Rice storage box and electric rice cooker

Abstract

The application relates to a rice storage box and an electric rice cooker. The rice storage box comprises a box body and a rice outlet connected to the box body. A rice storage cavity and an air circulation cavity are arranged in the box body and are isolated from each other. The rice storage cavity is provided with a rice outlet, and the rice storage cavity is communicated with the rice outlet through the rice outlet. The air circulation cavity is provided with an air inlet and a main air outlet. The air circulation cavity is communicated with the outside through the air inlet, and the air circulation cavity is communicated with the rice outlet through the main air outlet. The air circulation cavity is arranged, and the air circulation cavity is provided with the air inlet and the main air outlet. Under the suction of the fan, the air outside can enter the air circulation cavity through the air inlet and enter the rice outlet through the main air outlet, so that there is enough flowing air in the rice outlet. The air and the rice are fully mixed in the rice outlet, and there is a large amount of flowing air between the rice grains, so that the rice can be smoothly sucked into the main body of the electric rice cooker, and the situation that the rice is blocked in the rice outlet is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of small household appliance technology, and in particular to a rice storage box and a rice cooker. Background Technology

[0002] An electric rice cooker is a cooking appliance that uses electrical energy to convert into heat energy to cook food. It can perform various cooking operations such as steaming, boiling, stewing, simmering, and braising.

[0003] Most rice cookers on the market require manual addition of rice before cooking. With the further development of smart home appliances, rice cookers that can automatically add rice have now been developed. These rice cookers include the cooker body and a rice storage tank. In existing technology, a rice outlet is located at the bottom of the rice storage tank. A fan connects the outlet and the cooker body via a pipe. Rice in the storage tank falls to the outlet due to gravity, and the fan then draws the rice into the cooker body. However, when the fan is turned on, the rice tends to clump together, clogging the outlet and making it difficult for the fan to draw the rice into the cooker body. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a rice storage box and a rice cooker to solve the problem of rice easily clogging the rice outlet.

[0005] This application provides a rice storage box, including: a box body and a rice outlet connected to the box body. The box body is provided with a rice storage cavity and an air circulation cavity that are isolated from each other. The rice storage cavity is provided with a rice outlet and the rice storage cavity is connected to the rice outlet through the rice outlet. The air circulation cavity is provided with an air inlet and a main air outlet. The air circulation cavity is connected to the outside through the air inlet and the air circulation cavity is connected to the rice outlet through the main air outlet.

[0006] In one embodiment, the rice dispensing nozzle is connected to the side wall of the box, and the rice dispensing nozzle protrudes outward relative to the side wall of the box, with the rice outlet and the main air outlet located at the same end of the rice dispensing nozzle.

[0007] With this configuration, when the fan is activated, the rice and air enter the rice outlet from the same end, allowing the flowing rice and air to mix thoroughly and flow in the same direction, thus preventing the rice outlet from clogging.

[0008] In one embodiment, the main air outlet is located above the rice outlet.

[0009] This design ensures a constant flow of air in the upper part of the rice dispensing nozzle, allowing it to suck up and remove the rice. Furthermore, it prevents the nozzle from becoming clogged with rice after the fan stops.

[0010] In one embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the main air outlet is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the rice outlet.

[0011] This design ensures sufficient air pressure inside the rice outlet, allowing the rice to be sucked away smoothly.

[0012] In one embodiment, a partition is provided between the rice storage chamber and the air circulation chamber, and an auxiliary air outlet is provided on the partition. The auxiliary air outlet connects the air circulation chamber and the rice storage chamber, and the auxiliary air outlet is located close to the rice dispensing nozzle.

[0013] With this configuration, some of the air in the air circulation chamber enters the rice storage chamber through the auxiliary air outlet and mixes with the rice, thereby increasing the amount of air between the rice grains, making it easier for the rice in the rice storage chamber to be sucked into the rice outlet and removed.

[0014] In one embodiment, the partition and the side wall of the housing enclose the air circulation cavity, and the air inlet and the main air outlet are both located on the side wall of the housing.

[0015] With this design, the rice storage box has a very simple structure. The air inlet is located on the side wall of the box and is not easily blocked, ensuring that outside air can easily enter the air circulation chamber. The main air outlet is located on the side wall of the box, which facilitates communication between the main air outlet and the air nozzle.

[0016] In one embodiment, the main air outlet is located at the lower end of the air circulation chamber, and the portion of the partition opposite to the main air outlet is inclined toward the main air outlet.

[0017] With this design, the air in the air circulation chamber can flow along the partition, making the airflow smoother; at the same time, the rice in the rice storage chamber can also flow smoothly along the partition to the rice outlet.

[0018] In one embodiment, the rice outlet is located on the side wall of the container and is positioned close to the bottom wall of the container.

