JP4832149B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric rice cooker, and more particularly to a rice cooker that creates convection of a large amount of boiling water and cooks rice.

In recent years, the issue of global warming and environmental pollution has entered an era in which it must be solved as a top priority on a global scale. Since global warming is one of the causes of frequent natural disasters, numerical targets for global warming prevention, that is, CO ₂ emissions, are set in each country and region around the world, and the target is achieved. Various measures have been put forward for this purpose, and efforts are being made in Japan to achieve reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol. Under such circumstances, electric appliances used in ordinary households are also targeted, and electric rice cookers are urgently required to save energy, and rice cookers that have been devised in various ways have been introduced in patent literature.

  By the way, it is desirable for rice to be able to bring out the deliciousness of rice by cooking, cook it up to the core of the rice, and cook it evenly throughout the pan. Moreover, if rice can be cooked in a short time with the same energy per unit time, energy consumption can be reduced. For that purpose, it is important that the whole pan can be heated uniformly by convection inside the pan of the rice to be cooked. However, in conventional rice cookers, the convection status of the rice to be cooked inside the rice cooker is determined by the shape of the pan and the shape of the induction heating coil, and it is difficult to make a large amount of boiling water convection and cook rice. It was.

Conventionally, as in Patent Document 1, by removing or reducing the aluminum part of the inner surface of the rice cooker pot made of an aluminum layer and a stainless steel clad material, the outer stainless part having a high temperature during heating is reduced. Some of them are exposed to or close to the stainless steel part through a thinner aluminum layer, creating a hotter part on the inner surface of the pan than the surroundings, resulting in ascending convection due to density differences.
JP 11-290204 A [paragraphs (0007) to (0011), (0019), FIG. 2]

  This indentation of Patent Document 1 does not cause boiling of water inside the indentation, but creates a portion having a higher temperature than the surroundings on the inner surface of the pan to obtain ascending convection due to the density difference. As described in the specification, since the food to be cooked enters the inside of the recess and is heated, the amount of boiling water is the same as before and is not cooked with a large amount of boiling water. In addition, since the cooked rice is contained in the recess, it is difficult to maintain the pot because there are many cooked items left in the recess after cooking. Therefore, from the above situation, there is a need for a rice cooker that can quickly cook rice to be cooked while stirring from the bottom with an explosive amount of boiling water from the bottom of the pan and cooks plump and delicious rice. Moreover, it is desirable that the pan is easy to care for.

  As a result of various studies to solve the above problems, the inventor of the present application makes it easy for the water in the pan to boil by providing a plurality of depressions that can hold water at the inner bottom of the pan, and heat convection The rice cooker was found to be able to cook rice evenly while stirring the rice, and the rice cooker of the present invention was completed.

  That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker in which water in a pot is easily boiled and rice can be cooked quickly with a simple configuration.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that can be cooked while stirring rice from the bottom by causing convection from a large amount of boiling water from the bottom of the pan, and cooking plump and delicious rice. To do.

In order to achieve the above object, a rice cooker of the present invention controls a pan for putting a rice to be cooked, an opening for housing the pan, a heating means for heating the cooked rice in the pan, and the heating means. In the rice cooker comprising: a rice cooker body having control means for performing rice cooking and heat retention control of the cooked rice; and a lid for closing the opening of the pot and the rice cooker body, at least an inner bottom portion of the pot Is formed with a circular recess having a width smaller than the particle size of the cooked rice, and a plurality of the circular recesses are arranged concentrically from the center of the inner bottom of the pan. And

By providing the above configuration, the present invention has the following excellent effects. That is, according to the present invention, by forming a plurality of recesses having a width or a diameter smaller than the grain size of rice to be cooked, for example, at least the inner bottom portion of the pan for putting the rice cooker of the rice cooker, When the water stored in the portion is heated at the time of rice cooking, it boils all at once, and since it is a larger amount of water than before, rapid convection occurs and stirs the rice, so it is possible to cook plump and delicious rice quickly. Moreover, the energy required for cooking rice can be saved.

  Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment shown below exemplifies a rice cooker for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and is not intended to identify the present invention as this rice cooker. The present invention can be equally applied to the other embodiments included in the scope.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pan of the rice cooker, FIG. 2 (a) is an overall view of the pan, and FIG. 2 (b) is an enlarged view of the pan bottom portion of FIG. 2 (a). FIG. 3 is a plan view of an embodiment in which grooves are provided concentrically. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a pan according to an embodiment in which the formed concave portions are arranged in a concentric manner in which the concave portions are partially cut. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the pan according to the embodiment in which the formed concave portions are arranged radially from the central portion. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a pan according to an embodiment in which the formed recesses are circular depressions and are arranged in a line. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a pan according to an embodiment in which concave portions are arranged in parallel lines. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a recess formed in the pan. FIG. 8A shows a rectangular shape, FIG. 8B shows a U-shaped recess, and FIG. 8C shows a V-shaped recess.

