JP7829150B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to rice cookers.

Conventionally, rice cookers capable of automatically supplying rice to the pot are known. As an example of this type of rice cooker, Patent Document 1 discloses a rice cooker comprising a rice storage section, a rice washing section, and a rice cooking section for cooking the rice washed in the washing section. In the rice cooker of Patent Document 1, the rice washed in the washing section is automatically fed into the inner pot of the rice cooking section.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-218113

Conventional rice cookers can sometimes produce rice with uneven texture (hereinafter referred to as "uneven cooking").

This disclosure aims to provide a rice cooker that can suppress uneven cooking.

To achieve the aforementioned objective, this disclosure is structured as follows:
A rice cooker relating to one aspect of this disclosure is
A pot and a housing having a storage area for accommodating the pot,
A lid that covers the upper opening of the aforementioned pot,
The system includes a rice supply unit that supplies rice into the aforementioned pot,
The lid is provided with a rice input opening for putting rice into the pot.
The rice supply unit is equipped with a cylindrical rice supply pipe having an opening at one end that opens toward the rice input port,
The lid has a passage region through which rice is introduced into the pot via the rice input opening, and includes a rice diffusion member positioned on the pot side relative to the rice input opening.
The aforementioned rice diffusion member is
It comprises a central part and a plurality of arms extending radially from the central part.

According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a rice cooker that can suppress uneven cooking.

A perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the pot, pot container, and lid of the rice cooker. Figure 1 shows a recessed area at the bottom of the pot container in the rice cooker. A perspective view of the casing of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1, with the pot, pot container, and lid removed. A vertical cross-sectional view of the rice cooker in Figure 1 when the communicating member according to the embodiment of this disclosure is in the first communicating position. A vertical cross-sectional view of the rice cooker in Figure 1 when the connecting member according to the embodiment of this disclosure is in the second connecting position. A top view of a communication member in a first communication position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A top view of a communication member in a second communication position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A top view of a lid according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view along the line IX-IX. A schematic perspective view of a rice diffusion member according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 8 shows a cross-sectional view along line XI-XI. A longitudinal cross-sectional view of a rice cooker according to a modified embodiment of the present disclosure.

(Knowledge that forms the basis of this disclosure)
The disclosers have diligently studied ways to reduce uneven cooking and have obtained the following findings.

Conventional rice cookers typically supply rice to the pot by allowing it to fall from above through a rice input opening in the lid, due to its own weight. This can result in the rice piling up in the pot, preventing all of it from being submerged in water. Consequently, uneven cooking can occur between the submerged and unsubmerged rice grains.

Therefore, the present disclosers have discovered a configuration in which a rice diffusion member is placed on the pot side relative to the rice input opening in the passage region through which the rice is introduced into the pot. With this configuration, when rice is introduced into the pot through the rice input opening, the introduced rice comes into contact with the rice diffusion member and is diffused in all directions. As a result, the formation of a mound of rice in the pot is suppressed, thereby reducing uneven cooking. Based on this novel finding, the present disclosers have arrived at the following invention.

According to one aspect of this disclosure,
A pot and a housing having a storage area for accommodating the pot,
A lid that covers the upper opening of the aforementioned pot,
The system includes a rice supply unit that supplies rice into the aforementioned pot,
The lid is provided with a rice input opening for putting rice into the pot.
The rice supply unit is equipped with a cylindrical rice supply pipe having an opening at one end that opens toward the rice input port,
The lid has a passage region through which rice is introduced into the pot via the rice input opening, and includes a rice diffusion member positioned on the pot side relative to the rice input opening.
The aforementioned rice diffusion member is
The present invention provides a rice cooker comprising a central part and a plurality of arms extending radially from the central part.

In this configuration, the rice introduced into the pot through the rice input opening is dispersed in all directions by contact with the center and arms of the rice diffusion member. As a result, the rice is prevented from piling up in the pot, thus reducing uneven cooking.

The central portion may be formed such that the cross-sectional area in the cross-section perpendicular to the vertical direction decreases as it approaches the top.

This configuration means that the cross-sectional area of the central section, perpendicular to the vertical direction, decreases towards the top. Therefore, rice placed in the pot and hitting the center is more easily dispersed to the sides. As a result, the rice is less likely to form a mound in the pot, thus reducing uneven cooking.

The distance between two adjacent arms among the multiple arms may be less than 120 degrees in the circumferential direction of the central axis.

Here, the circumferential direction of the central axis refers to the circumferential direction of the virtual circle centered on the central axis. This is also true in the following explanation.

If the distance between two adjacent arms of the multiple arms is excessively wide, the proportion of rice that passes between the two adjacent arms and does not come into contact with either the center or arms of the rice diffusion member may increase. In contrast, with this configuration, since the distance between two adjacent arms is less than 120 degrees in the circumferential direction of the central axis, the proportion of rice that does not come into contact with either the center or arms of the rice diffusion member can be reduced compared to the case where the distance is 120 degrees or more. As a result, the rice introduced into the pot through the rice inlet is more likely to come into contact with the center or arms of the rice diffusion member, preventing it from forming mounds within the pot and thus reducing uneven cooking.

