JP3608074B2 - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rice cooking apparatus including a plurality of dipping containers having the same volume or substantially the same volume as a kettle, which is immersed in water for a predetermined time and rice is impregnated with water instead of a dipping tank or a kettle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, rice cookers equipped with a plurality of kettles that use either gas, oil, or electricity as a heat source, and as the state of the kettle during heating, while moving from the inlet side to the outlet side by a conveyor or the like Various types such as a mobile type that is heated, a static type that is transported to a heating unit by a transport device and placed and then heated in a stationary state, and is transported to the outlet again by the transport device after cooking rice. Is used.
[0003]
Furthermore, when cooking rice, so-called soaking, in which the rice is immersed in water for a predetermined time and the rice is impregnated with water, is necessary. Conventionally, two methods of tank soaking and pot soaking have been adopted.
[0004]
In the former tank immersion, rice and water are placed in one tank of a volume that can be supplied to a plurality of kettles, the rice is immersed in water for a predetermined time, and the rice is impregnated with water. Can be impregnated with water at one time and is suitable for the production of large quantities of small rice varieties. In addition, every time the variety and cooking conditions change, it is necessary to wash the tank with water, and there is a problem that the characteristics cannot be exhibited. In addition, even in the case of producing a small quantity and a large quantity of cooked rice, there is a problem that, in a strict sense, the first discharged rice and the finally discharged rice are different in soaking time.
[0005]
On the other hand, the pot soaking can freely change the amount of water and the soaking time according to the cooking conditions of each kettle, and is suitable for the production of a small variety of cooked rice. In addition, although there is a problem that the number of times of measurement increases, it is not suitable for the production of a small quantity of large quantities of cooked rice. However, if only cooking for a short time, followed by steaming, loosening, transferring, and washing, the kettle can be used repeatedly in a short cycle, and even if a few are prepared, it is washed from the cooked rice. Since the pot is used for the soaking of rice for a long time compared to the time until, the cycle becomes long, and it is necessary to prepare a large number of pots accordingly.
[0006]
Moreover, as a kettle, not only simply retains rice and water, but also heat resistance, non-flammability, oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, heat fatigue resistance, fastness during cooking, and friction resistance in cleaning of the adhered rice -When used as a pressure cooker, it must have pressure resistance and other various properties, and there is a problem that it is expensive in terms of material and structure. In addition, as long as the rice is soaked, it is sufficient that the water and rice can be held in a rack or the like, and can be transported. The attached rice can be easily washed away with water and can be easily washed. For this reason, the burden applied to the container is light and may be inexpensive.
[0007]
Furthermore, when the non-impregnated water used for soaking and water-impregnated rice are cooked together as they are, the rice becomes stinking, and when the fine particles generated from crushed rice, etc. during soaking are deposited on the bottom of the kettle, they are only stirred slightly. Then, when cooking rice, the kettle is easy to burn, and there is also a problem that special attention must be paid to heating.
[0008]
In addition, as a result of the investigation, it was found that the amount of water impregnated in rice and the properties (taste, stickiness, hardness, etc.) of rice change depending on the temperature and time during immersion. That is, when the temperature at the time of immersion is low, the water impregnation rate of rice is small, but in any case, when the amount of saturated impregnation water of rice reaches a substantially constant level, it does not increase further. Moreover, the cooked rice becomes soft as the amount of impregnated water increases. Further, it was also found that the lower the temperature during immersion, the smaller the degree of swelling and the greater the stickiness of the cooked rice, depending on the time of immersion of the cooked rice. It was also found that the taste of cooked rice changes depending on the hardness (or softness) and stickiness of cooked rice.
[0009]
However, attention has been paid to the immersion time, but not much attention has been paid to the holding temperature. Therefore, in winter, rice is soaked in cold water, and in summer, on the other hand, rice is soaked in lukewarm water and then cooked. It depends on the heating curve of the time, and there was no means to get more delicious cooked rice.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Therefore, the present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to produce a small amount of cooked rice that meets various customer requirements, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a rice cooking apparatus that does not need to prepare a large number of expensive kettles, and does not smell stink, the bottom of the kettle is difficult to burn, and can cook delicious rice.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that at least water-impregnated rice and non-impregnated water immersed in water for a predetermined time and retained in water are held in a plurality of metal kettles. A rice cooker for producing cooked rice by heating, which is immersed in water for a predetermined time and impregnated with water, and has a plurality of water-impermeable immersions having the same volume or substantially the same volume as the pot 1 The container 10 is provided separately from the pot 1, and prior to rice cooking, the contents of the immersion container 10 made of at least water-impregnated rice can be transferred from each immersion container 10 to the corresponding pot 1. .
