Rice cooker

Abstract

To provide a rice cooker capable of suppressing the execution of a rice cooking process without attaching a lid body.SOLUTION: The rice cooker includes a pot, a pot container which detachably stores the pot and to which a lid body covering an upper opening of the pot is detachably attached, a housing having a placing surface on which the pot container is placed, and a weight detection part which detects the weight of the pot container. The rice cooker includes a load member provided so as to be brought into contact with a lid body, a moving part for moving the load member to a first position in contact with the lid body and a second position away from the first position, a heating part for heating a pot in a pot container, and a control part for controlling the moving part and the heating part to execute a rice cooking process. The control part does not execute the rice cooking process when a difference between a first detection weight by the weight detection part when the load member is moved to the first position by controlling the moving part and a second detection weight by the weight detection part when the load member is moved to the second position is within a predetermined range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to Error detection system and error detection method this.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a rice cooker of this type, for example, a rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-4398) is known. Patent Document 1 discloses a rice cooker including a pot, a pot container that detachably houses the pot, a detachable lid that covers the upper opening of the pot, a housing having a mounting surface on which the pot container is placed, and a weight detection unit that detects the weight of the pot container placed on the mounting surface.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the rice cooker of Patent Document 1, the pot container is placed on the mounting surface by being slid from the side of the housing toward the inside of the housing by the user. The pot is housed in the pot container by the user and the lid is attached. Therefore, it may happen that the user forgets to attach the lid and places the pot container on the mounting surface. In this case, it may happen that the rice cooking process is executed with the lid not attached. Therefore, in the conventional rice cooker, there is still room for improvement from the viewpoint that the lid is not attached To determine in this regard.

[0005] ] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to solve the above problems, A specified component in an article and to provide a rice cooker that can prevent To determine the rice cooking process from being executed when the lid is not attached. Error detection system and error detection method This is the purpose.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the disclosure relating to this disclosure Error detection system teeth, Articles to which load-bearing members can be attached, A mounting surface on which the aforementioned article is placed, The above is placed on the mounting surface Goods A weight detection unit that detects the weight of, The above mounting surface is positioned above the above Load-bearing member A load member provided so as to be able to contact, The aforementioned Load-bearing member A moving part that moves the load member to a first position in contact with the load member and to a second position away from the first position, system The Lord and, Equipped with, The control unit determines the difference between the first weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the first position and the second weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the second position. Based on this, determine whether or not there is an abnormality. . Furthermore, the error determination method related to this disclosure is: A first weight detection step is performed to detect the weight of the mounting surface while the load member is in a first position and to obtain a first detected weight, A second weight detection step is performed to obtain a second detected weight by detecting the weight of the mounting surface described above while the load member is moved to the second position, A comparison step of comparing the first detected weight and the second detected weight, Includes, In the comparison step, if the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is within a predetermined range, it is determined that the article placed on the aforementioned surface does not have the predetermined component attached. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention Error detection system and error detection method According to Determine if the required components are not attached to the item. It is possible. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the pot, pot container, and lid of the rice cooker. [Figure 3A]It is a diagram showing a recess provided at the bottom of the pot container in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 3B] It is a perspective view of the housing with the pot, the pot container, and the lid removed in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is an exploded perspective view showing the pot container and a part of the housing in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is an assembled perspective view showing the pot container and a part of the housing in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] It is a longitudinal sectional view of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] It is a left side view and a right side sectional view showing the pot container and a part of the housing in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 8] It is a schematic diagram showing the variation in the center of gravity position of the pot when the pot is arranged to be supported by two support parts and one weight sensor at different height positions in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 9] It is a sectional view of parts related to the rice supply part in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 10] It is a perspective view of parts related to the relay pipe and the communication member seen obliquely from below in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 11A] It is a plan view showing the state where the relay pipe and the communication member in FIG. 10 move. [Figure 11B] It is a plan view showing the state where the relay pipe and the communication member in FIG. 10 move. [Figure 11C] It is a plan view showing the state where the relay pipe and the communication member in FIG. 10 move. [Figure 12A] It is a sectional view taken along line A1 - A1 of FIG. 11A. [Figure 12B] It is a sectional view taken along line B1 - B1 of FIG. 11B. [Figure 12C] It is a sectional view taken along line C1 - C1 of FIG. 11C. [Figure 13] It is a block diagram showing the configuration related to the control unit in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 14] It is a flowchart showing an example of the control operation by the control unit in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 15]Figure 1 is a graph showing an example of the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit while the load member is moving in the rice cooker. [Figure 16] This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a deformed state at the tip of the load member in the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] According to the first aspect of this disclosure, a pot and, A pot container that detachably houses the aforementioned pot and has a detachable lid that covers the upper opening of the pot, A housing having a mounting surface on which the aforementioned pot container is placed, A weight detection unit for detecting the weight of the pot container placed on the mounting surface, A load member is positioned above the mounting surface and provided so as to be in contact with the lid, A moving part that moves the load member between a first position in contact with the lid and a second position away from the first position, A heating unit for heating the pot inside the pot container placed on the aforementioned mounting surface, A control unit that performs a rice cooking process including a heating step of heating the pot by controlling the moving part and the heating part, Equipped with, The control unit provides a rice cooker that does not perform the rice cooking process when the difference between the first weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the first position and the second weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the second position is within a predetermined range.

[0010] A rice cooker according to the first embodiment is provided, wherein the first position is a pressable position in which the load member can press the lid downward, and the second position is a retracted position in which the load member is away from the lid.

[0011] A third aspect of this disclosure provides a rice cooker according to the first aspect, wherein the first position is a pressable position in which the load member can press the lid downward, and the second position is a contactable position in which the tip of the load member can contact the lid.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, the rice cooker according to the first or second aspect is provided, wherein the second position is a retracted position where the load member is away from the lid, and the control unit determines whether or not there is an error based on the second detected weight when the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within the predetermined range.

[0013] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the rice cooker is provided according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the weight detection unit continues to detect the weight of the pot container while the load member moves between the first and second positions, and the control unit determines whether or not an error occurs based on the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit.