The multiple arms may be arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the central axis.

In this configuration, multiple arms are arranged at equal intervals around the central axis, so that the rice, once added to the pot and struck by the arms, is evenly distributed in all directions. As a result, the rice is prevented from forming a mound in the pot, thus reducing uneven cooking.

The lid may comprise a lid body provided with the rice input opening, and a mounting member positioned below the lid body at a distance from it, with a rice output opening communicating with the rice input opening. The rice diffusion member may be positioned to cover the rice output opening from below.

When the rice diffusion member is installed to cover the rice input opening from below, rice introduced into the pot through the input opening may bounce off the rice diffusion member and spill out onto the outside of the lid. In this configuration, the rice diffusion member is positioned to cover the rice discharge opening, which is located on the lower lid and spaced apart from the lid containing the rice input opening. Therefore, the distance between the rice diffusion member and the rice input opening is greater compared to the case where the rice diffusion member is installed to cover the input opening from below. This prevents rice from spilling out onto the outside of the lid even if it bounces off the rice diffusion member when introduced into the pot through the input opening.

The opening area of the rice input port may be smaller than the opening area of the rice discharge port.

With this configuration, since the opening area of the rice input port is smaller than the opening area of the rice output port, even if the rice being introduced into the pot through the input port hits the rice diffusion member, which is positioned to cover the rice output port from below, and bounces back, it is possible to prevent the rice from spilling out of the input port onto the outside of the lid.

The rice cooker may also include a cylindrical guide tube positioned between the rice supply pipe and the rice input port, which guides the rice that has passed through the opening of the rice supply pipe to the rice input port.

If the opening of the rice delivery pipe and the rice input port are far apart, rice passing through the opening of the rice delivery pipe may not enter the input port and may spill onto the outside of the lid. In contrast, this configuration uses a cylindrical guide pipe to direct the rice passing through the opening of the rice delivery pipe to the input port, thus preventing the rice from spilling onto the outside of the lid.

The guide pipe may be configured to move between a position between the rice supply pipe and the rice input port, and a position in which the rice supply pipe is located inside the guide pipe. The rice supply pipe and the guide pipe may be configured to move to a position where, when the rice supply pipe is located inside the guide pipe, both the rice supply pipe and the guide pipe are offset from the rice input port in a top view.

This configuration allows, for example, during rice cooking, to move the rice supply pipe and guide pipe to a position offset from the rice input port, thereby preventing steam generated in the pot from entering the rice supply pipe or guide pipe through the rice input port. Furthermore, if the rice supply pipe and guide pipe are moved to a position offset from the rice input port within the casing, the rice supply pipe is located inside the guide pipe, allowing for a compact housing of both the rice supply pipe and guide pipe within the casing.

The rice delivery pipe may be configured to move to a position offset from the rice input port when viewed from above.

With this configuration, for example, during rice cooking, by moving the rice supply pipe to a position offset from the rice input opening when viewed from above, it is possible to suppress steam generated inside the pot from entering the rice supply pipe through the rice input opening.

The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. These embodiments do not limit this disclosure. Furthermore, substantially identical components are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, the following terms will use directional terms such as "up," "down," "front," "back," and "side," assuming the state of normal use. However, this does not mean that the usage conditions of the rice cooker related to this disclosure are limited.

(Embodiment)
The overall configuration of the rice cooker according to the embodiment of this disclosure will now be described. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rice cooker according to the embodiment of this disclosure. The rice cooker according to this embodiment is a so-called fully automatic rice cooker that can automatically perform the entire process from supplying rice and water to the pot to cooking the rice. The rice cooker according to this disclosure is not limited to a so-called fully automatic rice cooker, but may be any rice cooker that automatically supplies rice to the pot.

As shown in Figure 1, the rice cooker according to this embodiment comprises a housing 11, a pot 2 (shown in Figure 2), a pot container 21, a lid 22, a rice container 301, and a water container 401.

The housing 11 has a rounded rectangular shape when viewed from above. In other words, when viewed from above, the housing 11 has a shape in which two opposing sides of a rectangle are bent into semicircular arcs. In this embodiment, one curved side of the housing 11 is called the front. The other curved side of the housing 11 is called the rear. Furthermore, the directions toward the front and rear of the housing 11 are called the front-rear direction, and the direction perpendicular to this front-rear direction is called the lateral direction. In this embodiment, the direction toward the upper left and lower right of Figure 1 is called the lateral direction X. Furthermore, the direction toward the lower left and upper right is called the front-rear direction Y. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the lateral direction X and the front-rear direction Y, and toward the top and bottom of Figure 1, is called the height direction Z. In this embodiment, the height direction Z coincides with the up and down direction. Also, in this embodiment, the direction that intersects the lateral direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the lateral direction X and the front-rear direction Y is sometimes called the lateral direction.