[0019] With this design, the container can be fitted with a larger capacity rice storage chamber. At the same time, the rice inside the storage chamber can fall to the vicinity of the rice outlet due to gravity, making it easier for the fan to suck the rice away.

[0020] In one embodiment, the bottom wall of the rice storage chamber is provided with a material collection area near the rice outlet, and the rice storage chamber is provided with a flow guide slope, which connects the side wall of the rice storage chamber and the material collection area.

[0021] With this design, the rice in the storage chamber can flow along the guide slope to the collection area due to gravity, and then flow from the collection area to the rice outlet. It is evident that setting up the guide slope in the collection area makes it easier for the rice to flow to the rice outlet, thus avoiding dead zones in the flow.

[0022] This application also provides a rice cooker, including: a rice cooker body, a fan, and a rice storage box as described above. The fan is connected to the rice outlet and the rice cooker body through a pipe to draw the material in the rice storage chamber into the rice cooker body.

[0023] Compared with existing technologies, the rice storage box provided in this application can be applied to a rice cooker to realize the automatic rice adding function. The rice cooker also includes a rice cooker body and a fan. The fan is connected to the rice outlet and the rice cooker body through a pipe. By setting an air circulation chamber inside the rice storage box, and the air circulation chamber has an air inlet connected to the outside and a main air outlet connected to the rice outlet, under the suction of the fan, outside air can enter the air circulation chamber through the air inlet and enter the rice outlet through the main air outlet, thus providing sufficient airflow in the rice outlet. At the same time, the rice in the rice storage chamber falls to the rice outlet due to gravity and enters the rice outlet under the suction of the fan. In the rice outlet, the air and rice are fully mixed, and there is a large amount of airflow between the rice grains, so that the rice can be smoothly sucked into the rice cooker body, avoiding the situation where rice blocks the rice outlet. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a rice storage box according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0028] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Cross-sectional view along line BB;

[0029] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A magnified view of a section at point C;

[0030] Figure 6 for Figure 2 The rice storage box shown is a side view.

[0031] Reference numerals: 100, Rice storage box; 10, Box body; 11, Rice storage cavity; 111, Rice filling port; 112, Rice outlet; 113, Material collection area; 114, Drainage slope; 12, Air circulation cavity; 121, Air inlet; 122, Main air outlet; 123, Auxiliary air outlet; 20, Rice outlet nozzle; 21, Sealing ring; 30, Partition plate; 40, Box lid; 200, Rice cooker body; 300, Fan; 400, Pipe; 500, Filter screen. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0033] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0034] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0035] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] Please see Figures 1 to 6 This application provides a rice cooker, including: a rice cooker body 200, a fan 300, and a rice storage box 100. The rice storage box 100 includes: a box body 10 and a rice outlet 20 connected to the box body 10. The box body 10 has a rice storage chamber 11 and an air circulation chamber 12 that are isolated from each other. The rice storage chamber 11 has a rice outlet 112, which is connected to the rice outlet 20. The air circulation chamber 12 has an air inlet 121 and a main air outlet 122. The air circulation chamber 12 is connected to the outside through the air inlet 121 and to the rice outlet 20 through the main air outlet 122. The fan 300 is connected to the rice storage box 100 and the rice cooker body 200 through a pipe 400 to draw the material in the rice storage box 100 into the rice cooker body 200. It is understandable that rice can be drawn by a fan because the fan's high-speed operation drives airflow, creating negative pressure that draws the rice along the direction of airflow. If there is only rice in the pipe and no air, the rice cannot be drawn. In existing technology, rice tends to accumulate at the rice outlet, resulting in the outlet containing only rice and no air (the air gaps between the accumulated rice grains are extremely small and negligible), making it difficult for the fan to draw the rice away, leading to poor suction. This application addresses this by providing an air circulation chamber 12 within the rice storage box 10, with an air inlet 121 communicating with the outside and a main air outlet 122 communicating with the rice outlet 20. Under the suction of the fan 300, outside air can enter the air circulation chamber 12 through the air inlet 121 and enter the rice outlet 20 through the main air outlet 122, thus ensuring sufficient airflow within the rice outlet 20. Meanwhile, the rice in the rice storage chamber 11 falls to the rice outlet 112 due to gravity, and enters the rice outlet 20 under the suction of the fan 300. In the rice outlet 20, the air and rice are fully mixed, and there is a large amount of air flowing between the rice grains, so that the rice can be smoothly sucked into the rice cooker body 200, avoiding the situation where the rice gets stuck in the rice outlet 20.

