阅读说明：本技术 烹饪器具及其控制方法 (Cooking appliance and control method thereof ) 是由 王福兵 郑帅军 李永强 熊告洪 王正清 左祥贵 于 2020-05-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开的实施例公开了烹饪器具。在一些实施例中,烹饪器具包括：淘洗装置,淘洗装置包括：筒体,沿其相对于水平方向倾斜布置的纵向轴线延伸,筒体限定用于容纳食材的腔室,并且筒体包括：第一进口和第一出口,被分别设置在筒体的第一端和与第一端相对的第二端；给水部,被配置为将水供给到腔室中以清洗食材；分离部,在第一进口与第一出口之间被设置在筒体上,并且被配置允许水离开腔室而食材不能穿过分离部；输送单元,被配置为将经由第一进口投入到腔室中的食材输送至第一出口。在此描述的烹饪器具结构简单合理、食材淘洗充分、不易堵住第一进口并且成本低。本公开的实施例还公开了烹饪器具的控制方法。(Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a cooking appliance. In some embodiments, a cooking appliance includes: elutriation device, elutriation device includes: a cylinder extending along a longitudinal axis thereof arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal, the cylinder defining a chamber for containing a food material, and the cylinder comprising: a first inlet and a first outlet respectively provided at a first end and a second end opposite to the first end of the cylinder; a water feeding part configured to feed water into the chamber to wash the food material; a separating portion disposed on the drum between the first inlet and the first outlet and configured to allow water to exit the chamber without food material passing through the separating portion; a conveying unit configured to convey the food material thrown into the chamber via the first inlet to the first outlet. The cooking appliance described herein is simple and reasonable in structure, the ingredients are washed sufficiently, the first inlet is not easily blocked, and the cost is low. The embodiment of the disclosure also discloses a control method of the cooking appliance.)

1. A cooking appliance comprising a elutriation device (30), characterised in that said elutriation device (30) comprises:

a cylinder (310) extending along a longitudinal axis (X) thereof arranged obliquely with respect to a horizontal direction, the cylinder (310) defining a chamber (316) for containing a food material, and the cylinder (310) comprising:

a first inlet (311) and a first outlet (312) respectively provided at a first end and a second end opposite to the first end of the cylinder (310);

a water feed portion (314) configured to feed water into the chamber (316) to wash the food material;

a separating portion (313) provided on the cylinder (310) between the first inlet (311) and the first outlet (312) and configured to allow the water to exit the chamber (316) without the foodstuff being able to pass through the separating portion (313);

a conveying unit (330) configured to convey the food material thrown into the chamber (316) via the first inlet (311) to the first outlet (312).

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1,

the water feed portion (314) is disposed on the barrel (310) between the first inlet (311) and the first outlet (312) and includes a nozzle defining a longitudinal axis (Y); and is

The longitudinal axis (Y) intersects the longitudinal axis (X) at an angle.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 2,

an acute angle formed between the longitudinal axis (Y) and the longitudinal axis (X) in a plane (XY) formed by the longitudinal axis (Y) and the longitudinal axis (X) is 5-85 degrees.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 3,

the first inlet (311) and the first outlet (312) are arranged on either side of the plane (XY), respectively; and is

The separation portion (313) is located on the same side of the plane (XY) as the first outlet (312).

5. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the delivery unit (330) comprises: a rotating shaft (332) configured to be rotatable in the cylinder (310); and

a helical blade (333) configured to rotate with the shaft (332) to convey the food material to the first outlet (312) while stirring the food material.

6. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 or 2,

the separating portion (313) comprises a mesh portion such that the water is able to pass through the mesh portion but the food material is unable to pass through the mesh portion.

7. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 or 2,

the barrel (310) further comprises an exhaust (315) configured to allow air communication between the chamber (316) and the external environment.

8. The cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a water filtering device (40), the water filtering device (40) comprising:

a cartridge (410) comprising:

a second inlet (411) in communication with the first outlet (312);

a second outlet (413) configured to allow the food material to exit the drum (410);

a water filtering section (412) configured to allow at least a portion of water mixed in the food material to exit the cartridge (410);

a core assembly (420) movably arranged in the cartridge (410) and configured to push the water-filtered food material to the second outlet (413).

9. The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the core assembly (420) comprises:

a first shutter (422) configured to be movable between an initial position and an emptying position in the cartridge (410); and

a spindle (421) configured to move the first shutter (422) by being driven by a power unit;

wherein a circumferential surface of the first baffle (422) is fluidly sealed from an inner wall surface of the cartridge (410).

10. The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein the core assembly (420) further comprises:

a second barrier (423) coupled spaced apart from the first barrier (422) such that the food material thrown from the second inlet (411) is accommodated between the second barrier (423) and the first barrier (422), and a circumferential surface of the second barrier (423) is fluidly sealed from an inner wall surface of the cylindrical body (410).