A storage area 12 capable of accommodating a pot container 21 is provided on the lower and front side of the housing 11. The storage area 12 is part of the housing 11 and defines a space for accommodating the pot container and lid 22. The storage area 12 is configured to allow the pot container 21 and lid 22 to be slid in from the side of the storage area 12. Figure 1 shows, as an example, a configuration in which the pot container 21 can be slid in from the front of the storage area 12 along the front-rear direction Y. A housing lid 11a, which covers both the housing 11 and the rice container 301 (described later), is detachably attached to the upper end of the housing 11.

The storage area 12 contains a pot container 21, a pot 2 (see Figure 2) housed within the pot container 21, and a lid 22 detachably attached to the pot container 21. The pot container 21 rests on the bottom 12a of the storage area 12 (see Figure 3B), which will be described later. In this embodiment, the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12 is assumed to contain both the pot 2 and the lid 22.

The height of the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12 is lower than the height of the storage area 12. The pot 2, the pot container 21, and the lid 22 are detachable from the housing 11 by sliding them along the front-rear direction Y between the storage area 12 and the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the storage area 12, while the lid 22 remains attached to the pot container 21.

The rice container 301 is a container for storing rice. The rice container 301 is located inside the housing 11 and above the storage area 12. In other words, the rice container 301 is located inside the housing 11, below the housing lid 11a and adjacent to the housing lid 11a.

The water container 401 is a container for holding water. The water container is located on the rear and upper side of the housing 11.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pot, pot container, and lid of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. Figure 3A shows the recess provided at the bottom of the pot container in the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. Figure 3B is a perspective view of the casing of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1 with the pot, pot container, and lid removed.

As shown in Figure 2, the pot 2 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. That is, the pot 2 has a bottom 2a, a side wall 2b, an opening 2c, and a flange portion 2d. The flange portion 2d extends laterally from the upper end of the side wall 2b towards the outside of the pot 2, along the entire circumference of the upper end of the side wall 2b.

The pot container 21 has a bottomed cylindrical shape capable of accommodating the pot 2. Specifically, the pot container 21 has a bottom 21a, side walls 211 (shown in Figure 4), 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. Multiple ribs 21c are provided protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the inner wall portion 21b, with their longitudinal direction aligned with the height direction Z. The outer wall portion 21d is provided facing the outer circumferential surface of the inner wall portion 21b, and sandwiches multiple ribs 21c between it and the inner wall portion 21b. An air layer 21e is formed within the side wall 211, that is, 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 the case where there are no gaps between the pot container 21 and the pot 2, the heat transmitted to the pot container 21 when the pot 2 is heated by the pot heating device 7 (described later) is reduced, thus minimizing heat damage to the pot container 21. As shown in Figure 4, when the pot 2 is housed in the pot container 21, the flange portion 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 Figure 3A, a recess 21f is provided on the underside of the bottom 21a of the pot container 21, i.e., the bottom surface. The recess 21f has a side wall 21g. The side wall 21g of the recess has a U-shape, with straight sections at both ends, connected by a curved section composed of a semicircular arc. In other words, a U-shaped groove is provided in the bottom 21a of the pot container. The length between the straight sections of the side wall 21g of the recess, i.e., the width of the U-shaped groove, is set to be longer than the radius of the bottom 21a of the pot container 21. The underside of the side wall 21g of the recess is a flat surface that follows the U-shape. Furthermore, a through hole is provided in the center of the bottom 21a of the pot container 21, penetrating the bottom 21a in the height direction Z.

As shown in Figure 3B, a protrusion 61 is provided on the bottom 12a of the storage area 12 for placing the pot container 21 to be stored in the storage area 12. The shape and dimensions of the protrusion 61 correspond to the shape and dimensions of the recess 21f of the pot container 21. The protrusion 61 is arc-shaped and is provided to protrude from the housing 11. The height of the protrusion 61 is provided to be higher than the height of the side wall 21g of the recess. As a result, when the pot container 21 is stored in the storage area 12, a gap is formed between the bottom 21a of the pot container 21 and the bottom 12a of the storage area 12. In addition, an opening 12b is provided on the bottom 12a of the storage area 12. The opening 12b is provided to divide the protrusion 61 into two parts.

A peripheral portion 11c is provided on the outside of the protrusion 61, extending around its entire circumference. The peripheral portion 11c is a ring-shaped plane that faces the lower surface of the side wall 21g of the recess when the pot container 21 is housed in the storage area 12. The diameter of the protrusion 61 is such that when the protrusion 61 is positioned between the two straight sections of the side wall 21g of the recess, its outer surface is located near the two straight sections of the side wall 21g of the recess, and is also longer than the radius of the peripheral portion 11c.

