biasing force greater than or equal to the weight of the valve body 32 and the pressure applied to the valve body 32. This allows the pressure reducing valve 31 to be configured to be in the open state in its initial state, thereby improving safety. The safety valve 34 comprises a valve body 35 that is movable in the vertical direction and a safety valve spring 36 that biases the valve body 35 upward. The safety valve spring 36 has a biasing force greater than or equal to the weight of the valve body 35 and the pressure applied to the valve body 35. This allows the safety valve 34 to be configured to be in the open state in its initial state, thereby improving safety. In the valve unit 30 shown in Figures 7A, 7B, and 7C, the safety valve 34 is located inside the pressure reducing valve 31, but in the valve unit 30 shown in this figure, the safety valve 34 is located outside the pressure reducing valve 31.

[0065] In the initial state, the pressure reducing valve spring 33 opens the passage 85 between the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31 and the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34, or the safety valve spring 36 opens the passage 84 below the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34. The safety valve 34 may be configured to open the passage 84 in the initial state by biasing the valve body 35 downward by the safety valve spring 36, or it may be configured to close the passage 84 in the initial state by adjusting the spring pressure of the central safety valve spring 86 provided between the outer shell 95 and the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31. When the outer shell 95 is pushed down, the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31 moves to its lowest position due to the central safety valve spring 86 located between the outer shell 95 and the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31, and the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34 moves to its lowest position due to the spring 99 located between the outer shell 95 and the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34 and the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31. In this closed state, the pressure reducing valve 31 and the safety valve 34 close the passage 85 and passage 84. When the force pushing down the outer shell 95 is reduced, the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31 moves upward, creating a gap between it and the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34, and opening the passage 85. When the internal pressure of container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure, the valve body 35 of safety valve 34 moves upward, overcoming the downward force acting on the valve body 35 of safety valve 34 and the valve body 32 of pressure reducing valve 31 (the biasing force of the central safety valve spring 86 and the force pushing down the outer shell 95). In this safety valve operating state (Figure 8), safety valve 34 opens the passage 84. As a result, the steam inside container 14 is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 16 via the passage 84, which forms part of the passage 18, as shown by the arrow in Figure 8, thus reducing the pressure inside container 14.

[0066] This configuration also helps to reduce the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 30. Furthermore, since the passage 18 can be standardized, the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the valve unit 30 can be reduced, and the convenience for the user during maintenance can be improved. In addition, the constraints on the parts layout can be reduced. Moreover, since the protruding shape of the inner cover 17 can be reduced, snagging of heated objects and snagging during cleaning can be reduced.

[0067] [3-2. Operation] The operation and function of the cooking appliance 10 configured as described above are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0068] [3-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the cooker 10 comprises a container 14 for containing the food to be heated, a heating unit for heating the container 14 or the inside of the container 14, a safety valve 34 provided in a passage 18 for releasing steam generated inside the container 14 to the outside, which releases pressure when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure value, and a pressure reducing valve 31 provided in the passage 18 for controlling the pressure inside the container 14, with the safety valve 34 and the pressure reducing valve 31 being integrally configured. This makes it possible to reduce the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the cooker 10.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the cooker 10 includes a pressure control unit that controls the pressure inside the container 14 by controlling the opening and closing of the pressure reducing valve 31. This allows for appropriate control of the pressure inside the container 14.

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the safety valve 34 is provided on the outside of the pressure reducing valve 31. This reduces the size and cost of the cooker 10, and also improves the safety of the cooker 10.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the safety valve 34 and the pressure reducing valve 31 open and close by the movement of their valve bodies in the vertical direction. This reduces the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the cooking appliance 10.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first valve is a safety valve 34 that releases pressure when the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure value, and the second valve is a pressure reducing valve 31 that lowers the internal pressure of the container 14 when open and raises the internal pressure of the container 14 when closed. The first valve may also be a pressure regulating valve that releases pressure when the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds a pressure regulating valve opening pressure value that is lower than the safety valve opening pressure value. The second valve may be either a safety valve or a pressure regulating valve. This allows for appropriate control of the internal pressure of the container 14.

