JP7796350B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a rice cooker.

A conventional rice cooker of this type is known, for example, from Patent Document 1 (JP 2023-4398 A). Patent Document 1 discloses a rice cooker that includes a pot, a pot container that detachably houses the pot, a removable lid that covers the upper opening of the pot, a housing with a mounting surface on which the pot container is placed, and a weight detection unit that detects the weight of the pot container placed on the mounting surface.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-4398

In the rice cooker of Patent Document 1, the user places the pot on the placement surface by sliding it from the side of the housing toward the inside of the housing. The user places a pot in the pot and attaches a lid. As a result, it is possible for the user to forget to attach the lid and place the pot on the placement surface. In this case, the rice cooking process may be performed without the lid attached. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in conventional rice cookers in terms of preventing the rice cooking process from being performed without the lid attached.

Therefore, the object of this disclosure is to solve the above problem by providing a rice cooker that prevents the rice cooking process from being performed without the lid attached.

In order to achieve the above object, the rice cooker according to the present disclosure comprises a pot,
a pot container that detachably accommodates the pot and has a detachable lid that covers an upper opening of the pot;
a housing having a mounting surface on which the pot is placed;
a weight detection unit that detects the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface;
a load member disposed above the mounting surface and capable of contacting the lid;
a moving unit that moves the load member between a first position in contact with the lid and a second position away from the first position;
a heating unit that heats the pot in the pot container placed on the placement surface;
a control unit that controls the moving unit and the heating unit to execute a rice cooking process including a heating process of heating the pot;
Equipped with
the control unit does not execute the rice cooking process when a difference between a first weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the first position and a second weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the second position is within a predetermined range.
It is structured as follows.

The rice cooker of the present invention prevents the rice cooking process from being performed without the lid attached.

1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pot, a pot container, and a lid of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. 2 is a diagram showing a recess provided in the bottom of the pot in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the housing of the rice cooker of FIG. 1 with the pot, pot container, and lid removed. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a pot and a part of the housing of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view showing a pot container and a part of the housing of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. 2 is a left side view and a right cross-sectional view showing a pot and a part of a housing of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the variation in the center of gravity of the pot when the rice cooker of FIG. 1 is arranged so that the weight of the pot is supported by two support parts and one weight sensor at different heights. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of components related to the rice supply unit in the rice cooker of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a perspective view of components related to a relay pipe and a communication member in the rice cooker of FIG. 1, seen obliquely from below. 11 is a plan view showing the manner in which the relay pipe and the communication member in FIG. 10 move. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the state in which the relay pipe and the communication member in FIG. 10 move. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the state in which the relay pipe and the communication member in FIG. 10 move. FIG. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 in FIG. 11A. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line B1-B1 in FIG. 11B. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line C1-C1 in FIG. 11C. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration related to a control unit in the rice cooker of FIG. 1 . 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a control operation by a control unit in the rice cooker of FIG. 1 . 10 is a graph showing an example of a change in weight detected by a weight detection unit while a load member moves in the rice cooker of FIG. 1 . 1 ; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a state in which a tip of a load member is deformed in the rice cooker of FIG. 1 ;

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a pot,
a pot container that detachably accommodates the pot and has a detachable lid that covers an upper opening of the pot;
a housing having a mounting surface on which the pot is placed;
a weight detection unit that detects the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface;
a load member disposed above the mounting surface and capable of contacting the lid;
a moving unit that moves the load member between a first position in contact with the lid and a second position away from the first position;
a heating unit that heats the pot in the pot container placed on the placement surface;
a control unit that controls the moving unit and the heating unit to execute a rice cooking process including a heating process of heating the pot;
Equipped with
The control unit does not perform the rice cooking process when the difference between the first weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the first position and the second weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the second position is within a predetermined range.

A second aspect of the present disclosure provides the rice cooker described in the first aspect, wherein the first position is a pressable position in which the load member can press the lid downward, and the second position is a retracted position in which the load member is spaced away from the lid.

A third aspect of the present disclosure provides the rice cooker described in the first aspect, wherein the first position is a pressable position where the load member can press the lid downward, and the second position is a contactable position where the tip of the load member can contact the lid.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides the rice cooker described in the first or second aspect, wherein the second position is a retracted position where the load member is separated from the lid, and the control unit determines whether or not an error has occurred based on the second detected weight when the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within the predetermined range.

A fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a rice cooker according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the weight detection unit continues to detect the weight of the pot while the load member moves between the first position and the second position, and the control unit determines whether an error has occurred based on changes in the detected weight of the weight detection unit.

A sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides the rice cooker according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the control unit does not perform the rice cooking process and/or notifies the user of the error when it determines that an error has occurred, and performs the rice cooking process when it determines that no error has occurred.

A seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides the rice cooker described in any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the first position is a pressable position where the load member can press the lid downward, and the weight detection unit is positioned at a position where the first detected weight is smaller than the second detected weight.

An eighth aspect of the present disclosure provides the rice cooker described in the seventh aspect, in which the weight detection unit is positioned biased toward one of two areas sandwiching a first imaginary line passing through the center of the pot in a plan view seen from above the pot, and the load member is configured to apply a pressing force to the lid body more toward one of the two areas than toward the other side when in the pressing position.

A ninth aspect of the present disclosure provides the rice cooker described in the eighth aspect, in which the weight detection unit is composed of a single weight sensor.

A tenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the rice cooker described in the ninth aspect, in which the pot is placed on the placement surface by sliding from the side of the housing in the plan view, and the weight detection unit is located downstream of the center of the pot in the direction in which the pot slides in the plan view.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a rice cooker according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, in which the load member is a gasket that can come into contact with the periphery of a hole provided in the lid.

A twelfth aspect of the present disclosure provides a rice cooker according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, in which the pot is placed on the placement surface by sliding from the side of the housing in a plan view seen from above the pot, with the tip of the load member positioned in a contactable position where it can contact the lid, and the control unit controls the movement unit to move the load member in a direction opposite to the sliding direction of the pot, and then move the load member back to the contactable position.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. In addition, substantially identical components in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals.

