WO2013069477A1

WO2013069477A1 - Rice cooker

Info

Publication number: WO2013069477A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/077730
Authority: WO
Inventors: 利弘齋藤; 栄治小暮; 彩斗大竹; 優安藤; 高橋　健三
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社; 三菱電機ホーム機器株式会社
Priority date: 2011-11-10
Filing date: 2012-10-26
Publication date: 2013-05-16
Also published as: JP5797274B2; JPWO2013069477A1

Abstract

A rice cooker comprises: a body (10) in which an inner pot (11) is received so as to be capable of being removed and which has a heating coil (12) for heating the inner pot (11); a lid body (30) attached to the upper part of the body (10) so as to be capable of being opened and closed and which covers the inner pot (11) and hermetically closes the inner pot (11); a strain sensor (17) provided within the body (10); and legs (15, 16) arranged on the bottom plate (14) of the body (10). At least one leg (16) from among the legs (15, 16) is provided as a movable leg (16) capable of moving in the vertical direction. The sum of the own weight of the body (10) and a weight applied to the body (10) is transmitted to the strain sensor (17) by the movable leg (16).

Description

rice cooker

The present invention relates to a rice cooker that measures the weight of cooked rice in the inner pot and cooks the rice according to the amount of cooked rice.

As a conventional rice cooker, there is one that measures the weight of the inner pot and the cooked rice in the inner pot by providing a weight detection means under the inner pot (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Moreover, as a conventional rice cooker, there exist some which were equipped with the weight detection means which receives a main body with a support plate and detects the weight of a main body (for example, refer patent document 2).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-230224 (Abstract, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-487 (abstract, FIG. 1)

In the rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 described above, when measuring the weight of the inner pot and the cooked rice in the inner pot, when the inner lid is closed, the sealing material of the lid contacts the inner pot and the inner pot is Since the pressure is applied, an error may occur in the weight measurement.
Moreover, in the rice cooker described in Patent Document 2, the support plate requires a strong structure, and in order to perform accurate weight detection, a structure for preventing the body from shaking and leveling is required. .

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and a first object is to reduce the weight of cooked rice without causing errors in weight measurement and without complicating the structure. A rice cooker that can be measured accurately is obtained.
The second purpose is to obtain a rice cooker that can accurately measure the weight of the cooked rice even if the installation surface of the rice cooker is not flat.
The third object is to obtain a rice cooker in which the main body does not fall over when the lid is opened, in addition to being able to accurately measure the weight of the cooked rice.

In the rice cooker according to the present invention, at least the inner pot is detachably accommodated, the main body having a heating means for heating the inner pot, and the upper portion of the main body are attached to be openable and closable. A weight transmitting means comprising: a covering cover; weight detecting means provided in the main body; and a plurality of legs disposed on the bottom plate of the main body, wherein at least one of the plurality of legs is movable in the vertical direction. The total weight of the main body and the weight applied to the main body is transmitted to the weight detection means by the weight transmission means.

According to the present invention, at least one of the plurality of legs is provided as a weight transmission means movable in the vertical direction, and the total weight of the main body and the weight applied to the main body is transmitted to the weight detection means by the weight transmission means. I am doing so. Thereby, even if the sealing material of the lid comes into contact with the inner pot and pressurizes the inner pot when the lid is closed, the weight of the cooked rice stored in the inner pot 11 can be accurately measured.

Sectional drawing which cut | disconnects and shows the side surface of the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. Sectional drawing which cut | disconnects and shows the front of the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. The side view which shows the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. The side view which shows the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG. The rice cooker of FIG. 4 WHEREIN: The side view which shows typically the state when not measuring the state when measuring cooked rice, and cooked rice. The side view of the cover body open state which shows the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG. The side view which shows typically the rice cooker of FIG. Sectional drawing which cut | disconnects and shows the side surface of the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 5. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing part of the bottom surface of the rice cooker according to the fifth embodiment.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 is a cross-sectional view showing the rice cooker according to the first embodiment by cutting the side, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the front of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rice cooker 1 according to the first embodiment is attached to a main body 10 in which an inner pot 11 is detachably stored and an upper portion of the main body 10 so as to be freely opened and closed, and the inner pot 11 is sealed. The cover body 30 covered in a state and the steam recovery tank 19 detachably mounted in front of the main body 10 are provided.

