rice cooker

Abstract

To provide a rice cooker which suppresses uneven boiling and also can be downsized.SOLUTION: A rice cooker includes: a pot (2); a housing (11) having a housing area (12) housing the pot (2); and an annular flat coil (7) provided in the housing (11) and heating the pot (2) from below. The inner surface of a bottom wall (2a) of the pot (2) has an annular inflection point (2e) as a lowest point, and inclines upward as going toward its outer peripheral part from the inflection point (2e). The inflection point (2e) is provided on a side inner than a center (C1) between the inner diameter of the flat coil (7) and the outer diameter of the flat coil (7), in a plan view where the bottom wall (2a) of the pot (2) is viewed in a thickness direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a rice cooker.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a rice cooker is known that is configured to generate convection in a pot and suppress uneven cooking by arranging a plurality of heating coils so as to face the bottom wall and the side wall of the pot and adjusting the timing of heating the pot by each heating coil (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a rice cooker that can suppress uneven cooking and be made more compact. [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] This figure shows the recess provided at the bottom of the pot container in the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3B] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rice cooker with the pot, pot container, and lid removed. [Figure 4] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1 when the communicating member according to the embodiment of this disclosure is in the first communicating position. [Figure 5] This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1 when the communicating member according to the embodiment of this disclosure is in the second communicating position. [Figure 6] This is a top view of a communication member in a first communication position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] This is a top view of a communication member in a second communication position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of the pot included in a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] This is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of a pot heating device included in a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] According to the first aspect of this disclosure, A pot and A housing having a storage area for storing the pot, An annular planar coil provided in the housing for heating the pot from below, Comprising, The inner surface of the bottom wall of the pot has an annular inflection point that is the lowest point, and slopes upward from the inflection point toward the outer peripheral portion, The inflection point is provided inside the center of the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the planar coil in a plan view of the bottom wall of the pot in the thickness direction, providing a rice cooker.

[0010] According to this rice cooker, since the inner surface of the bottom wall of the pot slopes upward from the inflection point toward the outer peripheral portion, a flow of fluid upward can be generated by the fluid flowing along the slope. Also, since the inflection point is provided inside the center of the inner diameter and the outer diameter of the planar coil, a longer sloping distance can be ensured. Thereby, the flow of fluid upward can be promoted to generate a larger convection in the pot, suppressing uneven cooking. Also, since there is no need to provide a heating coil facing the side wall of the pot, the rice cooker can be made smaller.

[0011] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided the rice cooker according to the first aspect, wherein the inflection point is provided outside the inner diameter of the planar coil in the plan view. According to this rice cooker, since a larger diameter of the inflection point can be ensured, for example, when placing the pot on a table, the pot can be stably made to stand on its own.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the planar coil includes an annular first coil and an annular second coil arranged at an interval from the first coil so as to include the first coil, and the inflection point is provided inside the center of the inner diameter of the first coil and the outer diameter of the second coil in the plan view, providing the rice cooker according to the first or second aspect. According to this rice cooker, similar to the above-described rice cooker, uneven cooking can be suppressed and the rice cooker can be made smaller.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a rice cooker according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which the inner surface of the bottom wall of the pot slopes upward from the inflection point toward the center. According to this rice cooker, since the inner surface of the bottom wall of the pot slopes upward from the inflection point toward the center, by flowing the fluid along this slope, a fluid flow upward can also be generated on the center side of the pot. Thereby, a larger convection can be generated in the pot, and uneven cooking can be suppressed. In addition, since there is no need to provide a heating coil so as to face the side wall of the pot, the rice cooker can be downsized.

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited by this embodiment. Also, in the drawings, substantially the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0015] In addition, hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, terms indicating directions such as “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “side” etc. are used assuming the state during normal use, but it does not mean to limit the use state etc. of the rice cooker according to the present disclosure.

