JP2023004398A - rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a rice cooker capable of enhancing installation easiness and cleanability.SOLUTION: A rice cooker includes: a pot; a pot container for storing the pot; a housing having a storage region for storing the pot container; a rice container provided above the storage region inside the housing for storing rice; a lid body for covering an opening of the pot, which is attached to/detached from the pot container so as to be disposed between the pot container and the rice container when the pot container is stored in the storage region; and a pot heating device for heating the pot, which is provided below the storage region inside the housing. The pot container and the lid body can be attached to/detached from the housing by slidably moving relatively to the rice container and the pot heating device between the storage region and the side of the storage region outside the housing while the lid body is covering the opening of the pot.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a rice cooker.

Conventionally, as this type of rice cooker, for example, a rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-5668) is known. Patent Literature 1 discloses a rice cooker capable of automatically performing a series of operations of rice feeding, water supply, and rice cooking.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-5668

However, the rice cooker of Patent Document 1 includes a lid unit that is attached to the drawer unit via a hinge shaft and rotates around the hinge shaft to open and close the opening of the pot. A storage unit for storing rice is provided in the In this configuration, when the lid unit attached to the drawer unit rotates, a space is required to prevent it from coming into contact with the storage part, making it difficult to reduce the size of the rice cooker in the height direction. Therefore, the space occupied when installing the rice cooker cannot be reduced, and the installation location of the rice cooker is limited. Moreover, since the drawer unit has a container for the pot, and the container has a heating device for heating the pot, it is difficult to wash the lid unit and the container as a whole, resulting in poor cleanability. Therefore, the rice cooker of Patent Literature 1 still has room for improvement in terms of improving ease of installation and cleaning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a rice cooker capable of improving ease of installation and cleaning.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.
According to the invention, a pan and
a pot container that houses the pot;
a housing having a housing area for housing the pot container;
a rice container that is provided inside the housing and above the storage area and stores rice;
a lid that is detachably attached to the pot container so as to be disposed between the pot container and the rice container when the pot container is accommodated in the accommodation area, and that covers an opening of the pot;
a pot heating device provided inside the housing and below the housing area for heating the pot;
with
The pot container and the lid cover the rice container and the lid between the housing area and the outside of the housing and to the side of the housing area while the lid covers the opening of the pot. To provide a rice cooker that can be attached to and detached from the housing by sliding relative to the pot heating device.

According to the rice cooker of the present invention, ease of installation and cleanability can be improved.

1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a lid, a pot, and a pot container of the rice cooker of Fig. 1; 1. In the rice cooker of FIG. 1, it is a figure which shows the recessed part provided in the bottom part of the pot container. 1. In the rice cooker of FIG. 1, it is a figure which shows the convex part provided in the mounting surface of a weight detection apparatus so that it may correspond to the recessed part provided in the bottom part of a pot container. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a part of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 is enlarged and the communicating member has moved to a second communicating position; FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a part of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 is enlarged and the communicating member has moved to the first communicating position; 5B is an enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the protrusion of the communicating member at the second communicating position shown in FIG. 5A and the elongated hole into which the protrusion is inserted; FIG. 5C is an enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the protrusion of the communicating member at the first communicating position shown in FIG. 5B and the elongated hole into which the protrusion is inserted; FIG. It is sectional drawing of the planar view which shows the water supply apparatus which concerns on the rice cooker of FIG. 1, and shows the state which the communicating member moved to the 2nd communicating position. It is sectional drawing of the planar view which shows the water supply apparatus which concerns on the rice cooker of FIG. 1, and shows the state which the communicating member moved to the 1st communicating position. 2 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the rice cooker of FIG. 1; 2 is a flow chart showing another example of the operation of the rice cooker of FIG. 1;

According to one aspect of the invention, a pan;
a pot container that houses the pot;
a housing having a housing area for housing the pot container;
a rice container that is provided inside the housing and above the storage area and stores rice;
a lid that is detachably attached to the pot container so as to be disposed between the pot container and the rice container when the pot container is accommodated in the accommodation area, and that covers an opening of the pot;
a pot heating device provided inside the housing and below the housing area for heating the pot;
with
The pot container and the lid cover the rice container and the lid between the housing area and the outside of the housing and to the side of the housing area while the lid covers the opening of the pot. To provide a rice cooker that can be attached to and detached from the housing by sliding relative to the pot heating device.

According to this configuration, the pot container can be slid to the outside of the housing and to the side of the housing area while the lid covers the opening of the pot housed in the pot container, so that the conventional rice cooker Unlike the case, it does not require a space for rotating the lid so as not to contact the rice container. Therefore, it can be made smaller than conventional rice cookers, and the space occupied when installing the rice cooker can be reduced. Placement is no longer restricted. Therefore, ease of installation can be improved.

Further, according to the above configuration, since the pot heating device is provided inside the housing and below the pot container housed in the housing area, the pot container does not have the pot heating device. Therefore, the pot, the pot container, and the lid that are slid to the outside of the housing and to the side of the housing area can be disassembled and washed as a whole, facilitating cleaning. Therefore, cleanability can be improved.

The lid further includes a rice feeding device for feeding the rice in the rice container into the pot and a water feeding device for feeding water into the pot, and the rice is fed by the rice feeding device. It may have a hole through which rice and water fed by the water feeder are fed into the pot. In a conventional rice cooker, when rice and water are supplied into the pot through the same path in the lid, mold is caused by the residue of the mixture of the ingredients of rice and water adhering to the path in the lid. may occur. In a conventional rice cooker, the lid is attached to the housing side, and it is difficult to clean the path in the lid, so a hole for supplying rice and a hole for supplying water are provided separately. . On the other hand, in the rice cooker according to the above aspect, when the rice and water are supplied into the pot, they pass through the same hole. Since it can be washed, the cleanability can be improved. In addition, in the rice cooker according to the above aspect, since rice and water are supplied into the pot through the same hole, the number of holes provided in the lid can be reduced compared to the conventional rice cooker, and heat retention can be improved.

a steam cylinder capable of discharging steam to the outside of the housing; a first communication position for fluidly connecting the hole and the steam cylinder; a communication member movable to a second communication position for communication, wherein the communication member, when positioned at the first communication position, transfers steam generated in the pot and passing through the hole to the housing. It is configured to be able to be discharged to the outside of the body, and when positioned at the second communication position, the rice fed by the rice feeder and the water fed by the water feeder can be fed into the pot through the hole. may be configured to According to this configuration, by moving the communicating member to the first communicating position and the second communicating position, it is possible to switch the communication object of the hole, so that the steam in the pot is discharged through the same hole, and the steam in the pot is discharged. can be supplied with rice and water. Therefore, it is possible to improve heat retention by reducing the number of holes provided in the lid as compared to the conventional rice cooker. In addition, since the steam in the pot can be discharged to the outside of the housing through the steam cylinder without flowing to the side of the rice feeding device and the side of the water feeding device, the rice and water before cooking are not altered by the steam. Quality deterioration can be prevented.

Further, the communicating member has a sealing material that seals the periphery of the hole portion at the first communicating position, and the sealing material moves the communicating member from the first communicating position to the second communicating position. When the cover is moved upward away from the lid, it may be configured to move horizontally. According to this configuration, the sealing material seals the periphery of the hole in the first communication state, so that the steam in the pan can be more reliably discharged to the outside of the housing. Further, when the communication member moves from the first communication position to the second communication position, the sealing material moves upward away from the lid body and then moves horizontally. Friction with the lid can be prevented, and the possibility of damage to the sealing material can be reduced.

