JP7122704B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rice cooker.

Conventionally, rice cookers of this kind with various structures are known. For example, as a conventional rice cooker, there is known a structure comprising a storage unit for storing rice, a rice supply unit for weighing the rice in the storage unit, a rice washing space for washing the rice, and a rice cooking unit for cooking the rice. (See Patent Document 1).

JP-A-4-218112

However, conventional rice cookers still have room for improvement in terms of preventing rice from rotting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a rice cooker capable of preventing rice from rotting.

In order to achieve the above object, a rice cooker according to the present invention is a rice cooker comprising a rice supply unit that supplies rice to a pot,
The rice supply unit includes a cylindrical rice feeding guide, a rice feeding shaft inserted into the rice feeding guide to feed rice in the axial direction, and a drive source for driving the rice feeding shaft. ,
The rice feeding guide includes a rice inlet for charging rice into the rice feeding guide, and a rice inlet that is displaced from the rice inlet in the axial direction of the rice feeding shaft and provided above the pot. a rice supply port for supplying the rice fed by the rice feeding shaft to the pot;
The rice feeding shaft is positioned at a closed position for closing the rice passage from the rice inlet to the rice feeding port when no rice is fed, and is moved axially to open the rice passage when rice is fed. A rice passage opening/closing portion is provided that is positioned in an open position where the

According to the rice cooker of the present invention, it is possible to prevent rice from rotting.

1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention; Perspective view showing the open state of the rice cooker Longitudinal cross section of Fig. 1 Longitudinal cross section of Fig. 2 The perspective view of the cover unit of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing part of the configuration inside the housing of FIG. 1; Longitudinal sectional view of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the drawer unit of FIG. 1; FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the drawer unit from which the storage part of FIG. 8 is removed; Enlarged view of the locking mechanism of FIG. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a lock mechanism showing a state in which the drawer unit of FIG. 1 is locked; Exploded view of the storage part and the rice supply part of Fig. 6 Perspective view of the rice supply part of FIG. Longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice supply part of FIG. 13 when rice is not supplied Longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice supply part of FIG. 13 when supplying rice A perspective view of the pot lid of FIG. Exploded view of pot lid in Figure 3 Longitudinal sectional view of the shutter of FIG. 16 when not supplying rice Longitudinal sectional view of the shutter of FIG. 16 when supplying rice FIG. 16 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shutter of FIG. 16, showing the open and closed states; Exploded view of the rice washing unit in Figure 3 Longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the driving structure of the rice washing unit and drain pipe in FIG. Longitudinal cross-sectional view of the drain pipe and drain connection of FIG. 22 Fig. 23 is a perspective view of the upper end of the drain pipe of Fig. 22; FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the lower end of the drain connection of FIG. 22; Cross-sectional view of the rice washing part and drain pipe in FIG. A top view showing the driving structure of the rice washing unit and drain pipe in FIG. A bottom view showing the driving structure of the rice washing unit and drain pipe in FIG. Longitudinal cross-sectional view of the lid unit with the rice washing part of FIG. 7 moved downward A perspective view of the drainage unit of FIG. Cross-sectional view schematically showing the drainage process Cross-sectional view showing a step following FIG. 31A Cross-sectional view showing a step following FIG. 31B Cross-sectional view showing a step following FIG. 31C Cross-sectional view showing a step following FIG. 31D

(Knowledge on which the present invention is based)
The present inventors obtained the following findings as a result of earnest investigations to prevent rice putrefaction.

In a conventional rice cooker, a rice washing space and a rice cooking section are connected to a storage section through a rice supply section. The rice supply part measures the rice in the storage part and discharges it to the rice washing space, discharges the washed rice from the rice washing space to the rice cooking part, and cooks the rice in the rice cooking part.

However, in the conventional rice cooker, since the rice washing space and the rice cooking section are connected to the storage section, the humidity in the rice supply section and the storage section tends to be high. As a result, the humidity can cause the rice in the rice supply and storage to rot.

On the other hand, the inventors of the present invention have proposed a rice feeding section that includes a cylindrical rice feeding guide having a rice inlet and a rice feeding port, and a rice feeding shaft that is inserted into the rice feeding guide and feeds rice in the axial direction. The rice feeding shaft is provided with a rice passage opening/closing part for opening and closing the rice passage from the rice inlet to the rice supply port.

As a result, by closing the rice passage when rice is not supplied, it is possible to suppress the increase in humidity in the space between the rice inlet and the rice passage opening/closing part, and prevent the rice from rotting in the space. I found Furthermore, in the case of the configuration in which the storage part is connected to the rice inlet, it was found that the increase in humidity in the storage part can be suppressed, and the putrefaction of the rice in the storage part can be prevented. Moreover, even in the case of the structure in which the storage part and the rice cooking part are directly connected without passing through the rice washing space, it was found that steam generated by cooking rice can be suppressed from entering the rice supply part and the storage part, and the putrefaction of the rice can be prevented. .

Based on these new findings, the present inventors have arrived at the following inventions.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a rice cooker comprising a rice supply unit for supplying rice to a pot,
The rice supply unit includes a cylindrical rice feeding guide, a rice feeding shaft inserted into the rice feeding guide to feed rice in the axial direction, and a drive source for driving the rice feeding shaft. ,
The rice feeding guide includes a rice inlet for charging rice into the rice feeding guide, and a rice inlet that is displaced from the rice inlet in the axial direction of the rice feeding shaft and provided above the pot. a rice supply port for supplying the rice fed by the rice feeding shaft to the pot;
The rice feeding shaft is positioned at a closed position for closing the rice passage from the rice inlet to the rice feeding port when no rice is fed, and is moved axially to open the rice passage when rice is fed. To provide a rice cooker provided with a rice passage opening/closing part located in an open position.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rice feeding shaft has rice feeding blades spirally formed around the shaft,
The rice-feeding blade provides the rice cooker according to the first aspect, wherein the rice-feeding blade rotates about the rice-feeding shaft to feed the rice in the axial direction.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the rice supply portion includes a rice feeding bearing portion that is threadedly connected to the rice feeding shaft, and a rice feeding shaft that is arranged in a direction in which the rice feeding shaft is screwed to the rice feeding shaft bearing portion. and an elastic member for the rice feeding shaft that biases the rice shaft,
The rice feeding shaft moves axially together with the rice passage opening/closing portion by rotating with respect to the rice feeding bearing,
When the rice passage opening/closing portion is positioned at the open position, the rice feeding shaft is rotated by the drive source and the rice feeding shaft is disengaged from the rice feeding shaft and the rice feeding bearing portion. to the rice supply port,
When the rice feeding is stopped, the rice feeding shaft is reversely rotated while the rice feeding shaft is urged against the rice feeding shaft bearing portion by the rice feeding shaft elastic member. The rice cooker according to the second aspect is provided, wherein the rice passage opening/closing part is threadedly connected to the rice bearing part to move the rice passage opening/closing part from the open position to the closed position.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the rice inlet opens upward,
The rice cooker according to any one of the first to third aspects is provided, wherein the rice supply port opens downward.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a pot lid covering the opening of the pot;
a shutter capable of opening and closing an opening and closing opening provided through the pot lid in the vertical direction by rotating about an opening and closing shaft;
a vertically movable rice feeding pipe that extends in a cylindrical shape, is connected to the rice supply port, and guides downward the rice supplied from the rice supply port;
The shutter opens and closes in conjunction with the vertical movement of the rice feeding pipe,
The rice supply port and the rice feeding pipe are arranged above the shutter with a space therebetween. Provided is the rice cooker according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein a conveying path from the rice supply port to the inside of the pot is formed.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the rice-cooking rice according to the fifth aspect, wherein the shutter is opened in conjunction with the downward movement of the rice-feeding pipe when the rice-feeding pipe pushes the shutter downward. provide utensils.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the shutter has a shutter elastic member that biases the shutter in a closing direction,
The rice cooker according to the fifth or sixth aspect, wherein the biasing force of the shutter elastic member is weakened while the shutter is being opened in conjunction with the downward movement of the rice feeding pipe. do.

