JP6880444B2 - Rice washing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rice washing device.

In hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, and other kitchens, automatic rice washing equipment is used to efficiently cook a large amount of rice with stable quality.
Conventional automatic rice washing devices include a rice storage, a rice weighing unit, a rice washing container for washing rice, a stirring mechanism for stirring rice in the rice washing container, and a rice discharging mechanism for discharging rice from the rice washing container to the rice cooker inner pot. It is known that a series of rice washing steps is automatically executed according to a program (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
This automatic rice washing device changes the execution conditions of rice washing in order to properly wash various types of rice according to a wide variety of dishes and forms of serving dishes, and controls the rice washing according to the execution conditions. Was going.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-238434

The above-mentioned conventional rice washing device automatically transfers the rice stored in the rice storage to wash the rice, so that efficient work can be performed, but a certain type of rice stored in the rice storage is possible. Only rice could be washed, and in order to wash different types of rice, the rice in the rice storage had to be replaced, which was very complicated.
For this reason, even when it becomes necessary to wash different types of rice, it is practically difficult to deal with it.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rice washing device capable of washing a plurality of types of rice.

The invention according to claim 1 is used in a rice washing device.
A rice storage that stores rice for washing rice,
A rice washing container for washing rice inside and
A stirring mechanism for rotating the stirring member provided in the rice washing container, and
The discharge mechanism for discharging the rice in the rice washing container and
Equipped with a control device that controls the rice washing operation
In the rice washing container
In addition to the rice supply port for supplying rice from the rice storage, an interrupted rice supply port for supplying rice from the outside of the rice washing container is provided.
The control device is characterized in that when rice is supplied to the rice washing container from the interrupted rice feeding port, the rice is washed without supplying the rice from the rice storage.

The invention according to claim 2 is the rice washing apparatus according to claim 1.
The control device is
It is characterized in that the rice washing operation control at the time of supplying rice from the rice storage and the rice washing operation control at the time of supplying rice from the interrupted rice feeding port are executed based on different rice washing operation conditions.

The invention according to claim 3 is the rice washing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.
It is characterized by including a setting input unit for arbitrarily setting the rice washing operation conditions of the rice washing operation control executed by the control device.

The invention according to claim 4 is the rice washing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
It is removable from the interrupted rice feeding port, and is characterized by having a guide for pouring rice into the interrupted rice feeding port from the outside.

The invention according to claim 5 is the rice washing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
It is characterized by including a lid member capable of opening and closing the interrupted rice feeding port.

In the present invention, the rice washing container is provided with an interrupted rice feeding port for supplying rice from the outside, and the control device supplies rice from the rice storage when rice is supplied to the rice washing container from the interrupting rice feeding port. Controls the execution of rice washing without performing.
For this reason, even if the rice in the rice storage is normally washed, if the rice is put in from the interrupted rice supply port, the rice is not supplied from the rice storage side and the rice is interrupted. It is possible to properly wash the rice from the rice mouth.
Therefore, even if it is desired to wash rice that is different in type from the rice stored in the rice storage, it is possible to easily handle the situation without replacing the rice in the rice storage.

It is a vertical sectional view which shows the whole of the rice washing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the cylindrical part of a rice washing container. It is sectional drawing along the VV line in FIG. 1 of the rice washing container. It is a side view of the rice washing container when the rice is supplied from the interrupted rice supply port. It is sectional drawing along the WW line in FIG. 3 of the rice washing container. It is a block diagram which shows the control system of a rice washing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the rice washing operation control which the CPU of a control device executes according to a program. It is a flowchart which shows the cleaning control which the CPU of a control device executes according to a program. It is a front view which shows the whole of the rice washing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the rice washing device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the entire rice washing device 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, the rice washing device 1 includes a frame 10 for supporting the overall configuration, a rice washing container 20 for washing rice inside, and a jet water supply mechanism 30 for supplying water into the rice washing container 20 (see FIG. 5). A stirring mechanism 40 for rotating the stirring members 42 to 44 provided in the rice washing container 20, a discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50 as a discharge mechanism for opening and closing the discharge port 21 of the rice washing container 20, and a rice washing container 20 to be described later. A rice feeding mechanism 70 having a shutter mechanism 60 for opening and closing the rice feeding port 22 and a rice storage 71 for storing rice for washing rice, a rice cooker 90 for receiving and cooking rice after washing, and a series of rice washing operations. It is provided with a control device 100 (see FIG. 6) that controls the above.

In addition, in FIG. 1, the rice washing device 1 is in a state where its front portion is directed to the front of the paper surface, and in the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, the left side in FIG. 1 is the “left” side of the device, and the right side is “right”. The "upper" side, the upper side is the "upper" side, the lower side is the "lower" side, the front side of the paper surface in FIG. 1 is the "front" side, and the back side of the paper surface is the "rear" side.

[flame]
The frame 10 has a base 11 located at the bottom, two columns 12 erected from the rear ends on both left and right sides of the base 11, and a rectangular housing fixedly supported on the front side of the upper portion of the two columns 12. It is mainly composed of a body part 13.
The base 11 is provided with a slide plate 14 that can slide back and forth, and the rice cooker 90 is placed and supported on the slide plate 14.
Further, the housing portion 13 has a hollow inside, and the rice feeding mechanism 70 is stored and held in the upper part inside the housing portion 13. Further, the bottom plate of the housing portion 13 is shared with the top plate 23 of the rice washing container 20, and in the space between the rice supply mechanism 70 and the bottom plate, there is a stirring mechanism 40, an outlet opening / closing mechanism 50, and a shutter mechanism 60. A part of the configuration such as is stored.
Although not shown, the front surface of the housing 13 is equipped with a circuit board of the control device 100, an operation panel 105, and the like.