  The rice cooker 1 which concerns on the Example of this invention heats the to-be-cooked food in the pan 3 which puts a to-be-cooked rice, the opening which accommodates this pan 3 detachably, and the pan 3, as shown, for example in FIG. A rice cooker body 2 having an induction heating coil 5 and the like, a vent hole 23a and an exhaust hole 23b communicating with the outside of the apparatus, a lid 4 for closing the opening of the pot 3 and the rice cooker body 2, the induction heating coil 5 and the side surface And a control means for controlling the heater 6 and the like to cook and keep the cooked rice. The rice cooker body 2 is provided with a shutter mechanism 25 for opening and closing the vent holes 23a and the exhaust holes 23b, and the control means is a rice cooker body. The shutter mechanism 25 is controlled to open the vent hole 23a and the exhaust hole 23b when the internal temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, and close the vent hole 23a and the exhaust hole 23b when the internal temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature. .

  The rice cooker main body 2 has a bottomed cylindrical inner case 21 formed of a nonmetallic material that accommodates the pot 3 therein, and an outer case 22 that covers the inner case. 3 is detachably accommodated. The inner case 21 has a flange 21a that protrudes to the outer periphery at its upper end. The pan 3 is formed with a flange 31 projecting outward at an upper end opening thereof, and the pan 31 is placed so as to be hooked on the flange 21 a of the inner case 21. The inner case 21 is provided with the induction heating coil 5 on the outer periphery near the bottom. The induction heating coil 5 is supported by a coil cover (not shown) formed of a heat resistant resin material so that the distance to the outer peripheral surface of the pan 3 is constant. Further, a side heater 6 is disposed in the inner case 21 between the upper opening and the induction heating coil 5.

  The lid body 4 has a structure in which a front lid 41 and a lid cover 48 are respectively attached to the upper and lower sides of the frame body 42, and an inner lid 43 is attached to the frame body via the lid cover 48, and the inner case of the rice cooker main body 2. It is attached so as to cover the upper opening of 21. The attachment has the structure which supported the frame 42 on the rice cooker main body 2 using the hinge member 44 and the pivot pin 45. As shown in FIG. Between the frame body 42 and the inner lid 43, a lid heater 49 is disposed so as to be covered with a lid cover 48, and a lid temperature sensor (not shown) is provided. Furthermore, the inner lid 43 is equipped with a pressure adjustment valve 4a and a safety valve 4b for adjusting the pressure in the rice cooker body 2. The lid cover 48 is fixed to the frame body 42, and the inner lid 43 covers the lid cover 48 and is detachably supported by the frame body 42. The pressure regulating valve 4a is actuated in a boiling maintaining process among a series of rice cooking processes by a solenoid (not shown). The top lid 41 is detachably mounted with a spillover prevention lid 4c that prevents the cooked rice in the pan 3 from spilling out and jumping out at once.

  Around the outer periphery of the inner lid 43, a pot packing 46 that seals the flange portion 31 of the pot and the inner lid 43 is supported and attached to the outer frame 50. Further, a locking member 47a formed at the upper end of the inner case 21 is provided on the opposite side of the hinge member 44, and is locked by a locking lever 47b provided on the frame body 42 to close the lid body 4. Supports the state. When the pot 3 is accommodated in the rice cooker body 2 and covered with the lid 4, the pot packing 46 is pressed against the opening edge of the pot 3 and the pot 3 is closed.

  In the rice cooker body 2, the operation plate 7 is mounted on the front surface of the outer case 22. The operation plate 7 is provided with operation buttons such as a power switch 7a, a rice cooking start switch, a menu selection switch, a heat retention switch and the like (not shown) and a display panel 7b. On the panel 7b, a rice cooking menu selected by an electronic component (not shown) attached to the operation control board 8 is displayed.

  The rice cooker body 2 is provided with a power supply control board 10 that receives information from the temperature sensor and supplies and controls power to the induction heating coil 5, the side heater 6, the lid heater 49, etc. in accordance with a predetermined program incorporated therein. It is arrange | positioned in the location close | similar to 23a. Electronic components such as inverters, switching elements, and timer elements made of semiconductor elements are mounted on the power supply control board 10. Among these electronic components, the inverter 9 generates heat during operation, and is cooled by a heat sink or a cooling fan. The rice cooker body 2 is provided with a temperature detection sensor 32 at the center of the bottom 23 so as to be in contact with the bottom surface of the pan 3. Further, either the rice cooker body 2 or the lid 4 is provided with an outside air temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the outside air temperature. The output of the outside air temperature sensor is input to the control device, and the cooling fan 11 or the shutter mechanism 25 is operated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a vent 23a for sucking air and an exhaust hole 23b for discharging the sucked air are formed in the bottom 23 of the rice cooker body 2, and the cooling fan 11 is located in the vicinity of the vent 23a. Is arranged. The cooling fan 11 is operated by a motor (not shown).