Hereinafter, a rice cooker according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same code|symbol is attached|subjected about the substantially same member in drawing.

In the following, for convenience of explanation, terms such as "up", "down", "front", and "back" are used assuming normal use. However, these terms do not mean to limit the usage conditions of the rice cooker of the present invention.

Moreover, in the following drawings, the X direction indicates the front-rear direction of the rice cooker 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The Y direction indicates the horizontal direction of the rice cooker 1 . The Z direction indicates the up-down direction (vertical direction) of the rice cooker 1 .

(embodiment)
The overall configuration of the rice cooker 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the open state of the rice cooker 1. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rice cooker 1 includes a housing 2 and a drawer unit 3 housed in the housing 2 so as to be slidable back and forth. Furthermore, the rice cooker 1 includes a lid unit 4 that is connected to the drawer unit 3 and opens and closes the opening 30 a of the pot 30 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the drawer unit 3 has a housing portion 31 (rice cooker main body) that houses the pan 30 .

3 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 2. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rice cooker 1 includes a storage unit 5 provided in the housing 2 for storing rice, a rice supply unit 6 for supplying rice from the storage unit 5 to the pot 30, and a control unit. 7. Furthermore, the rice cooker 1 includes a rice washing unit 8 for washing rice in the pot 30 and a drain pipe 9 for draining water in the pot 30. - 特許庁

The housing portion 31 has a heating portion 31 a that heats the pan 30 . In this embodiment, the control unit 7 controls the supply of rice by the rice supply unit 6, the washing of the rice by the rice washing unit 8, the water supply to the pot 30, the drainage of the water in the pot 30, and the heating unit 31a.

With the configuration as described above, the rice cooker 1 is called a fully automatic rice cooker that automatically performs a series of operations of rice feeding, rice washing, water supply and drainage, and rice cooking.

Next, the opening/closing structure of the lid unit 4 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lid unit 4 is rotatably connected to the drawer unit 3 via a rotating shaft 40. As shown in FIGS. The rotating shaft 40 is provided parallel to the opening surface S<b>1 of the pot 30 . Further, the rotating shaft 40 slides back and forth together with the drawer unit 3 .

The lid unit 4 opens and closes the opening 30 a of the pot 30 by rotating around the rotating shaft 40 . Furthermore, the lid unit 4 slides back and forth together with the drawer unit 3 and the rotating shaft 40 . The lid unit 4 rotates about the rotation shaft 40 in conjunction with the slide movement of the drawer unit 3 and the rotation shaft 40 .

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lid unit 4. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a part of the configuration inside the housing 2 (FIG. 1). 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 5. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the lid unit 4 has elastic members 41 . The lid unit 4 is urged by the elastic member 41 to rotate in the opening direction (A1) about the rotating shaft 40 (FIG. 3). In this embodiment, the elastic member 41 is a spring. Also, the lid unit 4 is connected to the housing 2 via the guide mechanism 10 .

The guide mechanism 10 guides the rotation of the lid unit 4 around the rotation shaft 40 . When the lid unit 4 rotates, the guide mechanism 10 restricts the rearward movement of the connecting portion (link pin 101 described later) of the lid unit 4 to the housing 2 via the guide mechanism 10 . As a result, the drawer unit 3 (FIG. 4) connected to the lid unit 4 slides back and forth in conjunction with the rotation of the lid unit 4. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, in this embodiment, the guide mechanism 10 has a link pin 101 (FIG. 5) and a guide 102 (FIG. 6) which is a link groove into which the link pin 101 is fitted. The link pin 101 is formed extending inward from the side surface of the lid unit 4 . The guide 102 is formed inside the link pin 101 inside the housing 2 . In this embodiment, the guide 102 is formed in the vertical direction (Z direction).

As shown in FIG. 4, when the rice cooker 1 is in the open state, that is, when the drawer unit 3 is pulled out from the housing 2, the lower surface S2 of the lid unit 4 moves forward due to the rotation of the lid unit 4. expose. A stirring blade 80a of the rice washing unit 8, which will be described later, is exposed forward by turning the lid unit 4 when the rice cooker 1 is in the open state. The lid unit 4 also has a front panel 42 that forms the front surface of the housing 2 . When the lid unit 4 is in the open position (when the rice cooker 1 is in the open state), the rear surface of the front panel 42 is positioned on the upper surface of the housing 2 .

Next, the drawer structure of the drawer unit 3 will be described. 8 is a perspective view of the drawer unit 3. FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the drawer unit 3 with the storage section 31 removed. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the drawer unit 3 has rails 32 that guide the front-rear sliding movement of the drawer unit 3 . The drawer unit 3 also has a lock mechanism 33 that prevents it from being pulled out forward in the closed position housed in the housing 2 .

10 is an enlarged view of the lock mechanism 33 of FIG. 9. FIG. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lock mechanism 33 showing a state in which the drawer unit 3 is locked. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the lock mechanism 33 has a hook lever 33a and a rotating portion 33b connected to the hook lever 33a and rotating.

The hook lever 33a engages with the front panel 42 of the lid unit 4 in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the hook lever 33a has an engaging portion 33aa extending obliquely downward toward the rear from the upper end portion. The front panel 42 has an engaged portion 42a extending obliquely upward toward the front from the lower end portion. By engaging the engaging portion 33aa and the engaged portion 42a, the hook lever 33a is engaged with the front panel 42 in the front-rear direction. When the hook lever 33a is pushed backward and the rotating portion 33b rotates, the engagement between the engaging portion 33aa and the engaged portion 42a is released.

When the user releases the lock mechanism 33, the lid unit 4 is rotated in the opening direction (A1) by the elastic member 41 (FIG. 5). Furthermore, the connecting portion (link pin 101) of the lid unit 4 to the housing 2 via the guide mechanism 10 is restricted from moving backward by the guide 102 (FIG. 6), so that the lid unit 4 is connected. The drawer unit 3 is forced to move forward. As a result, the drawer unit 3 is pulled forward from inside the housing 2 by the biasing force of the elastic member 41 .

In this embodiment, before the lock mechanism 33 is released (when the lid unit 4 is in the closed position), the torque F1 by the elastic member 41 in the direction in which the lid unit 4 opens is It is larger than the torque F2 by the cover unit 4. Therefore, immediately after the lock mechanism 33 is released, the drawer unit 3 is pulled forward. The torque F2 is determined by the center-of-gravity position G1 of the lid unit 4 (FIG. 7). After that, the torque F1 becomes smaller than F2. Therefore, the drawer unit 3 is pulled out forward when the user applies force to the drawer unit 3 in the pull-out direction. As the drawer unit 3 is pulled out, the torque F1 again becomes larger than the torque F2. As a result, the drawer unit 3 is pulled out from the housing 2 (the rice cooker 1 is open).

Next, the configuration of the rice supply unit 6 will be described. FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the storage section 5 and the rice supply section 6. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the rice supply unit 6. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the rice supply unit 6 includes a cylindrical rice feeding guide 60, a rice feeding shaft 61 inserted into the rice feeding guide 60 to feed rice in the axial direction, and a feeding shaft 61. and a drive source 62 for driving the rice shaft 61 . In this embodiment, the driving source 62 drives the rotation of the rice feeding shaft 61 . Also, the rice supply unit 6 is arranged below the storage unit 5 so that rice can be sent from the storage unit 5 to the rice supply unit 6 by the gravity of the rice.