[0016] (Embodiment) The overall configuration of the rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The rice cooker according to the present embodiment is a so-called fully automatic rice cooker that can automatically perform the supply of rice and water into the pot to cooking rice. Note that the rice cooker according to the present disclosure is not limited to a fully automatic rice cooker.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the rice cooker according to the present embodiment includes a housing 11, a pot 2 (shown in FIG. 2), a pot container 21, a lid body 22, a rice container 301, and a water container 401.

[0018] The housing 11 is a rounded rectangle when viewed from above. In other words, when viewed from above, the housing 11 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 11 is called the front. The other curved side of the housing 11 is called the rear. Furthermore, the directions toward the front and rear of the housing 11 are called the front-rear direction, and the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is called the lateral direction. In this embodiment, the directions toward the upper left and lower right of Figure 1 are called the lateral direction X. Furthermore, the directions toward the lower left and upper right are 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 directions that intersect the lateral direction X, the front-rear direction Y, and the lateral direction X and the front-rear direction Y are sometimes called the lateral direction.

[0019] A storage area 12 capable of accommodating a pot container 21 is provided on the lower and front side of the housing 11. The storage area 12 is part of the housing 11 and defines a space for accommodating the pot container and lid 22. The storage area 12 is configured so that the pot container 21 and lid 22 can be slid in from the side of the storage area 12. 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 12 along the front-rear direction Y. A housing lid 11a that covers the housing 11 and the rice container 301 (described later) is detachably attached to the upper end of the housing 11.

[0020] The storage area 12 contains a pot container 21, a pot 2 (see Figure 2) which is housed in the pot container 21, and a lid 22 which is detachably attached to the pot container 21. The pot container 21 is placed on the bottom 12a (see Figure 3B) of the storage area 12, which will be described later. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12 is assumed to contain the pot 2 and to have the lid 22 attached.

[0021] The height of the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12 is lower than the height of the storage area 12. The pot 2, the pot container 21, and the lid 22 can be attached to and detached from the housing 11 by sliding them along the front-rear direction Y between the storage area 12 and the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the storage area 12, while the lid 22 remains attached to the pot container 21.

[0022] The rice container 301 is a container for storing rice. The rice container 301 is located inside the housing 11 and above the storage area 12. In other words, the rice container 301 is located inside the housing 11, below the housing lid 11a and adjacent to the housing lid 11a.

[0023] The water container 401 is a container for holding water. The water container is located on the rear and upper side of the housing 11.

[0024] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pot, pot container, and lid of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. Figure 3A shows the recess provided at the bottom of the pot container in the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. Figure 3B is a perspective view of the casing of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1 with the pot, pot container, and lid removed.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the pot 2 has a bottomed cylindrical shape. That is, the pot 2 has a bottom wall 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 towards the outside of the pot 2, along the entire circumference of the upper end of the side wall 2b.

[0026] 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, a side wall 211 (shown in Figure 4), and an opening 21h. The pot container 21 is made of, for example, resin.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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 wall 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 pot heating device 7 described later can be reduced, thus reducing heat damage to the pot container 21. As shown in Figure 4, 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.

[0029] 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 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. 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.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3B, the bottom 12a of the storage area 12 is provided with a protrusion 61 for placing the pot container 21 to be stored in the storage area 12. The shape and dimensions of the protrusion 61 correspond to the shape and dimensions of the recess 21f of the pot container 21. The protrusion 61 is arc-shaped and is provided to protrude from the housing 11. The height of the protrusion 61 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 12, a gap is formed between the bottom 21a of the pot container 21 and the bottom 12a of the storage area 12. In addition, an opening 12b is provided in the bottom 12a of the storage area 12. The opening 12b is provided to divide the protrusion 61 into two parts.

[0031] A peripheral portion 11c is provided on the outside of the protrusion 61, extending around its entire circumference in the circumferential direction. The peripheral portion 11c 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 12. The diameter of the protrusion 61 is such that when the protrusion 61 is positioned between the two straight sections of the side wall 21g of the recess, the outer surface of the protrusion 61 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 11c.

