JPH02280724A - Automatic rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the adjustment of water quantity by installing a constant water level tank in the innermost part in the upper part of a case body and connecting a water supply means to the constant water level tank through a valve. CONSTITUTION:A constant water level tank 22 is arranged in the upper part of a case body 5, utilizing the innermost space in the case when a rice stocker 1 is accommodated into the case body 5, and an overflow pipe 23 which communicates to a discharged water receiving through 27 is connected to the overflow port 31 of the constant water level tank 22, and a water supply port 35 which communicates to a pressurized water system through an upper limit water level detecting sensor 33 and a solenoid valve 34 is provided. In a water-rinsing process, a solenoid valve 21 in a conduit 23 which is communication-opened to the rear part of the constant water level tank 22 is opened, and at the same time, the solenoid valve 34 is opened to start the water supply into a rice washing tank 12. Since the water level H of the constant water level tank 22 is kept constant by the overflow port 31, the flow rate which is supplied by the solenoid valve 21 is kept always constant. Therefore, the water quantity for the rice washing tank 12 can be adjusted to a proper value according to the washed rice quantity, and the quality of the cooked rice can be improved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to an automatic rice cooking device.

(Conventional technology) In order to save labor in rice cooking, which has conventionally been a labor-intensive task, the rice cooking process includes storage of polished rice, measurement, washing, water adjustment,
Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 1983-1980 was developed as an automatic rice cooking device that automatically processes a series of work processes from soaking, cooking, and steaming using a program.
There is a technique disclosed in Publication No. 105723 and the like.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) In the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the rice washing device is located on the front side of the box, and the water supply tank for this is located on the rear side of the box, and the two are separated from each other in the front and back. Therefore, a pump was required to transport water from the water tank to the rice washing equipment.

It was extremely difficult to adjust the amount of water when pressurizing water to the rice washing equipment using a pump.

The present invention is an automatic rice cooking device that eliminates the complexity of rice cooking at home, significantly reduces housewives' housework, and modernizes ancient customs all at once. With the goal.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has a rice discharging means 11 and a drainage means 10 at the bottom, a water supply means 23 and a water fountain means 20 at the upper part, and a built-in stirring means 8. In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the automatic rice cooking device is equipped with a tank 12 and a rice cooker 38 for receiving the washed rice from the rice discharging means 11 in the box 5, and the following technical measures are taken.

That is, the present invention is characterized in that a constant water level tank 22 is provided inside the upper part of the box 5, and the water supply means 23 is connected to the constant water level tank 22 via a valve 21. be.

(Embodiments and Operations) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention and their operations will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a rice storage 1 formed in the shape of a ramper has a quantitative sorting means 2 at its lower bottom, and is placed on top of a box 5 having a cubic shape.

The quantitative sorting means 2 shown in this embodiment has a fixed volume cylinder horizontally arranged with a partially cut-out opening 2A on its circumferential surface and sealed at both ends, and the axis of the cylinder is fixed by an electric motor 3. It rotates in the direction to cause the polished rice in the rice storage 1 to fall downward, and detects a pulse output corresponding to a preset rotation speed.
The desired amount is determined by driving the electric motor 3.

A sensor S is provided at the bottom of the rice storage 1 to detect the remaining amount of polished rice.

Horizontal slide rails 5A are attached to the upper inner surfaces of the left and right side plates of the box 5, as shown in FIG. By attaching the slide shoe 4 to the upper outer surface of the left and right side plates and fitting it into the slide rail 5A so that it can be freely drawn out, the rice storage 1 can be stored in the box 5H so that it can be freely taken in and out as shown by arrow A in Fig. 1. In addition to being supported, the box 5
A locking means 6 provided inside allows the vehicle to be locked as necessary during operation.

A rice washing mechanism 7 is disposed at the bottom of the rice storage 1, and the rice washing mechanism 7 has a stirring means 8 and a water supply means 9, and has a drain port (drainage means) at the bottom that can be freely opened and closed as shown in FIG. ) 10 and a cylindrical body (rice washing tank) 12 having a spout (rice ejecting means) 11 which can be opened and closed.

The cylindrical body 12 has a conical part with an open top and a conical shape that tapers downward from the lower half, and extends from the upper mount 13 with the cylinder axis in the vertical direction. By fitting the slide shoes 14 attached to the left and right sides of the pedestal 13 to the horizontal slide rails 5B attached to the horizontal slide rails 5B attached to the horizontal slide rails 5B, the rice washing mechanism 7 is It is housed and supported in a case 5 so that it can be taken in and taken out, and can be locked by a locking means 15 provided on the case 5 in the stored state.

