JP2021121405A - rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a rice cooker capable of reducing rice cracking by an impact caused in the dropping of rice when it is supplied to an inner pot.SOLUTION: A rice cooker includes a container for accommodating rice and water, a water supply part for supplying water to the inside of the container, a rice supply part for supplying rice to the inside of the container, and a control part for controlling operations of the water supply part and the rice supply part. The control part is configured so that a washing operation for the rice supplied from the rice supply part is executed by the water supplied from the water supply part, and water supply to the container by the water supply part is executed before supply of rice to the container by the rice supply part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present disclosure relates to a rice cooker that automatically cleans rice.

Patent Document 1 discloses a rotating body attached to an electric cooker and a rice cooker that automatically wash rice. The rotating body disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a stirring member for stirring an object to be agitated is rotated around a rotation axis. Further, the rotating body of Patent Document 1 has a rotating mechanism for rotating the stirring member in an upright state or an inverted state. This stirring member is accommodated in the accommodating portion of the rotating body in the inverted state. Further, the accommodating portion has a fixing portion for fixing the stirring member, and this fixing portion is provided near the rotation center of the stirring member.

Patent Document 2 discloses a rice cooker that controls the time for immersing rice in water. The rice cooker disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a rice cooker main body, a kettle housed in the rice cooker main body, a heater for heating the kettle, and a state provided in the rice cooker main body and closing the upper opening of the kettle. It has a lid that can be opened and closed when it is open. In addition, this rice cooker has a water supply pipe that penetrates the lid and enters the pot, an on-off valve connected to the water supply pipe, an on-off valve control means that closes the on-off valve after opening it for a predetermined time, and an on-off valve control means. A timer that sets the start time, a drain pipe that discharges the water in the kettle when water is supplied from the water supply pipe into the kettle and washing rice, and a preset amount of water after the water supply from the water supply pipe is stopped. It is equipped with a drainage amount regulation pipe that discharges the water in the pot by siphon action until it becomes, and a heater control means that operates the heater for a predetermined time.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-61041 JP2012-130614A

The present disclosure provides a rice cooker capable of reducing the occurrence of cracking of rice due to the impact generated when the rice is dropped into the inner pot.

One aspect of the rice cooker according to the present disclosure is
A container for rice and water,
A water supply unit that supplies water to the inside of the container,
The rice supply department that supplies rice to the inside of the container,
A control unit that controls the operation of the water supply unit and the rice supply unit is provided.
The control unit is configured to supply water to the container by the water supply unit before the rice supply unit supplies rice to the container.

In the rice cooker in the present disclosure, water is supplied by the water supply unit before the rice is supplied to the inner pot, so that the water in the inner pot acts as a cushioning material and the rice supplied from above the inner pot is inside. It is less likely to hit the bottom or wall of the pot directly, and the impact of dropping on the rice is greatly mitigated. Therefore, in the rice cooker of the present disclosure, the impact of dropping on the rice can be alleviated, and the occurrence of rice cracking can be reduced.

A vertical sectional view schematically showing a schematic configuration of the rice cooker (initial state) of the first embodiment. A vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing a schematic configuration of the rice cooker (state at the time of washing rice) of the first embodiment. A perspective view schematically showing the rice washing / draining unit according to the first embodiment. A vertical sectional view schematically showing a container and a rice washing / draining unit according to the first embodiment. Flow chart showing the rice washing sequence before the rice cooking operation in the first embodiment Vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing the state during the rice washing preparation operation Vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing the state immediately before the rinsing operation A vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing a state in which weighed rice is supplied to an inner pot. A vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing a state in which a specified amount of rice is supplied to the inner pot. Vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing the state of draining the water inside the inner pot A vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing the state after drainage in the rinsing operation is completed. A vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing a state in which a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the inner pot. Vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing a state in which the rice washing / draining unit is rotating Vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing the state of drainage during rice washing operation A time chart showing the timing between the stirring of the stirring part and the drainage of the draining part in the rice washing operation. A vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing a state in which the rice washing / draining unit is rising while rotating inside the inner pot. A vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing a state in which the discharge hole of the rice washing / draining unit is moved to the position of the amount of rice cooked water. A vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing a state in which the amount of water inside the inner pot is the position of the amount of rice cooked water. A vertical cross-sectional view of a rice cooker schematically showing a state in which the rice washing / draining unit is arranged in the initial position at the end of the rice washing sequence. Time chart showing the rice washing sequence of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment

(Knowledge, etc. that was the basis of this disclosure)
At the time when the inventors came up with the present disclosure, as a technique for automatically washing rice in an inner pot for cooking rice in a rice cooker, a rotating body rotating around a rotating shaft stirs an object to be agitated. There has been a technique having a rotating mechanism for rotating the stirring means of the above in an upright state or a lying state. In this stirring means, the rice was washed in an upright state, and after the rice was washed, the rotating body was accommodated in the accommodating portion in an inverted state. As described above, in the conventional technique, the stirring means is housed in an upright state when the rice is washed and in an inverted state when the rice is cooked, so that the rice cooker can automatically perform the rice washing operation.

As described above, the rice cooker of Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which the rice washing operation is automatically performed. However, since the rice cooker is configured to start the rice washing operation in the inner pot already containing the rice, the rice cooker is stirred. When the means were put upright, the stirring means pressed the rice against the bottom of the pot. Therefore, the operation of the stirring means has been a cause of generating cracked rice.

In the rice cooker of Patent Document 2, a rice cooker main body, a kettle housed in the rice cooker main body, a heater for heating the kettle, and a lid provided on the rice cooker main body that can open and close the upper surface opening of the kettle are provided. Have. In a conventional rice cooker having such a configuration, a water supply pipe that penetrates the lid and enters the pot, an on-off valve connected to the water supply pipe, an on-off valve control means that closes the on-off valve after opening it for a predetermined time, and so on. The timer that sets the time to start the on-off valve control means, the drain pipe that discharges the water in the kettle when water is supplied from the water supply pipe into the kettle and the rice is washed, and the water supply from the water supply pipe are stopped. It was provided with a drainage amount regulating pipe for discharging water until the amount of water reached a preset amount later, and a heater control means for operating the heater for a predetermined time. In the rice cooker configured in this way, the rice washing operation is started according to the set cooking time, the rice is drained together with the dirt after washing with the water stream, and the water level is automatically adjusted to start the rice cooking operation. there were. In this rice cooker, in order to prevent the rice from becoming spoiled during the reserved cooking time, the rice is managed so as to have a desired immersion time.

