JP7002028B1 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker capable of more accurately determining the amount of rice or water supplied from a rice tank or a water tank into a pot. SOLUTION: A rice cooker according to the present invention has a pot, a housing for accommodating the pot, a heating unit for heating the pot, a rice tank for accommodating rice, a water tank for accommodating water, and the inside of the pot. A supply unit that supplies rice in the rice tank and water in the water tank, a weight detection unit that detects the weight of at least one of the pot, the rice tank, and the water tank, and a control unit that controls the rice and rice in the pot. It is equipped with a control unit that supplies water and controls the heating unit to perform the rice cooking process. The control unit determines the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot by the supply unit based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit. [Selection diagram] FIG. 4

Description

The present invention relates to a rice cooker.

Conventionally, as this type of rice cooker, for example, the rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-5668) is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a rice cooker that can automatically perform from the supply of rice and water to a pot to the cooking of rice.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2020-5668

The rice cooker of Patent Document 1 is configured to draw water used for cooking rice from the water supply outside the rice cooker. For this reason, it is necessary to install the rice cooker near the water supply, and the installation position is limited, or water supply work is required at the installation position of the rice cooker. Further, the rice cooker of Patent Document 1 is provided with a lid unit that opens and closes the opening of the pot by rotating around a hinge shaft, and a storage unit for storing rice is provided above the lid unit. There is. In this configuration, when the lid unit rotates, a space is required so as not to come into contact with the storage portion, it is difficult to reduce the size of the rice cooker in the height direction, and the cleanability is poor.

Therefore, the applicant has been studying a rice cooker provided with a rice tank for accommodating rice and a water tank for accommodating water, in addition to the housing for accommodating the pot. However, in the rice cooker, there is still room for improvement from the viewpoint of more accurately determining the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker capable of more accurately determining the amount of rice or water supplied from a rice tank or a water tank into a pot in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. It is in.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.
According to the present invention, a pot and
The housing that houses the pot and
The heating part that heats the pot and
A rice tank that holds rice and
A water tank that holds water and
A supply unit that supplies the rice in the rice tank and the water in the water tank into the pot,
A weight detector that detects the weight of at least one of the pot, the rice tank, and the water tank.
A control unit that controls the supply unit to supply rice and water into the pot, and controls the heating unit to perform a rice cooking process.
Equipped with
The control unit determines the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot by the supply unit based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit.
Provide a rice cooker.

According to the present invention, the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot can be determined more accurately.

It is a perspective view of the rice cooker which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A1-A1 of FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A2-A2 of FIG. It is a side view which shows the rice cooker of FIG. 1 in a partial cross section. It is a bottom view which shows the state which removed the bottom wall of the rice cooker of FIG. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the structural example of the weight detection part. It is sectional drawing which shows the structural example of the weight detection part. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the rice cooker of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the rice cooker which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation of the rice cooker which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

(Knowledge that became the basis of the present invention)
The present inventors have obtained the following findings as a result of diligent studies in order to more accurately determine the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot.

The following methods can be considered as a method for determining the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot.

For example, it is conceivable to determine the amount of rice sent from the rice tank into the pot based on the driving time of the rice pump that sends rice from the rice tank into the pot. However, in this method, when rice is sent from the rice tank into the pot, the gaps generated between the rice grains usually vary, so that the accuracy of determining the amount of rice is low. Similarly, it is conceivable to determine the amount of water sent from the water tank into the pot based on the driving time of the water pump that sends water from the water tank into the pot. However, in this method, when water is sent from the water tank into the pot, random bubbles may be generated in the water, so that the accuracy of determining the amount of water is low.

Further, for example, it is conceivable to provide a flow rate sensor in a water pipe that sends water from the water tank into the pot, and determine the amount of water supplied from the water tank into the pot by the flow rate sensor. However, for example, if water remains in the water supply pipe, germs may propagate. Therefore, it is desirable to use a pipe having a diameter as small as possible for the water pipe. When the diameter of the water pipe becomes small, it is difficult to accurately determine the amount of water passing through the water pipe with the flow rate sensor.

Therefore, the present inventors have found a configuration in which the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot is detected by the weight detecting unit. The weight detector (for example, a weight sensor) is generally more accurate and cheaper than a flow rate sensor. If the weight of at least one of the pot, the rice tank, and the water tank can be detected, the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot can be more accurately measured by performing a simple calculation or the like. It becomes possible to judge. Based on these novel findings, the present inventors have reached the following inventions.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a pot and
The housing that houses the pot and
The heating part that heats the pot and
A rice tank that holds rice and
A water tank that holds water and
A supply unit that supplies the rice in the rice tank and the water in the water tank into the pot,
A weight detector that detects the weight of at least one of the pot, the rice tank, and the water tank.
A control unit that controls the supply unit to supply rice and water into the pot, and controls the heating unit to perform a rice cooking process.
Equipped with
The control unit provides a rice cooker that determines the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot by the supply unit based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit. ..

