JP2012223216A - Automatic bread maker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic bread maker which is user-friendly and suitable for making bread with grains as a starting ingredient.SOLUTION: The automatic bread maker 1 includes: a body 10 that accommodates a bread container 70 for receiving a bread material; a motor 60 that is provided within the body 10, and gives rotative force to a rotary shaft 72 in the bread container 70; a current detection means 111c that detects the magnitude of current given to the motor 60; and a control means 110 that exercises control of manufacturing the bread according to the current values obtained from the current detection means 111c. The control means 110 exercises predetermined conversion processing of the current values obtained with predetermined timing in a first step wherein the motor 60 is driven for manufacturing the bread, and sequentially integrates obtained converted-values in order to acquire an integrated value, so that the first step is forcibly terminated when the integrated value exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic bread maker, and more particularly to an automatic bread maker suitable for producing bread using cereal grains as a starting material.

  Conventionally, when bread is produced using an automatic bread maker for home use, various types of flour such as wheat and rice flour (wheat flour, rice flour, etc.) and such milled flour are used as bread ingredients. A mixed powder mixed with the auxiliary ingredients was required. 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 1).

  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.

  The present applicants have developed an automatic bread maker equipped with a new mechanism capable of executing the method of manufacturing bread using the above-described grain grains as a starting material. And the present applicants have proposed an automatic bread maker that can switch between a crushing function and a kneading function depending on the rotation direction of the rotating shaft provided at the bottom of the bread container, as shown in Patent Document 2, for example. Yes. In addition, the rotating shaft provided in the bottom part of a bread container is driven (rotated) by the motor provided in a main body.

JP 2010-35476 A JP 2011-050576 A

  By the way, a motor for rotating the grinding blade is provided with a temperature fuse as a safety measure in order to avoid a situation in which the motor temperature rises due to an increase in the load and fires. However, if the configuration of the automatic bread maker is such that the thermal fuse can be easily cut due to a simple weighing error of the user, the user has an impression that the user does not use the automatic bread maker. there is a possibility.

  For example, if the user uses the wrong amount of liquid or rice grains, or tries to make bread using sticky cereals such as glutinous rice, the load on the motor during the crushing process is very high. May grow. In such a case, if the temperature fuse can be easily cut, the user may have an impression that the automatic bread maker is inconvenient.

  In order to avoid such a situation, for example, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the motor is provided, and when the temperature of the motor reaches a predetermined temperature (a temperature slightly lower than the temperature at which the temperature fuse is blown), the pulverization process is ended. It is conceivable to adopt a configuration (where the motor drive is stopped). With this configuration, it is possible to avoid a situation where the thermal fuse is blown during the crushing process due to a simple weighing error of the user. However, such a configuration increases the number of parts, makes the structure of the automatic bread maker complicated, and is disadvantageous in terms of cost.

  As another configuration, it is conceivable to employ a configuration in which the value of the current flowing through the motor is monitored and the pulverization process is simply terminated when the current value exceeds a predetermined threshold value. In this configuration, the motor can be stopped in accordance with an increase in load, and the thermal fuse can be prevented from being blown during the crushing process.

  However, this configuration tends to provide control that is far from the motor temperature, and the crushing process ends even though the motor can be used safely (there is enough room before the thermal fuse breaks). There is concern about the occurrence of The fluctuation of the load applied to the motor during the grinding process is quite large. With this configuration, the current value exceeds the threshold at the beginning of the grinding process where the motor is likely to be used safely, and the grinding process is completed with insufficient grinding. There is concern about the occurrence of such a situation. Such an automatic bread maker is not easy to use for the user.

  In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic bread maker that is convenient for a user and suitable for producing bread using cereal grains as a starting material.

  In order to achieve the above object, an automatic bread maker of the present invention includes a main body that receives a bread container into which bread ingredients are charged, a motor that is provided in the main body and that provides a rotational force to a rotation shaft of the bread container. A current detection means for detecting the magnitude of the current flowing through the motor; and a control means for performing control related to bread manufacture based on a current value obtained from the current detection means. In the first step of driving the motor for manufacturing, a predetermined conversion process is performed on the current value obtained at a predetermined timing, and the obtained conversion values are sequentially integrated to obtain an integrated value. The first step is forcibly terminated when the integrated value exceeds a predetermined threshold (first configuration).

  According to this configuration, it is possible to realize a configuration for determining whether or not to forcibly terminate the first step by comparing the integrated value that is an index of the temperature of the motor with a threshold value, and the motor is provided at the time of the first step. The situation where the thermal fuse blows can be avoided. In addition, according to this configuration, the first value is not simply compared between the current value and the threshold value, but is compared with the integrated value obtained after the predetermined process is performed on the current value and the threshold value. It is configured to determine whether to forcibly terminate the process. For this reason, the first step is not forcibly terminated due to a temporary increase in load. That is, in this configuration, forced termination at the initial stage of the pulverization process can be avoided, and even if the process moves to the next process after the forced termination, it can be avoided that the quality of bread is extremely deteriorated.

  In the automatic bread maker having the first configuration, the control unit automatically executes the second step after the integrated value exceeds the predetermined threshold value and forcibly terminates the first step. The configuration (second configuration) is preferable.

  In the automatic bread maker having the first or second configuration, the automatic bread maker further includes temperature detection means for detecting the temperature in the main body, and the control means is configured to start from the temperature detection means when starting the first step. It is preferable that the temperature is acquired and the predetermined threshold is determined according to the acquired temperature (third configuration). The temperature of the motor at the start of integration differs depending on the temperature inside the body. That is, the amount of temperature change until the fuse blows differs depending on the temperature in the main body. For this reason, like this structure, when starting a 1st process, it is preferable to obtain temperature from a temperature detection means, and to change a threshold value according to the temperature.

  In the automatic bread maker according to any one of the first to third configurations, when the first process is interrupted in the middle, the control means obtains the integrated value during the interruption. Is preferably stopped and the process for obtaining the integrated value is restarted (fourth structure) when the first step is restarted. For example, it is conceivable that the crushing process is interrupted due to a power failure or a function adopted in an automatic bread maker, but according to this configuration, the temperature fuse of the motor is prevented from being blown appropriately in such a case. it can.

  The automatic bread maker having the fourth configuration further includes abnormality detection means for detecting abnormality, and the control means interrupts the first step when abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection means. It is good also as a structure (5th structure).

  In the automatic bread maker having any one of the first to fifth configurations, the automatic bread maker further includes a pulverizing unit that is rotatably provided with the rotating shaft and is used for pulverizing grain grains in the bread container, It is preferable that the first step is a pulverization step in which cereal grains are pulverized using the pulverizing means in the bread container.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it is convenient for a user and can provide the automatic bread machine suitable for manufacturing bread using a grain grain as a starting material.

The schematic perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the automatic bread maker of this embodiment The schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure inside the main body of the automatic bread maker of this embodiment. The figure which showed typically the structure of the baking chamber in which the bread container was accommodated, and its periphery in the automatic bread maker of this embodiment. The schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the blade unit with which the automatic bread maker of this embodiment is provided. The figure which shows the structure of the blade unit with which the automatic bread maker of this embodiment is provided. Schematic plan view when the blade unit provided in the automatic bread maker of this embodiment is viewed from below The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the blade unit with which the automatic bread maker of this embodiment is provided, and the figure at the time of seeing the bread container with which the blade unit was attached from the top The block diagram which shows the structure of the automatic bread maker of this embodiment The circuit diagram which shows the circuit structure of the motor drive part with which the automatic bread maker of this embodiment is provided. The schematic diagram which shows the flow of the bread-making course for rice grains performed with the automatic bread maker of this embodiment The schematic diagram for demonstrating the detail of the grinding | pulverization process in the automatic bread maker of this embodiment. Graph showing the relationship between the temperature of the thermal fuse provided in the crushing motor and the integrated heating value The flowchart which shows the flow of "the motor abnormal temperature countermeasure at the time of a grinding | pulverization process" performed in the automatic breadmaker of this embodiment The schematic diagram for demonstrating the acquisition method of an integrated heating value in the automatic bread maker of this embodiment.

