JP7323981B2 - Cooked rice feeder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooked rice feeder.

2. Description of the Related Art A cooked rice supply device is known for supplying cooked rice to a container such as a bowl or a lunch box when making lunch boxes, rice bowls, or the like. This cooked rice feeding device is a device for feeding a fixed amount of cooked rice to a container by weighing the cooked rice in a hopper (storage means).

In such a cooked rice supply device, a plurality of weight buttons (cooked rice supply buttons) to which the weight of the cooked rice to be supplied is assigned are arranged in parallel. For example, a plurality of weighing buttons are arranged on the front of the device, and weights from 100 g to 380 g in 40 g increments can be assigned to each weighing button. After the container is placed in the container installation unit equipped with a weighing function, when the weight button corresponding to the desired weight is pressed, the weight of cooked rice assigned to the weight button is automatically supplied to the container. It has a structure.

In addition, with the cooked rice supply device having such a structure, it is possible to supply various weights of cooked rice to the container with one touch, so that it is possible to easily handle a wide range of menus.

Incidentally, as a cooked rice supply device for supplying cooked rice to a container, for example, one described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-196382) is known.

JP 2004-196382 A

Here, in the above-described cooked rice supply device, cooked rice is supplied only by pressing the weight button even if no container is installed in the container installation section. Therefore, if the weight button is pressed by an operational error, the cooked rice feeding operation is started, and the cooked rice spills onto the container setting portion, resulting in waste.

In addition, when the container is set at a deviation from the container setting portion, if the weight button is pressed in that state, the boiled rice spills over the container setting portion, resulting in waste.

Furthermore, if the container is lifted from the container installation part equipped with the weighing function while rice is being supplied to the container, the weighing function will not operate and the measured value of the cooked rice will not increase. will continue.

Here, it is conceivable to prevent such a problem by adopting a mechanism for detecting that the container is installed in the container installation portion by a sensor (optical sensor, ultrasonic sensor, etc.).

However, if grains of rice or the like are attached to the transmitter/receiver of the sensor, false detection will occur, so the operator must always pay attention to the contamination of the sensor. In particular, when the sensor is installed at a low position of the container mounting portion in order to reliably detect containers of various shapes, the possibility of rice grains adhering to the sensor increases. Also, the use of sensors increases the cost of the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooked rice feeder capable of eliminating waste of cooked rice generated in feeding cooked rice to a container without using a sensor. .

In order to solve the above problems, the cooked rice supply device of the present invention according to claim 1 includes storage means for storing cooked rice, a container setting part for installing a container to which the cooked rice is supplied in the storage means, Supply means for supplying the cooked rice in the storage means to the container installed in the container installation portion, and the weight of the container installed in the container installation portion and the cooked rice supplied to the container provided in the container installation portion a weighing means for measuring the weight of the cooked rice supplied to the container, a plurality of weighing buttons capable of individually assigning the weight of the cooked rice to be supplied to the container, and the weight of the cooked rice to which the weighing buttons are assigned, and the weight of the cooked rice and the weight of the cooked rice installed in the container installation portion. An operation button having a weight button for registering the weight of the container, and a control means for executing control to supply a target weight of cooked rice to the container by the supply means according to the weighed value of the weighing means, When the weighed value of the container by the weighing means matches the weight of the container registered by the weight button, the control means supplies the cooked rice of the weight assigned to the pressed weight button to the feeding means. and if the weighed value of the container by the weighing means does not match the weight of the container registered by the weight button, the supply means does not supply the cooked rice to the container. , characterized in that

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cooked rice supply apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the control means notifies occurrence of an error when the cooked rice is not supplied to the container.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooked rice supply apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the control means is configured to control the amount of rice if the measured value by the measuring means decreases by a predetermined value or more while the cooked rice is being supplied to the container. It is characterized in that, for example, control is executed to stop the feeding operation of the cooked rice by the feeding means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooked rice supply apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the control means notifies occurrence of an error when the operation of supplying cooked rice by the supply means is stopped. and

A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a cooked rice supply apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention , wherein the supply means is provided in the storage means, and conveys the foodstuff in the storage means. a conveying means for loosening and dropping the cooked rice sent out from the storage means, and a drop path for the cooked rice dropped from the loosened and dropping means according to the weighing value of the weighing means; and opening/closing means for supplying and stopping the supply of the cooked rice to the container.

According to the present invention, since the cooked rice is supplied to the container according to the weighed value of the container by the weighing means, it is possible to eliminate the waste of the cooked rice generated in supplying the cooked rice to the container without using a sensor. become.