According to this configuration, a weight detector for detecting the weight of at least one of a pot, a rice tank, and a water tank is provided, and the amount of rice or water supplied into the pot is determined based on the weight detected by the weight detector. Since the determination is made, the amount of rice or water supplied in the pot can be determined more accurately.

The weight detection unit includes a pot weight detection unit that detects the weight of the pot, and the control unit controls the supply unit after detecting the weight of the pot by the pot weight detection unit. At least one of rice and water is supplied into the pot, and the pot weight detector detects the total weight of the pot and at least one of the rice and water supplied into the pot, and the total weight of the pot is used to detect the total weight of the pot. It may be configured to determine the amount of at least one of rice and water supplied in the pot by differentiating the weights. According to this configuration, for example, even in a state where the pot is closed with a lid so as to cover the opening of the pot, the influence of the contact between the pot and the lid is when the weight of the pot is detected and the above. It will take both when detecting the total weight. That is, the influence can be suppressed by differentiating the weight of the pot from the total weight. As a result, the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot can be determined more accurately.

Further, the weight detecting unit includes a rice tank weight detecting unit that detects the weight of the rice tank and a water tank weight detecting unit that detects the weight of the water tank, and the control unit includes the rice tank weight. Even if it is configured to determine the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot by the supply unit based on the weight detected by the detection unit or the water tank weight detection unit. good. According to this configuration, for example, the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot is estimated based on the weight reduction amount detected by the rice tank weight detector or the water tank weight detector. be able to. Further, since the weight of the rice tank or the water tank is detected by the weight detecting unit, the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot can be determined more accurately.

Further, the weight detecting unit includes a tank total weight detecting unit that detects the total weight of the rice tank and the water tank, and the control unit controls the supply unit to put rice and water in the pot. The rice or water is supplied at different timings from each other, and the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot by the supply unit is determined based on the weight detected by the total tank weight detection unit. It may be configured in. According to this configuration, rice and water are supplied to the pot at different timings, so that one tank total weight detector can detect the amount of rice in the rice tank and the amount of water in the water tank. .. As a result, the rice or water was supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot based on the amount of weight reduction detected by the total tank weight detector when the rice or water was being supplied into the pot from the rice tank or the water tank. The amount of rice or water can be estimated. Further, since the weight of the rice tank or the water tank is detected by the weight detecting unit, the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot can be determined more accurately. Further, for example, when the total tank weight detector has an accuracy of detecting the weight of the rice tank at a constant rate smaller than the mass, the total weight of the tank detector also detects the weight of the water tank. It will be detected smaller at a constant rate than. Therefore, the ratio of the rice and water supplied in the pot can be kept constant, and the variation in rice cooking can be suppressed.

Further, the control unit may be configured to control the supply unit to supply rice from the rice tank into the pot and then supply water from the water tank into the pot. According to this configuration, even if the rice is deposited in the shape of a mountain in the pot, the water supplied to the pot after that can change the shape of the mountain and make the upper surface of the accumulated rice flatter. ..

Further, the rice cooker may be a non-pressure rice cooker that performs the rice cooking step when the pressure in the pot is less than 1.05 atm. According to this configuration, it is possible to suppress the influence of the pressure generated in the pot on the weight detecting unit. As a result, the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot can be determined more accurately.

Further, the control unit controls the supply unit to put rice and water in the pot until the amount of rice and water determined based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit reaches a predetermined amount. It may be configured to continue to supply. According to this configuration, a more appropriate amount of rice or water can be supplied into the pot.

Further, at least one of the rice tank and the water tank is detachably attached to the housing, and the control unit is attached to the housing after the rice tank or the water tank is removed from the housing. When reattached to the housing, it may be configured to determine that a predetermined amount of rice or water is contained in the rice tank or the water tank reattached to the housing.

Further, it may be configured to further include a remaining amount detecting unit for detecting the remaining amount of at least one of the rice in the rice tank and the water in the water tank.

Further, the control unit may be configured to determine the remaining amount of at least one of the rice in the rice tank and the water in the water tank based on the weight detected by the pot weight detecting unit.

Further, a selection unit capable of selecting the amount of cooked rice and a notification unit for transmitting a warning are further provided, and the control unit has a remaining amount of at least one of rice in the rice tank and water in the water tank. When the amount of rice or water corresponding to the amount of cooked rice selected by the selection unit is less than the amount of rice or water, the notification unit may be controlled to send a warning. According to this configuration, the user is informed of the timing of replenishing the rice in the rice tank or the water in the water tank without directly checking the remaining amount of water in the rice or water tank in the rice tank. be able to.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Further, in the drawings, substantially the same members are designated by the same reference numerals.

Further, in the following, for convenience of explanation, terms indicating directions such as "upper", "lower", "front", and "rear" are used assuming a state during normal use, but the rice cooker according to the present invention is used. It does not mean that the usage condition is limited.