[rice cooker]
The rice cooker 90 includes an inner pot 91 that cooks rice internally, a heating unit 92 that stores and heats the inner pot 91, and a lid of the inner pot 91 (not shown), which is arranged directly under the rice washing container 20. Will be done.
The inner pot 91 is a pot-shaped heat-resistant container with a wide open upper portion, and has a heat insulating structure with a double wall surface.
The lid of the inner pot 91 has a disk shape that closes the open portion at the upper part of the inner pot 91, and a handle is provided at the center of the upper surface thereof. When cooking rice, the upper open portion of the inner pot 91 can be closed to seal the inside, and the inside of the inner pot 91 can be maintained at a constant pressure.
This lid may be opened and closed manually by holding a handle, but an arm mechanism for locking or gripping the handle is provided on the upper side of the rice cooker 90 in the frame 10, and the lid is opened and closed under the control of the control device 100. May be configured to automatically perform.
Further, the heating unit 92 of the rice cooker 90 has a structure in which the inner pot 91 is stored to heat the bottom portion, and the heat source thereof may be either combustion of flammable gas or electric power.

[Rice Supply Organization]
The rice supply mechanism 70 is mainly composed of a rice storage 71 and a measuring unit 74 that supplies a fixed amount of rice from the rice storage 71 to the rice washing container 20.
The rice storage 71 is a hollow container capable of storing rice, and its bottom 72 is composed of an inclined surface that concentrates the rice in one place by gravity. The rice concentration point at the bottom 72 of the rice storage 71 is connected to the outlet pipe 73 extending downward.

The measuring unit 74 is rotatably supported by a bulging portion 75 having a circular bulge in the front view formed in the middle portion of the lead-out pipe 73 and around the axis along the front-rear direction in the bulging portion 75. The measuring container 76 is provided, a measuring motor 77 (see FIG. 6) as a driving source for rotating the measuring container 76, and a transmission mechanism (not shown) for transmitting the torque of the measuring motor 77 to the measuring container.

The measuring container 76 is a cylindrical hollow container that is in sliding contact with the inner surface of the bulging portion 75 with almost no gap, and a part of the peripheral wall thereof is cut out to form an opening. Then, when the opening of the measuring container 76 faces upward under the control of the measuring motor 77, a certain amount of rice in the rice storage 71 flows in according to the volume of the measuring container 76, and the measuring container is controlled by the measuring motor 77. When the opening of 76 faces downward, the rice in the measuring container 76 is put into the rice washing container 20 through the outlet pipe 73.
With the above structure, the measuring unit 74 can supply a specified amount of rice into the rice washing container 20.

[Rice washing container]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cylindrical portion 24 of the rice washing container 20, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a side view of the rice washing apparatus 1.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rice washing container 20 includes a cylindrical portion 24 located at the upper portion, an inverted truncated cone-shaped conical portion 25 located at the lower portion, and a top plate 23 that closes the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 24. (The bottom plate of the housing portion 13 described above) is provided, and the cylindrical portion 24 and the conical portion 25 are integrally formed.
The cylindrical portion 24 has a constant outer diameter and inner diameter along the vertical direction.
The outer diameter and inner diameter of the upper end portion of the conical portion 25 coincide with the outer diameter and inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 24, and the diameter of the conical portion 25 is reduced as it goes downward.
As a result, the rice washing container 20 has a rotating body shape around the central axis along the vertical direction.

The cylindrical portion 24 and the top plate 23 are separable.
A flange portion 241 projecting outward is formed on the upper edge portion of the cylindrical portion 24, and the flange portion 241 is held by a plurality of holding members 231 on the top plate 23.
An elongated hole is formed in the holding member 231, and the holding member 231 is fastened and mounted on the top plate 23 by a bolt (not shown) inserted into the elongated hole. When this bolt is loosened, the holding member 231 can be moved along the elongated hole, and by moving it to the outside of the flange portion 241, the cylindrical portion 24 and the top plate 23 can be separated. Further, the holding member 231 is moved inward in the radial direction of the flange portion 241 along the elongated hole, the flange portion 241 is sandwiched between the holding member 231 and the top plate 23, and the bolt is fastened to form a cylinder. The portion 24 and the top plate 23 can be connected.
The upper surface of the flange portion 241 of the cylindrical portion 24 is equipped with a packing (not shown), and when the cylindrical portion 24 and the top plate 23 are connected to each other, the packing can make the spaces watertight.
Since the cylindrical portion 24 and the top plate 23 can be separated in this way, it is possible to easily wash the rice washing container, which was difficult in the past, and to wash every corner of the inside.

An interrupt rice feeding port 243 having a rectangular frame leading to the inside thereof is formed on the front side of the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 24, and the interrupting rice feeding port 243 opens and closes as a lid member made of a transparent material. The door 242 is equipped. One end of the opening / closing door 242 is rotatably supported on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 24 by a hinge, and the opening / closing door 242 can be opened / closed by rotation. Further, a hook for keeping the opening / closing door 242 in a closed state is provided at the other end of the opening / closing door 242.
The opening / closing door 242 is also equipped with a packing (not shown), and when the opening / closing door 242 is closed, the interrupt rice supply port 243 can be made watertight.

As shown in FIG. 4, the interrupted rice feeding port 243 is a rice feeding port provided separately from the rice feeding port 22 that supplies rice from the rice feeding mechanism 70 to the rice washing container 20, and the hand is provided from the interrupted rice feeding port 243. Rice can be supplied into the rice washing container 20 by work or by using an external rice supply device.
The interrupted rice feeding port 243 can be equipped with a rice input shooter 27 as a guide for pouring rice into the interrupted rice feeding port 243 from the outside.

The rice input shooter 27 is a bottom plate 271 that is inclined downward toward the interrupted rice feeding port 243 when attached to the interrupted rice feeding port 243, and a pair of rice input shooters raised from the side edges on both sides of the bottom plate 271. It includes a side plate 272 and a top plate 273 that connects the upper ends of the pair of side plates 272.
The bottom plate 271, the pair of side plates 272, and the top plate 273 are integrally connected, and one end portion inserted into the interrupt rice feeding port 243 has a rectangular opening.
Further, the other end portion has a structure in which the top plate 273 is largely removed to the one end portion side and is widely opened upward so that rice can be easily poured.