1 is an overall perspective view of a cooked rice supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the cooked rice supply device of Fig. 1 together with a container and cooked rice; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hopper, a conveying screw, and a loosening drop roller, which are components of the cooked rice supply device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a shutter unit that is a component of the cooked rice feeder of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a weighing table of a cooked rice weighing unit, which is a component of the cooked rice supply device of FIG. 1, removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of a load cell of a cooked rice weighing unit, which is a component of the cooked rice supply device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a control system in the cooked rice supply device of FIG. 1; 2 is a flow chart showing the operation of the cooked rice supply device of FIG. 1;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment as an example of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings for describing the embodiments, in principle, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.

1 is an overall perspective view of a cooked rice supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the cooked rice supply device of FIG. 1 together with a container and cooked rice, and FIG. 3 is a component of the cooked rice supply device of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a hopper, a conveying screw, and a loosening drop roller, and FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooked rice supply device 1 includes a cooked rice supply section A and a cooked rice weighing section B. As shown in FIGS.

The cooked rice supply part A is a box-shaped box having an opening 13 at the top by a front plate 10, a rear plate 11 positioned behind the front plate 10, and side plates 12 positioned on both sides of the front plate 10 and the rear plate 11. is formed in the shape of

A lid 14 connected via a hinge (not shown) is provided at the upper end of the rear plate 11 so that the opening 13 can be opened and closed by the lid 14 . The front panel 10 is also provided with a display section 15 and operation buttons 16 . The display unit 15 is a screen for displaying operation commands, messages, etc., and is configured by, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The operation buttons 16 include a plurality of weight buttons 16a (buttons to which the weight of the cooked rice R to be supplied to the container C can be individually assigned) and a weight registration button 16b (the weight of the cooked rice R to be assigned to each weight button 16a). and a button for registering the weight of the container C installed in the container installation portion 41a, which will be described later. In the present embodiment, eight weighing buttons 16a are provided, and weights ranging from 100 g to 380 g are assigned in increments of 40 g, for example. Also, as the weight of the container C, for example, three weights of 150 g, 200 g and 250 g are registered. However, the registered weights of the cooked rice R and container C can be freely set, and are not limited to this embodiment.

A concave portion 17 having a predetermined depth and height is formed below the front plate 10 . This recessed portion 17 has a sufficient space to accommodate the container C in which the cooked rice R is served, and the cooked rice R drops from above and is supplied to the container C.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, inside the cooked rice supply section A, there are a hopper (storage means) 22, two conveying screws (part of conveying means/feeding means) 23, 23, and a A roller (a part of the loosening and dropping means/supplying means) 24, a shutter unit (a part of the opening/closing means/supplying means) 25, and a humidifier unit 30 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hopper 22 is a place where the cooked rice R is thrown and stored. and a lower hopper 22b forming.

The upper hopper 22a is formed with a tapered wall 22a-1 that gradually narrows from the top toward the bottom, thereby forming a wide opening at the top and a narrow opening at the bottom. . An outwardly bent flange 22a-2 is formed at the opening of the upper end of the upper hopper 22a. The opening at the lower end of the upper hopper 22a is sized to expose only the conveying screws 23, 23 housed in the substantially semicircular housing grooves 22b-1, 22b-1 of the lower hopper 22b and cover the other portions. It is

The lower hopper 22b is formed with the above-described substantially semicircular storage grooves 22b-1, 22b-1, and is open at the top. In addition, a roller support portion 22b-2 which is open at the bottom and which rotatably supports the drop roller 24 is formed in the front portion of the lower hopper 22b so as to communicate with the storage grooves 22b-1 and 22b-1. It is The hopper 22 is provided with a heater (not shown) for maintaining the cooked rice R in the hopper 22 at a predetermined temperature.

The conveying screws 23 , 23 are mechanical parts for loosening the cooked rice R stored in the hopper 22 by rotating and conveying it toward the drop roller 24 , and are arranged in parallel to each other on the bottom side of the hopper 22 .

The loosening and dropping roller 24 is a drum-shaped roller that drops the cooked rice R conveyed by the conveying screws 23, 23 toward the shutter unit 25 below while loosening it. are arranged in a positional relationship perpendicular to the rotation axis of the A large number of claw portions 24a are provided on the outer circumference of the loosening and dropping roller 24 for breaking down the cooked rice R so as to loosen it.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a shutter unit 25 is installed on the front surface of the cooked rice supply device 1 below the loosening drop roller 24 . As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of shutters 25S, 25S are attached downward to a shutter guide 25G that constitutes the housing of the shutter unit 25 so that they can be opened and closed.