On the upper surface of the front side of the lid body 30, various key switches 31 for cooking rice, heat insulation, reservation, and the like, and a display window of the liquid crystal display unit 32 are provided. An inner lid 33 that seals the opening surface of the inner hook 11 is detachably attached to the inner surface of the lid 30.

The steam recovery tank 19 is filled with water, and has a tank lid connected to a tank-side steam conduit inserted into the water. The tank side steam conduit is communicated with a main body side steam conduit detachably provided inside the lid body 30 via a tank lid. The steam recovery tank 19 recovers the steam in the inner pot 11 flowing in through the main body side steam conduit and the tank side steam conduit by condensing with water.

The main body 10 is provided with, for example, a heating coil 12 (heating means) for heating the inner hook 11, a control board 13 is installed in a space between the back surface of the main body 10 and the inner hook 11, and the bottom plate 14. For example, a strain sensor 17 which is a weight detecting means is installed above the head. The control board 13 is mounted with a power supply circuit, a microcomputer, an inverter circuit for supplying a high-frequency current to the heating coil 12 based on the control of the microcomputer, a memory, and the like. The memory stores a control program for operating the microcomputer in response to the operation of the key switch described above. The strain sensor 17 is distorted by a pressing force from a movable leg 16 described later, generates a signal corresponding to the amount of distortion, and inputs the signal to the microcomputer of the control board 13.

Further, for example, two fixed legs 15 and one movable leg 16 are provided on the bottom plate 14 of the main body 10. The two fixed legs 15 are disposed in front of the center of gravity of the main body 10 and in the width direction of the bottom plate 14. The movable leg 16 is attached movably in the vertical direction behind the center of gravity of the main body 10 and substantially at the center in the width direction of the bottom plate 14 (see FIG. 2). The movable leg 16 is used as a weight transmitting means for transmitting the total weight of the body 10 and the weight applied to the body 10 to the strain sensor 17. A weight receiving seat 18 is provided between the movable leg 16 and the strain sensor 17.

The weight of the main body 10 is the weight of the main body 10 with the fixed leg 15 as a fulcrum, and includes the weight of the inner hook 11. The weight applied to the main body 10 is the weight applied to the main body 10 with the fixed leg 15 as a fulcrum. The weight of the lid 30, the weight of the cooked rice (rice and water) stored in the inner pot 11, and water were injected. This is the total weight of the steam recovery tank 19. The total weight of the main body 10 and the weight applied to the main body 10 (excluding the weight of the cooked rice), that is, the weight of the rice cooker 1 itself excluding the weight of the cooked rice is stored as data in the memory. .

When the rice cooker 1 configured as described above is placed on the installation surface, the rice cooker 1 is supported by two fixed legs 15 and one movable leg 16. In this state, when the lid 30 is opened, the inner pot 11 containing the cooked rice is stored in the main body 10 and the lid 30 is closed, and the rear side of the rice cooker 1 is weighted with the fixed leg 15 as a fulcrum. Slightly lowers accordingly. At this time, the movable leg 16 is in a state of pressing the strain sensor 17 from below via the weight receiving seat 18. In addition, it is a state which a user hardly understands whether the rear side of the rice cooker 1 is lowered.

In this state, when the rice cooking key switch is turned on, the strain sensor 17 generates a signal corresponding to the amount of distortion distorted by the pressing force of the movable leg 16, that is, a signal corresponding to the current total weight of the rice cooker 1. , Input to the microcomputer of the control board 13 to calculate the weight of the cooked rice in the inner pot 11. The calculation of the weight of the cooked rice is converted into the current total weight of the rice cooker 1 based on the aforementioned signal, and the weight of the cooker 1 itself stored as data in the memory (the weight of the cooked rice) from the converted total weight It is obtained by subtracting.

As described above, in the first embodiment, the weight of the rice cooker 1 with the fixed leg 15 as a fulcrum is transmitted to the strain sensor 17 by the pressing force of the movable leg 16, so that the lid 30 is closed. Even if the sealing material of the lid comes into contact with the inner pot 11 and pressurizes the inner pot 11, the weight of the cooked rice stored in the inner pot 11 can be accurately measured.