Further, the rice throwing shooter 27 includes a contact piece 274 provided at the insertion side end of the bottom plate 271 and a locking piece 275 provided at the insertion side end of the top plate 273.
The contact piece 274 is formed so as to abut on the outer lower end of the rectangular frame portion 243a from the outside of the rice washing container 20, and the locking piece 275 is formed on the inner upper end of the frame portion 243a on the inside of the rice washing container 20. It is formed so as to abut from.

The rice throwing shooter 27 inserts the locking piece 275 into the interrupting rice feeding port 243 with the end on the insertion side tilted downward, and returns the locked piece 275 to the horizontal state shown in FIG. 4 from the tilted state. The stop piece 275 is brought into contact with the inner upper end portion of the frame portion 243a.
On the other hand, when the rice throwing shooter 27 is returned to the horizontal state, the contact piece 274 comes into contact with the outer lower end portion of the frame portion 243a.
As a result, the rice input shooter 27 is in a state of being fixedly supported at two points with respect to the interrupt rice feeding port 243, and when rice is poured from the outer end portion onto the upper surface of the bottom plate 271, the bottom plate 271 slides down and interrupts. It is put into the rice washing container 20 from the rice supply port 243.
Further, in order to remove the rice throwing shooter 27 from the interrupted rice feeding port 243, the end on the insertion side is tilted downward again, and the locking piece 275 is lowered downward, so that the rice throwing shooter remains in the same posture. 27 can be pulled out.

As shown in FIG. 1, a drainage wire mesh 26 made of an inverted truncated cone-shaped perforated plate having a large number of water passage holes is connected and equipped at the lower end of the conical portion 25 of the rice washing container 20. The lower end of the drainage wire mesh 26 is circularly open.
A drainage jacket 51 (described later) of the discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50 is equipped around the drainage wire mesh 26 so as to surround the drainage wire mesh 26, and drainage after washing rice is performed from the drainage wire mesh 26 through the drainage jacket 51. It is said.
Further, on the bottom of the drainage jacket 51, a discharge port 21 for discharging the rice after washing and the water for cooking rice is formed.

The top plate 23 is formed with a through hole 232 through which the rotating shaft 41 (described later) of the stirring mechanism 40 passes at a position centered on the rice washing container 20. A bearing and packing (not shown) are interposed between the through hole 232 and the rotating shaft 41 to prevent moisture from entering the upper side of the top plate 23.
Further, around the through hole 232 on the lower surface side of the top plate 23, three injection nozzles 31 (described later) of the injection water supply mechanism 30 are arranged radially at uniform angular intervals.
Further, a rice feeding port 22 penetrating vertically is formed at a position of the top plate 23 directly below the outlet pipe 73 of the rice feeding mechanism 70, and the rice washing container 20 is formed from the rice feeding mechanism 70 through the rice feeding port 22. Rice is supplied inside.

[Stirring mechanism]
As shown in FIG. 1, the stirring mechanism 40 has a hollow rotating shaft 41 that penetrates the center of the top plate 23 of the rice washing container 20 and is rotatably supported via a bearing and packing (not shown), and the rotating shaft 41. The stirring members 42 to 44 are radially fixedly mounted at the lower end portion of the above, and the driving unit 45 for rotating the stirring members 42 to 44 via the rotating shaft 41 is provided.

The lower end of the rotating shaft 41 is located in the internal space of the rice washing container 20, and the upper end extends above the top plate 23. Since the top plate 23 is supported via packing, watertightness between the top and bottom of the top plate 23 is maintained.

The stirring members 42 to 44 are arranged at uniform angular intervals in the circumferential direction around the rotation shaft 41. Each of the stirring members 42 to 44 extends outward in the radial direction from the rotation shaft 41 and is bent vertically downward from the middle, and the bent lower portion is on the inner peripheral surface of the conical portion 25 of the rice washing container 20. As it approaches, it bends in the direction of inclination so as to follow the inclination of the inner peripheral surface. Further, each of the stirring members 42 to 44 has a different length of an inclined portion that follows the inner peripheral surface of the conical portion 25, and also has a different height of the lower end portion thereof. The lower end of at least one of the stirring members 42 to 44 extends to the vicinity of the bottom of the rice washing container 20 (the lower end of the drainage wire mesh 26).
The number of the stirring members 42 to 44 (one is not shown) is not limited to four, and may be increased or decreased.

The drive unit 45 includes a stirring motor 451 (see FIG. 6) that is a driving source of the rotating shaft 41, and a well-known transmission mechanism that transmits the torque of the stirring motor 451 to the upper end of the rotating shaft 41. As the transmission mechanism, a chain mechanism, a gear mechanism, or the like is suitable.

[Discharge port opening / closing mechanism]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50 is connected to the drainage jacket 51 provided around the drainage wire net 26 located at the lower end of the rice washing container 20 and the drainage jacket 51 via the drainage pipe 52. The lower drainage box 53, the upper drainage box 54 that communicates with the internal space of the rice washing container 20 at a predetermined height, the connection pipe 55 that connects the upper drainage box 54 and the lower drainage box 53, and the lower drainage box 53. The drainage motor 56 (see FIG. 6) that opens and closes the on-off valve provided at the entrance of the drainage pipe 52, the on-off plug 57 that opens and closes the discharge port 21 of the rice washing container 20, and the on-off plug 57 transmit the opening / closing operation. A support rod 58 is provided, and a drive unit 59 that gives an opening / closing operation to the opening / closing plug 57 is provided.

The drainage jacket 51 includes a peripheral wall portion and a bottom surface portion that surround the drainage wire mesh 26, and is watertightly connected to the lower end portion of the conical portion 25 of the rice washing container 20.
A drainage port 21 is formed in the center of the bottom surface of the drainage jacket 51, and the opening / closing plug 57 can be closed at the drainage port 21 via a packing (not shown).
From the drainage jacket 51, unnecessary rice washing water after washing rice and washing water of the rice washing container 20 are drained to the lower drainage box 53 through the drain pipe 52, and the rice washing and rice cooking water after washing is discharged from the rice cooker 90 through the discharge port 21. Discharge to the inner pot 91.