(First Embodiment)
The overall configuration of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A1-A1 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A2-A2 of FIG. The rice cooker according to the first embodiment is a so-called fully automatic rice cooker that can automatically perform from the supply of rice and water to the pot to the cooking of rice. Further, in the first embodiment, as the rice to be cooked, rice that does not need to be washed, so-called non-washed rice, is used. The rice cooker according to the first embodiment is a non-pressure type rice cooker that performs a rice cooking process when the pressure in the pot is less than 1.05 atm.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rice cooker according to the first embodiment has a housing 1, a lid 2 covering the upper part of the housing 1, and a rectangular parallelepiped provided along one side surface of the housing 1. It is equipped with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped water tank 3 and a rice tank 4.

The housing 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped or a substantially rectangular parallelepiped main body portion 11 and a rectangular parallelepiped or a substantially rectangular parallelepiped base portion 12 on which a water tank 3 and a rice tank 4 are placed. The main body portion 11 and the base portion 12 have the same length in the front-rear direction Y, and one side surface thereof is connected so as to be spatially communicated with each other. The housing 1, the main body 11, and the base 12 each have a rectangular or substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above.

The base portion 12 is provided so as to extend laterally from the lower portion of one side surface of the main body portion 11. The length of the base portion 12 in the height direction Z is set lower than the length of the main body portion 11 in the height direction Z. As a result, one side surface of the main body 11 is exposed to the outside. In the first embodiment, one side surface of the main body 11 corresponds to one side surface of the housing 1. The water tank 3 and the rice tank 4 are provided along one side surface of the main body 11 exposed to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main body portion 11 has a pot accommodating portion 11a for accommodating the pot 5. A rotation shaft TA extending in the lateral direction X is provided on the rear upper portion of the main body portion 11. The lateral direction X, the front-back direction Y, and the height direction Z are orthogonal to each other. The lid 2 is rotatably attached to the rotation shaft TA. The lid 2 is configured to cover the opening of the pot 5 so as to be openable and closable by rotating around the rotation shaft TA. In the first embodiment, the lid 2 has a rectangular parallelepiped or a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the closed state where the lid 2 covers the opening of the pot 5, the length of the lid 2 in the front-rear direction Y coincides with the length of the main body 11 in the front-rear direction Y. In the closed state of the lid 2, the total length of the main body 11 of the housing 1 and the lid 2 in the height direction Z is the height of the base 12 of the housing 1 and the water tank 3 or the rice tank 4. Consistent with the total length in direction Z. Further, in the closed state of the lid 2, the total length of the main body 11 and the base 12 of the housing 1 in the lateral direction X is the side of the lid 2 and the water tank 3 (or the lid 2 and the rice tank 4). Consistent with the total length in direction X. That is, in the closed state of the lid 2, the rice cooker according to the first embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped or a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The water tank 3 is a container for accommodating water. The rice tank 4 is a container for accommodating rice. The water tank 3 and the rice tank 4 are arranged in series from the front side to the rear side of the rice cooker, and at least one of them is removable. In the first embodiment, both the water tank 3 and the rice tank 4 are removable. Further, the water tank 3 is arranged on the front side of the rice cooker with respect to the rice tank 4.

The water tank 3 communicates fluidly with the inside of the pot 5 through the water pipe 61 shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, the water pipe 61 extends through the rotating shaft accommodating portion TA1 accommodating the rotating shaft TA. The water pipe 61 is provided with the water pump 62 shown in FIG. By driving the water pump 62, the water in the water tank 3 is supplied into the pot 5 through the water pipe 61.

Further, the rice tank 4 is in fluid communication with the rice charging section 72 through the rice feeding pipe 71 shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, the rice feeding pipe 71 extends through the rotating shaft accommodating portion TA1 accommodating the rotating shaft TA. The rice feeding pipe 71 is provided with a rice feeding fan (not shown). By driving the rice feeding fan, the rice in the rice feeding pipe 71 is supplied to the rice feeding section 72. The rice charging unit 72 is a portion that separates the rice from the air flow of the rice feeding fan and charges the rice into the pot 5. The bottom of the rice input portion 72 is formed so as to have a tapered cross section protruding downward.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the rice tank 4 is provided with a rice feeding device 73. The bottom of the rice tank 4 is formed so as to have a tapered cross section protruding downward. The rice feeding device 73 is connected to the lowermost portion of the rice tank 4 and is provided so as to extend in the lateral direction X. Further, the rice feeding device 73 communicates with the rice feeding pipe 71 shown in FIG. The rice feeding device 73 is configured to take in the rice in the rice tank 4 and send it out into the rice feeding pipe 71.

In the first embodiment, the water pipe 61, the water pump 62, the rice pipe 71, the rice fan, the rice charging unit 72, and the rice feeding device 73 are used, and the water in the water tank 3 and the rice tank in the pot 5 are used. An example of a supply unit that supplies rice in 4 is configured.