[0012]
The invention of claim 2 includes a plurality of heating units 2 for heating a plurality of kettles 1 respectively, a kettle conveying arrangement portion 4 for conveying and arranging the kettles 1 in the respective heating units 2, and immersing the rice in water. The immersion rack 20 on which a plurality of water-impermeable immersion containers 10 different from the plurality of pots 1 to be impregnated are placed, the respective immersion containers 10 are transported, and at least the water-impregnated rice is contained in the contents. The immersing container 10 includes a centralized control unit 5 that controls the entire apparatus, including tracking the movement of the contents of the immersing container 10 and at least one transfer device 30 that is transferred to the respective pots 1. The immersion container identification symbol R that can be identified by the identification means P is written on the outer surface of each immersion container 10.
[0013]
In addition to the structure of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the invention of claim 3 adds rice and water in each immersion container 10 to a desired low temperature, for example, 5 ° C., at least during the immersion period, regardless of the temperature. Temperature holding means 40 is provided.
[0014]
The “water-impregnated rice only” includes, in addition to water-impregnated rice, liquid substances mainly composed of water and few solid particles attached to the surface thereof.
[0015]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of inexpensive non-permeable immersing containers 10 having the same or substantially the same volume as the pot 1 are provided separately from the pot 1, the time required for the pot 1 to cook rice. It is not used for water impregnation of rice, which is necessary for a longer time, and it is used only for rice cooking, so the rate of repeated use of the kettle 1 for cooking increases and the expensive kettle 1 that must be prepared The expenditure for the number, that is, the total number of the pots 1 is drastically reduced. In addition, the immersion container 10 has a remarkably low degree of harshness in use as compared with the pot 1, and can be manufactured at a low cost.
[0016]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the water-impermeable immersion container 10 is transported between the immersion rack 20 and each hook 1 by the at least one transport device 30 while having the same effect as the first aspect. In addition, since at least water-impregnated rice is transferred to the corresponding kettle 1 among the contents of the soaking container 10, at least the transporting process of the soaking container 10 and the transferring process of the contents, compared to the kettle soaking method, And the cleaning process for the immersion container 1 are added, and thus the complexity is increased. However, the difference from the pot immersion method is small, and the movement of the contents of the immersion container 20 is traced by the central control unit. The operation is smoothly performed without any trouble.
[0017]
Further, for example, in the weighing process, when the identification means P identifies the immersion container identification symbol R of the immersion container 10, this is transferred to the central control unit 5 together with the data about the contents of the immersion container 10. After that, the central control unit 5 tracks all the movements of the contents, such as the transfer to the pot 1 and the arrangement to the heating unit 2, and the optimum heating curve is selected for the heating unit 2, for example. As well as being performed, the operation of the whole process is proceeding smoothly without any confusion.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a plan view showing the entire system of the rice cooking apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the immersion container of FIGS. 4 and 5 are block diagrams showing different forms of the rice cooking portion of FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively.
[0019]
A high-frequency induction heating type rice cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. As main equipment, a plurality of heating units 2 for heating a plurality of metal kettles 1 respectively, a kettle conveying arrangement unit 4 for conveying and arranging the kettles 1 to the respective heating units 2, and immersed in water for a predetermined time, Immersion rack 20 on which a plurality of water-impermeable immersing containers 10 to be impregnated are placed, at least one conveying device 30 for conveying the immersing containers 10 and transferring the contents to the kettle 1, and the entire apparatus Is provided with a centralized control unit 5 for controlling.
[0020]
In addition, in the preceding stage of the rice cooking part A5 provided with the heating unit 2 and the pot conveying arrangement part 4, a rice measuring part A1, which measures the rice supplied to each pot 1, and a water measuring part A2, which measures water, and Seasoning / ingredient input part A4 is provided. In the subsequent stage, the cooked rice A5 is steamed, the steamed portion A6 is matured, and the cooked rice is stirred, loosened, transferred, the unraveled / transferred portion A7, and the empty pot 1 washed. A cleaning portion A8 of the hook is provided.