When water is injected into the rice washing container 20 to a height exceeding a predetermined height, the water overflowing due to the overflow flows into the upper drainage box 54 and is sent to the lower drainage box 53 via the connecting pipe 55.
The lower drainage box 53 is a natural drainage, and the water in the drainage jacket 51 and the upper drainage box 54 is drawn into the lower drainage box 53 by its own weight. Further, a hose 532 for draining water to the outside of the rice washing device 1 is connected to the bottom of the lower drain box 53, and all the water in the lower drain box 53 can be drained to the outside of the device by the hose 532.

The opening / closing plug 57 has a truncated cone shape that can be fitted into the lower end of the drainage wire mesh 26 and the discharge port 21 of the drainage jacket 51 from below, and the support rod 58 is supported with the lower end of the support rod 58 inserted in the center thereof. It is supported by a rod 58.
The support rod 58 is supported so as to be vertically movable while penetrating the center of the hollow rotating shaft 41 of the stirring mechanism 40 described above. A packing (not shown) is also provided between the support rod 58 and the rotating shaft 41 to ensure watertightness between the support rods 58 and the rotating shaft 41.

The upper end portion of the support rod 58 extends above the upper end portion of the rotating shaft 41, and the upper end portion is provided with a pin 581 extending outward in the radial direction, and the drive unit 59 is provided with the pin 581. The opening / closing plug 57 is opened / closed via the above.
The drive unit 59 is not limited as long as it is a mechanism having a drive source for moving the pin 581 up and down. For example, a vertical movement operation may be input to the pin 581 by a motor and a cam mechanism, or a linear actuator. You may input the vertical movement operation to pin 581 with. Here, a case where an opening / closing motor 591 (see FIG. 6) is adopted as a drive source and the pin 581 is moved up and down via a cam mechanism (not shown) will be illustrated.

[Injection water supply mechanism]
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line WW in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the injection water supply mechanism 30 supplies water with three injection nozzles 31 arranged on the lower surface side of the top plate 23 in the rice washing container 20 and a water flow weaker than the injection nozzle 31. One spray nozzle 35, a water supply pipe 32 for supplying purified water to each injection nozzle 31 and each spray nozzle 35, a first electromagnetic valve 33 for switching between supply and stop of purified water to each injection nozzle 31, and each spray. It includes a second electromagnetic valve 36 that switches between supplying and stopping purified water to the nozzle 35, and a flow meter 34 that detects the amount of purified water supplied to each injection nozzle 31 and each spray nozzle 35.

The water supply pipe 32 is arranged on the top plate 23 and branches into a supply path from the purified water supply source to each injection nozzle 31 and a supply path to each spray nozzle 35, and the supply path to each injection nozzle 31 is further extended. On the downstream side, the supply path to the individual spray nozzles 31 is branched, and the supply path to the spray nozzle 35 is also branched to the supply path to the individual spray nozzles 35 on the downstream side.
Further, the end of the water supply pipe 32 penetrates the top plate 23 and is connected to each injection nozzle 31 and each spray nozzle 35. These penetrations are sealed by packing.
The flow meter 34 is provided on the upstream side of the branch position of the supply path to each injection nozzle 31 and the supply path to each spray nozzle 35 in the water supply pipe 32, and the total injection nozzle 31 is based on the flow rate of purified water passing through the water supply pipe 32. Alternatively, the amount of purified water supplied to all the spray nozzles 35 is detected.

The first solenoid valve 33 is on the downstream side (injection nozzle 31 side) of the branch position of the supply path to each injection nozzle 31 and the supply path to each spray nozzle 35 in the water supply pipe 32, and is directed to each injection nozzle 31. It is provided on the upstream side of the branch position, and can switch between supplying and shutting off purified water to all the injection nozzles 31 at the same time.

The second electromagnetic valve 36 is on the downstream side (spray nozzle 35 side) from the branch position of the supply path to each injection nozzle 31 and the supply path to each spray nozzle 35 in the water supply pipe 32, and is to each spray nozzle 35. It is provided on the upstream side of the branch position, and the supply and cutoff of purified water to all the spray nozzles 35 can be switched at the same time.
The water supply pipe 32 is connected to the water pipe via a water purifier (not shown), and purified water is supplied by the water pressure in the water pipe. However, even if a water purification tank is provided and water pressure is applied to supply the water pipe 32. good. Further, tap water may be used directly from the water pipe without providing a water purifier or a water purification tank.

Each injection nozzle 31 is used for cleaning the inside of the rice washing container 20 when the rice is not washed.
Each spray nozzle 35 is used to supply the rice washing water for washing rice, the rice cooking replenishing water described later, and the dipping water for dipping the rice after washing (which becomes the rice cooking water as it is) into the rice washing container 20. To. In addition, each spray nozzle 35 is used for washing water for washing the inside of the rice washing container 20 and water for washing away the remaining rice (water for cooking rice as it is) for draining the remaining rice after discharging the rice into the inner pot 91 of the rice cooker 90 after immersion. Is used when supplying the rice in the rice washing container 20.
That is, the above-mentioned rice washing water, rice cooking replenishing water, washing water, immersion water, and residual rice flushing water are all purified water supplied from the same supply reduction, although their uses are different.

Each injection nozzle 31 diffuses at a constant angle with reference to a constant center line direction to inject purified water. In FIGS. 3 and 5, the center line of the injection of the injection nozzle 31 is indicated by the alternate long and short dash line C, and the injection range due to diffusion is indicated by the dotted line D. The direction of the center line C of the injection nozzle 31 is defined as the injection direction of the injection nozzle 31.
As shown in FIG. 5, each injection nozzle 31 has a horizontal center line C when viewed from a horizontal line of sight, and diffuses vertically in a range of an angle θ to perform injection. Since the injection nozzle 31 injects from the immediate vicinity of the lower surface of the top plate 23, the injection range includes the upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 24 which is the side wall of the rice washing container 20. The center line C may be inclined in a downward direction rather than horizontal as long as it is within the range including the upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 24.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, each injection nozzle 31 is arranged inside the cylindrical portion 24 of the rice washing container 20 and outside the center thereof in a plan view, and is the center line of each injection nozzle 31. The direction C is directed along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 24 as the side wall portion of the rice washing container 20.
Specifically, it is a direction inclined in a direction along the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 24 with respect to the radial direction R of the cylindrical portion 24 which is perpendicular to the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 24. That is, the direction of the center line C of the injection nozzle 31 is directed so as to be inclined by an angle α with respect to the radial direction R (0 ° <α <90 °). The angle α is preferably closer to 90 °. When the direction of the center line C of the injection nozzle 31 is inclined in this way, the injected purified water flows along the circumference of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 24, forming a vortex in the rice washing container 20. Can be done.
In FIG. 3, the injection nozzles 31 are arranged in the rice washing container 20 in a direction that causes a counterclockwise vortex when viewed from below, but all three injection nozzles 31 have the same counterclockwise vortex. It is in the direction of causing it. All of these injection nozzles 31 may be directed clockwise.
Further, the diffusion angle θ of the injection nozzles 31 is set so that the range in which purified water is sprayed by the diffusion of the three injection nozzles 31 does not create a gap around the entire circumference of the cylindrical portion 24 of the rice washing container 20.