Furthermore, for the sake of convenience, the following uses terms indicating directions such as "up," "down," "front," "rear," and "side," assuming normal use, but this is not intended to limit the use state, etc., of the rice cooker disclosed herein.

(Embodiment)
The overall configuration of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The rice cooker according to this embodiment is a so-called fully automatic rice cooker that can automatically perform all processes from supplying rice and water to a pot to cooking rice.

As shown in Figure 1, the rice cooker of this embodiment includes a housing 1, a pot container 21, a lid 22, a rice container 3, and a water container 4.

The housing 1 has a rounded rectangular shape when viewed from above. In other words, when viewed from above, the housing 1 has a shape such that two opposing sides of the rectangle are bent into semicircular arcs. In this embodiment, one curved side of the housing 1 is referred to as the front. The other curved side of the housing 1 is referred to as the rear. Furthermore, the direction toward the front and rear of the housing 1 is referred to as the front-to-rear direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction is referred to as the lateral direction. In this embodiment, the direction toward the upper left and lower right in FIG. 1 is referred to as the lateral direction X. Furthermore, the direction toward the lower left and upper right in FIG. 1 is referred to as the front-to-rear direction Y. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the lateral direction X and the front-to-rear direction Y and toward the top and bottom of FIG. 1 is referred to as the height direction Z. In this embodiment, the height direction Z coincides with the up-down direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lateral direction X, the front-to-rear direction Y, and the direction intersecting the lateral direction X and the front-to-rear direction Y may be referred to as the lateral direction.

A storage area 11 capable of accommodating a pot 21 is provided on the lower and front side of the housing 1. The storage area 11 is part of the housing 1 and defines a space for accommodating the pot 21 and lid 22. The storage area 11 is configured so that the pot 21 and lid 22 can be accommodated by sliding them from the side of the storage area 11. Figure 1 shows, as an example, a configuration in which the pot 21 can be accommodated by sliding it from the front of the storage area 11 along the front-to-rear direction Y. A housing lid 12 is removably attached to the top end of the housing 1, covering both the housing 1 and the rice container 3.

The storage area 11 accommodates a pot container 21 and a lid 22 that is removably attached to the pot container 21. As shown in Figure 2, a pot 2 is removably accommodated in the pot container 21. The pot container 21 is placed on a mounting surface 13 (see Figure 3B), which is the bottom of the storage area 11, as described below. The lid 22 is configured to cover the upper opening of the pot 2. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the pot container 21 accommodated in the storage area 11 accommodates a pot 2 and has a lid 22 attached.

The height of the pot container 21 stored in the storage area 11 is lower than the height of the storage area 11. The pot 2, pot container 21, and lid 22 can be attached to and detached from the housing 1 by sliding them in the front-to-back direction Y between the storage area 11 and the outside of the housing 1 and the side of the storage area 11 while the pot 2 and lid 22 remain attached to the pot container 21.

The rice container 3 is a container for storing rice. The rice container 3 is located inside the housing 1 and above the storage area 11. In other words, the rice container 3 is located inside the housing 1 below the housing lid 12 and adjacent to the housing lid 12.

The water container 4 is a container for storing water. The water container 4 is located on the rear and upper side of the housing 1.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pot 2, pot container 21, and lid 22 of the rice cooker of Figure 1. Figure 3A is a diagram showing the recess 21f provided in the bottom of the pot container 21 of the rice cooker of Figure 1. Figure 3B is a perspective view of the housing 1 of the rice cooker of Figure 1 with the pot 2, pot container 21, and lid 22 removed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pot 2 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom. That is, the pot 2 has a bottom 2a, a side wall 2b, an opening 2c, and a flange 2d. The flange 2d extends laterally from the upper end of the side wall 2b around the entire circumferential direction of the upper end of the side wall 2b toward the outside of the pot 2. The pot 2 is made of, for example, metal.

The pot container 21 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom that can accommodate the pot 2. That is, the pot container 21 has a bottom 21a, a side wall 211 (see Figure 1), and an opening 21h. The pot container 21 is made of, for example, resin.

The side wall 211 has an inner wall portion 21b, ribs 21c, and an outer wall portion 21d. A plurality of ribs 21c protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the inner wall portion 21b, with their longitudinal direction aligned with the height direction Z. The outer wall portion 21d faces the outer peripheral surface of the inner wall portion 21b, and is arranged so that the plurality of ribs 21c are sandwiched between the outer wall portion 21d and the inner wall portion 21b. An air layer 21e is formed within the side wall 211, i.e., between the inner wall portion 21b and the outer wall portion 21d.

When the pot 2 is housed in the pot container 21, gaps are formed between the inner wall 21b of the pot container 21 and the side wall 2b of the pot 2, and between the bottom 21a of the pot container 21 and the bottom 2a of the pot 2. Therefore, compared to when there is no gap between the pot container 21 and the pot 2, less heat is transferred to the pot container 21 when the pot 2 is heated by the heating unit 6 (described below), thereby reducing damage to the pot container 21 due to heat. When the pot 2 is housed in the pot container 21, the flange 2d of the pot 2 rests on the upper end of the inner wall 21b of the pot container 21. In other words, when the pot 2 is housed in the pot container 21, the pot 2 is supported by the upper end of the inner wall 21b of the pot container 21.