As shown in FIG. 3, a rice tank weight detecting unit 81 for detecting the weight of the rice tank 4 is provided below the rice tank 4. In the first embodiment, the rice tank weight detecting unit 81 is configured to receive the weight of the rice tank 4 via the rice tank support portion 12a provided in the base portion 12 of the housing 1. The rice tank support portion 12a is configured to be movable relative to the base portion 12 of the housing 1 in the height direction Z. Further, in the first embodiment, the rice tank weight detecting unit 81 functions as an example of the remaining amount detecting unit that detects the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4. For example, the rice tank weight detecting unit 81 is configured to detect the weight of the rice tank 4 and the rice tank support portion 12a, and also detect the total weight of the rice tank 4 containing the rice and the rice tank support portion 12a. ing. The rice tank weight detecting unit 81 can detect the remaining amount of water in the water tank 3 by differentiating the weights of the rice tank 4 and the rice tank support portion 12a from the total weight.

Similarly, below the water tank 3, a water tank weight detecting unit 82 for detecting the weight of the water tank 3 is provided. In the first embodiment, the water tank weight detecting unit 82 is configured to receive the weight of the water tank 3 via the water tank support unit 12b provided in the base portion 12 of the housing 1. The water tank support portion 12b is configured to be movable relative to the base portion 12 of the housing 1 in the height direction Z. Further, in the first embodiment, the water tank weight detecting unit 82 functions as an example of the remaining amount detecting unit that detects the remaining amount of water in the water tank 3. For example, the water tank weight detecting unit 82 is configured to detect the weight of the water tank 3 and the water tank support portion 12b, and also detect the total weight of the water tank 3 and the water tank support portion 12b filled with water. ing. The water tank weight detecting unit 82 can detect the remaining amount of water in the water tank 3 by differentiating the weights of the water tank 3 and the water tank support portion 12b from the total weight.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a partial cross section of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing a state in which the bottom wall of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment is removed.

As shown in FIG. 4, a pot weight detecting unit 83 for detecting the weight of the pot 5 is provided in the main body portion 11 of the housing 1 and below the pot accommodating portion 11a. In the first embodiment, the pot weight detection unit 83 is configured to receive the weight of the pot 5 via the pot support portion 11b provided in the main body portion 11 of the housing 1. The pot support portion 11b is configured to be movable relative to the main body portion 11 of the housing 1 in the height direction Z.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the base 12 of the housing 1 is provided with two rice tank weight detection units 81 and two water tank weight detection units 82. Further, the main body 11 of the housing 1 is provided with four pot weight detecting units 83. In the first embodiment, the rice tank weight detection unit 81, the water tank weight detection unit 82, and the pot weight detection unit 83 have the same structure. Hereinafter, when the rice tank weight detection unit 81, the water tank weight detection unit 82, and the pot weight detection unit 83 are not particularly distinguished, they are referred to as a weight detection unit 8.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration example of the weight detection unit 8, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the weight detecting unit 8 includes a load cell 8A, and a lower case 8B and an upper case 8C for accommodating the load cell 8A. The load cell 8A is attached to the lower case 8B by screwing the screw 8D through the through hole 8Ca provided in the upper case 8C. The lower case 8B is fixed to the bottom wall of the housing 1. Further, the load cell 8A is attached to the upper case 8C by screwing the screw 8E through the through hole 8Ba provided in the lower case 8B. The upper case 8C is arranged so as to support the pot support portion 11b, the rice tank support portion 12a, or the water tank support portion 12b from below.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, various rice cooking information such as rice cooking amount and rice cooking course (white rice course, brown rice course, etc.) are displayed on the upper wall of the lid 2, and specific rice cooking information is specified from the various rice cooking information. A display operation unit 21 capable of selecting rice cooking information is provided. The display operation unit 21 includes a liquid crystal display 21A for displaying various rice cooking information, and a plurality of buttons 21B for instructing execution of rice cooking start, cancellation, reservation, etc., in addition to selection of rice cooking amount and rice cooking course. The user can select specific rice cooking information with a plurality of buttons 21B and instruct the start of rice cooking while referring to various rice cooking information displayed on the liquid crystal display 21A. In the first embodiment, the display operation unit 21 is an example of a selection unit in which the amount of cooked rice can be selected. Further, in the first embodiment, the display operation unit 21 also functions as a notification unit for transmitting a warning. Specifically, the display operation unit 21 warns when the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and the remaining amount of water in the water tank 3 is less than the remaining amount of rice and water determined in advance according to the rice cooking information. Is configured to send. The warning may be given by being displayed on the liquid crystal display 21A, or may be given by voice.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a pot heating device 13 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the pot accommodating portion 11a of the housing 1 at a position facing the pot 5. The pot heating device 13 is an example of a heating unit that heats the pot 5. The pot heating device 13 is, for example, an induction heating coil that induces and heats the pot 5 by being energized. A through hole is provided in the central bottom portion of the pot accommodating portion 11a of the housing 1, and a pan temperature sensor 14 which is an example of the temperature detection unit is provided so as to come into contact with the central bottom portion of the pan 5 through the through hole. ..

