JP2024076875A - Rice washing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] The present invention aims to eliminate the need to clean the rice washing tank by removing bran that tends to adhere to the inner circumferential surface of the rice washing tank in a rice washing device that efficiently washes white rice with nanobubble water that has been passed through a nanobubble generator.
[Solution] In a rice washing device in which water is supplied from the bottom of the rice washing tank 5 and the water is swirled by the rotation of a stirring rod 35 to wash it, an overflow port 82 is provided on the upper peripheral wall of the rice washing tank 5, and a water flow guide plate 84 is provided inside the upper lid 83 of the rice washing tank 5, which guides the water flow from the center toward the overflow port 82.
[Selected Figure] Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a rice washing device that washes rice before it is cooked.

The rice washing device described in JP 2019-177355 A supplies water to a rice washing tank containing polished rice, blows air into it to generate bubbles, and stirs the rice with a stirrer to wash the rice before putting it into a rice cooker.

JP 2015-228988 A

The conventional rice washing device is an invention that uses the power of running water from the tap to rotate water flow from the bottom of the tank and discharge the washing water from the top.

However, it is difficult to balance the supply and drainage of tap water, and if there is an oversupply, not only can it cause overflows, but it can also cause problems such as rice and bran sticking to the top of the tank.

In addition, in a rice washing device that efficiently washes white rice using nanobubble water that has passed through a nanobubble generator, it is necessary to quickly discharge the washing water in which the bran that is generated when washing the white rice is dissolved, to prevent it from adhering to the inner walls of the rice washing tank, thereby reducing the number of times the rice washing tank is cleaned.

The present invention aims to address the above-mentioned problems and needs.

The above problem of the present invention is solved by the following technical means.

The invention of claim 1 is a rice washing device that supplies water from the bottom of the rice washing tank 5 and washes the rice by swirling the water with the rotation of the stirring rod 35, characterized in that an overflow port 82 is provided on the upper peripheral wall of the rice washing tank 5, and a water flow guide plate 84 is provided inside the upper cover 83 of the rice washing tank 5, which guides the water flow from the center toward the overflow port 82.

The invention of claim 2 is the rice washing device according to claim 1, characterized in that nano-valve water that has passed through a nano-bubble generator 80 arranged in a water pipe 46 is temporarily stored in a nano-valve tank 85 arranged in an inclined empty space S of the rice washing tank 5, and this nano-valve water is supplied to the rice washing tank 5 for washing.

The invention of claim 3 is a rice washing device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the rice is washed in a first process in which water is simply supplied to the white rice in the rice washing tank 5 and then drained, and a second process in which the rice is stirred and washed after the water is supplied.

The invention of claim 4 is the rice washing device described in claim 1, characterized in that the ventilation fan 70 provided in the support machine frame 1 that supports the rice washing tank 5 draws air into the support machine frame 1 and the rice washing tank 5 during the rice cooking process, and exhausts air when the rice cooking process is completed and the device is in a paused state.

In the invention of claim 1, the white rice in the rice washing tank 5 rises from the bottom and is washed by being stirred with the swirling water caused by the rotation of the stirring rod 35. During this process, the bran dissolved in the water is guided to the water flow guide plate 84 together with the swirling water flow and is quickly discharged from the overflow port 82. Therefore, the bran does not remain in the rice washing tank 5 and does not adhere to the inner wall of the rice washing tank 5.

In the invention of claim 2, nanobubbles are generated while the supply water flows through the nanobubble generator 80, and the nanobubble water is stored for a long time in the nanobubble tank 85, so that when washing white rice, the water containing nanobubbles can be used to effectively wash the white rice.

In the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effects of claims 1 and 2, in the first process in which water is simply supplied to the white rice in the rice washing tank 5 and then drained, the bran does not dissolve much and the white rice is simply soaked in water, so the bran does not adhere to the inside of the rice washing tank 5, and in the second process in which the white rice is agitated and the bran dissolves, the washing water flows out quickly from the overflow port 82, so the bran does not adhere to the inside of the rice washing tank 5 during the white rice washing process.

In the invention of claim 4, the humid air inside the support machine frame 1 is discharged to the outside of the support machine frame 1 together with the air drawn in by the ventilation fan 70, and is dried and hygienic by drawing in air during the rice cooking process and exhausting air when the rice cooking process is completed and the machine is in a pause state.

