A cooking utensil with a draining function

Abstract

The application provides a cooking utensil with a draining function, which is achieved by a detachable draining valve in the axial direction and a radial movement to open and close the valve body, so as to solve the problem that the user is tired of disassembling and washing the valve core. The core of the scheme is that the draining valve is detachably taken out along the axis of the containing channel. The ball valve has an open position and a sealing position in which the first sealing element is disengaged and sealed, respectively. The open position is closer to the radial outside of the valve cavity than the sealing position. The ball valve moves between the open position and the sealing position to open and close the valve body. When the ball valve opens the valve body, the open position on the radial outside can reduce the pouring of the broth in the axial direction, thereby improving the dirt resistance of the ball valve and reducing the cleaning difficulty of the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of kitchen appliance technology, and in particular to a cooking appliance with a draining function. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, people are paying more and more attention to healthy eating. In order to cook more nutritious and healthy ingredients, the draining function can be used to drain the ingredients during the cooking process. For example, when people want to control their sugar intake to treat diabetes or suppress obesity, they can drain the rice water during the cooking process to reduce the sugar content of the rice. Another example is when people want to avoid gout symptoms after eating cooked food, they can drain the food to remove purines, a key component that causes gout. Furthermore, when people want to cook mixed grain rice with a good texture, they can use a cooking method of adding water and draining repeatedly to subject the ingredients to hot and cold shocks, which will cause the seed coat of hard-to-cook ingredients to break down quickly, thereby increasing the cooking speed and improving the taste.

[0003] Taking rice cooking as an example, there are many existing methods for cooking rice. The most common method is to add a certain amount of water and rice to the inner pot of a cooking appliance, and then heat it to cook. Once the rice grains have absorbed water and gelatinized completely and the water has evaporated, cooked rice can be obtained. However, since this cooking method fails to remove the starch that has been released into the water, rice cooked using current cooking appliances is more likely to cause a rise in blood sugar levels compared to rice cooked after draining.

[0004] To remove starch from rice that has dissolved into water, thus obtaining low-sugar rice, Chinese patent CN201410261845.6 discloses a steamer, a cooking appliance, and a control method thereof. In this method, the steamer is placed inside an inner pot, with a certain distance between the steamer and the bottom of the inner pot. Rice is placed in the steamer, and a certain amount of water is added to the inner pot. The steamer has perforations. When the rice water boils, it can enter the steamer through the perforations on the side wall or through the gap between the side wall of the steamer and the side wall of the inner pot. The starch and sugar in the rice dissolve in the rice water, which then flows out through the perforations on the bottom wall of the steamer, carrying away the dissolved starch and sugar, resulting in low-sugar rice. However, achieving this by boiling the rice water to rinse the rice in the steamer is difficult, requiring the rice water to boil vigorously and splash high, thus often resulting in an unsatisfactory sugar-reducing effect.

[0005] Chinese patent CN201921351400.1 discloses a sugar-reducing cooking appliance, which also features a pot with an inner liner. The difference lies in the drainage channel at the bottom of the inner liner. During operation, the user adds washed rice to the pot and appropriate amount of water to the storage area until the rice is submerged. As cooking progresses, the rice starch dissolves into the water in the storage area, forming rice water. Opening the drainage channel allows the rice water to be drained. Finally, the remaining water is used to cook the rice, resulting in low-sugar rice. This design automatically drains the water, thus actively reducing the amount of water needed for cooking. Therefore, there is no need to consider the rice-to-water ratio; more water can be added to ensure the rice is submerged during the initial cooking stage, allowing for the full transfer of free starch into the rice water, thereby improving the sugar-reducing effect. However, rice needs to be cooked by boiling first and then steaming to fully cook it. Compared with traditional cooking methods, rice obtained by boiling first and then steaming cannot match the physical and chemical properties and taste (such as elasticity and aroma) of rice obtained by boiling first and then simmering, resulting in low user acceptance.

