JP2540369Y2 - Weighing rice bin - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a metering rice bin having a function of storing and metering rice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a fully automatic rice cooker capable of automatically performing all steps from metering and discharging of rice to washing and cooking of rice has been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-16168. In the case of this type of fully automatic rice cooker, a metering shutter for metering and discharging a predetermined amount of rice from a hopper-shaped rice storage unit, and a direct-acting solenoid for inverting the shutter are provided. By the way, bran and dust are attached to rice, and these dirt accumulates in the rice storage unit and the shutter part due to use, and become dirty. Therefore, in the case of the fully automatic rice cooker, the inside of the rice storage unit can be cleaned by pulling the rice storage unit forward.

[0003]

[Problem to be solved by the invention] In the case of the above structure,
Although it is relatively easy to clean the inside of the rice storage, the shutters and solenoids are located in hard-to-reach places, so it is difficult to remove dust and dirt adhering to these parts, thus improving shutter operability. It is liable to cause troubles such as malfunctions. Further, in the case of a fully automatic rice cooker, since many electric components are incorporated in addition to the solenoid, dust scattered at the time of discharging rice adheres to these electric components, which may cause a short circuit or other trouble.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a metered rice bin that can easily remove dirt and dust attached to a rice storage unit, a shutter, and the like, and that is easy to maintain. Another object of the present invention is to provide a small weighing rice bottle in which rice does not fall from a shutter when the rice storage unit is separated from the rice bottle main body.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a metering rice bin having a function of storing and metering and discharging rice, wherein a discharge port is provided at the bottom of a hopper-shaped rice storage unit. is, the discharge port is mounted a metering shutter for discharging the rice by quantitative, driving means for driving the shutter is fixed to flour container body, the rice reservoir is detachable from the flour container body, said drive
A first engagement portion is provided on the drive shaft of the
A second engagement member that is integrally rotatably engaged with the first engagement portion with the drive shaft;
Engaging portion is provided, characterized in that the first engaging portion and second engaging portion is detachably engaged in the detachment direction with the US reservoir and rice bin body.

When the rice storage unit is separated from the rice bin body in the attaching / detaching direction, the first engagement part of the driving means and the second engagement part of the drive shaft of the shutter are disengaged, and only the rice storage part is removed. Can be removed alone. Therefore, not only the inner surface of the rice storage unit but also the shutter and the driving means are easily accessible, and dirt and dust attached to these can be easily removed. After removal of the dirt and dust and accommodate relative flour container body rice reservoir again, the driving means and the second engagement portion of the shutter of the drive shaft
The first engagement portion automatically engages. In the present invention, since the shutter is provided in the rice storage unit and the driving means is provided on the main body side, the rice storage unit itself can be reduced in weight, and it is necessary to disconnect the electric system of the driving means when attaching and detaching the rice storage unit. Since only the mechanical connection between the drive shaft of the shutter and the drive means is sufficient, the problem due to poor electrical contact can be solved. By making the rice storage unit detachable from the rice bin main body, for example, when putting rice into the rice storage unit, the rice storage unit is separated from the rice bin main body without lifting and putting a heavy rice bag into the rice storage unit. After the rice is placed in the position and the rice is put into the rice storage unit, the rice storage unit can be stored in the rice bin body.

In the case where the shutter is a cup-type shutter that discharges rice by a predetermined amount by reversing rotation, it is desirable to attach a shutter spring for urging the shutter in the closing direction to the rice storage unit. Since the shutter is always closed by the spring force of the shutter spring, the rice remaining in the rice storage unit does not fall out of the discharge port when the rice storage unit is separated from the rice bin main body. Further, since the direction of the drive shaft of the shutter is constant, the rice storage unit can be accurately engaged with the driving means when the rice storage unit is attached to the rice bin main body. It is desirable to use an electric motor as the driving means. When a direct acting solenoid is used as in the past, it is necessary to convert the linear movement of the rod into the rotation of the shutter, so the installation space is increased by the rod movement stroke, and the driving required for opening and closing the shutter There is a disadvantage that it is difficult to obtain power. On the other hand, in the case of an electric motor, the required driving force can be easily obtained by adding a deceleration mechanism, and since power is transmitted from rotation to rotation, the installation space can be reduced, and the output shaft of the motor can be reduced. The mechanism for engaging the shutter with the drive shaft of the shutter can also be simplified.