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 numerical values (for example, time, temperature, etc.) which appear in this specification are illustrations to the last, and they do not limit the content of the present invention.
(Configuration of automatic bread maker)
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an external configuration of an automatic bread maker 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 1A shows a state in which the lid 30 is closed, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the lid 30 is opened. Is shown. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic bread maker 1 includes a main body 10 including a baking chamber 40 that can accommodate a bread container 70, a lid 30 that is rotatably attached to the main body 10 and opens and closes the baking chamber 40, Is provided.

  An operation unit 20 is provided on the main body 10 so as to be aligned with the closed lid 30. The operation unit 20 includes an operation key group and a display unit (for example, a liquid crystal display panel) 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 selection key for selecting a bread manufacturing course (breadmaking course), and the like.

  The firing chamber 40 provided inside the main body 10 is a box-shaped chamber having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the side walls and the bottom wall of the firing chamber 40 are made of sheet metal, for example. The baking chamber 40 is provided with a heating means so that the raw material and the dough in the bread container 70 accommodated in the baking chamber 40 can be heated. In the automatic bread maker 1, a sheathed heater 42 (see FIG. 3 described later) is used as a heating means. The sheathed heater 42 is arranged in a substantially frame shape along the inner wall of the baking chamber 40 and surrounds the bread container 70 accommodated in the baking chamber 40.

  The lid 30 is provided with a viewing window 31 made of, for example, heat-resistant glass so that the inside of the baking chamber 40 can be seen. Further, an automatic charging container 32 used for automatically charging a part of bread ingredients during the bread manufacturing process is detachably attached to the inner surface side of the lid 30. In FIG. 1B, the container lid 322 of the automatic charging container 32 is opened.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration inside the main body 10 of the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that the automatic bread maker 1 is viewed from above, and the lower side of the figure is the front (front) side of the automatic bread maker 1, and the upper side of the figure is the back side. The broken lines in FIG. 2 indicate that they are hidden by the members indicated by the solid lines and are not originally visible.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the automatic bread maker 1, a low-speed / high-torque type kneading motor 50 is fixedly disposed on the right side of the baking chamber 40, and a high-speed rotation type crushing motor 60 is disposed behind the baking chamber 40. Is fixedly arranged. The kneading motor 50 and the crushing motor 60 are both shafts. The crushing motor 60 is an example of the motor of the present invention.

  The output shaft 51 protruding from the upper surface of the kneading motor 50 is connected to the driving shaft 11 provided on the lower side of the firing chamber 40 by the first power transmission unit MT1 including a plurality of pulleys, a plurality of rotating shafts, and a plurality of belts. It is connected so that power can be transmitted. However, the first power transmission unit MT1 includes a clutch C1 (a meshing clutch is used in the present embodiment), and a power transmission state in which the rotational power of the output shaft 51 is transmitted by the clutch C1 and an output. It is possible to switch to a power cutoff state in which the rotational power of the shaft 51 cannot be transmitted. Further, the first power transmission unit MT1 is provided so as to increase the rotational power of the kneading motor 50 and transmit it to the driving shaft 11.

  The output shaft 61 protruding from the lower surface of the crushing motor 60 is connected to the driving shaft 11 provided on the lower side of the firing chamber 40 by a second power transmission unit MT2 including a plurality of pulleys and one belt so that power can be transmitted. Has been. The second power transmission unit MT2 does not 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 constantly. However, the second power transmission unit MT2 may include a clutch for switching the power transmission state.

  Next, the bread container 70 provided so as to be freely put into and out of the baking chamber 40 will be described. The bread container 70 is a container in which bread ingredients are charged and used as a baking mold. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the baking chamber 40 in which the bread container 70 is accommodated and its surroundings in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 assumes a configuration when the automatic bread maker 1 is viewed from the front (front) side, and the configurations of the baking chamber 40 and the bread container 70 are generally shown in cross-sectional views.

  For example, a bread container 70 made of an aluminum alloy die-cast product has a bucket-like shape as shown in FIG. 3, and its horizontal section is a rectangle with rounded four corners. A handle for handbags (not shown) is attached to the collar portion 70a provided on the opening side edge of the bread container 70. A concave portion 71 having a substantially circular shape in plan view is formed on the bottom of the bread container 70 to accommodate a part of a blade unit 80, which will be described in detail later.

  At the center of the bottom of the bread container 70, a blade rotation shaft 72 (an example of the rotation shaft of the present invention) extending in the vertical direction is rotatably supported in a state where a countermeasure against sealing is taken. A container-side connecting portion 72 a is fixed to the lower end of the blade rotation shaft 72 (projecting outward from the bottom of the bread container 70). Further, a cylindrical base 73 is provided on the outer surface side of the bottom of the bread container 70 so as to surround a portion of the blade rotation shaft 72 that protrudes from the bottom of the bread container 70 to the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a bread container support portion 14 (for example, made of an aluminum alloy die cast product) that supports the bread container 70 is fixed to a location that is approximately the center of the bottom wall 40 a of the baking chamber 40. . The bread container support portion 14 is formed so as to be recessed from the bottom wall 40a of the baking chamber 40, and the shape of the recess is substantially circular when viewed from above. The driving shaft 11 is supported at the center of the bread container support portion 14 so as to be substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall 40a. A main body side connecting portion 11 a is fixed to the upper end of the driving shaft 11.

  The bread container 70 is accommodated in the baking chamber 40 in a state where the pedestal 73 is received by the bread container support part 14. In a state where the pedestal 73 of the bread container 70 is received by the bread container support part 14, the container side connection part 72 a provided at the lower end of the blade rotation shaft 72 and the main body side connection part 11 a fixed to the upper end of the driving shaft 11. Is obtained. As a result, the blade rotating shaft 72 can transmit the rotational power from the driving shaft 11. That is, the main body side connecting portion 11a and the container side connecting portion 72a constitute a coupling.

  A blade unit 80 is detachably attached to a portion of the blade rotating shaft 72 protruding into the bread container 70 from above. The configuration of the blade unit 80 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  4A and 4B are schematic perspective views showing the configuration of the blade unit 80 provided in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4A is a view seen obliquely from above, and FIG. It is the figure seen from. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a blade unit 80 provided in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment, FIG. 5 (a) is a schematic side view, and FIG. 5 (b) is an AA of FIG. 5 (a). It is a schematic sectional drawing in a position. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the blade unit 80 included in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment as viewed from below, and FIG. 6A is a view when the kneading blade 84 is in the folded position. (B) is a view when the kneading blade 84 is in an open position. FIG. 6 shows a state in which a guard 85 described later is removed. FIG. 7 is a view for explaining the operation of the blade unit 80 provided in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment, and is a view when the bread container 70 to which the blade unit 80 is attached is viewed from above. FIG. 7A is a view when the kneading blade 84 is in the folded position, and FIG. 7B is a view when the kneading blade 84 is in the open position.

  The blade unit 80 is roughly attached to the unit shaft 81, the pulverization blade 82 attached to the unit shaft 81 so as not to rotate relative to the unit shaft 81, and to the unit shaft 81 so as to be rotatable relative to the unit shaft 81. A configuration including a dome-shaped cover 83 having a substantially circular shape in plan view, a kneading blade 84 attached to the dome-shaped cover 83 so as to be relatively rotatable, and a guard 85 attached to the dome-shaped cover 83 and covering the grinding blade 82 from below. It has become.

