JP2012090924A - Automatic bread-making machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic bread-making machine in which freshly-baked bread is easily taken out from a bread container.SOLUTION: A blade part 90 can be attached to and detached from a rotary shaft 82 provided to the bottom of a bread container. The blade part 90 has an attachment part 91 that is provided with an insertion hole 91c into which the rotary shaft 82 is inserted and that is attached so as not to be rotated with respect to the rotary shaft 82; and a kneading blade 101 that is occasionally rotated together with rotation of the attachment part 91. In the case of executing a bread-making process including a kneading stage for kneading dough by using the kneading blade 101, a fermentation stage for fermenting the kneaded dough, and a baking stage for baking the fermented dough, a rotation operation in which rotation of the kneading blade 101 is stopped and the rotary shaft 82 is rotated is executed at least once during the period from the end of the kneading stage until the end of the baking stage.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic bread maker mainly used in general households.

  A commercially available automatic bread maker for home use generally has a mechanism for manufacturing bread by directly using a container for storing bread ingredients as a baking mold (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such an automatic bread maker, first, a bread container containing bread ingredients is placed in a baking chamber in the main body. And the bread raw material in a bread container is kneaded into bread dough with the kneading blade provided in a bread container (kneading process). Thereafter, a fermentation process for fermenting the kneaded bread dough is performed, and the bread container is used as a baking mold to bake the bread (baking process).

  When bread is manufactured using such an automatic bread maker, so far, flour (wheat flour, rice flour, etc.) or flour such as wheat or rice is used as the raw material for bread. It was necessary to have a mixed powder in which various auxiliary materials were mixed. However, in general households, as represented by rice grains, grains are sometimes held in the form of grains instead of in the form of flour. For this reason, it would be very convenient if the automatic bread maker had a mechanism for producing bread directly from grains. With this in mind, the present applicants have developed a bread production method for producing bread using cereal grains as a starting material (see Patent Document 2).

  In this bread manufacturing method, first, cereal grains and a liquid are mixed, and a pulverizing blade is rotated in the mixture to pulverize the cereal grains (grinding step). And the bread raw material containing the paste-form ground powder obtained through the grinding process is kneaded into bread dough using a kneading blade (kneading process). Thereafter, a fermentation process for fermenting the kneaded bread dough is performed, followed by a baking process for baking the bread.

JP 2000-116526 A JP 2010-35476 A

  The present applicants are working on the development of an automatic bread maker having a new mechanism capable of executing the above-described method for producing bread using the grain as a starting material. As a configuration of the automatic bread maker provided with this new mechanism, for example, a bread container is accommodated in a baking chamber provided in the main body, and the baking process is executed from the above-described crushing process in this bread container. It is considered.

  When adopting such a configuration, for example, if it is necessary to replace the blade (replacement between the pulverization blade and the kneading blade) when moving from the pulverization step to the kneading step, the user can easily use the automatic bread maker. There is a possibility of feeling bad. For this purpose, the present applicants are considering adopting a configuration in which, for example, one blade unit capable of selectively using a grinding blade and a kneading blade is detachably attached to the inside of the bread container.

  In this configuration, for example, the blade unit is attached to the bread container by covering the rotating shaft provided at the bottom of the bread container with the attachment portion (the insertion hole is provided). Moreover, the rotating shaft provided in the bottom part of a bread container can be rotated by the motor provided in a main body.

  However, in the case of adopting a configuration in which a rotating shaft (a rotating shaft provided at the bottom of a bread container) is inserted into an insertion hole provided in a mounting portion that constitutes a blade unit, by the earnest research by the present applicants, It was found that such a problem occurred. That is, in the above configuration, bread ingredients (bread dough is included in this expression) may enter between the attachment portion and the rotating shaft, and if the bread is baked (baking process) in this state, In some cases, the blade unit is fixed to the rotating shaft due to seizing of the bread material interposed between the portion and the rotating shaft. If the blade unit is fixed to the rotating shaft, the bread may not be taken out from the bread container.

  Here, the problem in the case where the blade unit includes a kneading blade and a grinding blade has been described. However, it is considered that such a problem may also occur in an automatic bread maker (one that can produce bread only from grain flour such as wheat flour and rice flour) in which the blade unit is not equipped with a grinding blade.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic bread maker that facilitates taking out baked bread from a bread container. Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic bread maker that has a convenient mechanism for baking bread from cereal grains and is easy to take out the baked bread from a bread container.

  In order to achieve the above object, an automatic bread maker according to the present invention is provided in a baking chamber provided in a main body, a bread container housed in the baking chamber and having a rotating shaft at the bottom, and the main body. A motor for applying a rotational force to the rotary shaft of the bread container accommodated in the baking chamber, an insertion hole into which the rotary shaft is inserted, and a mounting portion that is non-rotatably attached to the rotary shaft; And a kneading blade that may be rotated with the rotation of the attachment portion, and a blade portion that is detachable from the rotating shaft, and a kneading step of kneading bread dough using the kneading blade, When the bread production process including the fermentation process for fermenting the bread dough and the baking process for baking the fermented bread dough is executed, the baking process ends after the kneading process ends. At least once, the rotational operation for rotating the rotary shaft to stop the rotation of the kneading blade are given within a period of at.

  The blade portion may be a unit that can be integrally attached to and detached from the rotating shaft (one unit), or a plurality of blade portions that are not integrally attached to the rotating shaft but are detached from the rotating shaft. You may divide into these parts.

  In this configuration, the rotation operation of stopping the rotation of the kneading blade and rotating the rotating shaft is performed at least once within the period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the firing step. By this rotation operation (preferably high-speed rotation), it is possible to expect the effect that the bread material (which is an expression including bread dough) that has entered between the attachment portion of the blade portion and the rotation shaft is removed from between the two. For this reason, according to this structure, when a bread is taken out from a bread container, possibility that the attaching part and the rotating shaft will adhere may be reduced. As a result, in the automatic bread maker having this configuration, the situation where it is difficult to take out the baked bread from the bread container can be reduced. In addition, since this rotation operation is performed in a state where the kneading blade is stopped, the bread dough is hardly damaged due to this rotation operation.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the blade portion is rotatably attached to the attachment portion and includes a kneading blade support portion that supports the kneading blade, and the rotating shaft and the kneading blade support portion. And a first clutch for switching a connected state, wherein the kneading blade is rotatably attached to the kneading blade support portion and used in the kneading step, and the bread container. The first clutch is configured so that the kneading blade is in the folded position when the rotating shaft rotates in one direction. Connects the rotating shaft and the kneading blade support, the kneading blade rotates together with the rotating shaft, and the rotating shaft rotates in a direction opposite to the one direction. When the kneading blade turns to the open position, the first clutch disconnects the rotary shaft and the kneading blade support, and the kneading blade is in a rotation stop state, after the kneading step is finished. The rotating shaft may rotate in the reverse direction during the rotating operation performed within a period from the end of the firing step to the end of the firing step.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to easily realize a rotating operation of stopping the rotation of the kneading blade and rotating the rotation shaft (preferably at a high speed) within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the firing step.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the blade portion further includes a grinding blade that is non-rotatably attached to the attachment portion, and the kneading blade support portion is a dome-shaped cover that covers the grinding blade, The bread manufacturing process may include a pulverization process performed before the kneading process and pulverizing grains with the pulverization blade.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an automatic bread maker that has a convenient mechanism for baking bread from cereal grains and that can easily take out the baked bread from the bread container.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the maximum rotation speed of the rotating shaft during the rotation operation performed within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step is the maximum rotation speed of the rotating blade in the crushing step. It is good also as being equivalent to the maximum rotational speed of the said rotating shaft at the time of rotating.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the motor includes a first motor used in the kneading step, the crushing step, and a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step. And a second motor used during the rotation operation performed inside. The rotation of the pulverization blade during the pulverization process (high-speed rotation) and the rotation of the kneading blade during the kneading process (high torque, low-speed rotation) require different rotations. For this reason, it is preferable that the automatic bread maker provided with the crushing blade and the kneading blade have different motors for rotating the blades as in this configuration. And in this structure, since the rotation operation performed within the period from the end of the kneading process to the end of the firing process is performed using the same high-speed motor used in the crushing process. It is easy to set the rotation speed during the rotation operation to high-speed rotation.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the rotation operation performed within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step is performed between the kneading step and the fermentation step and / or the baking. It may be performed in the middle of the process. When the rotating operation is performed in the middle of the firing process, the rotating operation is preferably performed in the initial stage of the firing process.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the rotating shaft is provided with a protruding portion that protrudes from a side surface thereof, and the protruding portion is provided on a side wall of the mounting portion when the rotating shaft is inserted into the insertion hole. A notch that engages with the part is formed, and the notch may have an inclined part that gradually decreases in width from the front side in the insertion direction in which the rotating shaft is inserted toward the back side.

  According to this configuration, while preventing the mounting portion from wobbling with respect to the rotation shaft, the bread ingredients (not including bread dough) that have entered the notch of the mounting portion due to centrifugal force during the rotation operation (preferably high speed rotation). It is easy to be discharged out of the attachment portion along the inclined portion. For this reason, according to the present configuration, the possibility that the attachment portion and the rotating shaft are fixed is further reduced, and it can be expected that the situation where it is difficult to take out the baked bread from the bread container can be expected to be more effectively reduced. .

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormal state that hinders the rotation of the rotating shaft, and is performed within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step. When starting the rotation operation, if the abnormal state is detected based on information from the abnormality detection means, the execution of the bread manufacturing process is continued and the execution of the rotation operation is canceled. It is good also as providing the judgment means to judge.

  Further, in the automatic bread maker configured as described above, an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormal state that hinders the rotation of the rotating shaft, and within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step. During the rotation operation to be performed, when the abnormal state is detected based on information from the abnormality detection means, a determination is made to continue execution of the bread manufacturing process and to cancel the rotation operation And means.

  According to the above two configurations including the abnormality detection means and the determination means, when an abnormal state that causes trouble if the rotation shaft is rotated is detected at a predetermined stage, “the rotation of the kneading blade is stopped and the rotation is stopped”. The “rotating operation for rotating the shaft” is canceled or stopped. However, the bread manufacturing process is continued even when such rotation operation is stopped or stopped. That is, in these configurations, when the above-described abnormal state is detected when the bread manufacturing process has already progressed to some extent, the bread manufacturing process is continued rather than performing the above-described rotation operation. Has been given priority.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the bread manufacturing process further includes a pulverization process performed before the kneading process and pulverizing the grains with a pulverizing blade, and the motor includes the kneading process. A first motor to be used, and a second motor to be used during the rotation operation performed within a period from the end of the grinding step and the end of the kneading step to the end of the firing step. The abnormality detection unit may detect an abnormal state that hinders the rotation of the rotating shaft by driving the second motor. In particular, when performing the pulverization process and the above-described rotation operation (rotation operation in which the rotation of the kneading blade is stopped and the rotation shaft is rotated), the rotation shaft is rotated at a high speed. It is preferable to detect an abnormal state, and this configuration is suitable for an automatic bread maker configured as such.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the abnormality detection unit may include a motor abnormality detection unit for detecting an operation abnormality of the motor.

  The automatic bread maker configured as described above further includes a second clutch that switches whether or not to transmit the rotational power of the motor to the rotating shaft, and the abnormality detecting means includes an operation of the second clutch. A clutch abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality may be included.