The rice feeding guide 60 has a tubular portion 600 that extends in a tubular shape along the horizontal plane (XY plane). Cylindrical portion 600 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The rice feeding guide 60 has an upper tubular portion 601 tubularly extending upward from the tubular portion 600 and a lower tubular portion 602 tubularly extending downward from the tubular portion 600 . The tubular portion 600, the upper tubular portion 601, and the lower tubular portion 602 are formed to communicate with each other. The upper tubular part 601 is connected to the storage part 5 and feeds the rice in the storage part 5 to the tubular part 600 .

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rice supply section 6 of FIG. 13 when no rice is supplied. FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rice supply section 6 of FIG. 13 when supplying rice.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the rice feeding guide 60 has a rice feeding port 60a for feeding rice into the rice feeding guide 60, and feeds the rice fed from the rice feeding port 60a by the rice feeding shaft 61 to the pot 30. and a rice supply port 60b. The rice inlet 60a is formed in the upper cylindrical portion 601 and opens upward, and the rice supply port 60b is formed in the lower cylindrical portion 602 and opens downward. The rice supply port 60b is provided above the pot 30 (FIG. 3) offset from the rice input port 60a in the axial direction (A2) of the rice feeding shaft 61. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 12, 14 and 15, the rice feeding shaft 61 has rice feeding blades 610 spirally formed around the shaft. The rice feeding blade 610 rotates around the rice feeding shaft 61 to feed rice in the axial direction. Also, the rice feeding shaft 61 is provided with a rice passage opening/closing portion 611 (louver) that opens and closes the rice passage 60c from the rice input port 60a to the rice supply port 60b. The rice passage opening/closing part 611 is positioned at the closed position (FIG. 14) to close the rice passage 60c when rice is not supplied, and moves axially to open the rice passage 60c (FIG. 15) when rice is supplied. ). The rice passage opening/closing part 611 is formed so as to extend in the outer peripheral direction from the rice feeding shaft 61 so as to separate the space inside the tubular part 600 in the axial direction (A1) when rice is not supplied. In this embodiment, the rice passage opening/closing part 611 is formed in a disc shape so as to cover the inside of the tubular part 600 .

The rice supply unit 6 includes a rice feeding shaft 61 and a rice feeding bearing 63 that is screwed. The rice feeding bearing portion 63 is attached to the axial end portion of the rice feeding guide 60 (cylindrical portion 600). In this state, the driving source 62 rotates the rice feeding shaft 61 with respect to the rice feeding bearing 63 , so that the rice feeding shaft 61 threadedly connected to the rice feeding bearing 63 moves in the axial direction together with the rice passage opening/closing portion 611 . Moving.

The rice supply section 6 includes a rice feeding shaft elastic member 64 that biases the rice feeding shaft 61 in the direction (A3) in which the rice feeding shaft 61 is screwed into the rice feeding bearing portion 63 . When the rice passage opening/closing portion 611 is positioned at the open position (FIG. 15) by the rice feeding shaft elastic member 64, the rice feeding shaft 61 and the rice feeding bearing portion 63 are disengaged from each other. The shaft 61 is rotated by a drive source 62 to send rice to the rice supply port 60b. When stopping the supply of rice, the rice feeding shaft 61 is reversely rotated while the rice feeding shaft elastic member 64 biases the rice feeding shaft 61 toward the rice feeding bearing portion 63 . As a result, the rice feeding shaft 61 is threadedly connected to the rice feeding bearing portion 63 to move the rice passage opening/closing portion 611 from the open position (FIG. 15) to the closed position (FIG. 14).

As shown in FIG. 12 , the drive source 62 has a transport motor 620 and a drive shaft 621 connected to the transport motor 620 . The transport motor 620 is fixed to the cylindrical portion 600 by a transport motor fixing base 622 . The drive shaft 621 is rotationally engaged with the rice feeding shaft 61 while the rice feeding shaft 61 is axially movable. As the drive shaft 621 is rotated by the transport motor 620, the rice feeding shaft 61 is rotated.

As shown in FIG. 12, the rice supply unit 6 includes a rice supply pipe 65 that guides downward the rice supplied from the rice supply port 60b. The rice feeding pipe 65 is formed to extend in a cylindrical shape and is connected to the rice feeding port 60b so as to be vertically movable. Specifically, the rice feeding pipe 65 is connected to the tubular portion 600 via the rice feeding pipe guide 66 so as to be vertically movable, and is inserted into the lower tubular portion 602 . Also, the rice feeding pipe 65 is guided by the rice feeding pipe guide 66 to move up and down by driving the rice feeding path motor 67 . When supplying rice to the pot 30, the rice feeding pipe 65 moves downward to guide the rice to the pot 30 from the rice supply port 60b.

As shown in FIG. 3, the opening 30a of the pot 30 is covered with a pot lid 43. As shown in FIG. The pot lid 43 is detachably attached to the lower surface of the lid unit 4 and opens and closes the opening 30a.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of pot lid 43 of FIG. FIG. 17 is an exploded view of pot lid 43 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 17, the pot lid 43 is provided with an opening/closing port 43a penetrating therethrough in the vertical direction. Further, the pot lid 43 is provided with a shutter 430 (rice lid) that opens and closes the opening 43a. The shutter 430 opens and closes the opening 43a in conjunction with the vertical movement of the rice feeding pipe 65 (FIG. 12). In addition, the pot lid 43 is provided with a rice supply passage 43b for supplying rice from the rice supply section 6 to the pot 30. As shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the pot lid 43 has an inner lid 432, a pot packing 433 that seals between the inner lid 432 and the pot 30, an inner lid support 434 that supports the inner lid 432, and an inner lid case 435. .

The inner lid 432 is provided with a steam port 43d for discharging steam during cooking to the outside. In the center of the inner lid 432, there is provided an insertion opening 43e into which a rice washing tube 80b, which will be described later, is vertically movably inserted. The inner lid case 435 is attached to the inner lid 432 via an inner lid packing 436 . The inner lid packing 436 seals between the inner lid case 435 and the inner lid 432 . Further, the inner cover case 435 is provided with an opening/closing port 43a. The opening/closing port 43a communicates with a through hole 432a provided in the inner lid 432 when the shutter 430 is opened. Thereby, the rice supply path 43b is formed. A shutter 430 is attached to the lower side of the inner lid case 435 so as to cover the open/close port 43a from below. The shutter 430 covers the open/close port 43a together with a rice lid packing 437 and a rice lid packing retainer 438 that presses the rice lid packing. The rice lid packing 437 seals between the opening/closing port 43a and the shutter 430. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a vertical cross-sectional view of shutter 430 of FIG. 16 when no rice is being fed. FIG. 19 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the shutter 430 of FIG. 16 when feeding rice. As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the shutter 430 rotates about an opening/closing shaft 430a to open/close the opening/closing port 43a. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 18, above the shutter 430, the rice supply port 60b and the rice feeding pipe 65 are arranged with a space therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 19, when rice is supplied, the rice supply pipe 65 is moved downward and the shutter 430 is opened in conjunction to form a conveying path 43c from the rice supply port 60b into the pot 30. As shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the shutter 430 opens in conjunction with the downward movement of the rice feeding pipe 65 when the rice feeding pipe 65 pushes the shutter 430 downward.

FIG. 20 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of shutter 430 of FIG. 16, showing the open and closed states. As shown in FIG. 20, the shutter 430 has a shutter elastic member 431 that biases the shutter 430 in a closing direction. The shutter elastic member 431 connects the shutter 430 and the inner lid case 435 . The biasing force of the shutter elastic member 431 is weakened while the shutter 430 is being opened in conjunction with the downward movement of the rice feeding pipe 65 . Specifically, the biasing force of the shutter elastic member 431 increases as the shutter 430 opens until the shutter 430 opens beyond the reference line L1. Attenuates as 430 opens. Here, the reference line L1 is a straight line passing through the mounting position P1 of the shutter elastic member 431 in the inner lid case 435 and the opening/closing shaft 430a.