As shown in FIG. 3A, a recess 21f is provided on the underside, i.e., the bottom surface, of the bottom 21a of the pot 21. The recess 21f has a recess sidewall 21g. The recess sidewall 21g has a U-shape with straight sections at both ends and the two straight sections connected by a curved section formed by a semicircular arc. In other words, a U-shaped groove is provided in the bottom 21a of the pot 21. The length between the straight sections of the recess sidewall 21g, i.e., the width of the U-shaped groove, is longer than the radius of the bottom 21a of the pot 21. The underside of the recess sidewall 21g is a flat surface that follows the U-shape. In addition, a through-hole is provided in the center of the bottom 21a of the pot 21, penetrating the bottom 21a in the height direction Z.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the mounting surface 13, which is the bottom of the storage area 11, has a protrusion 13a for placing the pot 21 to be stored in the storage area 11. The shape and dimensions of the protrusion 13a correspond to the shape and dimensions of the recess 21f of the pot 21. The protrusion 13a is arc-shaped and protrudes from the housing 1. The height of the protrusion 13a is greater than the height of the side wall 21g of the recess. As a result, when the pot 21 is stored in the storage area 11, a gap is formed between the bottom 21a of the pot 21 and the mounting surface 13. The mounting surface 13 also has an opening 13b. The opening 13b is arranged to divide the protrusion 13a into two.

A convex peripheral portion 13c is provided around the entire circumferential circumference of the convex portion 13a on the outside of the convex portion 13a. The convex peripheral portion 13c is a flat surface provided in a ring shape so as to face the underside of the recessed portion's side wall 21g when the pot container 21 is stored in the storage area 11. The diameter of the convex portion 13a is the length at which the outer surface of the convex portion 13a is located near both straight portions of the recessed portion's side wall 21g when the convex portion 13a is located between the straight portions of the recessed portion's side wall 21g, and is longer than the radius of the convex peripheral portion 13c.

When the pot container 21 slides between the storage area 11 and the outside of the housing 1 and the side of the storage area 11, the protrusion 13a slides relative to the recess 21f. More specifically, the side wall 21g of the recess slides relative to the outer surface of the protrusion 13a. This guides the sliding movement of the pot container 21. In addition, in this embodiment, the side wall 21g of the recess has a curved portion, which allows the outer surface of the protrusion 13a to abut against the curved portion of the side wall 21g of the recess. Therefore, even if the pot container 21 slides repeatedly, it can be reliably moved to a predetermined position within the storage area 11. In other words, the pot container 21 slides in the direction of the U-shaped groove in the bottom 21a of the pot container 21, and its sliding movement is guided by the relative sliding between the side wall 21g of the groove and the outer surface of the protrusion 13a. Additionally, because the outer surface of the protrusion 13a and the curved portion of the groove can be brought into contact and secured, even if the pot container 21 is repeatedly slid, it can be reliably moved to a predetermined position within the storage area 11. Furthermore, when the pot container 21 is placed on the protrusion 13a, it can rotate forward and backward around the circumference of the protrusion 13a so that the side wall 21g of the recess and the outer surface of the protrusion 13a slide relative to each other.

As shown in Figure 2, the lid 22 has a lid body 22a, a hole 22b, a pot gasket 22c, and an attachment member 22d.

In this embodiment, the lid body 22a has a ring-shaped flat plate portion and a circular hole portion whose outer surface is flush with the circumferential outer surface of the ring-shaped flat plate. Furthermore, when the lid body 22 is detachably attached to the pot container 21, the outer surface of the circular hole portion of the lid body 22a is flush with the outer surface of the side wall 211 of the pot container 21. Note that in this embodiment, "flat plate" includes "approximately flat plate," and "flush" includes "approximately flush."

The hole 22b is located in the center of the width of the flat portion of the lid body 22a. Rice sent from the rice container 3 and water sent from the water container 4 pass through the hole 22b when supplied to the pot 2. In this embodiment, the hole 22b is located in the center of the lid body 22 when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the hole 22b is a circular hole when viewed from above. The hole 22b is located coaxially with the pot 2 contained in the pot container 21.

The pot gasket 22c is arranged to come into contact with the pot 2 when the lid 22 is removably attached to the pot container 21 so as to cover the opening of the pot 2. A through-hole that communicates with the hole 22b is provided in the center of the pot gasket 22c when viewed from above.

Attachment member 22d is attached to lid body 22a with pot gasket 22c sandwiched therebetween. Attachment member 22d is positioned below lid body 22a with a gap in the height direction Z from lid body 22a. Attachment member 22d also has drain outlet 22e that communicates with hole 22b. Drain outlet 22e is a circular hole in top view. Drain outlet 22e is positioned coaxially with hole 22b. The diameter of drain outlet 22e is larger than the diameter of hole 22b. In other words, the opening area of hole 22b is smaller than the opening area of drain outlet 22e.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the pot container 21 and part of the housing 1 of the rice cooker of Figure 1. Figure 5 is an assembled perspective view showing the pot container 21 and part of the housing 1 of the rice cooker of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the rice cooker of Figure 1. Figure 7 is a left side view and right cross-sectional view showing the pot container 21 and part of the housing 1 of the rice cooker of Figure 1.

As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the housing 1 includes a base 14 having a mounting surface 13 on which the pot container 21 is placed, and a chassis 15 that supports the base 14.

The upper surface of the base 14 is the support surface 13 on which the pot container 21 is placed, and includes the aforementioned convex portion 13a, opening 13b, and convex portion peripheral portion 13c. A through hole 14a is formed in the center of the base 14. An upwardly recessed recess 14b is provided on the outer periphery of the base 14. In this embodiment, two recesses 14b are provided on the outer periphery of the base 14, on the front side of the housing 1, spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction X.

The chassis 15 is provided below the base 14. The weight detection unit 5, heating unit 6, temperature detection unit 7, and control unit 8 are attached to the chassis 15.

The weight detection unit 5 is positioned below the placement surface 13 and receives the weight of the pot 2 placed on the placement surface 13 to detect the weight of the food being cooked contained in the pot 2. In this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is composed of a single weight sensor and is configured to receive the weight of the pot container 21, pot 2, and lid 22 placed on the placement surface 13.