  Further, in the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the automatic bread maker includes a lid for opening and closing the baking chamber, and the abnormality detection means includes an abnormality detection means for the lid for detecting an abnormality related to the open / closed state of the lid. It is also possible that

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the abnormality detecting means may include bread container abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality related to the position of the bread container in the baking chamber.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic bread maker that can easily take out baked bread from a bread container. In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic bread maker that has a convenient mechanism for baking bread from cereal grains and that can easily remove the baked bread from the bread container. For this reason, according to the present invention, it is expected that home bread making will become popular by making home bread production more familiar.

The schematic perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the automatic bread maker of 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure inside the main body of the automatic bread maker of 1st Embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the clutch contained in the 1st power transmission part with which the automatic bread maker of 1st Embodiment is provided. The figure which shows typically the structure of the baking chamber in which the bread container was accommodated, and its periphery in the automatic bread maker of 1st Embodiment. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the blade unit with which the automatic bread maker of 1st Embodiment is provided. Schematic exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a blade unit provided in the automatic bread maker of the first embodiment Schematic which shows the structure of the blade unit with which the automatic bread maker of 1st Embodiment is provided. Schematic plan view when the blade unit included in the automatic bread maker according to the first embodiment is viewed from below (the figure when the guard is removed). The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the blade unit with which the automatic bread maker of 1st Embodiment is provided, and the figure at the time of seeing a bread container from the top The block diagram which shows the structure of the automatic bread maker of 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the flow of the bread-making course for rice grains performed with the automatic bread maker of 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the automatic bread maker of 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the exception processing flow at the time of abnormal condition detection in the automatic bread maker of 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the automatic bread maker of this embodiment, and is a schematic side view which shows the relationship between the shaft for units and a blade rotating shaft

Hereinafter, embodiments of an automatic bread maker of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the specific time, temperature, etc. which appear in this specification are illustrations to the last, and they do not limit the content of this invention.
(First embodiment)
1. Configuration of Automatic Baking Machine FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an external configuration of the automatic baking machine according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, an operation unit 20 is provided on a part of the upper surface of a main body 10 (the outer shell of which is formed of, for example, metal or synthetic resin) of an automatic bread maker 1 provided in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. It has been. The operation unit 20 includes an operation key group and a display unit that displays time, contents set by the operation key group, errors, and the like. The operation key group includes, for example, a start key, a cancel key, a timer key, a reservation key, a bread manufacturing course (a course for manufacturing bread using rice grains as a starting material, a course for manufacturing bread using rice flour as a starting material) And a selection key for selecting a course for producing bread using flour as a starting material. The display unit is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display panel.

  Moreover, the baking chamber 30 in which the bread container 80 mentioned later for details is accommodated in the main body 10 is provided. The firing chamber 30 is composed of, for example, a bottom wall 30a made of sheet metal and four side walls 30b (see also FIG. 4 described later). The baking chamber 30 has a substantially rectangular box shape in plan view, and its upper surface is open. The firing chamber 30 can be opened and closed by a lid 40 provided on the upper part of the main body 10. The lid 40 is attached to the back side of the main body 10 with a hinge shaft (not shown), and the firing chamber 30 can be opened and closed by rotating about the hinge shaft as a fulcrum. FIG. 1 shows a state where the lid 40 is opened.

  The lid 40 is provided with a viewing window 41 made of, for example, heat-resistant glass so that the inside of the baking chamber 30 can be seen. A bread ingredient storage container 42 is attached to the lid 40. This bread ingredient storage container 42 makes it possible to automatically feed some bread ingredients during the bread production process. The bread raw material storage container 42 includes a box-shaped container body 42a having a substantially rectangular plane shape, and a container lid 42b that is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the container body 42a and opens and closes the opening of the container body 42a. . Further, the bread ingredient storage container 42 can support the container lid 42b from the outer surface (lower surface) side and maintain the closed state of the opening of the container body 42a, and is moved by an external force to move the container lid 42b to the container lid 42b. There is also provided a movable hook 42c for releasing the engagement.

  An automatic closing solenoid 16 (see FIG. 10 described later) is provided in the main body 10 on the lower side of the operation unit 20, and when this solenoid is driven, its plunger is provided on the main body wall surface 10 a adjacent to the lid 40. It protrudes from the opening 10b. Then, the movable hook 42c is moved by a movable member (not shown) movable by the protruding plunger, the engagement between the container lid 42b and the movable hook 42c is released, the container lid 42b is rotated, and the container main body 42a. The opening of is opened. Note that FIG. 1 shows a state where the opening of the container main body 42a is opened.

  The container main body 42a and the container lid 42b are preferably provided with a metal such as aluminum so that a powder bread raw material (for example, gluten, dry yeast, etc.) stored in the container does not remain in the container. And it is preferable that those inner surfaces are covered with a coating layer of silicon, fluorine, or the like, and further, unevenness is not provided as much as possible and it is preferably formed smoothly.

  Further, if steam generated when pulverizing grains such as rice grains enters the container main body 42a, the bread material tends to adhere to the inner surface of the container, which is not preferable. For this purpose, a flange (flange) is provided at the opening side edge of the container main body 42a so that the aforementioned steam or the like does not enter the container, and a packing is provided between the flange and the container lid 42b. (Seal member) 42d is interposed.

  Drawing 2 is a mimetic diagram for explaining the composition inside the main part of the automatic bread maker of a 1st embodiment. FIG. 2 assumes a case where the automatic bread maker 1 is viewed from above, and the lower side of the figure is the front side of the automatic bread maker 1 and the upper side of the figure is the back side. As shown in FIG. 2, in the automatic bread maker 1, a low-speed / high-torque type kneading motor 50 used in the kneading process is fixedly arranged on the right side of the baking chamber 30, and mainly on the rear side of the baking chamber 30. A high-speed rotation type crushing motor 60 used in the crushing process is fixedly arranged. The kneading motor 50 and the crushing motor 60 are both shafts. The kneading motor 50 is an example of the first motor of the present invention, and the crushing motor 60 is an example of the second motor of the present invention.

  A first pulley 52 is fixed to an output shaft 51 protruding from the upper surface of the kneading motor 50. The first pulley 52 is connected by a first belt 53 to a second pulley 55 having a diameter larger than that of the first pulley 52 and fixed to the upper side of the first rotating shaft 54. Has been. A second rotating shaft 57 is provided on the lower side of the first rotating shaft 54 so that the center of rotation is substantially the same as the first rotating shaft 54 (see FIG. 3 described later). The first rotating shaft 54 and the second rotating shaft 57 are rotatably supported inside the main body 10. Further, a clutch 56 that performs power transmission and power interruption is provided between the first rotating shaft 54 and the second rotating shaft 57 (see FIG. 3 described later). The configuration of the clutch 56 will be described later.

  A third pulley 58 is fixed to the lower side of the second rotating shaft 57 (see FIG. 3 described later). The third pulley 58 is provided on the lower side of the firing chamber 30 by the second belt 59 and is fixed to the driving shaft 11 and has a first driving shaft pulley 12 (having substantially the same diameter as the third pulley 58). (See FIG. 3 described later). The kneading motor 50 itself is a low speed / high torque type, and the rotation of the first pulley 52 is decelerated and rotated by the second pulley 55 (for example, decelerated to 1/5 speed). For this reason, when the kneading motor 50 is driven in a state where the clutch 56 transmits power, the driving shaft 11 rotates at a low speed.

  The first pulley 52, the first belt 53, the first rotating shaft 54, the second pulley 55, the clutch 56, the second rotating shaft 57, the third pulley 58, the second belt 59, and Hereinafter, the power transmission unit including the first driving shaft pulley 12 may be referred to as a first power transmission unit.

  A fourth pulley 62 is fixed to the output shaft 61 protruding from the lower surface of the grinding motor 60. The fourth pulley 62 is fixed by a third belt 63 below the second driving shaft pulley 13 (below the first driving shaft pulley 12) fixed to the driving shaft 11; 3). The second driving shaft pulley 13 has substantially the same diameter as the fourth pulley 62. A high-speed rotating motor is selected as the grinding motor 60, and the rotation of the fourth pulley 62 is maintained at substantially the same speed in the second driving shaft pulley 13. Therefore, the driving shaft 11 can be rotated at high speed (for example, 7000 to 8000 rpm) by driving the grinding motor 60.

  In addition, the power transmission unit configured by the fourth pulley 62, the third belt 63, and the second driving shaft pulley 13 may be expressed as a second power transmission unit in the following. The second power transmission unit is configured not to have a clutch, and connects the output shaft 61 of the crushing motor 60 and the driving shaft 11 so that power can be transmitted at all times.

  Drawing 3 is a figure for explaining a clutch contained in the 1st power transmission part with which an automatic bread maker of a 1st embodiment is provided. FIG. 3 is a diagram assuming the case of viewing along the direction of arrow X in FIG. 3A shows a state in which the clutch 56 performs power cut-off, and FIG. 3B shows a state in which the clutch 56 performs power transmission.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the clutch 56 includes a first clutch member 561 and a second clutch member 562. When the claw 561a provided on the first clutch member 561 and the claw 562a provided on the second clutch member 562 are engaged with each other (the state shown in FIG. 3B), the clutch 56 transmits power. Further, when the two claws 561a and 562b are not engaged with each other (the state shown in FIG. 3A), the clutch 56 cuts off the power. That is, the clutch 56 is a meshing clutch.

  In the present embodiment, each of the two clutch members 561 and 562 has a circumferential direction (when the first clutch member 561 is seen in plan view from below, or the second clutch member 562 is seen in plan view from above. Assuming the case), six claws 561a and 562a arranged at almost equal intervals are provided, but the number of the claws may be appropriately changed. Moreover, what is necessary is just to select a preferable shape suitably for the shape of nail | claw 561a and 562a.

  The first clutch member 561 is attached to the first rotating shaft 54 so as to be slidable in the axial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 3) and not to be relatively rotatable, after taking measures against slipping off. Yes. A spring 71 is loosely fitted on the upper side of the first clutch member 561 of the first rotating shaft 54. The spring 71 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between a stopper portion 54a provided on the first rotating shaft 54 and the first clutch member 561, and biases the first clutch member 561 downward. ing. On the other hand, the second clutch member 562 is fixed to the upper end of the second rotating shaft 57.

  Switching of the clutch 56 (switching between the power transmission state and the power cut-off state) is performed by a self-holding solenoid (clutch solenoid) incorporating an arm portion 72 that supports the first clutch member 561 and a permanent magnet 73a. 73. The plunger 73 b of the solenoid 73 is in a state where its tip end portion (the lower side corresponds to FIG. 3) is fixed to an attachment portion 72 a provided on the arm portion 72. Since the arm portion 72 (including the attachment portion 72a) is made of metal, it can be attracted to the permanent magnet 73a.

  When a voltage is applied to the solenoid 73 so as to cancel the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 73a from the state of FIG. 3A, the force that attracts the arm portion 72 (more precisely, the mounting portion 72a) of the permanent magnet 73a decreases. The first clutch member 561 is pushed down by the biasing force of the spring 71. As a result, meshing between the claw 561a of the first clutch member 561 and the claw 562a of the second clutch member 562 is obtained, and the clutch 56 transmits power (the state shown in FIG. 3B). ). Since this engagement is maintained by the urging force of the spring 71, the solenoid 73 is turned off after driving to pull down the first clutch member 561. Further, in the state in which this engagement is obtained, the arm portion 72 is pulled down, so that the plunger 73b of the solenoid 73 is in a state in which the amount of protrusion from the housing 73c (the amount of protrusion downward) is increased.