Further, a control unit 15 is provided inside the main body 11 of the housing 1. The control unit 15 controls the water feed pipe 61, the water pump 62, the rice feed pipe 71, the rice feed fan, and the rice feed device 73 to supply rice and water into the pot 5, and also controls the pot heating device 13. And perform the rice cooking process. The control unit 15 includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of rice cooking sequences for cooking rice. Here, in the "rice cooking sequence", when the four main steps of preheating, raising the temperature, maintaining boiling, and steaming are executed in order, the energization time, heating temperature, heating time, heating output, etc. are predetermined in each step. The procedure for cooking rice. Each rice cooking sequence corresponds to one of a plurality of rice cooking courses. The control unit 15 controls the pot heating device 13 based on the rice cooking information selected by the display operation unit 21 and the detection temperature of the pot temperature sensor 14, and executes the rice cooking process.

Further, the control unit 15 includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of preparation sequences to be performed before the start of the rice cooking process. Here, the "preparation sequence" refers to a procedure in which the drive time of each pump or fan is predetermined in each step in executing each step including rice feeding and water feeding. The control unit 15 has a water pipe 61, a water pump 62, a rice pipe 71, a rice fan, and a rice feed device based on the rice cooking information selected by the display operation unit 21 and the weight detected by the weight detection unit 8. 73 is controlled and each described step is executed.

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

First, in step S1, the user sets the water tank 3 containing water and the rice tank 4 containing rice on the base 12 of the housing 1.

Next, in step S2, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the user has been instructed to select the rice cooking information and start cooking the rice by operating the display operation unit 21 or the like. When there is no instruction to select rice cooking information and start rice cooking (“NO” in step S2), the control unit 15 stands by without driving the pump or the like. On the other hand, when there is an instruction to select rice cooking information and start cooking rice (“YES” in step S2), the control unit 15 proceeds to step S3.

Next, in step S3, the control unit 15 determines the rice in the rice tank 4 and the water in the water tank 3 based on the weight detected by the rice tank weight detection unit 81 and the weight detected by the water tank weight detection unit 82. Detects (determines) the remaining amount of.

Next, in step S4, the control unit 15 determines whether or not the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and the remaining amount of water in the water tank 3 is equal to or greater than the remaining amount of rice and water determined in advance according to the rice cooking information. judge. When the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and the remaining amount of water in the water tank 3 is less than the remaining amount of rice and water determined in advance according to the rice cooking information (“NO” in step S4), the control unit 15 , Step S5, and the display operation unit 21 sends a warning. On the other hand, when the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and the remaining amount of water in the water tank 3 is equal to or greater than the remaining amount of rice and water determined in advance according to the rice cooking information (“YES” in step S4), the control unit. 15 proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, the control unit 15 performs a rice feeding step and a water feeding step. The rice feeding process is a step of feeding the rice in the rice tank 4 into the pot 5. In the rice feeding process, the control unit 15 drives the rice feeding device 73 for a predetermined time according to the rice cooking information to move the rice in the rice tank 4 into the rice feeding pipe 71 and the rice sending fan. Is driven to supply the rice in the rice feeding pipe 71 into the pot 5 through the rice charging section 72. The water feeding step is a step of sending the water in the water tank 3 into the pot 5. In the water feeding process, the control unit 15 drives the water feeding pump 62 for a predetermined time according to the rice cooking information, and sends the water in the water tank 3 into the pot 5 through the water feeding pipe 61. The rice feeding step and the water feeding step may be performed in sequence or at the same time.

Next, in step S7, the control unit 15 determines the amount of rice and water supplied from the rice tank 4 and the water tank 3 into the pot 5 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 8.

Next, in step S8, when the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot 5 does not reach the amount of rice and water predetermined according to the rice cooking information (“NO” in step S8), control is performed. The unit 15 returns to step S6 and continues the rice feeding and water feeding steps. On the other hand, when the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot 5 reaches a predetermined amount of rice and water according to the rice cooking information (“YES” in step S8), the control unit 15 controls step S9. Proceed to.

In step S9, the control unit 15 performs a rice cooking process. In the first embodiment, the control unit 15 controls the pot heating device 13 based on the rice cooking information selected by the display operation unit 21 and the detection temperature of the pot temperature sensor 14, and executes the rice cooking process.

As described above, the rice cooker according to the first embodiment can automatically perform from the supply of rice and water to the pot 5 to the cooking of rice.

According to the rice cooker according to the first embodiment, a weight detecting unit 8 for detecting the weight of at least one of the pot 5, the rice tank 4, and the water tank 3 is provided, and the weight is based on the weight detected by the weight detecting unit 8. It is configured to determine the amount of rice or water supplied into the pot 5. By this. The amount of rice or water supplied into the pot 5 can be determined more accurately.