[0038] like Figure 1As shown, a filter 500 can be installed at the front end of the fan 300. The filter 500 can intercept rice, allowing it to fall into the rice cooker body 200 instead of entering the fan 300. The rice cooker body 200 includes a pot body, and the fan 300 can suck the rice into the pot body. Additionally, the rice cooker body 200 can also have a rice washing chamber, where the fan 300 first sucks the rice into the washing chamber for washing before it enters the pot body. This application aims to solve the problem of the rice outlet being easily clogged; therefore, the fan 300 and the rice cooker body 200 are not described in detail.

[0039] Please see Figure 2 The top of the container 10 is provided with a rice filling port 111 that communicates with the rice storage chamber 11, through which rice is added to the rice storage chamber 11. In addition, the rice storage box 100 may also include a box cover 40 disposed at the rice filling port 111. By providing a box cover 40, foreign objects can be prevented from falling into the rice storage chamber 11, thereby helping to keep the rice storage chamber 11 clean.

[0040] Please see Figure 3 The rice outlet 20 is connected to the side wall of the housing 10, and the rice outlet 20 protrudes outward relative to the side wall of the housing 10. The rice outlet 112 and the main air outlet 122 are located at the same end of the rice outlet 20. In this way, when the fan 300 is started to draw air, rice and air enter the rice outlet 20 from the same end, so that the flowing rice and flowing air can be fully mixed and flow in the same direction, thus ensuring that the rice outlet 20 will not accumulate or become blocked.

[0041] Furthermore, the rice dispensing nozzle 20 and the housing 10 are integrally molded, resulting in a simpler structure. Further details can be found in the following section. Figure 3 and Figure 5 The rice dispensing nozzle 20 is fitted with a sealing ring 21 to facilitate a sealed connection between the rice dispensing nozzle 20 and the pipe 400. This sealing ring 21 can be a silicone sealing ring.

[0042] Please see Figure 3 and Figure 6 In this embodiment, the main air outlet 122 is located above the rice outlet 112. This ensures that there is always a high-flowing airflow in the upper part of the inner cavity of the rice outlet 20, allowing the rice to be sucked up and removed. Furthermore, after the fan 300 stops, the rice outlet 20 will not be filled with rice and cause blockage.

[0043] Furthermore, the cross-sectional area of ​​the main air outlet 122 is smaller than that of the rice outlet 112. Since for a given airflow from the fan 300, a larger cross-sectional area of ​​the air passage results in lower wind speed and lower wind pressure. The rice can be sucked up because the wind pressure acting on the rice pushes it (pressure = wind pressure * area of ​​the rice's surface under pressure, i.e., pressure = intensity * area). Insufficient wind pressure will lead to poor rice suction. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​the main air outlet 122 is smaller than that of the rice outlet 112, ensuring sufficient wind pressure within the rice outlet 20, thereby guaranteeing that the rice can be smoothly sucked up.

[0044] Further, please see Figure 3 A partition 30 is provided between the rice storage chamber 11 and the air circulation chamber 12, that is, the partition 30 divides the inner cavity of the box 10 into the rice storage chamber 11 and the air circulation chamber 12. An auxiliary air outlet 123 is provided on the partition 30, which connects the air circulation chamber 12 and the rice storage chamber 11, and is located close to the rice dispensing nozzle 20. In this way, a portion of the air in the air circulation chamber 12 enters the rice storage chamber 11 through the auxiliary air outlet 123 and mixes with the rice, thereby increasing the amount of air between the rice grains, making it easier for the rice in the rice storage chamber 11 to be drawn into the rice dispensing nozzle 20 and removed. In this embodiment, by setting an auxiliary air outlet 123, the air in the air circulation chamber 12 has two flow paths. One part of the air enters the rice outlet 20 from the main air outlet 122, and the other part of the air enters the rice storage chamber 11 from the auxiliary air outlet 123 and enters the rice outlet 20 from the rice outlet 112. This further increases the mixing effect of rice and air, making rice absorption smoother.

[0045] The cross-sectional area of ​​the auxiliary air outlet 123 is smaller than that of the main air outlet 122, ensuring that the air in the air circulation chamber 12 mainly flows out from the main air outlet 122, thereby ensuring sufficient airflow in the rice dispensing nozzle 20. It is worth mentioning that the auxiliary air outlet 123 is designed to be too small for rice grains to pass through, to prevent rice in the rice storage chamber 11 from entering the air circulation chamber 12 through the auxiliary air outlet 123 when the fan 300 stops, thus avoiding blockage of both the main air outlet 122 and the auxiliary air outlet 123.

[0046] In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 5 The auxiliary air outlet 123 is elongated, but not limited to this. In other embodiments, the auxiliary air outlet 123 may also be a circular through hole. Furthermore, the number of auxiliary air outlets 123 may be one or more.

