JP2002219370A - Rice washing apparatus and washed rice discharging method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent clogging of a discharge outlet with rice. SOLUTION: In the washed rice discharge method of a rice washing apparatus in which a gas flow supply port and a discharge port 22 are formed in an upper part and a lower part, respectively, of a rice washing tank 3 where rice is washed with water, and a transportation pipe 45 for transporting rice and water in the rice washing tank 3 to the next step by gas flow is connected with the discharge port 22, the amount of rice to be discharged out of the discharge port 22 is controlled while discharging the rice.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice washing apparatus for washing rice with water and a method for discharging the rice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
The thing described in 126034 is publicly known. This conventional device is a rice storage tank for storing rice, a measuring device for measuring and cutting out the rice in the rice storage tank, a rice washing tank for washing the measured rice, and a rice cooker for cooking the washed rice. And a transfer device for transferring rice from the weighing device to the rice washing tank and from the rice washing tank to the rice cooker.

[0003] The transfer device includes a blower, and a first transfer pipe for air-flowing the rice from the metering device to the rice washing tank by the blower, and a second transfer tube for air-flowing the rice from the rice washing tank to the rice cooker. And two transfer pipes. In the rice washing tank, the first transport pipe and a water supply device for supplying water are connected, and a stirring device for stirring rice and water to wash rice is provided, and at a lower portion of the tank. Had an outlet for washing rice. The second transport pipe was connected to this outlet.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned prior art, when the washed rice is discharged from the outlet of the rice washing tank, there is a problem that the second transport pipe is clogged because the rice is wet. Then, an object of the present invention is to provide a rice washing device which prevented clogging in the second conveyance pipe, and a rice washing discharge method thereof.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures. That is, a feature of the method invention is that an airflow supply port is formed at an upper portion of a rice washing tank for washing rice with water, and a discharge port is formed at a lower portion. The transfer tube is
In the method for discharging rice washed by a rice washing device connected to the outlet, the rice is discharged while controlling the amount of rice discharged from the outlet. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, clogging in a conveyance pipe is prevented by controlling the quantity of discharged rice at the time of discharge of rice washing.

[0006] It is preferable that the control of the amount of rice discharged is performed by rotating a spiral coil located in the discharge port. It is preferable that the feeding direction by the rotation of the spiral coil is opposite to the rice discharging direction. A feature of the apparatus invention is that an air flow supply port is formed at an upper part of a rice washing tank for washing rice with water, and a discharge port is formed at a lower part of the rice washing tank. But,
In the rice washing apparatus connected to the discharge port, a discharge amount control means for controlling an amount of rice discharged from the discharge port is provided.

[0007] It is preferable that the discharge port is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the discharge amount control means has a spiral coil that rotates around the axis of the cylindrical discharge port.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a fully automatic rice cooker. The automatic rice cooker includes a rice storage tank 1 for storing rice, a measuring device 2 for measuring and cutting out the rice in the rice storage tank 1, and a rice washing tank 3 for washing the measured rice.
And a rice cooker 4 for cooking the washed rice, and a transfer device 5 for transferring the rice from the weighing device 2 to the rice wash tank 3 and from the rice wash tank 3 to the rice cooker 4.

[0009] As shown in FIGS.
The rice cooker 3 and the like are stored in a rectangular box 6, and the rice cooker 4 is mounted on a mounting table 7 provided on the front side of the box 6 in an exposed manner. As the rice cooker 4, a commercially available automatic electric or gas rice cooker for general household or business use can be used. Thus,
In the overall configuration of FIG. 1, the state without the rice cooker 4 is an automatic rice washing apparatus, and the state with the rice cooker 4 is an automatic rice cooker. The placing table 7 is provided with a rice discharge pipe 8 for supplying rice and water to the rice cooker 4, and the rice discharge pipe 8 constitutes a part of the transport device 5.

The mounting table 7 is provided with a rice cooker detecting device 9 for detecting whether or not the rice cooker 4 is mounted at a predetermined position. The detection device 9 is configured by a proximity sensor and the like. The mounting table 7 is provided with an insertion port 10 into which a power outlet of the rice cooker 4 is inserted.
reference). Further, the mounting table 7 is provided with a lid opening device 12 for opening the lid 11 of the rice cooker 4. The lid opening device 12 is provided with a lid opening operation button 13 provided on the rice cooker 4.
, And is constituted by a solenoid type pusher or the like.

On the front of the box 6, a lid opening detecting device 14 for detecting whether or not the lid 11 of the rice cooker 4 is open.
Is provided. The detection device 14 is configured by a proximity sensor or the like. A lid closing device 15 for closing the lid 11 of the rice cooker 4 is provided at the center of the front surface of the box 6. The lid closing device 15 is pivotally supported so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction and pushes an open lid 11 to push and close the open lid 11; a connecting rod 17 connected to the arm 16; A crank arm 18 connected to the connecting rod 17 and a motor 19 for rotating the crank arm 18 are provided.