The chassis 15 also has a support portion 15a that is positioned below the placement surface 13 and supports the weight of the pot 2 placed on the placement surface 13. In this embodiment, the support portion 15a is configured as a resin protrusion that protrudes upward. In a plan view of the pot 2 from above, the support portion 15a and the weight detection unit 5 are positioned on opposite sides of a first imaginary line (e.g., the dashed-dotted line VL1 in Figure 8) that passes through the center of the pot 2. In other words, in a plan view of the pot 2 from above, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned offset to one side of the two areas that sandwich the first imaginary line that passes through the center of the pot 2. In this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned downstream of the support portion 15a in the front-to-rear direction Y in which the pot container 21 slides (rearward of the housing 1).

In this embodiment, the chassis 15 is provided with two support portions 15a. The two support portions 15a are provided at positions corresponding to the two recesses 14b of the base 14. When the two support portions 15a are inserted into the two recesses 14b and the weight detection unit 5 comes into contact with the bottom of the base 14, the chassis 15 supports the base 14 at three points. In this state, when the pot 21, pot 2, and lid 22 are placed on the mounting surface 13, the two support portions 15a and the weight detection unit 5 support the weight of the pot 21, pot 2, and lid 22 via the base 14.

The two support portions 15a and the weight detection unit 5 are configured to be at different heights. In this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is configured to be lower in height than the two support portions 15a. That is, the bottom of the base 14 is configured so that the contact position between the two support portions 15a and the base 14 is higher than the contact position between the weight detection unit 5 and the base 14. Furthermore, in a plan view, the two support portions 15a are arranged symmetrically with respect to a second imaginary line (e.g., the two-dot chain line VL2 in Figure 8) that passes through the weight detection unit 5 and the center of the pot 2. The pot container 21 is placed on the placement surface 13 by sliding it from the side of the housing 1 along the second imaginary line. By making the support portions 101 and the weight sensor 102 different in height, as shown in Figure 8, the variation in the center of gravity of the pot 2 (the black dot in Figure 8) can be reduced, making it easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by a single weight detection unit 5. This reduces component costs while minimizing any decline in accuracy in detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

As shown in Figures 4, 6, and 7, a heating unit 6 that heats the pot 2 and a temperature detection unit 7 that detects the temperature of the pot 2 are arranged below the mounting surface 13. In this embodiment, the heating unit 6 is an induction heating coil that inductively heats the pot 2 when current is applied. The temperature detection unit 7 is a temperature sensor that contacts the bottom of the pot 2 through the through hole 14a of the base 14 and detects the temperature of the pot 2. Note that the temperature detection unit 7 may also be, for example, an infrared sensor that detects the temperature of the pot 2 non-contactly using infrared rays.

The chassis 15 has a standing wall 151 extending in the height direction Z so as to face the side of the pot 21 placed on the mounting surface 13. The standing wall 151 is located inside the housing 1 and downstream (rear side of the housing 1) in the front-to-rear direction Y in which the pot 21 slides. A control unit 8 (described below) is attached to the surface of the standing wall 151 opposite the surface facing the pot 21. The control unit 8 is located closer to the weight detection unit 5 than the two support parts 15a.

As shown in FIG. 6 , a rice transfer space 31 is formed inside the housing 1 and below the rice container 3. The rice transfer space 31 is connected to the bottom of the rice container 3 via a through-hole (not shown). A rice supply unit 32 that supplies rice to the pot 2 is located in the rice transfer space 31. The rice supply unit 32 has a rice transfer shaft 33 and a rice transfer blade 34. The rice transfer shaft 33 extends in the front-to-rear direction Y within the rice transfer space 31, with one end connected to the output shaft 35a of the motor 35. The rice transfer blade 34 is spirally formed around the axis of the rice transfer shaft 33. Rice contained in the rice container 3 falls into the rice transfer space 31 through the through-hole due to gravity. When the motor 35 is driven, the rice transfer shaft 33 rotates around its axis, and the rice in the rice transfer space 31 is pushed forward by the rice transfer blade 34, which rotates accordingly. The operation of the motor 35 is controlled by the control unit 8.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of components related to the rice supply unit 32. As shown in Figure 9, the bottom of the front end of the rice transfer space 31 is connected to the relay pipe 36. The relay pipe 36 extends downward from the rice transfer space 31 and opens toward the lid 22 housed in the storage area 11. When the pot container 21 is placed on the placement surface 13 and the relay pipe 36 is positioned above the hole 22b in the lid 22, rice pushed forward by the rice feed blade 34 flows by gravity through the relay pipe 36 and the hole 22b in the lid 22 into the pot 2 housed in the pot container 21. In this way, the rice supply unit 32 supplies rice from the rice container 3 into the pot 2.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the water container 4 is equipped with a water supply unit 41 that supplies water to the pot 2. The water supply unit 41 includes a water pipe 42 and a water pump 43. One end of the water pipe 42 is connected to the relay pipe 36. The other end of the water pipe 42 is connected to the water container 4. The water pipe 42 is equipped with a water pump 43. The water pump 43 is a volumetric pump such as a diaphragm pump, plunger pump, or piston pump. In this embodiment, the water pump 43 is attached to connect two water pipes 42. When the water pump 43 is driven, water in the water container 4 flows from the other end to one end of the water pipe 42 and is supplied to the pot 2 contained in the pot container 21 via the relay pipe 36 and the hole 22b in the lid 22. In this manner, the water supply unit 41 supplies water from the water container 4 to the pot 2 contained in the storage area 11.

As shown in FIG. 6 , a communication member 9 is disposed below the rice supply unit 32 and above the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 11. The communication member 9 is a member for discharging steam generated from the pot 2 housed in the storage area 11 to the outside of the housing 1. The communication member 9 includes a communication member main body 91, a load member 92, and a steam cylinder 93. The communication member main body 91 is a hollow member with an open lower end. The load member 92 is an annular member attached to the lower end of the communication member main body 91. In this embodiment, the load member 92 is an annular gasket that can contact the periphery of the hole 22b provided in the lid 22. The steam cylinder 93 is configured so that one end communicates with the interior of the communication member main body 91 and the other end communicates with the outside of the housing 1.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the relay pipe 36 and the components related to the communicating member 9, viewed from diagonally below. Figures 11A to 11C are plan views showing the movement of the relay pipe 36 and the communicating member 9. Figure 12A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 in Figure 11A. Figure 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B1-B1 in Figure 11B. Figure 12C is a cross-sectional view taken along line C1-C1 in Figure 11C.