[0006] Chinese patent CN201820384854.8 discloses an electric cooking device, which also has a drainage channel at the bottom of the inner container. The difference is that there is no steamer in the inner container. The rice is cooked directly inside the inner container. In this way, the rice can be cooked in the traditional way of boiling and then simmering, and the rice water can be drained, thus obtaining rice with good taste and good blood sugar reduction effect.

[0007] However, replacing the steamer with the traditional method of boiling and then simmering rice can easily lead to more residue on the surface or inside of the valve body at the bottom. Therefore, the cleaning requirements are higher. If the cleaning is not thorough, the valve body will become clogged, affecting the drainage effect and making it easy for bacteria to grow and for residue to rot, thus contaminating the rice cooked later. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that the valve body can be easily disassembled and cleaned.

[0008] The valve body contains a valve core. When the valve body is detachable, it can generally be removed and placed along the axis of the installation port or accommodating channel of the drain valve. If the valve core is opened and closed in the axial direction, the valve core will occupy most of the space in the valve cavity, and the valve core will inevitably be located in the middle of the valve cavity when it is open. Most of the rice water will be poured directly onto the valve core, which will easily increase the difficulty of cleaning the valve core, make users tired of disassembling and cleaning, and affect the experience. Utility Model Content

[0009] This application provides a cooking appliance with a draining function, which solves the problem of users being tired of disassembling and cleaning the valve core by means of an axially detachable draining valve and a radially movable valve body.

[0010] This application provides a cooking appliance with a draining function, including a pot inner pot and a draining valve disposed at the bottom of the pot inner pot. The bottom of the pot inner pot has a receiving channel, and the draining valve is detachably disposed inside the receiving channel. The draining valve has a valve body and a valve cavity disposed inside the valve body. The valve cavity is provided with a first sealing element and a ball valve that cooperates with the first sealing element. The draining valve and the receiving channel are aligned with each other along their respective axial directions, and their respective radial directions are orthogonal to the axial direction. The draining valve is detachable and removable along the axial direction of the receiving channel. The ball valve has an open position that is disengaged from the first sealing element and a sealed position that is engaged with it. The open position is closer to the radial outer side of the valve cavity than the sealed position. The ball valve moves between the open position and the sealed position to open and close the valve body.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the bottom of the pot liner is provided with an installation cylinder and a receiving channel located inside the installation cylinder; a second sealing element is provided between the valve body and the installation cylinder for sealing between the two, the second sealing element allows for an interference fit between the drain valve and the installation cylinder; the second sealing element divides the gap between the outer wall of the valve body and the inner wall of the receiving channel into an upper fitting gap and a lower fitting gap, the upper fitting gap extending downward from the top edge of the receiving channel to the second sealing element; the lower fitting gap extending upward from the bottom edge of the receiving channel to the second sealing element.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of this application, in the open position, the ball valve abuts against the inner wall of the valve body, and the projection of the ball valve toward the radially outer side of the valve cavity at least partially overlaps with the area where the second seal is located.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the second seal is disposed on the valve body; the cooking chamber of the pot is located on the upward side along the axis, and the drain valve is disassembled from the cooking chamber on the upward side along the axis of the receiving channel; the ball valve has an abutment position on the inner wall of the valve body, and the second seal is closer to the axial upper side of the receiving channel relative to the abutment position.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the first sealing element has an annular sealing surface, and the ball valve seals with the annular sealing surface in the sealing position.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the annular sealing surface is inclined upward and outward along the sealing position side toward the opening position side, and the opening position is closer to the axial upper side of the valve cavity than the sealing position.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the annular sealing surface forms a curve on the sealing surface in an axial section, the curve extends from the sealing position side to the opening position side, and the slope of the curve gradually decreases during the extension process.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the top of the drain valve does not protrude beyond the top edge of the receiving channel.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of this application, a mounting platform is provided at the top edge of the accommodating channel, and the drain valve at least partially cooperates with the mounting platform.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of this application, an installation opening is formed at the bottom of the pot, an installation cylinder is disposed within the installation opening, and the receiving channel is disposed within the installation cylinder.