The lid closing device 15 moves the push arm 16 up and down by the rotation of the motor 19 to close the open lid 11. An operation panel 20 is provided on an upper portion of the front surface of the box 6, and a control device having a microcomputer or the like is connected to the operation panel 20 so that each device can be controlled fully automatically. The upper part of the box 6 is an opening, and the opening is covered with a cover so as to be freely opened and closed.

The rice storage tank 1 accommodated in the box 6 is formed in a rectangular shape, the upper part of the tank 1 is an opening for charging rice, and the lower part is squeezed into a funnel type. The weighing device 2 is provided at the lower end of the tank 1. The rice is put into the rice storage tank 1 with the cover of the box 6 opened. The metering device 2 may be of any type as long as it can cut out the rice in the rice storage tank 1 by a set amount. In this embodiment, a metering drum type described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 12-12634 is employed.

The rice washing tank 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape,
It is arranged beside the rice storage tank 1. The upper part of the rice washing tank 3 is hermetically covered with a lid 21, the lower part is squeezed in a funnel shape, and a cylindrical outlet 22 is formed at the lower end thereof concentrically with the main body of the rice washing tank 3. . A water supply device 23 is connected to the lid 21 of the rice washing tank 3. The water supply device 23 includes a watering nozzle 24 provided on the lid 21, a water supply valve 25 connected to the nozzle 24, and one end connected to the water supply valve 25 and the other end provided below the box 6. And a water supply pipe 27 connected to the connected joint 26. The joint 26 is connected to an external water supply facility.
The water supply valve 25 is constituted by a solenoid valve or the like, and can be turned on and off by automatic control.

At the center of the lid 21 of the rice washing tank 3, a stirring device 28 is provided. This stirring device 28
Is a motor 29 provided on the upper surface of the lid 21, a drive shaft 30 provided in the rice washing tank 3 and driven to rotate by the motor 29, and a plurality of stirring rods 31 provided on the drive shaft 30. Having. The stirring rod 31 is for stirring the rice in the rice washing tank 3 to wash and polish rice. The rice washing tank 3 is provided with a discharge control means 32 for controlling the amount of rice discharged from the discharge port 22. The discharge amount control means 32 has a spiral coil 33 provided concentrically and removably in a lower end portion of the drive shaft 30 of the stirring device 28 so as to be detachable.

The spiral coil 33 is formed by spirally bending a rod-shaped body, and the lower end thereof is connected to the discharge port 22.
And controls the amount of rice discharged from the discharge port 22. A rice discharge valve 34 for opening and closing the discharge port 22 is provided below the discharge port 22. The rice discharge valve 34 is composed of an electric valve or a solenoid valve, and is turned on / off by automatic control. It is possible. The lower end of the helical coil 33 is
4 protrudes into the discharge port 22 to a position where it does not interfere with opening and closing of the opening 4.

A drainage device 35 is provided above the discharge port 22 in a funnel-shaped lower portion of the rice washing tank 3. The drainage device 35 allows water, bran, etc. to pass through, and prevents rice from passing therethrough. This is for discharging water and the like in the tank 3 to the outside. The drainage device 35 is provided with a drainage valve 36,
The drain valve 36 is composed of a solenoid valve or the like,
It can be turned on and off by automatic control. One end of a drainage pipe 37 is connected to the drainage valve 36, and the other end of the drainage pipe 37 protrudes outside from next to the joint 26 of the water supply device 23 provided at the lower part of the box 6.

The drainage device 35 is provided with the rice washing tank 3.
The overflow water inside can be drained to the outside. The transfer device 5 includes a blower 3 in the box 6.
The blower 38 is used as a granular air flow transport device for transporting rice from the metering device 2 to the rice washing tank 3 and from the rice washing tank 3 to the rice cooker 4 by air flow. That is, the blower 38 and the measuring device 2 are connected by a blower tube 39, and the measuring device 2 and the rice washing tank 3 are connected by a first transport pipe 40. At the lower part of the weighing device 2, a delivery device 41 is provided, and the delivery device 41 has a blower nozzle 42 provided at one end and a delivery opening 43 arranged opposite to the nozzle 42. , Blowing nozzle 42
Is connected to the blower tube 39, and the delivery opening 43 is connected to the first transport tube 40. The other end of the first transport pipe 40 is connected to the lid 21 of the rice washing tank 3 and opens into the rice washing tank 3. This opening serves as an air flow supply port of the rice washing tank 3.