  The pulverizing blade is an example of the pulverizing means of the present invention. In the state where the blade unit 80 is attached to the blade rotation shaft 72, the crushing blade 82 is positioned slightly above the bottom surface of the recess 71 of the bread container 70. In the state where the blade unit 80 is attached to the blade rotation shaft 72, the crushing blade 82, the dome-shaped cover 83, and the guard 85 are accommodated in the recess 71 (see, for example, FIG. 3). It should be noted that a part of the dome-shaped cover 83 protrudes from the recess 71 to be precise.

  The unit shaft 81 is a substantially columnar member formed of a metal such as a stainless steel plate, for example, and has an opening at one end (lower end), and the inside is hollow. That is, the unit shaft 81 has a configuration in which an insertion hole 81b is formed so that the blade rotation shaft 72 can be inserted from the lower end (see, for example, FIG. 5B).

  In addition, a pair of notches 81 a are formed on the lower side (opening side) of the side wall of the unit shaft 81 so as to be symmetrically disposed across the rotation center of the unit shaft 81. The pin 721 (see FIG. 5B) that penetrates the blade rotation shaft 72 horizontally engages with the notch 81a, so that the unit shaft 81 is attached to the blade rotation shaft 72 so as not to be relatively rotatable. become.

  The pulverizing blade 82 for pulverizing grains is formed, for example, by processing a stainless steel plate. The crushing blade 82 is attached to the unit shaft 81 so as not to rotate relative to the unit shaft 81 so that an opening (not shown) provided in the center portion is fitted into the lower side of the unit shaft 72. On the lower side of the crushing blade 82, a stopper member 86 for retaining is fitted into the unit shaft 81 (see, for example, FIGS. 5B and 6). For this reason, the crushing blade 82 does not fall off from the unit shaft 81.

  The dome-shaped cover 83 arranged so as to surround and cover the crushing blade 82 is made of, for example, a die-cast molded product of aluminum alloy, and has a concave accommodating portion 831 for accommodating the bearing 87 (see FIG. b)) is formed. In other words, in order to form the housing portion 831, the dome-shaped cover 83 has a configuration in which a substantially cylindrical convex portion 83 a is formed at the center when viewed from the outer surface.

  The bearing 87 is press-fitted into the housing portion 831 so that the outer ring is fixed to the side wall of the housing portion 831. A unit shaft 81 is attached to the inner ring of the bearing 87 so as not to be relatively rotatable. The dome-shaped cover 83 is attached to the unit shaft 81 so as to be relatively rotatable by the intervention of the bearing 87.

  Note that retaining rings 88 a and 88 b are disposed above and below the bearing 87. In addition, a sealing material 89 is arranged on the lower side of the bearing 87 so that foreign matters (for example, liquid used at the time of pulverizing grain grains, paste-like material obtained by pulverization, etc.) do not enter from the outside. The seal material 89 is fixed by using a seal cover 90 disposed below the seal material 89.

  On the outer surface of the dome-shaped cover 83, a kneading blade 84 having a planar shape “<” is used by using a support shaft 91 (see FIG. 6) arranged so as to extend in a vertical direction at a location adjacent to the convex portion 83 a. For example, an aluminum alloy die cast product is attached. The kneading blade 84 is attached to the support shaft 91 so as not to be relatively rotatable, and moves together with the support shaft 91 attached to the dome-shaped cover 83 so as to be relatively rotatable. In other words, the kneading blade 84 is attached to the dome-shaped cover 83 so as to be relatively rotatable.

  The kneading blade 84 can rotate only within a certain range around the axis of the support shaft 91 together with the support shaft 91. The folding postures shown in FIGS. 4, 5, 6 (a) and 7 (a) correspond to the case where the kneading blade 84 is at one end of the rotatable range. 6 (b) and FIG. 7 (b) corresponds to the case where the kneading blade 84 is at the other end of the rotatable range.

  A cushioning material 92 is attached to one surface near the tip side of the kneading blade 84. The buffer material 92 is provided so as to slightly protrude from the tip of the kneading blade 84 (see, for example, FIG. 6). The buffer material 92 is provided for the purpose of preventing the kneading blade 84 and the inner wall of the bread container 70 from coming into contact with each other and being damaged.

  A complementary kneading blade 93 (for example, provided integrally with the dome-shaped cover 83) is fixedly disposed on the outer surface of the dome-shaped cover 83 so as to be aligned with the kneading blade 84. When the kneading blade 84 is in the folded position, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the complementary kneading blade 93 is aligned with the kneading blade 84, and the size of the k-shaped kneading blade 84 is as follows. It becomes larger. The complementary kneading blade 93 can increase the kneading efficiency.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, a first engagement body 941 constituting a cover clutch 94 is attached to the unit shaft 81 between the pulverization blade 82 and the seal cover 90 so as not to be relatively rotatable. The first engagement body 941 is prevented from dropping from the unit shaft 81 together with the grinding blade 82 by the stopper member 86. Further, a second engagement body 942 constituting the cover clutch 94 is attached to the lower side of the support shaft 91 to which the kneading blade 84 is attached (see FIG. 6).

  The cover clutch 94 including the first engagement body 941 and the second engagement body 942 has a function of switching whether or not to transmit the rotational power of the blade rotation shaft 72 to the dome-shaped cover 83.

  When the kneading blade 84 is in the folded position (for example, the state shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A), the engaging portion 942a of the second engaging body 942 is the engaging portion 941a of the first engaging body 941 (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. 6A). For this reason, when the unit shaft 81 rotates (counterclockwise in FIG. 6A), the first engaging body 941 and the second engaging body 942 are engaged. That is, when the kneading blade 84 is in the folded position, the rotational power of the blade rotation shaft 72 can be transmitted to the dome-shaped cover 83. When the kneading blade 84 is in the folded position, the second engagement body 942 rotates clockwise (representing the assumption of FIG. 6A) by the action of a stopper that restricts the rotation of the kneading blade 84. do not do.

  On the other hand, when the kneading blade 84 is in the open position (for example, the state shown in FIGS. 6B and 7B), the engaging portion 942a of the second engaging body 942 is the same as the engaging portion 941a of the first engaging body 941. The angle deviates from the rotation trajectory (see the broken line in FIG. 6B). For this reason, even if the blade rotation shaft 72 rotates, the first engagement body 941 and the second engagement body 942 are not engaged. Accordingly, the rotational power of the blade rotation shaft 72 is not transmitted to the dome-shaped cover 83.

  The dome-shaped cover 83 is formed with windows 83b (four in this embodiment) that connect the space inside the cover and the space outside the cover. The window 83b is disposed at a height equal to or higher than the grinding blade 82. Further, a total of four ribs 83c are formed on the inner surface of the dome-shaped cover 83 corresponding to each window 83b (see FIG. 6). Each of the ribs 83c extends obliquely with respect to the radial direction from the vicinity of the center of the dome-shaped cover 83 to the outer peripheral annular wall, and four ribs 83c form a kind of bowl shape. In addition, each rib 83c is curved so that the side facing the bread ingredients that press toward it is convex.

  A guard 85 is detachably attached to the lower surface of the dome-shaped cover 83. The guard 85 covers the lower surface of the dome-shaped cover 83 and prevents the user's finger from approaching the crushing blade 82. The guard 85 is formed of an engineering plastic having heat resistance, for example, and can be a molded product such as PPS (polyphenylene sulfide).