Further, since the movable leg 16 that transmits the weight of the strain sensor 17 is movable in the vertical direction, the movable leg 16 is installed on the installation surface even if the installation surface of the main body 10 is not flat. The weight can be measured accurately.

In the first embodiment, one movable leg 16 and one strain sensor 17 are used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, two movable legs 16 are provided in the width direction of the bottom plate 14 behind the center of gravity of the main body 10, and two strain sensors 17 that are distorted by the pressing force of each movable leg 16 are provided and stored in the inner hook 11. You may enable it to measure the weight of the cooked rice cooked. In this case, the weights obtained by the two strain sensors 17 are added, and the added value of the weights is set as the current weight of the rice cooker 1.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing the rice cooker according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS.
In the rice cooker 1 according to the second embodiment, the fall prevention leg 20 is provided on the bottom plate 14 behind the movable leg 16 serving as a weight transmission means in the bottom plate 14 of the main body 10. For example, two fall prevention legs 20 are arranged in the width direction of the bottom plate 14, and the length in the axial direction is shorter than the movable leg 16 by about 2 mm. Two fixed legs 15 are arranged in the width direction of the bottom plate 14 with the substantially center of gravity of the steam recovery tank 19 as the center.

The reason why the fall prevention leg 20 is shorter than the movable leg 16 is to prevent the fall prevention leg 20 from being installed on the installation surface prior to the movable leg 16 due to a step on the installation surface of the main body 10. This is because the weight of the cooked rice in the inner pot 11 by the movable leg 16 cannot be measured when the fall prevention leg 20 is previously installed on the installation surface. Although the length of the fall prevention leg 20 is about 2 mm shorter than the movable leg 16, it may be between 1 and 2 mm.

In the rice cooker configured as described above, when the lid 30 is opened, the center of gravity of the rice cooker 1 moves backward. Although the rice cooker 1 itself tends to tilt backward by the movement of the center of gravity, the fall prevention leg 20 comes into contact with the installation surface, and the rice cooker 1 is prevented from falling.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, since the fall prevention leg 20 is provided on the bottom plate 14 behind the movable leg 16, even when the lid 30 is closed, the cooked rice stored in the inner pot 11 is used. In addition to the effect that the weight of the object can be accurately measured, the rice cooker 1 can be prevented from being overturned when the lid 30 is opened, thereby improving safety.

Further, since the fixed leg 15 is disposed near the approximate center of gravity of the steam recovery tank 19, the weight of the cooked rice can be measured without being affected by the change in the amount of water in the steam recovery tank 19. Further, since the movable leg 16 that transmits the weight of the strain sensor 17 is movable in the vertical direction, the movable leg 16 is installed on the installation surface even if the installation surface of the main body 10 is not flat. The weight can be measured accurately.

In the second embodiment, the movable leg 16 and the strain sensor 17 are each one as in the first embodiment, but two may be provided in the width direction of the bottom plate 14.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing the rice cooker according to Embodiment 3, and FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the state when measuring the cooked rice and the state when not measuring the cooked rice in the rice cooker of FIG. FIG. 5A shows a state in which the rice cooker 1 is supported by the fixed leg 15 and the movable leg 16, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the rice cooker 1 is supported by the fixed leg 15 and the supporting movable leg 21. It shows the state. In the third embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS.

In the rice cooker 1 according to the third embodiment, a supporting movable leg 21 that is movable in the vertical direction is provided on the bottom plate 14 behind the movable leg 16 in the bottom plate 14 of the main body 10. For example, two movable support legs 21 are arranged in the width direction of the bottom plate 14, and the main body 10 is supported by the fixed legs 15. This state is a case where the weight of the cooked rice is not measured.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the supporting movable leg 21 is connected to a leg driving means such as a solenoid actuator 21a via a connecting rod 21b. The solenoid actuator 21a is driven by power supply from the control board 13 and pulls up the support movable leg 21 upward (see FIG. 2A). At this time, the movable leg 16 is installed on the installation surface of the main body 10. This operation is performed when the weight of the cooked rice is measured. Further, when the solenoid actuator 21a is not driven, that is, when the weight of the cooked rice is not measured, the support leg 21 is pushed downward to support the main body 10 with the fixed leg 15. (See FIG. 2 (b)).