[0021]
First, the non-permeable immersing container 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. Prior to cooking, the rice is immersed in water for a predetermined time, impregnated with water and swelled with rice, and is formed in the same volume or substantially the same volume as the pot 1 described in detail later. In addition, since it only holds the contents at room temperature, there is almost no restriction on the type of material if it is inexpensive, such as plastic and aluminum. In addition, the symbol R for immersion container identification which can be identified by the identification means P is described on the outer surface of each immersion container 10.
[0022]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower part is formed in a cone shape, and the lower end is provided with a discharge port 11 provided with a valve 12 so that the contents are water-impregnated rice and non-impregnated water. Is easy to discharge. In addition, the structure of this immersion container 10 is not limited to the above, for example, it is substantially the same shape as the hook 1, and is configured such that the contents are discharged when it is inclined. But you can.
[0023]
Next, the hook 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. The box 1 is made of metal and has a rectangular section with an opening upper surface wider than the bottom surface, and a flange 1a is attached to the periphery of the upper end. At the same time, the opening surface is covered with a detachable lid 1b. As a material, the main body is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and although not shown, the bottom surface and the lower portion of the side surface are covered with a heat-resistant ferromagnetic alloy by thermal spraying.
[0024]
Thirdly, means for transferring the contents to the kettle 1 after completion of the transfer and immersion of the water-impermeable immersion container 10 to the immersion rack 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, in order to place the immersion container 10 three-dimensionally, an immersion rack 20 is provided. In addition, at least one transport device 30 is provided to transport the immersion container 10 and transfer the contents of the immersion container 10 to the pot 1. In addition, the movement of the contents of the immersion container 10 is configured to be sequentially tracked by the central control unit 5.
[0025]
More specifically, the immersion container 10 into which rice and water have been poured by the rice weighing part A1 and the water weighing part A2, respectively, is carried to the entrance of the immersion rack 20 by the forward conveyor 80, and then the horizontal traveling body LH with a lift. Is carried to any position on the immersion rack 20 and is placed thereon.
[0026]
In addition, the immersion rack 20 is surrounded by a temperature holding means 40 that holds the rice and water in the immersion container 10 disposed therein at a desired temperature during the immersion time. The temperature holding means 40 is usually composed of a heat insulating member and a refrigerator that can be switched between heating and cooling, but may be either alone or a refrigerator that can only be cooled.
[0027]
The immersion container 10 that has been placed on the immersion rack 20 and has completed the immersion is transported by the lifted horizontal traveling body LH to the entrance of the immersion rack 20 and above the conveyor 80 that conveys the pot 1 to the rice cooking portion A5. Here, the valve 12 of the immersion container 10 is opened, the contents are discharged from the discharge port 11, and transferred to the pot 1. The empty immersion container 10 is returned to the rice weighing portion A1 by the return conveyor 80. During this time, the inner surface of the immersion container 10 is washed with water by a cleaning portion (not shown).
[0028]
Fourth, the heating unit 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. First, a box-like support frame 2a for supporting the hook 1 via a flange is provided, and a nonmagnetic frame surrounding the side and bottom surfaces of the hook 1 in the support frame 2a. A body 2b is provided. Further, a plurality of heating coils 2c for generating heat from the hook 1 are attached to the outer surface of the non-magnetic frame 2b. When a high frequency current is passed through each of the heating coils 2c, the magnetic field changes and passes through the hook 1. When the magnetic field changes and an eddy current is generated in the hook 1, the hook 1 is configured to generate heat.
[0029]
As a sensor, a temperature sensor 2d for detecting the bottom surface temperature of the hook 1 is attached so as to penetrate the bottom surface of the nonmagnetic frame 2b and come into contact with the center of the bottom surface of the hook 1, and detects the steam temperature ejected from the steam port 1c. A steam sensor 2e is provided. Furthermore, a plurality of inverters 2f for supplying a high-frequency current to each heating coil 2c and a control unit 2g for controlling the plurality of inverters 2f are provided.