  On the other hand, when a voltage for pulling up the plunger 73b (voltage having a polarity opposite to that when canceling the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 73a) is applied to the solenoid 73 from the state of FIG. On the other hand, the first clutch member 561 is pulled upward together with the arm portion 72. As a result, the engagement between the claw 561a of the first clutch member 561 and the claw 562a of the second clutch member 562 is released, and the clutch 56 performs power shut-off (a state shown in FIG. 3A). ). In the state where the meshing is released, the permanent magnet 73a built in the solenoid 73 attracts the arm portion 72 (more precisely, the mounting portion 72a). For this reason, after the drive for pulling up the first clutch member 561 is performed, the disengagement state can be maintained even if the solenoid 73 is turned off, so that the solenoid 73 is turned off.

  When the grinding motor 60 is driven, if the clutch 56 is in a state where power is transmitted (the state shown in FIG. 3B), rotational power for rotating the driving shaft 11 at high speed is transmitted to the output shaft 51 of the kneading motor 50. The In this case, if the crushing motor 60 is rotated at, for example, 8000 rpm, the output shaft 51 of the kneading motor 50 is rotated at 40000 rpm depending on the radius ratio (for example, 1: 5) between the first pulley 52 and the second pulley 55. I will try to let you. In this case, since a very large load is applied to the pulverization motor 60, the pulverization motor 60 may be damaged. For this reason, when driving the grinding motor 60, it is necessary to prevent the rotational power for rotating the driving shaft 11 at high speed from being transmitted to the output shaft 51 of the kneading motor 50. The first power transmission unit includes a clutch 56 that cuts off the power.

  As described above, the automatic bread maker 1 is configured such that the second power transmission unit is not provided with a clutch, for the following reason. That is, even if the kneading motor 50 is driven, the driving shaft 11 is only rotated at a low speed (for example, 180 rpm). Even if the rotational power for rotating the driving shaft 11 is transmitted to the output shaft of the crushing motor 60, the kneading motor A large load is not applied to 50. And the manufacturing cost of an automatic bread maker is suppressed by employ | adopting the structure in which a clutch is not provided in a 2nd power transmission part in this way. However, it goes without saying that a configuration in which a clutch is provided in the second power transmission unit may be adopted.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a baking chamber in which a bread container is accommodated and its surroundings in the automatic bread maker of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 assumes a configuration when the automatic bread maker 1 is viewed from the front side, and the configurations of the baking chamber 30 and the bread container 80 are generally shown in cross-sectional views. In addition, the bread container 80 used as a baking mold while the bread raw material is input can be taken in and out of the baking chamber 30.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a sheathed heater 31 (an example of a heating unit) is disposed inside the baking chamber 30 so as to surround a bread container 80 accommodated in the baking chamber 30. By using this sheathed heater 31, it is possible to heat the bread ingredients in the bread container 80 (this expression may include bread dough).

  In addition, a bread container support portion 14 (for example, made of an aluminum alloy die-cast molded product) that supports the bread container 80 is fixed to a location corresponding to the approximate center of the bottom wall 30a of the baking chamber 30. The bread container support portion 14 is formed so as to be recessed from the bottom wall 30a of the baking chamber 30, and the shape of the recess is substantially circular when viewed from above. At the center of the bread container support portion 14, the above-described driving shaft 11 is supported so as to be substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall 30a.

  The bread container 80 is, for example, an aluminum alloy die-cast molded product (others may be made of sheet metal or the like), has a bucket-like shape, and is handed to the flange 80a provided on the side edge of the opening. A handle (not shown) is attached. The horizontal cross section of the bread container 80 is a rectangle with rounded corners. Further, a concave portion 81 having a substantially circular shape in a plan view is formed on the bottom of the bread container 80 so as to accommodate a part of a blade unit 90 which will be described in detail later.

  At the center of the bottom of the bread container 80, a blade rotation shaft 82 (an example of the rotation shaft of the present invention) extending in the vertical direction is rotatably supported in a state where measures against sealing are taken. A container side coupling member 82a is fixed to the lower end of the blade rotation shaft 82 (projecting outward from the bottom of the bread container 80). In addition, a cylindrical pedestal 83 is provided on the bottom outer surface side of the bread container 80, and the bread container 80 is accommodated in the baking chamber 30 in a state where the pedestal 83 is received by the bread container support part 14. It has become so. The pedestal 83 may be formed separately from the bread container 80 or may be formed integrally with the bread container 80.

  When the pedestal 83 of the bread container 80 is received in the baking chamber 30 in a state of being received by the bread container support portion 14, the container-side coupling member 82 a provided at the lower end of the blade rotation shaft 82 and the driving shaft 11. The coupling (coupling) with the driving shaft side coupling member 11a fixed to the upper end of the shaft can be obtained. As a result, the blade rotation shaft 82 can transmit the rotational power from the driving shaft 11.

  A blade unit 90 (an example of the blade portion of the present invention) is detachably attached to a portion of the blade rotation shaft 82 that protrudes into the bread container 80 from above. The configuration of the blade unit 90 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the blade unit provided in the automatic bread maker of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a blade unit provided in the automatic bread maker of the first embodiment. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing a configuration of a blade unit included in the automatic bread maker according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7A is a schematic side view, and FIG. 7B is a position AA in FIG. FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the blade unit included in the automatic bread maker according to the first embodiment when viewed from below. FIG. 8A is a diagram when the kneading blade is in a folded position, and FIG. ) Is a view when the kneading blade is in an open position. FIG. 8 shows a state in which a guard to be described later is removed. FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the operation of the blade unit provided in the automatic bread maker of the first embodiment, and is a view when the bread container is viewed from above. FIG. 9A is a view when the kneading blade is in the folded position, and FIG. 9B is a view when the kneading blade is in the open position.

  The blade unit 90 is roughly divided into a unit shaft 91 (an example of the mounting portion of the present invention), a crushing blade 92 that is attached to the unit shaft 91 so as not to rotate relative to the unit shaft 91, and a blade that can rotate relative to the unit shaft 91. The dome-shaped cover 93 (an example of the kneading blade support portion of the present invention) attached in a plan view so as to cover the 92 and the kneading blade 101 attached to the dome-shaped cover 93 so as to be relatively rotatable are configured. (See, for example, FIGS. 5 to 7). In a state where the blade unit 90 is attached to the blade rotation shaft 82, the crushing blade 92 is positioned slightly above the bottom surface of the recess 81 of the bread container 80. Further, almost the entire grinding blade 92 and the dome-shaped cover 93 are accommodated in the recess 81.

  The unit shaft 91 is a substantially columnar member formed of a metal such as a stainless steel plate, for example, and has an opening at one end (the lower end in FIGS. 6 and 7), and the inside is hollow. That is, the insertion shaft 91c is formed in the unit shaft 91 (see FIG. 7B). In addition, a pair of notches 91a are formed on the lower side (opening side) of the side wall of the unit shaft 91 so as to be symmetrically arranged with respect to the rotation center of the unit shaft 91 (see, for example, FIG. 6). 6 shows only one of them). When the unit shaft 91 is put on the blade rotation shaft 82 (when the blade rotation shaft 82 is inserted into the insertion hole 91c), a pin (not shown) penetrating the blade rotation shaft 82 horizontally is formed in the notch 91a. The unit shaft 91 is engaged with the blade rotation shaft 82 so as not to be relatively rotatable.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the upper portion of the unit shaft 91 is engaged with a convex portion 82b provided at the central portion of the upper surface (substantially circular) of the blade rotation shaft 82 (shown by a broken line). A concave portion 91b is formed in the central portion of the side inner surface. Accordingly, the blade unit 90 can be easily attached to the blade rotation shaft 82 in a state where the centers of the unit shaft 91 and the blade rotation shaft 82 are aligned. For this reason, unnecessary rattling during rotation of the blade is suppressed. In the present embodiment, the convex portion 82b is provided on the blade rotating shaft 82 side and the concave portion 91b is provided on the unit shaft 91 side, but conversely, the concave portion is provided on the blade rotating shaft 82 side and the unit shaft 91 side is provided. A configuration in which a convex portion is provided may be employed.

  The pulverizing blade 92 for pulverizing grains is formed of, for example, a stainless steel plate, and the shape thereof is, for example, an airplane propeller. As shown in FIG. 6, an opening 92 a having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view is formed at the center of the grinding blade 92. The crushing blade 92 is attached from the lower side of the unit shaft 91 so that the unit shaft 91 is fitted into the opening 92a.

  The lower side of the unit shaft 91 has a shape that is obtained by scraping the side surface of a cylinder, and is substantially the same shape (substantially rectangular shape) as the opening 92a of the grinding blade 92 when viewed from below. Further, the area when the lower side of the unit shaft 91 is viewed from below is slightly smaller than the opening 92a. Since such a shape is adopted, the grinding blade 92 is attached to the unit shaft 91 so as not to be relatively rotatable. Since the stopper member 94 for preventing the retaining member 94 is fitted into the unit shaft 91 on the lower side of the pulverizing blade 92, the pulverizing blade 92 does not fall off the unit shaft 91.

  The dome-shaped cover 93 disposed so as to surround and cover the crushing blade 92 is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy die-cast product, and a bearing 95 (in this embodiment, a rolling bearing is used on the inner surface side thereof. ) (See FIG. 7B) is formed. In other words, in order to form the accommodating portion 931, the dome-shaped cover 93 has a configuration in which a substantially cylindrical convex portion 93a is formed at the center when viewed from the outer surface. In addition, the opening is not formed in the convex part 93a, and the bearing 95 accommodated in the accommodating part 931 is in the state in which the side surface and the upper surface are enclosed by the wall surface of the accommodating part 931.

  The inner ring 95a is attached to the unit shaft 91 so as not to rotate relative to the bearing 95 with the retaining rings 96a and 96b arranged on the upper and lower sides (the unit shaft 91 is press-fitted into a through hole inside the inner ring 95a. ing). The bearing 95 is press-fitted into the housing portion 931 so that the outer wall of the outer ring 95b is fixed to the side wall of the housing portion 931. The dome-shaped cover 93 is attached to the unit shaft 91 so as to be rotatable relative to the bearing 95 (the inner ring 95a rotates relative to the outer ring 95b).

  In addition, the housing portion 931 of the dome-shaped cover 93 is made of, for example, a silicon-based material so that foreign matter (for example, liquid used when pulverizing grain grains or paste-like material obtained by pulverization) does not enter the bearing 95 from the outside. Alternatively, a seal material 97 formed of a fluorine-based material and a metal seal cover 98 that holds the seal material 97 are press-fitted from the lower side of the bearing 95. The seal cover 98 is fixed to the dome-shaped cover 93 with a rivet 99 so that the fixing to the dome-shaped cover 93 is ensured. Although fixing with the rivet 99 may not be performed, it is preferable to configure as in the present embodiment in order to obtain reliable fixing. The sealing material 97 and the sealing cover 98 function as sealing means.