11. The cooking appliance of claim 9,

the water filtering section (412) comprises a mesh arranged on the cartridge (410) to allow water mixed in the food material to exit via the mesh (412); and is

-the first baffle (422) pushes the water-filtered food material to the second outlet (413) in case the first baffle (422) is moved to the emptying position.

12. The cooking appliance of claim 8, further comprising:

a storage assembly (10) for storing the food material and configured to deposit the food material into the first inlet (311);

a cooking assembly (50) configured to receive the food material exiting from the second outlet (413).

13. The cooking appliance of claim 8, further comprising:

a water discharge assembly (60) configured to discharge at least water separated from the separation portion (313) and water filtered out from the water filtering device (40).

14. A control method for controlling the cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1-7, the control method comprising:

acquiring a set value of food to be cooked;

determining an amount of water corresponding to the set value based on the set value;

activating the elutriation device (30) to wash and deliver a unit weight of foodstuff thrown into the drum (310) to a cooking assembly (50) of the cooking appliance;

in response to the total amount of the foodstuff that has been washed reaching the set value and water equal to the amount of water having been added to the cooking assembly (50), activating the cooking assembly (50) to cook the foodstuff.

15. A control method for controlling the cooking appliance according to any one of claims 8-13, the control method comprising:

acquiring a set value of food to be cooked;

determining an amount of water corresponding to the set value based on the set value;

starting the elutriation device (30) to wash the food material per unit weight thrown into the cylinder (310) and convey the food material to the water filtering device (40);

in response to a predetermined time of depletion after the food material that has been washed enters the water filtering means (40), activating the core assembly (420) to push the water filtered food material to the second outlet (413) such that the food material is plunged into a cooking assembly (50) of the cooking appliance;

responsive to the total amount of the food material that is filtered water reaching the set point and water equal to the amount of water having been added to the cooking assembly (50), activating the cooking assembly (50) to cook the food material.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of cooking appliances, and more particularly, to cooking appliances such as rice cookers or rice cookers.

Background

A conventional cooking appliance (e.g., an electric rice cooker or an electric rice cooker) has a timing reservation function. For example, a user washes rice in advance, puts it in a pot with water for cooking, and a cooking appliance starts cooking at a scheduled time (usually several hours later). However, the cooking appliance requires the user to wash the rice in advance. Some rice washing devices are designed for automatically washing rice, but the rice washing devices have complex structures, large volumes and high cost. Furthermore, the washed rice is mixed with some water, and the cooking utensil calculates the required water consumption by using the rice and the water mixed in the rice as the weight of the rice, which affects the proportion of the rice water and the cooking effect.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a washing device which can wash food materials more cleanly, has a simpler structure and is low in cost, and a cooking appliance which is higher in automation degree and more reliable in performance.

Disclosure of Invention

The traditional cooking utensil has the defects of complex structure, insufficient cleaning, high cost and the like. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved cooking appliance to address or at least partially address the above-mentioned and other potential problems.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a cooking appliance is provided. The cooking appliance includes: elutriation device, elutriation device includes: a cylinder extending along a longitudinal axis thereof arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal, the cylinder defining a chamber for containing a food material, and the cylinder comprising: a first inlet and a first outlet respectively provided at a first end and a second end opposite to the first end of the cylinder; a water feeding part configured to feed water into the chamber to wash the food material; a separating portion disposed on the drum between the first inlet and the first outlet and configured to allow water to exit the chamber without food material passing through the separating portion; a conveying unit configured to convey the food material thrown into the chamber via the first inlet to the first outlet.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cooking appliance having a longitudinal axis arranged obliquely, such that the delivery unit can more easily deliver food materials (e.g., and water) to the first outlet. Because the separation part sets up between the first import and the first export of barrel, at the in-process that eats the material and carry, eat the separation of material and water simultaneously, this can promote to wash the water of eating the material in time with eat the material separation, improves and elutriates the effect.

In some embodiments, the feedwater portion is disposed on the cartridge between the first inlet and the first outlet, and includes a nozzle defining a longitudinal axis; and the longitudinal axis intersects the longitudinal axis at an angle.

All set up the water supply portion and the separation portion between the first import and the first export of barrel, can promote to wash the water of eating the material in time with eat the material separation, improve the cleaning performance of eating the material. The water spray effectively washes the food material because the longitudinal axis of the nozzle intersects the longitudinal axis at an angle.

In some embodiments, an acute angle formed between the longitudinal axis and the longitudinal axis in a plane formed by the longitudinal axis and the longitudinal axis is 5-85 degrees. The angle between the longitudinal axis of the nozzle and the longitudinal axis is 5-85 degrees, so that the elutriation efficiency of the food materials can be improved, the food materials at the first inlet can be prevented from being wetted and agglomerated by water sprayed by the nozzle to block the first inlet, and the reliability of the cooking appliance is obviously improved.

In some embodiments, the first inlet and the first outlet are disposed on opposite sides of the plane, respectively; and the separating portion is located on the same side of the plane as the first outlet. Thereby, a rational layout of the first inlet, the first outlet and the separation section is achieved, which can improve the elutriation effect.