[0030]
Explaining about the pot conveying arrangement part 4 that conveys and arranges each pot 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of horizontal rails 4a extending in the longitudinal direction above both sides of a plurality of rice cooking units 2 arranged in a row. , 4a, a traveling body 4b traveling on the rails 4a, 4a, and a hook lifting member 4c suspended from the traveling body 4b. The hook 1 is lifted by the pot lifting member 4c, and the traveling body 4b is moved. Accordingly, the upper part of the high-frequency induction heating portion 3 is conveyed in the horizontal direction and is arranged in the heating unit 2.
[0031]
The control of each heating unit 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. Each heating unit 2 is provided with a program memory 2 h in which a plurality of types of heating curves are written in advance. When a heating curve selection and a rice cooking start signal to each heating coil 2c are sent to the control unit 2g of each heating unit 2 via the interface 2k by a communication cable, each inverter 2f is controlled along the selected heating curve. It is configured to be.
[0032]
Thus, since the to-be-heated material in each pot 1 is heated based on the electric power determined along the different optimal heating curve, various kinds of rice cooking becomes possible. In addition, when distributed control is performed by each control unit 2g, the burden on the central control unit 5 is remarkably reduced, the fixed cost of the central control unit 5 is reduced, and the controllability is improved.
[0033]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the steaming portion A6 is provided with a conveying means common to the immersion rack 20, and is also controlled by the central control unit 5 to arbitrarily carry in / out each of the plurality of pots 1. And can be arranged in a three-dimensional manner. Moreover, the central control part 5 is comprised so that not only the immersion rack 20 and the rice cooking part A5 can be controlled, but also other parts can be controlled and the whole rice cooking apparatus can be automatically controlled.
[0034]
The operation will be described. Rice and water are supplied and weighed and injected into each of the water-impermeable immersing containers 10 in the rice weighing part A1 and the water weighing part A2, respectively. Etc. Next, the immersion container 10 is conveyed to the immersion rack 20 by the forward conveyor 80 and the horizontal traveling body LH with a lift.
[0035]
Here, the rice is immersed in water and held at an appropriate temperature (for example, 5 ° C.) by the temperature holding means 40 and is allowed to stand for an appropriate time (for example, about 120 minutes). Is impregnated with water at a rate corresponding to the temperature, and swells. During this time (on the forward conveyor 80 in the figure), the immersing container identification symbol R written on the outer surface of each immersing container 10 is identified by the identifying means P, and the data about the contents are also stored in the central control unit 5. Sent to.
[0036]
The non-permeable immersing container 10 that has been immersed is transported by the horizontal traveling body LH with a lift to the entrance of the immersion rack 20 and above the conveyor 80 that conveys the pot 1 to the rice cooking portion A5. Here, the valve 12 of the immersion container 10 is opened, the contents are discharged from the discharge port 11, and transferred to the pot 1. If necessary, seasoning with seasonings and addition of vegetables and other ingredients are performed at the seasoning / ingredient input portion A4. All of the above operations are controlled by the central control unit 5.
[0037]
The dip container 10 that has been emptied is returned to the rice weighing portion A1 by the return conveyor 80. During this time, the inner surface of the immersion container 10 is washed with water by a cleaner not shown.
[0038]
Since it is configured as described above, first, the following effects are exhibited. In other words, a plurality of inexpensive non-permeable immersing containers 10 having the same or substantially the same volume as the kettle 1 are provided separately from the kettle 1, and the kettle 1 needs a longer time than rice cooking for water impregnation with rice. Since it is used only for cooking rice, it will be used only for cooking rice, so the rate of repeated use of cooking pot 1 for cooking will increase, and the amount of expensive cooking pot 1 that must be prepared, that is, the expense for the total number of cooking pots 1 Is drastically reduced. In addition, the immersion container 10 has a remarkably low degree of harshness in use as compared with the pot 1, and can be manufactured at a low cost.
[0039]
Moreover, since the immersion container 10 is transported between the immersion rack 20 and each pot 1 by at least one transfer device 30 and the contents of the immersion container 10 are transferred to the pot 1, compared with the pot immersion method. In addition, since at least a transporting process of the immersion container 10, a process of transferring contents, and a cleaning process of the immersion container 1 are added, it becomes complicated accordingly. However, the difference is small, and the tracking of the movement of the contents of the immersion container 20 is ensured by the central control unit 5, so that the operation is smoothly performed without any trouble. The above effect is basically the same depending on the type of heat source of the rice cooking portion A5 and the state of the pot during heating (moving type, stationary type).