[0032] When the pot container 21 slides between the storage area 12 and the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the storage area 12, the protrusion 61 slides relative to the recess 21f. More specifically, the side wall 21g of the recess slides relative to the outer surface of the protrusion 61. 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 61 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 12. In other words, the pot container 21 slides in the direction in which the U-shaped groove of the bottom 21a of the pot container extends, and its sliding movement is guided by the relative sliding of the side wall 21g of the groove and the outer surface of the protrusion 61. Furthermore, since the outer surface of the protrusion 61 and the curved portion of the groove can be brought into contact with each other, 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 12. Moreover, when the pot container 21 is placed on the protrusion 61, the pot container 21 can rotate in both forward and reverse directions in the circumferential direction of the protrusion 61 so that the side wall 21g of the recess and the outer surface of the protrusion 61 slide relative to each other.

[0033] As shown in Figure 2, the lid 22 has a lid body 22a, a rice input opening 22b, a pot packing 22c, and a mounting member 22d.

[0034] In this embodiment, the lid body 22a has a ring-shaped flat plate portion and a cylindrical 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 cylindrical 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.

[0035] The rice input port 22b is located in the center of the width direction of the flat plate portion of the lid body 22a. The rice supplied by the rice supply device 3 (described later) and the water supplied by the water supply device 4 (described later) pass through the rice input port 22b when supplied into the pot 2. In this embodiment, the rice input port 22b is located in the center of the lid body 22 when viewed from above. In this embodiment, the rice input port 22b is a circular hole when viewed from above. The rice input port 22b is located coaxially with the pot 2 housed in the pot container 21.

[0036] 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 rice input opening 22b.

[0037] The mounting member 22d is attached to the lid body 22a with the pot packing 22c sandwiched 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 a rice discharge port 22e that communicates with the rice input port 22b. The rice discharge port 22e is a circular hole when viewed from above. The rice discharge port 22e is positioned coaxially with the rice input port 22b. The diameter of the rice discharge port 22e is larger than the diameter of the rice input port 22b. In other words, the opening area of ​​the rice input port 22b is smaller than the opening area of ​​the rice discharge port 22e. Although not shown in Figure 2, a rice diffusion member 23 (shown in Figure 4), which will be described later, is attached to the mounting member 22d.

[0038] Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1. More specifically, Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1 when the connecting member 5, which will be described later, is in the first connecting position. Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the rice cooker shown in Figure 1 when the connecting member 5, which will be described later, is in the second connecting position.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, the housing 11 includes a rice supply device 3, a water supply device 4, a connecting member 5, a weight detection device 6, a pot heating device 7, a temperature detection device 8, and a control unit 9 (shown in Figure 5).

[0040] The rice supply device 3 includes a rice supply shaft 31, rice supply blades 32, a rice supply pipe 33, and a guide pipe 34. The rice supply shaft 31 is positioned horizontally from below the rice container 301 to above the storage area 12. The rice supply blades 32 are spirally formed around the axis of the rice supply shaft 31. The rice contained in the rice container 301 falls due to gravity and is supplied horizontally towards the top of the storage area 12 by the rice supply shaft 31 and rice supply blades 32, which are rotated, for example, by a motor. When a pot container 21 is contained in the storage area 12, the rice supplied to the top of the storage area 12 falls due to gravity and enters the pot 2 through the rice supply pipe 33 and guide pipe 34 and the rice input port 22b of the lid 22. In other words, the rice supply device 3 can supply rice from the rice container 301 into the pot 2. The rice supply device 3 of this embodiment is an example of a rice supply unit according to the present disclosure.

[0041] The rice supply pipe 33 is a cylindrical member having an opening 33a at one end that opens toward the rice input port 22b. The other end of the rice supply pipe 33 communicates with the inside of a cylindrical body that houses the rice supply shaft 31 and the rice supply blades 32. The rice supply pipe 33 is movable relative to the body. The rice supply pipe 33 is arranged coaxially with the pot 2. In other words, the central axis of the rice supply pipe 33 coincides with the central axis C of the pot 2 (shown in Figure 5). Here, "coincident" as used herein is not limited to coincidence in a strict sense. "Coincident" as used herein includes both a mode of "coincident" in a strict sense and a mode that deviates slightly from "coincident" in a strict sense within an acceptable range of uneven cooking.