The controller 7 controls driving of the transport motor 620 . Thereby, the controller 7 adjusts the amount of rice to be supplied into the pan 30 . In this embodiment, the controller 7 adjusts the amount of rice to be supplied by detecting the amount of rice supplied into the pot 30 . As shown in FIG. 9 , the drawer unit 3 has a weight measuring platform 34 arranged below the pan 30 and a weight detection mechanism 35 (weight sensor) arranged below the weight measuring platform 34 . In this embodiment, the weight of rice supplied to pan 30 is measured by weight sensing mechanism 35 .

The control unit 7 controls driving of the rice feeding path motor 67 . When the rice supply unit 6 supplies rice into the pot 30 , the control unit 7 drives the rice feeding path motor 67 to move the rice feeding pipe 65 downward and open the shutter 430 . Further, the control unit 7 drives the conveying motor 620 to feed the rice to the rice supply port 60 b by the rice feeding shaft 61 and feeds a predetermined amount of rice into the pot 30 . After the rice is supplied, the control unit 7 drives the conveying motor 620 to move the rice passage opening/closing unit 611 from the open position (FIG. 15) to the closed position (FIG. 14). The control unit 7 also drives the rice feeding path motor 67 to move the rice feeding pipe 65 upward and close the shutter 430 .

Next, the configuration for washing rice will be described. 21 is an exploded view of the rice washing unit 8. FIG. As shown in FIG. 21, the rice washing unit 8 includes a rice washing section 80 for washing rice in the pot 30. As shown in FIG. The rice washing unit 80 has a stirring blade 80a that rotates to stir the rice, and a tubular rice washing tube 80b that extends vertically and is connected to the stirring blade 80a. Also, the rice washing unit 80 and the drain pipe 9 are configured to be vertically movable within the pot 30 .

The stirring blade 80a washes the rice in the pan 30 which is detachably provided under the lid unit 4. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the stirring blade 80a is formed in a plate shape extending outward in a plurality of directions from the lower end of the rice washing tube 80b. The rice washing tube 80b rotates together with the stirring blade 80a. A drain pipe 9 is inserted into the rice washing pipe 80b. The rice washing pipe 80b is connected to the drain pipe 9 via the filter portion 81 . The filter part 81 is a member for filtering the waste water. The filter part 81 is connected at the lower end of the drain pipe 9 . Further, the filter part 81 engages with the rice washing part 80 in the vertical direction so that the rice washing part 80 moves up and down together with the drain pipe 9 .

FIG. 22 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the driving structure of the rice washing section 80 and the drain pipe 9 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 22 , the rice washing unit 8 has a rotary drive gear 82 connected to the rice washing section 80 . Specifically, the rice washing unit 80 is connected to the rotary drive gear 82 via a connecting pipe 83 connected to the outer circumference of the rice washing pipe 80b. The connection pipe 83 rotates as the rotary drive gear 82 rotates. In this embodiment, the rotary drive gear 82 is provided on the connecting tube 83 . Further, as shown in FIG. 3 , the connection pipe 83 is provided above the pot lid 43 .

Furthermore, the rice washing unit 8 is formed in a tubular shape and connected to the drain pipe 9 to drain water from the drain pipe 9, a vertical driving gear 85 connected to the drain connecting portion 84, and a vertical driving gear. 85 and a gear drive source 86 connected to the rotary drive gear 82 .

An outer peripheral portion of the drain connection portion 84 is formed in a spiral shape. The vertical drive gear 85 is formed in an annular shape. The drainage connection part 84 is inserted into the vertical drive gear 85 and screwed with the outer peripheral part of the drainage connection part 84 and the inner peripheral part of the vertical drive gear 85 . The drain pipe 9 and the rice washing unit 80 connected to the drain pipe 9 move vertically as the drain connector 84 moves vertically as the vertical driving gear 85 is rotated by the gear driving source 86 . The rice washing unit 80 rotates as the rotation drive gear 82 is rotated by the gear drive source 86 . In this embodiment, the rice washing section 80 rotates independently of the drain pipe 9 . That is, the drain pipe 9 does not rotate together with the rice washing section 80 . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the drain pipe 9 from being twisted due to the rotation of the rice washing unit 80 . Further, as shown in FIG. 3 , the drain connecting portion 84 is provided above the pot lid 43 .

The gear drive source 86 is fixed to a fixed base 86b. The gear drive source 86 has a drive gear 86a. The gear drive source 86 is connected to the vertical drive gear 85 and the rotary drive gear 82 via a drive gear 86a. The vertical drive gear 85 and the rotary drive gear 82 rotate as the drive gear 86a rotates. In this embodiment, the gear drive source 86 is a motor, and the drive gear 86a rotates when the gear drive source 86 rotates.

23 is a longitudinal sectional view of the drain pipe 9 and drain connector 84 of FIG. 22. FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the upper end of the drain pipe 9 of FIG. 22. FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the lower end of the drain connection 84 of FIG. 22. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 23 , a drainage connection packing 87 is provided on the outer circumference of the connecting portion between the drainage pipe 9 and the drainage connection portion 84 . As a result, water can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the drain pipe 9 and the drain connector 84 . Also, the drain pipe 9 is detachably attached to the drain connector 84 . As shown in FIG. 24, the outer surface of the upper end of the drain pipe 9 is provided with a protrusion 90 that vertically engages with the drain connector 84 . As shown in FIG. 25, the inner surface of the lower end portion of the drain connecting portion 84 is provided with a groove 84a into which the projection 90 of the drain pipe 9 is fitted. In this embodiment, after the drain pipe 9 is inserted into the drain connector 84, the drain pipe 9 is rotated with respect to the drain connector 84 to vertically engage the protrusion 90 with the groove 84a.

26 is a cross-sectional view of the rice washing unit 80 and the drain pipe 9. FIG. As shown in FIG. 26, the outer circumference of the rice washing tube 80b is tooth-shaped. The inner peripheral portion of the connecting pipe 83 is formed in a concave tooth shape so as to mesh with the tooth-shaped outer peripheral portion of the rice washing tube 80b. Also, the rice washing pipe 80b is inserted into the connection pipe 83 so as to be vertically movable. The rice washing pipe 80b rotates as the connection pipe 83 rotates. Also, the rice washing unit 80 is detachably attached to the connection pipe 83 .

FIG. 27 is a top view showing the driving structure of the rice washing section 80 and the drain pipe 9 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 27, the outer peripheral portions of the vertical drive gear 85 and the drive gear 86a are formed in a tooth shape. The vertical driving gear 85 and the driving gear 86a are connected by meshing the outer peripheral portion of the vertical driving gear 85 and the outer peripheral portion of the driving gear 86a. In this embodiment, the drive gear 86a is a two-stage gear. The drive gear 86a has gears in two stages, upper and lower. The vertical drive gear 85 meshes with the upper gear of the drive gear 86a. Further, the vertical driving gear 85 is meshed with and connected to the auxiliary gear 88 . The auxiliary gear 88 can prevent the vertical drive gear 85 from shifting sideways. Therefore, the vertical drive gear 85 and the drive gear 86a can be reliably meshed.

A regulation guide 89 is attached to the drainage connection portion 84 to regulate the rotation of the drainage connection portion 84 . As shown in FIG. 21, the restriction guide 89 is provided with a guide groove 89a that guides the vertical movement of the drainage connecting portion 84. As shown in FIG.