As shown in Figures 11A to 11C, the relay pipe 36 and the communicating member 9 are arranged to move integrally by the moving unit 200. The moving unit 200 includes a slide plate 201 that can rotate around a rotation axis 201a. In this embodiment, the slide plate 201 is formed in a generally fan shape. The relay pipe 36 and the communicating member 9 are attached to the slide plate 201 at a position away from the rotation axis 201a. A rack gear 201b is provided on the arc-shaped outer periphery of the slide plate 201, away from the rotation axis 201a. A pinion gear (not shown) is arranged to mesh with the rack gear 201b. The pinion gear is connected to a motor (shown). Under the control of the control unit 8, the motor is driven to rotate the pinion gear, causing the slide plate 201 to rotate around the rotation axis 201a. This causes the relay pipe 36 and the communication member 9 to move, as shown in Figures 11A to 11C.

The relay pipe 36 has a pair of arms 36a protruding in opposite directions from the side wall. As shown in FIG. 10, a pair of inclined portions 37 are provided inside the housing 1 at positions corresponding to the pair of arms 36a. The pair of arms 36a are biased by springs 38 so as to be pressed against the inclined portions 37. As shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C, when the relay pipe 36 and the communicating member 9 move in the direction of the arrow, the pair of arms 36a move along the inclined portions 37, and the biasing force of the springs 38 causes the relay pipe 36 to move diagonally upward. As a result, the slide plate 201 and the communicating member 9 also move diagonally upward (dotted arrows in FIGS. 12A and 12B). Conversely, as shown in FIGS. 11C to 11A, when the relay pipe 36 and the communicating member 9 move in the direction opposite to the arrow, the pair of arms 36a move along the inclined portions 37, causing the relay pipe 36 to move diagonally downward against the biasing force of the springs 38. As a result, the slide plate 201 and the connecting member 9 also move diagonally downward (solid arrows in Figures 12A and 12B).

As shown in FIG. 11A, when the center of the connecting member main body 91 coincides with the center of the pot 2 in a plan view, the load member 92 is positioned in a pressable position, as shown in FIG. 12A, where it can press the lid 22 downward. In this embodiment, the pressable position is an example of a first position where it contacts the lid 22. At this time, the load member 92 is configured to apply a pressing force that presses the lid 22 more toward one side (the side where the weight detection unit 5 is located) of two regions sandwiched between them, along a first imaginary line (dashed dotted line VL1 in FIG. 8) that passes through the center of the pot 2 in a plan view. Specifically, the load member 92 is configured to apply a pressing force that presses the lid 22 in the direction indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 12A. This prevents the weight detection unit 5 from being subjected to a load due to the pressing force of the load member 92.

By slightly rotating the slide plate 201 in the direction of the arrow from the state shown in Figure 11A, the relay pipe 36 and the connecting member 9 move to the position shown in Figure 11B. At this time, the load member 92 moves in the direction of the dotted arrow in Figures 12A and 12B, and as shown in Figure 12B, it is positioned in a contactable position where its tip can contact the lid 2. In this embodiment, when the user places the pot container 21 on the placement surface 13, the load member 92 is positioned in the contactable position.

By rotating the slide plate 201 in the direction of the arrow from the state shown in Figure 11B, the center of the relay pipe 36 coincides with the center of the pot 2 in a plan view, as shown in Figure 11C. At this time, the load member 92 moves in the direction of the dotted arrow in Figure 12C and is located in a retracted position away from the lid 22. In this embodiment, the retracted position is an example of a second position away from the first position. In this embodiment, the moving unit 200 is configured to move the load member 92 between the pressable position (Figure 12A) and the retracted position (Figure 12C).

When the sliding plate 201 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow from the state shown in Figure 11C, the load member 92 moves in the direction of the solid arrow in Figure 12C and is positioned at the contactable position (Figure 12B). When the sliding plate 201 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow from the state shown in Figure 11B, the load member 92 moves in the direction of the solid arrow in Figure 12B and is positioned at the pressable position (Figure 12A).

As shown in FIG. 6, a control unit 8 is provided inside the housing 1. In this embodiment, the control unit 8 is configured as an electronic component mounted on a printed circuit board.

Figure 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration related to the control unit 8. The control unit 8 is connected wirelessly or via a wire to the input unit 81, memory unit 82, and notification unit 83.

The input unit 81 is used to input the rice cooking information desired by the user, such as the amount of rice to be cooked, the rice cooking course, and a command to start cooking. The input unit 81 is, for example, a switch or a touch panel. The input unit 81 is provided, for example, on the top or side of the housing 1. The input unit 81 may also receive the rice cooking information input by the user via a wireless or wired connection using an external device such as a smartphone or personal computer.

The memory unit 82 stores various information, such as information regarding the weight of the pot 2, pot container 21, and lid 22, as well as multiple cooking sequences for cooking rice. Here, a "cooking sequence" refers to a cooking procedure in which the power-on time, heating temperature, heating time, heating output, etc. are predetermined for each of the four main steps of preheating, heating, maintaining boiling, and steaming. Each cooking sequence corresponds to one of the multiple cooking courses. In this embodiment, the four steps of preheating, heating, maintaining boiling, and steaming are referred to as heating steps.

The notification unit 83 notifies the user of various information such as rice cooking information and errors. The notification unit 83 is, for example, a display that displays various information, or a speaker that transmits various information by voice.