[0014] According to a sixth aspect of this disclosure, the rice cooker according to the fourth or fifth aspect is provided, wherein the control unit, when it determines that there is an error, does not execute the rice cooking process and / or notifies the error, and when it determines that there is no error, it executes the rice cooking process.

[0015] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, the rice cooker is provided according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the first position is a pressable position in which the load member can press the lid downward, and the weight detection unit is positioned at a position in which the first detected weight is smaller than the second detected weight.

[0016] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, the weight sensing unit is positioned biased toward one side of two regions that straddle a first virtual straight line passing through the center of the pot in a plan view from above the pot, and the load member is configured to apply a pressing force to the lid to the other side of the two regions rather than the other side at the pressable position, as described in the seventh aspect.

[0017] According to a ninth aspect of this disclosure, the rice cooker according to the eighth aspect is provided, wherein the weight detection unit is composed of a single weight sensor.

[0018] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, the rice cooker according to the ninth aspect is provided, wherein the pot container is placed on the aforementioned surface by sliding it from the side of the housing in the plan view, and the weight sensing unit is positioned downstream of the center of the pot in the direction in which the pot container slides, in the plan view.

[0019] According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, the rice cooker according to any one of the first to tenth aspects is provided, wherein the load member is a packing that can contact the periphery of a hole provided in the lid.

[0020] According to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, the rice cooker is provided according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the pot container is placed on the aforementioned surface by sliding it from the side of the housing in a plan view from above the pot, with the tip of the load member positioned in a contactable position so as to be able to contact the lid, and the control unit controls the moving part to move the load member in the opposite direction to the direction in which the pot container slides, and then moves the load member back to the contactable position.

[0021] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. This disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. In addition, substantially identical components are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

[0022] Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, the following terms will be used to indicate directions such as "up," "down," "front," "back," and "side," assuming the state of normal use. However, this does not mean that the usage conditions of the rice cooker related to this disclosure are limited.

[0023] (Embodiment) The overall configuration of the rice cooker according to the embodiment of this disclosure will now be described. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rice cooker according to the embodiment of this disclosure. The rice cooker according to this embodiment is a so-called fully automatic rice cooker that can automatically perform the entire process from supplying rice and water to the pot to cooking the rice.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, the rice cooker according to this embodiment comprises a housing 1, a pot container 21, a lid 22, a rice container 3, and a water container 4.

[0025] In a top view, the housing 1 is a rounded rectangle. In other words, in a top view, the housing 1 has a shape in which two opposing sides of a rectangle are bent into semicircular arcs. In this embodiment, one curved side of the housing 1 is called the front. The other curved side of the housing 1 is called the rear. Furthermore, the directions toward the front and rear of the housing 1 are called the front-rear direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is called the lateral direction. In this embodiment, the direction toward the upper left and lower right of Figure 1 is called the lateral direction X. Furthermore, the direction toward the lower left and upper right of Figure 1 is called the front-rear direction Y. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the lateral direction X and the front-rear direction Y, and toward the top and bottom of Figure 1 is called the height direction Z. In this embodiment, the height direction Z coincides with the up and down direction. Also, in this embodiment, the direction that intersects the lateral direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the lateral direction X and the front-rear direction Y is sometimes called the lateral direction.

[0026] A storage area 11 capable of accommodating a pot container 21 is provided on the lower and front side of the housing 1. The storage area 11 is part of the housing 1 and defines a space for accommodating the pot container 21 and its lid 22. The storage area 11 is configured so that the pot container 21 and its lid 22 can be slid in from the side of the storage area 11. In Figure 1, as an example, a configuration is shown in which the pot container 21 can be slid in from the front of the storage area 11 along the front-to-back direction Y. A housing lid 12 that covers both the housing 1 and the rice container 3 is detachably attached to the upper end of the housing 1.

[0027] The storage area 11 houses a pot container 21 and a lid 22 that is detachably attached to the pot container 21. As shown in Figure 2, a pot 2 is detachably housed in the pot container 21. The pot container 21 is placed on the mounting surface 13 (see Figure 3B), which is the bottom of the storage area 11, as will be described later. The lid 22 is configured to cover the upper opening of the pot 2. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 11 is assumed to contain the pot 2 and have the lid 22 attached to it.

[0028] The height of the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 11 is lower than the height of the storage area 11. The pot 2, the pot container 21, and the lid 22 can be attached to and detached from the housing 1 by sliding them along the front-rear direction Y between the storage area 11 and the outside of the housing 1 and to the side of the storage area 11, while the pot 2 and the lid 22 remain attached to the pot container 21.

[0029] The rice container 3 is a container for storing rice. The rice container 3 is located inside the housing 1 and above the storage area 11. In other words, the rice container 3 is located inside the housing 1, below the housing lid 12 and adjacent to the housing lid 12.

[0030] The water container 4 is a container for holding water. The water container 4 is located on the rear and top side of the housing 1.

[0031] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pot 2, pot container 21, and lid 22 of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. Figure 3A shows the recess 21f provided at the bottom of the pot container 21 in the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. Figure 3B is a perspective view of the housing 1 of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1 with the pot 2, pot container 21, and lid 22 removed.

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, the pot 2 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. That is, the pot 2 has a bottom 2a, a side wall 2b, an opening 2c, and a flange portion 2d. The flange portion 2d extends laterally from the upper end of the side wall 2b outwards from the upper end of the side wall 2b, along the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the upper end of the side wall 2b. The pot 2 is made of, for example, metal.

[0033] The pot container 21 has a bottomed cylindrical shape capable of accommodating the pot 2. That is, the pot container 21 has a bottom 21a, side walls 211 (see Figure 1), and an opening 21h. The pot container 21 is made of, for example, resin.

[0034] The side wall 211 has an inner wall portion 21b, ribs 21c, and an outer wall portion 21d. Multiple ribs 21c are provided protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the inner wall portion 21b such that their longitudinal direction is aligned with the height direction Z. The outer wall portion 21d is provided facing the outer circumferential surface of the inner wall portion 21b and sandwiching multiple ribs 21c between it and the inner wall portion 21b. An air layer 21e is formed inside the side wall 211, that is, between the inner wall portion 21b and the outer wall portion 21d.