[0047] Please see Figure 3An air circulation chamber 12 is formed by the partition 30 and the side wall of the box body 10. Both the air inlet 121 and the main air outlet 122 are located on the side wall of the box body 10. Thus, the rice storage box 100 has a very simple structure. The air inlet 121 is located on the side wall of the box body 10 and is not easily blocked, ensuring that outside air can easily enter the air circulation chamber 12. The main air outlet 122 is located on the side wall of the box body 10, facilitating communication between the main air outlet 122 and the air nozzle. In this embodiment, the air inlet 121 is located above the main air outlet 122, and multiple air inlets 121 are provided to ensure sufficient air intake.

[0048] Furthermore, the main air outlet 122 is located at the lower end of the air circulation chamber 12, and the portion of the partition 30 opposite to the main air outlet 122 is inclined toward the main air outlet 122. In this way, the air in the air circulation chamber 12 can flow along the partition 30, and the air flow is smoother; at the same time, the rice in the rice storage chamber 11 can also flow smoothly along the partition 30 to the rice outlet 112.

[0049] Please see Figure 3 The rice outlet 112 is located on the side wall of the housing 10 and is positioned close to the bottom wall of the housing 10. Correspondingly, the rice spout 20 is connected to the side wall of the housing 10 and is positioned close to the bottom wall of the housing 10. In this way, the housing 10 can be equipped with a larger capacity rice storage chamber 11. At the same time, the rice in the rice storage chamber 11 can fall to the vicinity of the rice outlet 112 by gravity, so that the fan 300 can easily suck the rice away.

[0050] Further, please see Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The bottom wall of the rice storage chamber 11, near the rice outlet 112, has a collection area 113. A flow-guiding slope 114 is provided inside the rice storage chamber 11, connecting the side wall of the rice storage chamber 11 and the collection area 113. Thus, the rice in the rice storage chamber 11 can flow along the flow-guiding slope 114 to the collection area 113 due to gravity, and then flow from the collection area 113 to the rice outlet 112. It is evident that the collection area 113 and the flow-guiding slope 114 make it easier for the rice to flow to the rice outlet 112, thereby avoiding dead zones in the flow.

[0051] It is understandable that rice cookers can be used not only to cook rice, but also to cook various grains, beans, and other materials. Although this article uses rice as an example, the materials in the rice storage box 100 are not limited to rice. They can also be millet, black rice, brown rice, sorghum rice, oats, red beans, mung beans, and other materials, as long as the material can be sucked into the main body 200 of the rice cooker by the fan 300.

[0052] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0053] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A rice storage box, characterized in that, include: The container (10) includes a rice storage chamber (11) and an air circulation chamber (12) connected to the container (10). The container (10) contains a rice storage chamber (11) and an air circulation chamber (12) that are isolated from each other. The rice storage chamber (11) has a rice outlet (112) and is connected to the rice outlet (20) through the rice outlet (112). The air circulation chamber (12) has an air inlet (121) and a main air outlet (122). The air circulation chamber (12) is connected to the outside through the air inlet (121) and is connected to the rice outlet (20) through the main air outlet (122). The rice dispensing nozzle (20) is connected to the side wall of the housing (10), and the rice dispensing nozzle (20) protrudes outward relative to the side wall of the housing (10). The rice outlet (112) and the main air outlet (122) are located at the same end of the rice dispensing nozzle (20). A partition (30) is provided between the rice storage chamber (11) and the air circulation chamber (12). An auxiliary air outlet (123) is provided on the partition (30). The auxiliary air outlet (123) connects the air circulation chamber (12) and the rice storage chamber (11), and the auxiliary air outlet (123) is located close to the rice dispensing nozzle (20).

2. The rice storage box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main air outlet (122) is located above the rice outlet (112).

3. The rice storage box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-sectional area of ​​the main air outlet (122) is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the rice outlet (112).

4. The rice storage box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The partition (30) and the side wall of the box (10) enclose the air circulation cavity (12), and the air inlet (121) and the main air outlet (122) are both located on the side wall of the box (10).

5. The rice storage box according to claim 4, characterized in that, The main air outlet (122) is located at the lower end of the air circulation chamber (12), and the portion of the partition (30) opposite to the main air outlet (122) is inclined toward the main air outlet (122).

6. The rice storage box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rice outlet (112) is located on the side wall of the box (10) and is located near the bottom wall of the box (10).

7. The rice storage box according to claim 6, characterized in that, The bottom wall of the rice storage cavity (11) is provided with a material collection area (113) near the rice outlet (112). The rice storage cavity (11) is provided with a flow guide slope (114), which connects the side wall of the rice storage cavity (11) and the material collection area (113).

8. A rice cooker, characterized in that, include: The rice cooker body (200), the fan (300), and the rice storage box (100) as described in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the fan (300) is connected to the rice outlet (20) and the rice cooker body (200) through a pipe (400) to draw the material in the rice storage chamber (11) into the rice cooker body (200).

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