[0073] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 31 is configured such that its valve body 32 is biased to close the passage 18, and the passage 18 is opened by mechanically or manually moving the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31. The safety valve 34 is configured such that its valve body 35 is biased to close the passage 18, and the pressure inside the container 14 is released when the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34 moves when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds the biasing force. This makes it possible to reduce the size and cost of the cooker 10, as well as improve the safety of the cooker 10.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 31 is configured such that the passage 18 is opened when the valve body 32 moves upward, and the safety valve 34 is configured such that the passage 18 is opened when the valve body 35 moves upward. This makes it possible to reduce the size and cost of the cooker 10, as well as to improve the safety of the cooker 10.

[0075] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the safety valve 34 is provided inside the pressure reducing valve 31. This reduces the size and cost of the cooker 10, and also improves the safety of the cooker 10.

[0076] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the safety valve 34 and the pressure reducing valve 31 open and close by the movement of their valve bodies in the vertical direction. This reduces the size, number of parts, and manufacturing cost of the cooking appliance 10.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first valve is a safety valve 34 that releases pressure when the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure value, and the second valve is a pressure reducing valve 31 that lowers the internal pressure of the container 14 when open and raises the internal pressure of the container 14 when closed. The first valve may also be a pressure regulating valve that releases pressure when the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds a pressure regulating valve opening pressure value that is lower than the safety valve opening pressure value. The second valve may be either a safety valve or a pressure regulating valve. This allows for appropriate control of the internal pressure of the container 14.

[0078] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 31 is configured such that its valve body 32 is biased to open the passage 18, and the passage 18 is closed by mechanically or manually moving the valve body 32 of the pressure reducing valve 31. The safety valve 34 is configured such that its valve body 35 is biased to close the passage 18, and the pressure inside the container 14 is released when the valve body 35 of the safety valve 34 moves when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds the biasing force. This makes it possible to reduce the size and cost of the cooker 10, as well as improve the safety of the cooker 10.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 31 is configured such that the passage 18 is closed when the valve body 32 moves downward, and the safety valve 34 is configured such that the passage 18 is opened when the valve body 35 moves upward. This makes it possible to reduce the size and cost of the cooker 10, as well as to improve the safety of the cooker 10.

[0080] As described above, Embodiments 1 to 3 have been explained as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited thereto and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted. Furthermore, it is possible to create new embodiments by combining the components described in Embodiments 1 to 3 above.

[0081] In any of the valve units of Embodiments 1 to 3, one or more pressure reducing valves, one or more pressure regulating valves, and one or more safety valves may be provided in any combination. The first valve that releases pressure when the pressure inside the container 14 exceeds a predetermined value may be a safety valve or a pressure regulating valve. The second valve for controlling the pressure inside the container 14 may be a pressure reducing valve or a pressure regulating valve. All valves may be provided coaxially, or at least some valves may be provided adjacent to each other. The arrangement order of the multiple valves provided coaxially from the outside may also be arbitrary.

[0082] When manually moving valve bodies such as pressure reducing valves, pressure regulating valves, and safety valves to discharge steam from inside the container 14 to the outside, the cooker 10 may receive instructions from the user via a user interface provided on the cooker 10. Figure 9 shows an example of a user interface for the cooker 10. The user interface includes an input unit 53 that includes buttons for receiving instructions from the user, and a display unit 54 for displaying various information. The cooker 10 may receive operation instructions for a drive means such as a stepping motor from the user via the buttons on the input unit 53, and move the valve body by controlling the drive means according to the operation instructions. In this case, the cooker 10 may display the amount of steam discharged on the display unit 54 so that the user can adjust the exhaust amount while visually checking it. This allows the user to open and close the valve at any timing and speed, so that exhaust can be performed safely and quickly without boiling over after cooking.

[0083] (Embodiment 4) Embodiment 4 will be described below with reference to Figures 10 to 21.

[0084] [4-1. Structure] The cooking appliance 10 of Embodiment 4 has the same configuration as the cooking appliance 10 of any of Embodiments 1 to 3. The following description will focus on the case where the cooking appliance has the same configuration as the cooking appliance 10 of Embodiment 1, but the same applies to the case where the cooking appliance has the same configuration as the cooking appliance 10 of Embodiment 2 or 3.

