JPS6363204B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an automatic rice cooker having rice storage functions, rice measurement functions, rice washing functions, and rice cooking functions.

Structure of conventional example and its problems In the conventional automatic rice cooker, the rice remaining amount detection device is provided with a detection plate 2 on the bottom of the rice bin 1 and on the other end of this detection plate 2, as shown in Fig. 1. Lever 3
The micro switch 4 detects the position of the plate 2, and it operates when the remaining amount of rice falls below a certain amount, that is, when the rice on the top of the detection plate 2 runs out. However, in this case, the operating point of the detection plate 2 varies depending on how rice is put into the rice bin 1.
There was a problem that the amount of rice remaining in the tank was not constant.

Furthermore, since this type of automatic rice cooking device houses mechanisms that perform various functions, the position of the rice outlet of the rice bin is restricted and cannot be located in the center of the rice bin. Therefore, the taper of the bottom surface of the rice bin is increased to uniformly reduce the amount of rice in the rice bin, but this has the disadvantage that the volume of the rice bin becomes smaller.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention eliminates these conventional drawbacks, and provides an automatic rice cooking device that can accurately detect the amount of remaining rice regardless of the rice charging method and has a large rice pot capacity.

Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the automatic rice cooking device of the present invention has an inclined passageway connecting a rice pot and a rice measuring chamber, and a rotatable detection plate having a certain gap with the bottom of the passageway. one end of the shaft is bent in the same direction as the detection plate, a magnet is attached to the end, a reed switch is provided opposite the magnet, and a weight is fixed to the shaft. When the amount of rice remaining in the rice bin becomes less than a certain amount, the weight causes the detection plate to return to its original state, and a magnet attached to one end of the shaft faces the reed switch to turn the reed switch. This device is configured to turn on and drive the notification means. According to this configuration, even if the rice shifts in the rice bin when rice is added, the passage connecting the rice bin and the rice measuring chamber is provided at an angle. Therefore, the aisle is always filled with rice, and therefore the remaining amount of rice can be detected reliably. Further, a detection plate having a certain gap with the bottom of the passage is fixed to a rotatable shaft in the passage, and one end of the shaft is bent in the same direction as the detection plate and a magnet is attached to the end. A reed switch is provided opposite to the magnet, and a weight is fixed to the shaft, so that when the amount of rice remaining in the rice bin becomes less than a certain amount, the detection plate is returned to its original state by the action of the weight, and The structure is such that a magnet attached to one end of the shaft faces the reed switch, turns on the reed switch, and drives the alarm means, so the structure of the detection plate detects when a certain amount of rice remains in the jar. This allows the user to be reliably informed by the notification means that the amount of rice remaining in the rice bin is low. Furthermore, since the passageway is slanted, the rice entrance to the passageway can be located in the center of the rice bin, so even if the volume of the rice bin is increased by reducing the taper of the bottom of the rice bin, The rice will be reduced evenly, and as a result, there will be no need to increase the height of the device in order to increase the volume of the rice bin.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In Figures 2 to 7, 5 is the automatic rice cooking device main body;
6 is a top plate, 7 is a steam outlet provided on the top plate 2 and discharges steam during rice cooking, 8 is a rice bin, 9 is a guide fixed to the rice bin, 10 is attached to the rear end of the guide 9 11 is a guide fixed to the main body 5, and 12 is a roller attached to the main body 5.

The guide 9 is in contact with the roller 12, and the roller 1
0 is in contact with the guide 11 and supports the rice bin 8. Since the rollers 10 and 12 are rotatably attached to the guide 9 and the main body 5, respectively, the rice bin 8 can be moved horizontally smoothly. 13 is a panel provided on the front side of the rice bin 8, and 14 is a hook provided on the panel 13, which is hooked onto a stopper (not shown) provided on the main body 5. Reference numeral 15 denotes a handle for pulling out the rice bin 8 and is provided on the panel 13. Reference numeral 16 denotes a see-through window provided on the front side of the rice bin 8, which allows the remaining amount of rice in the rice bin 8 to be visually confirmed from the outside. 17 is panel 1
This is the switch section provided in 3, and is equipped with switches such as a timer, power switch, rice amount setting switch, water level adjustment switch, etc. 17a is a warning lamp. 18 is a control circuit section provided in the gap between the panel 13 and the rice bin 8. 19 is rice jar 8
A rice measuring chamber having a constant volume is provided at the lower part of the rice measuring chamber, and reference numeral 20 is an opening/closing plate that opens and closes openings provided above and below the rice measuring chamber. 21 is a solenoid provided to cause the opening/closing plate 20 to perform opening/closing operations. Reference numeral 22 denotes an inclined passage connecting the rice bin 8 and the rice measuring chamber 19. 23 is a shaft, both ends of which are supported by the rice bin 8, and one end 24 of which is bent at a right angle and has a magnet 25 attached thereto. 26
is a detection plate, which is located at a certain distance 2 from the bottom of the passage 22.
6a is provided and fixed to the shaft 23 and rotates inside the passage 22. Therefore, the magnet 25 rotates as the detection plate 26 rotates. 27 is a reed switch.
A weight 28 is fixed to the shaft 23 and rotates as the detection plate 26 rotates. 29 is a rice washing device. When the solenoid 21 is not operating, the opening/closing plate 20 closes the lower opening (on the rice washing device side) of the rice measuring chamber 19 and opens the upper opening (on the rice bin side), as shown in FIG. Yes, rice weighing room 19
It is filled with rice. When the solenoid 21 operates, the opening/closing plate 20 opens the lower opening of the rice measuring chamber 19 and closes the upper opening, as shown in FIG. 6, and washes a certain amount of rice in the rice measuring chamber 19. It can be fed into the device 29. Reference numeral 30 indicates a drainage receiver provided at the lower part of the rice washing device 29, reference numeral 31 indicates a rice cooker, and reference numeral 32 indicates a drawer for storing the rice cooker 31. 33 is a panel of the drawer 32; 34 is a handle provided on the panel 33 for pulling out the drawer 32; 35 is a water supply pipe connected to a water pipe; 36 is a water tank for storing water poured from the water supply pipe 35; 37; is a pump that pressurizes water from the water tank 36 and sends it into the rice washing device 29. 3
Reference numeral 8 denotes a drain pipe that guides the dirty water after washing the rice from the drain receiver 30 to the outside of the main body 1. 39 is rice cooker 3
A lid opening/closing device that automatically opens and closes the lid of 1, 4
Reference numeral 0 designates a steam vent pipe that guides steam generated during rice cooking to the outside of the main body 1, and its upper end is connected to a steam discharge port 7.