[0020] The technical solution provided in this application has at least the following advantages compared with the prior art: The drain valve is detachably installed in the receiving channel and can be removed and placed along the axial direction of the receiving channel. When the drain valve is used to drain liquid, the liquid inside the pot will flow out along the axial direction of the valve cavity. Since the ball valve has an opening position that is closer to the radial outer side of the valve cavity than the sealing position, the ball valve has the possibility of radial movement to open and close the valve body. When the ball valve opens the valve body, the opening position located on the radial outer side can reduce the amount of rice water dripping in the axial direction, thereby improving the ball valve's resistance to dirt and reducing the difficulty of cleaning for users. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0022] 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, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a cooking appliance with a draining function in some embodiments of this application.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the inner pot in some embodiments of this application.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the ball valve in the sealed position in an embodiment of a drain valve according to this application.

[0026] Figure 4This is a cross-sectional view of the ball valve in the open position in an embodiment of a drain valve according to this application.

[0027] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of an embodiment of a drain valve according to this application.

[0028] 10. Main body of the appliance; 20. Pot liner; 30. Drain valve; 40. Heating device.

[0029] 21. Pot body; 22. Cooking cavity; 23. Bottom of the pot body; 24. Mounting port; 25. Mounting cylinder; 26. Receiving channel; 261. Top edge position; 262. Bottom edge position; 27. Mounting platform; 28. Upper fitting clearance; 29. ​​Lower fitting clearance.

[0030] 31. Valve body; 32. Valve cavity; 311. Valve shell; 312. Valve cover; 33. First seal; 331. Annular sealing surface; 3311. Curve; 34. Ball valve; 341. Projection; 342. Abutting position; 35. Second seal; 351. Sealing lip; 36. Liquid outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application, the solution of this application will be further described below. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0032] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of this application, but this application may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein; obviously, the embodiments in the specification are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a cooking appliance with a draining function. This function allows for the draining of ingredients during the cooking process. For example, when people want to control their sugar intake to treat diabetes or suppress obesity, the rice water can be drained during cooking to reduce the sugar content of the rice. Alternatively, if people want to avoid gout symptoms after consuming cooked food, they can drain the food to remove purines, a key component that causes gout. Furthermore, when people want to achieve a better-tasting mixed grain rice, they can use a cooking method of adding water and draining repeatedly to subject the food to hot and cold shocks, causing the seed coats of hard-to-cook ingredients to break down quickly, thus increasing the cooking speed and improving the texture.

[0034] This cooking appliance can be a rice cooker, electric pressure cooker, electric hot pot, or other cooking appliance that can add water to cook food. Such appliances generally include a main body 10, a heating device 40, and a pot 20. The heating device 40 heats the pot 20, which is detachably mounted on the main body 10. The pot 20 has a body 21 and a cooking cavity 22, where food is placed and cooked. Of course, those skilled in the art will understand that a specific cooking appliance, such as a rice cooker, may have other known structures besides the pot 20; these will not be described further in this embodiment.

[0035] Since the inner pot 20 used for cooking comes into contact with food, it needs to be cleaned frequently to keep it clean and hygienic. As described in the background art, in order to achieve the draining function, one possible way is to install a drain valve 30 at the bottom 23 of the inner pot, and the drain valve 30 should also be detachable for easy cleaning.

[0036] Among them, such as Figure 2 , 3 As shown in Figure 4, the bottom of the pot is provided with a receiving channel 26. Inside the receiving channel 26, there is a detachable drain valve 30. The drain valve 30 has a valve body 31 and a valve cavity 32 located inside the valve body 31. Inside the valve cavity 32, there is a first sealing element 33 and a ball valve 34 that cooperates with the first sealing element 33. The drain valve 30 and the receiving channel 26 have the same axial direction, and their radial directions are orthogonal to the axial direction. The drain valve 30 can be detached and placed along the axial direction of the receiving channel 26. The ball valve 34 has an open position that is disengaged from the first sealing element 33 and a sealed position that is in contact with it. The open position is closer to the radial outer side of the valve cavity 32 than the sealed position. The ball valve 34 moves between the open position and the sealed position to open and close the valve body.