As mentioned above, in order to adjust the position of the drainage pipe and the drainage amount regulation pipe so that the water in the pot becomes the water level according to the amount of rice cooked by drainage, the drainage part is always arranged above the rice. .. For this reason, in order to reliably drain the dirt components such as rice bran and rice starch that have a higher specific density than water and are generated by washing rice, a large amount of water is continuously supplied and the dirt components are raised by a strong water flow. I had to push it up.

Therefore, in the present disclosure, it is an object of the present invention to realize a rice washing function capable of removing stains and draining rice while suppressing the occurrence of cracked rice during rice washing. The inventors have found that the stirring means is previously placed under the rice at the start of washing the rice in order to efficiently drain the dirt that has settled in the water without moving the stirring means so as to press it against the rice from top to bottom. I got the idea of arranging rice and drainage means to carry out rice washing operation and drainage operation. Then, in order to realize the idea, the inventors may arrange the stirring part, which is a stirring means, and the draining part, which is a draining means, below the pot during rice washing and above the pot during rice cooking operation. We have discovered that there is a problem of goodness, and in order to solve that problem, we have constructed the subject matter of this disclosure.

In the rice cooker in the present disclosure, since the stirring portion is lowered to the vicinity of the bottom of the inner pot before the rice or water, there is no operation of pressing the rice when lowering the stirring portion. In addition, since water is supplied by the water supply section before the rice is supplied to the inner pot, the water in the inner pot acts as a cushioning material, and the rice supplied from above the inner pot acts on the bottom surface and wall surface of the inner pot. It is less likely to collide directly with the rice, and the impact of the fall on the rice is greatly mitigated. Therefore, in the rice cooker of the present disclosure, the rice cracking that may occur when the rice is automatically washed can be significantly reduced, and the desired rice washing operation can be surely performed.

First of all, various aspects of the rice cooker of the present disclosure will be illustrated.
The rice cooker of the first aspect according to the present disclosure is
A container for rice and water,
A water supply unit that supplies water to the inside of the container,
The rice supply department that supplies rice to the inside of the container,
A control unit that controls the operation of the water supply unit and the rice supply unit is provided.
The control unit is configured to perform a rice washing operation of the rice supplied from the rice supply unit with the water supplied from the water supply unit, and before the rice supply unit supplies the rice to the container. The water supply unit is configured to supply water to the container.

In the first aspect, the rice cooker of the second aspect according to the present disclosure includes a stirring unit that can move up and down inside the container, and the control unit positions the stirring unit above the container. It may be configured to control the movement between the initial position, which is the above position, and the rice washing position, which is the lower position in the container.

In the rice cooker of the third aspect according to the present disclosure, in the second aspect, the control unit moves the stirring unit from the initial position to the rice washing position before the rice is supplied by the rice supply unit. It may be configured to move.

In the second or third aspect of the rice cooker according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may be configured to rotate the stirring unit to perform the rice washing operation.

In the rice washing sequence of the rice cooker according to the fifth aspect according to the present disclosure, in any one of the second to fourth aspects described above, the stirring portion is configured to have a rod-shaped stirring blade extending in the horizontal direction. You may.

In the rice washing sequence of the rice cooker according to the sixth aspect according to the present disclosure, in any one of the second to fifth aspects, at least a part of the stirring portion is integrally formed and drained into the container. A drainage unit for arranging a mouth to drain water inside the container may be provided, and the control unit may be configured to control the operation of the drainage unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, a detailed explanation of already well-known matters or a duplicate explanation for substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessarily redundant explanations below and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

It should be noted that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

Hereinafter, as a specific embodiment of the rice cooker of the present disclosure, a rice cooker whose heating source is induction heating will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The rice cooker of the present disclosure is not limited to the configuration of the rice cooker described in the following embodiment, and has the same technology as the technical idea having the technical features described in the following embodiment. It includes the configuration of a rice cooker based on.

Further, the numerical values, shapes, configurations, steps (processes, modes), order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are only examples, and the invention is not limited to the contents of the present disclosure. Among the components in the following embodiments, the components not described in the independent claims indicating the highest level concept are described as arbitrary components. In addition, in order to make it easy to understand, the drawing schematically shows each component as a main body.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the rice cooker and the rice washing sequence of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 20. The rice cooker of the first embodiment has a structure having a rice washing mechanism provided with a rice bowl together with a rice cooking mechanism, and is a fully automatic rice cooker in which rice weighing, water supply, rice supply, rice washing, and rice cooking are automatically performed as a sequence. ..

[1-1. overall structure]
1 and 2 are vertical cross-sectional views schematically showing a schematic configuration of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment. The rice cooker shown in FIG. 1 shows an initial state in which water supply and rice supply are not performed. FIG. 2 schematically shows a state when water supply for washing rice and rice supply are performed.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the rice cooker of the first embodiment includes a rice cooker main body 1 capable of accommodating an inner pot 3 and a lid portion 2 provided on the upper part of the rice cooker main body 1 so as to be openable and closable. .. In the rice cooker shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the left side is the front side where the lid 2 of the rice cooker opens, and the right side is the back side of the rice cooker. In the first embodiment, the rice cooker main body 1 and the lid 2 form a housing, and the inner pot 3 which is a container is housed inside the housing.

The rice cooker main body 1 is provided with an accommodating portion 5 including an outer pot 4 for accommodating the inner pot 3. The outer pot 4 has an open upper surface and has a bottomed substantially cylindrical shape. A heating source 6 for heating the inner pot 3 is provided in the accommodating portion 5. As the heating source 6, for example, in the case of the induction heating method, an induction heating coil is arranged on the outside (outside the side surface and / or outside the bottom surface) of the outer pot 4 accommodating the inner pot 3.