[0042] The guide tube 34 is a cylindrical member positioned between the rice supply pipe 33 and the rice input port 22b, guiding the rice that has passed through the rice supply pipe 33 to the rice input port 22b. The guide tube 34 is positioned coaxially with the rice supply pipe 33. In other words, the central axis of the guide tube 34 coincides with the central axis of the rice supply pipe 33. As a result, the rice supply pipe 33, the guide tube 34, and the pot 2 are positioned coaxially. The inner diameter of the guide tube 34 is larger than the outer diameter of the rice supply pipe 33. The guide tube 34 is also movable in the height direction Z. As a result, the guide tube 34 can move upward from the position shown in Figure 4 to a position where the rice supply pipe 33 is housed within the guide tube 34 (the position shown in Figure 5). On the other hand, the inner diameter of the guide tube 34 is smaller than the diameter of the rice input port 22b.

[0043] The water supply device 4 includes a water supply pipe 41 and a water supply pump (not shown). The water supply device 4 is located inside the housing 11.

[0044] One end of the water supply pipe 41 is provided to open toward the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 housed in the containment area 12. The other end of the water supply pipe 41 is connected to the inside of the water container 401 (shown in Figure 1). A water supply pump is provided in the water supply pipe 41. When the water supply pump is driven, water from the water container 401 is supplied to the pot 2 through the water supply pipe 41.

[0045] The connecting member 5 comprises a connecting member body 51 (shown in Figures 6 and 7) and a steam cylinder 52. The connecting member 5 is positioned to move between a first connecting position (shown in Figure 4) that fluidly connects the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 with the rice supply device 3 and the water supply device 4, and a second connecting position (shown in Figure 5) that fluidly connects the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 with the steam cylinder 52, which can discharge steam to the outside of the housing 11.

[0046] One end of the steam cylinder 52 is provided on the upper surface of the communication member body 51 (shown in Figure 6) so as to communicate with the inside of the pot 2 via the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 when the communication member 5 is in the second communication position, as shown in Figure 5. When the communication member 5 is in the second communication position and the pot container 21 is housed in the storage area 12, the steam inside the pot 2 is discharged to the outside of the housing 11 via the rice input port 22b of the lid 22 and the steam cylinder 52.

[0047] Figure 6 is a top view of the connecting member 5 in the first connecting position. Figure 7 is a top view of the connecting member 5 in the second connecting position.

[0048] Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the communication member body 51 is a plate-shaped member. The communication member body 51 is mounted on the housing 11 (shown in Figure 4) so ​​as to be rotatable around the pivot axis 51a. The communication member body 51 also has a rice supply pipe 33, a guide pipe 34, and a steam cylinder 52 attached to it. The rice supply pipe 33, the guide pipe 34, and the steam cylinder 52 are arranged on a virtual circle V that passes through the central axis C of the pot 2 with the pivot axis 51a as the center. As a result, by rotating the communication member body 51 around the pivot axis 51a, the communication member 5 can move between a first communication position where the rice supply pipe 33 and the guide pipe 34 are located on the central axis C of the pot 2, that is, above the rice input port 22b (shown in Figure 4), and a second communication position where the steam cylinder 52 is located on the central axis C of the pot 2, that is, above the rice input port 22b. Furthermore, as described above, the guide tube 34 is movable to a position where the rice supply pipe 33 is housed inside the guide tube 34 (the position shown in Figure 5). When the connecting member 5 moves from the first connecting position to the second connecting position, the guide tube 34 moves to a position where the rice supply pipe 33 is housed inside the guide tube 34, and also moves to a position offset from the rice input port 22b when viewed from above. This allows the rice supply pipe 33 and the guide tube 34 to be compactly housed inside the housing 11. The guide tube 34 may also move in the height direction Z as the connecting member body 51 rotates around the pivot axis 51a by a cam mechanism (not shown). The guide tube 34 may also move in the height direction Z by a drive mechanism such as a motor (not shown).