Further, a weight detection device on which the pot container accommodated in the accommodation area is placed,
Based on the weight detected by the weight detection device, the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot contained in the pot container may be measured. In a conventional rice cooker, for example, the amount of rice and water to be supplied into the pan is measured before the rice and water are supplied into the pan, based on the rotation speed or drive time of the rice feeder and water feeder. and guesses the amount of rice and water supplied in the pot. Therefore, it lacks accuracy in measuring the amount of rice and water supplied in the pan. On the other hand, in the rice cooker according to the above aspect, the weight of the pot container containing the pot is measured after the rice and water are supplied into the pot based on the weight detected by the weight detection device. The amount of rice and water fed inside can be metered more accurately.

Further, a control unit for measuring the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot based on the weight detected by the weight detection device and controlling the rice feeding device and the water feeding device, wherein the control unit After controlling one of the rice feeding device and the water feeding device to supply one of the rice and water into the pot, the other of the rice feeding device and the water feeding device is controlled to feed the other of the rice and water into the pot. The weight detected by the weight detection device before the rice and water are supplied into the pan, and the weight detected by the weight detection device after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pan The amount of one of the rice and water supplied into the pot is measured by subtracting the difference from the weight detected by the weight detection device after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pot, By subtracting the weights detected by the weight detection device after the rice and water are supplied into the pan, the amount of the other of the rice and water supplied into the pan may be measured.

According to this configuration, the weight detected by the weight detection device before the rice and water are supplied into the pot is measured as the weight of the pot container, and the weight after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pot. The weight detected by the detector is measured as the weight of the pan container and one of the rice and water supplied in the pan. Therefore, by subtracting the weight detected by the weight detection device after one of the rice and water is supplied to the pot from the weight detected by the weight detection device before the rice and water are supplied to the pot, The amount of one of the rice and water supplied in the pan is weighed. Further, the weight detected by the weight detection device after the rice and water are supplied into the pan is measured as the weight of the rice and water supplied into the pan container and the pan. Therefore, by subtracting the weight detected by the weight detection device after rice and water are supplied to the pot from the weight detected by the weight detection device after one of the rice and water is supplied to the pot, The other amount of rice and water fed into the pan is weighed. Thereby, the rice cooker according to the aspect described above can measure the rice and water in the pan based only on the weighing result of the weight detection device.

Further, the weight detection device may detect the weight when the sealing material is positioned away from the lid. According to this configuration, since the sealing member is separated from the lid when measuring the weight, it is possible to prevent the weight from being applied to the pot container from the outside through the sealing member. Therefore, it is possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot by the weight detection device.

Further, the control unit controls the water supply device to supply water into the pan, measures the amount of water supplied into the pan from the weight detected by the weight detection device, and then weighs the amount of water supplied into the pan. The rice feeding device may be controlled to feed rice in an amount corresponding to the amount of water added into the pot. According to this configuration, the control unit controls the water supply device to supply water into the pot, measures the amount of water supplied into the pot from the weight detected by the weight detection device, and then weighs the amount of water. The rice feeding device can be controlled so as to feed the amount of rice corresponding to the amount of water into the pot. For example, when the water supplied into the pot by the water supply device is stored in the water container, the amount of water that can be stored in the water container is limited, and by repeating rice cooking, the amount of rice cooked that the user of the rice cooker desires can be reached. A less than adequate amount of water may remain in the water container. At this time, if the amount of rice suitable for the amount of rice desired by the user of the rice cooker is first supplied to the pot for rice cooking, the amount of water supplied to the pot becomes insufficient and the desired taste of rice is cooked. may not be possible. On the other hand, in the rice cooker of the above aspect, water is first supplied into the pot, the amount of water is measured, and the amount of rice corresponding to the measured amount of water is supplied to the pot, so that the desired amount of rice can be cooked. You can cook rice with the taste of

Further, a water container capable of containing water supplied into the pot by the water supply device is provided, and an opening is provided in the upper part of the water container through which the water supplied into the pot by the water supply device passes. may be According to this configuration, the opening through which the water supplied into the pan by the water supply device passes is provided in the upper part of the water container capable of storing the water supplied into the pan by the water supply device. Therefore, by storing water in the water container so that the water surface is positioned below the opening of the water container, it is possible to prevent the water in the water container from leaking from the opening of the water container.

Further, one of the mounting surface of the weight detection device on which the pot container is placed and the bottom surface of the pot container is provided with a recess, and the other of the mounting surface and the bottom surface corresponds to the recess. and the pot container is slid in the concave portion relative to the concave portion so that the weight detection device can detect the weight of the pot container in a predetermined manner. may be guided to move to the designated position. According to this configuration, one of the mounting surface of the weight detection device and the bottom surface of the pot container is provided with a concave portion, and the other is provided with a convex portion corresponding to the concave portion. By sliding the projection relative to the recess within the recess, the pot container is guided to move to a predetermined position where the weight sensing device can detect the weight of the pot container. Therefore, even if the pot container is repeatedly slid, it can be reliably moved to a predetermined position, thereby preventing deterioration in measurement accuracy of the weight detection device.

The water feeding device further comprises a water feeding device for feeding water into the pot, the water feeding device having a water pipe through which a fluid can flow, and one end of the water pipe directed to the hole in the lid. The water pipe is provided with a first pump that sends fluid only from the other end of the water pipe to the pot side of the water pipe, and a first pump and the water pipe in the water pipe. A second pump may be provided for sending gas into the water pipe between the other end. According to this configuration, the first pump sends the fluid only from the other end of the water pipe to the pot side, so that the flow of the fluid from the first pump to the pot side can be restricted in one direction. Further, even when water remains in the water pipe, the second pump sends gas into the water pipe, so that the water in the water pipe is directed to the other end of the water pipe or to the first pump and the lid. It can be discharged into the pot through the hole in the body.

Further, a heat insulating layer made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the material forming the pot container, or an air layer may be formed in the side wall of the pot container. Since the pot container for housing the pot does not have a pot heating device, the side wall can be made thin so as to follow the shape of the pot. There is a risk of burns if you hold a pot container with thin side walls. In the rice cooker of the above aspect, the heat insulating layer or the air layer is formed in the side wall of the pot container, so that heat conduction from the pot to the outer surface of the pot container is suppressed, and the outer surface of the pot container is suppressed. You can reduce the risk of burns by lowering the temperature. In addition, in the rice cooker of the above aspect, the heat insulating layer or the air layer is formed in the side wall of the pot container, so that the heat applied from below the pot container by the pot heating device is transferred from the pot during cooking. It is possible to suppress the amount of heat radiated to the outside of the pot container. Therefore, since the heating of the pan can be more efficiently and finely controlled, the rice cooking performance can be improved and the rice can be cooked with energy saving.

Further, a non-contact temperature detection device for detecting the temperature of the bottom of the pot may be provided inside the housing and below the housing area. According to this configuration, a non-contact temperature sensing device for measuring the temperature at the center of the bottom of the pot is provided inside the housing and below the housing area. Therefore, it is possible to measure the temperature of the bottom portion of the pot housed in the housing area without interfering with the sliding movement of the pot container, thereby preventing deterioration in temperature measurement accuracy.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited by this embodiment. Also, in the drawings, substantially the same members are given the same reference numerals.

In the following, for convenience of explanation, the terms "top", "bottom", "front", "rear", "horizontal", etc. are used assuming the state of normal use. It does not mean to limit the usage condition of the rice cooker.