[0037] It should be noted that, since the ball valve 34 in this embodiment is located at the center of the pot, the axis of the pot and the axis of the drain valve 30 coincide. However, the fact that the axes are in the same direction does not mean that the axes of the drain valve 30 and the accommodating channel 26 are necessarily coincident; they can also be parallel, i.e., the drain valve 30 is not located at the center. In this application, the axis and radial directions are defined by the default position of the pot, i.e., the up and down direction is the axis direction, and the left and right direction is the radial direction. By default, upward is the positive direction of the axis direction, and rightward is the positive direction of the radial direction. Figure 3 , 4 As shown, the Z-axis is the axial direction, and the X-axis is the radial direction.

[0038] In some embodiments of this application, the movement of the ball valve 34 can be achieved by magnetic attraction or by other driving methods. In the embodiments disclosed in this application, the ball valve 34 sits in the sealing position by its own weight.

[0039] In the embodiments disclosed in this application, the valve body 31 is a solid structure, the valve cavity 32 is a space, the top of the valve cavity 32 is connected to the cooking cavity of the pot through the liquid inlet, the bottom of the valve cavity 32 is connected to the external space through the liquid outlet 36, the liquid outlet 36 is formed inside the first sealing member 33, the ball valve 34 can close the liquid outlet 36 in the sealed position and open the liquid outlet 36 in the open position.

[0040] In the above embodiment, the drain valve 30 is detachably installed in the accommodating channel 26 and can be detached and placed along the axial direction of the accommodating channel 26. When the drain valve 30 is used for drainage, the liquid inside the pot will flow out along the axial direction of the valve cavity 32. Since the ball valve 34 has an opening position that is closer to the radial outer side of the valve cavity 32 than the sealing position, the ball valve 34 has the possibility of moving in the radial direction to open and close the valve body. When the ball valve 34 opens the valve body, the opening position located on the radial outer side can reduce the amount of rice water poured in the axial direction of the ball valve 34, thereby improving the ball valve 34's resistance to dirt and reducing the user's cleaning difficulty.

[0041] In further embodiments of this application, such as Figure 3 As shown, the bottom of the pot is provided with an installation cylinder 25 and a receiving channel 26 located inside the installation cylinder 25; a second sealing element 35 is provided between the valve body 31 and the installation cylinder 25 for sealing the two, and the second sealing element 35 allows the drain valve 30 and the installation cylinder 25 to be interference-fitted; the second sealing element 35 divides the gap between the outer wall of the valve body 31 and the inner wall of the receiving channel 26 into an upper fitting gap 28 and a lower fitting gap 29. The upper fitting gap 28 extends downward from the top edge position 261 of the receiving channel 26 to the second sealing element 35; the lower fitting gap 29 extends upward from the bottom edge position 262 of the receiving channel 26 to the second sealing element 35.

[0042] In the further embodiments described above, the second seal 35 is sleeved on the valve body 31; in other embodiments, the second seal 35 is disposed on the mounting cylinder 25.

[0043] When the drain valve 30 is disassembled and cleaned axially from the receiving channel 26, in order to facilitate the disassembly and assembly of the drain valve 30, the valve body 31 and the mounting cylinder 25 adopt an interference fit to fix the drain valve 30 in the receiving channel 26. In this way, the user only needs to overcome the friction generated by the interference fit of the second sealing element 35 to remove the drain valve 30 from the receiving channel 26. Compared with other fixing structures that use threaded fixing, snap-fit ​​fixing, nuts and bolts and other locking structures, the interference fit is a simple fixing method. There is no extra unlocking action during disassembly and assembly, which is convenient to operate and helps to improve the user experience.