When the pot container 21 slides between the storage area 12 and the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the storage area 12, the protrusion 61 slides relative to the recess 21f. More specifically, the side wall 21g of the recess slides relative to the outer surface of the protrusion 61. This guides the sliding movement of the pot container 21. In addition, in this embodiment, a curved portion is provided on the side wall 21g of the recess, so that the outer surface of the protrusion 61 and the curved portion of the side wall 21g of the recess can come into contact. Therefore, even if the sliding movement of the pot container 21 is repeated, the pot container 21 can be reliably moved to a predetermined position within the storage area 12. In other words, the pot container 21 slides in the direction in which the U-shaped groove of the bottom portion 21a of the pot container extends, and its sliding movement is guided by the relative sliding of the side wall 21g of the groove and the outer surface of the protrusion 61. Furthermore, since the outer surface of the protrusion 61 and the curved portion of the groove can be locked together, even if the pot container 21 is repeatedly slid, the pot container 21 can be reliably moved to a predetermined position within the storage area 12. Moreover, when the pot container 21 is placed on the protrusion 61, it is possible to rotate the protrusion 61 in both forward and reverse directions in the circumferential direction such that the side wall 21g of the recess and the outer surface of the protrusion 61 slide relative to each other.

As shown in Figure 2, the lid 22 comprises a lid body 22a, a rice input opening 22b, a pot gasket 22c, and a mounting member 22d.

In this embodiment, the lid body 22a has a ring-shaped flat plate portion and a cylindrical portion having an outer surface that is flush with the outer surface of the ring-shaped flat plate in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, when the lid 22 is detachably attached to the pot container 21, the outer surface of the cylindrical portion of the lid body 22a becomes flush with the outer surface of the side wall 211 of the pot container 21. In this embodiment, "flat plate" includes a substantially flat plate, and "flush" includes a substantially flush surface.

The rice input port 22b is located in the center of the width direction of the flat portion of the lid body 22a. Rice supplied by the rice supply device 3 (described later) and water supplied by the water supply device 4 (described later) pass through the rice input port 22b when supplied into the pot 2. In this embodiment, the rice input port 22b is located in the center of the lid body 22 when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the rice input port 22b is a circular hole when viewed from above. The rice input port 22b is located coaxially with the pot 2 housed in the pot container 21.

The pot packing 22c is provided to contact the pot 2 when the lid 22 is detachably attached to the pot container 21 so as to cover the opening of the pot 2. In a top view, the pot packing 22c has a through hole in its center that communicates with the rice input opening 22b.

The mounting member 22d is attached to the lid body 22a by sandwiching the pot packing 22c between them. The mounting member 22d is positioned below the lid body 22a, with a gap in the height direction Z from the lid body 22a. The mounting member 22d also has a rice discharge port 22e that communicates with the rice input port 22b. The rice discharge port 22e is a circular hole when viewed from above. The rice discharge port 22e is coaxial with the rice input port 22b. The diameter of the rice discharge port 22e is larger than the diameter of the rice input port 22b. In other words, the opening area of the rice input port 22b is smaller than the opening area of the rice discharge port 22e. Although not shown in Figure 2, a rice diffusion member 23 (shown in Figure 4), described later, is attached to the mounting member 22d.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. More specifically, Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1 when the connecting member 5 (described later) is in the first connecting position. Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1 when the connecting member 5 (described later) is in the second connecting position.

As shown in Figure 4, the housing 11 includes a rice supply device 3, a water supply device 4, a connecting member 5, a weight detection device 6, a pot heating device 7, a temperature detection device 8, and a control unit 9 (shown in Figure 5).

The rice supply device 3 comprises a rice supply shaft 31, rice supply blades 32, a rice supply pipe 33, and a guide pipe 34. The rice supply shaft 31 is positioned horizontally from below the rice container 301 to above the storage area 12. The rice supply blades 32 are spirally formed around the axis of the rice supply shaft 31. Rice contained in the rice container 301 falls due to gravity and is horizontally supplied towards the top of the storage area 12 by the rice supply shaft 31 and rice supply blades 32, which are rotated, for example, by a motor. When a pot container 21 is contained in the storage area 12, the rice supplied to the top of the storage area 12 falls due to gravity, passes through the rice supply pipe 33 and guide pipe 34, and enters the pot 2 through the rice input port 22b of the lid 22. In other words, the rice supply device 3 can supply rice from the rice container 301 into the pot 2. The rice supply device 3 of this embodiment is an example of a rice supply unit according to this disclosure.