  As shown in FIG. 4B, at the center of the guard 85, there is a ring-shaped hub 851 through which the stopper member 86 fixed to the unit shaft 81 is passed. Further, a ring-shaped rim 852 provided concentrically with the hub 851 is provided at the periphery of the guard 85. The hub 851 and the rim 852 are connected by a plurality of spokes 853. The plurality of spokes 853 are arranged at predetermined intervals, and the spokes 853 form openings 854 through which the grains to be crushed by the pulverizing blade 82 pass.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the automatic bread maker of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the control operation in the automatic bread maker 1 is performed by the control device 110. The control device 110 is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an I / O (input / output) circuit unit, and the like. . The control device 110 is preferably arranged at a position that is not easily affected by the heat of the baking chamber 40. Further, the control device 110 is provided with a time measuring function, and temporal control in the bread manufacturing process is possible. The control device 110 is an example of the control means of the present invention.

  The control device 110 includes the operation unit 20, the temperature sensor 21, the abnormality detection unit 22, the motor drive unit 111, the heater drive unit 112, the clutch switching unit 113, and the automatic application drive unit 114. Electrically connected. The temperature sensor 21 is a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the baking chamber 40, and is attached to, for example, the side wall of the baking chamber 40. This temperature sensor is an example of the temperature detection means of the present invention.

  The abnormality detection unit 22 is a detection unit that is provided to detect an inconvenient state when the bread making operation is continued when the automatic bread maker 1 executes the bread manufacturing process. This abnormality detection part 22 is an example of the abnormality detection means of this invention.

  The abnormality detection unit 22 may include, for example, a lid sensor that detects that the lid 30 has been opened during the bread manufacturing process. For example, when the crushing motor 60 rotates at a high speed with the lid 30 opened, there is a possibility that the user may be at risk. For this reason, when an abnormality is detected by the lid sensor, the control device 110 may prohibit the rotation of the crushing motor 60 according to the information. The lid sensor may be obtained, for example, by a combination of a magnetic sensor and a magnet, or may be a photo interrupter. The lid sensor may be a mechanical sensor such as a micro switch.

  In addition, the abnormality detection unit 22 may include, for example, a bread container determination sensor that can determine the type of the bread container 70 accommodated in the baking chamber 40. The automatic bread maker 1 can execute a first bread-making course that produces bread using cereal grains as a starting material and a second bread-making course that produces bread using cereal flour as a starting material. Since there is no crushing step in the second breadmaking course, no grinding blade is required, and a second bread container different from the first bread container used in the first breadmaking course is used.

  If the crushing motor 60 is rotated when the second breadmaking course is executed, it is inconvenient, such as danger to the user. For this reason, the control device 110 may be configured to prohibit the driving of the grinding motor 60 by determining that the abnormality is not the case where it is determined that the first bread container is accommodated in the baking chamber 40. The bread container determination sensor can be configured by, for example, a micro switch by utilizing the fact that the first bread container has a height higher than that of the second bread container due to the presence of the recess 71 that accommodates the grinding blade 82 and the like. In addition, the bread container determination sensor may be an optical sensor or the like.

  In addition, the abnormality detection unit 22 may include a clutch sensor that detects the state of the clutch C1 included in the first power transmission unit MT1 (see FIG. 2). If the crushing motor 60 is rotated while the clutch C1 is in the power transmission state, a very large load is applied to the crushing motor 60, and the crushing motor 60 may be damaged. Therefore, the control device 110 may be configured to prohibit the driving of the grinding motor 60 by determining that the clutch C1 is abnormal except when it is determined that the clutch C1 is in the power cut-off state. The clutch sensor may be an optical sensor (such as a photo interrupter) or a mechanical sensor (such as a micro switch).

  The motor driving unit 111 controls the driving of the kneading motor 50 and the pulverizing motor 60 under a command from the control device 110. The motor drive circuit 111 includes a power supply unit 111a, a switching unit 111b, and a current detection unit 111c. The current detection unit 111c is an example of a current detection unit of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration of the motor drive unit 111 provided in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 9, the motor driving unit 111 includes an AC power supply P and a triac TRI corresponding to the power supply unit 111a, a relay RY corresponding to the switching unit 111b, and one of the current detection units 111c. A current transformer CT corresponding to the section. These are connected in series to the kneading motor 50 and the grinding motor 60.
The AC power source P is, for example, a commercial power source (or a power source that supplies AC power obtained by adjusting power supplied from the commercial power source). The triac TRI has its two main electrodes connected in series to the AC power source P, the kneading motor 50 and the grinding motor 60, and a drive signal output from the control device 110 is input to the control electrode.

  For example, the control device 110 inputs a pulsed or continuous drive signal (current signal larger than the holding current of the triac TRI) to the control electrode of the triac TRI, thereby turning the triac TRI into a conductive state (ON). The triac TRI conducts the alternating current from when the drive signal is input to the control electrode until the alternating current supplied by the alternating current power supply P and input to the main electrode becomes zero. Therefore, the control device 110 partially supplies the AC power supplied from the AC power supply P to the kneading motor 50 or the grinding motor 60 by inputting a pulsed drive signal to the control electrode of the triac TRI. Can do. On the other hand, the controller 110 can supply the AC power supplied from the AC power supply P to the kneading motor 50 or the grinding motor 60 substantially as it is by inputting a continuous drive signal to the control electrode of the TRIAC TRI. it can.

  The current transformer CT includes a primary side coil L1 connected in series to the AC power supply P, the triac TRI, the kneading motor 50 and the grinding motor 60, and a magnetic field generated by passing a current through the primary side coil L1. And a secondary coil L2 that generates a current. One end of the secondary coil L2 is grounded, and the anode of the diode D1 is connected to the other end. The other end of the resistor R1 whose one end is grounded is connected to the cathode of the diode D1. The connection node between the resistor R1 and the diode D1 is connected to the other end of the capacitor C whose one end is grounded, and a voltage signal (detection result) appearing at the connection node is input to the control device 110.

  The diode D1 and the capacitor C rectify and smooth the current generated in the secondary coil L2 (convert alternating current into direct current). The resistor R1 generates a signal that can be acquired by the control device 110 by converting the current signal into a voltage signal. The current transformer CT, the diode D1, the resistor R1, and the capacitor C correspond to the above-described current detection unit 111c (see FIG. 8).

  The control device 110 acquires the detection result, which is an analog voltage signal obtained as described above, and converts it into a digital signal. As a result, the control device 110 can confirm the magnitude of the AC current supplied by the AC power supply P and the triac TRI (that is, the magnitude of the current flowing through the kneading motor 50 and the grinding motor 60).

  The relay RY includes an AC power supply P and a triac TRI, a switch Sry that can switch an electrical and mechanical connection with any of the kneading motor 50 and the grinding motor 60, and a control coil Lry that controls the connection of the switch Sry. Prepare. The control coil Lry has one end grounded and connected to the anode of the diode D2, and the other end connected to the cathode of the diode D2. For example, the switch Sry connects the AC power supply P and the triac TRI and the kneading motor 50 when current is not communicated to the control coil Lry, and the AC power supply P and triac TRI when the current is communicated to the control coil Lry. The grinding motor 60 is connected.

  The collector of a PNP transistor TR is connected to the connection node between the other end of the control coil Lry and the cathode of the diode D2. One end of the resistor R2 is connected to the emitter of the transistor TR, and a DC power source VE (for example, a power source that generates and supplies DC power based on AC power supplied from a commercial power source) is connected. The other end of the resistor R2 is connected to the base of the transistor TR, and one end of the resistor R3 is connected to the connection node. Control device 110 outputs a switching signal for controlling switching of relay RY to the other end of resistor R3.