(embodiment)
An overall configuration of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the invention. The rice cooker according to the present embodiment is a so-called fully automatic rice cooker that can automatically perform from supplying rice and water into a pot to cooking rice.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the rice cooker according to this embodiment includes a housing 11 , a rice container 301 , a pot 2 , a pot container 21 and a lid 22 .

The housing 11 has a substantially D-shaped shape when viewed from above. In other words, the housing 11 has a shape in which one side of a rectangular shape is bent into a semicircular arc when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the curved surface side of the housing 11 is referred to as the front. Further, the plane side facing the curved side of the housing 11 is referred to as the rear side. Furthermore, the directions toward the front and rear of the housing 11 are referred to as the front-rear directions, and the directions perpendicular to the front-rear directions are referred to as the lateral directions. In this embodiment, the horizontal direction X is the direction toward the upper left and the lower right in FIG. Further, the direction toward the lower left and the upper right is defined as the front-rear direction Y. As shown in FIG. Further, a direction perpendicular to the lateral direction X and the front-rear direction Y and extending upward and downward in FIG. 1 is defined as a height direction Z. Further, in the present embodiment, the lateral direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the direction intersecting the lateral direction X and the front-rear direction Y are referred to as lateral sides.

A housing area 12 capable of housing a pot container 21 is provided on the lower and front sides of the housing 11 . The accommodation area 12 is configured so that the pan container 21 can be slid from the side of the accommodation area 12 and accommodated. As an example, FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which the pan container 21 can be slid from the front of the accommodation area 12 along the front-rear direction Y and accommodated. A steam port 53b, which will be described later, is provided in the curved portion of the front surface of the housing 11 above the housing area 12 . A housing lid 11a that covers the housing 11 and a rice container 301, which will be described later, is detachably attached to the upper end of the housing 11. As shown in FIG. A water container mounting portion 11b is provided on the lower side of one side portion (lower right side in FIG. 1) of the housing 11 . A water container 401 is placed on the water container mounting portion 11b so that an opening 401a provided at the top of the water container 401 faces upward. In this embodiment, a PET bottle is arranged as an example of the water container 401 .

The rice container 301 is a container for containing rice. The rice container 301 is provided inside the housing 11 and above the storage area 12 . In other words, the rice container 301 is provided inside the housing 11 below the housing lid 11a so as to be adjacent to the housing lid 11a.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing area 12 houses a pot container 21, a pot 2 (see FIG. 2) accommodated in the pot container 21, and a lid 22 detachably attached to the pot container 21. It is The pot container 21 is placed on a convex portion 61 (see FIG. 3B) of the weight detection device 6, which will be described later. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the pot container 21 accommodated in the accommodation area 12 accommodates the pot 2 and has the lid 22 attached thereto.

The pot containers 21 accommodated in the accommodation area 12 are provided so that the height of the pot containers 21 accommodated in the accommodation area 12 is lower than the height of the accommodation area 12 . The pot 2 , the pot container 21 , and the lid 22 move back and forth between the housing area 12 and the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the housing area 12 while the lid 22 is attached to the pot container 21 . By sliding along the direction Y, it can be attached to and detached from the housing 11 .

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pot, pot container, and lid of the rice cooker of FIG. 3A is a bottom view of a recess provided in the bottom of the pot container in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. 3B is an oblique top view of a convex portion provided on the mounting surface of the weight detection device so as to correspond to the concave portion provided on the bottom of the pot container in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. 1. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pan 2 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom. That is, the pot 2 has a bottom portion 2a, side walls 2b, an opening portion 2c, and a flange portion 2d. The flange portion 2d extends from the upper end portion of the side wall 2b toward the outside of the pot 2 over the entire circumferential direction of the upper end portion of the side wall 2b.

The pot container 21 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom that can accommodate the pot 2 . That is, pot container 21 has bottom 21a, side wall 211, and opening 21h. The pot container 21 is made of, for example, resin.

The side wall 211 has an inner wall portion 21b, ribs 21c, and an outer wall portion 21d. A plurality of ribs 21c protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the inner wall portion 21b so that the longitudinal direction thereof extends along the height direction Z. As shown in FIG. The outer wall portion 21d is provided so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the inner wall portion 21b and sandwich a plurality of ribs 21c between the outer wall portion 21d and the inner wall portion 21b. An air layer 21e is formed in the side wall 211, that is, between the inner wall portion 21b and the outer wall portion 21d.

When the pot 2 is accommodated in the pot container 21, between the inner wall portion 21b of the pot container 21 and the side wall 2b of the pot 2, and between the bottom portion 21a of the pot container 21 and the bottom portion 2a of the pot 2, It is housed so that there is a gap. Therefore, even if the pot 2 is heated by the pot heating device 7, which will be described later, the heat transmitted to the pot container 21 can be suppressed compared to the case where there is no gap between the pot container 21 and the pot 2. damage caused by As shown in FIG. 4 , when the pot 2 is accommodated in the pot container 21 , the flange portion 2 d of the pot 2 is placed on the upper end portion of the inner wall portion 21 b of the pot container 21 . In other words, when the pan 2 is accommodated in the pan container 21, the pan 2 is supported by the flange portion 2d.

As shown in FIG. 3A, a concave portion 21f is provided on the lower surface side of the bottom portion 21a of the pot container 21, that is, on the bottom surface. The recess 21f has recess sidewalls 21g. A side wall 21g of the recess has a U-shape in which straight portions are provided at both ends and the two straight portions are connected by a curved portion formed by a semicircular arc. In other words, the bottom 21a of the pot container is provided with a U-shaped groove. The length between the straight portions of the side wall 21g of the recess, that is, the length of the width of the U-shaped groove is set to be longer than the length of the radius of the bottom portion 21a of the pot container 21 . The lower surface of the side wall 21g of the recess is a flat surface provided along the U shape. A through hole is provided in the center of the bottom portion 21a of the pot container 21 so as to vertically penetrate the bottom portion 21a.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the bottom of the accommodation area 12 is provided with a protrusion 61 corresponding to the recess 21f for placing the pot container 21 accommodated in the accommodation area 12 . The convex portion 61 is provided so that a ring-shaped flat plate protrudes from the housing 11 . A glass plate 61a, which will be described later, is provided in the central portion of the convex portion 61. As shown in FIG. The protrusion 61 is provided so that the height of the protrusion 61 is higher than the height of the side wall 21g of the recess. A convex portion peripheral portion 11 c is provided on the outer side of the convex portion 61 over the entire circumference of the convex portion 61 in the circumferential direction. The convex peripheral portion 11c is a flat surface provided in a ring shape so as to face the lower surface of the side wall 21g of the recess when the pot container 21 is accommodated in the accommodation area 12 . The length of the diameter of the protrusion 61 is such that when the protrusion 61 is positioned between both straight portions of the side wall 21g of the recess, the outer surface of the protrusion 61 is positioned near both straight portions of the side wall 21g of the recess. It is provided to be longer than the length of the radius of the protruding peripheral portion 11c.