[0085] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration around a valve unit 20 of a cooker 10 according to a fourth embodiment. When the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened after completion of heating cooking under a pressure equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 10, steam inside a container 14 passes through the opened portion of the pressure reducing valve 21 and flows into a space 40 communicating with an exhaust hole 16. If an object to be heated inside the container 14 abruptly flows into the space 40 together with a large amount of steam, it may spill out from the exhaust hole 16. In order to reduce such a situation, the cooker 10 of the present embodiment opens the pressure reducing valve 21 by moving a valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21 downward by pressing down a pin 46 to return the inside of the container 14 to atmospheric pressure after completion of heating cooking under a pressure equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure, wherein the speed of opening the pressure reducing valve 21 is variably controlled to gradually open the pressure reducing valve 21. This can suppress the object to be heated inside the container 14 from spilling out of the exhaust hole 16 together with steam due to abrupt pressure release.

[0086] FIG. 11 shows a temporal change of an opening area Q of the pressure reducing valve 21. When the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened to return the pressure inside the container 14 to atmospheric pressure after completion of heating cooking under a pressure equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure, a pressure control unit of the cooker 10 sets the speed of opening the pressure reducing valve 21 to be slower in a first period a1 from a time point t0 when opening of the pressure reducing valve 21 is started to a predetermined time point t1, than in at least a part of a subsequent second period a2. Here, the predetermined time point t1 is a time point when the area (opening area) Q of an opening portion generated between the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21 and a valve body 25 of a safety valve 24 when the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened becomes equal to the area (flow path area) S of a flow path through which steam passes inside the pressure reducing valve 21 (see FIG. 5B). That is, the opening area Q0 at the time point t0 is 0, the opening area Q1 at the time point t1 is equal to S, and the opening area Q in the first period a1 satisfies 0≦Q≦S. In at least a part of the second period a2 from the time point t1 to a time point t2, the speed of opening the pressure reducing valve 21 is made faster than in the first period a1. The time point t2 is a time point when the opening area Q of the pressure reducing valve 21 becomes equal to the opening area Q when the pressure reducing valve 21 is fully open MAX . That is, the opening area Q2 at the time point t2 is equal to Q MAX , and the opening area Q in the second period a2 satisfies S<Q≦Q MAXTherefore, from time t2 onward, the open area Q of the pressure reducing valve 21 is Q MAX This is maintained. The flow path area S may be the area of ​​the flow path 83 between the inner cover exhaust port 19 and the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21. In the first period a1, the speed at which the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened may be constant, monotonically increasing, gradually increasing, or curvilinear increasing.

[0087] Figures 12, 13, and 14 show the relationship between the opening area Q and the flow path area S of the pressure reducing valve 21. Figure 12 shows the state when the pressure reducing valve 21 is fully closed (Q=Q0=0). Figure 13 shows the state when the opening area Q is equal to the flow path area S (Q=Q1=S). Figure 14 shows the state when the pressure reducing valve 21 is fully open (Q=Q2=Q MAX This shows the state of ). When the pressure reducing valve 21 is fully closed, as shown in Figure 12, the opening area Q of the pressure reducing valve 21 is zero. When the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened, in the first period a1, the opening area Q is smaller than the flow path area S, so the steam flow passing through the pressure reducing valve 21 is rate-determined at the opening between the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21 and the valve body 25 of the safety valve 24. That is, in the first period a1, as the opening area Q increases, the flow velocity of the steam flowing from the flow path to the space 40 increases. When the opening area Q exceeds the flow path area S, the steam flow passing through the pressure reducing valve 21 is rate-determined at the flow path 83, so even if the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened further, the flow velocity of the steam flowing through the flow path does not change. Therefore, in the second period a2, the pressure reducing valve 21 may be opened faster than in the first period a1. Note that if the flow path area S differs depending on the location, the smallest flow path area may be used as S. When the open area Q exceeds the flow path area S, for example, when the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21 is pushed down and the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened, the open area Q of the open portion of the pressure reducing valve 21 becomes wider than the flow path area S of the flow path 83 between the inner cover exhaust hole 19 and the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21, which is the smallest flow path area among the steam flow paths inside the valve unit 20 excluding the open portion of the pressure reducing valve 21, and the flow velocity of the steam in the flow path 83 and the flow velocity of the steam in the open portion of the pressure reducing valve 21 are equal.

[0088] Figures 15 and 16 show the configuration of the valve control unit for controlling the opening degree of the pressure reducing valve 21. Figure 16 is a partially enlarged view of Figure 15. The valve control unit 50 comprises a motor 41, a gear 42, a drive mechanism 43, a gear 44, an inclined surface 45, and a pin 46.