The rice delivery pipe 33 is a cylindrical member having an opening 33a at one end that faces the rice input port 22b. The other end of the rice delivery pipe 33 communicates with the inside of a cylindrical body that houses the rice delivery shaft 31 and the rice delivery blades 32. The rice delivery pipe 33 is movable relative to the body. The rice delivery pipe 33 is arranged coaxially with the pot 2. In other words, the central axis of the rice delivery pipe 33 coincides with the central axis C of the pot 2 (shown in Figure 9). Here, "coincident" in this specification is not limited to a strict coincidence. "Coincident" in this specification includes both a strict coincidence and a slight deviation from a strict coincidence within an acceptable range for uneven cooking.

The guide tube 34 is a cylindrical member positioned between the rice supply pipe 33 and the rice input port 22b, guiding the rice that has passed through the rice supply pipe 33 to the rice input port 22b. The guide tube 34 is coaxial with the rice supply pipe 33. In other words, the central axis of the guide tube 34 coincides with the central axis of the rice supply pipe 33. This ensures that the rice supply pipe 33, the guide tube 34, and the pot 2 are coaxially positioned. The inner diameter of the guide tube 34 is larger than the outer diameter of the rice supply pipe 33. Furthermore, the guide tube 34 is movable in the height direction Z. This allows the guide tube 34 to move upward from the position shown in Figure 4 to a position where the rice supply pipe 33 is housed within the guide tube 34 (the position shown in Figure 5). On the other hand, the inner diameter of the guide tube 34 is smaller than the diameter of the rice input port 22b.

The water supply device 4 includes a water supply pipe 41 and a water supply pump (not shown). The water supply device 4 is located inside the housing 11.

One end of the water supply pipe 41 is provided to open toward the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 housed in the containment area 12. The other end of the water supply pipe 41 is connected to the inside of the water container 401 (shown in Figure 1). A water supply pump is provided in the water supply pipe 41. When the water supply pump is driven, water from the water container 401 is supplied to the pot 2 through the water supply pipe 41.

The communication member 5 comprises a communication member body 51 (shown in Figures 6 and 7) and a steam cylinder 52. The communication member 5 is positioned to move between a first communication position (shown in Figure 4) that fluidly connects the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 with the rice supply device 3 and the water supply device 4, and a second communication position (shown in Figure 5) that fluidly connects the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 with the steam cylinder 52, which can discharge steam to the outside of the housing 11.

One end of the steam cylinder 52 is provided on the upper surface of the communication member body 51 (shown in Figure 6) so as to communicate with the inside of the pot 2 via the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 when the communication member 5 is in the second communication position, as shown in Figure 5. When the communication member 5 is in the second communication position and the pot container 21 is housed in the storage area 12, the steam inside the pot 2 is discharged to the outside of the housing 11 via the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 and the steam cylinder 52.

Figure 6 is a top view of the connecting member 5 in the first connecting position. Figure 7 is a top view of the connecting member 5 in the second connecting position.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the communication member body 51 is a plate-shaped member. The communication member body 51 is mounted on the housing 11 (shown in Figure 4) so as to be rotatable around the pivot axis 51a. The communication member body 51 also has a rice supply pipe 33, a guide pipe 34, and a steam cylinder 52 attached to it. The rice supply pipe 33, the guide pipe 34, and the steam cylinder 52 are arranged on a virtual circle V that passes through the central axis C of the pot 2 with the pivot axis 51a as the center. As a result, by rotating the communication member body 51 around the pivot axis 51a, the communication member 5 can move between a first communication position where the rice supply pipe 33 and the guide pipe 34 are located on the central axis C of the pot 2, that is, above the rice input port 22b (shown in Figure 4), and a second communication position where the steam cylinder 52 is located on the central axis C of the pot 2, that is, above the rice input port 22b. Furthermore, as described above, the guide tube 34 is movable to a position where the rice supply pipe 33 is housed within the guide tube 34 (the position shown in Figure 5). When the connecting member 5 moves from the first connecting position to the second connecting position, the guide tube 34 moves to a position where the rice supply pipe 33 is housed inside the guide tube 34, and also moves to a position offset from the rice input port 22b in a top view. This allows the rice supply pipe 33 and the guide tube 34 to be compactly housed within the housing 11. The guide tube 34 may also move in the height direction Z as the connecting member body 51 rotates around its pivot axis 51a by a cam mechanism (not shown). The guide tube 34 may also move in the height direction Z by a drive mechanism such as a motor (not shown).

Referring to Figure 4, the weight detection device 6 has a mounting surface. A protrusion 61 (shown in Figure 3B) is provided on the mounting surface, and the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12 is placed on it. The weight detection device 6 is located within the housing 11 below the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12. The weight detection device 6 detects the weight of the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12 and placed on the protrusion 61 on the mounting surface. In this embodiment, the weight of the pot container 21 includes the weight of the pot 2 housed in the pot container 21, the lid 22 detachably attached to the pot container 21, and the weight of the rice and water supplied to the pot 2. In this embodiment, the control unit 9, described later, measures the amount of rice and water supplied to the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection device 6.