[0040]
Next, the pot 1 is conveyed by the conveyor 80 to the entrance of the rice cooking portion A5. Here, the traveling body 4b of the pot conveying arrangement portion 4 is guided by the rails 4a and 4a and horizontally moved to the entrance side of the rice cooking portion A5, and the pot lifting member 4c is lowered to lift the pot 1. The hook 1 lifted by the hook lifting member 4c is moved along the heating unit 2 along with the traveling body 4b, and is conveyed to and disposed at any heating unit 2 where the hook 1 is not arranged.
[0041]
When the hook 1 is disposed in the heating unit 2, as will be described later, a high-frequency current is applied to the heating unit 2 under the control of the central control unit 5, and the magnetic field passing through the hook 1 changes. Due to the change in the magnetic field, an eddy current is generated in the pot 1, the pot 1 generates heat, and the contents such as rice and water inside are heated and cooked by the heat.
[0042]
At this time, when a signal for selecting a heating curve and heating start to each heating coil 2c is sent from the central control unit 5 to the control unit 2g of each heating unit 2 via the interface 2k via a communication cable, the signal is written in the program memory 2h in advance. An optimum heating curve is selected from the plurality of types of heating curves. Each inverter 2f is controlled along the selected heating curve.
[0043]
Explaining the heating curve, several types of heating curves are prepared in advance according to the type of rice, the amount of water, the type of cooked rice, etc., and sensors that determine when to change the power value for each heating curve. Detection values 2d and 2e are set. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, for normal cooked rice, an energization schedule for each heating coil 2c is set as follows for the heating curve of the contents of the pot 1 based on the result of the preliminary test. .
[0044]
That is, a little less electric power is supplied in the initial stage (initially choro-choro time), but when the detected value of the bottom surface temperature sensor 2d reaches 80 ° C., high electric power is supplied (medium pappa time). When the steam blows out vigorously and the steam sensor 2e reaches 70 ° C., the electric power is lowered a little (a time when a fire is caught at a place called gulp). Further, when there is no more fluid to flow and the temperature of the bottom surface of the pot 1 rises rapidly and reaches about 140 ° C., the energization is stopped.
[0045]
As shown in FIG. 7, for example, for a normal bowl, an energization schedule for each heating coil 2 c is set for the heating curve of the contents of the pot 1 as follows based on the result of the preliminary test. Yes. That is, a little less power is initially supplied, but when the detection value of the bottom surface temperature sensor 2d reaches 90 ° C., high power is supplied. When the steam blows out vigorously and the steam sensor 2e reaches 70 ° C., the electric power is lowered, and energization is stopped after a predetermined time has elapsed.
[0046]
When the processing in the rice cooking portion A5 for each pot 1 is completed, the central control unit 5 controls the traveling body 4b to move to the position of the pot 1, the pot lifting member 4c is lowered, and the pot 1 is lifted. Carry to the exit of the rice cooking part A5. The pot 1 transported to the exit of the rice cooking portion A5 is transported to the steaming portion A6, and while the rice is left standing for a while, the cooked rice inside is steamed and then sent to the loosening / replacement portion A7 where it is stirred and loosened. , Transferred to a transport container. Further, the emptied pot 1 is sent to the washing portion A8 of the pot, cleaned, and made to wait for the next cooking rice. Each pot 1 is usually carried on a conveyor (not shown) such as a chain except for the rice cooking portion A5.
[0047]
In cooking rice, the optimum soaking temperature and time are selected for each pot 1 with different cooking conditions such as the type of rice, the amount of water, the type of cooked rice, etc., and the water impregnation rate changes accordingly. The optimal swelling state that gives the desired stickiness, hardness and taste of cooked rice can be obtained. For example, rice that has been soaked for about 2 hours at a temperature of 5 ° C. is sticky and delicious rice is obtained, and the amount of water evaporated when reheated once in a microwave oven is low Properties close to that of cooked rice are maintained.