According to the rice cooker according to the first embodiment, since the rice cooker is a non-pressure type rice cooker that performs the rice cooking process when the pressure in the pot 5 is less than 1.05 atm, the weight detection unit 8 is based on the pressure generated in the pot 5. Can be suppressed. As a result, the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3 into the pot 5 can be determined more accurately.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the first embodiment, the control unit 15 uses the pot 5 until the amount of rice and water determined based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 8 reaches a predetermined amount. It is configured to continue to supply rice and water inside. This makes it possible to supply a more appropriate amount of rice and water into the pot 5.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the first embodiment, the rice tank weight detecting unit 81 and the water tank weight are used as the remaining amount detecting unit for detecting the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and the water in the water tank 3. A detection unit 82 is provided. Further, in the control unit 15, the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and water in the water tank 3 is less than the amount of rice or water corresponding to the rice cooking information (rice cooking amount) selected by the display operation unit 21. At a certain time, it is configured to control the display operation unit 21 to send a warning. Thereby, for example, the user is replenished with the rice in the rice tank 4 or the water in the water tank 3 without directly checking the remaining amount of the rice in the rice tank 4 or the water in the water tank 3. You can tell the timing.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be carried out in various other embodiments. For example, in the above, the rice tank weight detecting unit 81 and the water tank weight detecting unit 82 are provided as the remaining amount detecting unit for detecting the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and the water in the water tank 3. The invention is not limited to this. The remaining amount detecting unit may be, for example, a sensor that detects the height of the rice in the rice tank 4 or the water in the water tank 3.

Further, the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 or water in the water tank 3 can be estimated when the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3 is attached to the housing 1. That is, it is usually assumed that the user accommodates a predetermined amount (for example, a full tank amount) of rice or water in the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3. Therefore, when the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3 is removed from the housing 1 and then reattached to the housing 1, the control unit 15 is predetermined in the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3. It may be configured to determine that an amount (eg, 400 g) of rice or water is contained.

Further, the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and water in the water tank 3 can be calculated based on the rice and water supplied in the pot 5. For example, when 100 g of rice is supplied into the pot 5 from the rice tank 4 containing 400 g of rice, it can be calculated that the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 is 300 g (= 400 g-100 g). can. Further, if it is assumed that 10 g of rice remains in the rice feeding pipe 71, it can be calculated that the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 is 290 g. Therefore, the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and the remaining amount of water in the water tank 3 may be determined based on the weight detected by the pot weight detecting unit 83. That is, the control unit 15 may be configured to determine the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and water in the water tank 3 based on the weight detected by the pot weight detection unit 83.

Further, in the above description, the display operation unit 21 also functions as a notification unit for transmitting a warning, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the notification unit may be provided in another part of the housing 1, or may be provided in the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3. Further, the warning transmitted by the notification unit is not limited to being displayed on the rice cooker or being transmitted as voice from the rice cooker. For example, the warning transmitted by the notification unit may be displayed on a mobile information terminal such as a smartphone or may be transmitted as voice from the mobile information terminal.

(Second Embodiment)
The rice cooker according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the rice cooker according to the second embodiment.

The difference between the rice cooker according to the second embodiment and the rice cooker according to the first embodiment is that steps S11 to S17 are performed instead of steps S6 to S8. Since steps S1 to S5 and steps S9 are the same, steps S11 to S17 will be described below.

In step S11, the control unit 15 detects the weight of the pot 5 based on the weight detected by the pot weight detecting unit 83. In the second embodiment, the control unit 15 detects the weights of the pot 5 and the pot support portion 11b based on the weight detected by the pot weight detection unit 83.

Next, in step S12, the control unit 15 performs a rice feeding step. In the rice feeding process, the control unit 15 drives the rice feeding device 73 for a predetermined time according to the rice cooking information to move the rice in the rice tank 4 into the rice feeding pipe 71 and the rice sending fan. Is driven to supply the rice in the rice feeding pipe 71 into the pot 5 through the rice charging section 72.

Next, in step S13, the control unit 15 detects the weight of rice in the pot 5 based on the weight detected by the pot weight detecting unit 83. In the second embodiment, the control unit 15 differs from the weight detected in step S13 (pot 5, rice, pot support portion 11b) to the weight detected in step S11 (pot 5, pot support portion 11b). By doing so, the weight of the rice in the pot 5 is detected.

Next, in step S14, when the amount of rice supplied into the pot 5 does not reach the amount of rice predetermined according to the rice cooking information (“NO” in step S14), the control unit 15 determines. The process returns to step S12 and the rice feeding process is continued. On the other hand, when the amount of rice supplied in the pot 5 reaches a predetermined amount of rice according to the rice cooking information (“YES” in step S14), the control unit 15 proceeds to step S15.

Next, in step S15, the control unit 15 performs a water supply step. In the water feeding process, the control unit 15 drives the water feeding pump 62 for a predetermined time according to the rice cooking information, and sends the water in the water tank 3 into the pot 5 through the water feeding pipe 61.

Next, in step S16, the control unit 15 detects the weight of the water in the pot 5 based on the weight detected by the pot weight detecting unit 83. In the second embodiment, the control unit 15 has the weight detected in step S13 (pot 5, rice, pot support 11b) from the weight detected in step S16 (pot 5, rice, water, pot support 11b). ), The weight of the water in the pot 5 is detected.

