JP2926832B2 - Automatic rice washing rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic rice-washing rice cooker that automatically performs steps from rice washing to cooking and keeping warm.

2. Description of the Related Art The inventors have already filed an application for an automatic rice-washing rice cooker having the configuration shown in FIG. The structure will be described. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes an automatic rice-washing rice cooker main body (hereinafter referred to as a main body), 11 has a heating coil 12 for induction heating arranged on a bottom surface so as to surround a lower part thereof, and has an upper part. This is a rice cooking room in which the periphery and the bottom are formed by a rice cooking room lower member 14 with a lid 13. Inside the rice cooking room 11, a rice cooking pot 15 is incorporated. 16 is the rice cooker 15
A coupling fixed to a substantially center of the bottom surface of the rice cooker 15 is detachably fitted to a rotor 18 driven by driving means such as a motor 17 and holds the rice cooker 15 rotatably. The rice cooker 15 has a flange portion 19 around an upper opening thereof, which extends outward from the center of the rice cooker 15. The outer end of the flange portion 19 protrudes outside the rice cooker room 11 and reaches above a drain groove 20 formed around the upper end of the rice cooker lower member 14. Reference numeral 21 denotes an inner lid that fits into the opening of the rice cooker 15, and a convex portion 22 is formed near the periphery thereof so that the rice cooker 15
Are fitted with a gap 23 in between. Inner lid
21 is rotatably held by the lid 13. The lid 13 is rotatably connected to the rice cooker lower member 14 via a hinge. Reference numeral 24 denotes a steam port provided in the lid 13, and reference numeral 25 denotes a water supply pipe provided in contact with the steam port 24 to supply water to the steam port 24. The water supply pipe 25 is connected to a water supply, a water supply pump, or the like (not shown) via an electromagnetic valve 26. Reference numeral 27 denotes a temperature sensor that moves up and down when the solenoid 28 is not energized or energized.

The operation of the configuration described above will be described. When rice is set in the rice cooker 16 of the automatic rice washing rice cooker 10 and operation is started, first, the solenoid 28 is energized and the temperature sensor is turned on.
27 goes down. Next, the electromagnetic valve 26 operates to open the flow path for a certain time, and a certain amount of water flows into the rice cooker 15 from the water supply pipe 25 through the steam port 24. Subsequently, the motor 17 is energized intermittently, and the rice cooker 15 intermittently repeats normal rotation and stop. Thus, the rice and water in the rice cooker 15 move, and the rice is washed by the difference in the manner of inertia. Then, it moves to the dehydration process. By continuously energizing the motor 17, the rice cooker 15 is rotated in a dehydration mode.
Accordingly, the water flows into the drain 20 through the gap 23 by centrifugal force, and is drained through the drain pipe 20a. The rice washing is completed by repeating the above steps several times with the steps up to this point as a series. Subsequently, a predetermined amount of water for cooking rice is supplied, and the energization of the solenoid 28 is stopped. Thereafter, the temperature sensor 27 rises and comes into contact with the rice cooker 15, and thereafter, following a rice cooking / warming process like a conventional electric rice cooker, a series of rice cooking operations is completed.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention The automatic rice-washing rice cooker is capable of performing automatic rice-washing by rotating the rice-cooking pan 15, so that it is very practical and practical, but the temperature sensor 27 is located at the center of the bottom of the rice-cooking pan. The temperature sensor 27 does not accurately detect the pot bottom temperature of the rice cooker 15 because it is configured to abut on the outer peripheral side. Further, when the rice cooker is washed at the end of the rice cooking, the vicinity of the outer periphery of the pot bottom of the rice cooker 15 is easily damaged by, for example, an impact when placed on a sink or the like. Therefore, when the contact position of the temperature sensor 27 is on the outer peripheral side of the pot bottom of such a rice cooker 15, there is a problem that the sensitivity characteristic of temperature detection fluctuates, and thus the rice cooker performance is not constant. .

Then, this invention aims at solving the said subject, and a primary objective is to provide an automatic rice-washing rice cooker with stable rice cooking characteristics. Further, it is a second object of the present invention to provide an automatic rice-washing rice cooker having a configuration capable of more reliably measuring a rice cooking temperature. It is a third object of the present invention to provide an automatic rice-washing rice cooker having a configuration capable of reliably taking out a temperature measurement result.

Means for solving the problem The first means of the present invention for achieving the first object is a rice cooker, and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the rice cooker,
An upper coupling for pan rotation driving provided at the bottom of the pan of the rice cooker, and a lower coupling provided at an upper end of a rotating shaft that rotates with the upper coupling while engaging with the upper coupling,
The temperature sensor is an automatic rice-washing rice cooker provided concentrically with the rotating shaft so as to abut on the center of the bottom of the rice cooker.