[0049] Referring to Figure 4, the weight detection device 6 has a mounting surface. A protrusion 61 (shown in Figure 3B) is provided on the mounting surface, on which the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12 is placed. The weight detection device 6 is located inside the housing 11 below the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12. The weight detection device 6 detects the weight of the pot container 21 housed in the storage area 12 and placed on the protrusion 61 on the mounting surface. In this embodiment, the weight of the pot container 21 includes the weight of the pot 2 housed in the pot container 21, the lid 22 detachably attached to the pot container 21, and the weight of the rice and water supplied into the pot 2. In this embodiment, the control unit 9, described later, measures the amount of rice and water supplied into the pot 2 based on the weight detected by the weight detection device 6.

[0050] As shown in Figure 4, a pot heating device 7 is provided inside the housing 11 and below the storage area 12, at a position facing the bottom wall 2a of the stored pot 2. That is, the pot heating device 7 is provided inside the housing 11 and is configured to heat the pot 2 from below. The pot heating device 7 is, for example, an induction heating coil that inductively heats the pot 2 when energized. In this embodiment, the pot heating device 7 is an annular planar coil wound in a spiral shape in the planar direction.

[0051] The pot heating device 7 and the rice container 301 are located inside the housing 11. Therefore, the pot container 21 and the lid 22 can slide relative to the rice container 301 and the pot heating device 7 between the storage area 12 and the outside of the housing 11 and to the side of the storage area 12, while the lid 22 covers the opening 2c of the pot 2.

[0052] A non-contact temperature detection device 8 is provided inside the housing 11 and below the storage area 12. The temperature detection device 8 is, for example, an infrared sensor that measures the temperature of the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2 by non-contact detecting infrared rays emitted from the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2 through a through-hole in the bottom 21a of the pot container 21.

[0053] The control unit 9 is located inside the housing 11. Based on the weight detected by the weight detection device 6, the control unit 9 measures the amount of rice and water supplied to the pot 2 and controls the rice supply device 3 and the water supply device 4. The control unit 9 also has a storage unit (not shown) that stores multiple rice cooking sequences. Here, a "rice cooking sequence" refers to a rice cooking procedure in which the energizing time, heating temperature, heating time, heating output, etc., are predetermined for each of the four main steps: preheating, heating, boiling maintenance, and steaming. Each rice cooking sequence corresponds to one of several rice cooking courses. Based on the rice cooking information selected on the display operation unit (not shown) and the temperature detected by the temperature detection device 8, the control unit 9 controls the pot heating device 7 and executes the rice cooking process.

[0054] Next, the shape of the pot included in the rice cooker according to this embodiment will be described in more detail. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the shape of the pot included in the rice cooker according to this embodiment.

[0055] As shown in Figure 8, the inner surface of the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2 has an annular inflection point 2e at its lowest point, and is configured to slope upward from the inflection point 2e toward the outer circumference. The inflection point 2e is located inside the center C1 between the inner and outer diameters of the annular planar coil of the pot heating device 7 when viewed in a plan view of the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2 in the thickness direction (height direction Z). Also, the inflection point 2e is located outside the inner diameter of the pot heating device 7 when viewed in a plan view. Furthermore, the inner surface of the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2 is configured to slope upward from the inflection point 2e toward the center.

[0056] In a plan view, the inner diameter of pot 2 is, for example, 145 mm. The outer diameter of pot heating device 7 is, for example, 130 mm (89.6% of the inner diameter of pot 2). The inner diameter of pot heating device 7 is, for example, 57 mm. The width of pot heating device 7 (between the outer and inner diameters) is, for example, 36.5 mm (50.3% of the inner diameter of pot 2).

