rice cooker

Abstract

To provide a rice cooker suppressed in component cost while suppressing deterioration of accuracy in detecting the weight of materials to be cooked.SOLUTION: A rice cooker includes: a pot; a housing having a placement surface where the pot is placed; a support part disposed on the lower part of the placement surface and receiving the weight of the pot placed on the placing face; and a weight detection part disposed on the lower part of the placement surface, receiving the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface and detecting the weight of materials to be cooked housed in the pot. The support part and the weight detection part are disposed on the side opposite to each other across a first virtual straight line passing through the center part of the pot in a plan view from above the pot, and the height positions of the support part and the weight detection part are different from each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a rice cooker equipped with a weight detection unit. [Background technology]

[0002] A conventional rice cooker of this type is known, for example, from Patent Document 1 (JP 2017-77459 A). Patent Document 1 discloses a rice cooker in which four strain gauges are arranged at the four corners of the base as a weight detection unit. The rice cooker in Patent Document 1 can detect the weight of the food contained in the pot by subtracting the weight of the pot from the total weight detected by the four strain gauges. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-77459 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the rice cooker of Patent Document 1 still has room for improvement in terms of reducing component costs while preventing a decrease in accuracy in detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to solve the above problem by providing a rice cooker that can reduce component costs while preventing a decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the rice cooker according to the present disclosure comprises: A pot and a housing having a mounting surface on which the pot is placed; a support portion disposed below the placement surface and supporting the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface; a weight detection unit disposed below the placement surface for detecting the weight of the food contained in the pot by receiving the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface; Equipped with The support portion and the weight detection portion are arranged on opposite sides of a first imaginary line passing through the center of the pot in a plan view seen from above the pot, The support unit and the weight detection unit are at different height positions. It is configured as follows. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the rice cooker of the present invention, it is possible to reduce component costs while preventing a decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is an exploded perspective view of a pot, a pot container, and a lid of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3A] 2 is a diagram showing a recess provided in the bottom of a pot in the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3B] 2 is a perspective view of the housing of the rice cooker of FIG. 1 with the pot, pot container, and lid removed. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a pot and part of the housing of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view showing a pot and part of the housing of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a pot and part of the housing of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a left side view and a right cross-sectional view showing a pot and part of a housing of the rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the variation in the center of gravity of a pot when two support parts and one weight sensor, which are at the same height, are arranged to support the weight of the pot. FIG. [Figure 9]10 is a schematic diagram showing the variation in the center of gravity of a pot when two support parts and one weight sensor at different heights are arranged to support the weight of the pot. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure) The present inventors have conducted extensive research to reduce component costs while minimizing the decline in accuracy in detecting the weight of the food being cooked, and have come to the following conclusions.

[0010] Conventional rice cookers use four strain gauges (also called weight sensors) as weight detection units. Weight sensors are relatively expensive components. Therefore, it is considered effective to reduce the number of weight sensors in order to reduce component costs.

[0011] For example, if three weight sensors are installed at three points on the bottom of a pot to support its weight, each weight sensor will detect approximately one-third of the pot's weight. Therefore, if two of the three weight sensors are replaced with inexpensive supports such as resin protrusions, it may be possible to detect the weight of the pot as three times the detected weight of the remaining weight sensor.

[0012] However, with this configuration, as shown in Figure 8, each time pot 103 is placed so that the weight of pot 103 is supported by two supports 101 and one weight sensor 102, the position of the center of gravity of the pot (the black dot in Figure 8) may vary due to uneven distribution of the food being cooked in pot 103. In this case, one weight sensor 102 cannot accurately detect one-third of the weight of pot 103, and the difference between three times the weight detected by one weight sensor 102 and the actual weight of pot 103 becomes large, reducing the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

[0013] After extensive research, the present inventors discovered a configuration in which the height positions of support portion 101 and weight sensor 102 are different from each other. With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 9, it is possible to consolidate the variation in the center of gravity position of pot 103 (the black dot in FIG. 9), making it easier to estimate the weight of pot 103 based on the detected weight of one weight sensor 102. This makes it possible to reduce component costs while minimizing any decrease in the detection accuracy of the weight of the food being cooked. Based on this new finding, the present inventors arrived at the following invention.