The control unit 8 controls the moving unit 200 and the heating unit 6 to perform a rice cooking process, including a heating process for heating the pot 2, based on the rice cooking information (including the rice cooking course) input via the input unit 81 and the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 7. In this embodiment, the control unit 8 further controls the rice supply unit 32 and the water supply unit 41 based on the rice cooking information (including the desired amount of rice) input via the input unit 81, and performs a rice feeding process for feeding rice into the pot 2 and a water feeding process for feeding water into the pot 2. In this embodiment, the rice feeding process and water feeding process are included in the rice cooking process.

In this embodiment, the control unit 8 further controls the movement unit 200 to move the connecting member 9 and move the load member 92 to the pressable position (FIG. 12A) and the retracted position (FIG. 12C) based on the rice cooking information (including the rice cooking start command) input via the input unit 81. The control unit 8 also acquires the first weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved to the pressable position (FIG. 12A) and the second weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved to the retracted position (FIG. 12C). The control unit 8 does not execute the rice cooking process when the difference between the first and second detected weights is within a predetermined range. On the other hand, when the difference between the first and second detected weights is not within the predetermined range, the control unit 8 determines whether or not an error has occurred based on the second detected weight. In this embodiment, the predetermined range is stored in the memory unit 82. In this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned so that the first detected weight is smaller than the second detected weight. When the control unit 8 determines that an error has occurred, it does not perform the rice cooking process and/or notifies the user of the error via the notification unit 83. When the control unit 8 determines that no error has occurred, it performs the rice cooking process.

The control operation by the control unit 8 will be explained in more detail below. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the control operation by the control unit 8.

First, the user places the pot 21 on the placement surface 13. At this time, the load member 92 is positioned in the contactable position (Figure 12B).

In step S1, the control unit 8 determines whether rice cooking information (including a rice cooking start command) has been input via the input unit 81. If the control unit 8 determines that rice cooking information (including a rice cooking start command) has been input via the input unit 81 (step S1: YES), it proceeds to step S2.

In step S2, the control unit 8 controls the movement unit 200 to move the load member 92 to the pressable position (Figure 12A).

In step S3, the control unit 8 acquires the first detected weight by the weight detection unit 5.

In step S4, the control unit 8 controls the movement unit 200 to move the load member 92 to the retracted position (Figure 12C).

In step S5, the control unit 8 acquires the second detected weight by the weight detection unit 5.

In step S6, the control unit 8 determines whether the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is within a predetermined range (the same or approximately the same). When the lid body 22 is attached, the first detected weight and the second detected weight should be different. If the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within the predetermined range, it is assumed that the lid body 22 is attached. If the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is within the predetermined range, it is assumed that the lid body 22 is not attached. In other words, step S6 is a step for determining whether the lid body 22 is attached.

If the control unit 8 determines that the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within the predetermined range (step S6: NO), it proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, if the control unit 8 determines that the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is within the predetermined range (step S6: YES), it proceeds to step S8. The predetermined range is set to a range in which the detected weight of the weight detection unit 5 can fluctuate due to various factors, even when the load member 92 is not in contact with the lid body 22. The predetermined range is, for example, 15 g.

In step S7, the control unit 8 determines whether or not an error has occurred based on the second detected weight. If the pot 2 is contained in the pot container 21 and the lid 22 is properly attached, the second detected weight is expected to be the total weight of the pot container 21, pot 2, and lid 22. If the second detected weight is not this total weight, it is expected that an error has occurred, such as the pot 2 being forgotten to be attached, foreign matter remaining in the pot 2, or the lid 22 being improperly attached. For example, if the weight of the pot container 21 is 212 g, the weight of the pot 2 is 303 g, and the weight of the lid 22 is 185 g, the total weight is 700 g. Since it has already been determined that the lid 22 is attached in step S7, if the second detected weight is, for example, between 397 g and 490 g, it can be determined that the pot 2 is not contained in the pot container 21. Furthermore, if the second detected weight is, for example, 895 g or more, it can be determined that a foreign matter, such as food scraps, is present in the pot 2. Furthermore, for example, if the lid 22 is installed at an angle, the load member 92 may come into contact with the relay pipe 36 while moving from the contactable position (FIG. 12B) to the retracted position (FIG. 12C), thereby correcting the tilt of the lid 22. In this case, the second detected weight may fluctuate significantly. For this reason, if the second detected weight fluctuates by 100 g or more while the load member 92 moves from the contactable position (FIG. 12B) to the retracted position (FIG. 12C), it can be determined that the lid 22 is not installed properly.

If the control unit 8 determines that an error exists based on the second detected weight (step S7: YES), it proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the control unit 8 determines that no error exists based on the second detected weight (step S7: NO), it proceeds to step S9.

In step S8, the control unit 8 notifies the error via the notification unit 83. The control unit 8 then terminates the control operation without performing the rice cooking process. Note that the control unit 8 may also terminate the control operation without notifying the error and without performing the rice cooking process.

In step S9, the control unit 8 controls the rice supply unit 32 and the water supply unit 41 based on the rice cooking information (including the desired amount of rice cooked) input via the input unit 81, executes the rice conveying process and the water conveying process, and then proceeds to step 10.

In this embodiment, the order of the rice conveying process and the water conveying process is not particularly limited. For example, the water conveying process may be performed before the rice conveying process. In this case, the water previously poured into the pot 2 can prevent the rice from colliding with the pot 2 and preventing damage to the rice. The rice conveying process may also be performed before the water conveying process. In this case, the rice previously poured into the pot 2 and formed a mountain-like shape can be broken down with the water, making the surface of the rice more flat. The rice conveying process and the water conveying process may also be performed alternately multiple times. In this case, rice and water can be poured into the pot 2 with greater precision. The rice conveying process and the water conveying process may also be performed overlappingly for a certain period of time.

In step S10, the control unit 8 controls the movement unit 200 and heating unit 6 to perform the heating process based on the rice cooking information (including the rice cooking course) input via the input unit 81 and the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 7. During the heating process, the control unit 8 controls the movement unit 200 to position the load member 92 in a pressable position. After the heating process is completed, the control unit 8 terminates its control operation.