1 is a front view of a rice washing and cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the upper part of the washed rice cooking device. FIG. 2 is a water supply piping diagram of the above washed rice cooking device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the water supply piping at the top of the rice washing tank. 4A and 4B are top oblique views of the rice washing tank. FIG. 13 is a partially transparent perspective view of another embodiment in which a ventilation fan is arranged in the rice washing tank. 13A and 13B are enlarged partial cross-sectional side views of another embodiment of the rice washing tank equipped with a ventilation fan. 13A, 13B, and 13C are perspective views showing a state in which another embodiment of the above-mentioned washed rice cooking device is in use. This is an oblique view of the case where a nanobubble tank is installed next to the rice washing tank.

The following describes in detail the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 and 10, the support machine frame 1, which frames the square tube material vertically and horizontally, is composed of a rectangular base frame 1a with casters at the bottom, left and right pillars 1b, 1b of a specified width and height, and multiple cross bars 1c, 1c... supported between the left and right pillars 1b, 1b.

A flat partition member 3 is provided on the crosspiece 1c to mount each piece of equipment, a rice storage tank 4 is provided above it, a rice washing tank 5 with a conical inclined surface is provided below the rice storage tank 4, and a rice cooking device 6 is placed at a distance below the rice washing tank 5. This rice cooking device 6 is composed of a rice cooking kettle 7, a gas stove 8 for heating the kettle, a retractable stand 9, etc. In Figure 2, the right side of the stand 9 is the front side for pulling out, and the left rear side is the retractable side.

As shown in Figure 3, the rice storage tank 4 consists of an upper main tank 4a with a square cross section and a lower funnel-shaped hopper section 4b, with a measuring drum case 10 attached to the lower end of the hopper section 4b.

The partition member 3 is provided with an opening 17 corresponding to the discharge port 16 of the rice storage tank 4, and is configured to deliver a predetermined amount of rice from the rice storage tank 4 to the rice washing tank 5 by rotating the measuring drum 13 a predetermined number of revolutions. In addition, the predetermined amount can be automatically supplied by detection of a rotation sensor (not shown) that counts the number of deliveries.

The rice storage tank 2 and the measuring section are covered on the outside by a cover member 23, and the left and right side walls and the rear wall are appropriately fixed to the partition member 3, etc., and the lower half of the front wall 23a is configured as a door that can be opened and closed, for example, with the right side as viewed from the front as a fulcrum. The upper half of the front wall 23b is connected to the left and right side walls and configured in a removable form. Therefore, the rice storage tank 2 and drum case 10 can be inspected and removed with the lower half of the front wall 23a open. 24 is a square cover plate that detachably covers the main tank 4a from above.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rice washing tank 5 has a receiving tube 31 on the ceiling that guides the rice supplied from the drum case 10, a cylindrical body in the middle, and a hopper-shaped part at the bottom. A jacket part 32 is connected to the bottom of the hopper-shaped part of the rice washing tank 5, and a filter 33 made of a mesh with openings at the boundary between the hopper-shaped part and the jacket part 32 that are large enough to prevent rice grains from leaking out is provided.

A vertical hollow shaft 34 is provided in the center of the rice washing tank 5, and multiple stirring rods 35, 35... made by bending rods into an inverted L shape are attached to the hollow shaft 34 at their upper ends by welding or the like. The hollow shaft 34 is rotated by a rice washing motor 36 via a bevel gear mechanism 37, and is configured to stir the rice and water in the tank by the rotation.

The hollow shaft 34 is fitted with a valve shaft 38 that penetrates the hollow shaft 34 and is loosely fitted so that it can slide up and down, and extends downward. A cone-shaped rice discharge valve 39 is detachably attached to the lower end of the valve shaft 38. The upper end of the valve shaft 38 is moved up and down by a linkage mechanism, such as a cam 41 driven by a motor 40 for driving the rice discharge valve and a drop arm, which will be described later, to control the opening and closing of the rice discharge valve 39. When the rice discharge valve 39 opens, the rice in the rice washing tank 5 falls into the inner pot of the rice cooker 6 below.

As shown in the water supply route diagram of Figure 4, the main water supply pipe 46 that supplies water from the outside is equipped with a flow sensor 27, and the water is branched into an upper water supply pipe 48 and a lower water supply pipe 53 by a branch pipe 28. The upper water supply pipe 48 is connected to the nano valve tank 85 through a first solenoid valve 29 and a nanobubble generator 80, and is connected to the jacket part 32 of the rice washing tank 5 through a third solenoid valve 86. The lower water supply pipe 53 is connected to the jacket part 32 of the rice washing tank 5 through a second solenoid valve 30, and supplied to the rice washing tank 5. The water supplied from the main water supply pipe 46 is measured by the flow sensor 27 installed in front of the nanobubble generator 80, so that an accurate amount of water is supplied from the third solenoid valve 86 to the rice cooking pot 7 through the rice washing tank 5, and optimal rice cooking is performed. Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the water supply piping at the top of the rice washing tank.