  On the outer surface of the dome-shaped cover 93, a kneading blade 101 (for example, aluminum) in a planar shape is formed by a support shaft 100 (see FIG. 6) disposed so as to extend in a vertical direction at a location adjacent to the convex portion 93 a. (Made of die-cast alloy product) is attached. The kneading blade 101 is attached to the support shaft 100 so as not to be relatively rotatable, and moves together with the support shaft 100 attached to the dome-shaped cover 93 so as to be relatively rotatable. In other words, the kneading blade 101 is attached to the dome-shaped cover 93 so as to be relatively rotatable.

  On one surface near the tip of the kneading blade 101 (assuming a portion that draws the largest circle when the kneading blade 101 is rotated about the support shaft 100), a cushioning material 107 as shown in FIGS. It is attached. The buffer material 107 is provided so as to slightly protrude from the tip of the kneading blade 101 (see, for example, FIG. 8B). In this embodiment, it is provided so as to protrude about 3 mm.

  The buffer material 107 is fixed in a state where the buffer material 107 is sandwiched between one surface of the kneading blade 101 and the fixing plate 108 and obtained by caulking the rivet 109 inserted from the other surface side of the kneading blade 101. ing. In the present embodiment, the number of rivets 109 is two, but it goes without saying that the number is not limited.

  The cushioning material 107 is disposed so as not to come into direct contact with the bread container 80 (inner wall thereof) when the kneading blade 101 is in the open posture described in detail later. When the kneading blade 101 and the bread container 80 are in direct contact with each other, damage may occur due to interference between them, and the buffer material 107 is provided to prevent such damage.

  In the automatic bread maker 1 of this embodiment, the surface of the bread container 80 and the kneading blade 101 is coated with fluorine. For this reason, it can be said that the buffer material 107 of the present embodiment is provided so that the fluorine coating is not peeled off by contact between the kneading blade 101 and the pan container 80. From this point, the material constituting the cushioning material 107 is preferably a material softer than the coating material so as not to peel off the fluorine coating. For example, silicone rubber or TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomers) is used. . The buffer material 107 also functions as a soundproofing measure, which will be described later. In the following description, the buffer material 107 may be regarded as a part of the kneading blade 101.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a complementary kneading blade 102 (for example, made of an aluminum alloy die cast product) is fixedly disposed on the outer surface of the dome-shaped cover 93 so as to be aligned with the kneading blade 101. The complementary kneading blade 102 is not necessarily provided, but is preferably provided in order to increase the kneading efficiency in the kneading process of kneading the bread dough.

  Here, the operation of the kneading blade 101 will be described. The kneading blade 101 rotates about the axis of the support shaft 100 together with the support shaft 100, and the folding posture shown in FIGS. 5, 7, 8A and 9A, and FIGS. Two postures are taken, the open posture shown in (b). In the folded position, the protrusion 101a (see FIG. 6) hanging from the lower edge of the kneading blade 101 comes into contact with the first stopper portion 93b provided on the upper surface (outer surface) of the dome-shaped cover 93. For this reason, the kneading blade 101 cannot further rotate counterclockwise (assuming the case viewed from above) with respect to the dome-shaped cover 93. In this folded position, the tip of the kneading blade 101 protrudes slightly from the dome-shaped cover 93.

  When the kneading blade 101 is rotated clockwise (assumed when viewed from above) with respect to the dome-shaped cover 93 from this posture (the state shown in FIG. 9A), the open posture shown in FIG. 9B is obtained. The tip of the kneading blade 101 protrudes greatly from the dome-shaped cover 93. The opening angle of the kneading blade 101 in this opening posture is limited by the second stopper portion 93 c (see FIG. 8) provided on the inner surface of the dome-shaped cover 93. When the second engagement body 103b (fixed to the support shaft 100), which will be described in detail later, is unable to rotate by hitting the second stopper portion 93c provided on the inner surface of the dome-shaped cover 93, the kneading blade 101 is at its maximum. The opening angle.

  When the kneading blade 101 is in the folded position, for example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the complementary kneading blade 102 is aligned with the kneading blade 101, and the kneading blade 101 is shaped like a “<”. The size becomes larger.

  Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 6, the unit shaft 91 includes a first engagement body 103 a that forms a cover clutch 103 (an example of the first clutch of the present invention) between the pulverization blade 92 and the seal cover 98. Is attached. For example, a substantially rectangular opening 103aa is formed in the first engagement body 103a made of, for example, zinc die casting, and the first rectangular body 103 in the lower side of the unit shaft 91 is fitted into the opening 103aa so that the first The engaging body 103a is attached to the unit shaft 91 so as not to be relatively rotatable. The first engaging body 103a is fitted from the lower side of the unit shaft 91 prior to the crushing blade 92, and the stopper member 94 prevents the unit shaft 91 from dropping off together with the crushing blade 92. In the present embodiment, the washer 104 is disposed between the first engagement body 103a and the seal cover 98 in consideration of prevention of deterioration of the first engagement body 103a. However, the washer 104 is not necessarily provided. It does not have to be provided.

  A second engagement body 103b constituting the cover clutch 103 is attached to the lower side of the support shaft 100 to which the kneading blade 101 is attached. For example, a substantially rectangular opening 103ba is formed in the second engaging body 103b made of zinc die casting, and the second engaging member is fitted into the opening 103ba by fitting a substantially rectangular portion in plan view on the lower side of the support shaft 100. The united body 103b is attached to the support shaft 100 so as not to be relatively rotatable. In the present embodiment, the washer 105 is arranged on the upper side of the second engagement body 103b in consideration of prevention of deterioration of the second engagement body 103b. However, the washer 105 is not necessarily provided.

  The cover clutch 103 composed of the first engagement body 103a and the second engagement body 103b functions as a clutch that switches whether or not to transmit the rotational power of the blade rotation shaft 82 to the dome-shaped cover 93. In the cover clutch 103, the rotation direction of the blade rotation shaft 82 when the kneading motor 50 rotates the driving shaft 11 (this rotation direction is referred to as “forward rotation”. In this case, the rotational power of the blade rotary shaft 82 is transmitted to the dome-shaped cover 93. Conversely, the rotation direction of the blade rotation shaft 82 when the crushing motor 60 rotates the driving shaft 11 (this rotation direction is referred to as “reverse rotation”. In FIG. 8, clockwise rotation, and FIG. 9 counterclockwise rotation). In this case, the cover clutch 103 does not transmit the rotational power of the blade rotation shaft 82 to the dome-shaped cover 93. Hereinafter, the operation of the cover clutch 103 will be described in more detail.

  When the kneading blade 101 is in the folded position (for example, the state shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A), the engaging portion 103bb of the second engaging body 103b is engaged with the engaging portion 103ab of the first engaging body 103a (this embodiment). The angle is an angle that interferes with the rotation trajectory (there are two in the form but may be one) (see the broken line in FIG. 8A). Therefore, when the blade rotation shaft 82 rotates in the forward direction, the first engagement body 103 a and the second engagement body 103 b are engaged, and the rotational power of the blade rotation shaft 82 is transmitted to the dome-shaped cover 93.

  On the other hand, when the kneading blade 101 is in the open posture (for example, the state shown in FIGS. 8B and 9B), the engaging portion 103bb of the second engaging body 103b is the same as the engaging portion 103ab of the first engaging body 103a. The angle deviates from the rotation trajectory (see the broken line in FIG. 8B). For this reason, even if the blade rotation shaft 82 rotates, the first engagement body 103a and the second engagement body 103b are not engaged. Accordingly, the rotational power of the blade rotation shaft 82 is not transmitted to the dome-shaped cover 93.

  For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the dome-shaped cover 93 is formed with a window 93 d that communicates the space inside the cover and the space outside the cover. The window 93d is arranged at a height equal to or higher than the grinding blade 92. In the present embodiment, a total of four windows 93d are arranged at intervals of 90 °, but other numbers and arrangement intervals can be selected.

  A total of four ribs 93e are formed on the inner surface of the dome-shaped cover 93 so as to correspond to the windows 93d. Each rib 93e extends obliquely in the radial direction from the vicinity of the center of the dome-shaped cover 93 to the outer peripheral annular wall, and the four ribs 93e form a kind of bowl shape. Moreover, each rib 93e is curving so that the side which faces the bread raw material pressed toward it may become convex.

  A detachable guard 106 is attached to the lower surface of the dome-shaped cover 93. The guard 106 covers the lower surface of the dome-shaped cover 93 and prevents the user's finger from approaching the grinding blade 92. The guard 106 is formed of, for example, an engineering plastic having heat resistance, and can be a molded product such as PPS (polyphenylene sulfide). The guard 106 need not be provided, but is preferably provided so that the user can use it with peace of mind.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6, at the center of the guard 106, there is a ring-shaped hub 106 a through which a stopper member 94 fixed to the unit shaft 91 is passed. Further, a ring-shaped rim 106b is provided at the periphery of the guard 106. The hub 106a and the rim 106b are connected by a plurality of spokes 106c. Between the spokes 106c, there is an opening 106d through which the grain to be crushed by the pulverizing blade 92 is passed. The opening 106d has a size that prevents a finger from passing through.

  When the spoke 106 c of the guard 106 is attached to the dome-shaped cover 93, the spoke 106 c comes into close proximity with the grinding blade 92. The guard 106 is shaped like an outer blade of a rotary electric razor, and the grinding blade 92 is shaped like an inner blade.

  On the periphery of the rim 106b, a total of four columns 106e (not limited to this configuration) are integrally formed at intervals of 90 °. A horizontal groove 106ea having one end dead end is formed on a side surface of the pillar 106e facing the center side of the guard 106. The guard 106 is attached to the dome-shaped cover 93 by engaging the groove 106ea with the projections 93f formed on the outer periphery of the dome-shaped cover 93 (which are also arranged at a total interval of 45 °). . The groove 106ea and the protrusion 93f are provided so as to constitute a bayonet connection.

  As described above, in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment, since the crushing blade 92 and the kneading blade 101 are incorporated into one unit (blade unit 90), the handling thereof is convenient. The user can easily pull out the blade unit 90 from the blade rotating shaft 82, and can easily clean the blade after the bread making operation. Further, the pulverizing blade 92 provided in the blade unit 90 is detachably attached to the unit shaft 91, and is easily mass-produced and has excellent maintainability such as blade replacement.

  Further, in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment, since a liquid such as water is put into the bread container 80, the bearing 95 is preferably sealed to prevent the liquid from entering the bearing 95. In this respect, in the automatic bread maker 1, since the bearing 95 is accommodated in the concave accommodating portion 931 provided in the dome-shaped cover 93, the sealing means (the sealing material 97 and the seal cover only on the inner surface side of the dome-shaped cover 93). 98), a structure for sealing the bearing 95 is obtained. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide sealing means above and below the bearing 95, and the seal structure of the bearing 95 can be downsized. For this reason, in the automatic bread maker 1, it is possible to suppress an adverse effect on the shape of the baked bread (for example, the bottom surface of the bread is greatly recessed).

  By the way, when using the blade unit 90 of the present embodiment, bread ingredients (including bread dough) may enter between the blade rotation shaft 82 and the unit shaft 91 during the bread making operation. If the bread is baked in a state where the bread material enters between them, the unit shaft 91 may be fixed to the blade rotation shaft 82. In this case, a situation may occur in which the baked bread cannot be taken out from the bread container 80 because the blade unit 90 does not come off from the blade rotation shaft 82. In order to prevent such a situation from occurring, the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment is devised for control operations when bread is manufactured. This point will be described in detail in the operation description of the automatic bread maker 1 described later.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automatic bread maker of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the control operation in the automatic bread maker 1 is performed by the control device 120. The control device 120 is configured by, for example, a microcomputer including a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and an input / output (I / O) circuit unit. . The control device 120 is preferably disposed at a position that is not easily affected by the heat of the baking chamber 30. Further, the control device 120 is provided with a time measuring function, and temporal control in the bread manufacturing process is possible.