[0035] When the pot 2 is housed in the pot container 21, gaps are formed between the inner wall 21b of the pot container 21 and the side wall 2b of the pot 2, and between the bottom 21a of the pot container 21 and the bottom 2a of the pot 2. Therefore, compared to the case where there are no gaps between the pot container 21 and the pot 2, the heat transmitted to the pot container 21 when the pot 2 is heated by the heating unit 6 (described later) can be reduced, thus reducing heat damage to the pot container 21. When the pot 2 is housed in the pot container 21, the flange portion 2d of the pot 2 rests on the upper end of the inner wall 21b of the pot container 21. In other words, when the pot 2 is housed in the pot container 21, the pot 2 is supported by the upper end of the inner wall 21b of the pot container 21.

[0036] As shown in Figure 3A, a recess 21f is provided on the lower surface of the bottom 21a of the pot container 21, i.e., the bottom surface. The recess 21f has a side wall 21g. The side wall 21g of the recess has a U-shape, with straight sections at both ends, and the two straight sections are connected by a curved section composed of a semicircular arc. In other words, a U-shaped groove is provided in the bottom 21a of the pot container 21. The length between the straight sections of the side wall 21g of the recess, i.e., the width of the U-shaped groove, is set to be longer than the radius of the bottom 21a of the pot container 21. The lower surface of the side wall 21g of the recess is a plane that follows the U shape. In addition, a through hole is provided in the center of the bottom 21a of the pot container 21, penetrating the bottom 21a in the height direction Z.

[0037] As shown in Figure 3B, the mounting surface 13, which is the bottom of the storage area 11, is provided with a protrusion 13a for placing the pot container 21 to be stored in the storage area 11. The shape and dimensions of the protrusion 13a correspond to the shape and dimensions of the recess 21f of the pot container 21. The protrusion 13a is arc-shaped and is provided to protrude from the housing 1. The height of the protrusion 13a is provided to be higher than the height of the side wall 21g of the recess. As a result, when the pot container 21 is stored in the storage area 11, a gap is formed between the bottom 21a of the pot container 21 and the mounting surface 13. In addition, the mounting surface 13 is provided with an opening 13b. The opening 13b is provided to divide the protrusion 13a into two.

[0038] A peripheral portion 13c is provided on the outside of the protrusion 13a, extending around its entire circumference. The peripheral portion 13c is a ring-shaped plane that faces the lower surface of the side wall 21g of the recess when the pot container 21 is housed in the storage area 11. The diameter of the protrusion 13a is such that when the protrusion 13a is located between the two straight sections of the side wall 21g of the recess, the outer surface of the protrusion 13a is located near the two straight sections of the side wall 21g of the recess, and is also longer than the radius of the peripheral portion 13c.

[0039] When the pot container 21 slides between the storage area 11 and the outside of the housing 1 and to the side of the storage area 11, the protrusion 13a slides relative to the recess 21f. More specifically, the side wall 21g of the recess slides relative to the outer surface of the protrusion 13a. This guides the sliding movement of the pot container 21. In addition, in this embodiment, a curved portion is provided on the side wall 21g of the recess, so that the outer surface of the protrusion 13a and the curved portion of the side wall 21g of the recess can come into contact with each other. Therefore, even if the sliding movement of the pot container 21 is repeated, the pot container 21 can be reliably moved to a predetermined position within the storage area 11. In other words, the pot container 21 slides in the direction in which the U-shaped groove portion of the bottom portion 21a of the pot container 21 extends, and its sliding movement is guided by the relative sliding of the side wall 21g of the groove portion and the outer surface of the protrusion 13a. Furthermore, since the outer surface of the protrusion 13a and the curved portion of the groove can be locked together, even if the pot container 21 is repeatedly slid, the pot container 21 can be reliably moved to a predetermined position within the storage area 11. Moreover, when the pot container 21 is placed on the protrusion 13a, the pot container 21 can rotate in both forward and reverse directions in the circumferential direction of the protrusion 13a so that the side wall 21g of the recess and the outer surface of the protrusion 13a slide relative to each other.

[0040] As shown in Figure 2, the lid 22 has a lid body 22a, a hole 22b, a pot packing 22c, and a mounting member 22d.

[0041] In this embodiment, the lid body 22a has a ring-shaped flat plate portion and a circular hole portion having an outer surface that is flush with the outer surface of the ring-shaped flat plate in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, when the lid 22 is detachably attached to the pot container 21, the outer surface of the circular hole portion of the lid body 22a is flush with the outer surface of the side wall 211 of the pot container 21. In this embodiment, "flat plate" includes a substantially flat plate, and "flush" includes a substantially flush surface.

[0042] The hole 22b is located at the center of the width direction of the flat portion of the lid body 22a. Rice supplied from the rice container 3 and water supplied from the water container 4 pass through the hole 22b when supplied into the pot 2. In this embodiment, the hole 22b is located at the center of the lid 22 when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the hole 22b is a circular hole when viewed from above. The hole 22b is located coaxially with the pot 2 housed in the pot container 21.

[0043] The pot packing 22c is provided to contact the pot 2 when the lid 22 is detachably attached to the pot container 21 so as to cover the opening of the pot 2. In a top view, the pot packing 22c has a through hole in its center that communicates with the hole 22b.

[0044] The mounting member 22d is attached to the lid body 22a by sandwiching the pot packing 22c between them. The mounting member 22d is positioned below the lid body 22a, with a gap in the height direction Z from the lid body 22a. The mounting member 22d also has an outlet 22e that communicates with the hole 22b. The outlet 22e is a circular hole when viewed from above. The outlet 22e is positioned coaxially with the hole 22b. The diameter of the outlet 22e is larger than the diameter of the hole 22b. In other words, the opening area of ​​the hole 22b is smaller than the opening area of ​​the outlet 22e.