The pair of shutters 25S, 25S is positioned on the path of the cooked rice R dropped from the loosening and dropping roller 24 described above, and opens and closes the drop path of the cooked rice R. As shown in FIG. That is, when the cooked rice R is supplied to the container C, the pair of shutters 25S, 25S is opened, and when the supply of the cooked rice R is stopped, the pair of shutters 25S, 25S is closed, whereby the cooked rice R is supplied to the container C. A supply operation and a supply stop operation are performed. As shown in FIG. 2, an opening/closing driving section 25D for opening and closing the pair of shutters 25S of the shutter unit 25 is arranged behind the shutter guide 25G.

A plurality of slits 25L extending in the vertical direction are formed side by side along the axial direction of the drop roller 24 through the rear portion inside the shutter guide 25G. Steam generated in the humidifier unit 30 is jetted out from the slit 25L. As described above, the shutter 25S is positioned on the drop path of the cooked rice R that is dropped and supplied by the loosening and dropping roller 24, so the steam jetted from the slit 25L of the shutter guide 25G faces the loosening and dropping roller 24. The dismantling surface of the cooked rice R at the position where the water is placed and the cooked rice R in the hopper 22 are humidified.

Below the shutter unit 25, a humidifier unit 30 is installed in a detachable state from the front surface of the cooked rice supply device 1. As shown in FIG. The humidifier unit 30 is a device for humidifying the inside of the cooked rice supply section A, and as shown in FIGS.

The humidifier main body 31 is a device that heats water supplied from the water supply tank 32 with a heater 31h to generate steam. Also, the water supply tank 32 is a container for supplying stored water to the humidifier body 31 . The humidifying nozzle 33 is a member that guides the steam generated in the humidifier main body 31 to the slit 25L (see FIG. 4).

Next, the configuration of the cooked rice weighing section B of the cooked rice supply device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6. FIG. Here, FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the weighing table of the cooked rice weighing unit, which is a component of the cooked rice feeding device of FIG. 1, removed, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the load cell;

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6, the cooked rice weighing section B of the cooked rice feeding device 1 includes a weighing table 40 arranged directly below the shutter unit 25 of the cooked rice feeding section A, and the weighing table 40 a load cell (weighing means) 41 arranged below the load cell 41; a main body base 42 arranged below the load cell 41 and constituting a stand for the cooked rice weighing unit B; A cover 43 is provided.

The cover 43 is detachably attached to the upper surface of the main body base 42 so as to cover the main body base 42 except for the container installation portion 41 a provided on one end side of the load cell 41 .

The load cell 41 is a member that detects the weight of the container C placed on the weighing table 40 and the cooked rice R supplied to the container C and converts it into an electric signal. It is installed in a cantilevered state away from the The opposite side of the load cell 41 from the container installation portion 41a is housed and protected by the load cell cover 41b.

A strain gauge 41c, for example, is used as a detection element of the load cell 41. As shown in FIG. The strain gauge 41c is a detection element that utilizes the fact that the resistance value changes according to the amount of deformation. It is a load conversion element that measures weight by converting it into an electric signal. When the weighed value by the load cell 41 reaches the target weighed value, the conveying screws 23 and 23 and the release roller 24 stop rotating, and then the pair of shutters 25S and 25S of the shutter unit 25 are closed. It has become.

The weighing table 40 is a table on which a container C such as a bowl or lunch box is directly placed, and is provided on the uppermost layer of the cooked rice weighing section B so as to cover the load cell 41 and the cover 43 . The weighing table 40 is detachably fixed to the container mounting portion 41a of the load cell 41 while being slightly separated from the surface of the cover 43 (floating relative to the cover 43).

A control system of the cooked rice feeding device 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a control system in the cooked rice feeding apparatus of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the cooked rice supply device 1 in the present embodiment includes a control section (control means) 45 composed of a microcomputer or the like for controlling the overall operation of the device. The control unit 45 receives the settings set by the operation button 16 and the measured value from the load cell 41 .

The control unit 45 causes the display unit 15 to display an operation command or the like and the occurrence of an error (to be described later). The motor 24M and the shutter opening/closing motor 25M for opening and closing the shutters 25S, 25S are controlled so that the set weight of boiled rice R is dropped into the container C and supplied. The control unit 45 executes the control for supplying the cooked rice R to the container C according to the weighed value of the load cell 41 (the weighed value of the container C and the weighed value of the cooked rice R).

Next, the operation of the cooked rice feeding device 1 of the present embodiment by such a control section 45 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of the cooked rice supply device of FIG.

