JPH0545251B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a rice cooker equipped with an operation section for performing operations related to rice cooking operation.

(Prior Art) In a conventional rice cooker, an operation panel is generally attached to the lower part of the outer circumferential side of the main body along the outer circumferential side, and an operating section is provided on this operation panel so that it can be operated from the outside. A light emitting body such as a display lamp or a light emitting diode is disposed on the operation panel, and the operation panel is operated to operate the rice cooking operation, and the light from the light emitting body is emitted based on the operation through a window section provided on the operation panel. The process of rice cooking operation can be confirmed by visually checking the process through the rice cooker.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) In general, rice cookers are usually placed on low places such as tables or sinks in order to scoop out the cooked rice in the pot after cooking. Therefore, the position of the user's eyes is also usually higher than the main body. However, in this case, in the conventional device described above, the operation panel is provided at the lower part of the outer peripheral side of the main body along the outer peripheral side, so the operation panel is not only so low that it is difficult to see it without bending down. The drawback was that the operating section was difficult to operate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a rice cooker that can improve the visibility and operability of the operating section.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention includes an inner case in which a pot is detachably housed, and a groove portion attached to the upper outer periphery of the inner case and having a groove portion corresponding to the periphery of the lid on the upper surface. The rice cooker is characterized by comprising a main body having a formed annular frame body and an operating section for performing operations related to rice cooking operation, and the operating section is provided at the upper part of the outer periphery of the main body apart from the groove. have

(Function) According to the above-mentioned means, since the operating section is provided at a higher position than in the past, when the main body is placed on a table, sink, etc. during normal use, the operating section is easier to see and operate than before. Moreover, since the operating section is located away from the groove of the frame attached to the top of the main body, for example, if water splashes on the lid attached to the top of the main body,
Alternatively, when so-called sticky liquid boils over from the pot, it is possible to prevent the water and sticky liquid from splashing onto the operating section as much as possible.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body, which is composed of an outer case 2, an inner case 3, a bottom plate 4, and an annular frame 5 attached to the upper part between the outer case 2 and the inner case 3, although not shown in the drawings. A rice cooking heater is disposed at the inner bottom of the inner case 3, and a pot (not shown) is removably housed in the inner case 3. The upper surface opening 1a of the main body 1 is opened and closed by a lid (not shown), and the above-mentioned frame 5
The top surface has a groove 5a corresponding to the peripheral edge of the lid.
is formed. Reference numeral 6 denotes a vertically elongated case made of synthetic resin, in which an L-shaped engagement protrusion 7 protruding from the inner surface is engaged with an engagement hole 8 formed in the outer case 2, and then the lower part is opened. Supported by the bottom plate 4, the main body 1
A bottom plate 4 is attached along the outer circumferential surface of the outer case 2 on the outer circumferential side of the outer case 2.
It is attached from the frame body 5 to the frame body 5. and,
The upper part of the case 6 projects outward from the lower part, and an operation panel 9 is provided on the upper part in an upward direction. That is, the operation panel 9 is provided at the upper part of the outer circumference of the main body 1, away from the groove 5a of the frame 5. Particularly in this embodiment, the operation panel 9 is formed integrally with the case 6 so that the upper surface thereof is inclined downwardly slightly forwardly. A recess 11 recessed from the name plate mounting recess 10 and a finger rest recess 12 recessed further from the recess 11 are formed at the front end. Further, an opening 13 for operation, a plurality of openings 14 for display (only one is shown in FIG. 1), and an opening 15 for displaying a digital timer are formed at predetermined locations in the nameplate mounting recess 10. There is. Reference numeral 16 denotes a nameplate made of an elastic sheet stuck to the nameplate mounting recess 10 of the operation panel 9, and this has windows 17, 18, 19 corresponding to the respective openings 13, 14, 15 of the nameplate mounting recess 10. (See FIG. 3), and although not shown, characters indicating the rice cooking process, such as "cooking rice", "keep warm", etc., are attached to the window 18, respectively (see FIG. 3). Reference numeral 20 denotes a printed circuit board screwed onto the back side of the operation panel 9 along the operation panel 9. On the top surface of this board are an operation section 21 of an operation switch for performing operations related to the rice cooking operation, and an operation section 21 for operating the rice cooking operation. A light emitting body 22 and a digital timer 23 as a display unit that displays the process.
are the openings 13, 14, 15 of the operation panel 9, respectively.
Therefore, the window 17 of the nameplate 16 facing the operating section 21 constitutes a part of the operating section 21, and the windows 18 and 19 form part of the display section. It makes up the department. 24 is a lead wire led out from the printed circuit board 20, which is connected to the case 6.
From the bottom plate 4 to the main body 1 along the outer surface of the case 2
being led inward. On the other hand, 25 is a light-transmitting cover made of, for example, synthetic resin, which has one end attached to the outer case 2 of the nameplate mounting recess 10 of the operation panel 9.
The cover 25 is rotatably mounted on a side part, and the cover 25 allows the operating section 21 and the light emitting body 2 as a display section to be opened.
2 and a digital timer 23 are covered from above via a name plate 16 so as to be openable and closable. The tip of the other end of the cover 25 protrudes from the front end of the nameplate mounting recess 10 when the cover 25 is closed, and an inclined draining portion 26 that slopes downwardly forward is formed here. A space 27 is formed between the recess 11 of the operation panel 9 and the finger rest recess 12. Here, in FIG. 1, the closed state of the cover 25 is shown by a solid line, and the open state is shown by a two-dot chain line.