[0045] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the pot container 21 and a portion of the housing 1 in the rice cooker of Figure 1. Figure 5 is an assembled perspective view showing the pot container 21 and a portion of the housing 1 in the rice cooker of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker of Figure 1. Figure 7 is a left side view and a right cross-sectional view showing the pot container 21 and a portion of the housing 1 in the rice cooker of Figure 1.

[0046] As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the housing 1 comprises a base 14 having a mounting surface 13 on which the pot container 21 is placed, and a chassis 15 that supports the base 14.

[0047] The upper surface of the base 14 is a mounting surface 13 on which the pot container 21 is placed, and includes the aforementioned protrusion 13a, an opening 13b, and a peripheral portion 13c of the protrusion. A through hole 14a is formed in the center of the base 14. A recessed portion 14b is provided on the outer periphery of the base 14 that is recessed upward. In this embodiment, two recesses 14b are provided on the outer periphery of the base 14 on the front side of the housing 1, spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction X.

[0048] The chassis 15 is located below the base 14. The chassis 15 is fitted with a weight detection unit 5, a heating unit 6, a temperature detection unit 7, and a control unit 8.

[0049] The weight detection unit 5 is positioned below the mounting surface 13 and detects the weight of the food to be cooked contained within the pot 2 by receiving the weight of the pot 2 placed on the mounting surface 13. In this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 consists of a single weight sensor and is configured to receive the weight of the pot container 21, the pot 2, and the lid 22 placed on the mounting surface 13.

[0050] Furthermore, the chassis 15 is provided with a support portion 15a positioned below the mounting surface 13 to receive the weight of the pot 2 placed on the mounting surface 13. In this embodiment, the support portion 15a is composed of a resin projection that protrudes upward. The support portion 15a and the weight detection unit 5 are positioned on opposite sides of a first virtual straight line (for example, the dashed line VL1 in Figure 8) passing through the center of the pot 2, in a plan view from above the pot 2. That is, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned biased to one side of the two regions that are separated by the first virtual straight line passing through the center of the pot 2, in a plan view from above the pot 2. In this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned downstream (to the rear of the housing 1) in the front-rear direction Y in which the pot container 21 slides, relative to the support portion 15a.

[0051] In this embodiment, the chassis 15 is provided with two support parts 15a. The two support parts 15a are positioned to correspond to two recesses 14b of the base 14. The chassis 15 supports the base 14 at three points when the two support parts 15a are inserted into the two recesses 14b and the weight detection unit 5 contacts the bottom of the base 14. In this state, when the pot container 21, pot 2, and lid 22 are placed on the mounting surface 13, the two support parts 15a and the weight detection unit 5 receive the weight of the pot container 21, pot 2, and lid 22 via the base 14.

[0052] The two support parts 15a and the weight detection unit 5 are configured to be at different heights. In this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is configured to be at a lower height than the two support parts 15a. That is, the bottom of the base 14 is configured such that the contact position between the two support parts 15a and the base 14 is higher than the contact position between the weight detection unit 5 and the base 14. In addition, the two support parts 15a are arranged symmetrically with respect to a second virtual line (for example, the dashed line VL2 in Figure 8) passing through the weight detection unit 5 and the center of the pot 2 in a plan view. The pot container 21 is placed on the mounting surface 13 by sliding it along the second virtual line from the side of the housing 1. By making the height positions of the support part 101 and the weight sensor 102 different, the variation in the center of gravity position of the pot 2 (black dot in Figure 8) can be aggregated, as shown in Figure 8, making it easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by one weight detection unit 5. This allows for reduced component costs while minimizing the decrease in accuracy in detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

[0053] As shown in Figures 4, 6, and 7, a heating unit 6 for heating the pot 2 and a temperature detection unit 7 for detecting the temperature of the pot 2 are arranged below the mounting surface 13. In this embodiment, the heating unit 6 is an induction heating coil that inductively heats the pot 2 when energized. The temperature detection unit 7 is a temperature sensor that contacts the bottom of the pot 2 through a through hole 14a in the base 14 and detects the temperature of the pot 2. The temperature detection unit 7 may also be an infrared sensor that detects the temperature of the pot 2 non-contact using infrared rays, for example.

[0054] The chassis 15 is equipped with a vertical wall 151 that extends in the height direction Z so as to face the side surface of the pot container 21 placed on the mounting surface 13. The vertical wall 151 is located inside the housing 1 and on the downstream side (rear side of the housing 1) in the front-rear direction Y where the pot container 21 slides. A control unit 8, which will be described later, is attached to the side of the vertical wall 151 opposite to the side facing the pot container 21. The control unit 8 is located closer to the weight detection unit 5 than the two support parts 15a.

[0055] As shown in Figure 6, a rice transfer space 31 is formed inside the housing 1 and below the rice container 3. The rice transfer space 31 communicates with the bottom of the rice container 3 through a through hole (not shown). A rice supply unit 32 that supplies rice into the pot 2 is located in the rice transfer space 31. The rice supply unit 32 has a rice delivery shaft 33 and rice delivery blades 34. The rice delivery shaft 33 extends along the front-rear direction Y within the rice transfer space 31, and one end is connected to the output shaft 35a of the motor 35. The rice delivery blades 34 are spirally formed around the axis of the rice delivery shaft 33. The rice contained in the rice container 3 falls into the rice transfer space 31 through the through hole due to gravity. The rice in the rice transfer space 31 is pushed forward by the rice delivery blades 34, which rotate as the rice delivery shaft 33 rotates around its axis when the motor 35 is driven. The drive of the motor 35 is controlled by the control unit 8.

[0056] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the components related to the rice supply unit 32. As shown in Figure 9, the bottom of the front end of the rice transfer space 31 is in communication with the relay pipe 36. The relay pipe 36 extends downward from the rice transfer space 31 and opens toward the lid 22 housed in the storage area 11. When the pot container 21 is placed on the mounting surface 13 and the relay pipe 36 is positioned above the hole 22b of the lid 22, the rice pushed forward by the rice feed blade 34 enters the pot 2 housed in the pot container 21 through the relay pipe 36 and the hole 22b of the lid 22 by gravity. In this manner, the rice supply unit 32 supplies the rice from the rice container 3 into the pot 2.

