Electric lunch box

Abstract

The utility model discloses an electric lunch box, and belongs to the field of electric lunch boxes. The electric lunch box comprises an upper cover, a base and an inner container, the upper cover and the base form a closed cavity, the inner container is located in the closed cavity, and the electric lunch box further comprises a lifting device; the lifting device is used for lifting the inner container to a preset position from the base and / or descending the inner container into the base from the preset position; a drainage hole is formed in the inner container; when the inner container does not rise, rice water cannot flow out of the water drainage hole; when the inner container ascends, rice water flows out of the drainage hole. In this way, when rice and water need to be separated, the inner container is controlled to rise, the rice and water can flow out of the inner container, the separation effect is achieved, and the requirements of users are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electric lunch box technology, and in particular, to an electric lunch box. Background Technology

[0002] Electric lunch boxes are a common household appliance. Traditional electric lunch boxes mostly use a heating element that generates high-temperature steam inside the box when powered on, thus achieving the purpose of heating and keeping food warm. They can only be used for heating or keeping warm, not for steaming or cooking. As people's needs have increased, existing electric lunch boxes have gradually added more functions, including steaming and cooking capabilities.

[0003] Current rice cookers use a steaming function where the user puts rice into the inner pot, and the heating element heats it to cook, similar to a regular rice cooker. However, in actual use, the user needs to separate the rice from the rice water inside the inner pot. If too much water is added, not separating the rice will result in rice that doesn't meet the user's expectations. Furthermore, because rice water contains dissolved amylopectin, the glycemic index (GI) of the rice is high. Therefore, some people need to reduce the starch content of their rice, requiring rice water separation. Alternatively, some people may only be able to drink rice water temporarily, which current rice cookers cannot separate. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, this application provides an electric lunch box to solve the problem that existing electric lunch boxes cannot separate rice water from rice.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by this application to solve its technical problem is:

[0006] In a first aspect, an electric lunch box is provided, comprising: an upper cover, a base, and an inner liner, wherein the upper cover and the base form a sealed cavity, the inner liner is located within the sealed cavity, and further comprising: a lifting device;

[0007] The lifting device is used to raise the inner liner from the base to a preset position;

[0008] The inner liner is provided with a drain hole;

[0009] When the inner pot is not raised, the rice water cannot flow out from the drain hole; when the inner pot is raised, the rice water flows out from the drain hole.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the drain hole is located at the bottom of the inner pot, and when the inner pot rises, rice water flows into the base from the drain hole.

[0011] As a preferred implementation of this application, it also includes: a soup storage cavity;

[0012] The soup storage cavity is disposed on the base;

[0013] As the inner pot rises, rice water flows from the drain hole into the soup storage chamber.

[0014] As a preferred implementation of this application, the lifting device includes a motor and a transmission structure;

[0015] The motor drives the inner liner to rise or fall through the transmission structure.

[0016] As a preferred implementation of this application, the transmission structure includes a gear and a rack;

[0017] The gear is connected to the motor shaft; the gear rotates when the motor rotates.

[0018] The gear meshes with the rack; when the gear rotates, the rack rises or falls.

[0019] The rack is connected to the inner liner. When the rack rises, the inner liner rises; when the rack falls, the inner liner falls.

[0020] As a preferred implementation of this application, it further includes: a heating device;

[0021] The heating device is installed on the inner liner.

[0022] As a preferred implementation of this application, it further includes: a heating device;

[0023] The heating device is mounted on the base.

[0024] As a preferred implementation of this application, it also includes: a steaming rack;

[0025] The steaming rack is located inside the sealed cavity;

[0026] The steaming rack is located above the inner liner.

[0027] As a preferred implementation of this application, it also includes: a lunch box;

[0028] The lunchbox is located inside the sealed cavity;

[0029] The lunchbox is located above the inner liner.

[0030] As a preferred implementation of this application, it also includes: a lunchbox lid and a sealing ring;

[0031] The lunchbox lid matches the lunchbox;

[0032] The sealing ring is used to create a sealed space between the lunchbox lid and the lunchbox.

