A cooking appliance with a drain valve

Abstract

The application discloses a cooking utensil with a drain valve, comprising a pot body, an inner pot arranged in the pot body, and a heating device arranged on the pot body, wherein the bottom of the inner pot is provided with the drain valve, the cooking utensil further comprises a driving device capable of driving the drain valve to open, the drain valve comprises a metal valve core and a drain port, the metal valve core blocks the drain port, the driving device comprises a driving motor, a driving gear assembly, and a suction accessory, the driving shaft of the driving motor drives the driving gear assembly to drive the suction accessory to move, the suction accessory has a first position for driving the metal valve core to separate from the drain port, and a second position away from the drain valve compared with the first position. The problems that the existing driving device with a connecting rod structure is too large in size, difficult to install, and unable to ensure the distance between the suction accessory and the drain valve, thereby causing unstable driving effect are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of kitchen appliances, and more specifically, to a cooking appliance with a drain valve. Background Technology

[0002] As people use cooking appliances more and more, their functional requirements for these appliances are also increasing. There is now a cooking appliance that can drain liquid from the inner pot. This is achieved by installing a drain valve at the bottom of the inner pot, and by having a drive device open the drain valve when needed, thus draining the liquid from the inner pot.

[0003] Drive mechanisms typically come in two forms: contact and non-contact. Contact drive mechanisms open the drain valve's outlet by contacting the valve core when needed. However, contact drive mechanisms require insertion into the drain valve, resulting in an excessively large drain valve that occupies too much of the heating area at the bottom of the inner pot, thus affecting the cooking efficiency. Non-contact drive mechanisms often use magnetic force to attract or repel the drain valve's core, thereby opening the drain valve's outlet. This eliminates the need for additional structures extending into the drain valve.

[0004] Chinese patent CN202322898543.7 discloses an automatic drainage rice cooker. Its drive unit is connected to a power rod via a linkage shaft, and the power rod is rotatably connected to a fixed base via a hinge shaft. When drainage is needed, the drive unit drives the power rod to swing upwards, causing the suction element to move upwards. As the suction element moves upwards, it attracts a weight block, which in turn moves upwards, thus opening the corresponding drain outlet. However, this linkage transmission method is complex and prone to damage. The presence of the power rod makes installation of the drive unit inside the rice cooker difficult, making it hard to determine the installation position and resulting in a large drive structure size. Furthermore, as the required lifting height of the suction element increases, the size of the drive structure further increases, which does not meet the design requirements of existing cooking appliances. When the linkage structure brings the suction element closer to the weight block, the swing amplitude of the linkage structure is greater. Even slight deviations in the structure can easily cause interference between the linkage structure and other components, affecting the effectiveness of opening the drain valve. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a cooking appliance with a drain valve, employing a non-contact driving device. A drive motor, via a drive gear assembly, moves an adsorption component that absorbs the metal valve core. Compared to existing linkage structures, the drive gear assembly is smaller and easier to install. The distance between the adsorption component and the drain valve can be controlled by changing the installation position of the adsorption component, solving the problems of excessively large drive devices and difficulty in maintaining a safe distance between the drain valve and the adsorption component caused by existing linkage structures. In addition, the background art and embodiments described herein also present some technical solutions that belong to the subject matter of this invention but can independently solve other technical problems.

[0006] The embodiments of this application are implemented as follows:

[0007] This utility model provides a cooking appliance with a drain valve, including a pot body, an inner pot disposed within the pot body, and a heating device disposed within the pot body. A drain valve is installed at the bottom of the inner pot. The cooking appliance also includes a driving device that can drive the drain valve to open. The drain valve includes a metal valve core and a drain outlet. The metal valve core blocks the drain outlet. The driving device includes a drive motor, a drive gear assembly, and a suction element. The drive shaft of the drive motor drives the drive gear assembly to move the suction element. The suction element has a first position that causes the metal valve core to disengage from the drain outlet, and a second position that is farther away from the drain valve than the first position.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the driving device further includes a mounting base, and the driving gear assembly includes a first gear and a mounting bracket for mounting the adsorption element. The mounting bracket is slidably mounted in the mounting base and has teeth, wherein the first gear directly meshes with the teeth, or the first gear meshes with the teeth through an intermediate meshing member.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the drive motor is located on one side of the mounting base, the drive shaft passes through a hole in the mounting base, and the first gear is located on the other side of the mounting base.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the driving device further includes a position detection device for detecting the position of the adsorption element in order to control the driving motor to work or stop working.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the position detection device includes at least two microswitches corresponding to the first position and the second position, and the mounting bracket or the adsorption member has an actuating part that, in the corresponding position, actuates the microswitches to detect the current position of the adsorption member.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting base is fixedly connected to the lower part of the heating device, and the heating device has a clearance portion to avoid the mounting bracket. When the adsorption member is in the first position, the mounting bracket extends into the clearance portion.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the heating device is an electromagnetic coil, which includes a coil frame for winding an electromagnetic coil and a magnetic strip support covering the coil frame. The mounting base is fixedly connected to the magnetic strip support.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the mounting bracket has a placement slot for placing the adsorption component, and the opening of the placement slot faces away from the drive motor.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the heating device has a downwardly extending receiving channel, the drain valve protrudes downward from the bottom of the inner pot, the drain valve is located within the receiving channel, the pot body also includes a base, the base has an upwardly extending docking channel, the docking channel corresponds to the receiving channel, and the docking portion of the docking channel and the receiving channel is provided with a sealing structure.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of temperature sensing elements are provided around the outer periphery of the accommodating channel, the plurality of temperature sensing elements abut against the inner bottom wall of the drain valve, and the heating zone of the heating device extends outward from the outer edge of the plurality of temperature sensing elements.

[0017] The advantages of this application compared to the prior art are:

[0018] This application solves the problems of existing drive devices that use linkage structures to drive the adsorption element being too large, difficult to install, and unable to ensure the distance between the adsorption element and the drain valve, resulting in unstable driving effect. This application replaces the existing linkage structure with a drive gear assembly. The drive gear assembly has a simpler driving method, is less prone to damage, and can move the adsorption element a longer distance in a smaller space. Only the installation position of the adsorption element needs to be changed to control the distance between the drain valve and the adsorption element. Therefore, even with a small size, the distance between the adsorption element and the drain valve can be precisely controlled. The smaller this distance, the better the valve opening effect is ensured, ensuring the adsorption element's actuation of the metal valve core, resulting in a better and more stable valve opening effect. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of a cooking appliance according to one embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the inner pot and drain valve assembly in one embodiment of this application (with the valve closed);

[0022] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the pot body in the inverted state and the heating device and driving device of this application (the driving device is in the disassembled state);

[0023] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the lower pot body, inner pot, heating device and driving device in cooperation (with the adsorption element in the first position and the drain valve open) according to an embodiment of this application.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the lower pot body, inner pot, heating device and driving device in cooperation (with the adsorption element in the second position and the drain valve closed) according to one embodiment of this application.

[0025] Figure 6 This is an exploded perspective view of the driving device according to one embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of a driving device according to one embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure label:

[0028] 1-Pot body; 101-Base; 1011-Docking channel; 2-Inner pot; 3-Heating device; 301-Allowing part; 302-Electromagnetic coil; 3021-Electromagnetic coil; 3022-Coil coil frame; 3023-Magnetic strip support; 303-Accommodation channel; 4-Drain valve; 401-Metal valve core; 402-Drain outlet; 5-Drive device; 501-Drive motor; 5011-Drive shaft; 502-First gear; 503-Adsorption component; 504-Mounting base; 5041-Mounting groove; 5042-Perforation; 505-Mounting bracket; 5051-Slider; 5052-Gear; 5053-Actuating part; 5054-Placement groove; 506-Micro switch; 507-Gear cover plate; 6-Sealing structure Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of this application. However, this application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0031] Furthermore, it should be understood in the description of this application that the terms "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0032] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or a communication connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the "above" or "below" of the second feature can mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "implementation," "example," "a particular embodiment," "example," or "specific example" indicate that the specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. The technical solutions of this application will now be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Existing cooking appliances with automatic drainage require a drive mechanism to open the drain valve and drain liquid from the inner pot. These drive mechanisms typically employ contact or non-contact methods. Unlike contact-based methods, non-contact methods are more sensitive to the distance between the suction element and the drain valve. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure the suction element can smoothly actuate the metal valve core. Current technology uses a linkage structure that allows the suction element to move up and down along its path after multiple rotations of the drive motor. This ensures the suction element's position changes towards and away from the drain valve. However, this doesn't account for the large size of the linkage structure itself. The resulting interference and large oscillation amplitude can cause fluctuations in the distance between the suction element and the drain valve, ultimately affecting the normal opening and closing of the drain valve.

[0035] This application aims to solve the problems caused by the aforementioned non-contact drive devices. For example... Figures 1-3 As shown, a cooking appliance with a drain valve includes a pot body 1, an inner pot 2 disposed within the pot body 1, and a heating device 3 disposed within the pot body 1. A drain valve 4 is installed at the bottom of the inner pot 2. The cooking appliance also includes a driving device 5 that can drive the drain valve 4 to open. The drain valve 4 includes a metal valve core 401 and a drain outlet 402. The metal valve core 401 blocks the drain outlet 402. The driving device 5 includes a drive motor 501, a drive gear assembly, and an adsorption element 503. The drive shaft 5011 of the drive motor 501 drives the drive gear assembly to move the adsorption element 503. The adsorption element 503 has a first position that causes the metal valve core 401 to disengage from the drain outlet 402, and a second position that is farther away from the drain valve 4 than the first position. In this way, this application replaces the existing linkage structure with a drive gear assembly. The drive gear assembly is simpler, less prone to damage, and can move the adsorption element 503 a longer distance in a smaller space. The distance between the drain valve 4 and the adsorption element 503 can be controlled simply by changing the installation position of the adsorption element 503. This allows for precise control of the distance between the adsorption element 503 and the drain valve 4 even in a small size. The smaller the distance, the better the valve opening effect, ensuring that the adsorption element 503 actuates the metal valve core 401, resulting in a better and more stable effect on driving the drain valve 4 to open. In this embodiment, water in the inner pot 2 is drained through the drain valve 4 to achieve the cooking of low-sugar rice or low-purine foods, or to achieve automatic cleaning and cooking of foods. It is understood that the drive gear assembly receives the torque output by the drive motor 501 through a gear structure. It can be implemented by combining multiple components into an assembly. Specific implementation examples will be given later. However, it should be noted that, in addition to the drive gear assembly method mentioned in this application, existing methods for moving the adsorption component through a gear structure should also be within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] In some implementations, such as Figure 3As shown, the drive device 5 also includes a mounting base 504. The drive gear assembly includes a first gear 502 and a mounting bracket 505 for mounting the adsorption element 503. The first gear 502 is sleeved on the drive shaft 5011. The mounting bracket 505 is slidably mounted in the mounting base 504. The adsorption element 503 is driven by the mounting bracket 505, which can play a good protective role for the adsorption element 503, ensure its attractive force, and prevent the adsorption element 503 from falling off to a certain extent, ensuring its position and stable installation. This ensures that the adsorption element 503 attracts or repels the metal valve core 401. Specifically, in some examples, the mounting bracket 505 has a slider 5051 on the side facing the mounting base 504, and the mounting base 504 has a corresponding groove in the mounting groove 5041 for mounting the mounting bracket 505. The slider 5051 is inserted into the groove so that the mounting bracket 505 can be slidably mounted in the mounting base 504. This structure is simple, the sliding is smooth and not easy to shake. In other examples, other sliding installations that can be achieved by those skilled in the art can also be used. Existing sliding installation methods will not be listed here.