In some embodiments, the delivery unit comprises: a rotating shaft configured to be rotatable in the cylinder; and a helical blade configured to rotate together with the rotating shaft to convey the food material to the first outlet while stirring the food material. Utilize pivot and helical blade can carry edible material to first export steadily to along with the water supply portion and intake, cooking utensil can stir, carry edible material the time, carry out the elutriation process of edible material, improved elutriation efficiency.

In some embodiments, the separating portion comprises a mesh portion such that water can pass through the mesh portion but food material cannot pass through the mesh portion. The water and the food materials are separated by the mesh part, so that the water after the food materials are washed can be promoted to be separated from the food materials in time, and the washing effect is improved.

In some embodiments, the cartridge further comprises an exhaust configured to allow air communication between the chamber and the external environment. Through setting up the exhaust portion, there is not atmospheric pressure difference between the external environment in the cavity, can not influence the process of elutriating of eating the material.

In some embodiments, further comprising a water filtration device, the water filtration device comprising: a cartridge, comprising: a second inlet in communication with the first outlet; a second outlet configured to allow food material to exit the cylinder; a water filtering part configured to allow at least a portion of water mixed in the food material to leave the cylindrical body; a core assembly movably disposed in the cartridge and configured to push the water-filtered food material to the second outlet.

Through setting up water filtering device, can carry out the drainage operation with the edible material of elutriating to get rid of the moisture that mixes in the edible material. On the one hand, the cooking utensil can obtain more accurate weight of the food materials so as to input more accurate cooking water consumption, on the other hand, most (or almost all) of water mixed in the elutriated food materials is removed by the water filtering device, so that the proportion of the final food material amount and the water amount is more reasonable, and the influence of the mixed water after the food materials are washed on the cooking quality of the food materials is avoided. This improves the cooking quality of the food material, increasing the automation level and reliability of the cooking appliance.

In some embodiments, the core assembly comprises: a first shutter configured to be movable between an initial position and an evacuation position in the cartridge; and a mandrel configured to move the first shutter by being driven by the power unit; wherein the circumferential surface of the first baffle plate is fluidly sealed from the inner wall surface of the cartridge. By utilizing the first baffle and the cylindrical structure, the water filtering function can be realized, the structure of the water filtering device is simple, and the cost is reduced.

In some embodiments, the core assembly further comprises: a second baffle plate coupled with the first baffle plate in a spaced manner, so that the food material thrown from the second inlet is accommodated between the second baffle plate and the first baffle plate, and the circumferential surface of the second baffle plate is sealed with the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body in a fluid manner. A water filtering space is limited in the cylindrical body by the first baffle and the second baffle, so that the food material is fully filtered, and the food material can be completely removed from the cylindrical body after water filtering.

In some embodiments, the water filtering section comprises a mesh arranged on the cartridge to allow water mixed in the food material to exit via the mesh; and in case the first baffle is moved to the emptying position, the first baffle pushes the water filtered food material to the second outlet. The mesh structure of water filter portion can make the water of mixing from eating the material filtered, reduces the water of mixing in the food material, reduces the influence of the washing water of mixing to eating the material culinary art.

In some embodiments, further comprising a storage assembly for storing food material and configured to deposit the food material into the first inlet; a cooking assembly configured to receive food material exiting from the second outlet. The food material is stored and thrown in by the storage assembly, so that the automation degree of the cooking appliance can be improved. The food material that arrives in the culinary art subassembly is the edible material through the drainage that leaves through the second export, and this can guarantee to cook in the subassembly and the ratio of water, improves the culinary art quality of eating the material.

In some embodiments, further comprising a drain assembly configured to drain at least water separated from the separation section and water filtered out of the water filtering device. The water is drained by the drainage assembly, so that the automation degree of the cooking appliance can be improved.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method for controlling a cooking appliance according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the control method comprising: acquiring a set value of food to be cooked; determining an amount of water corresponding to the set value based on the set value; starting the elutriation device to wash the food materials thrown into the barrel in unit weight and convey the food materials to a cooking component of the cooking appliance; in response to the total amount of food material that has been washed reaching the set point and water equal to the amount of water having been added to the cooking assembly, the cooking assembly is activated to cook the food material.

The control method can automatically control the cooking appliance, so that water for cleaning food materials in the cooking appliance is separated from the food materials in time, the elutriation effect is improved, the structure of the elutriation device is simplified, and the cost of the cooking appliance is reduced.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method for controlling a cooking appliance according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the control method comprising: acquiring a set value of food to be cooked; determining an amount of water corresponding to the set value based on the set value; starting the elutriation device to wash the food materials with unit weight put into the cylinder and convey the food materials to the water filtering device; in response to a predetermined time elapsing after the washed food material enters the water filtering device, activating the core assembly to push the filtered food material to the second outlet such that the food material is projected into the cooking assembly of the cooking appliance; in response to the total amount of filtered food material reaching the set point and water equal to the amount of water having been added to the cooking assembly, the cooking assembly is activated to cook the food material.