Next, in step S17, when the amount of water supplied into the pot 5 does not reach the amount of water predetermined according to the rice cooking information (“NO” in step S17), the control unit 15 determines. The process returns to step S15 and the water supply process is continued. On the other hand, when the amount of water supplied into the pot 5 reaches a predetermined amount of water according to the rice cooking information (“YES” in step S17), the control unit 15 proceeds to step S9 to cook rice. Execute the process.

According to the rice cooker according to the second embodiment, after detecting the weight of the pot 5, the control unit 15 supplies rice into the pot 5 and totals the rice supplied into the pot 5 and the pot 5. Detects weight. After that, the control unit 15 is configured to determine the amount of rice supplied into the pot 5 by differentiating the weight of the pot 5 from the total weight. As a result, for example, even if the lid 2 is closed so as to cover the opening of the pot 5, the influence of the contact between the pot 5 and the lid 2 is the same as when the weight of the pot 5 is detected. , It will take both when detecting the total weight. That is, the influence can be suppressed by differentiating the weight of the pot 5 from the total weight. As a result, the amount of rice supplied from the rice tank 4 into the pot 5 can be determined more accurately.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the second embodiment, the control unit 15 supplies water into the pot 5 and is supplied into the pot 5 and the pot 5 after detecting the weight of the pot 5 and the rice. Detects the total weight of rice and water. After that, the control unit 15 is configured to determine the amount of water supplied into the pot 5 by differentiating the weights of the pot 5 and the rice from the total weight. As a result, as described above, even in a state where the lid 2 is closed so as to cover the opening of the pot 5, the influence of contact between the pot 5 and the lid 2 can be suppressed. As a result, the amount of water supplied from the water tank 3 into the pot 5 can be determined more accurately.

Further, according to the rice cooker according to the second embodiment, the control unit 15 is configured to supply rice from the rice tank 4 into the pot 5 and then supply water from the water tank 3 into the pot 5. ing. As a result, even if the rice is deposited in the shape of a mountain in the pot 5, the shape of the mountain can be deformed by the water supplied into the pot 5 after that, and the upper surface of the accumulated rice can be made flatter.

In the second embodiment, the control unit 15 is configured to supply rice from the rice tank 4 into the pot 5 and then supply water from the water tank 3 into the pot 5. The present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 15 may be configured to supply water from the water tank 3 into the pot 5 and then supply rice from the rice tank 4 into the pot 5.

(Third Embodiment)
The rice cooker according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the rice cooker according to the third embodiment.

The difference between the rice cooker according to the third embodiment and the rice cooker according to the first embodiment is that steps S21 to S26 are performed instead of steps S6 to S8. Since steps S1 to S5 and steps S9 are the same, steps S21 to S26 will be described below.

In step S21, the control unit 15 performs a rice feeding process. In the rice feeding process, the control unit 15 drives the rice feeding device 73 for a predetermined time according to the rice cooking information to move the rice in the rice tank 4 into the rice feeding pipe 71 and the rice sending fan. Is driven to supply the rice in the rice feeding pipe 71 into the pot 5 through the rice charging section 72.

Next, in step S22, the control unit 15 detects the weight of the rice in the rice tank 4 based on the weight detected by the rice tank weight detecting unit 81, and the rice supplied into the pot 5 based on the weight. Detects the weight of. In the third embodiment, the control unit 15 is supplied into the pot 5 by differentiating the weight of the rice detected in step S22 from the remaining amount of rice in the rice tank 4 detected in step S3. Detects (determines) the weight of rice.

Next, in step S23, when the amount of rice supplied into the pot 5 does not reach the amount of rice predetermined according to the rice cooking information (“NO” in step S23), the control unit 15 determines. Return to step S21 and continue the rice feeding process. On the other hand, when the amount of rice supplied in the pot 5 reaches a predetermined amount of rice according to the rice cooking information (“YES” in step S23), the control unit 15 proceeds to step S24.

Next, in step S24, the control unit 15 performs a water supply step. In the water feeding process, the control unit 15 drives the water feeding pump 62 for a predetermined time according to the rice cooking information, and sends the water in the water tank 3 into the pot 5 through the water feeding pipe 61.

Next, in step S25, the control unit 15 detects the weight of the water in the water tank 3 based on the weight detected by the water tank weight detecting unit 82, and the water supplied into the pot 5 based on the weight. Detects the weight of. In the third embodiment, the control unit 15 is supplied into the pot 5 by differentiating the weight of the water detected in step S25 from the remaining amount of water in the water tank 3 detected in step S3. Detects (determines) the weight of water.

Next, in step S26, when the amount of water supplied into the pot 5 does not reach the amount of water predetermined according to the rice cooking information (“NO” in step S26), the control unit 15 determines. The process returns to step S24 to continue the water supply process. On the other hand, when the amount of water supplied into the pot 5 reaches a predetermined amount of water according to the rice cooking information (“YES” in step S26), the control unit 15 proceeds to step S9 to cook rice. Execute the process.