First, a power switch (not shown) is turned on to open the lid 14 of the cooked rice supply section A, and after the cooked rice R is put into the hopper 22, the lid 14 is closed (step S1). At the same time when the power is turned on, the heater provided in the hopper 22 starts operating to keep the cooked rice R in the hopper 22 at a predetermined temperature, and the heater 31h of the humidifier unit 30 starts operating to generate steam. It is generated and starts jetting from the slit 25L.

Next, the weight of the container C for serving (supplying) the cooked rice R is registered (step S2). Here, it is assumed that the weight of the container C is registered as 200 g.

Then, the container C is placed on the weighing table 40 of the cooked rice weighing unit B (that is, the container setting unit 41a of the load cell 41) (step S3), and the weight button 16a for the desired target weighing value is pressed (step S4). .

When the container C is placed on the container placement part 41a, its weight is measured by the load cell 41. Therefore, the registered weight of the container C (here, 200 g) and the weighed value of the load cell 41 match. It is determined whether or not there is (step S5).

Then, if it is determined in step S5 that they match, the measured value is reset (step S6), and the cooked rice R is supplied (step S7). By resetting the measured value in step S6, the weight of the container C installed in the container installation portion 41a is no longer reflected in the measured value. will be measured by

In step S7, while the load cell 41 measures the cooked rice R supplied to the container C, the rotation of the conveying screws 23 and 23 and the loosening drop roller 24 and the opening/closing operation of the shutter unit 25 are controlled. Cooked rice R is dropped into container C and supplied.

Specifically, the conveying screws 23, 23 start rotating, and the cooked rice R stored in the hopper 22 is gradually moved forward (to the unraveling position), and the unraveling drop roller 24 also starts rotating. sent to The cooked rice R sent to the loosening and dropping roller 24 is loosened and discarded by the claw portion 24a by the rotation of the loosening and dropping roller 24, and the shutter unit positioned below the loosening and dropping roller 24 is disassembled. 25 is thrown in. While the conveying screws 23, 23 and the loosening and dropping rollers 24 are rotating and the cooked rice R is thrown into the shutter unit 25, the pair of shutters 25S is in the open position, and the cooked rice R dropped by the loosening and dropping rollers 24 is kept. passes through the shutter unit 25 and is dropped into the container C. As shown in FIG.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S5 that the two do not match, specifically, although the container C is not set in the container setting portion 41a, the quantity button 16a is pressed due to an operation error. When the container C is pressed down (in this case, the measured value becomes 0 g with respect to the registered weight of 200 g of the container C), or when the container C is not properly installed in the container installation portion 41a (the container C is displaced from the container installation portion 41a). When the weight button 16a is pressed (in this case, the measured value becomes less than 200 g, such as 150 g, for example, with respect to the registered weight of 200 g of the container C), the amount of cooked rice R is Without starting the supply, the display unit 15 notifies that an error has occurred (step S8). In response to this, the process returns to step S3, and the operator installs (newly installs or correctly installs) the container C in the container installation portion 41a in order to eliminate the error.

By registering the weight of the container C in this way (step S2), if the registered weight cannot be confirmed (step S5), it is possible to check whether the container C is placed on the container setting portion 41a. , it is determined that the rice is not placed correctly, and an error is generated (step S8), thereby eliminating the waste of the cooked rice R that occurs during the feeding of the cooked rice R due to an operation error of the weight button 16a or improper installation of the container C. .

In addition, including the case described later, in the present embodiment, the error notification is performed by the display unit 15, but for example, the notification may be performed by blinking or lighting a separately provided warning lamp, or by sounding an alarm. can be

As described above, in step S7, the rotation of the conveying screws 23, 23 and the drop roller 24 and the opening/closing operation of the shutter unit 25 are controlled to drop and supply the cooked rice R into the container C. The weight of the cooked rice R is measured by the load cell 41, and it is sequentially determined whether or not the measured value of the cooked rice R reaches the target weight (step S9).

Then, in step S9, when the measured value of the cooked rice R reaches the target weight, the supply of cooked rice is terminated (step S10), and a series of device operations is completed. That is, in step S10, the conveying screws 23, 23 and the loosening drop roller 24 stop rotating, and the feeding of the cooked rice R into the shutter unit 25 is stopped. At the same time, the pair of shutters 25S are in the closed position.

On the other hand, if the measured value of the cooked rice R does not reach the target weight in step S9, it is determined whether the measured value of the cooked rice R by the load cell 41 has decreased by a predetermined value or more (step S11).