28 is a bottom view showing the driving structure of the rice washing unit 80 and the drain pipe 9 of FIG. 21. FIG. As shown in FIG. 28, the outer peripheral portion of the rotary drive gear 82 is formed in a tooth shape. The rotary drive gear 82 is meshed and connected to the drive gear 86a below the vertical drive gear 85 (FIG. 27). Specifically, the rotary drive gear 82 meshes with the lower gear of the drive gear 86a.

When the drive gear 86a rotates, the vertical drive gear 85 and the rotary drive gear 82 rotate. When the vertical driving gear 85 rotates, the drainage connecting portion 84 screwed to the vertical driving gear 85 moves vertically while its rotation is restricted by the regulation guide 89 . At this time, the drainage pipe 9 connected to the drainage connection portion 84 and the rice washing portion 80 vertically engaged with the drainage pipe 9 move up and down together with the drainage connection portion 84 . When the rotation drive gear 82 rotates, the connection tube 83 (FIG. 26) rotates together with the rotation drive gear 82, so that the rice washing tube 80b that meshes with the inner peripheral portion of the connection tube 83 rotates.

FIG. 29 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lid unit 4 with the rice washing section 80 of FIG. 7 moved downward. As shown in FIG. 29, during rice washing, the rice washing unit 80 moves downward to wash the rice in the pot 30 (FIG. 3). As the gear drive source 86 rotates the vertical drive gear 85 and the rotation drive gear 82, the rice washing section 80 moves downward while rotating. When the rice washing unit 80 moves downward to a predetermined height, the vertical driving gear 85 and the drain connecting portion 84 are disengaged and the vertical driving gear 85 idles. Therefore, the rice washing unit 80 continues to rotate while being arranged at a predetermined height. Thereby, the rice in the pot 30 is washed.

In this embodiment, the filter portion 81 connected to the drain pipe 9 has legs 81a. The rice washing unit 80 moves downward until the legs 81a reach the bottom of the pot 30. The leg 81a allows a space to be provided between the drain port 81b (FIG. 28) of the filter portion 81 and the bottom of the pot 30. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the drain port 81b can be prevented from coming into contact with the bottom of the pan 30, and the water in the pan 30 can be drained efficiently.

After washing the rice, the rice washing unit 80 moves upward, and the stirring blade 80 a is arranged on the lower surface of the pot lid 43 . The drive gear 86a is rotated in the reverse direction by the gear drive source 86, so that the vertical drive gear 85 and the rotary drive gear 82 are rotated in the reverse direction. As a result, the vertical driving gear 85 engages with the drainage connecting portion 84 again, so that the drainage pipe 9 and the rice washing portion 80 move upward as the drainage connecting portion 84 moves upward. In addition, the reverse rotation of the rotary drive gear 82 causes the rice washing unit 80 to move upward while rotating in the direction opposite to that during downward movement.

Next, the drainage configuration will be described. 30 is a perspective view of the drainage unit 11 of FIG. 3. FIG. As shown in FIG. 30 , the drainage unit 11 includes a tank 110 and a pump 111 for draining water from the tank 110 . The tank 110 is connected to a water supply line 113 having a water supply valve 112 (FIG. 3) and the drain pipe 9 to store water. The tank 110 is connected to the drain pipe 9 via a connecting passage 114 . Also, the tank 110 is connected to a drainage channel 115 for draining the collected water. A drain 115 is connected to the bottom of the tank 110 . In this embodiment, pump 111 is a non-displacement pump. Pump 111 is, for example, a centrifugal pump.

The controller 7 ( FIG. 3 ) controls opening and closing of the water supply valve 112 and driving of the pump 111 . Specifically, the control unit 7 opens the water supply valve 112 to start supplying water, and closes the water supply valve 112 when a predetermined amount of water is accumulated in the tank 110 . After that, the controller 7 drives the pump 111 to drain the water in the pan 30 .

The rice cooker 1 has a pot water supply valve 12 ( FIG. 3 ) for supplying water to the inside of the pot 30 . In this embodiment, the controller 7 controls opening and closing of the pot water supply valve 12 . After opening the water supply valve 112 to store predetermined water in the tank 110 , the control unit 7 opens the pot water supply valve 12 to supply water into the pot 30 .

The drainage process will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 31A to 31E. FIG. 31A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the draining process. FIG. 31B is a cross-sectional view showing a step following FIG. 31A. FIG. 31C is a cross-sectional view showing a step following FIG. 31B. FIG. 31D is a cross-sectional view showing a step following FIG. 31C. FIG. 31E is a cross-sectional view showing a step following FIG. 31D.

First, as shown in FIG. 31A, the water supply valve 112 is opened to fill the tank 110 with water. After a predetermined amount of water is stored in the tank 110, the water supply valve 112 is closed. The maximum height of the portion connecting the drain pipe 9 and the tank 110 is higher than the maximum height of the drain channel 115 by the height h1. This can prevent the water in the tank 110 from moving into the pan 30 through the drain pipe 9 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 31B, the pot water supply valve 12 (FIG. 3) is opened to supply water into the pot 30. Then, as shown in FIG. After supplying a predetermined amount of water, the pot water supply valve 12 is closed. Since the air in the drain pipe 9 is pushed out into the tank 110 by supplying water to the pot 30, the water level in the tank 110 is lowered.

Next, as shown in FIG. 31C, the pump 111 is driven to drain the water after washing the rice. By driving the pump 111 , the water in the tank 110 is drained through the drainage channel 115 . As the water in the tank 110 is drained, the water in the pot 30 moves into the tank 110 through the drain pipe 9 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 31D, when the pump 111 is driven for a predetermined time and the water in the pan 30 is drained, the controller 7 stops driving the pump 111 . After stopping the driving of the pump 111, the water level in the drainage channel 115 and the water level in the tank 110 become the same as shown in FIG. 31E.

The water supply and drainage process described above is repeated several times to wash the rice.

According to the rice cooker 1 according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

A rice cooker 1 according to this embodiment includes a housing 2 , a drawer unit 3 , and a lid unit 4 . The drawer unit 3 is housed so as to be slidable back and forth with respect to the housing 2 and has a housing portion 31 for housing a pot 30 . The lid unit 4 is rotatably connected to the drawer unit 3 via a rotating shaft 40 provided parallel to the opening surface S1 of the pan 30, and rotates around the rotating shaft 40 to open the pan 30. 30a is opened and closed. The rotating shaft 40 slides together with the drawer unit 3 . The lid unit 4 slides together with the drawer unit 3 and the rotating shaft 40 . The lid unit 4 is connected to the housing 2 via a guide mechanism 10 that guides the rotation of the lid unit 4 about the rotation shaft 40, and interlocks with the slide movement of the drawer unit 3 and the rotation shaft 40. Then, it rotates around the rotation shaft 40 . When the drawer unit 3 is pulled out from the housing 2 , the lower surface S<b>2 of the lid unit 4 is exposed forward by the rotation of the lid unit 4 .

According to this configuration, the pan 30 can be pulled out by the drawer unit 3 , so that the user can easily access the inside of the pan 30 . Since the lid unit 4 slides together with the drawer unit 3 and the rotating shaft 40 , water droplets adhering to the lid unit 4 can be prevented from falling into the housing 2 . Further, when the drawer unit 3 is pulled out, the bottom surface S2 of the lid unit 4 is exposed forward, so that the cleaning property of the bottom surface S2 of the lid unit 4 can be improved. In addition, the action of pulling out the pan 30 and the action of opening the lid unit 4 can be performed simultaneously, thereby reducing the user's labor. Further, since the lid unit 4 is rotatably connected to the drawer unit 3 by the rotating shaft 40, the lid unit 4 can be easily aligned with the opening 30a of the pan 30. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a gap from forming between the lid unit 4 and the pot 30, and to prevent steam from leaking.