[0044] Because of the interference fit, if there are too many sealing structures between the valve body 31 and the mounting cylinder 25 or if their positions are incorrect, it may cause problems of varying degrees. For example, if there are too many sealing structures, the drain valve 30 will be more difficult to disassemble. If there are too few, it will be difficult to ensure that the normal sealing performance is maintained during the service life. For another example, if the sealing structure is located in the receiving channel 26 away from the entrance of the receiving channel 26, the drain valve 30 will still maintain a seal with the receiving channel 26 when it is not completely separated from the receiving channel 26, which will make it more difficult to disassemble and assemble the drain valve 30.

[0045] In the above embodiments of this application, taking the second seal fixed on the valve body 31 as an example, for the interference fit scheme, in order to balance the sealing performance and the disassembly and assembly experience, not too many second seals 35 are set. By setting the upper fitting gap 28 and the lower fitting gap 29, a certain gap is maintained between the drain valve 30 and the mounting cylinder 25 to reduce the sealing resistance. At the same time, the structural setting of the second seal 35 is sufficient to maintain the sealing performance between the mounting cylinder 25 and the valve body 31. Furthermore, the second seal 35 is set in the middle of the receiving channel 26. During the disassembly and assembly process, the lower fitting gap 29 of the drain valve 30 will not hinder the disassembly of the valve body 31. The second seal 35 only needs to travel the distance of the upper fitting gap 28 to be able to detach from the receiving channel 26, thereby making the drain valve 30 easier to remove, saving time and effort.

[0046] In the above embodiments of this application, such as Figure 3 As shown, the second seal 35 has two sealing lips 351, which can form an interference fit with the mounting cylinder 25. In other embodiments of this application, the second seal 35 may also be other sealing structures.

[0047] In further embodiments of this application, such as Figure 4 As shown, in the open position, the ball valve 34 abuts against the inner wall of the valve body 31, and the projection 341 of the ball valve 34 toward the outer radial direction of the valve cavity 32 at least partially overlaps with the area where the second seal 35 is located.

[0048] As described above, the ball valve 34 of this application moves between a sealed position and an open position in the radial direction. When the ball valve 34 moves to the open position on the radial outer side, the inner wall of the valve body 31 can be used to limit the ball valve 34, that is, the inner wall of the valve body 31 is used as the end point of the ball valve 34's stroke. In this way, the ball valve 34 will be more controllable and reliable when opening and closing the valve body. In other embodiments of this application, the size of the valve cavity 32 can also be optimized to prevent rice soup from being poured directly onto the ball valve 34. Furthermore, when the ball valve 34 abuts against the inner wall of the valve body 31 to keep the valve body open, it is inevitable that the ball valve 34 will exert pressure on the abutting side of the valve body 31. This pressure acts on one side of the valve body 31, causing the abutting side of the valve body 31 to tend to displace radially outward. Correspondingly, the opposite side tends to displace radially inward. Thus, on the abutting side, the fitting clearance between the valve body 31 and the mounting cylinder 25 may decrease, while on the opposite side, the fitting clearance may increase. This phenomenon is detrimental to the sealing between the valve body 31 and the mounting cylinder 25. If the second sealing element 35 is improperly positioned or the upper and lower fitting clearances 29 are not properly distributed, there is a risk of leakage on the side with the increased fitting clearance.

[0049] In the above embodiments of this application, in order to solve the problem that leakage risk may easily occur on the side of the enlarged mating clearance, a scheme is adopted in which the projection 341 of the ball valve 34 on the radial outer side of the valve cavity 32 at least partially overlaps with the area where the second seal 35 is located. This can reduce the deflection amplitude of the valve body 31, thereby maintaining the seal, reducing the amount of enlargement of the mating clearance, and thus continuously maintaining the sealing performance of the second seal 35.

[0050] In further embodiments of this application, such as Figure 4 As shown, the second seal 35 is disposed on the valve body 31; the cooking chamber 22, which is the inner pot along the axis and facing upward, is disassembled from the cooking chamber 22 along the axis and facing upward from the receiving channel 26; the ball valve 34 has an abutment position 342 on the inner wall of the valve body 31, and the second seal 35 is closer to the axial upper side of the receiving channel 26 than the abutment position 342.