The control method provided by the disclosure can automatically control the cooking appliance, so that water for cleaning food materials in the cooking appliance is separated from the food materials in time, and the food materials entering the cooking assembly are subjected to water filtration (the water mixed in the food materials is removed by the water filtration device), so that the cleaning effect of the food materials and the final ratio of the food materials to the water are improved, and the automation degree and the cooking quality of the cooking appliance are improved.

It should be understood that this summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in more detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which like reference numerals generally represent like parts throughout the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, with a portion of the structure removed to more clearly show the overall structure of the cooking appliance;

fig. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a elutriation device of a cooking appliance according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the elutriation device of the cooking appliance in fig. 2;

fig. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a water filtering device of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 shows an exploded view of the water filtering device of fig. 4;

fig. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart of a control method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart of a control method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an electronic device capable of implementing various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The same or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to several example embodiments. It should be understood that these examples are described only for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and thereby enable the present disclosure, and are not intended to set forth any limitations on the scope of the technical solutions of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term "include" and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to. The term "based on" will be read as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like may refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below. The definitions of the terms are consistent throughout the specification unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The device structure of traditional washing edible material is complicated, with high costs, moreover, can mix some moisture among the abluent edible material, and this can influence the ratio of edible material and water and influence the culinary art effect. Accordingly, there is a need to provide an improved cooking appliance and a control method thereof.

As shown in fig. 1, the cooking appliance may include a storage assembly 10, a elutriation device 30, a cooking assembly 50, an optional drain assembly 60; alternatively, a water tank 20 and/or a water filtration assembly 40 are also included.

The storage assembly 10 may be used to store food material (e.g., rice), and the storage assembly 10 may quantitatively or quantitatively feed the food material into the first inlet 311 of the elutriation device 30 using the blocking valve 11.

In some embodiments, a user may insert a measured amount of food material for a single cooking operation into the bin assembly 10. Alternatively, the user may input a set amount of food material to be cooked to the cooking appliance through a user input port or a remote device (e.g., a cell phone application) or the like, the amount of food material that has been dispensed to the first inlet 311 being automatically sensed by a sensor of the depository assembly 10 (e.g., a sensor that senses the weight of food material in the depository assembly 10). In some embodiments, the storage assembly 10 can feed a unit weight of food material into the elutriation device 30 at a time.

In some embodiments, the water tank 20 may be used to store water for washing food and supplying water into the cooking assembly 50 to cook food. Alternatively, if some unspent water remains in the water tank 20 after the cooking appliance completes a cook, the drain assembly 60 may be used to empty the water tank 20, i.e., drain the unspent water from the water tank 20, to ensure water quality during the next cook. Residual water present on the outer surface of the tank may also drain into the drain assembly 60.

Alternatively, a commercial water source or other water source (e.g., a water filtration device) may be selected for connection to the cooking appliance, which utilizes valves and/or flow meters to control the amount of water entering the elutriation device 30 and the cooking assembly 50.

The cooking appliance according to the present disclosure has a elutriation device 30 as shown in fig. 2-3. The elutriation device 30 includes a barrel 310 and a conveying unit 330. The cylinder 30 defines a longitudinal axis X arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal, and the cylinder 30 defines a chamber 316 for containing the food material.

The cylinder 310 further includes a first inlet 311 and a first outlet 312, the first inlet 311 and the first outlet 312 being disposed at a first end and a second end opposite to the first end of the cylinder 310, respectively. The first inlet 311 is for receiving food material, for example, a unit weight of food material from the storage assembly 10. The cleaned food material leaves the cylinder 310 via the first outlet 312.

In some embodiments, the first end provided with the first inlet 311 may be higher than the second end provided with the first outlet 312 in a vertical direction as shown in fig. 2, so that the water for washing the food material may be moved by gravity along the conveying direction of the food material, which can enhance the washing effect.

In order to wash out the food and drain water during the transportation of the food, the cylinder 310 is provided with a separation part 313 between the first inlet 311 and the first outlet 312. The separating portion 313 allows water to leave the chamber 316 without food material passing through the separating portion 313.

Through setting up the separation part between the first import and the first export of barrel, can eat the material at the in-process that eats the material and wash simultaneously, can also promote to wash the water of eating after the material and in time leave barrel 310, this cleaning efficiency has been improved.

In some embodiments, the separating portion 313 may include a mesh portion that enables water to exit the cylinder 310 through the mesh portion, but food material cannot pass through the mesh portion. The water and the food materials are separated by the mesh part, so that the water after the food materials are washed can be separated from the food materials in time, and the washing efficiency is improved.