[0057] According to this embodiment, the inner surface of the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2 slopes upward from the inflection point 2e toward the outer circumference, so that fluid flows along this slope, generating an upward fluid flow (solid arrow in Figure 8). Furthermore, since the inflection point 2e is located inside the center C1 between the inner and outer diameters of the pot heating device 7, a longer slope distance can be secured. This promotes the upward fluid flow, generating greater convection within the pot 2 and suppressing uneven cooking. In addition, since there is no need to provide heating coils facing the side wall 2b of the pot 2, the rice cooker can be made smaller, and the pot 2 can be installed in the housing area 12 of the housing 11 by sliding it in from the side.

[0058] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the inflection point 2e is located outside the inner diameter of the pot heating device 7 in a plan view, a larger diameter of the inflection point 2e can be secured. This allows, for example, the pot 2 to stand stably on its own when placed on a stand.

[0059] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since the inner surface of the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2 slopes upward from the inflection point 2e towards the center, fluid flows along this slope, generating an upward fluid flow (dotted arrow in Figure 8) towards the center of the pot 2. This allows for greater convection within the pot 2, suppressing uneven cooking. In addition, since there is no need to provide a heating coil facing the side wall of the pot 2, the rice cooker can be made smaller, and the pot 2 can be installed in the housing area 12 of the casing 11 by sliding it in from the side.

[0060] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented in various other forms. For example, although the pot heating device 7 is described above as a single annular planar coil, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the pot heating device 7 may include an annular first coil 71 and an annular second coil 72 that is spaced apart from the first coil 71 and positioned to enclose the first coil 71. In other words, the pot heating device 7 may be composed of two or more annular planar coils. In this case, the inflection point 2e should be located inside the center C2 between the inner diameter of the first coil 71 and the outer diameter of the second coil 72 in a plan view. With this configuration, uneven cooking can be suppressed, as with the rice cooker described above, and the rice cooker can be made smaller.

[0061] Furthermore, while the above description assumes that the inner surface of the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2 slopes upward from the inflection point 2e toward the center, this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the inner surface of the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2 may be flat from the inflection point 2e toward the center. The inflection point 2e may simply be the lowest point on the inner surface of the bottom wall 2a of the pot 2.

[0062] Furthermore, although the above description has included a rice cooker comprising a pot 2, a pot container 21, and a lid 22 that are detachable from the housing 11 by sliding, the rice cooker according to this disclosure is not limited thereto. The rice cooker according to this disclosure may be, for example, a conventionally known type of rice cooker in which the lid rotates around a hinge axis provided at the rear upper part of the housing that houses the pot.

[0063] 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]

[0064] The rice cooker according to this disclosure can reduce uneven cooking and be made smaller, and is therefore useful, for example, for a rice cooker that can be installed by sliding the pot in from the side into the housing's storage area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 11 cabinets 11a Housing cover 12 Containment Area 2 pot 2a Bottom wall 2b side wall 2c opening 2d flange section 2e Inflection point 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 Rice input port 22c pot gasket 22d Mounting component 22e Rice outlet 23. Diffusion component 3 Rice feeding device 31 Rice feed shaft 32 rice delivery feathers 33 Rice feeding tube 34 Guide tube 301 Rice container 4 Water supply device 41 Water pipe 401 Water container 5 Connecting members 51 Main body of connecting member 52 Steam cylinder 6. Weight detection device 61 Convex part 7 Pot heating device 71. First coil 72 Second coil 8. Temperature detection device 9. Control Unit

Claims

1. A pot and A housing having a storage area for accommodating the aforementioned pot, An annular planar coil is provided inside the housing for heating the pot from below, Equipped with, The inner surface of the bottom wall of the aforementioned pot has an annular inflection point that is the lowest point, and slopes upward from the inflection point toward the outer circumference. The inflection point is located inward from the center between the inner diameter and outer diameter of the planar coil, in a plan view of the bottom wall of the pot in the thickness direction. The inflection point is located outside the inner diameter of the planar coil in the planar view of the rice cooker.

2. The planar coil comprises an annular first coil and an annular second coil arranged to enclose the first coil at a distance from it, The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the inflection point is located inward from the center between the inner diameter of the first coil and the outer diameter of the second coil in the plan view.

3. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the bottom wall of the pot is inclined upward from the inflection point toward the center.

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