Thus, from the blowing nozzle 42 to the delivery opening 4
The rice from the metering device 2 is sent out to the delivery opening 43 by the airflow blown out toward the first conveying pipe 40.
The rice is supplied into the rice washing tank 3 through the tank. The lid 21 of the rice washing tank 3 is provided with an exhaust valve 44. The exhaust valve 44 is constituted by a solenoid valve or the like, and can be turned on and off by automatic control. When the exhaust valve 44 is opened, the inside of the rice washing tank 3 communicates with the outside, and when the exhaust valve 44 is closed, the rice washing tank 3 is sealed.

One end of a second transport pipe 45 is connected to the rice discharge valve 34 at the lower end of the rice washing tank 3, and the other end of the second transport pipe 45 is connected to the rice discharge pipe 8. The rice drain pipe 8
As shown in FIG. 1, a vertical tube portion 46 and a horizontal tube portion 47 are provided, a cyclone tube 48 is connected to an end of the horizontal tube portion 47, and a lower end of the vertical tube portion 46 is a table 7 is pivotally supported. This rotation is automatically performed by a motor 49 connected via a belt, and the position of the rice discharge pipe 8 can be freely changed between a standby position and a rice discharge position. The standing pipe section 46 and the second transport pipe 45 are connected via a rotary joint 50.

The lower end of the cyclone tube 48 is open, and the upper end is covered with a lid.
1 is provided. The rice conveyed from the horizontal pipe portion 47 by air flow is swirled by the cyclone tube 48 and falls downward. Thus, the cyclone tube 48 and the like constitute a scattering prevention device 52 for preventing the scattering of rice and water. FIG. 6 shows an operation flow of the automatic rice cooker having the above-described configuration, and the operation of the automatic rice cooker will be described based on the flowchart. These operations are programmed in advance and are performed automatically.

First, rice cooker information such as the amount of rice cooked is input by operating the operation panel 20. Rice cooker 4 keeps lid 11 closed and the inner pot empty,
It is mounted on a predetermined position of the mounting table 7, and a power outlet is inserted into the insertion port 10. Then, the start button is pressed (these operations are performed manually). Step 1
Then, a reset operation is performed. That is, the drain valve 36
And the rice discharge valve 34 is closed, the rice discharge pipe 8 is in the standby position, the presence of the rice cooker 4 is confirmed by the rice cooker detector 9, and the lid of the rice cooker 4 is detected by the lid open detector 14. 1
1 is confirmed to be closed.

In step 2, the exhaust valve 44 is opened. In step 3, the blower 38 rotates, and the blowing is started. In step 4, the weighing device 2 is activated and the rice storage tank 1
Cut out a set amount of rice from. The cut rice is supplied into the rice washing tank 3 from the first transport pipe 40 by the air current transport of the transport device 5. In step 5, the blower 38 is stopped, and a rice washing process for washing rice is started. The rice washing process in step 6 includes turning on / off the motor 29 of the stirring device 28 and the water supply valve 2.
5 and ON / OFF of the drain valve 36.

When the rice washing process is completed, in step 7,
The drain valve 36 is opened for a certain period of time, and draining is performed to discharge all the water in the rice washing tank 3. After draining, the drain valve 36 is closed. In step 8, the lid 11 of the rice cooker 4 is opened as shown in FIG. The opening of the lid 11 is performed by pushing the lid opening operation button 13 of the rice cooker 4 by the lid opening device 12. When the lid 11 is opened, the lid opening detecting device 14 detects the opening of the lid 11 and the rice discharge pipe 8 at the standby position is positioned.

That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the rice discharge pipe driving motor 49 is operated, and the rice discharge pipe 8 is rotated and positioned at the rice discharge position. In step 9, the water supply valve 25 is opened, and when 50% of the water is supplied to the rice washing tank 3, the water supply valve 25 is closed. In step 10, the exhaust valve 44 is closed, the stirring motor 29 is turned on, and the rice and water in the rice washing tank 3 are stirred. In step 11, the rice discharge valve 34 is opened and the blower 38 is rotated. By driving the blower 38, air is blown to the rice washing tank 3, and the rice, water and air in the rice washing tank 3 are discharged from the outlet 22. At this time, since the stirring motor 29 is driven, the rotation of the spiral coil 33 in the discharge port 22 causes the rice in the discharge port 22 to be scraped up in a direction opposite to the discharge direction, and the discharge amount is controlled. So that a large amount of rice is not discharged at once.

The rice, water and air that have flowed out of the discharge port 22 pass through the second transport pipe 45 and the rice discharge pipe 8 and are ejected to the cyclone pipe 48 to give a swirling motion. It falls down and falls into the inner pot of the rice cooker 4. Since the rice and water fall while turning, it is possible to prevent the rice and water from scattering outside the inner pot. When rice removal is completed, the blower 38 stops. When the rice is discharged, the amount of discharged rice is controlled, so that the problem that a large amount of rice is discharged at a time and clogged in the second transport pipe is solved. In step 12, the rice discharge valve 34 is closed and the exhaust valve 44 is opened.