[0014] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a housing having a mounting surface on which the pot is placed, a support portion disposed below the placement surface and supporting the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface; a weight detection unit disposed below the placement surface for detecting the weight of the food contained in the pot by receiving the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface; Equipped with The support portion and the weight detection portion are arranged on opposite sides of a first imaginary line passing through the center of the pot in a plan view seen from above the pot, The support unit and the weight detection unit are at different height positions. Provide a rice cooker.

[0015] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided the rice cooker according to the first aspect, wherein the weight detection unit is located at a height position lower than the support unit.

[0016] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a rice cooker as described in the first or second aspect, wherein the housing includes a base having the above-mentioned placement surface, and the support portion and the weight detection portion are configured to receive the weight of the pot via the base.

[0017] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided the rice cooker according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the weight detection unit is configured with one weight sensor.

[0018] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a rice cooker as described in the fourth aspect, which is provided with a plurality of the support parts, and the plurality of support parts are arranged, in the plan view, symmetrically with respect to a second imaginary line passing through the weight detection part and the center of the pot.

[0019] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a rice cooker as described in the fifth aspect, further comprising a pot container for accommodating the pot, the pot container being placed on the placement surface by sliding from the side of the housing along the second virtual straight line, and the weight detection unit being positioned downstream of the support unit in the direction in which the pot container slides.

[0020] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a rice cooker according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, further comprising a control unit that controls the amount of food to be cooked supplied into the pot based on the detected weight of the weight detection unit, and the control unit is positioned closer to the weight detection unit than the support unit.

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. In addition, substantially the same components in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0022] Furthermore, for the sake of convenience, the following uses terms indicating directions such as "up," "down," "front," "back," and "side," assuming a state of normal use, but this does not mean to limit the state of use of the rice cooker according to the present disclosure.

[0023] (Embodiment) The overall configuration of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The rice cooker according to this embodiment is a so-called fully automatic rice cooker that can automatically perform processes from supplying rice and water to the pot to cooking the rice. Note that the rice cooker according to the present disclosure is not limited to a so-called fully automatic rice cooker, and may be a normal rice cooker that does not automatically supply rice or water to the pot.

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

[0025] The housing 1 has a rounded rectangular shape when viewed from above. In other words, when viewed from above, the housing 1 has a shape such that two opposing sides of a rectangle are bent into semicircular arcs. In this embodiment, one curved side of the housing 1 is referred to as the front. The other curved side of the housing 1 is referred to as the rear. Furthermore, the direction toward the front and rear of the housing 1 is referred to as the front-rear direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is referred to as the lateral direction. In this embodiment, the direction toward the upper left and lower right in FIG. 1 is referred to as the lateral direction X. Furthermore, the direction toward the lower left and upper right in FIG. 1 is referred to as the front-rear direction Y. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the lateral direction X and the front-rear direction Y and toward the upper and lower parts of FIG. 1 is referred to as the height direction Z. In this embodiment, the height direction Z coincides with the up-down direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lateral direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and a direction intersecting the lateral direction X and the front-rear direction Y may be referred to as the lateral direction.

[0026] A storage area 11 capable of accommodating a pot 21 is provided on the lower front side of the housing 1. The storage area 11 is part of the housing 1 and defines a space for accommodating the pot 21 and lid 22. The storage area 11 is configured so that the pot 21 and lid 22 can be accommodated by sliding them from the side of the storage area 11. FIG. 1 shows, as an example, a configuration in which the pot 21 can be accommodated by sliding it from the front of the storage area 11 along the front-to-rear direction Y. A housing lid 12 is detachably attached to the top end of the housing 1, covering both the housing 1 and the rice container 3.