A second means of the present invention for achieving the second object is an automatic rice washing rice cooker in which a temperature sensor is rotatable integrally with a rotating shaft.

A third means of the present invention for achieving the third object is an automatic rice-washing rice cooker in which a rotating shaft has a hollow pipe shape and a lead wire from a temperature sensor is wired through the inside of the rotating shaft.

Action The first means is to detect the temperature of the bottom of the rice cooker by placing a temperature sensor in contact with the center of the bottom of the rice cooker that is less likely to be damaged when the rice cooker is placed. The temperature can be accurately detected. The second means, in addition to the action of the first means, is configured to rotate the temperature sensor integrally with the rotating shaft, and there is no occurrence of slippage between the temperature sensor and the bottom of the rice cooker, and the temperature sensor Can be measured in a state in which the temperature of the rice cooker is in close contact with the bottom of the rice cooker, so that the temperature of the cooker pan can be more accurately detected, and there is no change in the sensing characteristics. Further, the third means is such that the output of the temperature sensor can be reliably taken out because the rotary shaft is formed in a hollow pipe shape and the lead wire from the temperature sensor is wired through the inside of the rotary shaft.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the figure, reference numeral 30 denotes an automatic rice-washing rice cooker main body (hereinafter, referred to as main body), and reference numeral 31 denotes a rice cooking room provided below the main body. The rice cooker 31 has a rice cooker 36 and a rice cooker 36 provided therein.
A peripheral heating coil 32 for induction heating arranged on the bottom surface so as to surround the periphery of the center, a central heating coil 33 for heating the central part
And a lid 34 covering the upper part, and a rice cooker lower member 35 forming the periphery and the bottom. An upper coupling 37 is provided at the center of the bottom of the rice cooker 36 for driving the rotation of the pot, and has a donut shape with the center removed. Reference numeral 57 denotes a lower coupling provided at the upper end of the rotating shaft 42 which engages with the upper coupling 37 and rotates during rice washing. The rotating shaft 42 is a motor 38
Small pulley 40, belt 41, driven by driving means such as
Driven via the large pulley 39.

2 and 3 show the upper coupling 37 and the lower coupling.
The configuration of 57 parts is explained. That is, the upper coupling 37
Has a plurality of engagement grooves 37a extending radially from the center. The lower coupling 57 has a fitting protrusion 57b fitted into the engagement groove 37a, and has a tapered guiding ring portion 57a formed at the center thereof so as to have a tapered shape slightly protruding from the fitting protrusion 57b. The lower coupling 57 has a hollow central portion, and the hollow portion is connected to the rotary shaft 42 formed in a hollow pipe shape. A temperature sensor 58 in which a heat-sensitive element such as a thermistor is sealed is urged upward by a spring 59 so as to be movable up and down. The temperature sensor 58 is provided concentrically with the rotating shaft 42 so as to abut the center of the pot bottom of the rice cooker 36, and is rotatable integrally with the rotating shaft 42. Further, a lead wire 60 from the temperature sensor 58 is wired through the inside of the rotating shaft 42.

With the above configuration, when the upper coupling 37 and the lower coupling 57 are fitted, the temperature sensor 58
The rice cooker 36 is pressed against the center of the bottom of the rice cooker 36 exposed at the center of the rice cooker 37.

In addition, the rice cooker 36 has a flange 43 around the upper opening thereof, which extends outward from the center. The outer end of the flange portion 43 projects outside the rice cooker 31 and the rice cooker lower member 35
And reaches the upper part of the drain groove 44 formed around the upper end of the drain. Reference numeral 45 denotes an inner lid fitted into the opening of the rice cooker 36, and a convex portion 46 is formed in the vicinity of the periphery thereof, and the inner lid 45 is fitted with a gap 47 between the cooker 36 and the rice cooker 36. . A substantially central portion of the inner lid 45 is connected to an inner lid support pipe via a flexible member 48 such as silicon rubber.
The inner lid 45 is detachably held and fixed to the inner lid support pipe 49. Furthermore, the inner lid support pipe 49
Is rotatably held by a lid holder 51 via a bearing 50, and the lid holder 51 is integrally fixed to the lid. The lid 34 is rotatably connected to the rice cooker lower member 35 via a hinge. The lid 34 is positioned above the inner lid 45.
Is a water supply pipe that abuts the steam port 52 and supplies water using the steam port 52, and is connected to a water supply, not shown, or a water supply pump via an electromagnetic valve 54. I have. A valve 55 is provided at the lower end of the inner lid support pipe 49. 61 and 62 are rotary terminals formed integrally with the large pulley 39, and are connected to the lead wire 60 of the temperature sensor 58. 63 and 64 are fixed terminals that come into contact with the rotating terminals 61 and 62 and energize, and are connected to the controller 65. The controller 65 controls the motor 38 for rotating the rice cooker 36, the outer peripheral heating coil 32, the center heating coil 33, the electromagnetic valve 34, and the like.

Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First, the cooking pot 36 is set in the cooking room 31. In this case, the upper coupling 37 integrally formed with the rice cooker 36 is led by the invitation ring portion 57a and fitted to the lower coupling 57. At the same time, the temperature sensor 58 is accurately brought into contact with the bottom surface of the rice cooker 36 inside the upper coupling 37, that is, the center of the rice cooker 36 by the spring 59. Next, when rice is set in the rice cooker 36 and the operation of the main body 30 is started, the controller 65 operates to operate the electromagnetic valve 54.
For a certain period of time. In other words, the steam outlet from the water supply pipe 53
A certain amount of water flows into the rice cooker 36 through 52. Subsequently, the motor 38 is energized intermittently, and the rice cooker 36 intermittently rotates and stops, and the rice washing is performed as described in the conventional example. Subsequent to the rice washing step, a dehydration step is performed. The rice washing is completed by repeating the above steps several times with the steps up to this point as a series. Then, after the final draining (dehydration) is completed, water is supplied to a predetermined amount, followed by a rice cooking and warming process like a conventional electric rice cooker, and a series of rice cooking operations is completed.

Now, when the rice cooker is finished and the rice cooker 36 is washed, in the present embodiment, since the upper coupling 37 is integrally provided at the center of the bottom of the rice cooker 36, for example, when the rice cooker 36 is placed on a sink. And so on. In other words, the central portion of the rice cooker 36 is usually in the shape of an arch, and since the periphery is protected by the upper coupling 37, the structure does not come into direct contact with the structure. Therefore, the central part of the pot bottom of rice cooker 36 is hard to be damaged,
In the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 58 is in contact with the center of the bottom of the pot that is hardly damaged. Therefore, accurate temperature detection can be performed. In addition, since the temperature at the center of the bottom of the pot, which accurately represents the temperature of the entire rice cooker 36, is detected, more accurate temperature detection is possible. In addition, by making the temperature sensor 58 rotatable integrally with the rotating shaft 42, the rice cooker 36 and the temperature sensor 58 rotate simultaneously, and the temperature sensor 58
This eliminates the danger of roughening and abrasion of the contact surface due to the sliding of the pan and the bottom of the pot, and enables more reliable temperature measurement.
Further, since the rotating shaft 42 is formed in a hollow pipe shape and the lead wire 60 of the temperature sensor 58 is taken out through the inside of the rotating shaft, the output of the temperature sensor 58 can be taken out without fail.

In the above-described embodiment, the heating method is the induction heating method. However, the invention is not particularly limited, and the present invention is also effective when a heating method using a heater, hot air, or the like is employed. Similarly, as long as the rice cooker rotates on a vertical axis, the rotary drive system is not particularly limited.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the first means of the present invention, accurate temperature detection is possible by providing the temperature sensor concentrically with the rotating shaft so as to abut the center of the bottom of the rice cooker. An automatic rice-washing rice cooker can be provided. According to the second means, in addition to the configuration of the first means, the temperature sensor is rotatable integrally with the rotating shaft, so that the rice cooker and the temperature sensor rotate simultaneously, and the contact surface of the temperature sensor The present invention can provide an automatic rice-washing rice cooker that eliminates the danger of roughening and abrasion and enables more reliable temperature measurement. Further, the third means, in addition to the configuration of the first and second means, the lead wire from the temperature sensor can be routed through the inside of the rotating shaft,
It is possible to provide an automatic rice-washing rice cooker capable of reliably extracting the output of a temperature sensor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a sectional view of an automatic rice-washing rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the essential part, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the essential part, and FIG. It is sectional drawing of the automatic rice-washing rice cooker. 36 ... rice cooker, 37 ... upper coupling, 57 ... lower coupling, 42 ... rotating shaft, 58 ... temperature sensor, 61, 62 ...
Rotating terminals, 63/64 …… Fixed terminals.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A47J 27/00 103

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rice cooker, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the rice cooker, an upper coupling provided at the bottom of the rice cooker for rotating the pan, and engaged with the upper coupling to rotate at the time of washing rice. An automatic rice washing rice cooker comprising: a lower coupling provided at an upper end of a rotating shaft; and the temperature sensor is provided concentrically with the rotating shaft so as to abut a central portion of the bottom of the rice cooker. 2. The automatic rice-washing rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is rotatable integrally with the rotating shaft. 3. The automatic rice-washing rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein the rotating shaft has a hollow pipe shape and a lead wire from the temperature sensor is wired through the inside of the rotating shaft.