[0057] As shown in Figure 6, a water supply unit 41 is attached to the water container 4 to supply water to the pot 2. The water supply unit 41 has a water supply pipe 42 and a water supply pump 43. One end of the water supply pipe 42 is connected to a relay pipe 36. The other end of the water supply pipe 42 is connected to the water container 4. The water supply pump 43 is provided on the water supply pipe 42. The water supply pump 43 is a positive displacement pump, such as a diaphragm pump, plunger pump, or piston pump. In this embodiment, the water supply pump 43 is installed to connect two water supply pipes 42. When the water supply pump 43 is driven, water in the water container 4 flows from the other end of the water supply pipe 42 to the one end, and is supplied to the pot 2 housed in the pot container 21 via the relay pipe 36 and the hole 22b of the lid 22. In this manner, the water supply unit 41 supplies water from the water container 4 to the pot 2 housed in the storage area 11.

[0058] As shown in Figure 6, a communication member 9 is positioned below the rice supply section 32 and above the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 11. The communication member 9 is a member for discharging steam generated from the pot 2 housed in the storage area 11 to the outside of the housing 1. The communication member 9 has a communication member body 91, a load member 92, and a steam cylinder 93. The communication member body 91 is a hollow member with an open lower end. The load member 92 is an annular member attached to the lower end of the communication member body 91. In this embodiment, the load member 92 is an annular packing that can contact the area around the hole 22b provided in the lid 22. The steam cylinder 93 is provided such that one end communicates with the inside of the communication member body 91 and the other end communicates with the outside of the housing 1.

[0059] Figure 10 is a perspective view of the components related to the intermediate pipe 36 and the connecting member 9, viewed from diagonally below. Figures 11A to 11C are plan views showing the movement of the intermediate pipe 36 and the connecting member 9. Figure 12A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A1-A1 in Figure 11A. Figure 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B1-B1 in Figure 11B. Figure 12C is a cross-sectional view taken along line C1-C1 in Figure 11C.

[0060] As shown in Figures 11A to 11C, the relay pipe 36 and the connecting member 9 are provided to move integrally by the movable part 200. The movable part 200 includes a slide plate 201 that can rotate around a pivot axis 201a. In this embodiment, the slide plate 201 is formed in a substantially fan shape. The relay pipe 36 and the connecting member 9 are attached to the slide plate 201 at a position away from the pivot axis 201a. A rack gear 201b is provided on the arc-shaped outer circumference of the slide plate 201 away from the pivot axis 201a. A pinion gear (not shown) is provided to mesh with the rack gear 201b. The pinion gear is connected to a motor (shown). Under the control of the control unit 8, the motor is driven and the pinion gear is rotated, causing the slide plate 201 to rotate around the pivot axis 201a. As a result, the relay pipe 36 and the connecting member 9 move, as shown in Figures 11A to 11C.

[0061] The intermediate pipe 36 is provided with a pair of arms 36a that protrude from the side wall in opposite directions. As shown in Figure 10, a pair of inclined sections 37 are provided inside the housing 1 at positions corresponding to the pair of arms 36a. The pair of arms 36a are biased by a spring 38 to press against the inclined sections 37. As shown in Figures 11A to 11C, when the intermediate pipe 36 and the connecting member 9 move in the direction of the arrows, the pair of arms 36a move along the inclined sections 37, and the biasing force of the spring 38 causes the intermediate pipe 36 to move diagonally upward. As a result, the slide plate 201 and the connecting member 9 also move diagonally upward (dotted arrows in Figures 12A and 12B). Conversely, as shown in Figures 11C to 11A, when the intermediate pipe 36 and the connecting member 9 move in the opposite direction of the arrows, the pair of arms 36a move along the inclined sections 37, and the intermediate pipe 36 moves diagonally downward against the biasing force of the spring 38. As a result, the slide plate 201 and the connecting member 9 also move diagonally downward (indicated by the solid arrows in Figures 12A and 12B).

[0062] As shown in Figure 11A, when the center of the communication member body 91 coincides with the center of the pot 2 in a plan view, the load member 92 is positioned in a pressable position capable of pressing the lid 22 downward, as shown in Figure 12A. In this embodiment, the pressable position is an example of a first position that contacts the lid 22. At this time, the load member 92 is configured to apply a pressing force to the lid 22 on one side (the side on which the weight detection unit 5 is provided) of two regions, straddling a first virtual straight line (the dashed line VL1 in Figure 8) passing through the center of the pot 2 in a plan view. Specifically, the load member 92 is configured to apply a pressing force to the lid 22 in the direction indicated by the solid arrow in Figure 12A. This prevents the weight detection unit 5 from being loaded by the pressing force of the load member 92.

[0063] From the state shown in Figure 11A, the sliding plate 201 is slightly rotated in the direction of the arrow, causing the intermediate pipe 36 and the connecting member 9 to move to the position shown in Figure 11B. At this time, the load member 92 moves in the direction of the dotted arrow in Figures 12A and 12B, and as shown in Figure 12B, its tip is positioned in a contactable position where it can contact the lid 2. In this embodiment, when the pot container 21 is placed on the mounting surface 13 by the user, the load member 92 is in a contactable position.

[0064] As the slide plate 201 is rotated in the direction of the arrow from the state shown in Figure 11B, the center of the relay pipe 36 coincides with the center of the pot 2 in a plan view, as shown in Figure 11C. At this time, the load member 92 moves in the direction of the dotted arrow in Figure 12C and is positioned in a retracted position away from the lid 22. In this embodiment, the retracted position is an example of a second position away from the first position. In this embodiment, the movable part 200 is configured to move the load member 92 between a pressable position (Figure 12A) and a retracted position (Figure 12C).

[0065] When the slide plate 201 is rotated in the opposite direction to the arrow from the state shown in Figure 11C, the load member 92 moves in the direction of the solid arrow in Figure 12C and is positioned in a contactable position (Figure 12B). When the slide plate 201 is rotated in the opposite direction to the arrow from the state shown in Figure 11B, the load member 92 moves in the direction of the solid arrow in Figure 12B and is positioned in a pressable position (Figure 12A).