  The control device 120 includes the operation unit 20, the temperature sensor 15 that detects the temperature of the baking chamber 30, a kneading motor drive circuit 121, a grinding motor drive circuit 122, a heater drive circuit 123, and a first solenoid. The drive circuit 124 and the second solenoid drive circuit 125 are electrically connected.

  The kneading motor driving circuit 121 is a circuit for controlling the driving of the kneading motor 50 under a command from the control device 120. The grinding motor drive circuit 122 is a circuit for controlling the driving of the grinding motor 60 under a command from the control device 120. The heater drive circuit 123 is a circuit for controlling the operation of the sheathed heater 31 under a command from the control device 120. The first solenoid drive circuit 124 controls the drive of the automatic charging solenoid 16 that is driven when a part of the bread ingredients is automatically charged in the course of the bread manufacturing process under the command from the control device 120. Circuit. The second solenoid drive circuit 125 is a circuit for controlling the drive of the clutch solenoid 73 (see FIG. 3) that switches the state of the clutch 56 (see FIG. 3) under a command from the control device 120.

The control device 120 reads a program relating to a bread manufacturing course (breadmaking course) stored in a ROM or the like based on an input signal from the operation unit 20, and a kneading blade by the kneading motor 50 via the kneading motor driving circuit 121. 101, rotation control of the complementary kneading blade 102, control of rotation of the pulverization blade 92 by the pulverization motor 60 via the pulverization motor drive circuit 122, control of heating operation by the sheathed heater 31 via the heater drive circuit 123, The automatic bread maker 1 controls the operation of the movable hook 42c by the automatic closing solenoid 16 via the solenoid driving circuit 124 and the switching control of the clutch 56 by the clutch solenoid 73 via the second solenoid driving circuit 125. Execute bread manufacturing process.
2. Operation of automatic bread maker Next, the operation in the case of producing bread with the automatic bread maker 1 of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described. Here, the operation of the automatic bread maker 1 will be described by taking as an example a case where bread is produced by using the rice grain as a starting material by the automatic bread maker 1.

  When rice grains are used as a starting material, a bread-making course for rice grains is executed. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of a rice grain bread-making course executed by an automatic bread maker. As shown in FIG. 11, in the bread making course for rice grains, the dipping process, the pulverization process, the pause process, the kneading (kneading) process, the fermentation process, and the baking process are sequentially performed in this order. The

  In starting the rice grain breadmaking course, the user attaches the blade unit 90 to the blade rotation shaft 82 by covering the blade rotation shaft 82 of the bread container 80 with the unit shaft 91. Then, the user weighs rice grains, water, and seasonings (eg, salt, sugar, shortening, etc.) by a predetermined amount and puts them into the bread container 80.

  In addition, the user weighs the bread ingredients that are automatically added during the bread manufacturing process and puts them in the container body 42 a of the bread ingredient storage container 42. When the bread material to be stored is stored in the container body 42a, the container lid 42b is supported by the movable hook 42c, and the opening of the container body 42a is closed by the container lid 42b.

  In addition, as a bread raw material accommodated in the bread raw material storage container 42, gluten, dry yeast, etc. are mentioned, for example. Instead of gluten, for example, at least one of flour, thickener (eg, guar gum), and upper fresh powder may be stored in the bread ingredient storage container 42. In addition, for example, only dry yeast may be stored in the bread raw material storage container 42 without using gluten, wheat flour, thickener, super fresh powder or the like. Further, in some cases, seasonings such as salt, sugar, and shortening are stored in the bread ingredient storage container 42 together with, for example, gluten and dry yeast so as to be automatically introduced during the bread manufacturing process. May be. In this case, the bread raw material previously put into the bread container 80 is rice grains and water (in place of mere water, for example, a liquid having a taste component such as soup stock, a liquid containing fruit juice or alcohol, etc.) Become.

  Thereafter, the user puts the bread container 80 into the baking chamber 30 and further attaches the bread ingredient storage container 42 to a predetermined position of the lid 40. Then, the user closes the lid 40, selects the rice grain breadmaking course using the operation unit 20, and presses the start key. Thereby, the control apparatus 120 starts control operation | movement of the bread-making course for rice grains which manufactures bread using a rice grain as a starting material.

  When the rice grain breadmaking course is started, the dipping process is started by a command from the control device 120. In the dipping process, the bread raw material previously put in the bread container 80 is set in a stationary state, and the stationary state is maintained for a predetermined time (30 minutes in the present embodiment). This dipping process is a process aimed at making the rice grains easy to be pulverized to the core in the subsequent pulverization process by adding water to the rice grains.

  The water absorption speed of rice grains varies depending on the temperature of the water. If the water temperature is high, the water absorption speed increases, and if the water temperature is low, the water absorption speed decreases. For this reason, you may make it fluctuate the time of an immersion process with the environmental temperature etc. in which the automatic bread maker 1 is used, for example. Thereby, it becomes possible to suppress the dispersion | variation in the water absorption degree of a rice grain. Further, in order to shorten the immersion time, the sheathed heater 31 may be energized to increase the temperature of the firing chamber 30.

  Further, the grinding blade 92 may be rotated at the initial stage of the dipping process, and further, the grinding blade 92 may be intermittently rotated thereafter. If it does in this way, the surface of a rice grain can be damaged, and the liquid absorption efficiency of a rice grain will be improved.

  When the predetermined time elapses, the dipping process is ended by a command from the control device 120, and a crushing process for crushing the rice grains is started. In this pulverization step, the pulverization blade 92 is rotated at a high speed (for example, 7000 to 8000 rpm) in a mixture containing rice grains and water. In this crushing step, the control device 120 controls the crushing motor 60 to rotate the blade rotation shaft 82 in the reverse direction (clockwise rotation in FIG. 8 and counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 9). Since the cutting blade of the crushing blade 92 is moved forward in the rotation direction by the reverse rotation of the blade rotation shaft 82, a crushing function using the crushing blade 92 is obtained.

  When rotating the grinding blade 92 using the grinding motor 60, the control device 120 drives the clutch solenoid 73 so that the clutch 56 shuts off the power (the state shown in FIG. 3A). ). This is because, as described above, there is a possibility that the motor is damaged unless it is controlled in this way.

  When the blade rotation shaft 82 is rotated in the reverse direction to rotate the grinding blade 92, the dome-shaped cover 93 also starts to rotate following the rotation of the blade rotation shaft 82. The rotation of the cover 93 is immediately blocked (stopped). It is preferable that the pulverizing blade 92 is rotated at a low speed in the initial stage of the pulverization process and then rotated at a high speed.

  The rotation direction of the dome-shaped cover 93 accompanying the rotation of the blade rotation shaft 82 for rotating the grinding blade 92 is the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 9, and the kneading blade 101 has been folded until then (see FIG. 9A). In the case of the posture shown in FIG. 9, the posture is changed to the open posture (the posture shown in FIG. 9B) by the resistance received from the mixture containing rice grains and water.

  When the kneading blade 101 is in the open posture, the engagement portion 103bb of the second engagement body 103b deviates from the rotation track of the engagement portion 103ab of the first engagement body 103a (see the broken line in FIG. 8). For this purpose, the cover clutch 103 disconnects the blade rotation shaft 82 from the dome-shaped cover 93. Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, a part of the kneading blade 101 in the open position (more precisely, the cushioning material 107 provided on the front end side) is formed on the inner wall of the bread container 80 (more specifically, The rotation of the dome-shaped cover 93 is prevented (stopped) in order to come into contact with the bowl-shaped protrusion 80b provided on the inner wall of the bread container 80 in order to improve the grinding efficiency.

  In the crushing process, vibration is generated while the crushing blade 92 is rotating. However, since the cushioning material 107 is in contact with the bread container 80, the collision sound generated by this vibration is reduced. It has become.

  The pulverization of the rice grains in the pulverization step is performed in a state where water is soaked in the rice grains by the previously performed immersion step, and thus the rice grains can be easily pulverized to the core. In the present embodiment, the rotation of the pulverizing blade 92 in the pulverization step is intermittent. This intermittent rotation is performed, for example, in a cycle of rotating for 30 seconds and stopping for 5 minutes, and this cycle is repeated 10 times. In the last cycle, the stop for 5 minutes is not performed. The rotation of the crushing blade 92 may be continuous rotation, but for the purpose of, for example, preventing the temperature of the raw material in the bread container 80 from becoming too high, it is preferable to perform intermittent rotation.

  In the pulverization step, the pulverization of the rice grains is performed in the dome-shaped cover 93 whose rotation is stopped, so that the possibility that the rice grains scatter outside the bread container 80 is low. Further, the rice grains entering the dome-shaped cover 93 from the opening 106d of the guard 106 in the rotation stopped state are sheared between the stationary spoke 106c and the rotating pulverizing blade 92, so that the pulverization can be performed efficiently. Further, the rib 93e provided on the dome-shaped cover 93 suppresses the flow of the mixture containing rice grains and water (flow in the same direction as the rotation of the grinding blade 92), so that the grinding can be performed efficiently.

  The mixture containing the pulverized rice grains and water is guided in the direction of the window 93d by the rib 93e, and is discharged out of the dome-shaped cover 93 from the window 93d. Since the rib 93e is curved so that the side facing the mixture pressing toward it is convex, the mixture hardly stays on the surface of the rib 93e and flows smoothly toward the window 93d. Further, instead of the mixture being discharged from the inside of the dome-shaped cover 93, the mixture existing in the space above the concave portion 81 enters the concave portion 81 and passes through the opening portion 106d of the guard 106 from the concave portion 81. Enter the cover 93. Since the pulverization by the pulverization blade 92 is performed while being circulated as described above, the pulverization can be performed efficiently.

  In the automatic bread maker 1, the crushing process is completed in a predetermined time (in this embodiment, 50 minutes). However, the grain size of the pulverized powder may vary depending on the hardness of the rice grains and the environmental conditions. For this reason, the end of the pulverization process may be determined based on the magnitude of the load of the pulverization motor 60 (for example, it can be determined by the control current of the motor).

  When the pulverization process is completed, a pause process is executed according to a command from the control device 120. This pause process is provided as a cooling period during which the temperature of the contents in the bread container 80 raised by the crushing process is lowered. The reason for lowering the temperature is that the next kneading step is carried out at a temperature at which the yeast is active (for example, around 30 ° C.). In the present embodiment, the pause process is a predetermined time (30 minutes). However, in some cases, the pause process may be performed until the temperature of the bread container 80 reaches a predetermined temperature.

  When the pause process ends, the kneading process is started by a command from the control device 120. At the start of the kneading process, the control device 120 drives the clutch solenoid 73 so that the clutch 56 transmits power (state shown in FIG. 3B). Then, the control device 120 controls the kneading motor 50 to rotate the blade rotating shaft 82 in the forward direction (counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 8 and clockwise rotation in FIG. 9).