[0027] The storage area 11 accommodates a pot 21 and a lid 22 that is removably attached to the pot 21. As shown in FIG. 2, a pot 2 is removably accommodated in the pot 21. The pot 21 is placed on a placement surface 13 (see FIG. 3B), which is the bottom of the storage area 11, as described below. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the pot 2 is accommodated in the pot 21 accommodated in the storage area 11 and that the lid 22 is attached to the pot 21.

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

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

[0030] The water container 4 is a container for storing water. The water container is provided on the rear and upper side of the housing 1.

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

[0032] As shown in Figure 2, pot 2 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom. That is, pot 2 has a bottom 2a, a side wall 2b, an opening 2c, and a flange 2d. Flange 2d extends laterally from the upper end of side wall 2b toward the outside of pot 2 around the entire circumferential circumference of the upper end of side wall 2b.

[0033] Pot container 21 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom that can accommodate pot 2. That is, pot container 21 has bottom 21a, sidewall 211 (see FIG. 1), and opening 21h. 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. A plurality of ribs 21c are provided protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the inner wall portion 21b, with their longitudinal directions aligned with the height direction Z. The outer wall portion 21d is provided opposite the outer peripheral surface of the inner wall portion 21b, with the plurality of ribs 21c sandwiched between the outer wall portion 21d and the inner wall portion 21b. An air layer 21e is formed within the side wall 211, i.e., 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 when there is no gap between the pot container 21 and the pot 2, less heat is transferred to the pot container 21 when the pot 2 is heated by the heating unit 6 (described below), thereby reducing damage to the pot container 21 due to heat. As shown in FIG. 4, when the pot 2 is housed in the pot container 21, the flange 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 FIG. 3A, a recess 21f is provided on the underside of the bottom 21a of the pot 21, i.e., the bottom surface. The recess 21f has a recess sidewall 21g. The recess sidewall 21g has a U-shape with straight sections at both ends and the two straight sections connected by a curved section formed by a semicircular arc. In other words, a U-shaped groove is provided in the bottom 21a of the pot 21. The distance between the straight sections of the recess sidewall 21g, i.e., the width of the U-shaped groove, is longer than the radius of the bottom 21a of the pot 21. The underside of the recess sidewall 21g is a flat surface that follows the U-shape. In addition, a through-hole is provided in the center of the bottom 21a of the pot 21, penetrating the bottom 21a in the height direction Z.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3B, the mounting surface 13, which is the bottom of the storage area 11, is provided with a protrusion 13a for placing the pot 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 21. The protrusion 13a is arc-shaped and protrudes from the housing 1. The height of the protrusion 13a is greater than the height of the side wall 21g of the recess. This creates a gap between the bottom 21a of the pot 21 and the mounting surface 13 when the pot 21 is stored in the storage area 11. The mounting surface 13 also has an opening 13b. The opening 13b is provided so as to divide the protrusion 13a into two.

[0038] A convex peripheral portion 13c is provided around the entire circumferential circumference of convex portion 13a on the outside of convex portion 13a. Convex peripheral portion 13c is a flat surface provided in a ring shape so as to face the underside of side wall 21g of the recess when pot container 21 is accommodated in accommodation area 11. The diameter of convex portion 13a is the length at which the outer surface of convex portion 13a is positioned near both straight portions of side wall 21g of the recess when convex portion 13a is positioned between both straight portions of side wall 21g of the recess, and is longer than the radius of convex peripheral portion 13c.