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, the storage unit 5 provided in the housing 2 for storing rice, the rice supply unit 6 supplying rice from the storage unit 5 to the pot 30, and the rice supply unit 6 and a control unit 7 for controlling the supply of rice.

According to this configuration, the storage and supply of rice can be automatically performed under the control of the control unit 7, so that the user can reduce the trouble of supplying rice to the pan 30. FIG.

In addition, the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a stirring blade 80 a detachably provided below the lid unit 4 and washing the rice in the pot 30 . When the drawer unit 3 is pulled out from the housing 2, the stirring blade 80a is exposed forward by the rotation of the lid unit 4. As shown in FIG.

According to this configuration, since the rice can be washed with the stirring blade 80a, the user's labor for washing the rice can be reduced. When the drawer unit 3 is pulled out from the housing 2, the detachable stirring blades 80a are exposed to the front, so that cleaning of the stirring blades 80a, which are easily soiled by washing rice, can be improved.

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, a pot lid 43 that opens and closes the opening 30a of the pot 30 is detachably attached to the lower surface S2 of the lid unit 4 .

According to this configuration, the lower surface S2 of the lid unit 4 is a portion that is likely to become dirty due to adhesion of steam during rice cooking. Since the lower surface S2 of the lid unit 4 is exposed forward of the drawer unit 3 when the drawer unit 3 is pulled out from the housing 2, a pot lid 43 is detachably attached to the exposed lower surface S2 of the lid unit 4. The cleaning property of the pot lid 43 can be improved.

Moreover, the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment includes a storage unit 5 that is provided in the housing 2 and stores rice, and a rice supply unit 6 that supplies rice from the storage unit 5 to the pot 30 . The pot lid 43 is provided with a rice supply path 43b for supplying rice from the rice supply unit 6 to the pot 30. - 特許庁

According to this configuration, since the pot lid 43 is detachable, it is possible to improve the cleaning performance of the rice supply path 43b, which is a portion that easily gets dirty.

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, the lid unit 4 is biased by the elastic member 41 to rotate about the rotation shaft 40 in the opening direction (A1). The drawer unit 3 has a lock mechanism 33 that prevents it from being pulled out forward in the closed position housed in the housing 2 . The guide mechanism 10 has a guide 102 formed vertically. When the lock mechanism 33 is released, the lid unit 4 is rotated in the opening direction (A1) by the elastic member 41, and the connecting portion of the lid unit 4 with the housing 2 via the guide mechanism 10 is moved rearward by the guide 102. restrictions on movement to As a result, the drawer unit 3 connected to the lid unit 4 is pulled forward from inside the housing 2 by the biasing force of the elastic member 41 .

According to this configuration, the drawer unit 3 can be pulled out forward by releasing the lock mechanism 33, so that the user can easily pull out the drawer unit 3 forward.

Moreover, in the rice cooker 1 according to this embodiment, the lid unit 4 has a front panel 42 that forms the front surface of the housing 2 . The rear surface of the front panel 42 is positioned on the upper surface of the housing 2 when the lid unit 4 is in the open position.

According to this configuration, when the lid unit 4 is in the open position, the rear surface of the front panel 42 is positioned on the upper surface of the housing 2, thereby increasing the height of the rice cooker 1 when the lid unit 4 is in the open position. can be made lower. Therefore, the rice cooker 1 can be stored compactly.

Further, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, the rice cooker 1 includes the rice supply unit 6 that supplies rice to the pot 30, and the rice supply unit 6 includes a cylindrically formed rice feeding guide 60, A rice feeding shaft 61 inserted into a rice feeding guide 60 to feed rice in the axial direction and a drive source 62 for driving the rice feeding shaft 61 are provided. The rice feeding guide 60 is provided above the pot 30 so as to be displaced from the rice feeding port 60a for feeding rice into the rice feeding guide 60 and the rice feeding port 60a in the axial direction of the rice feeding shaft 61. and a rice supply port 60 b for supplying the rice fed by the rice feeding shaft 61 to the pot 30 . The rice feeding shaft 61 is positioned at a closed position to close the rice passage 60c from the rice input port 60a to the rice supply port 60b when no rice is supplied, and moves axially to close the rice passage 60c when rice is supplied. A rice passage opening/closing part 611 located in an open position is provided.

According to this configuration, the rice passage opening/closing portion 611 closes the rice passage 60c, thereby preventing the steam from the pot 30 from entering the space between the rice inlet 60a and the rice passage opening/closing portion 611. can. In addition, by providing the rice passage opening/closing portion 611 on the rice feeding shaft 61, it is possible to prevent steam from entering with a single drive source 62.例文帳に追加

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, the rice feeding shaft 61 has the rice feeding blades 610 spirally formed around the shaft. The rice feeding blade 610 rotates around the rice feeding shaft 61 to feed rice in the axial direction.

According to this configuration, the rice feeding blade 610 is spirally formed, so that the amount of rice to be fed to the rice feeding port 60b can be finely adjusted. In addition, since the rice feeding blade 610 is spirally formed, the area of the outer peripheral portion of the rice feeding blade 610 facing the inner peripheral surface of the rice feeding guide 60 can be increased. Steam can be suppressed from passing between the rice feeding guide 60 .

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, the rice supply unit 6 includes a rice feeding shaft 61 and a rice feeding bearing 63 that are threadedly connected to each other. , and a rice feeding shaft elastic member 64 for biasing the rice feeding shaft 61 . The rice feeding shaft 61 rotates with respect to the rice feeding bearing portion 63 to move in the axial direction together with the rice passage opening/closing portion 611 . When the rice passage opening/closing part 611 is positioned at the open position, the rice feeding shaft 61 is rotated by the drive source 62 to feed rice in a state in which the threaded connection between the rice feeding shaft 61 and the rice feeding bearing portion 63 is released. Send to the rice supply port 60b. When stopping the supply of rice, the rice feeding shaft 61 is reversely rotated while the rice feeding shaft 61 is urged against the rice feeding bearing portion 63 by the rice feeding shaft elastic member 64, so that the rice feeding shaft 61 is stopped. It is threadedly connected to the bearing portion 63 to move the rice passage opening/closing portion 611 from the open position to the closed position.

According to this configuration, the rice feeding shaft 61 rotates with respect to the rice feeding bearing portion 63 and moves in the axial direction together with the rice passage opening/closing portion 611, thereby opening and closing the rice passage 60c by the rice passage opening/closing portion 611. can be made easier. In addition, since the rice feeding shaft elastic member 64 biases the rice feeding shaft 61 toward the rice feeding bearing portion 63, when the rice passage opening/closing portion 611 is moved from the open position to the closed position, the rice feeding shaft 61 is pushed toward the rice feeding bearing. It can be easily threadedly connected to the portion 63 .

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to this embodiment, the rice inlet 60a opens upward, and the rice supply inlet 60b opens downward.

According to this configuration, the rice put into the rice inlet 60a can be moved to the rice feeding shaft 61 by the gravity of the rice. Also, rice can be supplied to the pot 30 from the rice supply port 60b by the gravity of the rice. Therefore, rice can be supplied more efficiently.

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, the pot lid 43 covering the opening 30a of the pot 30 and the opening/closing opening 43a provided vertically through the pot lid 43 are rotated about the opening/closing shaft 430a. It has a shutter 430 that can be opened and closed and a rice feeding pipe 65 that can move up and down. The rice feeding pipe 65 is formed to extend in a cylindrical shape and is connected to the rice supply port 60b to guide downward the rice supplied from the rice feeding port 60b. to open and close. The rice supply port 60b and the rice feeding pipe 65 are arranged above the shutter 430 with a space therebetween. When rice is supplied, the rice supply pipe 65 is moved downward and the shutter 430 is opened in conjunction to form a conveying path 43c from the rice supply port 60b into the pot 30. As shown in FIG.