[0048]
As a result of the survey, the amount of water impregnated in rice and the properties of rice (taste, stickiness, hardness, etc.) generally change depending on the combination of temperature and time during immersion. That is, when the temperature at the time of immersion is low, the water impregnation rate of rice is small, but in any case, when the amount of saturated impregnation water of rice reaches a substantially constant level, it does not increase further. Moreover, the cooked rice becomes soft as the amount of impregnated water increases. Although it varies depending on the rice soaking time, the lower the temperature during soaking, the smaller the degree of swelling and the greater the stickiness of the obtained cooked rice. And the taste of cooked rice changes with the hardness (or softness) and stickiness of cooked rice. Therefore, if the above relations are examined in advance for each brand, an appropriate immersion temperature and time may be selected according to the properties required for cooked rice.
[0049]
Next, an optimal heating curve is selected, and each pot 1 is placed in the forward cooking rice unit 2, and the electric power is sequentially changed along the optimal heating curve according to the conditions, and the cooked rice is cooked. For this reason, the entire apparatus including the rice cooking portion A5 has less waiting time and vacancy, and the operation rate and production amount are increased, so that a small amount of cooked rice can be produced efficiently and economically. Needless to say, efficient and economical production of small and large amounts of cooked rice is also possible.
[0050]
In addition, even if it stops due to a power failure or the like on the way, if it is easy to restart and the stop time is short, a slight correction is applied to the heating curve, so there is almost no problem and good quality cooked rice can be obtained. Manufactured. Even in the case of a power outage for a long time to the extent that it is difficult or impossible to manufacture good quality cooked rice, after restarting power transmission, correction according to the time of the power outage is added and each kettle 1 is reheated and cooked. In this case, an error code is attached to each pot 1 and recorded, and the obtained cooked rice is subjected to appropriate measures such as disposal and conversion to feed.
[0051]
In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, direct control by the centralized control unit 5 is also possible without using the control unit 2g provided for each heating unit 2. In this case, the program memo is provided in the central control unit 5.
[0052]
In addition, if a removable storage medium or the like to which a plurality of types of heating curves are input in advance is prepared, the heating curve is written to the central control unit 5 or the program memory of each rice cooking unit 2 via the storage medium. It is. Therefore, the input of the heating curve is further facilitated, and the on-site operation is remarkably facilitated.
[0053]
In addition, the fact that electricity is used as the heat source has no danger of poisoning / explosion due to gas leakage as in the conventional example, is safe, and the structure of the rice cooking portion A5 is simplified. A facility for exhausting the combustion gas is also unnecessary, and its operation and maintenance becomes extremely easy.
[0054]
Next, the rice cooker provided with the sieve 50 will be described with reference to FIG. An inclined sieve 10 is provided between the entrance of the immersion rack 20 and the conveyor 80 that conveys the kettle 1 to the rice cooking portion A5. Under the sieve 10, a funnel that receives and discharges water falling from the sieve 10 is discharged. A shaped hopper 55 is provided. A water washing nozzle 56 is provided above the sieve 10. The sieve 10 may be mechanically lightly rocked to prevent the water-impregnated rice from adhering to the sieve 10 and to facilitate its movement and separation from water. A cylindrical trommel may be used instead of the inclined sieve 10.
[0055]
As a result, the water-impregnated rice is separated from the non-impregnated water, rice bran, and other deposits by the sieve 50 and sent to the kettle 1, and thereafter, a necessary amount of fresh water is added thereto by means not shown. As a result, the bottom of the kettle is difficult to burn when cooking rice, and the obtained rice is also not tasty and delicious.
[0056]
In addition, the sieve 50 may be attached to each immersion container 10. Some examples are shown in FIGS. In FIG. 9, a substantially 50 shaped sieve 50 is inserted into the immersion container 10, and the sieve 10 acts together with the immersion container 10 until immediately before the contents are transferred to the pot 1. (A). Next, when the sieve 50 is extracted from the immersion container 10 together with the contents, water and precipitate are separated, and only the water-impregnated rice remains in the sieve 10 (b). Furthermore, if the sieve 50 is moved above the hook 1 and reversed, only the remaining water-impregnated rice is transferred to the pot 1 (c).
[0057]
FIG. 10 shows a case in which one side of the immersion container 10 perpendicular to the document is extended and a sieve 10 having an arcuate cross section is coupled to the immersion container 10, and is rotated around an axis perpendicular to the document. It is configured to be movable, and during conveyance and immersion (a), the sieve 10 is held so as to be positioned upward, but when the contents are transferred, first, the sieve 50 is rotated so that it is positioned below. Then, water and precipitate are separated (b). Thereafter, when the opening is turned downward, only the remaining water-impregnated rice is transferred to the pot 1 (c).