On the bottom surface of the outer pot 4, a pot bottom temperature sensor 7 with which the bottom of the inner pot 3 housed in the outer pot 4 abuts is arranged. The pot bottom temperature sensor 7 has a configuration in which the pot bottom temperature sensor 7 is urged vertically upward by, for example, a spring or the like which is an elastic member. When the inner pot 3 is housed in the outer pot 4, it is detected that the inner pot 3 is housed in the outer pot 4 due to the fluctuation of the load of the induction heating coil which is the heating source 6 of the inner pot 3.

A lid 2 is attached to the upper part of the rice cooker body 1 so as to be openable and closable. The lid portion 2 is rotatably supported via an elastic member provided on the back surface side of the rice cooker main body 1, for example, a lid hinge 8 urged in the opening direction by a spring. A hook button 9 (cover opening switch) rotatably supported on the front side of the rice cooker main body 1 is arranged, and the hook button 9 engages with a part of the lid 2. The lid portion 2 is configured to maintain the closed state.

On the front side of the lid 2, an operation display unit 10 for starting a rice cooking operation for the rice cooker, performing various settings in the rice cooking operation, and displaying various information on the rice cooker is provided. There is. The operation display unit 10 is an input interface, and various embodiments can be considered as the input interface. For example, the input interface may be composed of mechanical operating members. Further, the input interface may be configured by a transparent plate-shaped operating member installed above the display. As such a transparent plate-shaped operating member, a contact type or a non-contact type can be used.

An inner lid 11 that closes the inner pot 3 when the lid 2 is closed is detachably attached to the lower surface of the lid 2. The inner pot 3 and the inner lid 11 are sealed by the inner lid seal 12. Since the inner lid 11 is attached to the lower surface of the lid portion 2 in this way, when the lid portion 2 closes the rice cooker main body 1, the hook button 9 engages with the lid portion 2 and the accommodating portion 5 The inner pot 3 is closed by the inner lid 11 of the lid 2.

In the lid portion 2, an inner lid steam port 13 which is a through hole is formed in the inner lid 11 in order to discharge the steam generated inside the inner pot 3 during rice cooking and heat retention. The inner lid steam port 13 communicates with a steam path 14 that serves as a steam passage inside the lid 2 and a steam port 15 that discharges to the outside of the rice cooker. The inner lid steam port 13 of the inner lid 11 and the steam path 14 of the lid portion 2 are sealed by a steam port seal 16.

A bottomed tubular rice box 17 is arranged on the lid 2. A predetermined amount of rice 18 can be stored in the rice bin 17. A rice bowl lid 19 is provided on the top of the rice bowl 17. The rice bin lid 19 is configured so that the opening at the top of the rice bin 17 can be opened and closed. When the rice bin 17 is replenished with rice 18, the rice bin lid 19 is opened and the upper surface opening of the rice bin 17 is opened.

A rice supply route 22 is connected to the lower part of the rice bin 17 via a rice measuring unit 20 and a rice transport unit 21. The inner lid 11 is formed with an inner lid rice supply port 23 which is a through hole. The rice supply port 23 and the rice supply path 22 are sealed by the rice supply port seal 24. The rice 18 that has been weighed in a predetermined amount by the rice measuring unit 20 is supplied to the inside of the inner pot 3 by driving the rice transport unit 21. In the present embodiment, the rice bowl 17, the rice bowl lid 19, the rice weighing section 20, the rice transport section 21, the rice feeding route 22, and the inner lid rice feeding port 23 serve as the rice feeding section, but the rice feeding section is a container. It suffices if the rice 18 can be supplied to the inside of the inner pot 3.

In the present embodiment, the configuration will be described in which the lid portion 2 is rotated to open the upper portion of the accommodating portion 5, but the lid portion 2 has many components and the lid portion 2 is made of a heavy object. , There is a possibility that the lid 2 may fall when it is opened by rotating it in the opening direction. Therefore, in order to safely and surely open the lid portion 2, a configuration in which the weight balance between the rice cooker main body 1 and the lid portion 2 is taken into consideration, and / or the lid portion 2 is rotated to accommodate the storage portion 5. A mechanism or the like that opens only the upper part of the rice cooker may be provided.

In the present embodiment, the entire lid portion 2 provided on the upper portion of the rice cooker main body 1 is rotated by the lid hinge 8 to open the upper portion of the accommodating portion 5. A configuration may be configured in which only a part of the portion 2 rotates to open only the upper portion of the accommodating portion 5. For example, as a configuration in which the accommodating portion 5 is horizontally pulled out from the rice cooker main body 1 toward the front side (front side), when the accommodating portion 5 is pulled out from the rice cooker main body 1, only a part of the lid portion 2 (front side portion) is pulled out. May be configured so that the upper surface opening of the outer pot 4 of the accommodating portion 5 is surely opened. When a part of the lid portion 2 (front side portion) is lifted, a heavy object such as a rice bin 17 on the back side, which is a heavy object in the lid portion 2, may be maintained in the same position.

[1-2. Water supply and drainage composition during rice washing]
The rice cooker of the present embodiment is provided with a rice cooking mechanism and a rice cooker 17, and is set after "rice supply" from the rice cooker 17 to the inner pot 3, "rice washing" with water supply and drainage in the inner pot 3, and after adjusting the amount of water. It is a configuration that automatically performs each operation of "rice cooking" based on the heating sequence. Hereinafter, the water supply / drainage configuration at the time of rice washing in the rice cooker of the present embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a through hole is formed in a substantially central portion of the inner lid 11, and a drain pipe 25 is provided through the through hole. A drainage filter 26 is arranged at the lower end of the drainage pipe 25 which is a drainage portion. The drainage filter 26 provided so as to cover the drainage port which is the lower end opening of the drainage pipe 25 removes fine powder and dirt such as rice bran, starch powder, and small cracked rice smaller than the size of rice grains during rice washing. It is configured to permeate and discharge these to the drainage pipe 25 which is a drainage part.

The drainage pipe 25 is connected to the drainage path 28 via the drainage path connector 27. A drainage pump 29 for draining water is provided in the drainage path 28. The water after washing the rice that passes through the drainage path 28 is drained from the drainage port 30 to the outside of the rice cooker by driving the drainage pump 29. The drainage port 30 may be connected to an external drainage path (not shown) to drain the water after washing the rice to an external kitchen sink or the like.