[0066] As shown in Figure 6, a control unit 8 is provided inside the housing 1. In this embodiment, the control unit 8 is configured as an electronic component mounted on a printed circuit board.

[0067] Figure 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration related to the control unit 8. The control unit 8 is connected to the input unit 81, the storage unit 82, and the notification unit 83 by wireless or wired connection.

[0068] The input unit 81 receives the user's desired rice cooking information, such as the amount of rice to be cooked, the cooking course, and the instruction to start cooking. The input unit 81 may be, for example, a switch or a touch panel. The input unit 81 may be provided, for example, on the top or side of the housing 1. The input unit 81 may also receive the rice cooking information entered by the user wirelessly or via a wired connection using an external device such as a smartphone or personal computer.

[0069] The memory unit 82 stores various information, such as information regarding the weights of the pot 2, the pot container 21, and the lid 22, as well as multiple rice cooking sequences for cooking rice. Here, a "rice cooking sequence" refers to a rice cooking procedure in which four main steps—preheating, raising the temperature, maintaining a boil, and steaming—are executed in sequence, with predetermined parameters such as the power supply time, heating temperature, heating time, and heating output for each step. Each rice cooking sequence corresponds to one of several rice cooking courses. In this embodiment, the four steps of preheating, raising the temperature, maintaining a boil, and steaming are referred to as the heating steps.

[0070] The notification unit 83 notifies the user of various information, such as cooking information and errors. The notification unit 83 may include, for example, a display that shows various information or a speaker that transmits various information by voice.

[0071] The control unit 8 executes a rice cooking process that includes a heating step, in which it controls the moving unit 200 and the heating unit 6 to heat the pot 2, based on the rice cooking information (including the cooking course) input via the input unit 81 and the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 7. In this embodiment, the control unit 8 also controls the rice supply unit 32 and the water supply unit 41 based on the rice cooking information (including the desired amount of rice) input via the input unit 81, and executes a rice supply step and a water supply step to supply rice to the pot 2. In this embodiment, the rice supply step and the water supply step are included in the rice cooking process.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 8 controls the moving unit 200 to move the communication member 9 based on the rice cooking information (including the rice cooking start instruction) input by the input unit 81, and moves the load member 92 to a pressable position (Figure 12A) and a retracted position (Figure 12C). The control unit 8 further acquires the first detected weight by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved to the pressable position (Figure 12A) and the second detected weight by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved to the retracted position (Figure 12C). The control unit 8 does not execute the rice cooking process when the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is within a predetermined range. On the other hand, if the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within a predetermined range, the control unit 8 determines whether or not there is an error based on the second detected weight. In this embodiment, the predetermined range is stored in the storage unit 82. In this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned so that the first detected weight is smaller than the second detected weight. When the control unit 8 determines that an error exists, it does not execute the rice cooking process and / or notifies the error via the notification unit 83. When the control unit 8 determines that there is no error, it executes the rice cooking process.

[0073] The control operations of the control unit 8 will be described in more detail below. Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the control operations of the control unit 8.

[0074] First, the user places the pot container 21 on the mounting surface 13. At this time, the load member 92 is positioned in a contactable position (Figure 12B).

[0075] In step S1, the control unit 8 determines whether or not cooking information (including a cooking start instruction) has been input to the input unit 81. If the control unit 8 determines that cooking information (including a cooking start instruction) has been input to the input unit 81 (step S1: YES), it proceeds to step S2.

[0076] In step S2, the control unit 8 controls the moving unit 200 to move the load member 92 to a position where it can be pressed (Figure 12A).

[0077] In step S3, the control unit 8 acquires the first detected weight from the weight detection unit 5.

[0078] In step S4, the control unit 8 controls the moving unit 200 to move the load member 92 to the retracted position (Figure 12C).

[0079] In step S5, the control unit 8 acquires the second detected weight from the weight detection unit 5.

[0080] In step S6, the control unit 8 determines whether the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is within a predetermined range (the same or approximately the same). When the lid 22 is attached, the first detected weight and the second detected weight should be different. If the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within the predetermined range, it is assumed that the lid 22 is attached. If the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is within the predetermined range, it is assumed that the lid 22 is not attached. In other words, step S6 is a step to determine whether or not the lid 22 is attached.

[0081] If the control unit 8 determines that the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within a predetermined range (step S6: NO), it proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, if the control unit 8 determines that the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is within a predetermined range (step S6: YES), it proceeds to step S8. The predetermined range is set to a range in which the detected weight of the weight detection unit 5 can fluctuate due to various factors, even when the load member 92 is not in contact with the lid 22. For example, the predetermined range is 15g.

[0082] In step S7, the control unit 8 determines whether there is an error based on the second detected weight. If the pot 2 is placed inside the pot container 21 and the lid 22 is properly attached, the second detected weight is expected to be the sum of the weights of the pot container 21, the pot 2, and the lid 22. If the second detected weight is not this sum, it is expected that there may be an error, such as forgetting to attach the pot 2, foreign matter remaining inside the pot 2, or improper attachment of the lid 22. For example, if the weight of the pot container 21 is 212g, the weight of the pot 2 is 303g, and the weight of the lid 22 is 185g, the total weight is 700g. In step S7, it has already been determined that the lid 22 is attached, so if the second detected weight is, for example, 397g or more and 490g or less, it can be determined that the pot 2 is not placed inside the pot container 21. Also, for example, if the second detected weight is, for example, 895g or more, it can be determined that there is foreign matter such as leftover food inside the pot 2. Furthermore, for example, if the lid 22 is installed at an angle, the tilt of the lid 22 may be corrected by the load member 92 coming into contact with the intermediate pipe 36 while moving from the contactable position (Figure 12B) to the retracted position (Figure 12C). In this case, the second detected weight may fluctuate significantly. Therefore, if the second detected weight fluctuates by 100g or more while the load member 92 moves from the contactable position (Figure 12B) to the retracted position (Figure 12C), it can be determined that the lid 22 is not properly installed.