  The vent hole 23a and the exhaust hole 23b are formed in the bottom 23 by a plurality of narrow grooves having a predetermined width and length, so-called slits. The vent holes 23a and the exhaust holes 23b made of these slits are opened and closed by opening / closing doors made of a plate-like body having a width and a length that block the respective slits, that is, shutter plates 23a 'and 23b'. The shutter plates 23a 'and 23b' are connected to the operation plate 24, and the operation plate 24 is moved by the solenoid 12 to open and close the vent hole 23a and the exhaust hole 23b. The operation plate 24 is slidable at the bottom while being guided by a guide mechanism 26 provided at the bottom 23 of the rice cooker body 2. The shutter mechanism 25 includes an operation plate 24 having shutter plates 23a 'and 23b' and a solenoid 12 that operates the operation plates.

  The present invention is, for example, as described above, the pan 3 into which the rice to be cooked is placed, the opening for housing the pan 3, the heating means for heating the cooked rice in the pan 3, and the heating means to control the heating means. In the rice cooker 1 provided with a rice cooker body 2 having control means for performing rice cooking and heat retention control, and a lid 3 for closing the opening of the pot 3 and the rice cooker body 2, as shown in FIG. Is a rice cooker in which a plurality of recesses 51 having a width or diameter smaller than the grain size of rice are formed in at least the inner bottom portion 3a.

  The recess 51 formed in the pan 3 may be a groove 51a as shown in FIG. 3, or a circular recess 51b as shown in FIG. 6, or other ellipse, rectangle, hexagon or other It may be a depression of various shapes such as a polygon. In short, a plurality of recesses having a width or a diameter smaller than the grain size of rice so long as normal rice grains do not enter can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the recesses 51 formed in these pans 3 are provided concentrically at predetermined intervals on the inner bottom portion 3 a of the pan 3. What is necessary is just to select the space | interval, the number, etc. of the recessed part 51 suitably. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, a part of a circle may be arranged in a concentric circle partially cut, and in this case, a groove or a gap between four groove portions arranged in a sector shape as a whole. There will be four fan-shaped parts without indentations.

  Further, the recess 51 formed in the pan 3 is provided with grooves 51a arranged radially from the center portion in the inner bottom portion 3a of the pan as shown in FIG. 5, or by a plurality of circular recesses 51b as shown in FIG. You may make a row and arrange this radially. Of course, the indentation 51b is not limited to a circle, but may be indentations of various shapes such as an ellipse, a polygon such as a rectangle or a hexagon, although not shown. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of grooves 51a may be arranged in parallel lines on the inner bottom portion 3a of the pan 3, and the form, arrangement, density of the arrangement, etc. may be appropriately selected.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the recesses 51 formed in these pans 3 are rectangular as shown in FIG. 8 (a), U-shaped as shown in FIG. 8 (b), or as shown in FIG. 8 (c). It can be formed into a V shape. And since the width | variety of these recessed parts is narrower than the particle size of rice as shown in the figure, water is stored without entering rice.

  Although the example which provided the recessed part in the inner bottom part of the pan above was shown, you may provide recessed parts, such as a groove | channel, not only in an inner bottom part but inside the standup wall of a pot.

  In this way, the rice grains are in direct contact with the entire pan bottom by forming a plurality of recesses having a width or diameter smaller than the grain size of the rice in at least the inner bottom portion of the pan in which the cooked rice of the rice cooker is placed. Compared with the conventional one, in the present invention, when the water accumulated in these recesses is heated at the time of rice cooking, it boils all at once, and since it has a larger amount of water than the conventional pan, it can cause thermal convection and Rice agitated with a large amount of boiling water is promoted to absorb water and can be converted into alpha from the core of each grain. And this heats up to the center of the pot where the temperature is difficult to rise, and the rice in the middle of the pot is cooked deliciously. Moreover, since it is a larger amount of water than before, this boiling heat penetrates into the rice, so that it is possible to quickly cook and provide plump and delicious rice. Moreover, the energy required for cooking rice can be saved.