As described above, a drainage filter 26 is provided at the lower end of the drainage pipe 25 penetrating the inner lid 11. Further, a stirring blade 31 which is a rod-shaped stirring portion extending in the horizontal direction is provided in the lower part of the drain pipe 25. The stirring blade 31 which is a stirring portion has a configuration extending from the lower part of the drain pipe 25 to both sides. The length of the stirring blade 31 in the longitudinal direction (horizontal direction) is set so that both ends (extended ends) of the stirring blade 31 are close to the inner surface of the inner pot 3. Therefore, the drainage filter 26 is provided so as to project downward at a substantially central portion of the stirring blade 31. The lower surface of the drainage filter 26 is configured to be a substantially flat surface, and is arranged so as to be parallel to the horizontal plane. The lower surface of the drainage filter 26 serves as a water level line for drainage during rice washing.

The drainage filter 26 may be fitted into the recess of the stirring blade 31 so that the bottom surface of the stirring blade 31 is a flat surface. With this configuration, as will be described later, the stirring blade 31 is rotated at a low speed to flatten the surface of the rice after washing, which is more convenient.

On the lower surface of the lid 2 provided so as to cover the accommodating portion 5 of the rice cooker main body 1, an oil seal 35 is provided at a portion in contact with the outer surface of the drain pipe 25, and rice cooking steam to the inside of the lid 2 is provided. Leakage is prevented. Similarly, inside the lid portion 2, an oil seal 35 is provided at a connection portion between the drain pipe 25 and the drainage path connector 27 to prevent drainage leakage in the drainage path connector 27.

In the rice cooker of the present embodiment, the drainage pipe 25 which is a drainage part and the stirring blade 31 which is a stirring part are integrally configured. Here, the fact that the drain pipe 25 and the stirring blade 31 are integrally configured means that the drain pipe 25 and the stirring blade 31 operate simultaneously as one, and is composed of one member. It is not specific. That is, each of the drain pipe 25 and the stirring blade 31 may be formed of separate members and fixed to each other. The drain pipe 25 and the stirring blade 31 have a structure in which the inside of the inner pot 3 housed in the storage portion 5 of the rice cooker main body 1 can be moved up and down, and have a structure in which the drain pipe 25 is used as a rotation axis to rotate.

In the present embodiment, the drain pipe 25, the drain filter 26, and the stirring blade 31 are referred to as a rice washing / draining unit 34.

In the rice cooker of the present embodiment, a stirring blade rotation drive unit 32 for rotating the rice washing / draining unit 34 and a stirring blade vertical driving unit 33 for moving the rice washing / draining unit 34 up and down are provided inside the lid portion 2. Has been done. The stirring blade vertical drive unit 33 has a configuration in which the stirring blade 31 is moved up and down inside the inner pot 3 while maintaining a state parallel to the rotating surface. The stirring blade rotation driving unit 32 and the stirring blade vertical driving unit 33 are individually driven or controlled at the same time according to the sequence.

The stirring blade rotation drive unit 32 and the stirring blade vertical drive unit 33 are composed of a plurality of gears, and a motor is used as a gear drive source. The rotary drive of the motor, which is the gear drive source, rotates the rotary drive gear and / or the vertical drive gear, and the rice washing / drainage unit 34 rotates and / or moves up and down.

Inside the lid 2, a vertical drive guide 36 and a vertical drive gear 37 extending in the vertical direction are fixed to the lid 2 in order to move the rice washing / draining unit 34 in the vertical direction (vertical direction). The stirring blade rotation drive unit 32 and the stirring blade vertical drive unit 33 are integrally configured, and the stirring blade vertical drive unit 33 engages with the vertical drive gear 37 to move up and down. Further, the stirring blade rotation driving unit 32 is guided by the vertical drive guide 36, and the stirring blade 31 extending in the longitudinal direction of the stirring blade vertical driving unit 33 is moved up and down in a parallel state inside the inner pot 3. Is possible.

The inner lid 11 is provided with an inner lid water supply port 38 for supplying water to the inner pot 3 as a through hole. The inner lid water supply port 38 is connected to a water supply path 39 arranged inside the lid portion 2. The inner lid water supply port 38 and the water supply path 39 are sealed by a water supply port seal 40. The water supply path 39 is connected to the water supply port 42 protruding to the outside of the rice cooker main body 1 via the water supply valve 41.

The water supply port 42 is connected to a water supply facility (not shown) via an external water supply path (not shown), and a desired amount of water can be supplied to the inner pot 3 by driving control of the water supply valve 41. .. That is, water can be supplied to the inside of the inner pot 3 by driving the water supply valve 41 to open the path, and conversely, water is supplied to the inner pot 3 by driving the water supply valve 41 to block the path. Can be stopped. In the present embodiment, the water supply unit for supplying water to the inside of the inner pot 3 which is a container includes an inner lid water supply port 38, a water supply path 39, a water supply port seal 40, a water supply valve 41, and a water supply port 42. However, the water supply unit may have a function of supplying water to the inside of the container. For example, it includes a configuration in which a water tank is provided inside the rice cooker and water is supplied to the inside of the container.

In the present embodiment, the drainage path 28 connected to the drainage pipe 25, the water supply path 39 connected to the inner lid water supply port 38, and the rice supply path 22 connected to the inner lid rice supply port 23 are used to move the drainage pipe 25 up and down and to cover the lid. It is configured to be compatible with the opening / closing operation of the portion 2, and is, for example, a flexible or stretchable material and / or a configuration.

The drive portion of the rice cooker of the present embodiment is controlled by a program and a sequence stored in the control unit 43 provided in the rice cooker main body 1. The control unit 43 in the present embodiment may be any one capable of controlling the rice cooker in the present disclosure. The control unit 43 can be realized in various modes. For example, a processor may be used as a controller. When a processor is used as a controller, various processes can be executed by having the processor read the program from the storage medium in which the program is stored and executing the program by the processor. Therefore, since the processing content can be changed by changing the program stored in the storage medium, the degree of freedom in changing the control content can be increased. In the present embodiment, the control unit 43 controls the operation of the water supply unit, the rice supply unit, the stirring unit including the stirring blades and the like, and the drainage unit including the drain pipe and the like.