[0033] On the other hand, a method for controlling an electric lunch box is provided, applied to the aforementioned electric lunch box, the method comprising:

[0034] Upon receiving a separation command, if preset conditions are triggered, the inner liner will be controlled to rise at a preset rate.

[0035] As a preferred implementation of this application, it also includes:

[0036] After the preset duration of operation begins, preset conditions are triggered.

[0037] As a preferred implementation of this application, it also includes:

[0038] The water level inside the inner tank is obtained when the preset condition is triggered, and the preset rate is determined based on the water level. The higher the water level, the faster the rising rate.

[0039] As a preferred implementation of this application, it also includes:

[0040] When the water level inside the inner tank is detected to have reached a preset level, a preset condition is triggered.

[0041] Beneficial effects:

[0042] This application provides an electric lunch box, comprising: a top cover, a base, and an inner pot. The top cover and base form a sealed cavity, and the inner pot is located within the sealed cavity. It also includes: a lifting device; the lifting device is used to raise the inner pot from the base to a preset position, and / or to lower the inner pot from the preset position into the base; the inner pot is provided with a drain hole; when the inner pot is not raised, rice water cannot flow out from the drain hole; when the inner pot is raised, rice water flows out from the drain hole. Thus, when rice water separation is required, controlling the inner pot to rise allows the rice water to flow out from the inner pot, achieving the separation effect and meeting the user's needs. Attached Figure Description

[0043] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art 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.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of a traditional electric lunch box provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the disassembled structure of an electric lunch box provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 3 This is one of the embodiments provided in this application. Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the inner liner structure;

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a top cover with a handle provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a method for controlling an electric lunch box provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 6 This is a control logic diagram for an electric lunch box provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0050] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0051] 1-Top cover; 2-Inner liner; 3-Base; 4-Drain hole; 5-Motor; 6-Gear; 7-Rack; 8-Steamer rack; 9-Lunch box; 10-Lunch box lid; 11-Sealing ring; 12-Handle. Detailed Implementation

[0052] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other implementation methods obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0053] Traditional electric lunch boxes, such as Figure 1 As shown, the system includes a top cover 1, an inner pot 2, and a base 3. The inner pot 2 is used for cooking rice or rice porridge. The base 3 is equipped with a heating device (not shown) for heating. It also includes a steaming rack 8 and a food container 9. The steaming rack 8 is used to place food or the food container 9. The food container 9 is used to hold food, and to ensure the hygiene of the food inside, it is equipped with a lid 10 and a sealing ring 11.

[0054] However, traditional electric lunch boxes cannot separate rice from water when cooking rice, thus failing to meet user needs.

[0055] To solve this problem, refer to Figure 2 This application provides an electric lunch box, including: an upper cover 1, a base 3 and an inner liner 2, wherein the upper cover 1 and the base 3 form a sealed cavity, the inner liner 2 is located in the sealed cavity, and the box also includes: a lifting device.

[0056] The lifting device is used to raise the inner liner 2 from the base 3 to a preset position;

[0057] The inner liner 2 is provided with a drain hole 4;

[0058] When the inner pot 2 is not raised, the rice water cannot flow out from the drain hole 4; when the inner pot 2 is raised, the rice water flows out from the drain hole 4.

[0059] It should be noted that the lifting device of this application may only provide the function of raising the inner liner 2 from the base 3 to a preset position. Returning the inner liner 2 from the preset position to the base 3 may not require the lifting device. For example, the user can manually push the inner liner 2 back into the base 3.

[0060] Of course, as a preferred implementation of this application, the inner liner 2 is restored from the preset position to the base 3 by means of a lifting device. Specifically:

[0061] When a descent command is received, the inner liner 2 is restored from the preset position to the base 3 via the lifting device.

[0062] In some embodiments, the lunchbox is equipped with a lowering button or a return button, allowing the user to send a lowering command by pressing the lowering button or the return button. That is, the embodiment in this application is a manual return.