[0008]

FIG. 1 shows an example of a fully automatic rice cooker according to the present invention, which comprises a main body A, a rice bin B, a water supply C, a rice washing D,
It comprises a rice cooking section E and a main body control section F. Body A
An upper lid 2 that can be opened and closed is provided at the upper end opening 1 of the hopper. The upper lid 2 is opened so that rice can be put into a hopper-shaped rice storage unit 6. Operation panel 3 on the front of the top
Is provided. The operation panel 3 includes setting keys for setting time reservation, rice cooking amount, and the like, and various display units.

A transparent window 4 for checking the amount of rice in the rice storage unit 6 is provided on the front surface of the main body A, and a transparent rice bin window 7 is provided on a side wall of the rice storage unit 6 corresponding to the transparent window 4. Is provided. The rice storage unit 6 has a rectangular frame 6a as shown in FIG.
And a hopper portion 6b inclined downward toward the outlet 8 at the bottom portion, and leg portions 6c provided at four corners. The rice storage portion 6 is detachable from the main body A. Frame part 6
A pair of U-shaped grips 10 are rotatably mounted on the upper surface of a by a mounting bracket 11. A measuring cup type shutter 9 is attached to the discharge port 8 so as to be rotatable integrally with the drive shaft 12, and is urged in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3, that is, a closing direction by a shutter spring 13 inserted through the drive shaft 10. ing. The shutter 9 has wing pieces 9 at the top and bottom.
a, 9b, and the lower blade piece 9b rests against the stopper shaft 14 at a position where the discharge port 8 is closed. Both ends of the drive shaft 12 project from both sides of the discharge port 8,
The V of the pair of bearing plates 15 whose protrusions are fixed to the main body A
It is fitted in the V-shaped bearing groove 15a and held at a fixed position. One end of the drive shaft 12 has a T-shaped engaging portion (second engaging portion ).
A joining portion 12a is formed, and the engaging portion 12a is rotated by the discharge motor 20.

The discharge motor 20 is connected to the speed reducer 2 as shown in FIG.
1 and is fixed to the side surface of the mounting plate 22 installed on the main body A. A cam 23 is fixed to the output shaft 21a of the speed reducer 21, and two engaging pins (first engaging portions) that engage with the T-shaped engaging portion 12a are provided on the distal end surface of the cam 23.
Is protruding. As shown in FIG.
When the shutter 9 is in the closed position, the cam 23 presses the push button of the upper limit switch 25, and in the discharge position of the shutter 9, the cam 00 is in the lower limit switch. Press the 26 push button. In normal times (when closed), the two engaging pins 24 are located horizontally, and the engaging portion 12a of the drive shaft 12 is in the vertical direction. Easily from above. When the motor 20 is driven in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3 in the engaged state, the shutter 9 also rotates integrally. When the shutter 9 rotates to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line, the shutter 9 hits the stopper 16 and the upper wing piece 9a is moved. The outlet 8 is closed to prevent rice from falling. In this state, a certain amount of rice is discharged to the next rice washing section D. At the same time, since the cam 23 operates the lower limit switch 26, the motor 20 is driven in the reverse direction, and the shutter 9 returns to the closed position by the driving force of the motor 20 and the restoring force of the shutter spring 13.

A water supply tank 30 is provided on the side of the rice storage unit 6, and water is supplied to the water supply tank 30 from a water supply hose 31 via a water stop valve 32. The water supply tank 30 is connected to the rice washing section D via a water supply pipe 33 and an opening / closing valve 34. The rice washing section D includes an upper case 35 and a lower case 36, and a lower end portion of the discharge port 8 corresponds to an input port of the upper case 35. A stirring blade 37 is supported inside the cases 35 and 36 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. The stirring blade 37 is driven by a rice washing motor 38 disposed on the outside of the cases 35 and 36. The rice put into the rice washing section D from the outlet 8 is supplied to the water supply tank 30.
Is stirred by the stirring blades 37 together with the water continuously supplied from the above, and the adhered matter of the rice is removed. Rice sharpener is lower case 3
It overflows from 6 and is discharged to a drain tank 39. Then, the turbidity of the sharpening juice is monitored by a turbidity sensor 40 provided in the lower case 36, and when the turbidity becomes a predetermined value or less, the lower case 36 is opened by the lower case opening / closing motor 41 and rice is cooked. E is put into the inner pot 51 of the rice cooker 50 constituting the rice cooker. At this time, the water for cooking rice is supplied to the inner pot 51 via the lower case 36 opened from the opening / closing valve 34. The rice juice stored in the drainage tank 39 is discharged to the outside by a drainage pump 42 through a drainage pipe 43.