As a result, when each injection nozzle 31 sprays cleaning water for cleaning the inside of the rice washing container 20, the inside of the rice washing container 20 extends from the cylindrical portion 24 to the conical portion 25 along the inner peripheral surfaces thereof. Since the washing water flows down while forming a vortex, dirt and residual rice in the container can be efficiently and effectively washed away.
Further, since the range in which purified water is sprayed by the diffusion of the three injection nozzles extends over the entire circumference of the cylindrical portion 24 of the rice washing container 20 and reaches the upper end portion of the cylindrical portion 24, the cylindrical portion 24 and the conical portion It is possible to perform spraying over the entire range of 25 without leakage, and it is possible to effectively reduce the residual dirt in the container after spraying.

Each spray nozzle 35 faces vertically downward, and discharges purified water downward while spreading at a constant angle.

[Shutter mechanism]
The shutter mechanism 60 has a shutter 61 for opening and closing the rice supply port 22 formed on the top plate 23 of the rice washing container 20, and a drive unit 62 for imparting an opening / closing operation to the shutter 61.
The shutter 61 is a shielding plate of a rice feeding port 22 that is slidably supported in a predetermined direction on the lower surface of the top plate 23, and a packing (not shown) is inserted between the shutter 61 and the lower surface of the top plate 23. The watertight structure prevents moisture from entering from the rice feeding port 22 upward.

The drive unit 62 is composed of a linear actuator arranged on the upper surface side of the top plate 23, a shutter opening / closing motor 621 (see FIG. 6), and an operation transmission mechanism that converts the torque of the motor into a linear operation. To torque. The shutter opening / closing motor 621 is arranged so that the operation direction of the motion transmission mechanism that performs the linear motion operation coincides with the opening / closing operation direction of the shutter 61, and the motion transmission mechanism is connected to one end of the shutter 61.
The shutter opening / closing motor 621 is controlled by the control device 100 to open the shutter 61 only when rice is supplied from the rice supply mechanism 70 into the rice washing container 20.

[Control system of rice washing device: Control device]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control system of the rice washing device 1.
As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 100 of the rice washing device 1 has a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 in which a program for controlling the operation of rice washing is stored, and a RAM (Random Access) serving as a work area for arithmetic processing. It includes a Memory) 103, a rewritable non-volatile data memory 104 as a storage means for storing various setting data, and a CPU 101 (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program in the ROM 102.

Further, the CPU 101 includes first and second electromagnetic valves 33 and 36 of the injection water supply mechanism 30, a stirring motor 451 of the stirring mechanism 40, a drain motor 56 of the discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50, an opening / closing motor 591, and a shutter of the shutter mechanism 60. The opening / closing motor 621 and the weighing motor 77 of the rice feeding mechanism 70 are connected via drive circuits 33a, 36a, 451a, 531a, 56a, 591a, 621a, 77a, respectively, and control the operation of these actuators.

Further, the CPU 101 controls the execution of rice cooking by connecting the rice cooker 90 via the interface 92a.
Further, the CPU 101 acquires the amount of purified water injected by the detected injection water supply mechanism 30 by connecting the flow meter 34 of the injection water supply mechanism 30 via the interface 34a.

Further, in the CPU 101, a start switch 106 and an interrupt switch 107 are connected via interfaces 106a and 107a, respectively.
The start switch 106 is a switch that is pressed when the rice washing operation is performed by supplying rice from the rice supply mechanism 70.
When the start switch 106 is pressed, the CPU 101 executes rice washing operation control for normal regular rice.
Further, the interrupt switch 107 is a switch that is pressed when the rice is manually supplied into the rice washing container 20 from the interrupt rice supply port 243, and is provided in the vicinity of the interrupt rice supply port 243, for example, on the entire surface of the housing portion 13. Has been done.
When the interrupt switch 107 is pressed, the CPU 101 executes rice washing operation control peculiar to the interrupted rice supply.

Further, in the CPU 101, an operation panel 105 as a setting input unit is connected via an interface 105a.
The operation panel 105 indicates the rice washing operating conditions (for example, the amount of rice, the type of rice, the amount of water added, the rice washing time, the rice soaking time, the cooking method, the steaming time after cooking, the number of times of continuous automatic operation, etc.). It is equipped with an input unit for inputting settings, a buzzer for notifying the completion of rice cooking, a display unit 105b for displaying various setting contents and progress status, and the like.
As for these rice washing operating conditions, those in which the above series of parameters are defined can be registered in the data memory 104 as a set of condition setting data, and a plurality of condition setting data can be registered.

Further, one of a plurality of condition setting data registered in the data memory 104 can be set as regular rice data suitable for rice stored in the current rice storage 71.
Further, one of a plurality of condition setting data registered in the data memory 104 can be set as interrupted rice data suitable for rice supplied from the interrupted rice feeding port 243. In the case of interrupted rice supply, the rice is not weighed, so the setting of the amount of rice in the condition setting data is ignored.