According to this configuration, the shutter 430 opens and closes in conjunction with the downward movement of the rice feeding pipe 65, thereby preventing the shutter 430 from opening unintentionally. Therefore, steam can be prevented from entering the rice supply port 60b during cooking. In addition, since the rice supply port 60b and the rice feeding pipe 65 are arranged above the shutter 430 with a space therebetween, it is possible to further prevent steam from entering the rice supply port 60b.

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, the shutter 430 opens in conjunction with the downward movement of the rice feeding pipe 65 when the rice feeding pipe 65 pushes the shutter 430 downward.

According to this configuration, the interlocking configuration between the shutter 430 and the rice feeding pipe 65 can be simplified.

Moreover, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, the shutter 430 has a shutter elastic member 431 that biases the shutter 430 in a closing direction. The biasing force of the shutter elastic member 431 is weakened while the shutter 430 is being opened in conjunction with the downward movement of the rice feeding pipe 65 .

According to this configuration, when rice is not supplied, the sealing performance of the opening/closing port 43a of the shutter 430 can be improved. Furthermore, since the biasing force of the shutter elastic member 431 is weakened while the shutter 430 is being opened, rice can be easily supplied.

Also, the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment includes a rice washing unit 80 for washing rice in the pan 30 and a drain pipe 9 for draining water from the pan 30 . The rice washing section 80 has a stirring blade 80 a that rotates to stir the rice, and the rice washing section 80 and the drain pipe 9 are configured to be vertically movable within the pot 30 .

According to this configuration, the rice can be washed in the pot 30 without providing a separate space for washing the rice, so the size of the rice cooker 1 can be reduced. Since water can be drained through the drain pipe 9 without providing a drain hole in the pan 30, the structure of the pan 30 can be simplified. By inserting the rice washing unit 80 and the drain pipe 9 into the pot 30 so as to be vertically movable, the rice washing unit 80 and the drain pipe 9 can be moved upward during rice cooking. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cooked rice from adhering to the rice washing section 80 and the drain pipe 9 .

In the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, the rice washing unit 80 has a tubular rice washing tube 80b that extends vertically, is connected to the stirring blade 80a, and rotates together with the stirring blade 80a. The drain pipe 9 is inserted into the rice washing pipe 80b and drains the water in the pot 30. - 特許庁

According to this configuration, the space in the pot 30 can be efficiently used by draining the water in the pot 30 with a double pipe structure in which the drain pipe 9 is inserted into the rice washing pipe 80b. Moreover, it is possible to prevent the drain pipe 9 from interfering with the stirring blade 80a.

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, a drainage connection portion 84 formed in a tubular shape and connected to the drainage pipe 9 to drain water from the drainage pipe 9, and a vertical driving gear 85 connected to the drainage connection portion 84 , a rotary drive gear 82 connected to the rice washing unit 80 , and a gear drive source 86 . A gear drive source 86 is connected to the vertical drive gear 85 and the rotary drive gear 82 . The drain pipe 9 and the rice washing unit 80 connected to the drain pipe 9 move vertically as the drain connector 84 moves vertically as the vertical driving gear 85 is rotated by the gear driving source 86 . The rice washing unit 80 rotates as the rotation drive gear 82 is rotated by the gear drive source 86 .

According to this configuration, the vertical drive gear 85 and the rotation drive gear 82 can be driven by the same gear drive source 86, so that the drainage pipe 9 and the rice washing section 80 are efficiently moved vertically and the rice washing section 80 is rotated. be able to. Moreover, the driving structure of the drain pipe 9 and the rice washing section 80 can be simplified.

In addition, the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment includes a connection pipe 83 which is connected to the outer peripheral portion of the rice washing pipe 80b into which the rice washing pipe 80b is vertically movably inserted and which rotates as the rotary drive gear 82 rotates. The rice washing pipe 80b rotates as the connection pipe 83 rotates. The connection pipe 83 and the drain connection part 84 are provided above the pot lid 43 that covers the opening 30 a of the pot 30 . The rice washing unit 80 is detachably attached to the connection pipe 83 . The drain pipe 9 is detachably attached to the drain connector 84 .

According to this configuration, by providing the connecting pipe 83 and the drain connecting portion 84 above the pot lid 43, the connecting pipe 83 and the drain connecting portion 84 can be prevented from coming into direct contact with water. Also, by making the rice washing unit 80 and the drain pipe 9 detachable, it is possible to improve the cleaning performance of the portion that comes into direct contact with water.

In addition, in the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment, water is stored by being connected to the water supply path 113 having the water supply valve 112 and the drain pipe 9, and the tank 110 connected to the drain path 115 for draining the stored water. , a pump 111 for draining water from the tank 110, and a controller 7. The control unit 7 controls opening and closing of the water supply valve 112 and driving of the pump 111 . The control unit 7 opens the water supply valve 112 to start water supply, closes the water supply valve 112 when a predetermined amount of water has accumulated in the tank 110, and then drives the pump 111 to cause the water in the pot 30 to Drain the water.

According to this configuration, by closing the water supply valve 112 while the pan 30 and the tank 110 are filled with water, the space inside the drain pipe 9 and the tank 110 can be closed. By driving the pump 111 in this state, the water in the pan 30 can be drained as the water in the tank 110 is drained. In addition, when the pump 111 is a centrifugal pump, it is possible to prevent the pump 111 from failing due to the components contained in the rice-rinsing water adhering to the valve of the pump 111 and thus losing its valve function. Therefore, the water in the pot 30 can be drained more reliably.

Also, in the rice cooker 1 according to this embodiment, the maximum height of the portion connecting the drain pipe 9 and the tank 110 is configured to be higher than the maximum height of the drain channel 115 .

According to this configuration, when the maximum height of the portion connecting the drain pipe 9 and the tank 110 is higher than the maximum height of the drain channel 115, the water surface in the tank 110 connects the drain pipe 9 and the tank 110. It can be prevented from rising to the maximum height of the part. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the water in the tank 110 from flowing backward and returning to the pot 30 . Therefore, the inside of the pot 30 can be kept more clean.

In addition, the rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment has the pot water supply valve 12 for supplying water to the pot 30, and the control unit 7 controls the opening and closing of the pot water supply valve 12, opens the water supply valve 112, and fills the tank. After pre-determined water is stored in the pot 110, the pot water supply valve 12 is opened to supply water into the pot 30. - 特許庁

According to this configuration, when water is stored in the tank 110 , the water is not stored in the pot 30 , so the air in the tank 110 can be easily discharged through the drain pipe 9 . Therefore, water can be easily stored in the tank 110 .

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various other modes. In the above-described embodiment, the rice cooker 1 includes the storage unit 5 provided in the housing 2 for storing rice, the rice supply unit 6 supplying the rice from the storage unit 5 to the pot 30, and the control unit 7. However, it is not limited to this. As long as the cover unit 4 rotates about the rotation shaft 40 in conjunction with the slide movement of the drawer unit 3, other configurations may be used.

Also, although the guide 102 is formed in the vertical direction (Z direction), it is not limited to this. The guide 102 may be inclined obliquely with respect to the vertical direction, for example. With this configuration as well, it is possible to restrict the rearward movement of the connecting portion of the lid unit 4 to the housing 2 via the guide mechanism 10 .

In addition, although the rice supply unit 6 is provided with the rice feeding shaft 61 and the rice feeding bearing 63 that is threadedly connected to the rice feeding shaft 61, other structures may be employed as long as the rice feeding shaft 61 feeds the rice in the axial direction. good too.

Further, the shutter 430 is opened in conjunction with the downward movement of the rice feeding pipe 65 by the rice feeding pipe 65 pushing the shutter 430 downward, but other configurations may be used. For example, the shutter 430 may be opened and closed in conjunction with the vertical movement of the rice feeding pipe 65 by a link mechanism.