[0051] As a container for holding cooked food, the inner pot generally has a cooking cavity. Therefore, most users are accustomed to performing various operations in the cooking cavity. In order to accommodate users' habits, the drain valve 30 is removed from the cooking cavity along the axis towards the upper side from the receiving channel 26. Specifically, if the user wants to remove the drain valve 30 from the receiving channel 26, he / she can reach into the cooking cavity and remove the drain valve 30 that is interference-fitted in the receiving channel 26 to achieve disassembly and cleaning. Generally, the ball valve 34 has a certain volume. Therefore, when the ball valve 34 is projected outward in the radial direction of the valve cavity 32, the width between the upper and lower limit positions of the projection 341 in the axial direction is the inner diameter of the ball valve 34. The projection position of the ball center of the ball valve 34 outward in the radial direction is the opening position, which is also the location of the abutment position 342. This means that the position of the second seal 35 can be higher or lower than the abutment position 342. However, if the valve body 31 is disassembled upward along the axis, and the second seal 35 is moved closer to the axial upper side of the receiving channel 26 relative to the abutment position, then increasing the height of the second seal 35 within an appropriate range can make the second seal 35 closer to the top edge 261 of the receiving channel 26, which reduces the length of the upper mating clearance 28 and shortens the disassembly stroke. At the same time, since the second seal 35 is still within the projection range of the ball valve 34, this appropriate range will not increase the deflection too much and can continue to maintain the sealing performance.

[0052] In further embodiments of this application, such as Figure 3 , 4 As shown, the first seal 33 has an annular sealing surface 331, and the ball valve 34 seals with the annular sealing surface 331 when in the sealing position.

[0053] The ball valve 34 is basically spherical. To facilitate disassembly and cleaning, the ball valve 34 itself should be kept smooth and durable. Therefore, it is generally made of metal. When the spherical ball valve 34 is used with the first sealing element 33, it is necessary to ensure that the ball valve 34 fits the first sealing element 33. Otherwise, it is easy to cause the risk of water leakage. In order to maintain the fit of the ball valve 34, the first sealing element 33 is provided with an annular sealing surface 331. When the valve core of the drain valve 30 uses the ball valve 34 to open and close the valve body, the annular sealing surface 331 can ensure that the ball valve 34 is tightly sealed with the first sealing element 33 on all sides when it is in the sealing position, reducing the risk of water leakage.

[0054] In further embodiments of this application, such as Figure 3 , 4 As shown, the annular sealing surface 331 is inclined upward and outward along the sealing position side towards the opening position side, and the opening position is closer to the axial upper side of the valve cavity 32 than the sealing position.

[0055] When the ball valve 34 is properly sealed with the annular sealing surface, the annular sealing surface will generally deform, which will easily create an interference effect on the ball valve 34, making it more difficult for the ball valve 34 to leave the sealed position and increasing the difficulty of the ball valve 34 moving radially outward. To facilitate the ball valve 34's smoother movement to the radially outward opening position, the annular sealing surface 331 is inclined upward and outward from the sealing position side towards the opening position side. Thus, as long as the ball valve 34 can overcome the elastic interference force and move slightly upward, it can easily leave the sealed position, thereby reducing the difficulty of the ball valve 34 moving radially outward. During the movement of valve 34, the upwardly expanding annular sealing surface has a guiding effect, which can accurately guide ball valve 34 to the open position. At the same time, in order to facilitate the ball valve 34 in the open position to have a certain gravitational potential energy, this application adopts a scheme in which the open position is closer to the axial upper side of valve cavity 32 than the sealing position. This ensures that ball valve 34 can use gravitational potential energy to accelerate when resetting. The kinetic energy generated when accelerating to the sealing position can further promote the elastic deformation of the annular sealing surface 331, thereby ensuring that ball valve 34 can effectively seal with the first sealing element 33 again after resetting to the sealing position.

[0056] In further embodiments of this application, such as Figure 3 , 4 As shown, the annular sealing surface 331 forms a curve 3311 on the sealing surface in the axial section. The curve 3311 extends from the sealing position side to the opening position side, and the slope of the curve 3311 gradually decreases during the extension process.