[0037] Specifically, the mounting bracket 505 has teeth 5052. The first gear 502 directly meshes with the teeth 5052, or the first gear 502 meshes with the teeth 5052 through an intermediate meshing member. The intermediate meshing member can be a gear structure or a rack structure, etc., that can transfer the rotation of the first gear 502 to the teeth 5052. There is no limitation here. In this example, the teeth 5052 adopts a rack-like structure, so the rotational motion of the first gear 502 can be converted into the linear motion of the teeth 5052, thus achieving "small "Volume transmission" avoids the bulky valve body system composed of the drain valve 4 and the drive device 5 due to excessively large transmission structure, and adapts to the miniaturization and integration design requirements of the drain valve 4; and the linear motion is different from the swinging structure of the existing technology using linkage structure, which can precisely control the unidirectional movement distance of the mounting bracket 505, and further ensure that the adsorption part 503 on the mounting bracket 505 moves toward the drain valve 4, ensuring the opening of the drain valve 4, that is, ensuring that the metal valve core 401 of the drain valve 4 can stably switch between the first position and the second position. Furthermore, due to the setting of the teeth 5052, multi-level adjustment of the distance between the mounting bracket 505 and the drain valve 4, and multi-level adjustment of the degree of obstruction between the metal valve core 401 and the drain port 402 can be realized, so as to realize different degrees of opening of the drain valve, which can be adapted to more drainage scenarios, such as rapid drainage and low flow pressure stabilizing drainage, making the drainage function more diverse, thereby realizing more cooking functions; in other examples, the mounting bracket 505 may not be present, and the adsorption element 503 can be directly installed on the mounting base 504. The first gear 502 directly meshes with the adsorption element 503 for transmission, or the first gear 502 indirectly meshes with the adsorption element 503 through an intermediate meshing element, thereby realizing that the drive shaft 5011 drives the drive gear assembly to move the adsorption element 503, so that the adsorption element 503 moves away from or closer to the drain valve 4;

[0038] Furthermore, in this example, the mounting bracket 505 is installed vertically, so that the rotation of the first gear 502 drives the mounting bracket 505 and the suction member 503 on it to move up and down. Since the drain valve 4 is installed at the bottom of the inner pot 2, in order to minimize the vertical dimension of the drain valve 4, in this example, the suction member 503 moves upward to reach the first position, and after reaching the first position, it moves downward to reach the second position. That is, the first position is higher than the second position. When the suction member 503 is in the first position, the magnetic force of the suction member 503 causes the metal valve core 401 to disengage from the drain port 402. Figure 4As shown, the adsorbent 503 is in the first position. At this time, the adsorbent 503 is close to the drain valve 4, and its magnetic force is sufficient to attract the metal valve core 401. Therefore, the metal valve core 401 is attracted by the adsorbent 503 and completes its movement toward the inner side wall of the drain valve 4. At this time, the metal valve core 401 no longer blocks the drain outlet 402, and the drain outlet 402 is opened, that is, the drain valve 4 is in the open valve state, and at least part of the liquid in the inner pot 2 can flow out to the outside through the drain outlet 402. It needs to be explained what it means for the adsorbent 503 to attract the metal valve core 401. That is, the adsorbent 503 can move the metal valve core 401 by attracting or repelling it with magnetic force. For example, when the metal valve core 401 also has a magnetic force, and the end of the metal valve core 401 facing the adsorbent 503 is opposite to the adsorbent 503... When the magnetic poles at one end of the metal valve core 401 are the same, the adsorption element 503 can generate a repulsive force on the metal valve core 401, pushing the metal valve core 401 away from the state of blocking the drain outlet 402. When the magnetic poles of the end of the metal valve core 401 facing the adsorption element 503 are opposite to those of the corresponding end of the adsorption element 503, the adsorption element 503 generates an attractive force on the metal valve core 401, attracting the metal valve core 401 and moving it toward the adsorption element 503. When the metal valve core 401 does not have a magnetic force, but is made of materials such as iron, cobalt, and nickel that can be attracted by the adsorption element 503, the adsorption element 503 generates an attractive force on the metal valve core 401. The situation where the adsorption element 503 actuates the metal valve core 401 will not be described further hereafter. This actuation method includes the adsorption element 503 attracting or repelling the metal valve core 401. Figure 5 As shown, the adsorption element 503 is in the second position. At this time, the adsorption element 503 is further away from the drain valve 4 than when it is in the first position. Under reasonable design, the magnetic force generated by the adsorption element 503 cannot act on the metal valve core 401 or is insufficient to make the metal valve core 401 detach from the drain port 402. At this time, the metal valve core 401 can be repositioned in the drain port 402 due to gravity or other forces, thereby achieving the sealing of the drain port 402 by the metal valve core 401. At this time, the drain valve 4 is in the closed state, and the liquid in the inner pot 2 cannot flow out from the drain valve 4, thus preserving the liquid in the inner pot 2.