  When the blade rotation shaft 82 is rotated in the forward direction, the grinding blade 92 is also rotated in the forward direction. In this case, the pulverizing blade 92 rotates with the cutting blade behind in the rotation direction, and does not exhibit the pulverizing function. Due to the rotation of the grinding blade 92, the bread ingredients around the grinding blade 92 flow in the forward direction. Accordingly, when the dome-shaped cover 93 moves in the forward direction (clockwise in FIG. 9), the kneading blade 101 receives resistance from the non-flowing bread ingredients and is folded from the open position (see FIG. 9B). The angle is changed to (see FIG. 9A). As a result, the engaging portion 103bb of the second engaging body 103b has an angle that interferes with the rotation trajectory (see the broken line in FIG. 8) of the engaging portion 103ab of the first engaging body 103a. Then, the cover clutch 103 connects the blade rotation shaft 82 and the dome-shaped cover 93, and the dome-shaped cover 93 enters a state of being driven in earnest by the blade rotation shaft 82. The dome-shaped cover 93 and the kneading blade 101 in the folded position rotate together with the blade rotation shaft 82 in the forward direction.

  In order to reliably connect the cover clutch 103 described above, it is preferable that the rotation of the blade rotation shaft 82 at the initial stage of the kneading process is intermittent rotation or low speed rotation. Further, as described above, when the kneading blade 101 is in the folded position, the complementary kneading blade 102 is arranged on the extension of the kneading blade 101, so that the kneading blade 101 is enlarged and the bread raw material is pressed strongly. It is. For this reason, the dough can be kneaded firmly.

  The rotation of the kneading blade 101 (this term is used as an expression including the complementary kneading blade 102 in the folded position, the same applies hereinafter) is very slow in the initial stage of the kneading process, and the speed is increased stepwise. Control is performed by the control device 120. In the initial stage of the kneading process in which the kneading blade 101 rotates very slowly, the control device 120 drives the automatic charging solenoid 16 so that the movable hook 42c of the bread ingredient storage container 42 supports the container lid 42b. Let go. Thereby, the opening of the container main body 42a is opened, and for example, bread ingredients such as gluten and dry yeast are automatically charged into the bread container 80.

  As described above, the bread raw material storage container 42 is provided with a coating layer inside the container body 42a and the container lid 42b to improve slipping, and is devised so that there is no uneven portion inside. Yes. Furthermore, the situation where the bread raw material is caught by the packing 42d is also suppressed by the device for arranging the packing 42d. For this reason, the automatic charging is completed with almost no bread ingredients remaining in the bread ingredient storage container 42.

  In this embodiment, the bread ingredients stored in the bread ingredient storage container 42 are charged while the kneading blade 101 is rotating. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the kneading blade 101 stops. You may throw it in However, as in this embodiment, it is preferable to add the bread ingredients while the kneading blade 101 is rotated because the bread ingredients can be uniformly dispersed.

  After the bread ingredients stored in the bread ingredient storage container 42 are put into the bread container 80, the bread ingredients are kneaded into a dough connected to one having a predetermined elasticity by the rotation of the kneading blade 101. Go. When the kneading blade 101 swings the dough and knocks it against the inner wall of the bread container 80, an element of “kneading” is added to the kneading. As the kneading blade 101 rotates, the dome-shaped cover 93 also rotates. When the dome-shaped cover 93 rotates, the rib 93e formed on the dome-shaped cover 93 also rotates, so that the bread material in the dome-shaped cover 93 is quickly discharged from the window 93d and the kneading blade 101 kneads the bread. Assimilate into a lump of material.

  In the kneading process, the guard 106 is also rotated in the forward direction together with the dome-shaped cover 93. The spoke 106c of the guard 106 has a shape in which the center side of the guard 106 precedes and the outer peripheral side of the guard 106 follows when rotating in the forward direction. For this purpose, the guard 106 rotates in the forward direction to push the bread ingredients inside and outside the dome-shaped cover 93 outward with the spokes 106c. Thereby, the ratio of the raw material used as a waste after baking bread can be reduced.

  Further, the pillar 106e of the guard 106 has a side surface 106eb (see FIG. 6) which is the front surface in the rotation direction when the guard 106 rotates in the forward direction, and is inclined upward. Bread ingredients are sprung upward on the front surface of the column 106e. For this reason, the ratio of the raw material which becomes waste after baking bread can be reduced.

  In the automatic bread maker 1, the time of the kneading process is configured to employ a predetermined time (10 minutes in the present embodiment) obtained experimentally as the time for obtaining dough having a desired elasticity. However, if the time of the kneading process is constant, the degree of bread dough may vary depending on the environmental temperature or the like. For this reason, for example, a configuration in which the end point of the kneading process is determined based on the magnitude of the load of the kneading motor 50 (for example, it can be determined by the control current of the motor) may be used.

  In addition, what is necessary is just to put it in the middle of this kneading process, when baking bread containing ingredients (for example, raisins, nuts, cheese, etc.).

  When the kneading process is completed, before the fermentation process is started, a rotation operation in which the blade rotation shaft 82 is rotated at a high speed with the rotation of the kneading blade 101 stopped by a command from the control device 120 (the rotation operation of the present invention). Example) is performed. This rotational movement is caused by the bread ingredients (including bread dough) that have entered between the blade rotation shaft 82 and the unit shaft 91 (such as the notch 91a portion and the gap portion of the insertion hole 91c into which the blade rotation shaft 82 is inserted). , Aimed at being removed from between the two. In order to perform this rotation operation, the control device 120 performs a control operation described below.

  First, the control device 120 drives the clutch solenoid 73 so that the clutch 56 cuts off the power (the state shown in FIG. 3A). Then, the control device 120 drives the grinding motor 60 to slowly rotate the blade rotation shaft 82 in the reverse direction (clockwise rotation in FIG. 8 and counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 9). At the end of the kneading process, the kneading blade 101 is in a folded posture.

  By the low-speed rotation (for example, about 3500 rpm) of the blade rotation shaft 82, the kneading blade 101 is turned to the open posture by the resistance received from the bread dough, as described in the pulverization step. When the kneading blade 101 is in the open posture, the first engaging body 103a and the second engaging body 103b are not engaged with each other, so the cover clutch 103 disconnects the blade rotation shaft 82 from the dome-shaped cover 93. In addition, a part of the kneading blade 101 in the open posture (more precisely, the cushioning material 107 provided on the front end side) comes into contact with the inner wall of the bread container 80. For this reason, the rotation of the dome-shaped cover 93 is stopped.

  The control device 120 estimates the timing at which the rotation of the kneading blade 101 is stopped (in this embodiment, the low-speed rotation period is 3 seconds), and the blade rotation shaft 82 is rotated in the reverse direction by the grinding motor 60. Switching from low speed rotation to high speed rotation (for example, 7000 to 8000 rpm). Note that the timing at which the rotation of the kneading blade 101 is stopped may be obtained in advance through experiments or the like. The predetermined time determined based on the obtained timing may be stored in the ROM of the control device 120 or the like. If it does in this way, switching from the above-mentioned low speed rotation to high speed rotation will be made at an appropriate timing. Moreover, what is necessary is just to make the rotation speed at the time of high speed rotation the same as the rotation speed of the blade rotating shaft 82 in the grinding | pulverization process, for example. Further, the time for rotating the blade rotating shaft 82 at a high speed is not particularly limited, but may be a short time (for example, 5 seconds).

  By performing the rotation operation of the blade rotation shaft 82 as described above, not only the centrifugal force due to the rotation but also the influence of vibration generated by the high-speed rotation of the blade rotation shaft 82 is added. It can be expected that the bread ingredients (including dough) interposed between the two are removed from between the two. When the blade rotation shaft 82 is rotated at a high speed, the kneading blade 101 (also the dome-shaped cover 93) is in a stopped state. For this reason, this rotating operation does not adversely affect the dough kneaded in the kneading process.

  When the rotation operation performed after the kneading process is completed, the fermentation process is started by a command from the control device 120. In this fermentation process, the control device 120 controls the sheathed heater 31 to maintain the temperature of the baking chamber 30 at a temperature at which fermentation proceeds (for example, 38 ° C.). Then, it is left for a predetermined time (in this embodiment, 60 minutes) in an environment in which fermentation proceeds.

  In some cases, during the fermentation process, the kneading blade 101 (which needs to be changed from the open position to the folded position) may be rotated to perform degassing or rounding of the dough.

  When the fermentation process ends, the firing process is started by a command from the control device 120. The control device 120 controls the sheathed heater 31 to increase the temperature of the baking chamber 30 to a temperature suitable for baking (for example, 125 ° C.). Then, the control device 120 performs control so that the bread is baked in a baking environment for a predetermined time (in this embodiment, 50 minutes).

  In this embodiment, the control device 120 performs the same rotation operation (the rotation of the blade rotation shaft 82 using the grinding motor 60) as performed between the kneading step and the fermentation step 5 minutes after the firing step is started. The rotation of the blade rotation shaft 82 is controlled so that reverse rotation, first low-speed rotation, and later high-speed rotation) are performed. The bread ingredients (including the bread dough) that have entered between the blade rotating shaft 82 and the unit shaft 91 may not be sufficiently removed by only the rotating operation performed between the kneading process and the fermentation process. In addition, after the fermentation process, the bread dough entering between the blade rotation shaft 82 and the unit shaft 91 is likely to enter the insertion hole 91c due to swelling of the dough. Considering this, a rotation operation (an example of the rotation operation of the present invention) for rotating the blade rotation shaft 82 at a high speed is performed again during the firing process.

  The reason why the rotation operation is performed 5 minutes after the start of the firing process is as follows. Compared with the case where the rotation operation (high-speed rotation of the blade rotation shaft) is performed before heat is transmitted to the blade rotation shaft 82 or the unit shaft 91, the rotation operation is performed after a certain amount of heat is transmitted to these. This is because the effect of taking out the bread ingredients (including bread dough) entering between the blade rotating shaft 82 and the unit shaft 91 is increased.

  On the other hand, if the time from the start of the baking process to the time when the rotation operation is performed becomes too long, the blade rotation shaft 82 and the unit shaft 91 may already be fixed due to the baking of the bread ingredients. Get higher. When the blade rotation shaft 82 is rotated at a high speed in such a state where the sticking occurs, the sticking may be peeled off, but the possibility is low, and the significance of rotating the blade rotation shaft 82 at a high speed is considered to decrease. It is done. As described above, the timing for performing the rotation operation is set to 5 minutes after a lapse of time since the firing process is started. However, 5 minutes after the start of the firing process is an example, and it is natural that the process may be changed as appropriate.

  In this embodiment, the kneading blade 101 should be in an open posture at the stage where the firing process is started, and the kneading blade 101 hardly moves even when the blade rotation shaft 82 rotates in the reverse direction. It should be. For this reason, in the rotation operation started 5 minutes after the firing step, the blade rotation shaft 82 may be suddenly rotated at a high speed. However, in order to ensure that the kneading blade 101 is brought into contact with the wall surface of the bread container 80 and stopped rotating, the blade rotating shaft 82 is temporarily lowered in order to perform high-speed rotation of the blade rotating shaft 82. It is preferable to shift to high speed rotation after rotating. If the blade rotation shaft 82 is rotated at a high speed while the kneading blade 101 is rotated, the fermented bread dough may be damaged. Further, when the blade rotation shaft 82 is rotated at a high speed while the kneading blade 101 is rotated, the grinding motor 60 and the bearing 95 are likely to be burdened due to the resistance received from the bread dough. It can also be a cause. In order to avoid these situations, it is preferable that the rotation operation is performed, and the rotation operation (after the kneading process and 5 minutes after the start of the baking process) in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment is initially slow. The control is rotation and then high-speed rotation.