[0083] If the control unit 8 determines that there is an error based on the second detected weight (step S7: YES), it proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the control unit 8 determines that there is no error based on the second detected weight (step S7: NO), it proceeds to step S9.

[0084] In step S8, the control unit 8 notifies the error via the notification unit 83. Subsequently, the control unit 8 terminates its control operation without executing the rice cooking process. Alternatively, the control unit 8 may terminate its control operation without executing the rice cooking process without notifying the error.

[0085] In step S9, the control unit 8 controls the rice supply unit 32 and the water supply unit 41 based on the rice cooking information (including the desired amount of rice) input at the input unit 81, executes the rice supply process and the water supply process, and proceeds to step 10.

[0086] In this embodiment, the order of the rice supply process and the water supply process is not particularly limited. For example, the water supply process may be performed before the rice supply process. In this case, the water that is first added to the pot 2 can prevent the rice from colliding with the pot 2, thereby preventing damage to the rice. Alternatively, the rice supply process may be performed before the water supply process. In this case, the water can break up the rice that has been first added to the pot 2 and formed into a mound, making the surface of the rice flatter. Furthermore, the rice supply process and the water supply process may be performed alternately multiple times. In this case, the rice and water can be added to the pot 2 with higher precision. Also, the rice supply process and the water supply process may be performed overlapping for a certain period of time.

[0087] In step S10, the control unit 8 controls the moving unit 200 and the heating unit 6 to execute the heating process based on the rice cooking information (including the cooking course) input by the input unit 81 and the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 7. During the heating process, the control unit 8 controls the moving unit 200 to position the load member 92 in a position where it can be pressed. After the heating process is completed, the control unit 8 terminates its control operation.

[0088] According to the rice cooker of this embodiment, the lid 22 is determined to be attached or not based on the first and second detected weights by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved to a pressable position (Figure 12A) and a retracted position (Figure 12C). This prevents the rice cooking process from being performed when the lid 22 is not attached.

[0089] Furthermore, according to the rice cooker of this embodiment, the control unit 8 is configured to determine whether or not there is an error based on the second detected weight when the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within a predetermined range. As a result, it can be determined that the lid 22 is attached when the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is not within a predetermined range. After making this determination, by determining whether or not there is an error based on the second detected weight, it is possible to more accurately determine whether or not there is an error such as forgetting to attach the pot 2, foreign matter remaining inside the pot 2, or improper attachment of the lid 22.

[0090] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 8 is configured to not execute the rice cooking process and / or notify the error when it determines that an error exists, and to execute the rice cooking process when it determines that there is no error. As a result, the control unit 8 automatically determines whether or not to execute the rice cooking process based on the presence or absence of an error, thereby improving user convenience.

[0091] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned such that the first detected weight is smaller than the second detected weight. This reduces the load on the weight detection unit 5, allowing the use of an inexpensive weight sensor and extending the product's lifespan.

[0092] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is positioned biased towards one side of two regions that straddle a first virtual straight line passing through the center of the pot 2 in a plan view. In addition, the load member 92 is configured to apply a pressing force to the lid 22 on the side of the two regions that is more pressing than the side of the two regions at the pressable position. This makes it possible to more reliably reduce the load on the weight detection unit 5.

[0093] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is composed of a single weight sensor. This allows for further reduction of component costs and miniaturization of the product.

[0094] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the load member 92 is a packing that can contact the area around the hole 22b provided in the lid 22. By using a packing as the load member 92 that prevents steam generated in the pot 2 during the rice cooking process from leaking out around the hole 22b, the cost of parts can be further reduced, and the product can be made smaller.

[0095] In this embodiment, the support unit 15a and the weight detection unit 5 are configured to be at different heights. This allows for the aggregation of variations in the center of gravity of the pot 2, making it easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. Therefore, it is possible to reduce component costs while suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

[0096] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is configured to be lower in height than the support unit 15a. This allows the variation in the center of gravity of the pot 2 to be concentrated on the weight detection unit 5 side, making it easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. Therefore, it is possible to reduce component costs while further suppressing the decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

[0097] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 are configured to receive the weight of the pot 2 via the base 14. By forming the base 14 to accommodate the difference in height between the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5, the mounting surface 13 on which the pot 2 is placed can be made horizontal.

[0098] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a plurality of support parts 15a are provided, and these support parts 15a are arranged symmetrically with respect to a second virtual line passing through the weight detection unit 5 and the center of the pot 2 in a plan view. This allows the variation in the center of gravity of the pot 2 to be concentrated on the weight detection unit 5 side, making it easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. Therefore, the decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked can be further suppressed, while component costs can be reduced.

[0099] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the pot container 21 that houses the pot 2 is placed on the mounting surface 13 by sliding along a second virtual straight line from the side of the housing 1, and the weight detection unit 5 is positioned downstream of the support unit 15a in the direction in which the pot container 21 slides. This allows the variation in the center of gravity of the pot 2 to be concentrated on the weight detection unit 5 side, making it easier to estimate the weight of the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked while reducing component costs.

[0100] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a control unit 8 is provided that controls the amount of food to be cooked supplied to the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5, and the control unit 8 is positioned closer to the weight detection unit 5 than to the support unit 15a. This makes it possible to shorten the wiring connecting the weight detection unit 5 and the control unit 8, for example, and to make the rice cooker more compact.

[0101] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, in the above description, the weight detection unit 5 is configured to be lower in height than the support unit 15a, but this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the weight detection unit 5 may be configured to be higher in height than the support unit 15a.

[0102] Furthermore, although the above-mentioned configuration assumes that the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 receive the weight of the pot 2 via the base 14, this disclosure is not limited to this configuration. The support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 may be configured to contact the bottom of the pot 2 and directly receive the weight of the pot 2. Alternatively, the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 may be configured to contact the bottom of the pot container 21 and indirectly receive the weight of the pot 2. In this case, the pot container 21 can be made horizontal by shaping it to accommodate the difference in height between the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5.

[0103] Furthermore, although the weight detection unit 5 is described above as being composed of one weight sensor, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the weight detection unit 5 may be composed of two or more weight sensors.