[0039] When pot container 21 slides between storage area 11 and the side of storage area 11 outside housing 1, protrusion 13a slides relative to itself within recess 21f. More specifically, sidewall 21g of the recess slides relative to the outer surface of protrusion 13a. This guides the sliding movement of pot container 21. In addition, in this embodiment, sidewall 21g of the recess has a curved portion, allowing the outer surface of protrusion 13a to abut against the curved portion of sidewall 21g of the recess. Therefore, even if pot container 21 slides repeatedly, pot container 21 can be reliably moved to a predetermined position within storage area 11. In other words, pot container 21 slides in the direction of the U-shaped groove in bottom 21a of pot container 21, and its sliding movement is guided by the relative sliding between sidewall 21g of the groove and the outer surface of protrusion 13a. In addition, the outer surface of the protrusion 13a can be brought into contact with the curved portion of the groove, so 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. Furthermore, when the pot container 21 is placed on the protrusion 13a, the pot container 21 can rotate forward and backward 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 FIG. 2, the lid 22 has a lid body 22a, a rice inlet 22b, a pot gasket 22c, and an attachment member 22d.

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

[0042] Rice inlet 22b is located in the center of the width of the flat portion of lid body 22a. Rice sent from rice container 3 by a rice sending device (not shown) and water sent from water container 4 by a water sending device (not shown) pass through rice inlet 22b when supplied to pot 2. In this embodiment, rice inlet 22b is located in the center of lid body 22 when viewed from above. In this embodiment, rice inlet 22b is a circular hole when viewed from above. Rice inlet 22b is located coaxially with pot 2 housed in pot container 21.

[0043] Pot gasket 22c is provided so as to come into contact with pot 2 when lid 22 is detachably attached to pot container 21 so as to cover the opening of pot 2. A through-hole communicating with rice inlet 22b is provided in the center of pot gasket 22c when viewed from above.

[0044] The mounting member 22d is attached to the lid body 22a with the pot gasket 22c sandwiched therebetween. The mounting member 22d is disposed below the lid body 22a at a distance from the lid body 22a in the height direction Z. The mounting member 22d also has a rice discharge outlet 22e that communicates with the rice inlet 22b. The rice discharge outlet 22e is a circular hole in top view. The rice discharge outlet 22e is disposed coaxially with the rice inlet 22b. The diameter of the rice discharge outlet 22e is larger than the diameter of the rice inlet 22b. In other words, the opening area of ​​the rice inlet 22b is smaller than the opening area of ​​the rice discharge outlet 22e.

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

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

[0047] The upper surface of base 14 is mounting surface 13 on which pot 21 is placed, and includes protrusion 13a, opening 13b, and protrusion periphery 13c. Base 14 has a through-hole 14a formed in the center. Base 14 has an upwardly recessed recess 14b on its outer periphery. In this embodiment, base 14 has two recesses 14b on its outer periphery, located on the front side of housing 1, spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction X.

[0048] The chassis 15 is provided below the base 14. The chassis 15 has a weight detection unit 5, a heating unit 6, a temperature detection unit 7, and a control unit 8 attached thereto.

[0049] The weight detection unit 5 is disposed below the placement surface 13 and receives the weight of the pot 2 placed on the placement surface 13 to detect the weight of the food to be cooked contained in the pot 2. In this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is composed of one weight sensor and is configured to receive the weight of the pot container 21, the pot 2, and the lid 22 placed on the placement surface 13.

[0050] The chassis 15 also has a support portion 15a that is positioned below the placement surface 13 and supports the weight of the pot 2 placed on the placement surface 13. In this embodiment, the support portion 15a is configured as a resin protrusion that protrudes upward. In a plan view of the pot 2 from above, the support portion 15a and the weight detection portion 5 are positioned on opposite sides of a first imaginary line (for example, the dashed-dotted line VL1 in Figure 9) that passes through the center of the pot 2. In this embodiment, the weight detection portion 5 is positioned downstream of the support portion 15a in the front-to-rear direction Y in which the pot container 21 slides (rearward of the housing 1).

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

[0052] The two support portions 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 lower in height than the two support portions 15a. That is, the bottom of the base 14 is configured so that the contact position between the two support portions 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 portions 15a are arranged symmetrically with respect to a second imaginary line (for example, the two-dot chain line VL2 in FIG. 9) that passes 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 placement surface 13 by sliding along the second imaginary line from the side of the housing 1.