[1-3. Composition of rice washing / drainage unit]
Next, the configuration of the stirring blade 31 which is the stirring unit in the rice washing / draining unit 34 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a rice washing / draining unit 34 that rotates inside the inner pot 3 and moves up and down. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the rice washing / draining unit 34 arranged inside the inner pot 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the stirring blade 31 which is a stirring portion is a rotating body having a rotating shaft A whose central axis of the drain pipe 25 extending in the vertical direction is the center of rotation. Therefore, the stirring blade 31 is configured to rotate in the rotating plane B which is a horizontal plane. That is, the stirring blade 31 rotates at a lower position (rice washing position) inside the inner pot 3 while maintaining the horizontal direction, with the center of the stirring blade 31 extending in the horizontal direction as the center of rotation (see FIG. 4).

As described above, the stirring blade 31 has a configuration in which the rotation axis A extending in the vertical direction at the center of the inside of the inner pot 3 which is a container is the rotation center. The stirring blade 31 has a rod shape extending horizontally from the rotation axis A, and the front surface of the stirring blade 31 in the rotation direction C is formed by an upward inclined surface D. Further, each cross section of the stirring blade 31 parallel to the rotation direction of the base end portion 31a on the rotation axis A side and the extending end portion 31b on the side surface side of the inner pot 3 has the same shape, and the base end portion of the stirring blade 31. 31a and the extended end 31b are formed to have substantially the same thickness (see FIG. 4). The stirring blade 31 configured as described above is arranged at a lower position (rice washing position) of the inner pot 3 at the time of rice washing, and the stirring blade 31 is rotated by the rotation operation of the drain pipe 25 to perform the rice washing operation. It is said.

As shown in FIG. 4, a drainage filter 26 is provided on the lower end of the drainage pipe 25 and the lower surface of the central portion of the stirring blade 31, and rice bran, starch powder, and small cracked rice contained in the drainage during rice washing. It is configured to allow the powder and dirt such as the above to permeate, and to dam the rice grains necessary for cooking rice and hold them inside the inner pot 3.

[1-4. motion]
Next, regarding the rice cooker and the rice washing sequence according to the present embodiment configured as described above, the operation and action in the rice washing process including the rice cooking preparation before and after the rice washing will be described.

The rice cooker of the present embodiment is a fully automatic rice cooker in which rice weighing, water supply, rice supply, rice washing, and rice cooking are automatically performed as a sequence, and according to the cooking time, the amount of rice cooked, etc. specified in advance by the user. The rice cooker is prepared at a predetermined time. For example, by specifying that the user cooks 5 go rice at 7 am, the rice is calculated back so that the cooked time is 7 am, the 5 go rice is weighed, watered, and washed. Adjust the amount of water corresponding to 5 go rice and start cooking rice.

At this time, the user may perform a setting operation on the operation display unit 10 of the rice cooker, or may remotely transmit various commands including setting information or the like to the rice cooker via a network or the like.

The rice washing sequence from the start of rice cooking preparation to rice weighing, water supply, rice supply, rice washing, and water volume adjustment (water adjustment) will be described below.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a rice washing sequence before the rice cooking operation, from the initial state of the rice cooker in the present embodiment to rice washing preparation, rinsing, rice washing, and water amount adjustment (water adjustment). 6 to 14 and 16 to 19 are vertical cross-sectional views of the rice cooker of the present embodiment schematically showing a state at each operation in the rice washing sequence.

(A. Rice washing preparation operation)
In step S101 in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 1, nothing is contained in the inner pot 3, and the stirring blade 31 of the rice washing / draining unit 34 is arranged at an upper position (initial position) close to the inner lid 11. It is the initial state that was done. In this initial state, when the start time of the rice washing process of the rice washing sequence calculated by back calculation from the cooking time set by the user is reached, the process proceeds to step S102.

FIG. 6 shows a state during the rice washing preparation operation in the rice washing sequence. In step S102, as shown in FIG. 6, the rice washing / draining unit 34 descends to the lower position (rice washing position) of the inner pot 3. At this time, the height between the drainage filter 26, which is the lower end of the rice washing / draining unit 34, and the inner pot 3 is the height when the rice is placed on a flat surface (the shortest length of the rectangular parallelepiped inscribed in one grain of rice). ) Or more, for example, 3 mm or more. This is to prevent rice grains from being crushed between the drainage filter 26 of the rice washing / draining unit 34 and the bottom of the inner pot 3 during the rice washing operation.

(B. Rinse operation)
Next, in step S103, as shown in FIG. 7, the water supply valve 41 is driven to supply a predetermined amount of water to the inner pot 3. FIG. 7 shows the state immediately before the rinsing operation in the rice washing sequence. At this time, the amount of water supplied to the inner pot 3 may be an amount according to the amount of rice instructed by the user.

In step S104, the rice 18 in the rice bin 17 is weighed collectively or dividedly by the rice weighing unit 20 with the amount of rice (for example, 5 go) instructed in advance by the user. The weighed rice 18 is supplied to the inner pot 3 via the rice supply path 22 and the inner lid rice supply port 23 by the drive of the rice transport unit 21. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the weighed rice 18 is supplied to the inner pot 3.

When the rice 18 is supplied to the inner pot 3 in this way, the stirring blades 31 and the like of the rice washing / draining unit 34 are arranged near the bottom of the inner pot 3 (lower position: rice washing position), but the inner pot 3 Is filled with water, so that the rice 18 supplied to the inner pot 3 does not directly collide with the bottom of the pot, the stirring blade 31 of the rice washing / draining unit 34, etc., and the impact at that time is suppressed. There is.