In step 13, the water supply valve 25 is opened,
The rice washing tank 3 is filled with water, and the stirring motor 29 is turned on for a predetermined time. In step 14, the drain valve 36 is opened for a certain time, and after draining, the drain valve 36 is closed. By this operation, the remaining rice grains that have adhered to the rice washing tank 3 and the like are collected in the discharge port 22. In step 15, the water supply valve 25
Is opened, the remaining 50% of the water is supplied to the rice washing tank 3, and the water supply valve 25 is closed.

In step 16, the exhaust valve 44 is closed, and the stirring motor 29 is turned on. In step 17,
The rice discharging valve 34 is opened, and the blower 38 stops after rotating for a predetermined time. By driving the blower 38, the air is blown to the rice washing tank 3, and the remaining rice and water in the rice washing tank 3 are discharged from the outlet 22. At this time, the rotation of the helical coil 33 in the discharge port 22 causes the rice in the discharge port 22 to be scraped up in the direction opposite to the discharge direction, thereby controlling the discharge amount.
Blockage in the second transport pipe 45 is prevented, and smooth discharge is performed. Rice and water from the second transport pipe 45 are supplied to the rice cooker 4 from the rice discharge pipe 8.

As described above, steps 11 and 17
The rice is discharged twice. In the first rice discharge, the rice discharged to the rice cooker 4 has a mountain shape as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. In order to break this mountain, it is preferable to perform a second rice discharge. In step 18, the stirring motor 29 is turned off, and the rice discharge valve 34 is closed. In step 19, the rice discharge tube driving motor 49
Operates, and the rice discharge pipe 8 returns to the standby position (the state of FIG. 8).
The lid 11 of the rice cooker 4 is closed by the lid closing device 15 (the state of FIG. 5).

In step 20, a rice cooking start signal is sent to the rice cooker 4, and the rice cooker 4 starts operating. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a washing operation for washing the rice washing tank 3. The washing of the rice washing tank 3 can be performed before, after, or
It can be done at any time. The washing operation of the rice washing tank 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In Step 1, the rice discharge pipe 8 is rotated to the drain position. This draining position is the same as the rice discharging position. On the mounting table 7, a container for receiving the cleaning water is mounted.

In step 2, the drain valve 36 and the rice discharge valve 34
Is closed, and the exhaust valve 44 is opened. In step 3,
The water supply valve 25 is opened and the rice washing tank 3 is filled with water. In step 4, the drain valve 36 is opened and the exhaust valve 44 is closed. In step 5, the blower 38 stops after rotating for a predetermined time. In step 6, the drain valve 36 is closed and the exhaust valve 44 is opened. In step 7, the water supply valve 25 is opened and the rice washing tank 3 is filled with water.

In step 8, the rice discharge valve 34 is opened and the exhaust valve 44 is closed. In step 9, the blower 38 stops after rotating for a predetermined time. The sewage in the rice washing tank 3 is received in the container through the rice discharge pipe 8 together with the filth. In step 10, the rice discharging valve 34 is closed. Steps 5 to 7 can be omitted. After the rice washing tank 3 is filled with water, the stirring device 28 may be driven. The discharge control means of the present invention is not limited to the spiral coil shown in the above embodiment, and may be, for example, a means for controlling the discharge of rice by a throttle valve or the like.

[0033]

According to the present invention, when rice after washing is discharged from the rice washing tank, the amount of discharged rice is controlled, so that clogging in the transport pipe can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an automatic rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the automatic rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the automatic rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the automatic rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an automatic rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an operation flowchart of the automatic rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a cleaning operation of the automatic rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the automatic rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where a lid of the rice cooker is opened.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the automatic rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention, showing a state where rice is supplied to the rice cooker.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Rice washing tank 5 Conveying device 22 Discharge port 32 Discharge amount control means 33 Spiral coil 45 Conveying pipe

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An air flow supply port is formed at an upper part of a rice washing tank for washing rice with water, and a discharge port is formed at a lower part of the rice washing tank. A method for discharging rice in a rice washing apparatus connected to an outlet, wherein the rice is discharged while controlling an amount of rice discharged from the discharge port. 2. The method for discharging rice according to claim 1, wherein the control of the amount of discharged rice is performed by rotating a spiral coil located in a discharge port. 3. The method of discharging rice according to claim 2, wherein a feeding direction by rotation of the spiral coil is opposite to a rice discharging direction. 4. An air flow supply port is formed at an upper part of a rice washing tank for washing rice with water, and a discharge port is formed at a lower part of the rice washing tank. A rice washing device connected to an outlet, wherein a discharge amount control means for controlling an amount of rice discharged from the outlet is provided. 5. The rice washing machine according to claim 4, wherein said discharge port is formed in a cylindrical shape, and said discharge amount control means has a spiral coil which rotates around an axis of said cylindrical discharge port. Discharge device.