[0053] As shown in Figures 4, 6, and 7, a heating unit 6 that heats pot 2 and a temperature detection unit 7 that detects the temperature of pot 2 are arranged below mounting surface 13. In this embodiment, heating unit 6 is an induction heating coil that inductively heats pot 2 when current is applied. Temperature detection unit 7 is a temperature sensor that contacts the bottom of pot 2 through through-hole 14a in base 14 and detects the temperature of pot 2.

[0054] The chassis 15 has a standing wall 151 extending in the height direction Z so as to face the side of the pot 21 placed on the placement surface 13. The standing wall 151 is located inside the housing 1 and downstream (rear side of the housing 1) in the front-to-rear direction Y in which the pot 21 slides. A control unit 8 is attached to the surface of the standing wall 151 opposite the surface facing the pot 21. The control unit 8 is located closer to the weight detection unit 5 than the two support parts 15a.

[0055] The control unit 8 controls the amount of food to be fed into the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5. In this embodiment, the control unit 8 controls the rice feeding device and water feeding device based on the rice cooking information (including the desired amount of rice) selected on the display operation unit (not shown) and the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5, thereby controlling the amount of rice and water to be fed from the rice container 3 and the water container 4 into the pot 2. The control unit 8 also has a memory unit (not shown) that stores multiple rice cooking sequences for cooking rice. Here, a "rice cooking sequence" refers to a rice cooking procedure in which the power supply time, heating temperature, heating time, heating output, etc. are predetermined for each of the four main steps: preheating, heating, maintaining boiling, and steaming. Each rice cooking sequence corresponds to one of multiple rice cooking courses. The control unit 8 controls the heating operation of the heating unit 6 to perform the rice cooking process based on the rice cooking information (including the rice cooking course) selected on the display operation unit (not shown) and the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit 7.

[0056] According to this embodiment, support portion 15a and weight detection portion 5 are configured to be at different height positions. This allows for the dispersion of the center of gravity position of pot 2 to be consolidated, making it easier to estimate the weight of pot 2 based on the weight detected by weight detection portion 5. This makes it possible to reduce component costs while preventing a decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

[0057] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, weight detection unit 5 is configured to be lower in height than support unit 15a. This allows the variation in the center of gravity of pot 2 to be concentrated on the weight detection unit 5 side, making it easier to estimate the weight of pot 2 based on the weight detected by weight detection unit 5. Therefore, it is possible to reduce component costs while further preventing a decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

[0058] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, support portion 15a and weight detection portion 5 are configured to receive the weight of pot 2 via base 14. By forming base 14 to accommodate the difference in height between support portion 15a and weight detection portion 5, placement surface 13 on which pot 2 is placed can be made horizontal.

[0059] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the weight detection unit 5 is configured with one weight sensor, which makes it possible to further reduce component costs.

[0060] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, multiple support parts 15a are provided, and the multiple support parts 15a are arranged, in a plan view, symmetrically with respect to a second imaginary line that passes through weight detection unit 5 and the center of pot 2. This allows the variation in the position of the center of gravity of pot 2 to be concentrated on the weight detection unit 5 side, making it even easier to estimate the weight of pot 2 based on the weight detected by weight detection unit 5. Therefore, it is possible to reduce component costs while further preventing a decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked.

[0061] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, pot container 21, which contains pot 2, is placed on placement surface 13 by sliding from the side of housing 1 along the second imaginary line, and weight detection unit 5 is positioned downstream of support portion 15a in the direction in which pot container 21 slides. This allows variations in the position of the center of gravity of pot 2 to be concentrated on the weight detection unit 5 side, making it even easier to estimate the weight of pot 2 based on the weight detected by weight detection unit 5. Therefore, it is possible to further prevent a decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked while reducing component costs.

[0062] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the rice cooker is provided with a control unit 8 that controls the amount of food to be supplied to the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit 5, and the control unit 8 is located closer to the weight detection unit 5 than the support part 15a. This allows, for example, the wiring connecting the weight detection unit 5 and the control unit 8 to be shorter, thereby enabling the rice cooker to be made more compact.