  The present invention having such an action performs pressurization and decompression in the process of cooking rice, applies high temperature during pressurization to infiltrate heat and moisture into the rice core, and by explosive convection caused by rapid decompression from that state When applied to a rice cooker that stirs rice, it is extremely effective. In this rice cooking method, rice is cooked at, for example, 1.2 atm and 105 ° C. at the time of pressurization, and is suddenly depressurized to 1 atm at the time of depressurization, depending on the food to be cooked. Then, in the case of rice, heat and moisture penetrate to the core of the rice during pressurization to extract sweetness and stickiness, and during decompression, large boiling occurs and the rice is agitated from the bottom of the pan. Is promoted and the rice is turned into α from the core, and the rice is heated to the center of the pan by stirring and cooked plump rice. At the time of depressurization at the time of boiling, a large amount of water is required at the bottom of the pot in order to cause sudden boiling and perform large and rapid stirring. However, according to the present invention, a necessary amount of water can be ensured.

  That is, by forming a plurality of recesses 51 having a width or a diameter smaller than the particle size of the cooked rice in at least the inner bottom portion 3a of the pan 3 into which the cooked rice of the rice cooker 1 of this system is placed, When the accumulated water is heated at the time of cooking and suddenly depressurized from the pressurized state, it boils all at once, and since it is a larger amount of water than before, rapid convection occurs and stirs the rice, so you can quickly eat plump delicious rice Can be cooked. Moreover, the energy required for cooking rice can be saved.

  In the case of this rice cooking method, as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 8, by providing a plurality of grooves 51a or recesses 51b having a width or diameter smaller than the grain of rice on the inner wall of the pan 3, the grooves When water is stored in 51a or the indentation 51b and heated, and suddenly depressurized from the pressurized state, it boils all at once and can cause intense thermal convection with a large amount of water compared to a conventional pan. This boiling heat can penetrate into the rice and bring out the deliciousness. In addition, rice agitated with a large amount of boiling water promotes water absorption and can be converted into α from the core of each grain. This also heats the center of the pot where the temperature is difficult to rise, and the rice in the center of the pot 3 is cooked deliciously. Although the recessed part 51 of the pan 3 of this rice cooker can take various arrangement | sequences as an embodiment, the effect can be made more reliable by selecting the thing suitable for a request | requirement among the above-mentioned arrangement | sequences.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the pan has a simple configuration in which a plurality of recesses having a width or diameter smaller than the grain size of rice are formed in at least the inner bottom portion of the pan accommodated in the rice cooker body. The rice cooker can easily boil and cook rice quickly. In addition, it is possible to provide a rice cooker in which rice can be cooked while stirring from the bottom with a large amount of boiling water from the bottom of the pot, and delicious plump rice can be cooked. For this reason, energy can be used effectively and it is also effective for energy saving. In addition, the pot can be easily maintained.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pan of the rice cooker, FIG. 2 (a) is an overall view of the pan, and FIG. 2 (b) is an enlarged view of the pan bottom portion of FIG. 2 (a). FIG. 3 is a plan view of an embodiment in which grooves are provided concentrically. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a pan according to an embodiment in which the formed concave portions are arranged in a concentric manner in which the concave portions are partially cut. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the pan according to the embodiment in which the formed concave portions are arranged radially from the central portion. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a pan according to an embodiment in which the formed recesses are circular depressions and are arranged in a line. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a pan according to an embodiment in which concave portions are arranged in parallel lines. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a recess formed in the pan. FIG. 8A shows a rectangular shape, FIG. 8B shows a U-shaped recess, and FIG. 8C shows a V-shaped recess.

Explanation of symbols

2 Rice cooker body 3 Pot 4 Lid 4a Pressure adjustment valve 4b Safety valve 4c Blow-out prevention lid 5 Induction heating coil 6 Side heater 7 Operation plate 7a Power switch 7b Display panel 8 Operation control board 9 Inverter 10 Power supply control board 11 Cooling fan 12 Solenoid 21 Inner case 22 Outer case 24 Actuating plate 25 Shutter mechanism 31 Pan flange portion 32 Pan bottom temperature sensor 41 Front lid 42 Frame 43 Inner lid 46 Pan packing 48 Lid cover 49 Lid heater 51 Recess 51a Groove 51b Recess

Claims (1)

There is a pan for containing the cooked rice, an opening for accommodating the pan, a heating means for heating the cooked rice in the pan, and a control means for controlling the heating means to cook rice and keep warm. and rice cooker body, the cooker comprising a lid, a closing the opening of the pot and the rice cooker body, wherein at least an inner bottom portion of the pot, with a width smaller than the particle size of the object to be cooking object A rice cooker characterized in that a circular recess is formed, and a plurality of the circular recesses are arranged concentrically from the center of the inner bottom of the pan .

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