As a result, if a plurality of condition setting data are selected from the operation panel 105, the CPU 101 executes the rice washing operation control according to the rice washing operation conditions defined in the selected condition setting data, but the condition setting data is selected. If this is not done, the rice washing operation control is executed according to the rice washing operating conditions specified in the regular rice data.
When the interrupt switch 107 is pressed, the CPU 101 executes rice washing operation control according to the rice washing operation conditions defined in the interrupted rice data.

[Operation control of rice washing]
A series of operation control from rice washing to rice cooking of the rice washing device 1 executed by the CPU 101 by the control program will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8.

First, the CPU 101 determines whether or not the start switch 106 is pressed (step S1), and if the start switch 106 is pressed (step S1: YES), determines in advance whether specific condition setting data has been selected. Determine (step S3).
Further, when specific condition setting data is selected (step S3: YES), it is determined to execute the rice washing operation based on the selected condition setting data (step S5), and the process is performed in step S13. Proceed.
If the specific condition setting data is not selected (step S3: NO), it is determined to execute the rice washing operation based on the regular rice data (step S7), and the process proceeds to step S13.

Further, in the above-mentioned determination of whether or not the start switch 106 is pressed, if the start switch 106 is not pressed (step S1: NO), it is determined whether or not the interrupt switch 107 is pressed (step S9).
Then, when the interrupt switch 107 is not pressed (step S9: NO), the process is returned to step S1 to determine whether or not the start switch 106 is pressed again.
If the interrupt switch 107 is pressed (step S9: YES), it is determined to execute the rice washing operation based on the interrupted rice data (step S11), and the process proceeds to step S15.

When the interrupt switch 107 is pressed, the CPU 101 may display an instruction on the display unit 105b of the operation panel 105 to supply rice from the interrupt rice supply port 243. As a result, the worker attaches the rice input shooter 27 to the interrupted rice feeding port 243 and inputs the rice.
Further, when performing interrupt rice washing, the CPU 101 may control to stop the next process until the rice feeding operation is completed and the interrupt switch 107 is pressed again.

When specific condition setting data is selected by the above process (step S5) or when regular rice data is selected (step S7), the CPU 101 is based on the amount of rice defined in the rice washing operating conditions. Rice is weighed (step S13).
That is, the CPU 101 controls the shutter opening / closing motor 621 of the shutter mechanism 60 to move the shutter 61 to the open position and open the rice supply port 22.
Next, the measuring motor 77 of the rice feeding mechanism 70 is driven so that the opening of the measuring container 76 faces upward, and the rice in the rice storage 71 is stored inside. Then, the measuring motor 77 is driven again to direct the opening of the measuring container 76 downward. As a result, a specified amount of rice is supplied to the rice washing container 20.
Then, the supply of the specified amount of rice to the rice washing container 20 is repeatedly executed a plurality of times according to the set amount of the rice to be cooked.
Further, when the supply of the set amount of rice is completed, the CPU 101 controls the shutter opening / closing motor 621 to move the shutter 61 to the closed position and close the rice supply port 22.

On the other hand, when the interrupted rice data is selected (step S11), the target amount of rice is manually input from the interrupted rice feeding port 243, so that the weighing operation is not performed.

Next, the CPU 101 executes injection of washing water for washing rice (step S15). The amount of washing water injected follows the setting of rice washing operating conditions.
Then, the second solenoid valve 36 of the injection water supply mechanism 30 is opened, and the injection of cleaning water from each spray nozzle 35 is started. At the same time, the CPU 101 integrates the detected flow rate of the flow meter 34, and when the target water injection amount is reached, the second solenoid valve 36 is closed to complete the water injection.

Next, the rice washing in the rice washing container 20 is started (step S17).
That is, the CPU 101 starts driving the stirring motor 451 of the stirring mechanism 40, starts counting the rice washing time set in the rice washing operating conditions, and when the rice washing time elapses, stops the stirring motor 451 to wash the rice. finish.

Then, the washing water in the rice washing container 20 is drained (step S19).
That is, the CPU 101 controls the drainage motor 56 of the discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50 to open the on / off valve. As a result, the washing water in the rice washing container 20 is drawn from the drainage jacket 51 into the lower drainage box 53 through the drainage pipe 52, and is drained from the hose 532 to the outside of the device.

Next, water for immersion in the rice washing container 20 is supplied (step S21).
That is, the CPU 101 controls the drainage motor 56 of the discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50 to close the open on / off valve, open the second solenoid valve 36 of the injection water supply mechanism 30, and immerse from each spray nozzle 35. Start water supply. At the same time, the CPU 101 integrates the detected flow rates of the flow meter 34, and when the target water supply amount based on the rice washing operating conditions is reached, the second solenoid valve 36 is closed to complete the water supply.

The immersion water is water for absorbing water in advance before cooking rice, and is used as it is as rice cooking water after immersion for a specified time.
However, not all the appropriate amount of water for cooking rice is supplied as water for immersion, but the minimum amount necessary for immersion is supplied. In this case, all the rice in the rice washing container 20 is the minimum amount necessary to maintain the submerged state even if the water content is reduced due to absorption during immersion.
Since this amount varies depending on the amount and type of rice and the setting of the cooking method, the CPU 101 of the control device 100 automatically sets an appropriate amount according to these parameters defined in the rice washing operating conditions. decide.

Next, the rice in the rice washing container 20 is immersed (step S23).
Since the time required for soaking varies depending on the amount and type of rice and the setting of the cooking method, the CPU 101 automatically sets the appropriate soaking time according to these parameters defined in the rice washing operating conditions. And monitor the progress of the immersion time.

When the soaking time elapses, the rice in the rice washing container 20 is discharged (step S25).
That is, the CPU 101 controls the opening / closing motor 591 of the discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50 to move the opening / closing plug 57 downward to open the discharge port 21.
As a result, the immersion water and rice are discharged from the opened discharge port 21 and put into the inner pot 91 of the rice cooker 90 below.