[0039] In some implementations, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the drive motor 501 is located on one side of the mounting base 504, and the drive shaft 5011 passes through the through hole 5042 of the mounting base 504. The first gear 502 is located on the other side of the mounting base 504. This arrangement allows components such as the mounting bracket 505, the adsorption component 503, and the first gear 502 to be separated from the drive motor 501 via the mounting base 504. The mounting base 504 separates the drive motor 501, protecting it from metal or magnetic components like the adsorption component 503. Furthermore, the drive shaft 5011 passing through the through hole 5042 buffers the reaction force generated when the first gear 502 meshes with the mounting bracket 505, preventing deformation of the drive shaft 5011 due to prolonged stress on the drive motor 501, which would affect the performance of the drive device 5. Additionally, the drive shaft 5011 passing through the through hole 5042 allows the entire drive device 501 to maintain its position within the mounting base. The drive motor 501 is more stable. Vibrations generated during the operation of the drive unit 5 are reduced because all components are tightly connected and in contact with or connected to the mounting base 504. As long as the mounting base 504 is properly installed, the noise of the entire drive unit 5 will be greatly reduced. The drive motor 501 can also be further secured to the mounting base 504 with screws. This not only ensures a stable and compact installation of the drive motor 501, but also allows for easy disassembly and removal of all or most of its components in case of damage, facilitating disassembly and repair. Figure 6 A gear cover plate 507 is also provided at the location where the first gear 502 is installed on the mounting base 504. The gear cover plate 507 can be fixed to the mounting base 504 by screws. Screw posts are provided on the mounting base 504 or the gear cover plate 507. The mounting base 504 and the gear cover plate 507 are separated by screw posts of a certain length to create a mounting cavity for the first gear 502. The gear cover plate 507 can provide good protection for the first gear 502 and reduce the noise generated by the vibration of the first gear 502 during operation, thus ensuring the service life of the drive device 5.

[0040] In some embodiments, the drive device 5 further includes a position detection device for detecting the position of the adsorption member 503 in order to control the drive motor 501 to work or stop working. The position detection device can quickly identify the current position of the adsorption element 503, thereby determining the open and closed state of the drain valve 4. This ensures the reliable operation of the drain valve 4 and guarantees that the control board of the cooking appliance knows the position information of the adsorption element 503. Furthermore, since the transmission between the first gear 502 and the adsorption element 503, intermediate meshing element, or mounting bracket 505 is a rigid transmission, even if the adsorption element 503 has moved to the required position, the drive motor 501 will continue to work, which may lead to overload or abnormal rotation, causing damage to the drive motor 501. Therefore, the position detection device can promptly identify whether the adsorption element 503 is in position, thereby controlling the drive motor 501 to stop working in time; or, if the adsorption element 503 is not in position, it can control the drive motor 501 to continue working until it reaches the position; or, when the adsorption element 503 needs to return to its original position, it is also necessary to first determine the current position of the adsorption element 503 before controlling the drive motor 501 to reverse, so that the drive gear assembly drives the adsorption element 503 back to its original position.