When the pot container 21 slides between the housing area 12 and outside the housing 11 and laterally of the housing area 12, the projections 61 slide relatively within the recesses 21f. More specifically, the sidewall 21g of the recess slides relative to the outer surface of the projection 61. As shown in FIG. Thereby, the sliding movement of the pot container 21 is guided. Further, in the present embodiment, since the side wall 21g of the recess is provided with the curved portion, the outer surface of the protrusion 61 and the curved portion of the side wall 21g of the recess can be brought into contact with each other. Therefore, even if the pot container 21 is repeatedly slid, the pot container 21 can be reliably moved to a predetermined position within the housing area 12 . In other words, the pot container 21 slides in the direction in which the U-shaped groove of the bottom 21a of the pot container extends, and the side wall 21g of the groove and the outer surface of the projection 61 slide relative to each other. The slide movement is guided by In addition, since the outer surface of the convex portion 61 and the curved portion of the groove portion can be held against each other, even if the pot container 21 is repeatedly slid, the pot container 21 can be reliably held at a predetermined position within the housing area 12. can be moved to Furthermore, when the pot container 21 is placed on the convex portion 61, the pot container 21 is positive in the circumferential direction of the convex portion 61 so that the side wall 21g of the concave portion and the outer surface of the convex portion 61 slide relative to each other. Reverse rotation is possible.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lid 22 has a lid body 22a, a hole 22b, a pan packing 22c, and an attachment member 22d. In this embodiment, the lid main body 22a has a ring-shaped flat plate portion and a cylindrical portion having an outer peripheral surface flush with the outer peripheral surface of the ring-shaped flat plate in the circumferential direction. Further, the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the lid body 22a is flush with the outer peripheral surface of the side wall 211 of the pot container 21 when the lid 22 is detachably attached to the pot container 21 . In addition, in this embodiment, a flat plate includes a substantially flat plate, and a flush surface includes a substantially flush surface. The hole portion 22b is provided in the center portion in the width direction of the flat plate portion of the lid body 22a. The lid 22 has a hole 22b through which the rice fed by the rice feeder 3 (described later) and the water fed by the water feeder 4 (described later) are fed into the pot 2 . The pot packing 22c is provided so as to come into contact with the pot 2 when the lid 22 is detachably attached to the pot container 21 so as to cover the opening of the pot 2. - 特許庁The attachment member 22d is attached to the lid main body 22a so as to sandwich the pot packing 22c therebetween.

5A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a part of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 is enlarged and the communicating member has moved to the second communicating position. FIG. 5B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a state in which a part of the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 is enlarged and the communicating member has moved to the first communicating position. 6A is an enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the protrusion of the communicating member at the second communicating position shown in FIG. 5A and the elongated hole into which the protrusion is inserted. FIG. FIG. 6B is an enlarged view showing the positional relationship between the protrusion of the communicating member at the first communicating position shown in FIG. 5B and the elongated hole into which the protrusion is inserted. 7A is a plan view cross-sectional view showing the water supply device according to the rice cooker of FIG. 1 and showing a state in which the communication member has moved to the second communication position. FIG. 7B is a plan view cross-sectional view showing the water supply device according to the rice cooker of FIG. 1 and showing a state in which the communicating member has moved to the first communicating position; FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7B, the housing 11 includes a rice feeder 3, a water feeder 4, a communication member 5, a weight detection device 6, a pot heating device 7, a temperature detection device 8, and a control device. and part 9.

The rice feeding device 3 has a rice feeding shaft 31 and a rice feeding blade 32 . The rice feeding shaft 31 is arranged horizontally from below the rice container 301 to above the storage area 12 . The rice feeding blade 32 is spirally formed around the rice feeding shaft 31 . The rice stored in the rice container 301 falls due to gravity, and is transported horizontally upward in the storage area 12 by the rice transport shaft 31 and the rice transport blades 32 rotated by a motor or the like. When the pot container 21 is accommodated in the accommodation area 12 , the rice sent above the accommodation area 12 drops due to gravity and enters the pot 2 through the hole 22 b of the lid 22 . That is, the rice feeding device 3 can feed the rice in the rice container 301 into the pot 2 .

The water supply device 4 includes a water supply pipe 41, a water supply pump 42 that is an example of a first pump, and a water supply pipe drainage pump 43 that is an example of a second pump. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the water supply device 4 is arranged inside the housing 11 .

The water pipe 41 has one end 41a and the other end 41b. One end portion 41 a is provided so as to open toward hole portion 22 b of lid body 22 housed in housing area 12 . The other end portion 41b is provided so as to be in fluid communication with the outside of the housing 11 . In this embodiment, the other end portion 41b is arranged on the back surface of the housing 11 and is placed on the water container mounting portion 11b outside the housing 11. They are communicatively connected to the members 402 . More specifically, the water intake member 402 has a water intake tube 402a through which fluid can flow and a cap portion 402b that is detachably attached to openings of various water containers. The other end 41b of the water pipe 41 is connected to a water intake pipe 402a of a water intake member 402 arranged outside the housing so as to be able to communicate with each other.

The water pipe 41 is provided with a water pump 42 and a water pipe drainage pump 43 . The water pump 42 is an example of a first pump that sends fluid (including water and gas) only from the other end 41b side of the water pipe 41 to the pot 2 side of the water pipe 41 . The water pump 42 is, for example, a positive displacement pump such as a diaphragm pump, plunger pump, or piston pump. In this embodiment, the water pump 42 is attached so as to connect two water pipes 41 . In this embodiment, the water supplied into the pan 2 by the water pump 42 of the water supply device 4 is supplied from the water container 401 through the opening 401a. The water pipe drainage pump 43 is an example of a second pump that is arranged between the water pump 42 and the other end 41 b of the water pipe 41 and sends gas (for example, air) into the water pipe 41 . In this embodiment, the water pipe drain pump 43 is connected to a branch pipe branched from the water pipe 41 .

The communicating member 5 has a communicating member main body 51 , a sealing material 52 and a steam cylinder 53 . As shown in FIGS. 5A to 6B, the communication member 5 has a first communication position for fluid communication between the hole 22b of the lid 22 and a steam cylinder 53 capable of discharging steam to the outside of the housing 11, and a lid 22 and the rice feeding device 3 and the water feeding device 4 are arranged so as to be movable to a second communicating position.

The communication member main body 51 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 51a. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, each protrusion 51a is provided in the housing 11 and enters a long hole 501 of a support member that supports the communication member 5 via the protrusion 51a, and moves through the long hole 501. As shown in FIGS. Move slidably. 6A and 6B, when the protrusion 51a is positioned at the left end of each elongated hole 501, the communication member 5 is positioned at the first communication position. Further, when the protrusion 51a is positioned at the right end of each long hole 501, the communication member 5 is positioned at the second communication position. The elongated hole 501 extends diagonally upward from one end of the elongated hole 501 corresponding to the first communication position of the communication member 5 toward the other end corresponding to the second communication position of the communication member 5 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). The first section extends in the upper right direction, and the second section continues from the first section and extends horizontally to the other end of the long hole 501 corresponding to the second communication position of the communication member 5 . When moving from the first communication position to the second communication position, the communication member 5 can move upward by sliding through the first section of the long hole 501 to which each protrusion 51a corresponds.

The sealing material 52 is provided on the lower surface of the communication member main body 51 , that is, on the surface facing the housing area 12 . As shown in FIG. 6A , when the communication member 5 is positioned at the second communication position, the seal member 52 is separated from the lid 22 and the communication member 5 is separated from the lid 22 . As shown in FIG. 6B , when the communication member 5 is positioned at the first communication position, the sealing member 52 contacts the lid 22 and seals the periphery of the hole 22 b of the lid 22 . In other words, when the communication member 5 is positioned at the first communication position and the inside of the pan 2 and the steam cylinder 53 are in fluid communication through the hole 22b of the lid 22, the steam inside the pan 2 flows through the seal member 52. is introduced into the steam cylinder 53 without leaking into the inside of the housing 11. Further, when the communicating member 5 moves from the first communicating position to the second communicating position, the sealing material 52 moves upward away from the lid body 22 and then moves horizontally.