  For example, when the control device 110 outputs a switching signal having a voltage (low) that is low enough to turn on the transistor (conducting between the emitter and the collector), the direct current supplied from the direct current power source VE is passed to the control coil Lry, The AC power supply P, the triac TRI, and the grinding motor 60 are connected. On the other hand, when the control device 110 outputs a switching signal having a voltage (high) that is high enough to turn off the transistor (non-conduction between the emitter and the collector), the DC current supplied from the DC power supply VE is passed to the control coil Lry. First, the AC power supply P and the triac TRI and the kneading motor 50 are connected. With this configuration, when the control device 110 does not output a switching signal (high impedance), the AC power supply P, the TRIAC TRI, and the kneading motor 50 are connected, and the crushing motor 60 is not connected, thus ensuring safety. This is preferable from the viewpoint of.

  The heater driving unit 112 controls the heating operation of the sheathed heater 42 under a command from the control device 110. The clutch switching unit 113 controls the driving of the clutch solenoid 23 that switches the power transmission state of the clutch C1 (see FIG. 2) included in the first power transmission unit MT1 under a command from the control device 110. . The automatic charging drive unit 114 controls the driving of the automatic charging solenoid 24 that is driven when a part of bread ingredients is automatically charged during the bread manufacturing process. By driving the automatic closing solenoid 24, the lock mechanism 323 that maintains the closed state of the container lid 322 (see FIG. 1) of the automatic charging container 32 is released.

The control device 110 reads a program related to a bread production course (breadmaking course) stored in a ROM or the like based on an input signal from the operation unit 20. And the control apparatus 110 makes the automatic bread maker 1 perform the bread manufacturing process, controlling the above-mentioned each drive part.
(Bread making operation by automatic bread maker)
Next, the operation in the case of producing bread with the automatic bread maker 1 configured as described above will be described. The automatic bread maker 1 is capable of manufacturing bread using rice grains (an example of cereal grains) as a starting material, and also capable of manufacturing bread using wheat flour (an example of cereal powder) as a starting material. Yes. However, here, the bread making operation will be described by taking as an example the case of using rice grains as a starting material.

  The user attaches the blade unit 80 to the blade rotation shaft 72 by covering the blade rotation shaft 72 of the bread container 70 with the unit shaft 81. As described above, since the blade unit 80 includes the guard 85, the user's finger does not touch the crushing blade 82 during the work, and the user can work safely. After the mounting operation of the blade unit 80, the user weighs rice grains, water, and seasonings (for example, salt, sugar, shortening, etc.) in predetermined amounts and puts them into the bread container 70.

  In addition, the user weighs a part of the bread ingredients that are automatically put in the course of bread production and stores them in the container body 321 of the automatic filling container 32 (see FIG. 1). When the user stores the bread material to be stored in the container main body 321, the user uses the lock mechanism 323 to maintain the closed state in which the opening of the container main body 321 is closed by the container lid 322.

  In addition, as a bread raw material accommodated in the automatic charging container 32, a gluten and dry yeast are mentioned, for example. Instead of gluten, for example, wheat flour, upper flour, thickener (eg, guar gum) and the like may be stored in the automatic charging container 32. Further, for example, only dry yeast may be stored in the automatic charging container 32 without using gluten, wheat flour, thickener, upper fresh powder or the like. Further, in some cases, for example, salt, sugar, and shortening seasonings such as gluten and dry yeast are automatically stored in the automatic charging container 32 together with gluten and dry yeast in order to be automatically charged during the bread manufacturing process. Also good. In this case, the bread raw material previously put into the bread container 70 is rice grains and water (instead of mere water, for example, a liquid having a taste component such as dashi soup, a liquid containing fruit juice or alcohol, etc.) Become.

  When the above preparation is completed, the user puts the bread container 70 into the baking chamber 40 and further fits the automatic charging container 32 into a predetermined position of the lid 30 (see FIG. 1). Then, the user closes the lid 30 and selects a bread making course (rice bread making course) for producing bread from the rice grains by the operation unit 20. When the user presses the start key included in the operation unit 20 after selecting the rice grain breadmaking course, the bread manufacturing operation is started under the control of the control device 110.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the rice grain bread-making course executed by the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, in the bread making course for rice grains, the dipping process, the pulverizing process, the pause process, the kneading (kneading) process, the fermentation process, and the baking process are sequentially performed in this order. The

  In the rice grain breadmaking course, first, the dipping process is started by a command from the control device 110. In the dipping process, the bread raw material charged in advance into the bread container 70 is set in a stationary state, and this stationary state is maintained for a predetermined time (for example, about 30 to 60 minutes). 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. When the water temperature is high, the water absorption speed increases, and when the water temperature is low, the water absorption speed tends to decrease. For this reason, in order to make immersion time short, an immersion process may be performed in the state (for example, about 50 degreeC) which energized the sheathed heater 42 and raised the temperature of the baking chamber 40. FIG.

  When the predetermined time elapses, the dipping process is ended by a command from the control device 110, and a pulverizing process for pulverizing the rice grains is started. In this crushing step, the crushing blade 82 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 110 controls the crushing motor 60 to rotate the blade rotation shaft 72 in the reverse direction (clockwise rotation in FIG. 6 and counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 7). Since the blade portion (cutting blade) of the crushing blade 82 is moved forward in the rotation direction due to the reverse rotation of the blade rotation shaft 72, the crushing function is obtained by the reverse rotation.

  When rotating the grinding blade 82 using the grinding motor 60, the control device 110 controls the switching unit 111b of the motor driving unit 111 so that the power supply unit 111a and the grinding motor 60 are electrically connected. To. Further, the control device 110 controls the clutch switching unit 113 so that the clutch C1 (see FIG. 2) cuts off the power. Thereby, the situation where a big load is added to the crushing motor 60 and the crushing motor 60 is damaged can be avoided.

  When the blade rotation shaft 72 is rotated in the reverse direction to rotate the grinding blade 82, the dome-shaped cover 83 also attempts to rotate in the reverse direction due to the flow of the mixture containing rice grains and water in the bread container 70. Such an operation prevents (stops) the reverse rotation of the dome-shaped cover 83.

  When the kneading blade 84 is in the folded posture (the posture shown in FIG. 7A) when the blade rotation shaft 72 is rotated in the reverse direction, the engaging portion 941a of the first engaging body 941 of the cover clutch 94 is in the first position. The kneading blade 84 is rotated in a direction to be in an open posture (posture shown in FIG. 7B) in contact with the engaging portion 942a of the two engaging bodies 942. Further, the kneading blade 84 receives resistance from the mixture in the bread container 70 as the dome-shaped cover 83 rotates in the reverse direction (counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 7), and is rotated in a direction that also opens. .

  When the kneading blade 84 is in the open posture, the second engagement body 942a deviates from the rotation track of the first engagement body 941a (see the broken line in FIG. 6). For this purpose, the cover clutch 94 disconnects the blade rotation shaft 72 from the dome-shaped cover 83. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7B, a part of the kneading blade 84 in the open position (more precisely, the cushioning material 92 provided on the front end side) is formed on the inner wall of the bread container 70 (more specifically, The rotation of the dome-shaped cover 83 is prevented (stopped) in order to come into contact with the bowl-shaped convex portion 70b provided on the inner wall of the bread container 70 in order to improve the grinding efficiency.

  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. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the details of the crushing process in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11A, the rotation of the pulverization blade 82 in the pulverization step is intermittent rotation in this embodiment. This intermittent rotation is performed, for example, in a cycle of 30 seconds (corresponding to the rotation period of FIG. 11 (a)) and stopping for 5 minutes (corresponding to the cooling period of FIG. 11 (b)). Repeat 10 times. In the present embodiment, the cooling period in the last cycle is not implemented. The rotation of the crushing blade 82 may be continuous rotation, but for the purpose of, for example, preventing the raw material temperature in the bread container 70 from becoming too high, it is preferable to perform intermittent rotation.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11B, the rotation of the pulverizing blade 82 in each rotation period is a low-speed rotation at the beginning (for example, 5 seconds from the start), and then a high-speed rotation. (High-speed rotation time is 25 seconds, etc.). The rotation of the crushing blade 82 may be a high-speed rotation from the beginning, but by configuring as in the present embodiment, for example, the switching of the cover clutch 94 is performed smoothly.