FIG. 9 schematically shows a state in which the specified amount of rice 18 is supplied to the inner pot 3. As shown in FIG. 9, immediately after a predetermined amount of water and rice 18 are supplied to the inner pot 3, the drainage pump 29 is driven to drain the water in the inner pot 3 through the drain pipe 25 and the drainage path 28. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the drainage pump 29 is driven to drain the water inside the inner pot 3 through the drainage pipe 25 and the drainage path 28 as shown by the arrows. As described above, in the rinsing operation, immediately after the water is supplied to the inner pot 3, that is, when the water is supplied and immediately drained, the dirt on the surface of the rice 18 is mixed or dissolved in the water, and the water is discharged. This is to prevent the rice 18 from absorbing the dirty water. Here, immediately after drainage means that the drainage operation is started in a short time within 3 seconds after the water is supplied, and the drainage is performed in a short time before the dirt and the like mixed in the water settle. Means.

The completion of drainage in the rinsing operation is when the suction from the drainage filter 26 attached to the lower end of the drainage pipe 25 of the rice washing / drainage unit 34 is reduced, and it can be detected from the driving state of the drainage pump 29. be.

(C. Rice washing operation)
As shown in FIG. 11, the rice washing operation is started after the drainage in the rinsing operation is completed. After the rinsing operation shown in FIG. 11 is completed, in step S106, the water supply valve 41 is driven to supply a predetermined amount of water to the inner pot 3 (see FIG. 12). At this time, the amount of water supplied to the inner pot 3 is supplied according to the amount of rice instructed by the user. For example, when the amount of rice is 5 go, 750 ml or more of water is supplied. Even when the amount of rice is 1 go, at least 400 ml of water is supplied to the inner pot 3 to perform the rice washing operation. This is because if the rice washing operation is performed while the amount of water inside the inner pot 3 is small, rice cracking may occur and sufficient drainage may not be possible.

Next, in step S107, as shown in FIG. 13, by driving the stirring blade rotation driving unit 32, the drain pipe 25 of the rice washing / draining unit 34 is rotated, and the stirring blade 31 which is the stirring unit is moved to the inner pot 3 Rotate at a predetermined low speed at a position below. The rice 18 is washed by rubbing the rice pressed by the stirring blade 31 against each other. At this time, in step S106 of the previous step, water is supplied to the inner pot 3 and the inside of the inner pot 3 is filled with water, so that the rice 18 inside the inner pot 3 is buoyant. The collision between the stirring blade 31 and the rice 18 or the rice is alleviated, and the rice is less likely to receive a strong impact.

FIG. 14 shows a state at the time of drainage in the rice washing operation. As shown in FIG. 14, in step S108, the contaminated water is drained by stirring the rice 18 in step S107. In this drainage as well, similarly to the drainage of the rinsing operation described above, the driving state of the drainage pump 29 that sucks up from the drainage filter 26 attached to the lower end of the drainage pipe 25 of the rice washing / drainage unit 34 is detected and drained. It is a configuration that detects completion.

FIG. 15 is a time chart showing the timing of stirring by the stirring blade 31 which is the stirring part in the rice washing operation and drainage from the drain pipe 25 which is the draining part. As shown in the time chart of FIG. 15, before the stirring by the stirring blade 31 in step S107 is completed, the drainage in step S108 is started, and the overlapping timing T in which the stirring and the drainage are performed at the same time is provided. Dirt that has risen into the water due to stirring by the stirring blade 31 can be efficiently drained.

At this time, since the stirring blade 31 is rotating and drained through the drainage filter 26 provided at the lower end of the stirring blade 31 at the center of rotation, the rice 18 which is heavier than the dirt is subjected to centrifugal force. Apart from the drainage filter 26, the drainage from the drainage filter 26 efficiently discharges dirt.

As described above, when the series of rice washing operations in steps S106 to S108 is completed, the number of times the rice washing operation is performed is determined in step S109. When the series of rice washing operations has not reached the specified number of times n, for example, three times, the next series of rice washing operations of returning to the water supply in step S106, stirring in step S107, and draining in step S108 is performed. This series of rice washing operations is repeated until the specified number of times n is reached, and it is determined in step S109 whether or not the specified number of times n has been reached. As described above, after the rinsing operation is performed, the control unit 43 supplies a predetermined amount of water to the inner pot 3 which is a container, rotates the stirring blade 31, and elapses a predetermined predetermined time from the rotation. The drive is controlled so that a series of rice washing operations for draining the water in the inner pot 3 are performed a predetermined number of times later.

(D: Adjusting the amount of water: Adjusting the amount of water for cooking rice)
In step S109, when it is determined that the rice washing operation has reached the specified number of times n, the water amount adjusting step of adjusting the amount of water for cooking rice (water adjustment) is executed.

In step S110, the water supply valve 41 is driven and opened, and water is supplied to the inner pot 3. At this time, more water is supplied than the amount of water for cooking rice corresponding to the amount of rice specified by the user. For example, when the amount of rice is 5 go, 1000 ml or more of water is supplied.

Next, in step S111, the stirring blade rotation driving unit 32 and the stirring blade vertical driving unit 33 are driven simultaneously or sequentially to rotate and raise the rice washing / draining unit 34. The rotation at this time may be a rotation at a lower speed than the rotation during the rice washing operation. FIG. 16 schematically shows a state in which the rice washing / draining unit 34 is rising while rotating from the lower position inside the inner pot 3 in step S111. In step S111, the drain hole of the drain filter 26 of the rice washing / draining unit 34 moves to the position of the water level (rice cooking water amount position) corresponding to the amount of rice specified in advance by the user. FIG. 17 shows a state in which the drain hole of the drain filter 26 has moved (raised) to the position of the amount of cooked rice.

Next, in step S112, the drainage pump 29 is driven, and the water inside the inner pot 3 is drained to the outside from the drainage port 30 through the drainage filter 26, the drainage pipe 25, and the drainage path 28. By the drainage from the drainage filter 26 arranged at the predetermined rice cooking water amount position in this way, the amount of water inside the inner pot 3 can be surely adjusted so as to be the desired rice cooking water amount. FIG. 18 shows a state in which the amount of water inside the inner pot 3 is at the position of the amount of cooked rice in step S112. By controlling the position of the rice washing / draining unit 34 as described above, the amount of water inside the inner pot 3 can be automatically adjusted to a desired value.