A door 52 which can be opened and closed for storing and taking out the rice cooker 50 is provided at the lower part of the front surface of the main body A. Inside the main body A, a slide table 53 on which the rice cooker 50 is placed is slidably provided on the rails 54 in the front-rear direction. It can be pulled out in front of A. Rice cooker 50 is inner pot 5
1 and a lid 55, and has a built-in opening / closing device (not shown) for horizontally moving the lid 55 obliquely rearward. With the rice cooker 50 set inside the fully automatic rice cooker, the lid 55 is positioned behind the rice cooker 50 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. I'm waiting.

Here, a method of cleaning the rice storage unit 6 of the fully automatic rice cooker having the above-described configuration will be described. Bran and dust adhere to the rice, and the dust of the rice itself causes dust to adhere to the hopper 6b, the inner surface of the discharge port 8, the shutter 9, and the periphery of the discharge motor 20.
In such a case, when the rice storage unit 6 is lifted by the handle 10 attached to the upper end surface of the rice storage unit 6, the drive shaft 12 is disengaged from the bearing groove 15a, and the engagement unit 12a is also disengaged from the engagement pin 24, and the rice The storage section 6 can be easily taken out of the main body A. The rice storage unit 6 has four legs 6c protruding downward from the discharge port 8, so that the rice storage unit 6 does not damage the discharge port 8 and the shutter 9 when placed on a floor or a table. In this state, it is only necessary to remove dirt from the hopper 6b and the shutter 9, and the removal operation is easy. Further, the motor 20 fixed to the main body A and its peripheral devices are also exposed to the outside, so that cleaning is easy. After removing dirt and dust, lift the rice storage unit 6 again by holding the handle 10,
When inserted into the upper end opening 1 of the main body A, the leg 6c is easily stored as a guide, and both ends of the drive shaft 12 are guided to the proper positions by the bearing grooves 15a. 12a automatically engages with the engagement pin 24.

In the above embodiment, the rice bin B is provided at the uppermost portion of the main body A, but may be provided at the lower portion. Further, the direction in which the rice storage unit is attached and detached may be the horizontal direction. The method of engaging the drive means with the drive shaft of the shutter can be variously selected, such as a combination of a T-shaped engagement portion and two pins as in the embodiment, a meshing of gears, and a fitting of uneven portions. However, in the case of the structure of the embodiment, even if there is a slight assembling error, it is possible to reliably engage, so that it is desirable. Further, the shutter is not limited to the cup type shutter as in the embodiment, but may be an impeller type shutter having a plurality of blade plates rotatable around a horizontal axis. In this case, it is necessary to prevent idle rotation of the shutter so that the rice does not drop when the rice storage unit is separated from the rice bin main body. In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied not only to a fully automatic rice cooker but also to a general measuring rice bin.

[0015]

[Effects of the Invention] As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the rice storage unit is detachable from the main body of the rice bin, so that the dirt on the rice storage unit and the shutter can be easily removed and the rice storage unit can be moved. It is also possible to remove refuse and the like in the section, and to obtain a metered rice bin that is easy to maintain. And since the shutter is provided in the rice storage unit and the driving means is provided on the main body side, the rice storage unit itself can be reduced in weight, and it is necessary to disconnect the electric system of the driving means when attaching and detaching the rice storage unit. In addition, since only mechanical engagement between the drive shaft of the shutter and the drive means is sufficient, there is no possibility that electrical contact failure occurs.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall structural view of a fully automatic rice cooker embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rice storage unit.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a rice storage unit.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List A main unit B rice bin C water supply unit D rice washing unit E rice cooking unit F main unit control unit 6 rice storage unit 8 measuring unit 9 shutter 12 drive shaft 12a T-shaped engagement unit (second engagement unit) 13 shutter spring 20 discharge motor (Drive means) 21 Reduction gear 24 Engagement pin (first engagement part)

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A metering rice bin having a function of storing and discharging a metered amount of rice, wherein a discharge port is provided at a bottom portion of a rice storage section in the shape of a hopper, and a metering shutter for discharging rice by a predetermined amount into the discharge port. The driving means for driving the shutter is fixed to the rice bin main body, the rice storage portion is detachable from the rice bin main body, and the driving shaft of the driving means has a first engaging portion.
Is provided, and the drive shaft of the shutter is integrated with the first engagement portion.
A second engaging portion rotatably engaging the first engaging portion;
And the second engaging portion are in the attaching / detaching direction between the rice storage portion and the rice bin main body.
A metered rice bin, which can be disengaged . 2. The metering rice bin according to claim 1, wherein the shutter is a cup type shutter for discharging rice by a predetermined amount by reversing rotation, and a shutter spring for urging the shutter to rotate in a closing direction is used for storing rice. A driving means attached to the unit and driving the shutter is an electric motor, and an output shaft of the motor and a driving shaft of the shutter are engageable.