[0063] In other embodiments, a descent command is generated when it is detected that there is no rice in the inner pot 2 or no rice water in the base 3. That is, this embodiment of the application is an automatic recovery. This is because if there is still rice in the inner pot 2 and rice water in the base 3, the descent of the inner pot 2 will cause the rice water to re-integrate into the rice, affecting the taste of the rice and increasing its starch content. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that there is no rice in the inner pot 2 or no rice water in the base 3. In some special scenarios, a descent command is only generated when it is detected that there is no rice in the inner pot 2 and no rice water in the base 3.

[0064] In one embodiment, the drain hole 4 is equipped with a valve. When the inner pot 2 rises, the valve opens, allowing rice water to flow out of the drain hole 4. The valve can be a baffle located on the outside of the inner pot 2. When rice water is not needed to flow out of the drain hole 4, the baffle blocks the drain hole 4. When rice water is needed to flow out of the drain hole 4, the baffle no longer blocks the drain hole 4.

[0065] Furthermore, it also includes: soup storage cavity;

[0066] The soup storage cavity is located on the base 3;

[0067] As the inner pot 2 rises, rice water flows into the soup storage chamber from the drain hole 4.

[0068] Traditional heating devices are located on the base 3. If rice water flows directly into the base 3 from the drain hole 4, it may affect the heating function of the heating device. Therefore, this embodiment of the application provides a separate cavity on the base 3 to accommodate the rice water flowing out from the drain hole 4. This does not affect the heating capacity of the heating device. To ensure that the rice water flows into the storage cavity from the drain hole 4, in addition to situations where the positions of the drain hole 4 and the storage cavity need to correspond, to prevent the inner pot 2 from being placed in the wrong position during use, causing the positions of the drain hole 4 and the storage cavity to no longer correspond, a limiting mechanism can be provided on the inner pot 2 and the base 3 (e.g., a limiting protrusion is provided on one side of the inner pot 2, and a limiting groove is provided at the corresponding position on the base 3. When the inner pot 2 is placed on the base 3, the limiting protrusion must be placed in the limiting groove for the inner pot 2 to be placed on the base 3, which can ensure that the positions of the drain hole 4 and the storage cavity correspond and also ensure the stability of the inner pot 2 when placed on the base 3). This ensures that the inner pot 2 can only be installed on the base 3 at a fixed angle.

[0069] In another embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the drain hole 4 is located at the bottom of the inner liner 2 (it can be the bottom of the side or the bottom edge). Figure 2 and Figure 3 The image shows the side bottom. When the inner pot 2 rises, the rice water flows into the base 3 from the drain hole 4. That is, in this embodiment, the base 3 acts as a baffle. When the inner pot 2 is not raised, the base 3 and the inner pot 2 are tightly fitted, leaving no space for the rice water, preventing it from flowing out of the drain hole 4. However, when the inner pot 2 rises, a space appears between the base 3 and the inner pot 2, and the rice water flows out of the drain hole 4 into the base 3 due to gravity. No other structures are required, making it simple, convenient, and low-cost.

[0070] In this embodiment, if a traditional heating device is used, i.e., the heating device is placed on the base 3, the rice water flowing into the base 3 will affect the heating function of the heating device. Therefore, as a preferred implementation of this application, the heating device is placed on the inner pot 2, exemplarily at the bottom of the inner pot 2, or on the side wall of the inner pot 2. The specific placement position can be set according to actual needs, and this application does not impose specific limitations.

[0071] Optionally, the lifting device uses a cylinder.

[0072] As a preferred implementation of the embodiments of this application, the lifting device includes a motor 5 and a transmission structure;

[0073] The motor 5 drives the inner liner 2 to rise or fall through the transmission structure.

[0074] Preferably, the transmission structure includes a gear 6 and a rack 7;

[0075] The gear 6 is connected to the shaft of the motor 5; when the motor 5 rotates, the gear 6 rotates.