As described above, when the weight of the cooked rice is measured, the solenoid actuator 21a is driven to lift the support movable leg 21 upward, and the movable leg 16 is installed on the installation surface of the main body 10. As a result, the time for pressing the movable leg 16 against the strain sensor 17 due to the load of the rice cooker 1 is shortened. Therefore, as compared with the first and second embodiments in which the strain sensor is always pressed by the movable leg 16. The weight of the cooked rice can be measured more accurately.

In addition, since the supporting movable leg 21 is provided on the bottom plate behind the movable leg 16, that is, below the hinge portion of the lid body 30, the body 10 can be prevented from being overturned by opening the lid body 30.

In the third embodiment, like the first and second embodiments, one movable leg 16 and one strain sensor 17 are provided, but two may be provided in the width direction of the bottom plate 14.

Further, the fixed leg 15 may be arranged near the approximate center of gravity of the steam recovery tank 19 so that the weight measurement of the cooked rice is not affected by the change in the amount of water in the steam recovery tank 19.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing the rice cooker according to Embodiment 4 in an open state, and FIG. 7 is a side view schematically showing the rice cooker of FIG. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the rice cooker 1 is supported by the fixed leg 15 and the fall prevention leg 22, and FIG. 7B shows a state in which the rice cooker 1 is supported by the fixed leg 15 and the movable leg 16. It shows the state. In the fourth embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS.

In the rice cooker 1 according to the fourth embodiment, a fall prevention leg 22 that is movable in the vertical direction is provided on the bottom plate 14 behind the movable leg 16 in the bottom plate 14 of the main body 10. For example, two fall prevention legs 22 are arranged in the width direction of the bottom plate 14 and are connected to a connecting rod 22a that is movably supported in the vertical direction. For example, the connecting rod 22 a is provided with a spiral spring (not shown) at a portion between the spring receiving portion 22 b and the bottom plate 14. On the rear side surface of the lid 30, for example, a protrusion 30 a is provided at a position facing the upper end of the connecting rod 22 a.

In the rice cooker 1 configured as described above, in a state where the lid 30 is closed, the fall prevention leg 22 is moved upward from the movable leg 16 by the spring, and the main body 10 is composed of the fixed leg 15 and the movable leg 16. Support. On the other hand, when the lid body 30 is opened, that is, when the lid body 30 is gradually opened, the connecting rod 22a is lowered downward in conjunction with the opening operation by the projecting portion 30a. Protrudes downward and contacts the installation surface of the main body 10.

As described above, in the fourth embodiment, when the lid 30 is closed, it moves upward from the movable leg 16, and when the lid 10 is opened, it moves downward to contact the installation surface of the main body 10. Since the fall prevention leg 22 is provided, in addition to the effect that the weight of the cooked rice stored in the inner pot 11 can be accurately measured even when the lid 30 is closed, the rice cooking when the lid 30 is opened is possible. The fall of the container 1 can be suppressed, and safety is improved.

In the fourth embodiment, the movable leg 16 and the strain sensor 17 are each one as in the first embodiment, but two may be provided in the width direction of the bottom plate 14.

Embodiment 5. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the side surface of the rice cooker according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a part of the bottom surface of the rice cooker according to the fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS.
For example, the rice cooker 1 according to the fifth embodiment extends in three directions in the radial direction with the weight transmission unit 23 transmitting the total weight of the main body 10 and the weight applied to the main body 10 to the strain sensor 17, and the weight transmission unit 23 as a center. A weight transmission leg 23a.

Of the three weight transmission legs 23a, the weight transmission leg 23a on the gravity center side of the rice cooker 1 is formed shorter than the other two weight transmission legs 23a. This is because the load of the rice cooker 1 having the two fixed legs 15 arranged near the approximate center of gravity of the steam recovery tank 19 as fulcrums is uniformly transmitted to the weight transmitting portion 23.