[0041] Specifically, in some examples, such as Figure 6 As shown, the position detection device includes at least two microswitches 506 corresponding to a first position and a second position. The mounting bracket 505 has an actuating part 5053. At the corresponding position, the actuating part 5053 actuates the microswitches 506 to detect the current position of the adsorption member 503. Figure 7 As shown, the adsorbent 503 is located in the first position, which is also the highest point of the mounting groove 5041 on the mounting base 504. The actuating part 5053 presses and actuates the metal spring of the microswitch 506 at this position. At this time, the microswitch 506 transmits the position information to the control module of the cooking appliance. The control module knows that the adsorbent 503 is in the first position. The adsorbent 503 is at the highest point, and the distance to the drain valve 4 is the closest compared to other positions. The magnetic force of the adsorbent 503 actuates the metal valve core 401, causing it to detach from the drain outlet 402, thereby opening the drain outlet. Similarly, the aforementioned microswitch can be used in other positions to achieve different opening degrees of the valve or the valve closed state, which will not be elaborated here. The microswitch solution is low in cost and easy to install and implement. In other examples, other types of position detection devices, such as Hall sensors, photoelectric sensors, etc., can also be used to achieve this. At least in the first and second positions mentioned above, such detection elements can be used to detect whether the adsorbent 503 or the mounting bracket 505 is in place, which will not be elaborated here.

[0042] In some implementations... Figure 5 The second position state diagram combined Figure 4The mounting base 504 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the heating device 3. The heating device 3 has a clearance portion 301 to avoid the mounting bracket 505. When the adsorbent 503 is in the first position, the mounting bracket 505 extends into the clearance portion 301. In this way, by providing the clearance portion 301 on the heating device 3, the mounting bracket 505 or the adsorbent 503 can avoid the solid part of the heating device 3, thus getting closer to the bottom of the inner pot 2. Therefore, the adsorbent 503 can be closer to the drain valve 4, allowing the adsorbent 503 to better guide the metal valve core 401 away from the drain outlet when the drain valve 4 needs to be opened, ensuring the opening of the drain valve 4, improving the stability of the drain valve 4, and further guaranteeing the drainage function of the cooking appliance. Furthermore, regardless of the type of heating device 3, it mainly heats the inner pot 2 upwards to cook food. Therefore, the adsorbent 503 being located in the clearance portion 301 can reduce the impact of the heat from the heating device 3 on the performance of the adsorbent 503, further optimizing the ability of the adsorbent 503 to guide the metal valve core 401. Preferably, at least one insulating element can be provided between the adsorption element 503 or the mounting bracket 505 and the heating device 3 to isolate the heat or magnetic field generated by the heating device 3 from the adsorption element 503 to a certain extent.

[0043] Specifically, in combination Figure 3 Continuing the explanation, the heating device 3 is an electromagnetic coil 302, which includes a coil frame 3022 on which an electromagnetic coil 3021 is wound, and a magnetic strip support 3023 covering the coil frame 3022. A mounting base 504 is fixedly connected to the magnetic strip support 3023. This mounting base 504 reduces the difficulty of installing the drive device 5 inside the pot body 1, facilitating assembly, disassembly, and maintenance. It is understood that a magnetic strip is installed on the magnetic strip support 3023. This magnetic strip allows the magnetic field generated by the electromagnetic coil 302 during operation to be concentrated and confined on the magnetic strip, and reduces magnetic leakage from the electromagnetic coil 302, thereby optimizing the magnetic field distribution, improving heating efficiency, and reducing energy loss and safety risks. Preferably, the magnetic strip installed on the magnetic strip bracket 3023 can be adjusted to be below the corresponding drive motor 501. The magnetic strip plays a role in magnetic isolation, solving the problem of mutual interference between the magnetic fields of the two, protecting the drive motor 501, making its operation stable, ensuring the heating efficiency of the electromagnetic coil 302, reducing the superposition of electromagnetic radiation between the two, and reducing the overall EMC risk of the cooking appliance.