As shown in Figure 4, a pot heating device 7 is provided inside the housing 11 and below the storage area 12, at a position opposite the bottom 2a of the stored pot 2. The pot heating device 7 is, for example, an induction heating coil that inductively heats the pot 2 when energized.

The pot heating device 7 and the rice container 301 are installed inside the housing 11. Therefore, the pot container 21 and the lid 22 can slide relative to the rice container 301 and the pot heating device 7 between the storage area 12 and the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the storage area 12, while the lid 22 remains covering the opening 2c of the pot 2.

A non-contact temperature detection device 8 is provided inside the housing 11 and below the storage area 12. The temperature detection device 8 is, for example, an infrared sensor that measures the temperature of the bottom 2a of the pot 2 by non-contact detection of infrared radiation emitted from the bottom 2a of the pot 2 through a through-hole in the bottom 21a of the pot container 21.

The control unit 9 is located inside the housing 11. Based on the weight detected by the weight detection device 6, the control unit 9 measures the amount of rice and water supplied to the pot 2 and controls the rice supply device 3 and the water supply device 4. The control unit 9 also has a storage unit (not shown) that stores multiple rice cooking sequences. Here, a "rice cooking sequence" refers to a rice cooking procedure in which four main steps—preheating, heating, boiling maintenance, and steaming—are executed sequentially, with predetermined parameters such as power supply time, heating temperature, heating time, and heating output for each step. Each rice cooking sequence corresponds to one of several rice cooking courses. Based on the rice cooking information selected on the display operation unit (not shown) and the temperature detected by the temperature detection device 8, the control unit 9 controls the pot heating device 7 and executes the rice cooking process.

Figure 8 is a top view of the lid 22. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in Figure 8. Figure 10 is a schematic perspective view of the rice diffusion member 23. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in Figure 8.

Referring to Figures 8 to 10, the rice diffusion member 23 comprises a central part 23a and six arm-like portions 23b extending radially from the central part 23a.

As shown in Figure 9, the rice diffusion member 23 is attached to a mounting member 22d, which is positioned below the lid body 22a and spaced apart from the lid body 22a. This ensures that the rice diffusion member 23 is spaced apart in the height direction Z from the rice input port 22b provided on the lid body 22a. Furthermore, the rice diffusion member 23 is attached to the mounting member 22d so as to cover the rice discharge port 22e provided on the mounting member 22d from below. In this embodiment, the rice diffusion member 23 is provided separately from the mounting member 22d. The rice diffusion member 23 may also be provided integrally with the mounting member 22d. Additionally, the rice diffusion member 23 is positioned above the imaginary line L, which indicates the maximum cooked rice height when cooking the maximum amount of rice in the rice cooker shown in Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 9, the rice diffusion member 23 is positioned on the pot 2 side relative to the rice input port 22b and is located in the passage region R through which the rice passes. In this embodiment, since the rice is supplied into the pot 2 by falling through an opening 33a provided at one end of the rice supply pipe 33 due to its own weight, the passage region R is the area vertically below the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33.

Referring to Figure 10, the central part 23a of this embodiment is formed such that the cross-sectional area of the section perpendicular to the height direction Z decreases towards the top. The central part 23a of this embodiment tapers upwards. Specifically, the central part 23a is a roughly conical shape pointing upwards. Furthermore, the top of the central part 23a is rounded to form a hemispherical shape. The shape of the central part 23a of the rice diffusion member 23 is not limited to a conical shape; it may also be hemispherical or pyramidal.

As shown in Figure 9, the central part 23a is positioned below the rice discharge port 22e provided on the mounting member 22d. The central part 23a is located in the passage region R.

In this embodiment, one end of the arm portion 23b is fixed to the mounting member 22d, and the other end of the arm portion 23b is connected to the central part 23a.

The six arms 23b extend radially (hereinafter simply referred to as the radial direction) of a virtual circle centered on the axis of the central part 23a. The six arms 23b are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the circumferential direction) of the virtual circle centered on the axis of the central part 23a. In other words, the six arms 23b are arranged at 60-degree intervals in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, the arms 23b extend with an upward inclination as they move away from the central part 23a. The arms 23b may also extend in a direction horizontal to the height direction Z. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 11, the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the direction in which the arms 23b extend is an upward-facing triangle.

The number, shape, and arrangement of the arms 23b are not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the number of arms 23b is not limited to six; two or more are acceptable. Preferably, there are four or more arms 23b. In other words, the distance between two circumferentially adjacent arms is preferably less than 120 degrees in the circumferential direction. On the other hand, the distance between two circumferentially adjacent arms is preferably 45 degrees or more in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, it is preferable that multiple arms 23b are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

According to this embodiment of the rice cooker, the rice introduced into the pot 2 through the rice input port 22b is dispersed in all directions by contact with the central part 23a and the arm portion 23b of the rice diffusion member 23. As a result, the formation of mounds of rice within the pot 2 is suppressed, thereby reducing uneven cooking.