[0076] The gear 6 is meshed with the rack 7; when the gear 6 rotates, the rack 7 rises or falls.

[0077] The rack 7 is connected to the inner liner 2. When the rack 7 rises, the inner liner 2 rises; when the rack 7 falls, the inner liner 2 falls.

[0078] In other embodiments, the transmission structure can also be a combination of a screw and a sleeve. The sleeve is fixed below the inner liner 2 and has threads inside. The motor 5 drives the screw to move up and down inside the sleeve. When the sleeve moves up and down, it can drive the inner liner 2 to move up and down.

[0079] It should be noted that, in Figure 2 The illustrated electric lunch box has a disassembled structure where the top cover 1 lacks a special design, making it inconvenient to carry, especially since it may become hot to the touch after heating. Therefore, as an optional implementation in this application embodiment, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the top cover 1 is equipped with a handle 12, which makes it more convenient for users to use whether the whole lunch box is moved or the top cover 1 needs to be moved separately.

[0080] In addition, this application also includes the standard functions of an electric lunch box. Specifically:

[0081] Also includes: 8 steaming racks;

[0082] The steaming rack 8 is located inside the sealed cavity;

[0083] The steaming rack 8 is located above the inner liner 2.

[0084] Also included: 9 lunch boxes;

[0085] The lunchbox 9 is located inside the sealed cavity;

[0086] The lunch box 9 is located above the inner liner 2.

[0087] In some embodiments, to ensure the hygiene of the food inside the lunch box 9, the lunch box also includes: a lunch box lid 10 and a sealing ring 11;

[0088] The lunch box lid 10 is matched with the lunch box 9;

[0089] The sealing ring 11 is used to form a sealed space between the lunch box lid 10 and the lunch box 9.

[0090] Among them, the steaming rack 8, the lunch box 9 and the lunch box lid 10 are common structures in traditional electric lunch boxes. Their specific shapes and settings have not been modified in this application and will not be described in detail here.

[0091] It should be noted that when the inner pot 2 moves in this application, it is also within the sealed cavity formed by the top cover 1 and the base 3. Furthermore, since the lunch box itself is not large, its inner pot 2 is also small (generally only enough for one person), and the amount of rice water that needs to be separated is not large; therefore, the inner pot 2 does not rise very high. The overall volume of the lunch box is not significantly different from that of a traditional lunch box.

[0092] The electric lunch box provided in this application includes a top cover, a base, and an inner pot. The top cover and the base form a sealed cavity, and the inner pot is located within the sealed cavity. It also includes a lifting device for raising the inner pot from the base to a preset position and / or lowering the inner pot from the preset position into the base. The inner pot has a drain hole. When the inner pot is not raised, rice water cannot flow out from the drain hole; when the inner pot is raised, rice water flows out from the drain hole. Thus, when rice water separation is needed, controlling the inner pot to rise allows the rice water to flow out, achieving the separation effect and meeting the user's needs.

[0093] This application also provides a specific implementation of an electric lunch box. The rice-water separation electric lunch box is a kitchen appliance that physically separates the rice water (rice paste or excess water) produced during the cooking process from the cooked rice. Its core design lies in the combination of a lifting mechanism and a separation structure. The following is a detailed description of its structure and working principle:

[0094] I. Core Structure

[0095] 1. Inner liner: A container for holding rice and water, made of food-grade stainless steel or ceramic, with a drainage hole at the bottom;

[0096] 2. Lifting mechanism: The drive motor provides power and drives the inner tank to lift and lower through gear transmission and rack and pinion.

[0097] 3. Heating system: The bottom heating plate is the traditional heating method of electric lunch boxes, used for cooking rice and boiling rice water.

[0098] 4. Rice water separation system

[0099] 1) Drainage channel: The bottom of the inner pot is equipped with a drain hole, and the rice water flows into the base by gravity.

[0100] 2) Base: Located at the bottom of the rice box, used to store the separated rice water.

[0101] 5. Control System: Microcomputer chip: controls cooking time, temperature, and timing of temperature adjustments. Sensors: monitor water level and temperature, triggering separation actions.