Finally, in step S113, the rice washing / draining unit 34 is moved (raised) to the initial position (upper position) (see FIG. 19). As shown in FIG. 19, by arranging the rice washing / draining unit 34 at the initial position at the end of the rice washing sequence, even if the rice swells inside the inner pot 3 in the subsequent rice cooking process, the rice washing / draining unit Does not come into contact with 34.

FIG. 20 is a time chart of the rice washing sequence of the rice cooker according to the present embodiment. As shown in the time chart of FIG. 20, the rice washing sequence includes a rice washing step and a water amount adjusting step (water adjustment step), and the rice cooking step is executed after this rice washing sequence. Further, in the rice washing process, a rice washing preparation operation for moving the rice washing / draining unit 34 from an upper position (initial position) to a lower position (rice washing position), a rinsing operation for water supply, rice supply and drainage, and a plurality of rice washing operations. Is included. Each operation of the rice washing sequence of the rice cooker in the present embodiment is driven and controlled based on information set by the user in the control unit 43, various detection data (temperature, time, current, etc.) and the like.

[1-3. Effect, etc.]
As described above, the rice cooker in the present embodiment includes the inner pot 3, the water supply valve 41, the rice transport unit 21, the stirring blade 31 which is the stirring unit, the stirring blade rotation drive unit 32, and the stirring blade up and down. A drive unit 33 is provided. The inner pot 3 has a bottomed cylinder shape that can be set in the rice cooker main body 1. By driving the water supply valve 41, water can be supplied to the inner pot 3 from the water supply equipment outside the rice cooker. By driving the rice transport unit 21, the rice 18 can be supplied to the inner pot 3. The stirring blade 31, which is a stirring unit, can stir the rice 18 inside the inner pot 3 by the stirring blade rotation driving unit 32, and can move up and down inside the inner pot 3 by the stirring blade vertical driving unit 33.

By driving the stirring blade vertical drive unit 33, the stirring blade 31 which is the stirring unit is lowered to the vicinity of the bottom of the inner pot 3 (rice washing position), and then the water supply valve 41 is driven to supply water to the inner pot 3. The rice transport unit 21 is driven to supply rice. After that, the rice 18 inside the inner pot 3 is washed by driving the stirring blade rotation driving unit 32 to rotate the stirring blade 31 which is the stirring unit.

In the rice cooker and the rice washing sequence in the present embodiment, by operating as described above, the inner pot 3 is already filled with water when the rice is supplied to the inner pot 3, so that the inner pot 3 at the time of rice supply is already filled. It is possible to alleviate the collision of rice 18 with the bottom of the pot. Further, since the stirring blade 31 has already moved to the vicinity of the bottom of the inner pot 3 at the time of rice supply, when the stirring blade 31 is moved (rotated) after the rice 18 is supplied to the inner pot 3, the inner pot 3 is used. There is no operation of pressing the rice 18 against the bottom surface of the rice, and the stirring blade 31 which is a stirring unit performs an operation of stirring the rice 18 together with water. Therefore, in the rice cooker and the rice washing sequence of the present embodiment, the occurrence of rice cracking is significantly reduced when the rice is automatically washed, and the desired rice washing can be surely carried out.

In the present embodiment, the rice cooker is inside the inner pot 3 via a drainage pipe 25 that can be moved up and down, a drainage filter 26 attached to the lower end of the drainage pipe 25, and the drainage filter 26 and the drainage pipe 25. It is equipped with a drainage pump 29 for draining water. In the rinsing operation before the rice washing operation in the rice washing process of the rice cooker configured in this way, the water supply valve 41 is set after the stirring blade 31 which is the stirring part at the initial position (upper position) is lowered, or at a timing before and after that. The rice is washed by driving the inner pot 3 to supply water, then driving the rice transport unit 21 to supply rice, and immediately after that, driving the drainage pump 29 to drain the water inside the inner pot 3. It is done before the operation.

By performing the rinsing operation before the rice washing operation in this way, the dirt adhering to the surface of the rice 18 before the rice washing operation is mixed in the water or melted out, which is the stage before the rice absorbs the dirty water. It becomes possible to drain water with. As a result, it is possible to prevent the rice 18 before the rice washing operation from absorbing dirty water and being secondarily contaminated. Therefore, in the rice cooker of the present embodiment, the desired rice washing operation can be performed more reliably.

Further, in the present embodiment, the rice cooker and the rice washing sequence may have overlapping timings in which the stirring blade rotation drive unit 32 and the drainage pump 29 are operated at the same time. With this configuration, the time required for washing rice can be shortened as compared with the case where the drainage pump 29 is started to be driven after the stirring blade rotation drive unit 32 is driven.

By shortening the time required for washing the rice in this way, it is possible to prevent the rice 18 from becoming brittle due to being immersed in water for a long time and absorbing water, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of rice cracking. As a result, in the rice cooker and the rice washing sequence according to the present embodiment, the desired rice washing operation can be reliably performed.

If the drainage operation is carried out sequentially after the rice washing operation is completed, the heavy dirt such as rice bran, starch powder, and cracked rice will settle in the water, and the drainage operation will surely discharge the dirt. There is a problem that it is not done. However, by configuring as in the present embodiment, it is possible to efficiently drain the dirt that has been blown up by the stirring operation of the stirring blade 31.

Further, in the present embodiment, in the rice cooker and rice washing sequence, after the automatic rice washing operation is completed, the stirring blade up / down drive unit 33 is driven to move the stirring blade 31 above the rice 18. The rotation drive unit 32 may be driven to rotate the stirring blade 31. With this configuration, the rice 18 on the stirring blade 31 can be shaken off by the rotational operation, so that it is possible to prevent the rice cooking operation in the subsequent stage from being performed while riding on the stirring blade 31.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technique in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. have been made. It is also possible to combine the components described in the first embodiment and the components in the other embodiments below to form a new embodiment.