In this embodiment, the central part 23a is formed such that the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the height direction Z decreases towards the top. With this configuration, because the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the height direction Z of the central part 23a decreases towards the top, the rice that is placed in the pot 2 and hits the central part 23a is more easily dispersed to the sides of the central part 23a. As a result, the rice is prevented from forming a mound in the pot 2, thereby suppressing uneven cooking.

In this embodiment, the distance between two adjacent arm portions 23b is less than 120 degrees in the circumferential direction of the axis of the central portion 23a.

If the distance between two adjacent arm portions 23b is excessively wide, the proportion of rice that passes between the two adjacent arm portions 23b and does not come into contact with either the center portion 23a or the arm portions 23b of the rice diffusion member 23 may increase. In contrast, according to this embodiment, since the distance between two adjacent arm portions 23b is less than 120 degrees in the circumferential direction, the proportion of rice that does not come into contact with either the center portion 23a or the arm portions 23b of the rice diffusion member 23 can be reduced. As a result, the rice introduced into the pot 2 through the rice input opening 22b comes into contact with either the center portion 23a or the arm portions 23b of the rice diffusion member 23, preventing it from forming mounds within the pot 2 and thus suppressing uneven cooking.

In this embodiment, the six arm portions 23b are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction along the axis of the central portion 23a.

In this configuration, since multiple arm sections 23b are arranged at equal intervals around the axis of the central section 23a, the rice that is placed in the pot 2 and hits the arm sections 23b is evenly distributed in all directions. As a result, the rice is prevented from forming mounds in the pot 2, thereby reducing uneven cooking.

The lid 22 according to this embodiment comprises a lid body 22a provided with a rice input port 22b, and a mounting member 22d provided with a rice output port 22e communicating with the rice input port 22b, and positioned below the lid body 22a and spaced apart from the lid body 22a. The rice diffusion member 23 is positioned to cover the rice output port 22e from below. If the rice diffusion member 23 is attached to cover the rice input port 22b from below, the rice that is put into the pot 2 through the rice input port 22b may hit the rice diffusion member 23 and bounce back, causing the rice to spill out of the lid 22b. With this configuration, the rice diffusion member 23 is positioned to cover the rice output port 22e provided on the mounting member 22d, which is spaced apart from the lid body 22a provided with the rice input port 22b, from below. Therefore, compared to the case where the rice diffusion member 23 is installed so as to cover the rice input opening 22b from below, the distance between the rice diffusion member 23 and the rice input opening 22b is increased. This prevents rice from spilling out of the rice input opening 22b onto the outside of the lid 22, even if the rice introduced into the pot 2 through the rice input opening 22b hits the rice diffusion member 23 and bounces back.

In this embodiment, the opening area of the rice input port 22b is smaller than the opening area of the rice output port 22e. With this configuration, because the opening area of the rice input port 22b is smaller than that of the rice output port 22e, even if the rice introduced into the pot 2 through the rice input port 22b hits the rice diffusion member 23, which is provided to cover the rice output port 22e from below, and bounces back, it is possible to prevent the rice from spilling out of the rice input port 22b onto the outside of the lid 22.

The rice cooker of this embodiment includes a cylindrical guide tube 34 positioned between the rice supply pipe 33 and the rice input port 22b, which guides the rice that has passed through the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33 to the rice input port 22b. If the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33 and the rice input port 22b are far apart, the rice that has passed through the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33 may not enter the rice input port 22b and may spill outside the lid 22. In contrast, with this configuration, the cylindrical guide tube 34 guides the rice that has passed through the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33 to the rice input port 22b, thus preventing the rice that has passed through the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33 from spilling outside the lid 22.

In this embodiment, the guide tube 34 is configured to move between a position between the rice supply pipe 33 and the rice input port 22b, and a position where the rice supply pipe 33 is located inside the guide tube 34. The rice supply pipe 33 and the guide tube 34 are configured such that, when the rice supply pipe 33 is located inside the guide tube 34, both the rice supply pipe 33 and the guide tube 34 move to a position offset from the rice input port 22b in a top view. This configuration allows, for example, during rice cooking, to move the rice supply pipe 33 and the guide tube 34 to a position offset from the rice input port 22b, thereby suppressing steam generated in the pot 2 from entering the rice supply pipe 33 or the guide tube 34 through the rice input port 22b. Furthermore, for example, when the rice supply pipe 33 and the guide tube 34 are moved to a position offset from the rice input port 22b within the housing 11, the rice supply pipe 33 is located inside the guide tube 34, allowing the rice supply pipe 33 and the guide tube 34 to be compactly housed within the housing 11.

(Variant)
As described above, the embodiments described above are examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to these and can be applied to modified versions that involve changes, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc.