[0057] It should be noted that the axial section can be as follows: Figure 2 , 3 The slope of curve 3311 is obtained by cutting along the direction of 4. The slope of curve 3311 is defined in a rectangular coordinate system formed by the positive directions of the axial direction and the positive directions of the radial direction, and the slope gradually decreases for this purpose.

[0058] During the movement of the ball valve 34, the spherical surface of the ball valve 34 moves in contact with the annular sealing surface 331. If the sealing surface is too steep during radial and upward movement, it will be difficult for the ball valve 34 to climb upward. However, if the sealing surface is too gentle, the ball valve 34 will easily sway left and right in the sealing position, posing a risk of leakage. To solve the problems of the ball valve 34 being unable to climb steep slopes and swaying in the sealing position, a special design is made for the curve formed on the sealing surface in the axial section of the annular sealing surface. The curve 3311 extends from the sealing position to the opening position, and the slope of the curve gradually decreases during the extension. In this way, the sealing surface in contact with the ball valve 34 is relatively steeper on the side near the sealing position, thereby increasing the difficulty of swaying when the ball valve 34 is sealing, so that the ball valve 34 can stay stably in the sealing position. On the side near the opening position, the slope gradually decreases, so that the ball valve 34 can move upward and radially outward relatively smoothly.

[0059] In further embodiments of this application, such as Figure 3 As shown, the top of the drain valve 30 does not protrude beyond the top edge of the receiving channel 26.

[0060] It should be noted that the bottom of the inner pot is not necessarily without curvature; it may be concave or convex. Therefore, the fact that the drain valve 30 does not protrude from the top edge of the receiving channel 26 does not mean that the drain valve 30 is at the lowest point of the bottom of the inner pot.

[0061] As described above, the inner pot of this application does not have a steamer for cooking. The space above the drain valve 30 is directly used to hold the cooking ingredients. In most existing technologies, the drain valve 30 protrudes from the bottom wall of the inner pot. This may cause the user's tools to collide with the drain valve 30 when taking out ingredients, thus interfering with the user's normal use and affecting the user's experience. In order not to affect the user's normal use, the top of the drain valve 30 in this application does not protrude from the top edge of the receiving channel 26. This ensures that the bottom wall of the inner pot remains relatively flat after the drain valve 30 is installed. Furthermore, the relatively flat placement of the drain valve 30 on the bottom wall of the inner pot allows for the complete drainage of liquid from the cooking chamber during drainage, preventing liquid accumulation.

[0062] In further embodiments of this application, such as Figure 3 , 5 As shown, a mounting platform 27 is provided at the top edge position 261 of the receiving channel 26, and at least a portion of the drain valve 30 cooperates with the mounting platform 27.

[0063] It should be noted that the cavity formed by the mounting platform 27 is also part of the accommodating channel 26. After the mounting platform 27 is set, the top edge position 261 is both the accommodating channel 26 and the mounting platform.

[0064] When the upper side of the drain valve 30 does not protrude beyond the top edge of the receiving channel 26, there are several ways to achieve this. For example, the top of the drain valve 30 can be directly flush with or lower than the top edge of the receiving channel 26. In this application, the top edge position 261 of the receiving channel 26 is provided with a mounting platform, so that at least a part of the drain valve 30 can cooperate with the mounting platform. The depth of the mounting platform can be set according to the actual situation. The inner diameter of the mounting platform is the inner diameter of the receiving channel 26. The mounting platform is extended outward along the radial outer side of the receiving channel 26. The width of the outward extension can be defined according to the actual situation.

[0065] In further embodiments of this application, such as Figure 2 , 5 As shown, the bottom 23 of the pot has an installation opening 24, and an installation cylinder 25 is provided inside the installation opening 24. The receiving channel 26 is located inside the installation cylinder 25.