Then, the second solenoid valve 36 of the injection water supply mechanism 30 is opened, and the replenishing water for cooking rice is injected from each spray nozzle 35 (step S27).
At the time of immersion, the amount of immersion water is set to the minimum amount as described above, so that the amount of water for cooking rice is insufficient. After the rice is discharged from the rice washing container 20 to the rice cooker 90, the residual rice flushing water is sprayed by the spray nozzle 35, and the residual rice flushing water also becomes a part of the rice cooking water. The amount of water supplied is calculated from the following equation.
[Rice-cooking water] = [Immersion water]-[Absorption during immersion] + [Rice-cooking replenishment water] + [Rice drainage water]

Next, the residual rice in the rice washing container 20 is discharged (step S29).
That is, the CPU 101 opens each solenoid valve 36 of the injection water supply mechanism 30 and starts injecting residual rice flushing water from each spray nozzle 35. At the same time, the CPU 101 integrates the detected flow rates of each flow meter 34, totals them, and when the target injection amount is reached, closes each solenoid valve 36 to complete the injection.

As described above, the above-mentioned water for draining residual rice is used as a part of water for cooking rice.
Since the required amount of residual rice flushing water varies depending on the amount of rice and the immersion time, the CPU 101 of the control device 100 calculates an appropriate amount according to these parameters defined in the rice washing operating conditions.

Next, rice is cooked by the rice cooker 90 (step S31).
As described above, when the rice washing device 1 is provided with the arm mechanism, the actuator serving as the driving source of the arm mechanism is controlled to execute the operation of covering the lid with the arm holding the lid of the inner pot 91. When the arm mechanism is not mounted, for example, the display unit 105b provided on the operation panel 105, a buzzer, an indicator lamp, or the like is used to inform the user of the rice washing device 1 of the inner pot 91. Output an instruction to close the lid.
Then, the CPU 101 controls the heating unit 92 of the rice cooker 90 to start cooking rice. Since the time required for cooking rice varies depending on the amount and type of rice and the setting of the cooking method, the CPU 101 determines an appropriate rice cooking time according to these parameters defined in the rice washing operating conditions, and the rice is cooked. Monitor the passage of time.

Then, when the rice cooking time elapses, the CPU 101 stops the heating by the heating unit 92 of the rice cooker 90 and shifts to steaming (step S33).
Since the time required for steaming varies depending on the amount and type of rice and the setting of the cooking method, the CPU 101 determines an appropriate steaming time according to these parameters defined in the rice washing operating conditions, and the steaming is performed. Monitor the passage of time.

As described above, when the rice washing device 1 is provided with the arm mechanism, the actuator serving as the driving source of the arm mechanism is controlled to hold the lid of the inner pot 91, and the arm executes an operation of opening the lid. When the arm mechanism is not mounted, for example, the display unit 105b provided on the operation panel 105, the speaker, the indicator lamp, or the like is used to inform the user of the rice washing device 1 of the inner pot 91. Output an instruction to open the lid.
As a result, a series of operation control of rice washing is completed.

[Technical effect of rice washing equipment]
The rice washing device 1 is an interrupted supply that can be opened to the outside for supplying rice from the outside of the rice washing container 20 separately from the rice supply port 22 for supplying rice from the rice storage 71 to the rice washing container 20. A rice mouth 243 is provided.
Further, the control device 100 controls to execute the rice washing without supplying the rice from the rice storage 71 when the rice is supplied to the rice washing container 20 from the interrupted rice feeding port 243 (FIGS. 7 and 7 described above). The process of proceeding from step S11 to step S15 in the flowchart shown in 8) is performed.
For this reason, even when the rice in the rice storage 71 is normally washed, when the rice is input from the interrupted rice supply port 243, the rice is not supplied from the rice storage 71 side. It is possible to properly wash the rice from the interrupted rice feeding port 243.
As a result, even if it is desired to wash rice of a type different from that of the rice stored in the rice storage 71, it is possible to easily handle the rice without replacing the rice in the rice storage 71.
Further, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of rice storages or prepare a plurality of devices in the device in order to use different types of rice.

Further, the control device 100 executes rice washing operation control at the time of supplying rice from the rice storage 71 according to the rice washing operation conditions defined in the regular rice data or the selected condition setting data, and is performed from the interrupted rice feeding port 243. The rice washing operation control at the time of rice supply is executed based on the interrupted rice data.
For this reason, normally, while it is possible to wash the rice under the conditions suitable for the rice stored in the rice storage 71, the rice of a different type from the rice stored in the rice storage 71 is interrupted from the rice feeding port 243. Even when the rice is thrown in, it is possible to wash the rice under conditions suitable for different types of rice.

Further, since the operation panel 105 for arbitrarily setting the contents of various parameters of the rice washing operation conditions defined in the condition setting data including the regular rice data and the interrupted rice data of the rice washing operation control executed by the control device 100 is provided, the rice is stored. A wide variety of rice can be selected as the rice stored in the storage 71 or the rice input from the interrupted rice feeding port 243, and it is possible to appropriately wash the wide variety of rice.

In addition, since it is removable from the interrupted rice feeding port 243 and a rice feeding shooter 27 for pouring rice into the interrupted rice feeding port 243 from the outside can be retrofitted, rice can be quickly fed from the interrupted rice feeding port 243. Moreover, it can be easily performed.
Further, since the interrupted rice feeding port 243 is provided with an opening / closing door 242 that can open and close the interrupted rice feeding port 243, dust and foreign matter entering from the interrupting rice feeding port 243 and water leakage from the inside are prevented. It can be suppressed, and the inside of the rice washing container 20 can maintain a good sanitary condition around it.

[Second Embodiment]
The rice washing device 1A according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described. FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the entire rice washing device 1A.
This rice washing device 1A is almost the same as the rice washing device 1 except that the rice storage 71 is provided at the lower part of the device. Therefore, only the differences from the rice washing device 1 will be described, and the same configuration as the rice washing device 1 will be described. The same reference numerals are used and duplicate description is omitted.