[0063] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment 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 the present 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.

[0064] Furthermore, in the above description, support portion 15a and weight detection portion 5 are configured to receive the weight of pot 2 via base 14, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Support portion 15a and weight detection portion 5 may be configured to contact the bottom of pot 2 and receive the weight of pot 2 directly. Support portion 15a and weight detection portion 5 may also be configured to contact the bottom of pot container 21 and receive the weight of pot 2 indirectly. In this case, pot container 21 can be formed to accommodate the difference in height between support portion 15a and weight detection portion 5, allowing pot 2 to be level.

[0065] Furthermore, although the weight detection unit 5 is described above as being configured with one weight sensor, the present disclosure is not limited to this. The weight detection unit 5 may be configured with fewer weight sensors than conventional units. For example, the weight detection unit 5 may be configured with two weight sensors.

[0066] Although the above description describes the provision of multiple support portions 15a, the present disclosure is not limited to this. There may be only one support portion 15a. In this case, it is preferable that support portion 15a be configured so that it can horizontally support pot 2 or pot container 21 (for example, so that it has a certain amount of area).

[0067] In the above description, the pot container 21 for accommodating the pot 2 is provided, and the pot container 21 is placed on the placement surface 13 by sliding from the side of the housing 1, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the pot 2 may be configured to be placed directly on the placement surface 13 without being accommodated in the pot container 21.

[0068] Although the present disclosure has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiments, with appropriate reference to the drawings, various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims, unless they depart therefrom. [Industrial Applicability]

[0069] The rice cooker according to the present disclosure is useful as a rice cooker equipped with a weight detection unit, since it can reduce component costs while minimizing a decrease in the accuracy of detecting the weight of the food being cooked. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1 chassis 11 Containment Area 12 Housing lid 13 Placement surface 13a Convex part 13b opening 13c Surrounding area of ​​convex part 14 Pedestal 14a Through hole 14b Recess 15 chassis 15a Support part 151 Standing Wall 2. Pot 2a bottom 2b side wall 2c opening 2d flange 21 Pot container 21a bottom 21b Inner wall 21c Rib 21d Exterior wall 21e Air Layer 21f Recess 21g Side wall of recess 21h opening 211 Side wall 22 Lid 22a Lid body 22b Rice input port 22c pot gasket 22d Mounting material 22e Rice outlet 3 rice containers 4 water container 5 Weight detection unit 6 Heating section 7 Temperature detection unit 8 Control Unit

Claims

1. A pot and a housing having a mounting surface on which the pot is placed; a support portion disposed below the placement surface and supporting the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface; a weight detection unit disposed below the placement surface for detecting the weight of the food contained in the pot by receiving the weight of the pot placed on the placement surface; Equipped with The support portion and the weight detection portion are arranged on opposite sides of a first imaginary line passing through the center of the pot in a plan view seen from above the pot, The support unit and the weight detection unit are located at different height positions.

2. The rice cooker according to claim 1 , wherein the weight detection unit is located at a height lower than the support unit.

3. the housing includes a base having the mounting surface, The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support portion and the weight detection portion are configured to receive the weight of the pot via the base.

4. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the weight detection unit is configured with one weight sensor.

5. 5. The rice cooker of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of the support parts, the plurality of support parts being arranged symmetrically with respect to a second imaginary line passing through the weight detection part and the center of the pot in the plan view.

6. Further provided is a pot container for accommodating the pot; The pot is placed on the placement surface by sliding along the second imaginary straight line from the side of the housing, The rice cooker according to claim 5 , wherein the weight detection unit is disposed downstream of the support unit in a direction in which the pot slides.

7. The control unit controls the amount of food to be fed into the pot based on the weight detected by the weight detection unit. The rice cooker according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit is disposed closer to the weight detection unit than the support unit.

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