The steam cylinder 53 has one end 53a and a steam port 53b, which is an example of the other end. One end 53a of the steam cylinder 53 is provided on the upper surface of the communicating member main body 51 so as to communicate with the inside of the pot 2 through the hole 22b of the lid 22 when the communicating member 5 is positioned at the first communicating position. there is The steam port 53 b is provided above the accommodation area 12 and at the curved portion of the front surface of the housing 11 . Therefore, when the communication member 5 is positioned at the first communication position and the pot container 21 is housed in the housing area 12, the steam in the pot 2 flows through the hole 22b of the lid 22 and the steam cylinder 53 into the housing. It is discharged outside the body 11 .

The weight detection device 6 has a mounting surface. A convex portion 61 is provided on the mounting surface, and the pot container 21 housed in the housing area 12 is mounted thereon. The weight detection device 6 is arranged inside the housing 11 below the pot container 21 housed in the housing area 12 . The weight detection device 6 detects the weight of the pot container 21 accommodated in the accommodation area 12 and placed on the convex portion 61 of the placement surface. In this embodiment, the weight of the pot container 21 is the weight of the pot 2 housed in the pot container 21, the lid 22 detachably attached to the pot container 21, and the weight of rice and water supplied in the pot 2. include. In this embodiment, the controller 9, which will be described later, measures the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detector 6. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, inside the housing 11 and below the housing area 12, a pot heating device 7 is provided at a position facing the bottom portion 2a of the pot 2 that is housed. The pot heating device 7 is, for example, an induction heating coil that induction-heats the pot 2 when energized.

The pot heating device 7 and the rice container 301 are provided inside the housing 11 . Therefore, the pot container 21 and the lid 22 cover the opening 2c of the pot 2 with the lid 22 covering the opening 2c of the pot 2, and between the storage area 12 and the side of the storage area 12 outside the housing 11. It is slidable relative to the container 301 and the pot heating device 7 .

A light-transmissive glass plate 61a is provided at the center of the convex portion 61 on the mounting surface of the weight detection device 6 . A non-contact temperature detection device 8 is provided inside the housing 11 and below the glass plate 61 a of the weight detection device 6 , that is, inside the housing 11 and below the housing area 12 . The temperature detection device 8 detects, for example, infrared rays radiated from the bottom 2a of the pot 2 in a non-contact manner via the through hole of the bottom 21a of the pot container 21 and the glass plate 61a, thereby detecting the temperature of the bottom 2a of the pot 2. For example, an infrared sensor that measures temperature.

The control unit 9 is provided inside the housing 11 . The controller 9 measures the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detector 6 and controls the rice feeder 3 and the water feeder 4 . The control unit 9 also has a storage unit (not shown) that stores a plurality of rice cooking sequences for cooking rice. Here, the "rice cooking sequence" means that the energization time, heating temperature, heating time, heating output, etc. are predetermined in each process when mainly four processes of preheating, raising temperature, maintaining boiling, and steaming are executed in order. It refers to the procedure for cooking rice. Each rice cooking sequence corresponds to one of a plurality of rice cooking courses. The control unit 9 controls the pot heating device 7 based on the rice cooking information selected by the display operation unit (not shown) and the temperature detected by the temperature detection device 8 to perform the rice cooking process. The controller 9 controls the water pump 42 and the water pipe drain pump 43 and controls the communication member 5 .

Next, the operation of the rice cooker according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the rice cooker according to this embodiment.

First, in step S<b>1 , the user sets rice in the rice container 301 and water in the water container 401 .

Next, in step S2, the user selects rice cooking information. More specifically, the user selects the amount of rice to be cooked, the rice cooking course, and the like using the display operation unit.

Next, in step S3, the control unit 9 detects whether or not an instruction to start rice cooking has been given by the user operating the display operation unit or the like. If there is no instruction to start cooking rice ("NO" in step S13), the control unit 9 waits without driving the rice feeding device 3, the water feeding device 4, and the like. On the other hand, when there is an instruction to start cooking rice ("YES" in step S13), the control section 9 proceeds to step S14.

Next, in step S4, the control unit 9 controls the communication member 5 to move the communication member 5 to the second communication position where the hole 22b of the lid 22 and the rice feeding device 3 and the water feeding device 4 are in fluid communication. move. As a result, in subsequent steps, the weight detection device 6 detects the weight when the sealing material 52 is positioned away from the lid body 22 .

Next, in step S<b>5 , the weight detection device 6 detects the weight of the pot container 21 before rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 .

Next, in step S<b>6 , the controller 9 controls one of the rice feeder 3 and the water feeder 4 to feed one of rice and water into the pot 2 .

Next, in step S<b>7 , the weight detection device 6 detects the weight of the pot container 21 after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pot 2 .

Next, in step S8, the controller 9 determines the amount of rice in the pot 2 in step S16 based on the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 before the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 in step S14. and the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after one of the water is supplied. Thereby, the controller 9 measures the amount of one of the rice and the water supplied into the pot 2 .

Next, in step S<b>9 , the control unit 9 controls the other of the rice feeder 3 and the water feeder 4 to feed the other of rice and water into the pot 2 . In steps S15 and S18, the amount of rice and water supplied into the pan 2 corresponds to the amount of rice to be cooked selected by the display operation unit (hereinafter referred to as the set amount of rice to be cooked). Alternatively, the set amount of rice to be cooked may be divided into a plurality of times and supplied.

Next, in step S10, the weight detection device 6 detects the weight of the pot container 21 after rice and water have been supplied into the pot 2. As shown in FIG.

Next, in step S11, the control unit 9 detects the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pot 2 in step S6, and The weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after the rice and water are supplied to is subtracted. As a result, the controller 9 measures the amount of the other of the rice and water supplied into the pan 2 .

Next, in step S<b>12 , the controller 9 controls the water pump 42 and the water pipe drainage pump 43 to drain the water in the water pipe 41 to the outside of the water pipe 41 . Details will be explained later.

Next, in step S13, the control unit 9 controls the communication member 5 to move the communication member 5 to the first communication position where the hole 22b of the lid 22 and the steam cylinder 53 are in fluid communication, and then the rice is cooked. conduct. In this embodiment, the control unit 9 controls the pot heating device 7 to cook rice based on the rice cooking information selected by the display operation unit and the temperature detected by the temperature detection device 8 . Steam generated in the pot 2 during rice cooking is discharged from the steam cylinder 53 to the outside of the housing 11 through the hole 22b through which the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 .

As described above, the rice cooker according to the present embodiment can automatically cook rice.

Next, the step of draining the water in the water pipe 41 to the outside of the water pipe 41 in step S12 will be described in more detail.

The controller 9 stops driving the water pump 42 and drives the water pipe drainage pump 43 . As a result, gas is sent from the water pipe drain pump 43 , and the water in the water pipe 41 located closer to the water container 401 than the water pipe drain pump 43 returns to the water container 401 . Subsequently, the control unit 9 drives the water pump 42 while maintaining the driving of the water pipe drainage pump 43 . As a result, the water in the water pipe 41 located closer to the pan 2 than the water pipe drain pump 43 is pushed by the gas sent from the water pipe drain pump 43 and sent into the pan 2 .

As described above, the process of draining the water in the water pipe 41 to the outside of the water pipe 41 is performed. By this process, it is possible to suppress the generation of bacteria and the like due to the water remaining in the water pipe 41 .

FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing another example of the operation of the rice cooker according to this embodiment. Note that steps S101, S103 to S105, and S110 to S111 correspond to steps S1, S3 to S4, and S11 to S12 shown in FIG. 8, so description thereof will be omitted.