The rice washing device 1A includes a frame 10A that supports the overall configuration, a rice washing container 20 that cleans rice inside, a jet water supply mechanism 30 that supplies water into the rice washing container 20, and stirring that stirs rice in the rice washing container 20. A mechanism 40, a discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50 for opening / closing the discharge port 21 of the rice washing container 20, a shutter mechanism 60 for opening / closing the rice supply port 22 of the rice washing container 20, and a rice storage 71 for storing rice for washing rice. It includes a rice feeding mechanism 70A and a control device 100 for controlling the rice washing operation.
In FIG. 9, the injection water supply mechanism 30, the stirring mechanism 40, the discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50, the shutter mechanism 60, and the control device 100 are not shown.
Further, the shutter mechanism 60 is not essential and may not be provided.

The frame 10A includes a lower housing portion 14A located at the bottom, a central pillar 12 erected from the rear ends on both left and right sides of the lower housing portion 14A, and upper portions of the two pillars 12. It is mainly composed of an upper housing portion 13A fixedly supported on the front side of the above.
The upper housing portion 13A is the same as the housing portion 13 described above in that a part of the configuration of the injection water supply mechanism 30, the stirring mechanism 40, the discharge port opening / closing mechanism 50, and the shutter mechanism 60 is stored and supported, but the rice is stored. It differs from the housing unit 13 in that the storage 71, the outlet pipe 73, and the measuring unit 74 are not stored.
Therefore, the upper housing portion 13A is smaller than the housing portion 13.
An operation panel 105 is also provided on the front surface of the upper housing portion 13A.

The lower housing portion 14A houses a part of the configuration of the rice supply mechanism 70A inside. The rice supply mechanism 70A will be described later.
Further, the lower housing portion 14A is located directly below the rice washing container 20, and the upper surface of the lower housing portion 14A is a mounting table on which the inner pot 91 of the rice cooker 90 is placed.
The rice washing device 1A does not include the rice cooker 90 as a configuration, and only the inner pot 91 is placed on the upper surface of the lower housing portion 14A to perform the rice washing operation.

In addition to the rice storage 71, the outlet pipe 73, and the measuring unit 74, the rice feeding mechanism 70A includes a saucer 781A for discharging the weighed rice, and a rice feeding pipe 782A for guiding the rice in the saucer 781A to the rice washing container 20. A decompression blower 783A that applies a rice transport pressure is provided in the rice supply pipe 782A.
The rice storage 71, the outlet pipe 73, the measuring unit 74, and the saucer 781A are arranged in the lower housing portion 14A in a stored state, and the saucer 781A is arranged below the measuring unit 74.

One end of the rice supply pipe 782A is inserted inside the saucer 781A, and the other end extends from the saucer 781A through the inside of the support column 12 to the upper housing portion 13A.
Further, the rice supply pipe 782A is provided with a transfer pressure from one end to the other end by the decompression blower 783A arranged in the upper housing portion 13A.
The other end of the rice supply pipe 782A is located directly above the rice supply port 22 of the rice washing container 20, and from the other end of the rice supply pipe 782A when the rice supply port 22 is opened by the shutter mechanism 60. Rice is supplied.

In the rice washing device 1A, the operation control of rice washing by the control device 100 is performed substantially the same as the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 described above.
However, when weighing the rice in step S13 of FIG. 8 described above, the decompression blower 783A is driven while the rice is weighed by the weighing motor 77 with the shutter 61 moved and the rice supply port 22 open. Then, the operation control of sucking the rice and transporting it to the rice washing container 20 is executed.
Further, since the rice washing device 1A is performed only until the rice is washed into the inner pot 91 of the rice cooker 90, the steps of cooking rice in step S31 and steaming in step S33 in FIG. 8 are not carried out, and the rice washing container 20 in step S29 is not carried out. The residual rice in the rice is discharged, and the operation control of the rice washing is completed.

As described above, the rice washing device 1A has the same technical effect as the rice washing device 1 described above, and since the rice storage 71 is arranged at the lower part of the frame 10A, the center of gravity of the device is set to a low position for stabilization. Can be planned. In addition, the rice storage 71 can be easily replenished with rice.

[Other]
The rice washing device 1A is configured so that the inner pot 91 can be installed without providing the rice cooker 90. However, the rice cooker 90 is installed by securing the installation space of the rice cooker 90 on the lower housing portion 14A. It may be a configuration including. In that case, the operation control of the rice washing is also carried out by the steps of cooking rice in step S31 and steaming in step S33 in FIG.

On the contrary, in the rice washing device 1, the base 11 of the frame 10 is used only as a space for installing the inner pot 91 of the rice cooker 90, and the control device 100 is used in the rice washing control with the rice cooking in step S31 of FIG. The configuration may be such that the steaming step of step S33 is completed without being carried out.

1,1A Rice washing device 10,10A Frame 13 Housing part 13A Upper housing part 14A Lower housing part 20 Rice washing container 21 Discharge port 22 Rice supply port 242 Opening / closing door (lid member)
243 Interruption rice supply port 27 Rice input shooter 274 Contact piece 275 Locking piece 30 Injection water supply mechanism 31 Injection nozzle 35 Spray nozzle 40 Stirring mechanism 50 Discharge port opening / closing mechanism 60 Shutter mechanism 70, 70A Rice supply mechanism 71 Rice storage 90 Rice cooking Instrument 91 Inner pot 100 Control device 105 Operation panel (setting input unit)

Claims (4)

A rice storage that stores rice for washing rice,
A rice washing container for washing rice inside and
A stirring mechanism for rotating the stirring member provided in the rice washing container, and
The discharge mechanism for discharging the rice in the rice washing container and
Equipped with a control device that controls the rice washing operation
In the rice washing container
In addition to the rice supply port for supplying rice from the rice storage, an interrupted rice supply port for supplying rice from the outside of the rice washing container is provided.
When rice is supplied to the rice washing container from the interrupted rice supply port , the control device does not supply rice from the rice storage, but based on the interrupted rice data registered in the control device. A rice washing device characterized by controlling the execution of rice washing. It said controller rice washing device according to claim 1 Symbol mounting, characterized in that it comprises a setting input unit for setting arbitrarily a is rice washing operation conditions of rice washing operation control to be performed. The rice washing device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the rice washing device is removable from the interrupted rice feeding port and has a guide for pouring rice into the interrupted rice feeding port from the outside. The rice washing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a lid member capable of opening and closing the interrupted rice feeding port.

Images