  The end of the firing process is notified to the user by, for example, a display on the liquid crystal display panel of the operation unit 20 or a notification sound. When the user detects the completion of bread making, the user opens the lid 40 and takes out the bread container 80 to complete the bread production. In the present embodiment, the blade rotation shaft 82 is configured to perform the rotation operation of rotating the blade rotation shaft 82 between the kneading process and the fermentation process and 5 minutes after the start of the baking process. Bread ingredients (including bread dough) are suppressed from remaining between the unit shaft 91 and the unit shaft 91. As a result, in the baking process, the situation where the bread material is baked and the blade rotating shaft 82 and the unit shaft 91 are fixed is reduced. For this reason, the user can easily take out the bread from the bread container 80 while pulling out the blade unit 90 from the blade rotation shaft 82.

Note that the marks of the kneading blade 101 and the complementary kneading blade 102 (projecting upward from the concave portion 81 of the bread container 80) remain on the bottom of the bread. However, since the dome-shaped cover 93 and the guard 106 are accommodated in the recess 81, they are prevented from leaving a large burn mark on the bottom of the bread.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, the automatic bread maker of 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated. The automatic bread maker of the second embodiment has almost the same configuration and operation as the automatic bread maker 1 of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the automatic bread maker according to the second embodiment will be described by focusing on a different part from the automatic bread maker 1 according to the first embodiment. In addition, below, the part which overlaps with the automatic bread maker 1 of 1st Embodiment attaches | subjects and demonstrates the same code | symbol.

  FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the automatic bread maker according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the automatic bread maker 2 of the second embodiment is different from the automatic bread maker 1 of the first embodiment in that an abnormality detection unit 17 is provided. The abnormality detection unit 17 is a means for detecting an abnormal state that hinders rotation of the blade rotation shaft 82 (see, for example, FIG. 4) using the pulverization motor 60. The abnormality detection unit 17 is an example of an abnormality detection unit according to the present invention, and the presence of the abnormality detection unit 17 can ensure the safety of the user and prevent a failure of the apparatus.

  The abnormality detection unit 17 includes a motor sensor 171, a clutch sensor 172, a lid sensor 173, and a bread container sensor 174. The motor sensor 171 is an example of the motor abnormality detection means of the present invention. The clutch sensor 172 is an example of the clutch abnormality detecting means of the present invention. The lid sensor 173 is an example of the lid abnormality detecting means of the present invention. The bread container sensor 174 is an example of the bread container abnormality detecting means of the present invention.

  The motor sensor 171 is a sensor for detecting an abnormal operation of the crushing motor 60, and for example, monitors a current value in the crushing motor 60. And the control apparatus 120 which receives the information (signal) from the sensor 171 for motors detects the abnormal operation (abnormal state) of the crushing motor 60, for example, when the electric current value in the crushing motor 60 exceeds a predetermined threshold value. This is because if the pulverization motor 60 is continuously used in such a state, it causes a failure of the apparatus.

  In principle, the control device 120 (exception will be described later) stops driving the crushing motor 60 and stops the bread manufacturing process when such an abnormal operation is detected. This stop may simply end the execution of the bread manufacturing process as it is, but may resume (return) the execution of the bread manufacturing process under certain conditions. Also good.

  The clutch sensor 172 is a sensor that detects the power transmission state of the clutch 56 (see FIGS. 2 and 3, an example of the second clutch of the present invention) included in the first power transmission unit. As this sensor, for example, a contact type (mechanical) sensor such as a micro switch, a non-contact type sensor such as an optical sensor, or the like can be used. As a more specific configuration, for example, a configuration in which the microswitch is turned on / off depending on the position of the arm portion 72 (see FIG. 3) that moves the first clutch member 561 up and down can be employed.

  When the control device 120 that receives information (signal) from the clutch sensor 172 receives information that the clutch 56 is in a state of transmitting power before starting (or during driving) of the crushing motor 60, the control device 120 receives the information. Detects abnormal operation (abnormal state). This is because, if the pulverization motor 60 is driven in such a state, an overload is applied to the pulverization motor 60 as described above, causing a failure. In principle, the control device 120 (exception will be described later) does not start (or stops) the driving of the crushing motor 60 when such an abnormal operation is detected, and executes the bread manufacturing process. Stop. This stop may simply end the execution of the bread manufacturing process as it is, but may resume (return) the execution of the bread manufacturing process under certain conditions. Also good.

  The lid sensor 173 is a sensor that detects an open / close state of a lid 40 that opens and closes the baking chamber 30 (see, for example, FIG. 1, an example of the lid portion of the present invention). As this sensor, for example, a contact type (mechanical) sensor such as a micro switch, a non-contact type sensor such as an optical sensor or a magnetic sensor, or the like can be used. As a more specific configuration, for example, a configuration in which a permanent magnet is attached to the lid 40 side and a magnetic sensor is attached to the main body side can be employed.

  When the control device 120 that receives information (signal) from the lid sensor 173 receives information that the lid 40 is open before (or during) driving of the crushing motor 60, the controller 120 opens and closes the lid 40. Detect abnormalities related to conditions. This is because if the crushing motor 60 is driven in a state where the lid 40 is opened, there is a possibility that the user may be in danger. In principle, the control device 120 (exception will be described later) does not start (or stops) the driving of the crushing motor 60 when such an abnormal state is detected, and executes the bread manufacturing process. Stop. This stop may simply end the execution of the bread manufacturing process as it is, or may restart the execution of the bread manufacturing process under certain conditions.

  The bread container sensor 174 is a sensor that detects whether or not the bread container 80 (see, for example, FIGS. 1 and 4) accommodated in the baking chamber 30 is in a fixed position. As this sensor, for example, a contact type (mechanical) sensor such as a micro switch, a non-contact type sensor such as an optical sensor, or the like can be used. As a more specific configuration, for example, when the bread container 80 is stored in a fixed position, the micro switch is turned on, and the bread container 80 moves in the storage direction of the baking chamber 30 (vertical direction in FIG. 4). It is possible to adopt a configuration in which the microswitch is turned off when a predetermined amount is lifted from.

  The control device 120 that receives information (signal) from the bread container sensor 174 indicates that the bread container 80 is in a state of being floated by a predetermined amount from the fixed position before starting the driving of the crushing motor 60 (or during driving). Is received, an abnormality relating to the position of the bread container 80 is detected. This is because the driving of the grinding motor 60 in such a state causes a failure of the apparatus. In principle, the control device 120 (exception will be described later) does not start (or stops) the driving of the crushing motor 60 when such an abnormal state is detected, and executes the bread manufacturing process. Stop. This stop may simply end the execution of the bread manufacturing process as it is, or may restart the execution of the bread manufacturing process under certain conditions.

  Similarly to the automatic bread maker 1 of the first embodiment, the automatic bread maker 2 of the second embodiment also sets the blade rotation shaft 82 between the kneading process and the fermentation process and 5 minutes after the start of the baking process. A rotation operation that rotates in the reverse direction (an example of the rotation operation of the present invention) is performed. This is intended to prevent the blade rotating shaft 82 and the unit shaft 91 (for example, see FIG. 6) from sticking, as in the case of the first embodiment. By the way, when the above-described abnormality detection unit 17 is provided while adopting such a configuration, the following points are problematic.

  That is, an abnormality may be detected by the abnormality detection unit 17 immediately before performing the above-described rotation operation or during the rotation operation. In such a case, according to the above-mentioned principle, it is also possible to stop the bread manufacturing process by not starting the rotation operation using the grinding motor 60 or stopping the rotation operation. However, in this case, in the worst case, the bread manufacturing process ends without the bread being baked, even though the bread manufacturing process has progressed by more than half. For this reason, depending on the user, there is a possibility that materials, time, and the like are wasted and an impression that the user experience is poor.

  In consideration of this point, in the automatic bread maker 2 of the second embodiment, the control device 120 detects an abnormal state based on information from the abnormality detection unit 17 immediately before or during the rotation operation described above. In such a case, an exception process as shown in FIG. 13 is performed. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an exceptional process flow when an abnormal state is detected in the automatic bread maker of the second embodiment.

  When the bread manufacturing process (for example, the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 11 corresponds) is started, the control device 120 rotates the blade rotation shaft 82 in the reverse direction between the rotation process (here, the kneading process and the fermentation process). It continues to check whether or not it is time to start the rotation operation (step S1).

  When it is time to start the rotation operation described above (Yes in step S1), the control device 120 confirms whether or not an abnormal state is detected based on information from the abnormality detection unit 17 before starting the rotation operation. (Step S2). When the abnormal state is detected (Yes in Step S2), the control device 120 cancels the scheduled rotation operation using the grinding motor 60 while continuing the execution of the bread manufacturing process. Judgment is made and such an operation is executed (step S3).

  Thereafter, the control device 120 confirms whether or not there is a plan to perform a further rotation operation (here, a rotation operation that rotates the blade rotation shaft 82 in the reverse direction after 5 minutes from the start of the firing process) (step). S4). If there is no plan for the rotation operation (Yes in step S4), the exception processing operation at the time of detecting the abnormal state is ended. On the other hand, when there is a plan for the rotation operation (No in step S4), the process returns to step S1. At this stage, the rotation operation in step S1 corresponds to the rotation operation that rotates the blade rotation shaft 82 in the reverse direction 5 minutes after the start of the firing process. In addition, when an abnormal state is detected before the start of the first rotation operation (rotation operation performed between the kneading process and the fermentation process), at that stage, the next rotation operation (5 minutes from the start of the baking process). The rotation operation performed later) may also be canceled.

  When an abnormal state is not detected in step S2 (No in step S2), the control device 120 executes a scheduled rotation operation (step S5). And the control apparatus 120 confirms whether the abnormal state was detected by the information from the abnormality detection part 17 during rotation operation (step S6). When an abnormal state is detected (Yes in step S6), the control device 120 determines that the rotation operation being performed is to be stopped while continuing the execution of the bread manufacturing process, and performs such an operation. (Step S7). After that, it progresses to step S4 and the above-mentioned process is performed.

  In addition, when an abnormal state is detected in step S6, you may make it cancel about the rotation operation planned after that.

  If no abnormal state is detected in step S6 (No in step S6), the control device 120 checks whether or not the rotation operation has been completed (step S8). If the rotation operation is not completed (No in step S8), the process returns to step S6. On the other hand, when the rotation operation is completed (Yes in step S8), the process proceeds to step S4, and the above-described processing is performed.

  As described above, the control device 120 executes the bread manufacturing process as a general rule when an abnormal state is detected by information from the abnormality detection unit 17 when the rotation operation is started or during the rotation operation. Rather than stop the process, continue the bread manufacturing process (performs an exception to the above principle). However, if the rotation operation is performed by driving the crushing motor 60 even though an abnormal state is detected, the user may be in danger or may cause a failure of the apparatus. Or “cancel”. As a result, the user may suffer from the disadvantage that it is difficult to take out the baked bread, but the user can manufacture the bread while avoiding waste of materials and time.