  In the pulverization step, since the pulverization of the rice grains is performed in the dome-shaped cover 83 that has stopped rotating, the possibility that the rice grains scatter out of the bread container 70 is low. Further, the rice grains entering the dome-shaped cover 83 from the opening 854 of the guard 85 in the rotation stopped state are sheared between the stationary spoke 853 and the rotating pulverizing blade 82, so that pulverization can be performed efficiently. Further, the rib 83c provided on the dome-shaped cover 83 moderately suppresses the flow of the mixture containing rice grains and water (the flow in the same direction as the rotation of the pulverization blade 82), so that the pulverization can be performed efficiently. .

  The mixture containing the pulverized rice grains and water is guided in the direction of the window 83b by the rib 83c of the dome-shaped cover 83, and is discharged out of the dome-shaped cover 83 from the window 83b. Since the rib 83c of the dome-shaped cover 83 is curved so that the side facing the mixture pressing toward it is convex, the mixture hardly stays on the surface of the rib 83c and flows smoothly toward the window 83b. . Further, instead of the mixture being discharged from the inside of the dome-shaped cover 83, the mixture existing in the space above the recess 71 enters the recess 71 and passes through the opening 854 of the guard 85 from the recess 71. Enter the cover 83. Since the pulverization by the pulverization blade 82 is performed while being circulated, the pulverization can be performed efficiently.

  When the pulverization process is completed, a pause process is executed according to a command from the control device 110. This pause process is provided as a cooling period during which the temperature of the contents in the bread container 70 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 this embodiment, the pause process is a predetermined time (for example, about 30 to 60 minutes).

  When the pause process ends, the kneading process is started by a command from the control device 110. The control device 110 controls the switching unit 111b of the motor driving unit 111 before the kneading process is started so that the power supply unit 111a and the kneading motor 50 are electrically connected. At the start of the kneading process, the control device 110 controls the clutch switching unit 114 so that the clutch C1 (see FIG. 2) transmits power. Then, the control device 110 controls the kneading motor 50 to rotate the blade rotation shaft 72 in the forward direction (counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 6 and clockwise rotation in FIG. 7). Note that the rotation direction of the blade rotation shaft 72 is opposite between the pulverization step and the kneading step.

  When the blade rotation shaft 72 is rotated in the forward direction, the grinding blade 82 is also rotated in the forward direction. In this case, the crushing blade 82 rotates with the blade portion (cutting blade) behind in the rotation direction, and does not exhibit the crushing function. The rotation of the grinding blade 82 causes the bread ingredients around the grinding blade 82 to flow in the forward direction (clockwise in FIG. 7). Accordingly, when the dome-shaped cover 83 moves in the forward direction, the kneading blade 84 receives resistance from the non-flowing bread material, and is folded from the open position (see FIG. 7B) (see FIG. 7A). Change the angle to). As a result, the engagement portion 942a of the second engagement body 942 has an angle that interferes with the rotation trajectory (see the broken line in FIG. 6) of the engagement portion 941a of the first engagement body 941. Then, the cover clutch 94 connects the blade rotation shaft 72 and the dome-shaped cover 83, and the dome-shaped cover 83 enters a state of being driven in earnest by the blade rotation shaft 72. The dome-shaped cover 83 and the kneading blade 84 in the folded position rotate together with the blade rotation shaft 72 in the forward direction.

  In order to reliably connect the cover clutch 94 described above, it is preferable that the rotation of the blade rotation shaft 72 at the initial stage of the kneading process is intermittent rotation or low speed rotation. Further, as described above, when the kneading blade 84 is in the folded position, the complementary kneading blades 93 are arranged on the extension of the kneading blade 84, so that the kneading blade 84 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 84 (this term is used as an expression including the complementary kneading blade 93 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 110 as described above. In the initial stage of the kneading process in which the rotation of the kneading blade 84 is very slow, the control device 110 controls the automatic charging drive unit 114 to release the locked state of the automatic charging container 32 by the locking mechanism 323. As a result, the container lid 322 is rotated by gravity, and for example, bread ingredients such as gluten and dry-ice are automatically charged into the bread container 70.

  In this embodiment, the bread raw material stored in the automatic charging container 32 is charged while the kneading blade 84 is rotating. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the kneading blade 84 is stopped. You may throw it in a state. However, as in this embodiment, it is preferable to add the bread ingredients while the kneading blade 84 is rotating because the bread ingredients can be uniformly dispersed.

  After the bread ingredients stored in the automatic charging container 32 are charged into the bread container 70, the bread ingredients are kneaded into a dough having a predetermined elasticity by the rotation of the kneading blade 84. . When the kneading blade 84 swings the dough and knocks it against the inner wall of the bread container 70, an element of “kneading” is added to the kneading. When the kneading blade 84 rotates, the dome-shaped cover 83 also rotates. When the dome-shaped cover 83 rotates, the rib 83c formed on the dome-shaped cover 83 also rotates, so that the bread material in the dome-shaped cover 83 is quickly discharged from the window 83b and the bread kneaded by the kneading blade 84. Assimilate into a lump of material.

  In the kneading process, the guard 85 also rotates in the forward direction together with the dome-shaped cover 83. The spoke 853 of the guard 85 has a shape in which the center side of the guard 85 precedes and the outer peripheral side of the guard 85 follows when rotating in the forward direction. For this purpose, the guard 85 rotates in the forward direction to push the bread ingredients (bread dough) inside and outside the dome-shaped cover 83 outward with the spokes 853. Thereby, the ratio of the raw material used as a waste after baking bread can be reduced.

  In addition, the column 855 provided on the outer periphery of the guard 85 has a configuration in which a surface 855a (see FIG. 4) serving as a front surface in the rotation direction is inclined upward when the guard 85 rotates in the forward direction. For this reason, at the time of kneading, the bread ingredients (bread dough) around the dome-shaped cover 83 are splashed upward on the front surface 855a in the rotational direction of the column 855. Since the boiled bread material is assimilated into the lump (dough) of the upper bread material, the proportion of the raw material that becomes waste after baking the bread can be reduced.

  In the automatic bread maker 1, the time of the kneading process is configured to employ a predetermined time (for example, about 10 minutes) obtained experimentally as the time for obtaining dough having a desired elasticity. In addition, when baking bread containing ingredients (for example, raisins, nuts, cheese, etc.), the ingredients may be introduced during the kneading process.

  When the kneading process is completed, the fermentation process is started by a command from the control device 110. In this fermentation process, the control device 110 controls the sheathed heater 42 to maintain the temperature of the baking chamber 40 at a temperature at which fermentation proceeds (for example, 38 ° C.). And it is left for the predetermined time (for example, about 30 to 60 minutes) in the environment where fermentation advances.

  In some cases, in the middle of this fermentation process, the kneading blade 84 may be rotated to perform a process of degassing or rounding the dough.

  When the fermentation process ends, the firing process is started by a command from the control device 110. The control device 110 controls the sheathed heater 42 to raise the temperature of the baking chamber 40 to a temperature suitable for baking (for example, about 120 to 130 ° C.). And the control apparatus 110 is controlled to bake bread for a predetermined time (for example, about 50 minutes) in a baking environment. 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 30 and takes out the bread container 70 to complete the bread production.