[0066] Since the drain valve 30 must have a certain length and size in the axial direction, in order to facilitate the disassembly of the drain valve 30, it is necessary to form an accommodating channel 26 extending in the axial direction. The accommodating channel 26 is a space, and a physical entity is needed to define its specific shape and size. The mounting cylinder 25 provided in this application constitutes the physical part of the accommodating channel 26. The mounting cylinder 25 can be set separately from the bottom wall of the pot or it can be set as an integral part. When the mounting cylinder 25 is set separately, an installation opening is formed at the bottom of the pot, and the separate mounting cylinder 25 passes through the installation opening and is fixedly set in the installation opening.

[0067] like Figure 3 As shown, the valve body 31 includes a valve cover 312 and a valve housing 311. The valve cover 312 is detachably mounted on the valve housing 311. When the first seal 33 is fixed on the valve housing 311, the first seal 33 can be a part of the valve body 31.

[0068] During use, the drain valve 30 is installed in the accommodating channel 26. When the ball valve 34 is in the sealed position, the valve chamber 32 is closed, and the liquid inside the pot will not flow out through the drain valve 30. When the ball valve 34 is driven to the open position, the liquid inside the pot will flow out through the valve chamber 32 to the outside of the pot, thus achieving drainage.

[0069] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0070] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A cooking appliance with a draining function, comprising a pot inner pot and a drain valve disposed at the bottom of the pot inner pot, characterized in that: The bottom of the pot is provided with a receiving channel, and the receiving channel has a detachable drain valve inside. The drain valve has a valve body and a valve cavity located inside the valve body. The valve cavity is provided with a first sealing element and a ball valve that cooperates with the first sealing element. The drain valve and the receiving channel have the same axial direction, and their radial directions are orthogonal to the axial direction. The drain valve can be detached and placed along the axial direction of the receiving channel. The ball valve has an open position that is disengaged from the first seal and a sealed position that is in contact with it. The open position is closer to the radial outer side of the valve cavity than the sealed position. The ball valve moves between the open position and the sealed position to open and close the valve body.

2. The cooking appliance with a draining function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the pot is provided with an installation cylinder and a receiving channel located inside the installation cylinder; A second sealing element is provided between the valve body and the mounting cylinder for sealing the two, and the second sealing element allows for an interference fit between the drain valve and the mounting cylinder; The second seal divides the gap between the outer wall of the valve body and the inner wall of the receiving channel into an upper fitting gap and a lower fitting gap. The upper fitting gap extends downward from the top edge of the receiving channel to the second seal; the lower fitting gap extends upward from the bottom edge of the receiving channel to the second seal.

3. The cooking appliance with a draining function according to claim 2, characterized in that, In the open position, the ball valve abuts against the inner wall of the valve body, and the projection of the ball valve toward the radially outer side of the valve cavity at least partially overlaps with the area where the second seal is located.

4. The cooking appliance with a draining function according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second seal is disposed on the valve body, and the upper side along the axis is the cooking chamber of the pot. The drain valve is disassembled from the cooking chamber along the upper side of the accommodating channel. The ball valve has an abutment position on the inner wall of the valve body, and the second seal is closer to the axial upper side of the receiving channel relative to the abutment position.

5. The cooking appliance with a draining function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first seal has an annular sealing surface, and the ball valve seals with the annular sealing surface in the sealed position.

6. The cooking appliance with a draining function according to claim 5, characterized in that, The annular sealing surface is inclined upward and outward along the sealing position side toward the opening position side, and the opening position is closer to the axial upper side of the valve cavity than the sealing position.

7. The cooking appliance with a draining function according to claim 6, characterized in that, The annular sealing surface forms a curve on the sealing surface in an axial section. The curve extends from the sealing position side to the opening position side, and the slope of the curve gradually decreases during the extension process.

8. The cooking appliance with a draining function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the drain valve does not protrude beyond the top edge of the receiving channel.

9. The cooking appliance with a draining function according to claim 8, characterized in that, The top edge of the receiving channel is provided with a mounting platform, and at least a portion of the drain valve cooperates with the mounting platform.

10. The cooking appliance with a draining function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the pot has an installation opening, and an installation cylinder is provided inside the installation opening. The receiving channel is located inside the installation cylinder.

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