According to this embodiment having such a configuration, the operation section 2
1, a light emitting body 22 as a display section, and an operation panel 9 equipped with a digital timer 23 are provided on the upper part of the outer periphery of the main body 1. When installed at a location lower than eye level, the operation panel 9 is higher than before, making it easier to see and operating the operation section 21. Moreover, since the operation panel 9 is provided at the upper part of the outer periphery of the main body 1 away from the groove 5a of the frame 5, for example, if the lid attached to the top surface of the main body 1 gets wet with water, or from a pot, When so-called sticky liquid boils over, it is possible to prevent the water and sticky liquid from splashing onto the operation panel 9 as much as possible. In addition, in this case, since the operation panel 9 is provided facing upward, the line of sight will not be too oblique to the operation panel 9 even when standing without bending over, making it easier to see the operation panel 9. This makes it possible to improve the visibility of the text such as "Keep Warm" attached to the operation unit 21 and the operation panel 9 and the light emitted from the light emitting body 22, and of course improves the operability of the operation unit 21. can be done. In addition, since the operation of the operating part 21 in this case applies a downward pressing force, unlike the case where the pressing force is applied to the side of the main body as in the conventional operating part, the pressing operation of the operating part 21 The main body 1 does not sometimes shift laterally. Furthermore, in the conventional case where the operation section of the operation panel is oriented horizontally, when another object is moved near the side of the main body, there is a risk that the object will come into contact with the operation section and be operated erroneously. However, in this embodiment, since the operating portion 21 is oriented upward, it is possible to prevent objects from coming into contact with the operating portion 21 as much as possible.

On the other hand, if the operation panel 9 is installed facing upward, water droplets etc. tend to get on the operation panel 9.
In this regard, according to this embodiment, the operation panel 9 is provided with a cover 25 that covers the operation section 21, the light emitting body 22 as a display section, and the digital timer 23 from above. 1
Even if water droplets come into contact with the rice cooker when handling the rice cooker or rice cooker spills from the pot during cooking, cover the
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the water droplets, slime, etc. from entering the inside of the operation panel 9, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the operation section 21, the light emitting body 22, and the digital timer 23 from getting wet. Further, since dirt such as slime and dust are difficult to adhere to the upper surface of the operation panel 9, only the cover 25 is needed for cleaning, making cleaning easier. Furthermore, since the cover 25 is provided, there is no risk of accidentally touching the operating section 21 and erroneously operating the operating section 21.

Moreover, especially according to this embodiment, since the cover 25 is formed to have translucency, the cover 25
The windows 17, 18, 19 of the operation panel 9 can be easily seen through the cover 25 with the operation panel 5 closed, without impairing visibility. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the inclined draining part 26 is formed at the tip of the cover 25, the cover 25
Water, etc. on the top surface can be easily flowed downward from the draining part 26, thereby preventing water, etc. from staying in the cover 25, and a space 27 is formed below the draining part 26. As a result, water falling from the drain section 26 does not enter between the lower surface of the cover 25 and the nameplate 16, and the operation panel 9
It is possible to ensure drainage in parts.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, but may be applied to a case where the operation panel 9 is configured separately from the cover 6, for example, without departing from the scope of the invention. This can be implemented with appropriate changes.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, the present invention includes an inner case in which a pot is removably housed, and a groove that is attached to the upper outer periphery of the inner case and has a groove formed on the upper surface that corresponds to the periphery of the lid. The main body has a ring-shaped frame body, and an operating section for performing operations related to rice cooking operation, and this operating section is provided at the upper part of the outer circumferential part of the main body apart from the groove. When the main unit is installed at a location lower than the user's eye level, such as on a table or sink, the visibility and operability of the operating section can be improved compared to conventional methods. This has the excellent effect of preventing water or sticky water from getting on the parts as much as possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the main parts, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main parts with the cover closed, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main parts with the cover open. be. In the drawing, 1 is the main body, 3 is the inner case, 5 is the frame,
5a is a groove portion, and 21 is an operating portion.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An inner case in which a pot is removably stored, a main body having an annular frame attached to the upper outer periphery of the inner case and having a groove corresponding to the periphery of the lid on the top surface, and operations related to rice cooking operation. 1. A rice cooker comprising: an operating section for performing the above operations, and the operating section is provided at an upper portion of the outer circumferential portion of the main body away from the groove.