According to the rice cooker according to the third embodiment, the control unit 15 enters the pot 5 from the rice tank 4 and the water tank 3 based on the weight detected by the rice tank weight detection unit 81 and the water tank weight detection unit 82. It is configured to determine the amount of rice and water supplied to. According to this configuration, the amount of rice and water supplied from the rice tank 4 and the water tank 3 into the pot 5 based on the weight reduction amount detected by the rice tank weight detection unit 81 and the water tank weight detection unit 82. Can be estimated. Further, since the weight of the rice tank 4 and the water tank 3 is detected by the rice tank weight detecting unit 81 and the water tank weight detecting unit 82, the amount of rice and water supplied from the rice tank 4 and the water tank 3 into the pot 5. Can be determined more accurately.

The rice cooker according to the third embodiment includes a rice tank weight detection unit 81 and a water tank weight detection unit 82, but the present invention is not limited to this. Only one of the rice tank weight detection unit 81 and the water tank weight detection unit 82 may be provided. Further, the weight detecting unit 8 may include a tank total weight detecting unit (not shown) that detects the total weight of the rice tank 4 and the water tank 3. In this case, the control unit 15 supplies rice and water into the pot 5 at different timings, and based on the weight detected by the total tank weight detection unit, the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3 enters the pot 5. It may be configured to determine the amount of rice or water supplied. According to this configuration, rice and water are supplied into the pot 5 at different timings, so that one tank total weight detector detects the amount of rice in the rice tank 4 and the amount of water in the water tank 3. be able to. As a result, the pot from the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3 is based on the amount of weight reduction detected by the total tank weight detector when rice or water is being supplied from the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3 into the pot 5. The amount of rice or water supplied within 5 can be estimated. Further, since the weight of the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3 is detected by the total tank weight detecting unit, the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank 4 or the water tank 3 into the pot 5 can be determined more accurately. can. Further, for example, when the total tank weight detecting unit has an accuracy of detecting the weight of the rice tank 4 at a constant rate smaller than the mass, the total weight of the tank detecting unit has the same weight as the water tank 3. It will be detected smaller than the mass at a constant rate. Therefore, the ratio of the rice and water supplied in the pot 5 can be kept constant, and the variation in rice cooking can be suppressed.

By appropriately combining any of the various embodiments, the effects of each can be achieved.

The rice cooker according to the present invention can more accurately determine the amount of rice or water supplied from the rice tank or the water tank into the pot, and therefore, for example, from the supply of rice and water to the pot to the cooking of rice. It is useful as a fully automatic rice cooker that can be used automatically.

1 Housing 2 Lid 3 Water tank 4 Rice tank 5 Pot 8 Weight detector 8A Load cell 8B Lower case 8Ba Through hole 8C Upper case 8Ca Through hole 8D screw 8E screw 11 Main body part 11a Pot housing part 11b Pot support part 12 units 12a Rice tank support 12b Water tank support 13 Pot heating device (heating)
14 Pot temperature sensor (temperature detector)
15 Control unit 21 Display operation unit (selection unit, notification unit)
21A Liquid crystal display 21B button 61 Water feed pipe 62 Water pump 71 Rice feed pipe 72 Rice input unit 73 Rice feed device 81 Rice tank weight detector (remaining amount detector)
82 Water tank weight detector (remaining amount detector)
83 Pot weight detector TA Rotating shaft TA1 Rotating shaft accommodating part

Claims (7)

With a pot,
The housing that houses the pot and
The heating part that heats the pot and
A rice tank that holds rice and
A water tank that holds water and
A supply unit that supplies the rice in the rice tank and the water in the water tank into the pot,
A weight detector that detects the weight of at least one of the pot, the rice tank, and the water tank.
A control unit that controls the supply unit to supply rice and water into the pot, and controls the heating unit to perform a rice cooking process.
Equipped with
The weight detecting unit includes a tank total weight detecting unit that detects the total weight of the rice tank and the water tank.
The control unit controls the supply unit to supply rice and water into the pot at different timings, and the rice tank is supplied by the supply unit based on the weight detected by the total tank weight detection unit. Or a rice cooker that determines the amount of rice or water supplied from the water tank into the pot. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the supply unit to supply rice from the rice tank into the pot, and then supplies water from the water tank into the pot. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2 , which is a non-pressure type rice cooker that performs the rice cooking step when the pressure in the pot is less than 1.05 atm. The control unit controls the supply unit to supply rice and water into the pot until the amount of rice and water determined based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit reaches a predetermined amount. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , which is continued. At least one of the rice tank and the water tank is detachably attached to the housing and is attached to the housing.
When the rice tank or the water tank is removed from the housing and then reattached to the housing, the control unit is in the rice tank or the water tank reattached to the housing. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , which is determined to contain a predetermined amount of rice or water. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising a remaining amount detecting unit for detecting the remaining amount of at least one of the rice in the rice tank and the water in the water tank. A selection unit that allows you to select the amount of cooked rice,
A notification unit that sends a warning and
Further prepare
When the remaining amount of at least one of the rice in the rice tank and the water in the water tank is less than the amount of rice or water corresponding to the rice cooking amount selected by the selection unit, the control unit may use the control unit. The rice cooker according to claim 6 , which controls a notification unit to send a warning.

Images