The stirring means 8 is attached to a cylindrical shaft 17 that is rotatably driven by an electric motor 16 provided on a pedestal 13, and extends radially on a horizontal plane and parallel to the axis and extends downward so as to follow the conical portion of the cylindrical body 12. The formed bar 1B is present,
The cylindrical shaft 17 is aligned with the circumferential line of the cylindrical body 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the water supply means 9 has a plurality of fountain nozzles 20 and a solenoid valve 21 connected to the pressure water system through a solenoid valve 19 disposed above the device. Consists of a water supply pipe 23 etc. connected to a constant water level tank 22,
The fountain nozzle 20 is arranged so as to be able to always wash the wall surface above the maximum value of the amount of water corresponding to the maximum throughput of rice milling, depending on its spray angle.

At the bottom of the cylindrical body 12, as shown in FIG.
A drainage jacket 24 having an O and a spout 11 is disposed to surround the bottom part in an annular manner, and a funnel-shaped perforated plate 25 is attached to the drainage jacket 24. is communicated with a drainage gutter 27 via an on-off valve 26.

The spout 11 can be opened and closed by a conical valve 28, and the conical valve 28 has a valve stem 29 inserted into the cylindrical shaft 17 so as to be vertically movable, and the valve stem 29 is moved vertically by a control mechanism (not shown). Thus, the conical valve 28 can be opened and closed.

Here, the rice washing mechanism 7 configured as described above transfers the polished rice supplied from the quantitative sorting means 2 of the rice storage 1 to the chute 3.
0 into the cylindrical body 12.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the constant water level tank 22 is installed in the box 5 by utilizing the depth space when the rice storage 1 is housed in the box 5.
An overflow pipe 32 that communicates with a drainage gutter 27 is connected to an overflow port 31 of this constant water level tank 22, which is located in the upper part of the tank 22. A water supply port 35 communicating with a pressure water system is provided.

In the constant water level tank 22, the water level detection sensor 33 is configured to detect the water level at a point L1 slightly above the overflow level L2 and close the solenoid valve 34. The flow rate that flows out is the water level L2 in the tank 22.
In addition, the water supply amount of the solenoid valve 34 is determined by the flow rate flowing out from the solenoid valve 21 and the water overflow port 3 depending on the water level head height H.
The flow rate is equal to or slightly greater than the sum of the overflow volume from 1.

At the bottom of the rice washing mechanism 7, a rice cooker 38 is mounted on an L-shaped pedestal 37 having a pair of slide shoes 36 so as to be removable and capable of being positioned and held. horizontal guide rail 5
By fitting the slide shoe 36 to C, the rice cooker 38 is housed in the case 5 so that it can be moved in and out horizontally as shown by arrow C in FIG. It is housed in a lockable case 5.

Here, a rice storage 1, a rice washing mechanism 7, and a rice cooker 38
are each individually movable in and out of the box 5 in the horizontal direction.
In this embodiment, the locking means 6 and 15.39 are in the form of electromagnets, and the locking means 6 and 15.39 are arranged in a hook 6 that can be engaged and detached.
A, 15A, and 39A.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rice cooker 38 has an outer pot 40.
, an inner pot 41, and an outer pot 40 has an upper lid 42 which can be opened and closed by pivoting in the vertical direction with a pivot part 43, and can be closed tightly with a hook 44. Further, the upper lid 42 has an inner lid 45, and a hook 44.
When the upper lid 42 is hermetically sealed, the inner pot 41 is hermetically sealed with the inner lid 45 at the same time.

Furthermore, the rice cooker 38 includes a heater 46 and a rice cooking completion sensor 47.
, a sensor 48 for detecting the presence or absence of the inner pot 41, and a heat retention control circuit means, and as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the rice cooker 38 can be removed from the pedestal 37 by having a handle 49 provided on the upper lid 42.

When removed from the pedestal 37, the electrical connection between the rice cooker 38 and the main body of the device can be cut off by the power supply mechanism 50 such as the heater 46. On the other hand, the rice cooker 38 taken out to the outside is of a cord reel type. It is configured so that it can be kept warm by a separate power source using the plug 51.

An opening 52 is formed in the top lid 42 of the rice cooker 38, and when the rice cooker 38 is housed in the box 5, the opening 52 is located above and below the spout 11 of the rice washing mechanism 7 disposed above. They are arranged to face each other, and can be opened and closed by a shaft 53.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a U-shaped slide rail frame 54 is provided around the opening 52 of the upper lid 42, and a rail groove 54A of the slide rail frame 54 has a
A shutter 53 having a protrusion 53A is fitted so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, so that the opening 52 can be opened and closed.