The rice cooker according to this embodiment is configured to determine whether the lid 22 is attached or not based on the first and second detected weights by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved between the pressable position (Fig. 12A) and the retracted position (Fig. 12C). This prevents the rice cooking process from being performed when the lid 22 is not attached.

Furthermore, in the rice cooker according to this embodiment, the control unit 8 is configured to determine whether or not an error has occurred based on the second detected weight when the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within a predetermined range. This makes it possible to determine that the lid 22 is attached when the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within the predetermined range. After making this determination, the presence or absence of an error can be determined based on the second detected weight, making it possible to more accurately determine whether or not an error has occurred, such as the pot 2 being left attached, foreign matter remaining in the pot 2, or the lid 22 being improperly attached.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 8 is configured to not perform the rice cooking process and/or notify the user of the error when it determines that an error has occurred, and to perform the rice cooking process when it determines that no error has occurred. This allows the control unit 8 to automatically determine whether or not to perform the rice cooking process by determining whether or not an error has occurred, thereby improving usability for the user.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned so that the first detected weight is smaller than the second detected weight. This reduces the load on the weight detection unit 5, allowing for the use of an inexpensive weight sensor and extending the product's lifespan.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned, in a plan view, biased toward one side of two regions sandwiching a first imaginary line passing through the center of the pot 2. Furthermore, the load member 92 is configured to apply a pressing force that presses the lid 22 more toward one side of the two regions than toward the other side when in the pressing position. This makes it possible to more reliably reduce the load on the weight detection unit 5.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is composed of a single weight sensor. This allows for further reductions in component costs and allows for a more compact product.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the load member 92 is a packing that can come into contact with the periphery of the hole 22b provided in the lid 22. By using a packing that prevents steam generated in the pot 2 during the rice cooking process from leaking around the hole 22b as the load member 92, component costs can be further reduced and the product can be made more compact.

In this embodiment, the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 are configured to be at different heights. This allows for the variance in the position of the center of gravity of the pot 2 to be consolidated, making it easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection portion 5. This makes it possible to reduce component costs while minimizing any decline in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is configured to be lower in height than the support unit 15a. This allows the variation in the center of gravity of the pot 2 to be concentrated on the weight detection unit 5 side, making it easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. Therefore, it is possible to reduce component costs while further minimizing any decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 are configured to support the weight of the pot 2 via the base 14. As a result, by forming the base 14 to accommodate the difference in height between the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5, the placement surface 13 on which the pot 2 is placed can be made horizontal.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, multiple support parts 15a are provided, and the multiple support parts 15a are arranged, in a plan view, symmetrically with respect to a second imaginary line that passes through the weight detection unit 5 and the center of the pot 2. This allows the variation in the position of the center of gravity of the pot 2 to be concentrated on the weight detection unit 5 side, making it even easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. Therefore, it is possible to reduce component costs while further minimizing any decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the pot container 21 that houses the pot 2 is placed on the placement surface 13 by sliding from the side of the housing 1 along the second imaginary straight line, and the weight detection unit 5 is positioned downstream of the support unit 15a in the direction in which the pot container 21 slides. This allows the variation in the position of the center of gravity of the pot 2 to be concentrated on the weight detection unit 5 side, making it even easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. Therefore, it is possible to reduce component costs while further minimizing any decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the rice cooker is equipped with a control unit 8 that controls the amount of food to be fed into the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5, and the control unit 8 is located closer to the weight detection unit 5 than the support part 15a. This allows, for example, the wiring connecting the weight detection unit 5 and the control unit 8 to be shorter, thereby enabling the rice cooker to be made more compact.

Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, in the above description, the weight detection unit 5 is configured to be lower in height than the support unit 15a, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the weight detection unit 5 may be configured to be higher in height than the support unit 15a.

In addition, while the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 are configured to support the weight of the pot 2 via the base 14 in the above description, the present disclosure is not limited to this. The support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 may be configured to contact the bottom of the pot 2 and directly support the weight of the pot 2. The support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 may also be configured to contact the bottom of the pot container 21 and indirectly support the weight of the pot 2. In this case, the pot 2 can be leveled by forming the pot container 21 to accommodate the difference in height between the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5.

Furthermore, although the weight detection unit 5 is described above as being composed of one weight sensor, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the weight detection unit 5 may be composed of two or more weight sensors.

In addition, in the above description, the weight detection unit 5 is arranged biased toward one side of two regions sandwiching a first imaginary line passing through the center of the pot 2 in a plan view, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the weight detection unit 5 may be composed of two or more weight sensors arranged at intervals from each other. Also, for example, the weight detection unit 5 may be composed of three weight sensors arranged to form a triangle in a plan view.

Furthermore, while the above description describes the provision of multiple support portions 15a, the present disclosure is not limited to this. There may be only one support portion 15a. In this case, it is preferable that the support portion 15a be configured so that it can support the pot 2 or pot container 21 horizontally (for example, so that it has a certain amount of area).

Furthermore, although the above description has been given with the depressible position (FIG. 12A) being an example of a first position in contact with the lid body 22 and the retracted position (FIG. 12C) being an example of a second position spaced apart from the first position, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the contactable position (FIG. 12B) may be the first position and the retracted position (FIG. 12C) may be the second position. Furthermore, the depressible position (FIG. 12A) may be the first position and the contactable position (FIG. 12B) may be the second position.

Furthermore, the weight detection unit 5 may be configured to continue detecting the weight of the pot container 21 while the load member 92 moves between the first and second positions, and the control unit 8 may be configured to determine whether or not an error has occurred based on changes in the detected weight by the weight detection unit 5. This allows the control unit 8 to determine whether or not an error has occurred based on changes in the detected weight even if the exact position of the load member 92 is unknown.