The upper water supply pipe 48 is the upper water supply route that passes through the partition plate 3 in the ceiling of the rice washing tank 5, and the lower water distribution pipe 53 is the lower water supply route that passes through the cover member 23 and the water supply hose 51a installed on the side of the rice washing tank 5, and the jacket part 32 from the lower water supply port 52. In other words, water is supplied in two ways. The rice is washed in a first process in which the rice in the rice washing tank 5 is soaked in water supplied from the lower water supply pipe 53 without rotating the stirring rod 35 and then drained as is, and in a second process, water is supplied from the nano valve tank 85 through the upper water supply pipe 48 to the rice washing tank 5, and the rice is washed by rotating the stirring rod 35. The supplied water is quickly drained from the overflow port 82 at the top of the rice washing tank 5 to the drain box 94 by the water flow guide plate 84 of the upper lid 83.

The nano valve tank 85 is a tank that surrounds the side of the rice washing tank 5 in a semicircular shape as shown in Figure 10, etc., and has a capacity sufficient to fill the rice washing tank 5, and effectively dissolves the bran by washing with the stored nano valve water. In other words, the nano valve tank 85 is placed by utilizing the sloping empty space S of the rice washing tank (5).

Nanobubbles are generated by the nanobubble generator 80 using a strong water flow from the main water pipe 46 and stored in the nano valve tank 85. When washing white rice, the third solenoid valve 86 is opened to supply water to the rice washing tank 5, allowing rice to be washed effectively using a small amount of water containing nanobubbles.

When the water flow in the main water pipe 46 is strong enough, both the first solenoid valve 29 and the second solenoid valve 30 can be opened to supply water to the rice washing tank 5, allowing the rice to be washed quickly with less water.

In the above explanation, the nanobubble generator 80 is provided in the upper water supply pipe 48, but the nanobubble generator 80 and nano valve tank 85 may also be provided in the lower water supply pipe 53.

In addition, by piping the main water pipe 46 near the rice cooker 6 to heat the supply water, the generation of nanobubbles by the nanobubble generator 80 can be promoted.

In Figure 3, the reference numeral 55 denotes a shutter that opens and closes the discharge port 16 in cooperation with the electric motor 15. The motor 15 is connected to the shutter shaft 58 via link mechanisms 56 and 57, and is configured to open the shutter 55 when the drum opening is aligned with the discharge port 16. For this reason, the shutter 55 is always in a closed position, preventing the scattering of diffusion water during washing in the rice washing tank 5 and preventing the infiltration of water into the measuring drum 13.

The drum case 10 is located to the left of the upper water supply pipes 48, 48, and the motor 40 for the rice discharge valve 39 and the stirring rods 35, 35... and the rice washing motor 36 for driving them are located to the right.

Figures 6 (A) and (B) show the upper part of the rice washing tank 5. Multiple overflow ports 82 are provided on the upper peripheral wall of the rice washing tank 5, and the outer periphery is closed with a closing ring 91 via a packing, and a drainage box 94 is attached. The drainage box 94 is connected to the overflow pipe 62 so that overflowing water can flow into the drainage box 60. The drainage box 94 has an opening and closing lid 93 on the front side so that it can be opened as needed to clean the inside.

A water flow guide plate 84 is provided at the bottom of the top lid 83 of the rice washing tank 5, leading from the center toward the end wall of the overflow port 90, so that the swirling water can flow quickly to the overflow port 82. The drain box 94 has a capacity to quickly receive water that overflows from the overflow port 82, allowing the overflow water to flow without stagnation.

As shown in FIG. 3, a drain box 60 is provided on the lower side of the rice washing tank 5. The upper end of the drain box 60, which has a drain outlet, is connected to the drain box 94 of the rice washing tank 5 by an overflow pipe 62, and the inside is connected in communication with the jacket portion 32. Water is drained from the jacket portion 32 by opening and closing a drain valve, and the water level in the rice washing tank 5 is adjusted while water is being drained.

The drain box 60 is normally closed by the drain valve, but when the water in the rice washing tank 5 is drained, it is drained from the filter 33 in the jacket section 32 through the drain valve, the drain box 60, and the drain port. The drain valve opens and closes with an appropriate opening and closing output. In addition, a water level sensor 68 is provided at the top of the rice washing tank 5 to detect the amount of water in the rice washing tank 5.

The overflow pipe 62 has a horizontal pipe section 62a connected near the upper end of the rice washing tank 5 and a vertical pipe section connected to the horizontal pipe section 62a, and the lower end of the vertical pipe section is connected to the drain box 60. The upper end of the vertical pipe section 62b is extended upward, and this extension pipe section 62c is appropriately fixed and supported by an attachment holder 69 provided on the lower surface of the partition member 3, while penetrating the partition member 3.