Also, although the water supply valve 112 is opened to store water in the tank 110 , the water may be stored in the tank 110 after water is supplied to the pot 30 . This also allows the water in the pan 30 to be drained.

In addition, although the rice inlet 60a is formed in the upper cylindrical portion 601 and opens upward, and the rice supply port 60b is formed in the lower cylindrical portion 602 and opens downward, other configurations are possible. . The rice input port 60 a and the rice supply port 60 b may be formed in the cylindrical portion 600 . Also, the rice input port 60a and the rice supply port 60b may be formed on the sides of the tubular portion 600, for example. This configuration also prevents the steam from the pot 30 from entering the space between the rice inlet 60a and the rice passage opening/closing part 611. As shown in FIG.

In addition, although the rice feeding shaft 61 has the rice feeding blade 610 spirally formed around the shaft, it may be configured without the spiral rice feeding blade 610 . The rice feeding shaft 61 may open and close the rice passage 60c from the rice input port 60a to the rice supply port 60b by reciprocating the rice passage opening/closing portion 611 in the axial direction. This configuration also makes it possible to adjust the amount of rice sent to the rice supply port 60b.

In addition, the rice washing unit 80 has a stirring blade 80a that rotates to stir the rice and a tubular rice washing pipe 80b that extends vertically and is connected to the stirring blade 80a. If so, other configurations may be used. The rice washing unit 80 may be configured to blow compressed air onto the water in the pot 30 to form a water flow, for example. The rice in the pot 30 can also be washed with this configuration.

In addition, although the drain pipe 9 and the rice washing unit 80 connected to the drain pipe 9 are moved up and down by the vertical movement of the drain connection part 84 accompanying the rotation of the vertical drive gear 85 by the gear drive source 86, there is another configuration. may be If the rice washing section 80 and the drain pipe 9 are configured to be vertically movable within the pot 30, the rice washing section 80 and the drain pipe 9 may be vertically moved by a belt instead of a gear mechanism, for example.

Also, although the rice washing unit 80 and the drain pipe 9 are configured to be vertically movable within the pot 30, the rice washing unit 80 and the drain pipe 9 may be fixed at a predetermined height. Also with this configuration, by driving the pump 111, the water in the pan 30 can be drained as the water in the tank 110 is drained.

Further, when the pump 111 is driven for a predetermined time and the water in the pan 30 is drained, the control unit 7 stops driving the pump 111. You may drive until the end of

Also, although the steps of water supply and drainage as shown in FIGS. 31A to 31E are repeated multiple times to wash the rice, the rice may be washed only once instead of multiple times. This also allows the water in the pan 30 to be drained.

Although the invention has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings, various variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications are to be included therein insofar as they do not depart from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Also, changes in combination and order of elements in the embodiments may be implemented without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The rice cooker according to the present invention is useful as a rice cooker equipped with a rice supply unit that supplies rice to a pot.

1 rice cooker 2 housing 3 drawer unit 30 pan 30a opening 31 storage section 31a heating section 32 rail 33 locking mechanism 33a hook lever 33aa engaging section 33b rotating section 34 weight measuring table 35 weight detecting mechanism 4 lid unit 40 rotating Shaft 41 Elastic member 42 Front panel 42a Engaged portion 43 Pot lid 43a Opening/closing port 43b Rice supply path 43c Conveying path 43d Steam port 43e Insertion port 430 Shutter 430a Opening/closing shaft 431 Shutter elastic member 432 Inner lid 433 Pot packing 434 Inner lid Support 435 Inner lid case 436 Inner lid packing 437 Rice lid packing 438 Rice lid packing retainer 5 Storage section 6 Rice supply section 60 Rice feeding guide 600 Tubular section 601 Upper tubular section 602 Lower tubular section 60a Rice inlet 60b Rice supply Mouth 60c Rice passage 61 Rice feeding shaft 610 Rice feeding blade 611 Rice passage opening/closing part 62 Drive source 620 Conveying motor 621 Driving shaft 622 Conveying motor fixing base 63 Rice feeding bearing 64 Elastic member for rice feeding shaft 65 Rice feeding pipe 66 Rice feeding Pipe guide 67 Rice feeding path motor 7 Control section 8 Rice washing unit 80 Rice washing section 80a Stirring blade 80b Rice washing pipe 81 Filter section 81a Leg 81b Drainage port 82 Rotary drive gear 83 Connection pipe 84 Drainage connection section 84a Groove 85 Vertical drive gear 86 Gear drive Source 86a Drive gear 86b Fixing base 87 Drainage connection packing 88 Auxiliary gear 89 Regulation guide 89a Guide groove 9 Drainage pipe 90 Projection 10 Guide mechanism 101 Link pin 102 Guide 11 Drainage unit 110 Tank 111 Pump 112 Water supply valve 113 Water supply path 114 Connection path 115 Drainage channel 12 Pot water supply valve

Claims (7)

A rice cooker comprising a rice supply unit for supplying rice to a pot,
The rice supply unit includes a cylindrical rice feeding guide, a rice feeding shaft inserted into the rice feeding guide to feed rice in the axial direction, and a drive source for driving the rice feeding shaft. ,
The rice feeding guide includes a rice inlet for charging rice into the rice feeding guide, and a rice inlet that is displaced from the rice inlet in the axial direction of the rice feeding shaft and provided above the pot. a rice supply port for supplying the rice fed by the rice feeding shaft to the pot;
The rice feeding shaft is positioned at a closed position for closing the rice passage from the rice inlet to the rice feeding port when no rice is fed, and is moved axially to open the rice passage when rice is fed. A rice cooker provided with a rice passage closure located in an open position. The rice feeding shaft has rice feeding blades spirally formed around the shaft,
The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein said rice feeding blade rotates about said rice feeding shaft to feed rice in an axial direction. The rice supply unit includes a rice feeding shaft screw-connected to the rice feeding shaft, and a rice feeding shaft for biasing the rice feeding shaft in a direction in which the rice feeding shaft is screwed into the rice feeding shaft. an elastic member;
The rice feeding shaft moves axially together with the rice passage opening/closing portion by rotating with respect to the rice feeding bearing,
When the rice passage opening/closing portion is positioned at the open position, the rice feeding shaft is rotated by the drive source and the rice feeding shaft is disengaged from the rice feeding shaft and the rice feeding bearing portion. to the rice supply port,
When stopping the supply of rice, the rice feeding shaft is reversely rotated while the rice feeding shaft is urged against the rice feeding shaft bearing portion by the elastic member for the rice feeding shaft. 3. The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein said rice passage opening/closing part is moved from said open position to said closed position by being threadedly connected to a rice bearing part. The rice inlet opens upward,
The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said rice supply port opens downward. a pot lid covering the opening of the pot;
a shutter capable of opening and closing an opening and closing opening provided through the pot lid in the vertical direction by rotating about an opening and closing shaft;
a vertically movable rice feeding pipe that extends in a cylindrical shape, is connected to the rice supply port, and guides downward the rice supplied from the rice supply port;
The shutter opens and closes in conjunction with the vertical movement of the rice feeding pipe,
The rice supply port and the rice feeding pipe are arranged above the shutter with a space therebetween. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a conveying path is formed from the rice supply port into the pot. 6. The rice cooker according to claim 5, wherein said shutter is opened in conjunction with downward movement of said rice feeding pipe when said rice feeding pipe pushes said shutter downward. The shutter has a shutter elastic member that biases the shutter in a closing direction,
7. The rice cooker according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the biasing force of said shutter elastic member is weakened while said shutter is being opened in conjunction with the downward movement of said rice feeding pipe.

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