  If no abnormal state is detected, the bread production process proceeds as planned, and the blade rotation shaft 82 rotates in the reverse direction between the kneading process and the fermentation process and 5 minutes after the start of the baking process. Operation is performed. For this reason, the baked bread can be easily taken out from the bread container 80.

Further, as can be seen from the above, the control device 120 detects an abnormal state based on information from the abnormality detection unit 17, and determines whether to continue the bread manufacturing process or cancel the rotation operation. That is, the control device 120 is an example of a determination unit of the present invention.
(Other)
The embodiment of the automatic bread maker shown above is an example of the present invention, and the configuration of the automatic bread maker to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the embodiment shown above.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the rotation operation is performed to rotate the blade rotation shaft 82 in the reverse direction between the kneading process and the fermentation process and 5 minutes after the start of the baking process (the rotation operation is performed). Twice). However, the timing and number of times that this rotation operation is performed are not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment, and may be changed as appropriate. If this rotation operation is performed at least once at an appropriate timing within the period from the end of the kneading process to the end of the baking process, the bread ingredients (including the dough) are baked and the blade unit 90 comes off the blade rotation shaft 82. The effect which reduces the situation where there is no is acquired. For example, it is good also as a structure etc. in which this rotation operation is performed only in any one of between a kneading process and a fermentation process, and 5 minutes after a baking process start. In some cases, the rotating operation is performed even after the firing step, provided that the rotating operation is performed at least once at an appropriate timing within the period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the firing step. It may be.

  In the embodiment described above, the shape of the notch 91a provided in the unit shaft 91 is configured as shown in FIG. That is, when the unit shaft 91 is viewed from the side, the width of the notch 91a (the length in the left-right direction in FIG. 14A) is the pin 821 provided on the blade rotation shaft 82 (the protrusion of the present invention). The length was almost the same as the diameter of (example) (exactly slightly larger), and was constant along the insertion direction of the blade rotation shaft 82 (from the bottom to the top in FIG. 14). To be precise, the width in the vicinity of the portion where the pin 821 on the back side in the insertion direction abuts is not constant.

  However, the shape of the notch 91a provided in the unit shaft 91 is not limited to this configuration, and for example, a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, when the unit shaft 91 is viewed from the side, the notch 91a has an inclined portion 91aa whose width gradually decreases from the front side in the insertion direction in which the blade rotation shaft 82 is inserted toward the back side. It may be provided.

  In the modification shown in FIG. 14B, the width of the notch 91a is the same as the diameter of the pin 821 on the back side in the insertion direction as in FIG. 14A, and on the front side in the insertion direction. The width of the pin 821 is wider. When the inclined portion 91aa is provided (tapered) as shown in FIG. 14 (b), when the blade rotation shaft 82 is rotated at a high speed, the bread dough D sandwiched between the notches 91, It becomes easy to flow toward the inclined portion 91aa by the centrifugal force. For this reason, the bread dough D etc. which were pinched | interposed into the notch 91a can be effectively removed by the above-mentioned high-speed rotation of the blade rotating shaft 82 performed between the kneading process and the fermentation process, for example. That is, by adopting the configuration shown in FIG. 14B, the sticking between the blade rotation shaft 82 and the unit shaft 91 is more effectively reduced, and the user can easily take out the bread from the bread container 80.

  Moreover, in embodiment shown above, the structure and operation | movement of an automatic bread maker were demonstrated for the case where the grain of rice was used as a starting raw material. However, the present invention is also applicable when grain grains other than rice grains such as wheat, barley, straw, buckwheat, buckwheat, corn, and soybean are used as starting materials.

  Moreover, in the above, the case where the rice grain (cereal grain) was used as a starting raw material was shown, However, the automatic bread maker 1 of this embodiment uses, for example, cereal flour such as wheat flour and rice flour as a starting raw material. It can also be manufactured. When wheat flour or rice flour is used as a starting material, the grinding blade 92 is not necessary. Therefore, in this case, a bread container or a blade unit different from those shown above may be used.

  The present invention can also be applied to a case where bread is baked using grain flour such as wheat flour or rice flour as a starting material. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to an automatic bread maker that does not have a grinding blade. However, in this case, the automatic bread maker needs to include a blade portion configured to rotate the blade rotation shaft (high-speed rotation) while stopping the rotation of the kneading blade. As such a blade portion, for example, a configuration in which the pulverization blade 92 of the blade unit 90 of the present embodiment is erased (in this case, the dome-shaped cover 93 (kneading blade support portion) may be a simple disk or the like. Not).

  Moreover, the manufacturing flow of the rice grain breadmaking course shown above is an example, and may be other manufacturing flow. As an example, the pause process after the grinding process may be omitted.

  In the embodiment described above, separate motors are used for the case where the grain is pulverized by the pulverizing blade 92 and the case where the dough is kneaded by the kneading blade 101. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, for example, only one motor may be provided, and the same motor may be used when the grain is crushed by the pulverizing blade 92 and when the bread dough is kneaded by the kneading blade 101. In this case, the rotation operation for reducing the adhesion between the blade rotation shaft 82 and the blade unit 90 is also performed using this one motor.

  In the second embodiment described above, the abnormality detection unit 17 includes the motor sensor 171, the clutch sensor 172, the lid sensor 173, and the bread container sensor 174. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to such a configuration. That is, the configuration in which the abnormality detection unit 17 includes at least one of the four sensors 171 to 174 is within the scope of the present invention. Further, in addition to the above four sensors 171 to 174, the abnormality detection unit 17 is a means for detecting an abnormal state that hinders rotation of the blade rotation shaft 82 using the crushing motor 60. Including the other sensors (similar to those described above) other than the four sensors 171 to 174 are also within the scope of the present invention.

  In the second embodiment described above, the abnormality detection unit 17 is a means for detecting an abnormal state that hinders the rotation of the crushing motor 60. However, as mentioned above, the scope of the present invention includes, for example, an automatic bread maker having only one motor. Further, the scope of the present invention includes, for example, an automatic bread maker that does not have a crushing function. For this reason, the abnormality detection unit of the present invention can be said to be a means for detecting an abnormal state that hinders the rotation of the blade rotation shaft.

  The present invention is suitable for an automatic bread maker for home use.

1, 2 Automatic bread machine 10 Main body 17 Abnormality detection unit (abnormality detection means)
30 Firing chamber 40 Lid (lid)
50 Kneading motor (first motor)
56 Clutch (second clutch)
60 Crushing motor (second motor)
80 Bread container 82 Blade rotating shaft 90 Blade unit (blade part)
91 Unit shaft (mounting part)
91a Notch 91aa Inclined part 91c Insertion hole 92 Grinding blade 93 Dome-shaped cover (kneading blade support part)
101 Kneading blade 103 Cover clutch (first clutch)
120 Control device (judgment means)
171 Motor sensor (motor abnormality detection means)
172 Clutch sensor (clutch abnormality detection means)
173 Sensor for lid (abnormality detection means for lid)
174 Bread container sensor (bread container abnormality detection means)
821 pin (protrusion)

Claims (15)

A firing chamber provided in the body,
A bread container housed in the baking chamber and having a rotating shaft at the bottom;
A motor that is provided in the main body and applies a rotational force to the rotating shaft of the bread container accommodated in the baking chamber;
The rotary shaft is provided with an insertion hole into which the rotary shaft is inserted, and is attached to the rotary shaft in a non-rotatable manner, and a kneading blade that may be rotated along with the rotation of the mounting portion. A detachable blade part,
With
When a kneading process for kneading bread dough using the kneading blade, a fermentation process for fermenting the kneaded bread dough, and a bread manufacturing process including a baking process for baking the fermented dough, the kneading process is performed. An automatic bread maker, wherein a rotation operation for stopping the rotation of the kneading blade and rotating the rotating shaft is performed at least once within a period from the end to the end of the baking step. A kneading blade support portion that is rotatably attached to the attachment portion and supports the kneading blade, and a first clutch that switches a connection state between the rotating shaft and the kneading blade support portion. , Further included,
The kneading blade is rotatably attached to the kneading blade support, and has two postures, a folding posture that is used in the kneading step and an open posture that is in contact with the inner wall of the bread container. It can be taken,
When the rotating shaft rotates in one direction, the kneading blade is in the folded position, the first clutch connects the rotating shaft and the kneading blade support, and the kneading blade is coupled with the rotating shaft. Rotate,
When the rotating shaft rotates in the direction opposite to the one direction, the kneading blade turns to the opening posture, the first clutch disconnects the rotating shaft and the kneading blade support portion, and the kneading blade Will stop rotating,
2. The automatic bread maker according to claim 1, wherein the rotation shaft rotates in the reverse direction during the rotation operation performed within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step. The blade part further includes a grinding blade that is non-rotatably attached to the attachment part,
The kneading blade support is a dome-shaped cover that covers the grinding blade,
The automatic bread maker according to claim 2, wherein the bread manufacturing process includes a crushing process performed before the kneading process and crushing grains with the crushing blade.   The maximum rotation speed of the rotating shaft during the rotating operation performed within the period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the firing step is the maximum rotation speed of the rotating shaft when rotating the pulverizing blade in the pulverizing step. The automatic bread maker according to claim 3, which is equivalent to a rotation speed.   The motor is used in the first motor used in the kneading step, the crushing step, and the rotation operation performed within the period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the firing step. The automatic bread maker according to claim 3 or 4 including a second motor.   The automatic operation according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rotation operation performed within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step is performed between the kneading step and the fermentation step. Baking machine.   The automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the rotation operation performed within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step is performed during the baking step. The rotating shaft is provided with a protruding portion protruding from a side surface thereof,
The side wall of the mounting portion is formed with a notch that engages with the protrusion when the rotating shaft is inserted into the insertion hole.
The automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the notch has an inclined portion whose width gradually decreases from the front side in the insertion direction in which the rotating shaft is inserted to the back side. An abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormal state that hinders the rotation of the rotating shaft;
When the abnormal state is detected based on information from the abnormality detection means when starting the rotation operation performed within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step, the panning is performed. Determination means for determining that the execution of the rotation operation is to be canceled while continuing the execution of the manufacturing process of
The automatic bread maker according to claim 1, further comprising: An abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormal state that hinders the rotation of the rotating shaft;
The bread manufacturing process when the abnormal state is detected based on information from the abnormality detection means during the rotating operation performed within a period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the baking step. And a determination means for determining that the rotation operation is to be stopped,
The automatic bread maker according to claim 1, further comprising: The bread manufacturing process further includes a pulverizing step that is performed before the kneading step and pulverizes the grains with a pulverizing blade,
The motor is used in the first motor used in the kneading step, the crushing step, and the rotation operation performed within the period from the end of the kneading step to the end of the firing step. And a second motor
The automatic bread maker according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the abnormality detection means detects an abnormal state that hinders the rotation of the rotating shaft by driving the second motor.   The automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the abnormality detection means includes a motor abnormality detection means for detecting an operation abnormality of the motor. A second clutch for switching whether to transmit the rotational power of the motor to the rotating shaft;
The automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the abnormality detection means includes a clutch abnormality detection means for detecting an operation abnormality of the second clutch. Including a lid for opening and closing the baking chamber;
The automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the abnormality detection means includes a lid abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality related to the open / closed state of the lid.   The automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the abnormality detection means includes a bread container abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality related to a position of the bread container in the baking chamber.

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