The approximately closed space A between the bottom of the rice storage tank 4 and the partition member 3 in the cover member 23 houses the measuring unit 10, various drive units, piping, etc., but ensures ventilation to prevent water vapor from being trapped. That is, a ventilation fan 70 is arranged on one side wall of the cover member 23, and is configured to be energized and driven during operation of the device to supply outside air into the space A. The air that enters the space A flows through the space A as appropriate and is exhausted to the outside of the machine through the mesh holes, etc., described below. Therefore, humidity is reduced by the flow of outside air through the space A that receives the water vapor that rises during cooking. A controller 71 is arranged on the inner surface of the cover member 23 on the side facing the blower fan 70, and moisture can be removed by providing ventilation to this controller 71 as well. Furthermore, if the upper end opening of the extension tube section 62c is placed near the controller 71, for example below the front of the controller 71, an appropriate air flow will be generated and the air acting on the controller 71 can be efficiently introduced into the extension tube section 62c.

Figure 7 shows an embodiment in which a ventilation fan 70 is connected inside the rice washing tank 5. The ventilation fan 70 is connected to an overflow inspection window 89 on the top lid 83 of the rice washing tank 5 by a pipe 88, and the ventilation fan 70 is rotated in the reverse direction to suck in the air inside the rice washing tank 5 and dry it.

Figure 8 shows a configuration in which a blower fan 70 is installed in a switching box 100 and a pipe 88 is connected to an overflow inspection window 89 on the top lid 83 of the rice washing tank 5. An opening/closing valve 101 rotated by a motor 103 is installed inside the switching box 100. When the opening/closing valve 101 closes the intake port 102, air is sucked in from inside the rice washing tank 5 through the pipe 88, and when the pipe 88 side is closed, air is sucked in from the space A inside the cover member 23 through the intake port 102. The pipe 88 can be removed using fastening bands 104 and 105.

A hollow portion C is provided at the bottom of the bottom surface of the space A surrounded by the cover member 23 and the partition member 3, etc., to accommodate various harnesses (not shown). In more detail, the partition member 3 is formed by drawing and integrally molding the side walls, and a bottom plate 72 is provided below it in a lid-like manner to form the hollow portion C. A mesh-like body 74 made of a ventilation net or punched metal is attached to an appropriate location of the partition member 3 to communicate with the hollow portion C. In this case, the mesh size of the mesh-like body 73 at the upper end of the extension tube portion 62c (ventilation portion B) is made smaller than the mesh size of the mesh-like body 74 arranged in an appropriate location of the partition member 3, which enhances the effect of preventing foreign objects, especially microscopic insects, from entering the space A.

Figure 9 (A) shows an embodiment in which the cover plate 24 of the rice storage tank 4 is formed in a mountain shape, pivoted on a support shaft 96 at the front of the cover member 23, and can be rotated back and forth by a switch 97. When rotated forward as in (B), white rice is poured from a rice bag 98 onto the cover plate 24, and by rotating the cover plate 24 upward as in (C), white rice can be easily poured into the rice storage tank 4.

1 Support machine frame 5 Rice washing tank 35 Stirring rod 80 Nanobubble generator 82 Overflow port 83 Top cover 84 Water flow guide plate 85 Nano valve tank 70 Ventilation fan S Space

Claims (4)

This rice washing device supplies water from the bottom of the rice washing tank (5) and washes the rice by swirling the water with the rotation of the stirring rod (35). The device is characterized in that an overflow port (82) is provided on the upper peripheral wall of the rice washing tank (5) and a water flow guide plate (84) is provided inside the top cover (83) of the rice washing tank (5) that guides the water flow from the center toward the overflow port (82). The rice washing device according to claim 1, characterized in that nano-valve water passed through a nano-bubble generator (80) arranged in a water pipe (46) is temporarily stored in a nano-valve tank (85) arranged in an inclined empty space S of the rice washing tank (5), and this nano-valve water is supplied to the rice washing tank (5) for washing. The rice washing device according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the rice is washed in a first process in which water is simply supplied to the white rice in the rice washing tank (5) and then drained, and in a second process in which water is supplied and then stirred to wash the rice. The rice washing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ventilation fan (70) installed in the support machine frame (1) that supports the rice washing tank (5) draws air into the support machine frame (1) and the rice washing tank (5) during the rice cooking process, and exhausts air when the rice cooking process is completed and the device is in a pause state, to dry the inside of the support machine frame (1) and the rice washing tank (5).

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