In the above configuration, when there is no rice in the rice bin, the weight 28 faces vertically as shown in FIG. 4, the magnet 25 turns on the reed switch 27, and the control circuit section 18 turns on the alarm lamp 17a. to notify that there is no rice in the rice bin. Next, when rice is put into the rice bin 8, the rice is reliably guided into the passage 22 along the taper at the bottom of the rice bin 8. The detection plate 26 is pushed by the weight of the rice and rotates as shown in FIG. Then, the magnet 25 leaves the reed switch 27, so the reed switch is turned off, and the control circuit section 18 turns off the alarm lamp 17a. Next, in the rice measuring state, as shown in FIG. 6, since the inside of the passage 22 is always filled with rice, the detection plate 26 is pushed by the rice, and the magnet 25 remains separated from the reed switch 27. . When the rice in the rice bin 8 decreases, as shown in FIG.
a or less, the rice cannot press the detection plate 26,
The detection plate 26 is returned to its original position by the weight 28, the reed switch 27 is turned on, and the alarm lamp 17a is lit. At this time, the rice measuring chamber 19 is still filled with rice, and rice can be weighed. In other words, if a certain amount of rice is left in rice bin 8 and alarm lamp 1 is
7a can be lit.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the description of the above-mentioned embodiments, according to the present invention, since the passage connecting the rice bin and the rice measuring chamber is provided at an angle, the rice does not shift inside the rice bin when rice is added. , the aisle is always filled with rice, and therefore the remaining amount of rice can be detected reliably. Further, a detection plate having a certain gap with the bottom of the passage is fixed to a rotatable shaft in the passage, and one end of the shaft is bent in the same direction as the detection plate and a magnet is attached to the end. A reed switch is provided opposite to the magnet, and a weight is fixed to the shaft, so that when the amount of rice remaining in the rice bin becomes less than a certain amount, the detection plate is returned to its original state by the action of the weight, and Since the structure is such that a magnet attached to one end of the shaft faces the reed switch to turn on the reed switch and drive the notification means, the configuration of the detection plate allows
To reliably notify a user that the remaining amount of rice in a rice bin is low by using a notification means while a certain amount of rice is left in the rice bin.

Furthermore, since the passageway is slanted, the rice entrance to the passageway can be located in the center of the rice bin, so even if the volume of the rice bin is increased by reducing the taper of the bottom of the rice bin, The rice will be reduced evenly, and as a result, there will be no need to increase the height of the device in order to increase the volume of the rice bin.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of a conventional automatic rice cooker. Figures 2 to 7 show an automatic rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 2 being an overall perspective view, Figure 3 being a cross-sectional view of the same, and Figure 4 showing the outline of the rice cooker when there is no rice in the rice jug. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when rice is put into the rice bin, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part when rice is being measured, and Figure 7 is the main part when the rice in the rice bin is running low. FIG. 8...Rice bin, 19...Rice measuring room, 22...Aisle, 26...Detection plate, 27...Reed switch.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A passageway connecting a rice jug and a rice measuring chamber is provided at an angle, and a detection plate having a certain gap from the bottom of the passageway is fixed to a rotatable shaft in this passageway, and one end of the shaft is connected to the detection plate. Bend it in the same direction and attach a magnet to its end, provide a reed switch opposite the magnet, and fix a weight to the shaft. The automatic rice cooking device is configured to return the detection plate to its original state by action, turn on the reed switch by making a magnet attached to one end of the shaft face the reed switch, and drive the notification means.