To wash the food material, the cylinder 310 further includes a water supply part 314 supplying water into the chamber 316 to wash the food material. In certain embodiments, the water feed 314 may be in fluid communication with the tank 20 or with a commercial water source. The water supply part 314 is used for supplying water in the food conveying process, so that the food can be cleaned more cleanly. Preferably, the water supply 314 is fluidly connected to a commercial water source for the amount of water required for the washing process (e.g., rice washing process). With this arrangement, the volume of the water tank 20 is reduced, and the entire apparatus is further miniaturized.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2-3, the water feed 314 is disposed between the first inlet 311 and the first outlet 312 of the cartridge body 310, and the water feed 314 includes a nozzle defining a longitudinal axis Y. The longitudinal axis Y of the nozzle intersects the longitudinal axis X at an angle.

All set up the feed water portion and the separation part between the first import and the first export of barrel, can make to eat the material by abundant washing, can also make the washing eat the water after the material and constantly leave barrel 310 in eating the material transportation process simultaneously, this efficiency that has improved the separation of water. Furthermore, the water spray effectively washes the food material as the longitudinal axis of the nozzle intersects the longitudinal axis at an angle.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, longitudinal axis Y and longitudinal axis X form a plane XY that divides barrel 310 into upper and lower portions. And in this plane XY the acute angle formed between the longitudinal axis Y and the longitudinal axis X may be 5-85 degrees, preferably 45-75 degrees, more preferably 60-75 degrees (e.g. 70 degrees). Alternatively, in the plane XY shown in fig. 2, the longitudinal axis Y of the nozzle (i.e. the exit direction of the ejected water) has a first component perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X and in the radial direction of the cylinder 310, and a second component in a direction towards the first outlet 312 and parallel to the longitudinal axis X.

Compared with the case that the longitudinal axis Y is parallel or vertical to the longitudinal axis X, the longitudinal axis Y of the nozzle and the longitudinal axis X form an angle of 5-85 degrees, so that water can fully wash the food materials to improve the washing efficiency of the food materials, the tendency of water to splash towards the first inlet 311 can be reduced, the food materials at the first inlet 311 are prevented from being wetted by the water and being agglomerated to block the first inlet 311, and the reliability of the cooking appliance is remarkably improved.

In some embodiments, the nozzles of the water feed part 314 may be a plurality of nozzles arranged on the circumference of the cylinder 310, which may improve the efficiency of the washing. In addition, the water supply part 314 may supply water when there is no food material in the cylinder 310 to wash the chamber 316 and to wash the screw 333 and the rotating shaft 332 of the conveying unit 330.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the first inlet 311 and the first outlet 312 may be disposed on both sides of the plane XY, for example, on the upper side and the lower side of the plane XY, respectively; and the separation portion 313 is located on the same side (e.g., lower side) of the plane XY as the first outlet 312.

So arranged, by means of gravity and the conveying unit 330, the food material may be conveyed towards the first outlet 312; the water after washing the food can be separated from the cylindrical body 310 through the separation part 313 by gravity. Thus, the washing efficiency of the cooking appliance can be significantly improved.

In some embodiments, on the lower side of the separation part 313, a water collection groove 320 may be disposed. The water collection tank 320 has a cone-shaped cylindrical structure (as shown in fig. 2), and the bottom edge of the cone-shaped cylindrical structure is fluid-tightly coupled to the cylindrical body 310 around the periphery of the separation portion 313, so that water after washing food materials is discharged into the water discharge assembly 60 through the cone-shaped cylindrical structure 320 after leaving the separation portion 313.

The conveying unit 330 of the cooking appliance is used for conveying the food material thrown into the chamber 316 via the first inlet 311 to the first outlet 312. In some embodiments, the transport unit 330 includes a rotating shaft 332 and a helical blade 333. The rotation shaft 332 can be rotated in the cylinder 310, for example, by the motor 331, and the spiral blade 333 is rotated together with the rotation shaft 332.

Thereby, the helical blade 333 may convey the food material to the first outlet 312 while stirring the food material. In some embodiments, the helical blade 333 may extend helically and be coupled to the shaft 332, which may take a single pitch or a varying pitch.

In some embodiments, the feeding unit 330 may further include a hall sensor for detecting a rotation state of the rotating shaft 332. Thus, the cooking appliance may calculate or estimate the amount of food material exiting the first outlet 312 that has been washed from the pitch parameter and the number of rotations of the helical blade 333.

Barrel 310 may also include an exhaust 315 configured to allow air communication between chamber 316 and the outside environment. Through setting up the exhaust portion, there is not atmospheric pressure difference between the external environment in the cavity, can not influence the process of elutriating of eating the material.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4-5, a water filtering device 40 of a cooking appliance according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a cartridge 410 and a core assembly 420.

The cylindrical body 410 may include a second inlet 411 communicated with the first outlet 312, and the food material washed by the elutriation device 30 enters the second inlet 411 through the first outlet 312 and further enters the water filtering device 40. The cartridge 410 may also include a second outlet 413 that allows food material to exit the cartridge 410, e.g., the water-filtered food material exiting the cartridge 410 enters the cooking assembly 50.