After step S101, the user selects rice cooking information in step S102. More specifically, the user selects a course of rice cooking based on the amount of water supplied using the display operation unit.

After step S105, in step S106, the controller 9 controls the water supply device 4 to supply water into the pot 2. As shown in FIG.

Next, in step S<b>107 , the weight detection device 6 detects the weight of the pot container 21 after water is supplied into the pot 2 .

Next, in step S108, the control unit 9 detects the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 before the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 in step S105, and the amount of water in the pot 2 in step S107. is supplied, the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 is subtracted. Thereby, the controller 9 measures the amount of water supplied into the pot 2 .

Next, in step S109, the control unit 9 controls the rice feeding device 3 to feed rice into the pot 2 in an amount corresponding to the amount of water measured in step S107. In steps S105 and S108, the amount of rice and water to be supplied into the pot 2 may be the set amount of rice to be cooked at one time, or the set amount of rice to be cooked may be supplied in a plurality of times. may

As described above, in the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the control unit 9 controls the water supply device 4 so that water is supplied into the pot 2, and the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 is used to supply water into the pot 2. Weigh the amount of water added. After that, the control unit 9 controls the rice feeding device 3 so that the amount of rice corresponding to the measured amount of water is fed into the pot 2 . Therefore, the rice cooker according to the present embodiment can automatically cook rice based on the amount of water supplied.

According to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the housing 11 having the pot 2, the pot container 21 that houses the pot 2, the housing area 12 that houses the pot container 21, and the housing area inside the housing 11 12 and a rice container 301 for storing rice. Also, the lid is detachably attached to the pot container 21 so as to be arranged between the pot container 21 and the rice container 301 when the pot container 21 is accommodated in the accommodation area 12, and covers the opening 2c of the pot 2. A body 22 is provided. Further, a pot heating device 7 is provided inside the housing 11 and below the housing area 12 to heat the pot 2 . In addition, the pot container 21 and the lid body 22 cover the opening 2c of the pot 2 with the lid body 22 covering the rice pot container 21 and the storage area 12 outside the housing 11 and on the side of the storage area 12. It slides relative to the container 301 and the pot heating device 7 . By sliding in this manner, the pan container 21 and the lid body 22 are configured to be attachable and detachable with respect to the housing 11 .

According to this configuration, the pot container 21 can be slid to the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the housing area 12 while the lid 22 covers the opening 2c of the pot 2. No space is required for rotating the rice container 301 so as not to contact it. Therefore, it can be made smaller than conventional rice cookers, and the space occupied when installing the rice cooker can be reduced. Placement is no longer restricted. Therefore, ease of installation can be improved.

Moreover, since the pot heating device 7 is provided inside the housing 11 and below the pot container 21 accommodated in the housing area 12 , the pot container 21 does not have the pot heating device 7 . Therefore, the pan 2, the pan container 21, and the lid 22 slid to the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the housing area 12 can be disassembled and washed as a whole, facilitating cleaning. Therefore, cleanability can be improved.

Moreover, according to the rice cooker of this embodiment, the rice feeding device 3 that feeds the rice in the rice container 301 into the pot 2 and the water feeding device 4 that feeds water into the pot 2 are further provided. The lid 22 has a hole 22b through which the rice fed by the rice feeder 3 and the water fed by the water feeder 4 are fed into the pot 2 . In a conventional rice cooker, when rice and water are supplied into the pot through the same path in the lid, mold is caused by the residue of the mixture of the ingredients of rice and water adhering to the path in the lid. may occur. In a conventional rice cooker, the lid is attached to the housing side, and it is difficult to clean the path in the lid, so a hole for supplying rice and a hole for supplying water are provided separately. . On the other hand, in the rice cooker according to the above aspect, when the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2, they pass through the same hole 22b, but the lid body 22 is slid and separated from the housing 11 so that the lid Since the entire body 22 can be washed, cleanability can be improved. In addition, in the rice cooker according to the above aspect, since rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 through the same hole 22b, the number of holes 22b provided in the lid body 22 is reduced compared to the conventional rice cooker, and heat retention is improved. be able to.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the steam cylinder 53 capable of discharging steam to the outside of the housing 11 and the first communication position where the hole portion 22b and the steam cylinder 53 are in fluid communication are communicated. A member 5 is provided. The communication member 5 is configured to be movable to a second communication position where the hole portion 22b and the rice feeding device 3 and the water feeding device 4 are in fluid communication with each other. Further, when the communication member 5 is positioned at the first communication position, the steam generated inside the pan 2 and passed through the hole 22b can be discharged to the outside of the housing 11 through the steam cylinder 53 . Furthermore, when the communication member 5 is positioned at the second communication position, the rice fed by the rice feeder 3 and the water fed by the water feeder 4 can be fed into the pot 2 through the hole 22b. . According to this configuration, by moving the communication member 5 to the first communication position and the second communication position, the communication object of the hole 22b can be switched, so the steam in the pan 2 is discharged through the same hole 22b. At the same time, rice and water can be supplied into the pot 2 . Therefore, it is possible to improve heat retention by reducing the number of holes 22b provided in the lid 22 as compared to the conventional rice cooker. In addition, since the steam in the pot 2 can be discharged to the outside of the housing 11 through the steam cylinder 53 without flowing to the side of the rice feeder 3 and the water feeder 4, the rice and water before cooking are altered by the steam. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the quality of cooked rice.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the communicating member 5 has the sealing material 52 that seals the periphery of the hole 22b at the first communicating position, and the sealing material 52 allows the communicating member 5 to communicate in the first communication. When moving from the position to the second communication position, it is configured to move upward away from the lid body 22 and then move horizontally. According to this configuration, the sealing material 52 seals the periphery of the hole 22b in the first communication state, so that the steam in the pot 2 can be more reliably discharged to the outside of the housing 11 through the steam cylinder 53. can be done. Further, when the communication member 5 moves from the first communication position to the second communication position, the seal member 52 moves upward away from the lid body 22 and then moves in the horizontal direction. Friction between the sealing material 52 and the lid body 22 can be prevented, and the possibility of damage to the sealing material 52 can be reduced.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the weight detection device 6 on which the pot container 21 accommodated in the accommodation area 12 is placed is provided, and based on the weight detected by the weight detection device 6, the weight of the pot container 21 is detected. It is configured to measure the amount of rice and water supplied in the pan 2 housed therein. In a conventional rice cooker, for example, the amount of rice and water to be supplied into the pan is measured before the rice and water are supplied into the pan, based on the rotation speed or drive time of the rice feeder and water feeder. and guesses the amount of rice and water supplied in the pot. Therefore, it lacks accuracy in measuring the amount of rice and water supplied in the pan. On the other hand, in the rice cooker according to the above aspect, the weight of the pot container 21 containing the pot 2 is measured after the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection device 6. Therefore, the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot 2 can be measured more accurately.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot 2 is measured based on the weight detected by the weight detection device 6, and the rice feeding device 3 and the water feeding device 4 are controlled. A control unit 9 is provided. After controlling one of the rice feeding device 3 and the water feeding device 4 to supply one of the rice and the water into the pot 2, the control unit 9 controls the other of the rice feeding device 3 and the water feeding device 4 to feed the rice and the water. is configured to supply the other one into the pan 2. Further, the control unit 9 changes the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 before the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 to the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pot 2. The amount of one of the rice and water supplied into the pot 2 is measured by subtracting the weights obtained. Furthermore, the control unit 9 determines the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pan 2, and the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after the rice and water are supplied into the pan 2. By subtracting the weight, it is configured to measure the amount of the other of the rice and water supplied into the pot 2 .