[0044] In some implementations, such as Figure 6 As shown, the mounting bracket 505 has a placement groove 5054 for placing the adsorption component 503. The opening of the placement groove 5054 faces away from the drive motor 501, which can reduce the mutual influence between the adsorption component 503 and the drive motor 501. In addition, the placement groove 5054 has an opening, which can also reduce the distance between the adsorption component 503 and the drain valve 4.

[0045] In some implementations, such as Figures 3-5 As shown, the heating device 3 has a downwardly extending receiving channel 303, and the drain valve 4 protrudes downward from the bottom of the inner pot 2. The drain valve 4 is located in the receiving channel 303. The pot body 1 also includes a base 101. The base 101 has an upwardly extending docking channel 1011. The docking channel 1011 corresponds to the receiving channel 303. The docking part of the docking channel 101 and the receiving channel 303 is provided with a sealing structure 6. The docking channel 1011 can extend into the receiving channel 303, or the receiving channel 303 can extend into the docking channel 1011. Alternatively, there can be a certain gap between the docking ends of the docking channel 1011 and the receiving channel 303, which is sealed and isolated by the sealing structure 6. After the sealing structure 6 seals or blocks the docking part, liquid falling from the drain port 402 or steam flowing in the channel cannot contact the parts or parts outside the receiving channel 303, thus protecting the electronic components inside the cooking appliance and reducing the humidity inside the pot 1, making the parts less susceptible to corrosion, especially better protecting the parts of the drive device 5 and extending the service life of the cooking appliance. In some examples, the sealing structure 6 is a silicone sealing ring, which can be fitted onto the top of the docking channel 1011 or the bottom of the receiving channel 303. The silicone sealing ring has a simple structure and is easy to fit and replace. In other examples, the sealing structure 6 is a sleeve ring that fits onto the mating portion of the mating channel 1011 and the receiving channel 303, thereby completely covering the gap at the mating portion to prevent liquid splashing or vapor overflowing from the mating portion. Furthermore, the sealing structure 6 can also be supported on other solid structures of the base 101, making the installation of the sealing structure 6 more stable and improving the sealing effect.

[0046] Specifically, the heating device 3 is an electromagnetic coil 302, which includes at least a coil frame 3022 and an electromagnetic coil 3021. The accommodating channel 303 can be formed by a downwardly recessed section in the center of the coil frame 3022. Alternatively, the electromagnetic coil 302 may also include a base. In cooking appliances such as rice cookers, the inner pot 2 is placed on the base. The coil frame 3022 or the electromagnetic coil 3021 can be directly wound on the side of the base facing away from the inner pot 2, depending on the actual needs. It is understood that the inner pot 2 is heated from below by the heating device 3. Therefore, as long as the heating device 3 is generally used to heat the inner pot 2, it should be within the scope of this utility model. At least one set of coil windings made of the electromagnetic coil 3021 is wound on the side of the electromagnetic coil 302 facing away from the inner pot 2. This set of coil windings heats the inner pot 2, which is made of a metal material with magnetic conductivity, ensuring that the food in the inner pot 2 is heated. In other embodiments, the heating device 3 has a simpler heating plate structure. The heating plate contains heating elements by embedding heating wires, heating tubes, etc. The power supply terminals of the heating elements are usually located on the side of the plate away from the object being heated. A receiving channel 303 can be integrally cast and recessed in the middle or other parts of the plate. Those skilled in the art can understand how to make the receiving channel 303 after reading this utility model, so it will not be described in detail here.