Figure 15 is a graph showing an example of the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 while the load member 92 is moving. In Figure 15, the dashed line indicates the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved from the contactable position (Figure 12B), the pressable position (Figure 12A), the contactable position (Figure 12B), and the retracted position (Figure 12C) in that order without the lid body 22 attached. When the lid body 22 is not attached, the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 hardly changes. In Figure 15, the dotted line indicates the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved from the contactable position to the retracted position with the lid body 22 attached. In Figure 15, the solid line indicates the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved from the contactable position to the retracted position with the lid body 22 attached in that order. When the lid 22 is attached, the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 changes, as shown by the dotted and solid lines. This allows the control unit 8 to determine whether or not an error has occurred based on the change in the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. However, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 15, when the load member 92 is moved between the pressable position and the retracted position, the change in the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 becomes greater, allowing for a more accurate determination of whether or not an error has occurred.

In addition, while the control unit 8 is described above as being configured to directly acquire the first detected weight and the second detected weight, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 8 may acquire AD values, current values, voltage values, etc. related to the first detected weight and the second detected weight. In other words, the control unit 8 may be configured to indirectly acquire the first detected weight and the second detected weight.

While the load member 92 is described above as a packing that can contact the periphery of the hole 22b provided in the lid 22, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the load member 92 may be made of a material harder than a packing. If the load member 92 is made of an elastic material such as a packing, the tip of the load member 92 may be deformed (turned up) when the user slides the pot 21 onto the mounting surface 13, as shown in FIG. 16 . In this state, if the load member 92 is moved to the pressable position ( FIG. 12A ), it will not be possible to apply an appropriate pressing force to the lid 22. Therefore, the control unit 8 may control the movement unit 200 to move the load member 92 in the direction opposite to the sliding direction of the pot 21, and then move the load member 92 back to the contactable position. This allows the load member 92 to return to its original position even if the tip of the load member 92 is deformed with a simple operation.

While the present disclosure has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments, with appropriate reference to the drawings, various variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such variations and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims, unless they depart therefrom.

The rice cooker disclosed herein can prevent the rice cooking process from being performed without the lid attached, making it particularly useful for fully automatic rice cookers that can automatically perform everything from supplying rice and water to cooking the rice.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 casing 11 storage area 12 casing lid 13 placement surface 13a convex portion 13b opening 13c convex portion periphery 14 base 14a through hole 14b recess 15 chassis 15a support portion 151 standing wall 2 pot 2a bottom portion 2b side wall 2c opening 2d flange portion 21 pot container 21a bottom portion 21b inner wall portion 21c rib 21d outer wall portion 21e air layer 21f recess 21g recess side wall 21h opening 211 side wall 22 lid body 22a lid body main body 22b hole portion 22c pot gasket 22d mounting member 22e discharge port 3 rice container 31 rice transfer space 32 rice supply portion 33 Rice feeding shaft 34 Rice feeding blade 35 Motor 35a Output shaft 36 Relay pipe 36a Arm 37 Inclined portion 38 Spring 4 Water container 41 Water supply unit 42 Water feeding pipe 43 Water feeding pump 5 Weight detection unit 6 Heating unit 7 Temperature detection unit 8 Control unit 81 Input unit 82 Memory unit 83 Notification unit 9 Connecting member 91 Connecting member main body 92 Load member 93 Steam cylinder 200 Moving unit 201 Slide plate 201a Rotating shaft 201b Rack gear

Claims (12)

A pot and
a pot container that detachably accommodates the pot and has a detachable lid that covers an upper opening of the pot;
a housing having a mounting surface on which the pot is placed;
a weight detection unit that detects the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface;
a load member disposed above the mounting surface and capable of contacting the lid;
a moving unit that moves the load member between a first position in contact with the lid and a second position away from the first position;
a heating unit that heats the pot in the pot container placed on the placement surface;
a control unit that controls the moving unit and the heating unit to execute a rice cooking process including a heating process of heating the pot;
Equipped with
The control unit does not perform the rice cooking process when the difference between the first weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the first position and the second weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the second position is within a predetermined range. the first position is a pressing position in which the load member can press the lid body downward,
The second position is a retracted position where the load member is separated from the cover body.
The rice cooker according to claim 1. the first position is a pressing position in which the load member can press the lid body downward,
The second position is a contactable position where a tip end of the load member can contact the lid body.
The rice cooker according to claim 1. the second position is a retracted position where the load member is separated from the cover body,
The rice cooker according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines whether or not an error has occurred based on the second detected weight when a difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within the predetermined range. The weight detection unit continues to detect the weight of the pot while the load member moves between the first position and the second position,
The rice cooker according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit determines whether or not an error exists based on a change in the weight detected by the weight detection unit. The rice cooker according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the control unit does not perform the rice cooking process and/or notifies the user of the error when it determines that the error exists, and performs the rice cooking process when it determines that the error does not exist. the first position is a pressing position in which the load member can press the lid body downward,
The rice cooker according to claim 1 , wherein the weight detection unit is disposed at a position where the first detection weight is smaller than the second detection weight. The weight detection unit is arranged biased to one side of two areas sandwiching a first imaginary line passing through the center of the pot in a plan view seen from above the pot,
The rice cooker according to claim 7 , wherein the load member is configured to apply a pressing force to press the lid body more toward one side of the two regions than toward the other side when in the pressing position. The rice cooker of claim 8, wherein the weight detection unit is composed of a single weight sensor. The pot is placed on the placement surface by sliding from the side of the housing in the plan view,
The rice cooker according to claim 9, wherein the weight detection unit is disposed downstream of a center of the pot in a direction in which the pot slides when viewed from above. The rice cooker of claim 1, wherein the load member is a gasket that can contact the periphery of a hole provided in the lid. The pot is placed on the placement surface by sliding it from the side of the housing in a plan view seen from above the pot with the tip of the load member positioned at a contactable position where it can contact the lid,
The rice cooker according to claim 11, wherein the control unit controls the moving unit to move the load member in a direction opposite to the direction in which the pot container slides, and then moves the load member back to the contactable position.