By providing the water filtering means 40, the moisture mixed in the food material can be removed. On one hand, the cooking utensil can obtain more accurate weight of the food material so as to input more accurate cooking water consumption, on the other hand, most (or almost all) water mixed in the elutriated food material is removed by the water filtering device, so that the final food material quantity and water quantity proportioning is more reasonable. This improves the cooking quality of the food material, increasing the automation level and reliability of the cooking appliance.

In order to filter out the washing water mixed in the foodstuffs, the water filtering part 412 of the cylindrical body 410 allows at least a portion of the water mixed in the foodstuffs to leave the cylindrical body 410. In some embodiments, the water filtering part 412 includes a mesh disposed on the cylinder 410, which allows water mixed in the food material to exit the cylinder 410 through the mesh. The mesh can filter the mixed water, thereby reducing the mixed water in the food materials and improving the cooking quality of the food materials.

As shown in fig. 4, in some embodiments, a second water collecting structure 430 may be disposed at a lower side of the mesh. The water collecting structure 430 has, for example, a cylindrical shape, and a bottom surface edge of the cylindrical structure is fluid-tightly coupled to the cylindrical body 410 around the periphery of the water filtering portion 412, so that the filtered water is discharged into the drain assembly 60 through the cylindrical water collecting structure.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4-5, the core assembly 420 is movably disposed within the cartridge 410, and the core assembly 420 is used to push the water filtered food material to the second outlet 413 for entry into the cooking assembly 50.

In certain embodiments, the core assembly 420 may include a first baffle 422. Alternatively, the first baffle 422 may have an outer diameter that matches the inner diameter of the cartridge 410. The first shutter 422 is movable between an initial position in the cartridge 410 and an emptying position: in the initial position, the first baffle 422 holds the food material in the cylindrical body 410 to allow water mixed in the food material to be filtered out by the water filtering part 412; in response to the end of the water filtration process, the first baffle 422 is moved to the emptying position to push the water filtered food material to the second outlet 413.

To move the first shutter 422, the core assembly 420 may include a mandrel 421. The spindle 421 is driven by the power unit to move the first shutter 422.

In certain embodiments, the power unit comprises a motor 426, a screw 424 connected to the motor, a pusher disk 425, wherein the pusher disk 425 has a screw nut threadedly coupled to the screw 424, and the pusher disk 425 abuts the drive end of the spindle 421.

As shown in fig. 4, the motor 426 rotates the screw 424, so that the pushing plate 425 with the screw nut moves linearly (leftwardly in fig. 4), and the pushing plate 425 pushes the spindle 421 (leftwardly in fig. 4), and simultaneously moves the first shutter 422 on the spindle 421. In this way, the filtered food material is pushed to the second outlet 413.

It should be appreciated that the foregoing power units are exemplary only and that other power units may be used to drive the movement of the spindle 421, such as rack and pinion arrangements, linear motors, linear cylinders, etc.

In some embodiments, the circumferential surface of the first baffle 422 is fluidly sealed with the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body 410, which ensures that the filtered water can only be discharged via the water filtering portion 412, and that the filtered food material can be completely pushed to the second outlet 413.

As shown in fig. 4, the core assembly 420 further includes a second baffle 423, and alternatively, the second baffle 423 may have an outer diameter matching the inner diameter of the cylinder 410. The circumferential surface of the second baffle 423 is fluidly sealed with the inner wall surface of the cylindrical body 410, which ensures that the filtered water can only be discharged through the water filtering part 412, and simultaneously ensures that the filtered food material can be completely pushed to the second outlet 413.

As shown in fig. 5, the second baffle 423 is coupled to the mandrel 421, for example, spaced apart from the first baffle 422, e.g., the first baffle 422 and the second baffle 423 may be fixed to the mandrel 421. Thus, the first and second shutters 422 and 423 may be moved synchronously with the mandrel 421.

The first and second baffles 422 and 423 are disposed in the cylindrical body 410 at intervals such that the food material thrown from the second inlet 411 is received between the second baffle 423 and the first baffle 422, and the water filtering part 412 is provided on a side of the cylindrical body 410 opposite to the second inlet 411 between the second baffle 423 and the first baffle 422 in an initial state.

With this arrangement, the food material washed by the elutriation device 30 and the mixed water are thrown between the second baffle 423 and the first baffle 422 shown in fig. 4, and the mixed water can be filtered out through the water filtering part 412. After the water filtration is completed, the mandrel 421 and the first and second baffles 422 and 423 are moved toward the emptying position, and the food material after the water filtration can be pushed to the second outlet 413.

The first baffle 422 and the second baffle 423 limit a water filtering space inside the cylindrical body 410, so that the food can be fully filtered, and the food can be completely removed from the cylindrical body after water filtering.

In the example shown in fig. 4, a resilient member 414 (e.g., a coil spring) is sleeved on an end of the mandrel 421 opposite to the driving end, and one end of the resilient member 414 abuts against the second baffle 423 and the other end abuts against the housing of the water filtering device 40. So arranged, the resilient member 414 is compressed when the stem 421 and the first baffle 422 move to the emptying position to discharge the food material; after the food material is discharged, the motor 426 is rotated reversely, the pushing plate 425 moves reversely (moves to the right in fig. 4), and the elastic restoring force of the elastic member 414 pushes the spindle 421 (and the first shutter 422) back to the initial position via the second shutter 423.