[0047] Furthermore, multiple temperature sensing elements (not shown in the figure) are arranged around the outer periphery of the accommodating channel 303. These multiple temperature sensing elements abut against the bottom wall of the inner pot 2 around the drain valve 4. The heating zone of the heating device 3 extends outward from the outer edge of the multiple temperature sensing elements. While the temperature sensing elements are set at the bottom of the inner pot 2, they avoid the heating zone of the heating device 3. This firstly solves the problems of limited space for setting temperature sensing elements in the heating zone, complex installation and fixing, and high-temperature aging of the temperature sensing elements. It also prevents the temperature sensing position from being located in the heating zone of the heating device 3, i.e., the local overheating point of the heating device 3, and the problem of the measured temperature value not being the actual temperature value of the inner pot due to the strong heat radiation and heat conduction interference brought by the heating zone. This causes large temperature correction, inaccurate temperature measurement, and misjudgment. Accurate temperature measurement further ensures that the drive motor 501 drives the adsorption element 503 to move at the appropriate time through the drive gear assembly, avoiding the discharge of liquid in the inner pot 2 into the external environment at an unsuitable temperature (too high or too low), which could cause safety accidents, poor user experience, or affect cooking efficiency.

[0048] For any parts not mentioned in this application, existing technologies may be used or referenced.

[0049] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments.

[0050] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A cooking appliance with a drain valve, comprising a pot body, an inner pot disposed within the pot body, and a heating device disposed within the pot body, wherein a drain valve is installed at the bottom of the inner pot, and the cooking appliance further comprises a driving device capable of opening the drain valve, characterized in that, The drain valve includes a metal valve core and a drain outlet. The metal valve core blocks the drain outlet. The driving device includes a drive motor, a drive gear assembly, and an adsorption element. The drive shaft of the drive motor drives the drive gear assembly to move the adsorption element. The adsorption element has a first position that causes the metal valve core to disengage from the drain outlet, and a second position that is farther away from the drain valve than the first position.

2. A cooking appliance with a drain valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The driving device further includes a mounting base, and the driving gear assembly includes a first gear and a mounting bracket for mounting the adsorption element. The mounting bracket is slidably mounted in the mounting base and has teeth. The first gear directly meshes with the teeth, or the first gear meshes with the teeth through an intermediate meshing member.

3. A cooking appliance with a drain valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The drive motor is located on one side of the mounting base, the drive shaft passes through a hole in the mounting base, and the first gear is located on the other side of the mounting base.

4. A cooking appliance with a drain valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The driving device also includes a position detection device, which is used to detect the position of the adsorption element in order to control the driving motor to work or stop working.

5. A cooking appliance with a drain valve according to claim 4, characterized in that, The position detection device includes at least two microswitches corresponding to the first position and the second position. The mounting bracket or the adsorption member has an actuating part. In the corresponding position, the actuating part actuates the microswitches to detect the current position of the adsorption member.

6. A cooking appliance with a drain valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mounting base is fixedly connected to the lower part of the heating device. The heating device has a clearance portion to avoid the mounting bracket. When the adsorption member is in the first position, the mounting bracket extends into the clearance portion.

7. A cooking appliance with a drain valve according to claim 6, characterized in that, The heating device is an electromagnetic coil, which includes a coil frame for winding an electromagnetic coil and a magnetic strip support covering the coil frame. The mounting base is fixedly connected to the magnetic strip support.

8. A cooking appliance with a drain valve according to claim 2, characterized in that, The mounting bracket has a placement slot for placing the adsorption component, and the opening of the placement slot faces away from the drive motor.

9. A cooking appliance with a drain valve according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating device has a downwardly extending receiving channel, and the drain valve protrudes downward from the bottom of the inner pot. The drain valve is located within the receiving channel. The pot body also includes a base, and the base has an upwardly extending docking channel. The docking channel corresponds to the receiving channel, and the docking portion of the docking channel and the receiving channel is provided with a sealing structure.

10. A cooking appliance with a drain valve according to claim 9, characterized in that, Multiple temperature sensing elements are provided around the outer periphery of the accommodating channel. The multiple temperature sensing elements abut against the bottom wall of the inner pot around the outer periphery of the drain valve. The heating zone of the heating device extends outward from the outer edge of the multiple temperature sensing elements.

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