[0102] II. Working Principle

[0103] Its process reference Figure 6 :

[0104] 1. Rice cooking stage

[0105] 1) Water filling and heating: After the user adds rice and water to the inner pot and starts the electric lunch box, the bottom heating device heats it to boiling.

[0106] 2) Boiling and water absorption: The rice absorbs water and expands under high temperature, and rice water is gradually formed.

[0107] 2. Rice water separation stage

[0108] 1) Lifting / lowering trigger:

[0109] Timing: When the rice is cooked to the preset time (or the moisture content is reduced to a threshold by the sensor), the control system starts the lifting mechanism.

[0110] Action: The motor drives the gears to slowly lift the inner liner, separating it from the heating zone.

[0111] 2) Gravity separation: After the inner pot is raised, the rice water flows into the base through the bottom drain hole due to gravity.

[0112] 3. Insulation and finishing touches

[0113] 1) After separation, the inner pot can remain suspended to prevent the rice from absorbing water and becoming mushy.

[0114] 2) The rice water in the base can be drained independently (e.g., to make rice milk for drinking or to be discarded).

[0115] III. Key Technical Details:

[0116] 1. Drainage hole design: The hole diameter should be smaller than the size of a rice grain (usually <1mm) to prevent rice grain leakage.

[0117] 2. Sealing and Leakage Prevention: During the lifting process, a silicone ring is installed between the inner pot and the top cover of the rice box to prevent steam or rice soup from leaking out.

[0118] 3. Lifting and lowering speed control: Too fast may damage the structure of the rice (for example, if it lifts too fast and leaves the water, the rice will not be cooked properly, commonly known as uncooked rice), while too slow will affect efficiency. It needs to be adjusted by motor speed or reducer.

[0119] 4. Anti-dry burning protection: The heating plate automatically cuts off power after separation to prevent damage from dry burning.

[0120] The rice box provided in this application embodiment utilizes a unique lifting mechanism and rice-water separation technology. The rice box uses a built-in motor to precisely control the lifting of the inner pot. This ingenious design allows for rice-water separation, reducing the starch content in the rice (suitable for diabetics or those controlling blood sugar), resulting in drier, more distinct grains of rice. The rice water can be collected separately for cooking or as a beverage.

[0121] To more clearly illustrate the solution of this application, a method for controlling an electric lunch box is provided below, applicable to the electric lunch box provided in any of the above embodiments, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the method includes:

[0122] S11: Receive separation command;

[0123] In one embodiment, when the rice box receives a user's selection of either the rice cooking or rice water cooking mode, it is considered to have received a separation instruction. That is, the rice box will separate the rice water whenever it is cooking rice or rice water.

[0124] However, some users may not need to use the rice-water separation function at certain times, and the above embodiment cannot meet the user's needs. Therefore, in another embodiment, a separate button for rice-water separation is provided on the rice box. When the user clicks the rice-water separation button, a separation command is sent to the rice box.

[0125] S12: Trigger preset conditions;

[0126] As can be understood from the above separation command reception, the rice-soup separation operation is not required immediately upon receiving the separation command. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor whether the preset conditions are triggered.

[0127] Taking cooking rice as an example: In actual use, rice water separation is generally needed when the rice is almost cooked; separating it too early will result in undercooked rice, while separating it too late will cause the rice water to completely blend into the rice, making separation impossible. Therefore, in this embodiment, a preset condition is triggered when the rice is detected to be almost cooked.

[0128] Specifically:

[0129] In one embodiment, a preset condition is triggered after a preset running time has started. For example, the total running time for cooking rice is 25 minutes, and the preset time is 20 minutes. That is, this embodiment uses the running time as the basis for judging the state of the rice.

[0130] As one implementation of this application, the preset duration is a fixed duration, wherein the fixed duration is determined based on prior testing.