In some embodiments, microswitches may also be disposed on the housings of the corresponding water filtration assemblies 40 at both ends of the spindle 421, whereby the cooking appliance may detect the position of the spindle 421 (and the position of the first baffle 422) and/or the position of the push plate 425.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 5, the second outlet 413 may be in fluid communication with a water supply pipe 415. The water supply pipe 415 is fluidly connected to the water tank 20 (or a commercial water source, etc.) for supplying an amount of water required for a cooking process (e.g., a rice cooking process). So configured, after the filtered rice is pushed out through the second outlet 413, the solenoid valve may be controlled to open to supply water to the water supply pipe 415, the water provided by the water supply pipe 415 flows through the second outlet 413 into the cooking assembly 50, and the water may also flush the second outlet 413, for example, flush rice attached to the second outlet 413 into the cooking assembly.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in fig. 6, the food material may be thrown into the elutriation device 30 through the storage assembly 10, the food material is thrown into the water filtering device 40 through the first outlet 312 after being elutriated, the food material is thrown into the cooking assembly 50 through the second outlet 413 after the water filtering is completed, and a corresponding amount of cooking water may be further added into the cooking assembly 50 (e.g., through a commercial water source or through the water tank 20) to cook the food material.

In some embodiments, the water inlet path for supplying water to the elutriation device 30 and the cooking assembly 50 may be provided with a solenoid valve for controlling the on/off of the path, a water pump for supplying water, a flow meter for detecting water and measuring the flow rate of water, and the like.

On one hand, the elutriation device 30 provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can wash food materials more cleanly, and has a simple structure and a low cost. On the other hand, with the water filtering device 40, the food material from the elutriation device 30 of the present disclosure or other forms of elutriation devices can be filtered, which can reduce the washing water mixed in the food material, help to accurately control the ratio of food material to water in the cooking assembly, and improve the cooking quality.

In order to realize the automatic control of the cooking appliance provided by the embodiment of the disclosure, the cooking appliance further comprises an electronic device which controls the work of each electronic component and part of the cooking appliance (such as an electric cooker) to realize the functions of automatic water adding, automatic food material washing, automatic water filtering, automatic cooking, automatic heat preservation and the like. The user may control the operation of the cooking appliance locally, remotely (APP, bluetooth signal) or periodically.

Fig. 7 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 700 may be implemented by any suitable electronic device, such as device 900, which will be described in fig. 9 below. For ease of discussion, the method 700 is described below in terms of an electronic device.

After the system is initialized, the electronic device obtains settings for the food material to be cooked, e.g. by local, remote (APP, bluetooth signal) at block 702.

At block 704, the electronic device determines an amount of cooking water matching the set value of the food material to be cooked based on the set value to obtain an optimal cooking effect of the food material.

At block 706, the electronic device activates the elutriation device 30 to wash the food material per unit weight thrown into the barrel 310 and deliver the food material to the first outlet 312, with the food material exiting the first outlet 312 entering, for example, the cooking assembly 50 of the cooking appliance. Specifically, the electronic device activates the conveying unit 330 to convey the food material. At the same time, the electronic device activates, for example, a pressurized water pump or a valve to add water into the cylinder 310 using the water feeding part 314 to wash the food material.

In some embodiments, the electronic device may activate the motor 331 to rotate the rotating shaft 332 and the helical blade 333 to convey the food material toward the first outlet 312.

At block 708, the electronic device determines whether the total amount of food material that has been washed has reached a set value, and if not, continues the panning step, as shown at block 706; if the set point is reached, a determination is continued as to whether water equal to the amount of water has been added to the cooking assembly 50.

In some embodiments, the electronics determine whether the added food material has reached a set point, for example by a weight sensor in the cooking assembly 50, or calculate the amount of food material that has been washed by the speed of rotation of the elutriation means 30 and the pitch of the helical blades 333.

In certain embodiments, the electronics can detect the amount of cooking water added to cooking assembly 50 by sending an activation signal to the water inlet valve to add water to cooking assembly 50, and optionally using a flow meter.

At block 710, when the total amount of food material that has been washed reaches the set value and water equal to the amount of water has been added to the cooking assembly 50, the electronic device activates the cooking assembly 50 to cook the food material. For example, a heater tray assembly of the cooking assembly is activated to heat a pot of the cooking assembly to cook a food material (e.g., rice, congee, etc.).

Fig. 8 shows a flowchart of a method for controlling a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 800 may be implemented by any suitable electronic device, such as device 900, which will be described in FIG. 9 below. For ease of discussion, the method 800 is described below in terms of an electronic device.

After the system is initialized, the electronic device obtains the settings of the food to be cooked, e.g. by local, remote (APP, bluetooth signal), in block 802.