[0104] Furthermore, while the weight detection unit 5 is described above as being positioned biasedly to one side of two regions flanking a first virtual straight line passing through the center of the pot 2 in a plan view, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the weight detection unit 5 may consist of two or more weight sensors that are spaced apart from each other and distributed. Alternatively, for example, the weight detection unit 5 may consist of three weight sensors arranged to form a triangle in a plan view.

[0105] Furthermore, although the above description provides for a plurality of support portions 15a, the disclosure is not limited thereto. There may be only one support portion 15a. In this case, it is preferable that the support portion 15a is configured to support the pot 2 or pot container 21 horizontally (for example, to have a certain area).

[0106] Furthermore, while the above-mentioned description states that the pressable position (Figure 12A) is an example of a first position in contact with the lid 22, and the retracted position (Figure 12C) is an example of a second position away from the first position, this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the contactable position (Figure 12B) may be the first position, and the retracted position (Figure 12C) may be the second position. Alternatively, the pressable position (Figure 12A) may be the first position, and the contactable position (Figure 12B) may be the second position.

[0107] Furthermore, the weight detection unit 5 may continue to detect the weight of the pot container 21 while the load member 92 moves between the first and second positions, and the control unit 8 may be configured to determine whether or not an error has occurred based on the change in the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. This allows the control unit 8 to determine whether or not an error has occurred based on the change in the detected weight, even if the exact position of the load member 92 is unknown.

[0108] Figure 15 is a graph showing an example of the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 while the load member 92 is moving. In Figure 15, the dashed line shows the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved in the order of contactable position (Figure 12B), pressable position (Figure 12A), contactable position (Figure 12B), and retracted position (Figure 12C) with the cover 22 not attached. When the cover 22 is not attached, the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 hardly changes. In Figure 15, the dotted line shows the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved from the contactable position to the retracted position with the cover 22 attached. In Figure 15, the solid line shows the change in weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 when the load member 92 is moved in the order of contactable position, pressable position, contactable position, and retracted position with the cover 22 attached. When the cover 22 is attached, the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 changes, as shown by the dotted and solid lines. This allows the control unit 8 to determine whether or not an error has occurred based on the change in the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. However, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 15, when the load member 92 is moved between the pressable position and the retracted position, the change in the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5 becomes larger, allowing for a more accurate determination of whether or not an error has occurred.

[0109] Furthermore, while the above description assumes that the control unit 8 is configured to directly acquire the first detected weight and the second detected weight, this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the control unit 8 may acquire AD values, current values, voltage values, etc., related to the first detected weight and the second detected weight. In other words, the control unit 8 may be configured to indirectly acquire the first detected weight and the second detected weight.

[0110] Furthermore, while the above-mentioned load member 92 is assumed to be a packing that can contact the periphery of the hole 22b provided in the lid 22, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the load member 92 may be a material harder than a packing. If the load member 92 is an elastic material such as a packing, when the user slides the pot container 21 and places it on the mounting surface 13, the tip of the load member 92 may deform (curl up) as shown in Figure 16. In this state, if the load member 92 is moved to a pressable position (Figure 12A), it will not be possible to apply appropriate pressure to the lid 22. For this reason, the control unit 8 may control the moving unit 200 to move the load member 92 in the opposite direction to the sliding direction of the pot container 21, and then move the load member 92 back to the contactable position. This makes it possible to easily restore the deformation of the load member 92 even if the tip of the load member 92 is deformed.

[0111] While this disclosure is adequately described in relation to preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings as appropriate, various modifications and alterations will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and alterations should be understood to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. [Industrial applicability]

[0112] The rice cooker according to this disclosure can prevent the rice cooking process from being performed when the lid is not attached, and is therefore particularly useful for fully automatic rice cookers that can automatically perform the entire process from supplying rice and water to the pot to cooking the rice. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 1 cabinet 11 Containment Area 12. Case cover 13 Mounting surface 13a Convex part 13b opening 13c Periphery of the protruding part 14 Pedestal 14a Through hole 14b recess 15 Chassis 15a Support part 151 Vertical wall 2 pot 2a bottom 2b side wall 2c opening 2d flange section 21 Pot container 21a bottom 21b Inner wall 21c Rib 21d Exterior wall 21e Air layer 21f recess 21g recessed side wall 21h opening 211 Side wall 22 Lid 22a Lid body 22b Hole 22c pot gasket 22d Mounting component 22e outlet 3 rice container 31 US transfer space 32 Rice Supply Department 33 Rice feed shaft 34 Rice-sending feathers 35 Motor 35a Output shaft 36 relay tubes 36a Arm 37 Slope 38 Springs 4 water container 41 Water supply section 42 Water pipe 43 Water supply pump 5. Weight detection unit 6 Heating section 7. Temperature detection unit 8 Control Unit 81 Input section 82 Memory section 83 Hochi Department 9 Connecting members 91 Main body of connecting member 92 Load Members 93 Steam cylinder 200 Mobile Unit 201 Slide Plate 201a Rotary shaft 201b Rack Gear

Claims

1. An article to which a load-bearing member can be attached, A mounting surface on which the aforementioned article is placed, A weight detection unit for detecting the weight of the article placed on the mounting surface, A load member is positioned above the aforementioned mounting surface and is provided so as to be in contact with the load receiving member, A moving part that moves the load member to a first position in contact with the load-receiving member and to a second position away from the first position, Control unit and Equipped with, The control unit is an error detection system that determines whether or not there is an abnormality based on the difference between the first weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the first position and the second weight detected by the weight detection unit when the moving unit is controlled to move the load member to the second position.

2. A first weight detection step of detecting the weight of the mounting surface while the load member is in a first position and obtaining a first detected weight, A second weight detection step is performed to obtain a second detected weight by detecting the weight of the mounting surface described above while the load member is moved to the second position, A comparison step of comparing the first detected weight and the second detected weight, Includes, An error determination method in which, in the comparison step, if the difference between the first detected weight and the second detected weight is within a predetermined range, it is determined that the specified member is not attached to the article placed on the aforementioned surface.

3. The article is a pot container for holding a pot, The error determination method according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined member is a lid.

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