[0089] Figures 17A, 17B, and 17C show the state of the drive mechanism 43 when the pressure reducing valve 21 is fully closed. Figure 17A is a top view of the valve control unit 50. Figure 17B is a cross-sectional view AA of Figure 17A. Figure 17C is a perspective view of cross-sectional view AA of Figure 17A. A pin 46 is provided at the upper end of the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21. An inclined surface 45 is provided on the lower surface of a part of the drive mechanism 43. As the drive mechanism 43 rotates, the inclined surface 45 pushes down the pin 46, the valve body 22 moves downward, and the pressure reducing valve 21 opens. A gear 44 is provided in the drive mechanism 43. The rotational force from the motor 41 is transmitted from a gear 42 attached to the motor 41 to the gear 44 of the drive mechanism 43, thereby rotating the drive mechanism 43.

[0090] Figures 18A, 18B, and 18C show the state of the drive mechanism when the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened. Figure 18A is a top view of the valve control unit 50. Figure 18B is a cross-sectional view of BB in Figure 18A. Figure 18C is a perspective view of the BB cross-section in Figure 18A. The inclined surface 45 of the drive mechanism 43 is inclined such that when the drive mechanism 43 is rotated at a constant speed, the opening degree of the pressure reducing valve 21 changes over time as shown in Figure 11. That is, the inclination of the inclined surface 47 that contacts the pin 46 and pushes down the pin 46 during the first period a1 until the open area of ​​the pressure reducing valve 21 becomes equal to the flow path area is gentler than the inclination of the inclined surface 48 that contacts the pin 46 and pushes down the pin 46 during the second period a2 thereafter.

[0091] In the case of the cooking appliance 10 of embodiments 3 and 4, a drive mechanism for pushing up the valve body in order to open the pressure reducing valve 31 or the pressure regulating valve 37 may be provided below the pressure reducing valve 31 or the pressure regulating valve 37.

[0092] Figure 19 shows the functional configuration of the cooker 10 according to Embodiment 4. The cooker 10 includes a heating unit 51, a motor 52 for rotating the stirring blade 15, a motor 41 for rotating the drive mechanism 43, an input unit 53, a display unit 54, a control device 60, and a storage device 80.

[0093] The input unit 53 receives instructions from the user. The input unit 53 may include buttons, switches, touchpads, etc. The display unit 54 displays images output from the control device 60. The display unit 54 may include a liquid crystal display device, etc. The input unit 53 and the display unit 54 may be implemented using a touch panel or the like.

[0094] The storage device 80 stores programs, data, etc., used by the control device 60. The storage device 80 may be a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, or the like.

[0095] The control device 60 comprises a setting reception unit 61, a heating control unit 62, a stirring control unit 63, and a pressure control unit 64. These configurations can be implemented in hardware terms by arbitrary circuits, a computer's CPU, memory, or other LSIs, and in software terms by programs loaded into memory, but here we are describing functional blocks that are realized through the cooperation of these components. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be implemented in various forms, such as hardware only or a combination of hardware and software.

[0096] The setting reception unit 61 receives settings for heating conditions such as the temperature to be heated, heating time, and whether or not to stir the food to be heated from the user via the input unit 53. If heating patterns corresponding to the type of food to be heated or the type of dish are stored in the storage device 80 in advance, the setting reception unit 61 may display a menu on the display unit 54 to receive settings for the type of food to be heated or the type of dish from the user.

[0097] The heating control unit 62 controls the heating unit 51 that heats the container 14 or the inside of the container 14. The heating control unit 62 controls the heating unit 51 according to the settings received by the setting reception unit 61.

[0098] The stirring control unit 63 controls the motor 52 for rotating the stirring blade 15. The stirring control unit 63 controls the motor 52 according to the settings received by the setting reception unit 61.

[0099] The pressure control unit 64 controls the motor 41 for opening the pressure reducing valve 21. After cooking under pressure is complete, the pressure control unit 64 opens the pressure reducing valve 21 to return the pressure inside the container 14 to atmospheric pressure. During the first period a1 from when the pressure reducing valve 21 starts to open until a predetermined time t1, the pressure control unit 64 opens the pressure reducing valve 21 at a slower rate than at least a portion of the second period a2 thereafter. In this embodiment, when the pressure control unit 64 rotates the motor 41 at a predetermined speed, the drive mechanism 43 opens the pressure reducing valve 21 at the speed shown in Figure 11. The pressure control unit 64 may be configured to adjust the speed at which it pushes down the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21.