According to this configuration, the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 before the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 is measured as the weight of the pot container 21 . Also, the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pan 2 is measured as the weight of the pan container 21 and the one of the rice and water supplied into the pan 2.例文帳に追加Therefore, the difference is the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pot 2 from the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 before the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2. By doing so, the amount of one of the rice and water supplied in the pan 2 is measured. Further, the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 is measured as the weight of the rice and water supplied into the pot container 21 and the pot 2 . Therefore, the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after rice and water are supplied to the pot 2 is subtracted from the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 after one of the rice and water is supplied to the pot 2. By doing so, the other amount of rice and water supplied in the pot 2 is measured. Thereby, the rice cooker according to the above aspect can measure the rice and water in the pot based only on the weighing result of the weight detection device 6 .

When the rice is first supplied into the pot 2 through the hole 22b of the lid 22 and then the water is supplied into the pot 2, water is poured over the rice piled up in the pot 2. Therefore, the piled-up state of the rice can be broken, and the rice in the pot 2 can be more easily soaked in water. Therefore, deterioration of cooking rice quality can be prevented. Further, when water is first supplied into the pot 2 through the hole 22b of the lid 22 and then rice is supplied into the pot 2, the rice supplied into the pot 2 is replaced with the water supplied first. Because it falls on the surface of the water, the impact can be suppressed. Therefore, when rice is supplied into the pot 2, it can be prevented from being broken by impact, and deterioration of the cooked rice quality can be prevented.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the weight detection device 6 is configured to detect the weight when the sealing member 52 is positioned away from the lid body 22 . According to this configuration, since the sealing member 52 is separated from the lid body 22 when the weight is measured, it is possible to prevent the weight from being applied to the pot container 21 from the outside of the pot container 21 via the sealing member 52. can be done. Therefore, it is possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the amount of rice and water supplied into the pan 2 by the weight detection device 6 .

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the control unit 9 controls the water supply device 4 to supply water into the pot 2, and the weight detected by the weight detection device 6 is used to supply water into the pot 2. configured to meter the amount of water Further, the control unit 9 is configured to control the rice feeding device 3 so as to feed rice in an amount corresponding to the measured amount of water in the pot 2 and to feed the rice into the pot 2 . According to this configuration, the control unit 9 controls the water supply device 4 to supply water into the pot 2, and measures the amount of water supplied into the pot 2 from the weight detected by the weight detection device 6. After that, the rice feeding device 3 can be controlled so as to feed the amount of rice corresponding to the measured amount of water into the pot 2 . For example, when the water supplied into the pot 2 by the water supply device 4 is stored in the water container 401, the amount of water that can be stored in the water container 401 is limited, and by repeating rice cooking, the user of the rice cooker is able to An amount of water smaller than the amount of water suitable for the amount of rice to be cooked may remain in the water container 401 . At this time, if an amount of rice suitable for the amount of rice desired by the user of the rice cooker is first supplied into the pan 2 for rice cooking, the amount of water supplied to the pan 2 will be insufficient and the desired taste of the rice will not be obtained. may not be able to cook. On the other hand, in the rice cooker of the above aspect, water is first supplied into the pot 2, the amount of water is measured, and an amount of rice corresponding to the measured amount of water is supplied to the pot. Rice with desired taste can be cooked.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the water container 401 capable of containing the water supplied into the pan 2 by the water supply device 4 is provided. An opening 401a is provided through which water is supplied to. According to this configuration, since the opening 401a is provided in the upper portion of the water container 401, by storing water in the water container 401 so that the water surface is positioned below the opening 401a, the water inside the water container 401 can be of water can be prevented from leaking from the opening 401a.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the water supply device 4 for supplying water into the pot 2 is further provided. is configured such that one end portion 41 a opens toward the hole portion 22 b of the lid 22 . The water pipe 41 includes a water pump 42 that sends fluid only from the other end 41b side of the water pipe 41 to the pot 2 side of the water pipe 41, and a water pump 42 and the other end of the water pipe 41 in the water pipe 41. A water pipe drainage pump 43 for sending gas into the water pipe 41 between the portion 41b is provided. According to this configuration, the water pump 42 sends the fluid only from the other end 41b side of the water pipe 41 to the pot 2 side, thereby restricting the flow of the fluid from the water pump 42 to the pot 2 side in one direction. can be done. Even if water remains in the water pipe 41, the water pipe drain pump 43 sends gas into the water pipe 41, so that the water in the water pipe 41 is removed from the other end 41b of the water pipe 41. The water can be discharged to the side or into the pot 2 through the water pump 42 and the hole 22b of the lid 22 .

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, an air layer 21 e is formed inside the side wall 211 of the pot container 21 . According to this configuration, the pot container 21 for accommodating the pot 2 does not have the pot heating device 7 , so the side wall 211 can be made thin so as to follow the shape of the pot 2 . If the side wall 211 of the pot container 21 is thin, there is a danger of getting burned. In the rice cooker of the above aspect, since the air layer 21e is formed in the side wall 211 of the pot container 21, heat conduction from the pot 2 to the outer surface of the pot container 21 is suppressed, and the outer surface of the pot container 21 is suppressed. temperature can be lowered to reduce the risk of burns. In the rice cooker of the above aspect, since the air layer 21e is formed in the side wall 211 of the pot container 21, the heat applied from below the pot container 21 by the pot heating device 7 is applied to the pot 2 during cooking. The amount of heat radiated from the hot pot container 21 to the outside can be suppressed. Therefore, since the heating of the pan 2 can be more efficiently and finely controlled, the rice cooking performance can be improved and the rice can be cooked with energy saving.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the bottom surface of the pot container 21 is provided with the concave portion 21f, and the mounting surface of the weight detection device 6 is provided with the convex portion 61 corresponding to the concave portion 21f. there is According to this configuration, by sliding the projection 61 in the recess 21f relative to the recess 21f, the weight of the pot container 21 can be detected by the weight detection device 6. is guided to move to the desired position.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the present embodiment, the non-contact temperature detection device 8 for measuring the temperature of the bottom of the pot 2 is provided inside the housing 11 and below the housing area 12. ing. According to this configuration, a non-contact temperature sensing device 8 for measuring the temperature at the center of the bottom of the pot 2 is provided inside the housing 11 and below the housing area 12 . Therefore, it is possible to measure the temperature of the bottom portion of the pan 2 accommodated in the accommodation area 12 without hindering the sliding movement of the pan container 21, thereby preventing deterioration in temperature measurement accuracy.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various other modes. For example, in the above description, the air layer 21e is formed inside the side wall 211 of the pot container 21, but the present invention is not limited to this. Inside the side wall 211 of the pot container 21, a heat insulating layer made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the material forming the pot container 21 may be formed.

In the above description, the bottom surface of the pot container 21 is provided with the concave portion 21f, and the mounting surface of the weight detection device 6 is provided with the convex portion 61 corresponding to the concave portion 21f. It is not limited to this. For example, the bottom surface of the pot container 21 may be provided with a convex portion 61 and the mounting surface of the weight detection device 6 may be provided with a concave portion 21 f corresponding to the convex portion 61 .

Also, in the above description, one concave portion 21f and one convex portion 61 are provided so as to correspond to each other, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of concave portions 21f and a corresponding number of convex portions 61 may be provided so as to correspond to each other.