In step S11, if the measured value of the cooked rice R has not decreased by a certain value or more, it is assumed that the cooked rice R is smoothly supplied to the container C installed in the container installation portion 41a, so the process proceeds to step S9. Returning, the supply is continued until the measured value of the cooked rice R reaches the target weight.

On the other hand, in step S11, if the measured value of the cooked rice R has decreased by a certain value or more, the container C is lifted from the container installation portion 41a having a weighing function while the cooked rice R is being supplied to the container C. Since it is presumed that this is the case, the display unit 15 notifies that an error has occurred, stops the supply of the cooked rice R (step S12), and completes a series of device operations.

That is, the change in the weight of the cooked rice R supplied to the container C is monitored (step S11), and it is determined that the container C was lifted during the supply of the cooked rice R and the weight decreased, and an error is generated. By automatically stopping the machine (step S12), the continuation of the feeding operation of the cooked rice R is prevented, and the waste of the cooked rice R generated during the feeding of the cooked rice is eliminated.

As described above, according to the cooked rice supply device 1 of the present embodiment, the cooked rice R is supplied to the container C according to the weighed value of the container C and the weighed value of the cooked rice R by the load cell 41. It is possible to eliminate the waste of the cooked rice R generated in supplying the cooked rice to the container C without using it.

As described above, the invention made by the present inventor was specifically described based on the embodiment, but the embodiment disclosed in this specification is an example in all respects, and is limited to the technology disclosed. not a thing That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed in a restrictive manner based on the description of the above embodiments, but should be construed according to the description of the scope of claims. All modifications are included as long as they do not deviate from the description technology and equivalent technology and the gist of the claims.

For example, the feeding means in the cooked rice feeding apparatus of the present embodiment is composed of conveying screws 23, 23, loosening drop roller 24 and shutter unit 25, but it is not limited to this and various modifications are possible. be.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to various cooked rice feeders employing a so-called bottom weighing structure in which a load cell for weighing the container and cooked rice is provided in the container setting portion.

1 Cooked rice supply device 15 Display unit 16 Operation button 16a Weight button 16b Weight registration button 22 Hopper (storage means)
23 transport screw (a part of transport means/supply means)
23M Conveying screw drive motor 24 Unraveling and dropping roller (a part of unraveling and dropping means/supply means)
24M Unravel drop roller drive motor 24a Claw portion 25 Shutter unit (part of opening/closing means/supplying means)
25M shutter opening/closing motor 25S shutter 30 humidifier unit 40 weighing table 41 load cell (weighing means)
41a container installation unit 45 control unit (control means)
A Cooked rice supply unit B Cooked rice weighing unit C Container R Cooked rice

Claims (5)

a storage means in which cooked rice is stored;
a container installation unit in which a container to which the cooked rice in the storage means is supplied is installed;
supply means for supplying the cooked rice in the storage means to the container installed in the container installation portion;
a weighing means provided in the container installation portion for measuring the weight of the container installed in the container installation portion and the weight of the cooked rice supplied to the container;
For registering a plurality of weight buttons that allow the weight of cooked rice to be supplied to the container to be individually assigned, the weight of the cooked rice to be assigned to the weight buttons, and the weight of the container to be placed in the container installation part. an operation button with a weight button of
a control means for executing control for supplying a target weight of cooked rice to the container by the supply means in accordance with the weighed value of the weighing means;
When the weighed value of the container by the weighing means matches the weight of the container registered by the weight button, the control means supplies the cooked rice of the weight assigned to the pressed weight button to the feeding means. and if the weighed value of the container by the weighing means does not match the weight of the container registered by the weight button, the supply means does not supply the cooked rice to the container. ,
A cooked rice supply device characterized by: The control means is
Notify the occurrence of an error when the cooked rice is not supplied to the container,
The cooked rice supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control means is
If the measured value by the measuring means decreases by a certain value or more while the cooked rice is being supplied to the container, control is executed to stop the operation of supplying the cooked rice by the supplying means.
3. The cooked rice supply device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The control means is
When the feeding operation of the cooked rice by the feeding means is stopped, an error occurrence is notified.
The cooked rice supply device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The supply means
a conveying means provided in the storage means for transporting the foodstuff in the storage means;
a loosening and dropping means for dropping the cooked rice delivered from the storage means while loosening;
an opening/closing means for opening and closing a dropping path of the cooked rice dropped from the loosening/dropping means in accordance with the weighing value of the weighing means, and performing an operation of supplying the cooked rice to the container and an operation of stopping the supply;
The cooked rice supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by having

Images