In the rice cooker configured as described above, when measuring the weight of the cooked rice, when the weight transmission unit 23 receives the load of the rice cooker 1 through the weight transmission leg 23a extending in three directions, the strain sensor is in accordance with the load. 17 is pressed. The strain sensor 17 generates a signal corresponding to the amount of distortion distorted by the pressing force of the weight transmission unit 23, that is, a signal corresponding to the total weight of the current rice cooker 1, and inputs the signal to the microcomputer of the control board 13 The weight of the cooked rice in the pot 11 is calculated. The weight of the cooked rice is calculated by calculating the total weight of the current rice cooker 1 from the aforementioned signal, and the weight of the cooker 1 itself stored as data in the memory from the calculated total weight (excluding the weight of the cooked rice) Is obtained by subtracting.

As described above, in the fifth embodiment, the weight of the rice cooker 1 having the fixed leg 15 as a fulcrum is received by the three weight transmission legs 23 a and the weight is transmitted to the strain sensor 17 by the pressing force of the weight transmission unit 23. Like to do. Thereby, even when the lid 30 is closed, the lid sealing material comes into contact with the inner pot 11 and pressurizes the inner pot 11, so that the weight of the cooked rice stored in the inner pot 11 can be measured more accurately. it can.

In the first to fifth embodiments, the weight of the cooked rice is measured using the strain sensor, but a pressure sensor or a capacitance sensor may be used instead. In the case of the capacitance sensor, the current total weight of the rice cooker 1 is detected from between the electrodes that change in accordance with the pressing force of the movable leg 16 or the weight transmission unit 23.

Moreover, although it described that this invention was applied to the rice cooker provided with the steam recovery tank, you may apply to the normal rice cooker which is not provided with the steam recovery tank.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker, 10 main body, 11 Inner pot, 12 Heating coil, 13 Control board, 14 Bottom plate, 15 Fixed leg, 16 Movable leg, 17 Strain sensor, 18 Weight receiving seat, 19 Steam recovery tank, 20 Fall prevention leg, 21 Movable support leg, 21a solenoid actuator, 21b connecting rod, 22 fall prevention leg, 22a connecting rod, 22b spring receiving portion, 23 weight transmitting portion, 23a weight transmitting leg, 30 lid, 30a protruding portion, 31 key switch, 32 Liquid crystal display, 33 inner lid.

Claims

A main body having a heating means for heating the inner hook;
A lid attached to the upper part of the main body so as to be freely opened and closed, and covering the inner pot in a sealed state;
Weight detection means provided in the main body;
A plurality of legs disposed on the bottom plate of the main body,
At least one of the plurality of legs is a weight transmission means movable in the vertical direction,
The rice cooker characterized in that the total weight of the main body and the weight applied to the main body is transmitted to the weight detection means by the weight transmission means.
The weight transmission means is arranged behind the center of gravity of the main body;
2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the remaining legs are disposed in front of the center of gravity of the main body as fixed legs.
A fall prevention leg is provided on the bottom plate behind the weight transmission means of the bottom plate of the main body,
The length of the axial fall direction is shorter than the said weight transmission means, and the said fall prevention leg contacts the installation surface of the said main body when the said cover body is opened. Rice cooker.
A movable movable leg for supporting the main body with the fixed leg, which is movably provided in a vertical direction on a bottom plate behind the weight transmission means among the bottom plate of the main body;
And a leg driving means for pulling up the supporting movable leg toward the bottom plate when the weight is detected by the weight detecting means and installing the weight transmitting means on the installation surface of the main body. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2.
Of the bottom plate of the main body, the bottom plate behind the weight transmission means is provided with a fall prevention leg movable in the vertical direction,
The fall prevention leg moves upward from the weight transmitting means when the lid is closed, and moves downward when the lid is opened to contact the installation surface of the main body. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2.
The weight transmitting means includes a weight transmitting portion and a plurality of weight transmitting legs extending outward from the weight transmitting portion with the weight transmitting portion as a center,
3. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the weight transmission unit transmits the total of the weights to the weight detection unit with the plurality of weight transmission legs.
Provided in front of the main body is a steam recovery tank for condensing the steam in the inner pot generated by heating of the heating means with water,
The rice cooker according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the fixed leg is disposed in the width direction of the bottom plate with the approximate center of gravity of the steam recovery tank as the center.