Further, in the above description, the pot 2, the pot container 21, and the lid 22 are slid along the front-rear direction Y between the housing area 12 and the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the housing area 12. However, the invention is not so limited. For example, the pot 2, the pot container 21, and the lid 22 slide in a direction oblique to the front-rear direction Y between the accommodation area 12 and the outside of the housing 11 and the sides of the accommodation area 12. may

Also, in the above description, the steam in the pot 2 is discharged to the outside of the housing 11 through the hole 22b through which the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. . The hole in the lid 22 for discharging the steam in the pot 2 to the outside of the housing 11 may be provided separately from the hole 22b through which the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2. In other words, the lid 22 may be provided with a hole in addition to the hole 22b through which the rice and water are supplied into the pot 2 .

In the above description, the hole portion 22b of the lid body 22 is provided in the central portion in the width direction of the lid body 22a, but the present invention is not limited to this. The hole portion 22b of the lid body 22 may be provided at a position other than the central portion in the width direction of the lid body body 22a as long as the rice and water supplied into the pot 2 can pass through the hole portion 22b.

In the above description, the water container 401 is placed on the water container placing portion 11b of the housing 11 with the opening 401a facing upward, but the present invention is not limited to this. The water container 401 may be placed with the opening 401a facing downward if water does not leak from the opening 401a.

In the above description, it is assumed that the rice feeding device 3 is controlled so that the amount of rice corresponding to the measured amount of water in the pot 2 is fed into the pot 2. , the rice can be cooked so that the water contained in the water container 401 is used up. For example, when using a PET bottle containing 500 ml of water as the water container 401, the amount of water required for cooking rice is about 2.1 cups, so the amount of water required for cooking rice is about 2.1 cups. You can cook rice corresponding to a cup of rice. Further, for example, when a PET bottle containing 250 ml of water is used as the water container 401, the amount of water required for cooking rice is 250 ml with respect to the amount of rice of 1.05 cups. You can cook rice corresponding to a cup of rice. Since PET bottled water is easily available, even if rice is cooked so as to use up the water in the PET bottle, new water in the PET bottle can be used each time rice is cooked by replacing the PET bottle. In other words, by preparing a PET bottle containing an amount of water corresponding to the amount of rice desired by the user, it is possible to reduce the user's maintenance burden.

By appropriately combining any of the various embodiments or modifications described above, the respective effects can be obtained. In addition, combinations of embodiments, combinations of examples, or combinations of embodiments and examples are possible, as well as combinations of features in different embodiments or examples.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The rice cooker according to the present invention can improve ease of installation and cleanability, and is useful as a rice cooker that can be used in places where it is difficult to use conventional rice cookers.

Reference Signs List 1 rice cooker 11 housing 11a housing lid 11b water container placing portion 11c convex peripheral portion 12 housing area 2 pot 2a bottom 2b side wall 2c opening 2d flange 21 pot container 21a bottom 21b inner wall 21c rib 21d outer wall 21e Air layer 21f Recess 21g Side wall of recess 21h Opening 211 Side wall 22 Lid 22a Lid main body 22b Hole 22c Pot packing 22d Mounting member 3 Rice feeding device 31 Rice feeding shaft 32 Rice feeding blade 301 Rice container 4 Water feeding device 41 Water pipe 41a One end 41b Other end 42 Water pump 43 Water pipe drainage pump 401 Water container 401a Opening 402 Water intake member 402a Water intake pipe 402b Cap portion 5 Communication member 51 Communication member body 51a Protrusion 52 Sealing material 53 Steam cylinder 53a One end 53b Steam port 501 long hole 6 weight detector 61 projection 61a glass plate 7 pan heating device 8 temperature detector 9 control unit

Claims (13)

a pot and
a pot container that houses the pot;
a housing having a housing area for housing the pot container;
a rice container that is provided inside the housing and above the storage area and stores rice;
a lid that is detachably attached to the pot container so as to be disposed between the pot container and the rice container when the pot container is accommodated in the accommodation area, and that covers an opening of the pot;
a pot heating device provided inside the housing and below the housing area for heating the pot;
with
The pot container and the lid cover the rice container and the lid between the housing area and the outside of the housing and to the side of the housing area while the lid covers the opening of the pot. A rice cooker that is attachable to and detachable from the housing by sliding relative to the pot heating device. further comprising a rice feeder that feeds the rice in the rice container into the pot, and a water feeder that feeds water into the pot,
2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein said lid body has a hole through which rice fed by said rice feeder and water fed by said water feeder are fed into said pot. a steam cylinder capable of discharging steam to the outside of the housing;
a communication member movable between a first communication position for fluid communication between the hole and the steam cylinder, and a second communication position for fluid communication between the hole and the rice feeding device and the water feeding device;
with
The communication member is configured to be capable of discharging steam generated in the pan and passing through the hole to the outside of the housing when positioned at the first communication position, and positioned at the second communication position. 3. The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein the rice fed by said rice feeder and the water fed by said water feeder can be fed into said pot through said hole. The communication member has a sealing material that seals the periphery of the hole at the first communication position,
The sealing material is configured to move upward away from the lid body and then move horizontally when the communicating member moves from the first communicating position to the second communicating position. Item 3. The rice cooker according to Item 3. A weight detection device on which the pot container accommodated in the accommodation area is placed,
5. The rice cooker according to claim 4, wherein the amount of rice and water supplied into said pot accommodated in said pot container is measured based on the weight detected by said weight detection device. A control unit that measures the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot based on the weight detected by the weight detection device and controls the rice feeding device and the water feeding device,
The control unit
After controlling one of the rice feeding device and the water feeding device to supply one of the rice and water into the pot, the other of the rice feeding device and the water feeding device is controlled to feed the other of the rice and water into the pot. along with supplying
Subtracting the weight detected by the weight detection device after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pot from the weight detected by the weight detection device before the rice and water are supplied into the pot. By measuring the amount of one of the rice and water supplied in the pot,
Subtracting the weight detected by the weight detection device after rice and water are supplied into the pot from the weight detected by the weight detection device after one of the rice and water is supplied into the pot. Weigh the other amount of rice and water supplied in the pot by
The rice cooker according to claim 5. 7. The rice cooker according to claim 5, wherein said weight detection device detects the weight when said sealing material is positioned away from said lid. The control unit controls the water supply device to supply water into the pot, measures the amount of water supplied into the pot from the weight detected by the weight detection device, and then weighs the water. 7. The rice cooker according to claim 6, wherein said rice feeding device is controlled so as to feed rice in an amount corresponding to the amount of said rice into said pot. A water container capable of containing water supplied into the pot by the water supply device,
9. The rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein an upper portion of said water container is provided with an opening through which water supplied into said pot by said water supply device passes. One of the mounting surface of the weight detection device on which the pot container is placed and the bottom surface of the pot container is provided with a recess, and the other of the mounting surface and the bottom surface is provided with a protrusion corresponding to the recess. Department is established,
By sliding the convex portion in the concave portion relative to the concave portion, the pot container is moved to a predetermined position where the weight detection device can detect the weight of the pot container. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 5 to 9, guided to. Further comprising a water supply device for supplying water into the pot,
The water supply device has a water pipe through which a fluid can flow,
one end of the water pipe opens toward the hole in the lid,
The water pipe includes a first pump that sends fluid only from the other end of the water pipe to the pot side of the water pipe, and the first pump and the other end of the water pipe within the water pipe. A second pump for sending gas into the water pipe between
The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1-10. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a heat insulating layer or an air layer made of a material having a lower thermal conductivity than the material constituting the pot container is formed in the side wall of the pot container. The rice cooker according to any one of the above. A non-contact temperature sensing device for sensing the temperature of the bottom of the pan is provided inside the housing and below the housing area. rice cooker.

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