[0100] The pressure control unit 64 may adjust the speed at which the pressure reducing valve 21 opens according to the pressure inside the container 14, the temperature inside the container 14, the lid 12, or the inner lid 17, the type of food being heated, its viscosity, the amount of water contained in the food being heated, the amount of steam, etc. For example, if the pressure inside the container 14 is lower than a predetermined value, the pressure reducing valve 21 may be opened at a faster speed than when the pressure inside the container 14 is higher than a predetermined value. Also, the opening and closing speed of the pressure reducing valve 21 may be increased or decreased when a predetermined temperature is reached. Furthermore, when cooking a high-viscosity dish, the pressure reducing valve 21 may be opened at a faster speed than when cooking a low-viscosity dish. This allows the inside of the container 14 to return to atmospheric pressure more quickly. Also, when heating a food that crumbles easily, the pressure reducing valve 21 may be opened at a slower speed than when heating a food that does not crumble easily. This helps to prevent the food from crumbling. The type of food being heated, its viscosity, the amount of water contained in the food being heated, etc. may be determined based on the heating conditions received by the setting reception unit 61.

[0101] Figure 20 shows an example of the opening and closing speed of the pressure reducing valve 21 in the cooker 10 of Embodiment 4. The solid line shows an example of the opening and closing speed of the pressure reducing valve 21 shown in Figure 11. When the amount of food to be heated is small, or when the viscosity of the food to be heated is low, and the possibility of boiling over is low, the pressure control unit 64 may open the pressure reducing valve 21 in the third period a3 at a faster speed than in the first period a1, as shown by the dashed line. The speed at which the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened in the fourth period a4 may be the same as in the second period a2, or it may be faster than in the second period a2. When the amount of food to be heated is large, or when the viscosity of the food to be heated is high, and the possibility of boiling over is high, the pressure control unit 64 may open the pressure reducing valve 21 in the fifth period a5 at a slower speed than in the first period a1, as shown by the dashed line. The speed at which the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened in the sixth period a6 may be the same as in the second period a2, or it may be slower than in the second period a2. This allows the pressure reducing valve 21 to be opened quickly while minimizing the possibility of spillage.

[0102] Figure 21 shows another example of the opening and closing speed of the pressure reducing valve 21 in the cooker 10 of Embodiment 4. As shown by the thick line, the pressure control unit 64 may variably adjust the opening and closing speed of the pressure reducing valve 21 during the first period a1. For example, the speed at which the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened may be increased at the beginning of the first period a1. Alternatively, a period may be provided during the first period a1 in which the opening and closing of the pressure reducing valve 21 is temporarily suspended, and the opening area Q of the pressure reducing valve 21 is maintained. Alternatively, a period may be provided during the first period a1 in which the pressure reducing valve 21 is closed, reducing the opening area Q of the pressure reducing valve 21. For example, as described above in relation to Figure 9, in the forced exhaust mode, where the pressure reducing valve 21 is opened according to the user's exhaust operation instruction, the pressure control unit 64 acquires the pressure inside the container 14 and the steam exhaust speed, and if it determines that the manual exhaust speed is too fast and there is a possibility of overflow, it may temporarily stop opening and closing the pressure reducing valve 21 to maintain the open area Q, or close the pressure reducing valve 21 to reduce the open area Q, thereby slowing down the exhaust speed. In this way, by fine-tuning the opening and closing speed of the pressure reducing valve 21 according to the open area Q of the pressure reducing valve 21, the possibility of overflow can be suppressed.

[0103] According to the cooker 10 of this embodiment, spills from the exhaust vent 16 can be suppressed. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a passage 18 with a complex shape to suppress spills from the exhaust vent 16, the ease of cleaning the passage 18, which is prone to getting dirty, can be improved.

[0104] [4-2. Operation] The operation and function of the cooking appliance 10, configured as described above, will now be explained. The user grasps the handle 13 to open the lid 12 and places the food to be heated, such as ingredients, into the container 14. The user closes the lid 12 and sets heating conditions such as temperature, heating time, and whether or not to stir via the input unit 53, and instructs the start of heating. The heating control unit 62 controls the heating unit 51 for heating the container 14 according to the set heating conditions. The stirring control unit 63 controls the motor 52 for rotating the stirring blade 15.