At block 804, the electronic device determines a cooking water amount matching a set value of the food material to be cooked based on the set value to obtain an optimal cooking effect of the food material.

At block 806, the electronic device activates the elutriation device 30 to wash the food material per unit weight thrown into the barrel 310 and deliver the food material to the first outlet 312. Specifically, the electronic device activates the conveying unit 330 to convey the food material. At the same time, the electronic device activates, for example, a pressurized water pump or a valve to add water into the cylinder 310 using the water feeding part 314 to wash the food material. The washed food material leaves the elutriation means 30 via the first outlet 312 into the second inlet 411 of the water filtering means 40.

In some embodiments, the electronic device may activate the motor 331 to rotate the rotating shaft 332 and the helical blade 333 to convey the food material toward the first outlet 312.

At block 808, the electronics determine whether a set time (e.g., 30 seconds-1 minute, or longer) has been reached after the washed food material has reached the water filtering device 40, and if not, continue to wait.

At block 810, the electronics determine that the set time has been reached after the washed food material reaches the water filtering device 40, and then activate the core assembly 420 (e.g., activate the motor 426 to move the first baffle 422) to push the food material to the second outlet 413. The food material exiting the second outlet 413 is thrown into the cooking assembly 50.

At block 812, the electronic device determines whether the total amount of the water-filtered food material reaches a set value, and if not, continues the steps of elutriation and water filtering; if the set point is reached, a determination is continued as to whether water equal to the amount of water has been added to the cooking assembly 50.

In some embodiments, the electronic device determines whether the added food material has reached a set value, for example by a weight sensor in the cooking assembly 50, or calculates the amount of food material that has been washed by the rotational speed of the elutriation means 30. In certain embodiments, the electronics detect the amount of cooking water added to cooking assembly 50 by sending an activation signal to the water inlet valve to add water to cooking assembly 50, and optionally using a flow meter.

At block 814, when the total amount of food material that has been washed reaches the set value and water equal to the amount of water has been added to the cooking assembly 50, the electronic device activates the cooking assembly 50 to cook the food material.

In the foregoing method 700 and method 800, the electronic device may further detect whether the cooking appliance has food and water connected thereto, and if there is no sufficient food or water, the program may stop sending an alarm signal to remind the user.

In the aforementioned method 700 and method 800, the electronic device may further include a weighing pressure sensor disposed at the bottom of the water tank 20, and calculate the amount of water in the water tank by using signal feedback, thereby calculating the amount of water added during operation (the amount of water for cleaning food, the amount of cooking water added to the cooking assembly 50).

In the aforementioned methods 700 and 800, the electronic device can further determine whether the washed food material is fed into the cooking assembly 50 or the water filtering device 40. If the material has not left the elutriation device 30 in the previous washing, it is necessary to wait for the material to leave the elutriation device 30 before continuing to wash the material of the next unit weight.

Fig. 9 illustrates a block diagram of a device 900 capable of implementing multiple embodiments of the present disclosure. In an embodiment in accordance with the present disclosure, device 900, also referred to as electronic device 900, may be used to implement the methods of fig. 7-8.

As shown, device 900 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU)901 that can perform various appropriate actions and processes in accordance with computer program instructions stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM)902 or loaded from a storage unit 908 into a Random Access Memory (RAM) 903. In the RAM903, various programs and data required for the operation of the device 900 can also be stored. The CPU 901, ROM 902, and RAM903 are connected to each other via a bus 904. An input/output (I/O) interface 905 is also connected to bus 904.

A number of components in the device 900 are connected to the I/O interface 905, including: an input unit 906 such as a keyboard, a mouse, and the like; an output unit 907 such as various types of displays, speakers, and the like; a storage unit 908 such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or the like; and a communication unit 909 such as a network card, a modem, a wireless communication transceiver, and the like. The communication unit 909 allows the device 900 to exchange information/data with other devices through a computer network such as the internet and/or various telecommunication networks.

The processing unit 901 performs the respective methods described above, such as the methods 700 or 800. For example, in some embodiments, method 700 or method 800 may be implemented as a computer software program tangibly embodied in a machine-readable medium, such as storage unit 908. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program may be loaded and/or installed onto device 900 via ROM 902 and/or communications unit 909. When the computer program is loaded into RAM903 and executed by CPU 901, one or more steps of method 700 or method 800 described above may be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, CPU 901 may be configured to perform method 700 or method 800 by any other suitable means (e.g., by way of firmware).

The functions described herein above may be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, without limitation, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include: a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an Application Specific Standard Product (ASSP), a system on a chip (SOC), a load programmable logic device (CPLD), and the like.

Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, is capable of implementing any of the methods described above.

In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium may be a tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of a machine-readable storage medium would include an electrical connection based on one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

It is to be understood that the above detailed embodiments of the disclosure are merely illustrative of or explaining the principles of the disclosure and are not limiting of the invention. Therefore, any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Also, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true scope and range of equivalents of the claims.