Therefore, other embodiments will be illustrated below.
In the first embodiment, as an example of the stirring unit and the draining unit that can move up and down, the rice washing / draining unit 34 in which the stirring blade 31 and the drainage pipe 25 are integrally configured has been described. The stirring part and the draining part do not have to be integrated, and in particular, the draining part does not need to rotate. Therefore, the vertically movable stirring unit and draining unit are not limited to the configuration of the rice washing / draining unit 34 in the first embodiment. However, by using the rice washing / draining unit 34 as the stirring unit and the draining unit that can move up and down, the rotating shaft and the draining pipe 25 can be used in combination. That is, when the drain pipe 25 is configured to move only up and down and the stirring blade 31 is configured to be able to move up and down and rotate, a rotating shaft member is used as the rotating shaft of the stirring blade 31 separately from the drain pipe 25. Need to be used. However, in the case of such a configuration, the seal and rotation of the fluid containing dirt particles such as the drainage path connector 27 and the oil seal 35 used in the first embodiment are compared with the configuration in which the drain pipe 25 rotates. There is no need for complicated members to realize the bearing of the above at the same time.

In the first embodiment, as an example of the stirring unit, the stirring blade 31 is rotationally driven by the stirring blade rotation driving unit 32. Since the stirring unit only needs to be able to perform the rice washing operation by stirring the rice 18 and water, it is not necessary to be limited to the rotating configuration. For example, not only rotation in only one direction, but also rotation operation in which rotation and reverse rotation, which are rotations in two directions, may be repeated, and a combination operation of these operations may be performed.

In the first embodiment, as an example of the rice supply section and the supply section of the water supply section, the inner lid rice supply port 23, the inner lid water supply port 38, and the like have been described. It is necessary to provide a mechanism for closing each of the rice supply section and the water supply section in order to prevent steam leakage during rice cooking. Therefore, each supply hole provided in the inner lid 11 may be provided with a lid (not shown) that opens and closes in conjunction with the operation of the rice transport portion 21 and the water supply valve 41.

Further, in the first embodiment, as an example of the rice washing sequence, the rice washing / draining unit 34 is moved to the vicinity of the bottom of the inner pot 3 (rice washing position) in step S102 (see FIG. 5), and then water is supplied in step S103. Although the control to be performed has been described, the order of steps S102 and S103 may be reversed, and if water is supplied before the rice is supplied, the impact generated by the drop of the rice 18 when it is supplied to the inner pot 3 is caused by the water. There is no difference in the suppressive action.

Further, in the rinsing operation, the inside of the inner pot 3 may be agitated with water by the stirring unit when the rice is being supplied to the inner pot 3 or immediately after the rice is supplied. That is, the stirring blade rotation drive unit may be driven at the same time as the rice is supplied so that the stirring blade 31 stirs, and the rice 18 may be cleaned by a water stream.

Further, in the rice washing operation, in the present embodiment, the overlapping timing T in which the stirring and the drainage are performed at the same time is provided, but the drainage may be performed after the stirring is completed and before the water in the inner pot 3 comes to rest. .. The time after the stirring is completed and before the water in the inner pot 3 comes to rest may be a predetermined predetermined time. As a result, the dirt that has risen into the water due to the stirring by the stirring blade 31 can be efficiently drained.

As described above, as specifically described with reference to the embodiments in the embodiment, in the rice cooker and rice washing sequence, the stirring portion is lowered to the lower position near the bottom of the inner pot before the rice or water. Therefore, the structure is such that the rice is not pressed down when the stirring unit is lowered. In addition, since water is supplied by the water supply section before the rice is supplied to the inner pot, the water in the inner pot acts as a cushioning material, and the rice supplied from above the inner pot acts on the bottom surface and wall surface of the inner pot. Direct collisions are greatly reduced, and the impact of falling on the rice can be greatly mitigated. Therefore, in the rice cooker and the rice washing sequence in the present disclosure, the rice cracking that may occur when the rice is automatically washed can be significantly reduced, and the desired rice washing operation can be surely performed.

The technique of the present disclosure is very effective in suppressing cracking of granular objects (rice) due to impact during supply to a stirring container, and can be applied to, for example, cleaning of other granular objects and granular foods. be.

Since the above-described embodiment is for exemplifying the technique in the present disclosure, various changes, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. can be made within the scope of claims or the equivalent scope thereof.

The present disclosure can be applied to suppress cracking of granular objects due to impact or the like during supply to a stirring container, and can be applied to equipment for cleaning various granular objects.

1 Rice cooker body 2 Lid 3 Inner pot 4 Outer pot 5 Accommodation 6 Heat source 7 Pot bottom temperature sensor 8 Lid hinge 9 Hook button (lid open switch)
10 Operation display 11 Inner lid 12 Inner lid seal 13 Inner lid Steam port 14 Steam path 15 Steam port 16 Steam port seal 17 Rice bite 18 Rice 19 Rice bite lid 20 Rice weighing part 21 Rice transport part (rice supply part)
22 Rice supply route 23 Inner lid Rice supply port 24 Rice supply port seal 25 Drainage pipe 26 Drainage filter 27 Drainage route connector 28 Drainage route 29 Drainage pump 30 Drainage port 31 Stirring blade (stirring part)
32 Stirring blade rotation drive unit 33 Stirring blade vertical drive unit 34 Rice washing / drainage unit 35 Oil seal 36 Vertical drive guide 37 Vertical drive gear 38 Inner lid water supply port 39 Water supply path 40 Water supply port seal 41 Water supply valve 42 Water supply port 43 Control unit

Claims (6)

A container for rice and water,
A water supply unit that supplies water to the inside of the container,
The rice supply department that supplies rice to the inside of the container,
A control unit that controls the operation of the water supply unit and the rice supply unit is provided.
The control unit is configured to perform a rice washing operation of the rice supplied from the rice supply unit with the water supplied from the water supply unit, and before the rice supply unit supplies the rice to the container. A rice cooker configured to supply water to the container by the water supply unit. A stirring unit that can move up and down inside the container is provided.
The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the stirring unit to move between an initial position which is an upper position in the container and a rice washing position which is a lower position in the container. The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to move the stirring unit from the initial position to the rice washing position before the rice supply unit supplies rice. The rice cooker according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control unit is configured to rotate the stirring unit to perform the rice washing operation. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the stirring unit has a rod-shaped stirring blade extending in the horizontal direction. At least a part of the stirring unit is integrally formed, and a drainage port is provided inside the container to drain water inside the container.
The rice cooker according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the drainage unit.

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