In the above embodiment, rice is supplied to the pot 2 by its own weight falling through an opening 33a provided at one end of the rice supply pipe 33. Therefore, the passage region R is the area vertically below the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33. In the modified example shown in Figure 12, rice is introduced into the pot 2 diagonally downward from the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33. In this case, the passage region R may be the area formed diagonally downward from the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33. In this case, the rice diffusion member 23 is positioned in the passage region R and on the side of the pot 2 that is also the rice input port 22b. In particular, the central part 23a of the rice diffusion member 23 is located in the passage region R.

In the above embodiment, a cylindrical guide tube 34 is positioned between the rice supply pipe 33 and the rice input port 22b to guide the rice that has passed through the opening 33a of the rice supply pipe 33 to the rice input port 22b. As a modification of the above embodiment, the guide tube 34 (shown in Figure 4) may not be positioned between the rice supply pipe 33 and the rice input port 22b. Even in this modification, it is preferable that the rice supply pipe 33 is configured to move to a position offset from the rice input port 22b when viewed from above. With this configuration, for example, during rice cooking, moving the rice supply pipe 33 to a position offset from the rice input port 22b when viewed from above can suppress steam generated in the pot 2 from entering the inside of the rice supply pipe 33 through the rice input port 22b.

Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and their variations, and can be implemented in various other forms.

For example, the above embodiments and modifications describe a rice cooker comprising a pot 2, a pot container 21, and a lid 22 that are detachable from the housing 11 by sliding movement. However, the rice cooker according to this disclosure is not limited to this. The rice cooker according to this disclosure only needs to automatically dispense rice into the pot 2. For example, it may be a conventionally known type of rice cooker in which the lid rotates around a hinge axis provided at the rear upper part of the housing that houses the pot.

This disclosure is adequately described in relation to preferred embodiments, with reference to the drawings as appropriate; however, various modifications and alterations will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and alterations should be understood to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined by the attached claims, insofar as they do not exceed that scope.

The rice cooker described in this disclosure can suppress uneven cooking, and is therefore useful as a fully automatic rice cooker that can automatically perform tasks such as supplying rice and water to the pot and cooking the rice.

11 Housing 11a Housing lid 12 Storage area 2 Pot 2a Bottom 2b Side wall 2c Opening 2d Flange 21 Pot container 21a Bottom 21b Inner wall 21c Rib 21d Outer wall 21e Air layer 21f Recess 21g Side wall of recess 21h Opening 211 Side wall 22 Lid 22a Lid body 22b Rice input port 22c Pot packing 22d Mounting member 22e Rice discharge port 23 Rice diffusion member 23a Center 23b Arm 3 Rice feeding device 31 Rice feeding shaft 32 Rice feeding blade 33 Rice feeding pipe 34 Guide pipe 301 Rice container 4 Water supply device 41 Water supply pipe 401 Water container 5 Connecting member 51 52 Main body of connecting member 6 Steam cylinder 6 Weight detection device 61 Protrusion 7 Pot heating device 8 Temperature detection device 9 Control unit

Claims (9)

A pot and a housing having a storage area for accommodating the pot,
A lid that covers the upper opening of the aforementioned pot,
The system includes a rice supply unit that supplies rice into the aforementioned pot,
The lid is provided with a rice input opening for putting rice into the pot.
The rice supply unit is equipped with a cylindrical rice supply pipe having an opening at one end that opens toward the rice input port,
The cover is located below the one end of the rice supply pipe,
The lid has a passage region through which rice is introduced into the pot via the rice input opening, and includes a rice diffusion member positioned on the pot side relative to the rice input opening.
The aforementioned rice diffusion member is
A rice cooker comprising a central part and a plurality of arms extending radially from the central part. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the central part is formed such that the cross-sectional area of the cross-section perpendicular to the vertical direction decreases towards the top. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the distance between two adjacent arms among the plurality of arms is less than 120 degrees in the circumferential direction of the axis of the central part. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of arms are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the axis of the central part. The aforementioned cover is
The lid body having the aforementioned rice input opening,
The mounting member is positioned below the lid body at a distance from the lid body and is provided with a rice discharge port that communicates with the rice input port.
The rice diffuser is arranged to cover the rice outlet from below, according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The rice cooker according to claim 5, wherein the opening area of the rice input port is smaller than the opening area of the rice discharge port. A rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a cylindrical guide tube positioned between the rice supply pipe and the rice input port, for guiding rice that has passed through the opening of the rice supply pipe to the rice input port. The guide pipe is configured to move between a position between the rice supply pipe and the rice input port and a position in which the rice supply pipe is located inside the guide pipe.
The rice supply pipe and the guide pipe are configured such that, with the rice supply pipe positioned inside the guide pipe, the rice supply pipe and the guide pipe move to a position offset from the rice input opening when viewed from above, as described in claim 7. The rice supply pipe is configured to move to a position offset from the rice input port when viewed from above, according to any one of claims 1 to 6.