The bread in the bread container 70 can be taken out, for example, by turning the opening of the bread container 70 downward. Simultaneously with the removal of the bread, the blade unit 80 attached to the blade rotation shaft 72 is also removed from the bread container 70. Due to the presence of the guard 85, the user does not touch the crushing blade 82 during the bread removal operation, and the user can safely perform the bread removal operation. In addition, burn marks of the kneading blade 84 of the blade unit 80 and the complementary kneading blade 93 (projecting upward from the recess 71 of the bread container 70) remain on the bottom of the bread. However, since the dome-shaped cover 83 and the guard 85 are accommodated in the concave portion 71, it is possible to prevent them from leaving a large burn mark on the bottom of the bread.
(Countermeasures for abnormal motor temperatures during the grinding process)
Next, a description will be given of countermeasures against abnormal motor temperature during the crushing step (an example of the first step of the present invention) applied to the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment. For example, when the amount of water or rice grains used by the user is wrong, a large load is applied to the pulverization motor 60 during the pulverization process, the motor temperature rises, and the temperature fuse provided in the pulverization motor 60 may be blown. Also, for example, depending on the type of rice used, the load applied to the pulverization motor 60 during the pulverization process may change, and due to the nature of the rice grains used casually by the user (hard, sticky, etc.), the above temperature It can happen that a fuse blows.

  It is considered that an automatic bread maker having a configuration in which a thermal fuse is likely to be cut off due to such a reason is inconvenient for a user. For this reason, the automatic bread maker 1 uses the “grinding process” so that the thermal fuse is not blown out easily due to an error in the amount of bread ingredients or the use of rice of a type that tends to increase the load. Equipped with a function to prevent abnormal motor temperature during operation. Note that this function does not simply prevent the thermal fuse from being blown. That is, the present invention is characterized in that even if the user makes a mistake in the amount of bread ingredients or uses a type of rice that tends to increase the load, the bread manufacturing process can be continued without interruption.

  FIG. 12 is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature of the thermal fuse provided in the crushing motor 60 and the integrated heating value, and shows the experimental results. The graph in FIG. 12 shows that the plurality of experimental conditions are prepared so that the load fluctuates, such as changing the water input to the bread material, the pulverization process is performed under each experimental condition, and the calculated integrated heating value and the corresponding value. The temperature of the temperature fuse measured in this way is plotted.

  Although the details of the integrated heating value will be clarified below, during the pulverization step, a predetermined conversion process is performed on the current value obtained from the current detection unit 111c at a predetermined timing, and the obtained conversion values are sequentially applied. This is an integrated value obtained by integration. As shown in FIG. 12, the present applicants have found that the relationship between the integrated heating value and the fuse temperature shows almost the same line under any experimental condition. This was applied to “the abnormal motor temperature countermeasures”.

  In addition, in FIG. 12, the “standard” indicated by the dashed straight line is the completion of the crushing process (the planned crushing process has been completed as scheduled) when the amount of bread ingredients and rice seeds recommended by the applicants are used. Indicates the fuse temperature. Also, the portion indicated by the dashed ellipse indicates a region where the thermal fuse has blown out. If the crushing motor 60 is stopped before the integrated heating value reaches the range where the temperature fuse is blown, the temperature fuse in the crushing motor 60 can be prevented from being blown.

  In addition, the integrated heating value reaches the range where the temperature fuse is blown, for example, even when the amount of water to be fed as bread material is considerably smaller than a predetermined amount after the grinding process has progressed considerably. It was. Therefore, if a value just before the integrated heating value reaches the range where the thermal fuse is blown is set as a threshold value for determining the stop of driving of the crushing motor 60, the crushing process is terminated when the threshold value is exceeded and the next process is completed. It turns out that the user can get acceptable quality bread.

  Hereinafter, “countermeasures for abnormal motor temperature during the crushing process” executed in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of “countermeasures for abnormal motor temperature during the crushing process” executed in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for obtaining an integrated heating value in the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment.

  At the start of the pulverization process, the control device 110 confirms the temperature of the temperature sensor 21 and determines a threshold based on the confirmed temperature (step S1). The threshold value here is for making a judgment that the crushing process is forcibly terminated when the integrated heating value exceeds the value. This threshold value is determined by experiments and simulations so that the thermal fuse of the crushing motor 60 is not blown out and the scheduled crushing process can be performed as much as possible.

  By the way, the temperature of the motor at the start of integration (integration for obtaining an integrated heating value) differs depending on the temperature in the main body 10 when starting the pulverization process. That is, the amount of temperature change until the fuse blows varies depending on the temperature in the main body 10. For this reason, it is preferable to change the said threshold value with the temperature in the main body 10 at the time of starting a grinding | pulverization process.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the relationship between the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 21 at the start of the pulverization process and the optimum threshold value corresponding to the temperature is obtained by experiment, and this is tabulated (or relational expression) and controlled. It is stored in the ROM of the device 110. Therefore, in step S1, the control device 110 determines a threshold value from the temperature obtained from the temperature sensor 21 based on a prestored table or the like.

In this embodiment, the temperature sensor 21 that detects the temperature of the baking chamber 40 is used as the temperature sensor used when determining the threshold (for the purpose of cost reduction), but a temperature sensor different from this is used. You may arrange | position in the main body 10 and determine the said threshold value using this.
When the threshold value is determined, the control device 110 checks whether or not a reason for interrupting the crushing process has occurred (step S2). Here, the reason for the interruption corresponds to, for example, a state in which an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection unit 22 or a power outage state. Note that the abnormal state detected by the abnormality detection unit 22 includes, for example, a state where the lid 30 of the automatic bread maker 1 is open, or a bread container used for producing bread from rice grains in the baking chamber 40. Applicable to situations where it is determined that it is not included.

  When it is determined that the reason for interruption has not occurred (Yes in step S2), the control device 110 acquires a current value from the current detection unit 111c at a predetermined timing (step S4). Note that the control device 110 converts the current value obtained from the current detection unit 111c from analog data to digital data (AD conversion). On the other hand, when it is determined that the reason for interruption has occurred (No in step S2), the control device 110 performs the process of step S4 when the crushing process is resumed, and when the crushing process does not resume. Therefore, the countermeasure for motor temperature abnormality is terminated (step S3).

  As described above (see FIG. 11), the pulverization process has a configuration in which a rotation period and a cooling period are repeatedly performed. For each rotation period, the pulverization motor 60 (pulverization blade 82) first rotates at a low speed, and then increases in speed. Rotate. In such a pulverization step, the control device 110 acquires a current value at the following timing (predetermined timing) when the pulverization motor 60 rotates at high speed in each rotation period.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the control device 110 reads (acquires) a current value one second after the start of high-speed rotation when the current value is acquired for the first time in each rotation period. In addition, as shown in FIG. 14A, the control device 110 reads the current value two seconds after the current value is read first for the second and subsequent rotations of each rotation period. In each rotation period, the current value is read only up to 10 times. After the 10th reading, the current value is not read even if the crushing motor 60 is subsequently rotated.

  The reason why the current value is not read immediately after the start of high-speed rotation is that the current value is unstable immediately after the start of high-speed rotation, and such an unstable value is not used. However, “after 1 second” is merely an example, and the first current value acquisition timing in each rotation period may be appropriately changed.

  Moreover, reading the current value every 2 seconds is also an example, and the interval may be changed as appropriate. If the current value acquisition interval is too short, the data size increases, and data processing takes time. Further, if the current value acquisition interval is too long, the reliability of the countermeasure against motor temperature abnormality using the integrated heating value obtained as the temperature index of the motor (temperature fuse) is lowered. Considering this point, an appropriate interval may be set as the current value acquisition interval. Further, in the present embodiment, the number of acquisitions of the current value in each rotation period is up to 10, but it is sufficient that an upper limit value of a fixed number is determined, and this upper limit value may be changed as appropriate.