[0105] When the internal pressure of container 14 is at atmospheric pressure, the pressure reducing valve 21 is open. When the control device pressurizes the inside of container 14 during heating, it closes the pressure reducing valve 21. This causes the internal pressure of container 14 to increase due to the steam generated inside container 14. When the control device depressurizes the inside of container 14 during heating, it opens the pressure reducing valve 21. This causes some of the steam to be released to the outside through the exhaust port 16 via the passage 18, and the internal pressure of container 14 drops to near atmospheric pressure (1.05 atmospheres or less).

[0106] If the internal pressure of the container 14 exceeds the safety valve opening pressure value due to a malfunction of the pressure reducing valve 21 or the like, the safety valve 24 opens and steam is released to the outside through the exhaust port 16 via the passage 18. This prevents the internal pressure of the container 14 from exceeding the safety valve opening pressure value.

[0107] When heating is complete, the pressure control unit 64 rotates the motor 41 to rotate the drive mechanism 43, gradually pushing down the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21 and gradually opening the pressure reducing valve 21. This gradually releases the steam inside the container 14 to the outside. When the pressure inside the container 14 returns to atmospheric pressure, the user grasps the handle 13 to open the lid 12 and removes the heated object from the container 14.

[0108] [4-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the cooker 10 includes a container 14 for containing the food to be heated, a heating unit 51 for heating the container 14 or the inside of the container 14, a passage 18 for releasing steam generated inside the container 14 to the outside, a pressure reducing valve 21 provided in the passage 18 for controlling the pressure inside the container 14, and a valve control unit 50 for controlling the opening degree of the pressure reducing valve 21. The valve control unit 50 makes the speed at which the valve opens when opening the pressure reducing valve 21 to return the pressure inside the container 14 to atmospheric pressure variable. This makes it possible to suppress boil-overs.

[0109] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the valve control unit 50 opens the pressure reducing valve 21 at a slower rate during the first period a1 from when it starts to open until a predetermined time t1, compared to the second period a2 thereafter. This helps to suppress spillage.

[0110] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the predetermined time t1 is the point in time when the area of ​​the open portion of the pressure reducing valve 21 becomes equal to the area of ​​the flow path through which steam passes inside the pressure reducing valve 21. This makes it possible to suppress boil-overs.

[0111] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the valve control unit 50 includes an inclined surface 45 for opening the pressure reducing valve 21 by pushing and moving the valve body 22 of the pressure reducing valve 21, and a drive mechanism 43 for moving the inclined surface 45. The inclination of the inclined surface 47 for moving the valve body 22 in the first period a1 is gentler than the inclination of the inclined surface 48 for moving the valve body 22 in the second period a2. This helps to suppress spillage.

[0112] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the valves are pressure reducing valves 21 and 31 that lower the internal pressure of the container 14 when open and raise the internal pressure of the container 14 when closed, or a pressure regulating valve 27 that maintains the internal pressure of the container 14 at the pressure regulating valve open pressure value. This allows the internal pressure of the container 14 to be appropriately adjusted.

[0113] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 21 is configured such that the valve body 22 is biased to close the passage 18, and the passage 18 is opened by moving the valve body 22. This allows the pressure inside the container 14 to be appropriately adjusted.

[0114] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pressure reducing valve 21 is configured such that the passage 18 is opened when the valve body 22 is moved downward. This allows the pressure inside the container 14 to be appropriately adjusted.

[0115] (Other embodiments) As described above, Embodiments 1 to 4 have been explained as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited thereto and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted. Furthermore, it is possible to create new embodiments by combining the components described in Embodiments 1 to 4 above.