[0058]
【The invention's effect】
According to the invention described in claim 1, the repetitive utilization rate of the pot 1 for cooking rice increases, and the cost for the number of expensive pots 1 to be prepared, that is, the total number of pots 1 is drastically reduced.
[0059]
According to the invention of claim 2, the same effect as that of the invention of claim 1 is obtained, and at least the transporting process of the immersion container 10, the transferring process of the contents, and the immersion container 1 are compared with the pot immersion method. However, the difference from the pot immersion method is small, and the movement of the contents of the immersion container 20 can be traced by the central control unit 5. Therefore, the operation is smoothly performed without any trouble.
[0060]
Further, for example, in the weighing process, when the identification means P identifies the immersion container identification symbol R of the immersion container 10, this is transferred to the central control unit 5 together with the data about the contents of the immersion container 10. After that, the central control unit 5 tracks all the movements of the contents, such as the transfer to the pot 1 and the arrangement to the heating unit 2, and the optimum heating curve is selected for the heating unit 2, for example. As well as being performed, the operation of the whole process is proceeding smoothly without any confusion.
[0061]
According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the soaking temperature can be maintained at a desired low temperature, for example, 5 ° C., for example, rice soaked at a temperature of 5 ° C. for about 2 hours. , The sticky and delicious rice can be obtained, and the amount of water evaporated when the cooked rice is reheated with a microwave oven is small, and the properties close to that of cooked rice immediately after cooking are maintained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an entire system of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing the immersion container of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a rice cooking portion of the rice cooking device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing another rice cooking portion of the rice cooking device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of a heating curve applied to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of another heating curve applied to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a sieve applied to the present invention and its operation.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing another sieve applied to the present invention and its operation.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a third sieve applied to the present invention and its operation.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 kettle
1a Flange
1b lid
1c Steam port
2 Heating unit
2a Support frame
2b Non-magnetic frame
2c Heating coil
2d temperature sensor
2e Steam sensor
2f inverter
2g control unit
2h Program memory
2k interface
4 Pot conveyor placement section
4a rail
4b traveling body
4c Hoist lifting member
5 Central control unit
10 Immersion container
11 Discharge port
12 Valve
20 Immersion rack
30 Transport device
40 Low temperature holding means
50 sieve
55 Hopper
56 nozzles
80 conveyor
A1 rice weighing part
A2 Water metering part
A4 Seasoning and ingredients input part
A5 Cooking rice part
A6 Steamed part
A7 loosening, transfer part
A8 Washing part of the hook
Horizontal running body with LH lift
P identification means
R Identification symbol

Claims (3)

A rice cooker for producing cooked rice by heating at least water-impregnated rice and non-impregnated water immersed in water for a predetermined time and held in a plurality of metal kettles. Separately from the kettle (1), a plurality of water-impermeable soaking containers (10) having the same volume or substantially the same volume as the kettle (1) are immersed in water for a predetermined time and the rice is impregnated with water. The contents of the immersion container 10 composed of at least water-impregnated rice are configured to be transferable from each immersion container (10) to the corresponding kettle (1) prior to cooking. Rice cooker. A plurality of heating units (2) for heating each of the plurality of hooks (1), a pot conveying arrangement portion (4) for conveying and arranging the respective pots (1) to each heating unit (2), immersed in water, A dipping rack (20) for placing a plurality of water-impermeable dipping containers (10) different from the plurality of kettles (1) in which water is impregnated, and conveying each dipping container (10), Including at least one transfer device (30) for transferring at least water-impregnated rice among the contents to each kettle (1), and tracking the movement of the contents of each immersion container (10), A central control unit (5) for controlling the entire apparatus is provided, and the volume of each immersion container (10) is equal to or substantially equal to that of one pot (1), and is identified on the outer surface of each immersion container (10). An immersion container identification symbol (R) that can be identified by means (P) is described. Rice cooking system, characterized in that there. It is provided with temperature holding means (40) for holding rice and water in each of the immersion containers (10) at a desired low temperature, for example, 5 ° C. at least during the immersion period, regardless of the temperature. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2.

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