  When acquiring the current value (AD conversion value), control device 110 next performs a predetermined conversion process on the current value (step S5). In the present embodiment, as the predetermined conversion process, a process of multiplying the current value to the fifth power and multiplying by a predetermined coefficient is performed. In the present embodiment, a table relating the current value and the value obtained by the conversion process (hereinafter referred to as a heating conversion value) is stored in advance in the ROM or the like. For this purpose, when the control device 110 acquires the current value, the control device 110 reads the corresponding heating conversion value from the table.

In this embodiment, the predetermined conversion process is configured to perform a process of multiplying the current value to the fifth power and multiplying by a predetermined coefficient. However, the scope of the present invention is intended to include the case where the predetermined conversion process is a conversion process different from the conversion process described above. In short, the relationship between the integrated value obtained by performing a predetermined conversion process on the acquired current value and integrating the converted value and the fuse temperature is, for example, variation in the amount of bread ingredients used, difference in rice species, etc. Regardless of this, the predetermined conversion process may be performed so as to indicate substantially the same line (curve or straight line).
When acquiring the heat conversion value, the control device 110 performs an integration process for integrating the obtained heat conversion value with the previously obtained integrated heat value (step S6). In addition, at the start of a grinding | pulverization process, it is necessary to make an integrated heating value zero. That is, the integrated heating value obtained by integrating the heating conversion values obtained for the first time after starting the pulverization process is the heating conversion value itself.

  When the integrated heating value is obtained, control device 110 compares this integrated heating value with the threshold value determined in step S1, and checks whether the integrated heating value is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S7). If the integrated heating value is less than or equal to the threshold value (Yes in step S7), it can be determined that the crushing motor 60 can be used safely (a state where no temperature fuse is blown). For this reason, the crushing process is not forcibly terminated at this point.

  On the other hand, if the integrated heating value exceeds the threshold value (No in step S7), the control device 110 forcibly ends the pulverization process because the thermal fuse may be blown if the pulverization process is continued further. In the case of forcibly terminating the pulverization process, it is preferable that the control device 110 thereafter automatically executes the next process (in this embodiment, the pause process; corresponding to the second process of the present invention). Further, when the pulverization process is forcibly terminated, it may be notified to the user.

  In the present embodiment, when the crushing process is forcibly terminated, the control device 110 automatically executes the next process. However, the configuration of the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration may be such that the user is informed only that the crushing process has been forcibly terminated, and the user determines whether to execute the next process.

  When the pulverization process is not forcibly terminated (Yes in step S7), the control device 110 confirms whether or not the scheduled pulverization process is completed (step S8). When it is determined that the scheduled pulverization process has been completed (Yes in step S8), the control device 110 ends the pulverization process (refers to a formal end).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the scheduled crushing process has not been completed (No in step S8), the control device 110 returns to step S2 and repeats the above-described processes after step S2. As a result, during the pulverization step, the heating conversion values are sequentially integrated, and the integrated heating value increases stepwise as shown in FIG. FIG. 14 (a) shows only the change in the integrated heating value in one rotation period, but when this rotation period ends and the next rotation period starts, it is obtained in the previous rotation period. The heating conversion value is sequentially added to the heating integrated value.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the interruption has occurred, the current value is not acquired until the interruption is resumed. FIG. 14B is an image diagram showing how the integrated heating value is obtained when the crushing process is interrupted by opening the lid 30 during the crushing process.

  FIG. 14B shows a state in which the crushing process is interrupted after the second current value acquisition is performed in a certain rotation period. The current value is not acquired during the interruption. Then, when the interruption is resolved and the pulverization process is restarted (in this case, suddenly high-speed rotation), the current value is acquired from the subsequent third time. The third current value acquisition is performed one second after the start of high-speed rotation, and each subsequent current value acquisition is performed two seconds after the previous current value acquisition. The heating conversion value obtained first after the interruption is canceled is integrated with the integrated heating value obtained before the interruption occurs, and the heating conversion value obtained sequentially is integrated with this integrated value thereafter.

Even if the load during the pulverization process increases due to the wrong amount of bread ingredients or the use of unexpected rice varieties due to countermeasures against abnormal motor temperatures during the pulverization process described above, The crushing process is completed without blowing the thermal fuse, and the bread is baked.
(Other)
The embodiment of the automatic bread maker described above is merely 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 described above.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the threshold used when the crushing process is forcibly terminated so as not to blow the temperature fuse of the crushing motor 60 is changed according to the temperature. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and a configuration using only one threshold regardless of temperature is also included in the scope of the present invention.

  In the embodiment described above, the forced termination of the process is determined using the integrated heating value in order to prevent the thermal fuse of the grinding motor 60 from being blown. However, the forced termination determination of the process using the integrated heating value may be used to prevent the temperature fuse of the kneading motor 50 from being blown.

  Moreover, in embodiment shown above, the automatic bread maker 1 showed the case where bread was manufactured by using rice grain as a starting material. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applicable to cases where grains other than rice grains such as wheat, barley, straw, buckwheat, buckwheat, corn, and soybean are used as starting materials.

  Moreover, the manufacturing flow of the bread-making course for rice grains shown above is an example, and the bread-making course for rice grains may be another manufacturing flow. As an example, the pause process after the grinding process may be omitted.

  Moreover, in embodiment shown above, it was set as the structure which uses a separate motor for a grinding | pulverization process and a kneading process. However, the application range of the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the present invention can also be applied when the same motor is used in the pulverization step and the kneading step.

  Moreover, in the automatic bread maker 1 in embodiment shown above, the fermentation process and the baking process are possible. However, the automatic bread maker of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, an automatic bread maker having no fermentation function and a baking function and an automatic bread maker having a fermentation function and no baking function are also included in the scope of the present invention. In such a configuration, after using the automatic bread maker of the present invention, the bread is baked using a baking apparatus such as an oven. In short, the present invention is widely applied to an automatic bread maker having a function of executing a crushing process and a kneading process.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic bread maker 10 Main body 21 Temperature sensor 22 Abnormality detection part 60 Crushing motor 70 Bread container 72 Blade rotating shaft 82 Crushing blade 111c Current detection part 110 Control apparatus

Claims (6)

A main body for receiving a bread container into which bread ingredients are charged;
A motor that is provided in the main body and applies a rotational force to a rotating shaft of the bread container;
Current detection means for detecting the magnitude of the current flowing through the motor;
Control means for performing control related to bread production based on the current value obtained from the current detection means,
In the first step of driving the motor for bread production, the control means performs a predetermined conversion process on the current value obtained at a predetermined timing and sequentially integrates the obtained conversion values. An automatic bread maker that obtains an integrated value and forcibly terminates the first step when the integrated value exceeds a predetermined threshold.   The automatic bread maker according to claim 1, wherein the control means automatically executes the second step after the integrated value exceeds the predetermined threshold value and forcibly terminates the first step. Further comprising a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the main body,
The automatic bread making according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means acquires a temperature from the temperature detection means when starting the first step, and determines the predetermined threshold according to the acquired temperature. vessel.   When the first step is interrupted in the middle, the control means stops processing for obtaining the integrated value during the interruption, and the integrated value is obtained when the first step is resumed. The automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing for obtaining the product is resumed. It further comprises an abnormality detection means for detecting an abnormality,
The automatic bread maker according to claim 4, wherein the control means interrupts the first step when an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection means. Further provided with a pulverizing means which is rotatably provided with the rotating shaft and used for pulverizing grains in the bread container;
The automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first step is a crushing step of crushing grain grains using the crushing means in the bread container.

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