[0116] (Note) Based on the above description of embodiments, the following technologies are disclosed. (Technology 1) A container for holding the object to be heated, A heating unit that heats the container or the inside of the container, A passage for releasing steam generated inside the container to the outside, A valve provided in the passage for controlling the pressure inside the container, A valve control unit for controlling the opening degree of the valve, Equipped with, The valve control unit varies the speed at which it opens the valve when opening the valve to return the pressure inside the container to atmospheric pressure. Cooker. This helps to prevent spills. (Technology 2) The valve control unit shall, during the first period from when the valve begins to open until a predetermined time, open the valve at a slower rate than at least a portion of the second period thereafter. The cooking appliance described in Technical 1. This helps to prevent spills. (Technology 3) The predetermined time is the point in time when the area of ​​the open portion of the valve becomes equal to the area of ​​the flow path through which the steam passes inside the valve. Cooking appliance as described in Technical 2. This helps to prevent spills. (Technology 4) The valve control unit, An inclined surface for opening the valve by pushing and moving the valve body of the valve, A drive unit for moving the inclined surface, Equipped with, The inclination of the inclined surface for moving the valve body during the first period is gentler than the inclination of the inclined surface for moving the valve body during the second period. A cooking appliance as described in Technology 2 or 3. This helps to prevent spills. (Technology 5) The valve is a pressure reducing valve that lowers the pressure inside the container when open and raises the pressure inside the container when closed, or a pressure regulating valve that maintains the pressure inside the container at the pressure regulating valve opening pressure value. A cooking appliance as described in any one of the technical items 1 to 4. This allows the internal pressure of container 14 to be properly adjusted. (Technology 6) The valve is configured such that a valve body is biased to close the passage, and the passage is opened by moving the valve body. A cooking appliance as described in any one of the technical items 1 to 5. This allows the internal pressure of container 14 to be properly adjusted. (Technology 7) The valve is configured such that the passage is opened when the valve body is moved downward. The cooking appliance described in Technical 6. This allows the internal pressure of container 14 to be properly adjusted. [Industrial applicability]

[0117] This invention can be used in cooking appliances. [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 10...Cooker 11…Main unit 12…Lid 13…Handle 14...Container 15…Agitation blade 16… Exhaust vent 17...Inner lid 18…Passageway 19... Inner cover exhaust port 20… Valve unit 21... Pressure Reducing Valve 22... Valve body 23... Pressure reducing valve spring 24… Safety valve 25… Valve body 26… Safety valve spring 27... Pressure regulating valve 28… Valve body 29... Pressure regulating valve spring 30… Valve Unit 31… Pressure Reducing Valve 32… Valve body 33... Pressure reducing valve spring 34… Safety valve 35... Valve body 36… Safety valve spring 40…Space 41…motor 42... Gear 43…Drive mechanism 44... Gear 45…Slope surface 46... pins 47…Slope surface 48…Slope surface 50…Valve control unit 51...Heating section 52…motor 53...Input section 54...Display section 60...Control device 61...Settings Reception Department 62… Heating Control Unit 63…Agitation control unit 64... Pressure Control Unit 80…Storage device 81…flow channel 82…flow channel 83…flow channel 84…flow channel 85…flow channel 86... Central safety valve spring 88... Nozzle fixing spring 89... Fixing nut 90...cover 91...hole 92…hole 93...Seal part 94... Range 95... Outer shell 96…Opening 97... Pedestal 98…Passageway 99... Spring

Claims

1. A container for holding the object to be heated, A heating unit that heats the container or the inside of the container, A passage for releasing steam generated inside the container to the outside, A valve provided in the passage for controlling the pressure inside the container, A valve control unit for controlling the opening degree of the valve, Equipped with, The valve control unit, when opening the valve to return the internal pressure of the container to atmospheric pressure, varies the speed at which the valve opens, and in the first period from when the valve starts to open until a predetermined time, it opens the valve more slowly than in at least a portion of the second period thereafter. Cooker.

2. The predetermined time is the point in time when the area of ​​the open portion of the valve becomes equal to the area of ​​the flow path through which the steam passes inside the valve. The cooking appliance according to claim 1.

3. The valve control unit, An inclined surface for opening the valve by pushing and moving the valve body of the valve, A drive unit for moving the inclined surface, Equipped with, The inclination of the inclined surface for moving the valve body during the first period is gentler than the inclination of the inclined surface for moving the valve body during the second period. A cooking appliance according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The valve is a pressure reducing valve that lowers the pressure inside the container when open and raises the pressure inside the container when closed, or a pressure regulating valve that maintains the pressure inside the container at the pressure regulating valve opening pressure value. A cooking appliance according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The valve is configured such that a valve body is biased to close the passage, and the passage is opened by moving the valve body. The cooking appliance according to claim 4.

6. The valve is configured such that the passage is opened when the valve body is moved downward. The cooking appliance according to claim 5.

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