[0131] As another implementation of this application, in some more intelligent electric lunch boxes, the preset time is determined based on at least one of the following parameters:

[0132] The system displays the water level in the inner pot and the operating mode at startup. The operating mode includes options for cooking rice (such as cooking rice and cooking rice water) and the heating level. It should be noted that some rice boxes do not have a separate heating level selection button because their heating levels are fixed, with each cooking option corresponding to a set of heating levels.

[0133] The approximate correspondence between each parameter and the preset duration is as follows:

[0134] When operating modes are the same, the more water in the inner pot at the start of operation, the longer the preset cooking time. This is because more water means more rice needs to be cooked, and to ensure the rice is thoroughly cooked, the heating time needs to be longer.

[0135] When the water level in the inner pot is the same at the start of operation and the cooking options are the same, the lower the heating level, the longer the preset cooking time. When the water level in the inner pot is the same at the start of operation and the cooking options are the same, the energy required for the rice to cook thoroughly is constant; the lower the heating level, the longer the cooking time.

[0136] In another embodiment, it also includes:

[0137] When the water level inside the inner pot reaches a preset level, a preset condition is triggered. That is, in this embodiment, the water level inside the inner pot is used as the basis for judging the state of the rice.

[0138] S13: Control the inner liner to rise at a preset rate.

[0139] In a preferred implementation of this embodiment, the water level inside the inner pot is obtained when a preset condition is triggered, and the preset rate is determined based on the water level. The higher the water level, the faster the rising rate. A higher water level indicates a larger amount of water inside the inner pot. If the rising rate is slow, the rice may absorb too much rice water, affecting the texture and starch content of the rice.

[0140] Of course, in practice, for simpler control, the rate of ascent is determined when the cooking option is selected.

[0141] The electric lunch box provided in this application embodiment can control the inner pot to rise at a preset rate after receiving a separation command and triggering preset conditions. When the inner pot rises, the rice water inside flows out of the inner pot through the drain hole, achieving the effect of separating rice water from the inner pot and meeting the user's needs.

[0142] It should be noted that in the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means at least two.

[0143] It is understood that the same or similar parts in the above embodiments can be referred to each other, and the contents not described in detail in some embodiments can be referred to the same or similar contents in other embodiments.

Claims

1. An electric lunch box, comprising: The upper cover, the base, and the inner liner, wherein the upper cover and the base form a sealed cavity, and the inner liner is located within the sealed cavity, characterized in that it further includes: a lifting device; The lifting device is used to raise the inner liner from the base to a preset position; The inner liner is provided with a drain hole; When the inner pot is not raised, the rice water cannot flow out from the drain hole; when the inner pot is raised, the rice water flows out from the drain hole.

2. The electric lunch box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drain hole is located at the bottom of the inner pot. When the inner pot rises, rice water flows into the base from the drain hole.

3. The electric lunch box according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Soup storage cavity; The soup storage cavity is disposed on the base; As the inner pot rises, rice water flows from the drain hole into the soup storage chamber.

4. The electric lunch box according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lifting device includes a motor and a transmission structure; The motor drives the inner liner to rise or fall through the transmission structure.

5. The electric lunch box according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transmission structure includes gears and racks; The gear is connected to the motor shaft; the gear rotates when the motor rotates. The gear meshes with the rack; when the gear rotates, the rack rises or falls. The rack is connected to the inner liner. When the rack rises, the inner liner rises; when the rack falls, the inner liner falls.

6. The electric lunch box according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Heating device; The heating device is installed on the inner liner.

7. The electric lunch box according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Heating device; The heating device is mounted on the base.

8. The electric lunch box according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Steaming rack; The steaming rack is located inside the sealed cavity; The steaming rack is located above the inner liner.

9. The electric lunch box according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Lunch box; The lunchbox is located inside the sealed cavity; The lunchbox is located above the inner liner.

10. The electric lunch box according to claim 9, characterized in that, Also includes: Lunch box lid and sealing ring; The lunchbox lid matches the lunchbox; The sealing ring is used to create a sealed space between the lunchbox lid and the lunchbox.

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