A shutter drive mechanism 55 is provided at the rear inside the lower half of the box 5, and this shutter drive mechanism 55 is connected to a third
As shown in the figure, there is an electric motor 56 that can be freely switched between forward and reverse directions, and a screw shaft 5 that is supported by bearings 57 and 58 below the electric motor 56 and having its axis in the depth direction (back and forth direction) of the box 5.
9, a transmission body 60 shown as a gear that interlocks and connects the screw shaft 59 and the electric motor 56, a driver 61 supported on the screw shaft 59 so as to be capable of screw feeding, and a support shaft 62 attached to the driver 61. Mooring hook 6 provided on the fulcrum so that it can be rotated freely
3, a spring 64 that urges the flap 63 to the mooring position,
It is composed of sensors 65, 66, etc. that control the stopping and reciprocating switching of the driver 61 that reciprocates between intervals.

The driver 61 of the shutter drive mechanism 55 is awaited at the C position in FIG. 3, and in this C position, the upper piece of the hook 63 uses the bearing 57 as a stopper to compress the spring 64 and move the hook 63 into the mooring preparation position. It is held in

In this state, when the rice cooker 38 is housed in the box 5 in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
The shutter 53 moves along the slide rail frame 54 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. has been done.

To open the shutter 53, the driver 61 is moved from the C position to the A position by the screw feeding action of the screw shaft 59 by starting the electric motor 56.
When the hook 63 is moved to the position B in the movement process, the elastic force of the spring 64 causes the hook 63 to fall down using the support shaft 62 as a fulcrum, and is moored to the protrusion 53A of the shutter 53, so that the shutter is moved as shown by the arrow in FIG. 53 is accompanied by the driver 61 to open the opening 52 so that the inner pot 41 can be replenished with washed rice.

To seal the shutter 53 after replenishing a predetermined amount of washed rice, moving the driver 61 in the opposite direction pushes the protrusion 53A of the shutter 53 with the front of the driver 61, so the shutter 53 closes. Move as shown by the arrow in FIG. 5 to open the opening 52.
Seal it tightly.

Additionally, in the figure, 67 is a console panel;
Data such as the desired amount of rice to be cooked, amount of water, soaking time, steaming time, and cooking time are entered. 6B is a top plate, which is detachable from the top of the box 5. 69 is a wheel, and 70 is a steam exhaust means.

In addition, the device of the present invention is equipped with a drain port, and various hoses (pipes), wiring, etc. are connected to allow the drawing stroke.

Next, the operation mode of the embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

In Fig. 1, when the rice storage L filled with a predetermined amount of polished rice is inserted into a predetermined position in the box, a sensor (not shown) detects the rice storage, and at the same time, a sensor S detects the presence or absence of polished rice. Ru. Similarly, when the rice washing mechanism 7 is inserted into a predetermined position, a sensor (not shown) detects this, and when the rice cooker 38 is inserted into a predetermined position, a sensor (not shown) detects this. The presence or absence of the inner pot 41 of the rice cooker 38 is detected by a sensor 48.

Preparation for startup is completed only when all sensors operate as described above. On the other hand, after inputting data such as the desired amount of rice to be cooked, amount of water, soaking time, steaming time, and cooking time from the console panel 67, and pressing the start button, the rice storage 1, the rice washing mechanism 7, and the rice cooker 38 are activated. The locking means 6.15.39 operate simultaneously to lock all mechanisms in the refrigerator.

In the above state, the start signal can be received.

After the closing of the conical valve 28 that seals the rice washing mechanism 7 is confirmed by inputting a start signal, the quantitative sorting means 2 rotates and a predetermined amount of polished rice is passed through the chute 30 and transferred to the cylindrical body 12 of the rice washing mechanism 7 (hereinafter referred to as the rice washing tank). ). Upon completion of the quantitative determination, the stirring means 8 rotates, the solenoid valve 19 opens, and the fountain nozzle 20 starts spraying water as indicated by the arrow *20A in FIG.

The unwashed waste water in the rice washing tank 12 is drained from the drain jacket 24 at the bottom.
The water passes through a perforated plate 25 provided therein, passes through a drain port 10 that can be opened and closed, and is drained out of a drainage gutter 27.

When the rice washing process for a predetermined period of time is completed, the water sprinkling in the rice washing tank 12 is temporarily interrupted, and the process shifts to the rice polishing process in which only the stirring means 8 rotates. During this time, the solenoid valve 34 opens and water supply starts to the constant water level tank 22, and once the water supply is stopped at the water level of the water level sensor 33,
Water is stored up to the overflow port 31. After repeating the rice washing process and the rice polishing process a predetermined number of times, the process moves to the rinsing process.

In the rinsing process, the on-off valve 26 is closed and the rice washing tank 12
After the water is stored up to a predetermined level in the rice cooker, the opening/closing valve 26 is opened to drain water all at once, and the purpose is to wash away the rice bran and clarify the rice washing waste water.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the maximum amount of water corresponding to the preset amount of rice to be cooked, for example, the amount of water 30% more than the same amount of water, can be used as the amount of water for one rinse step. It is extremely effective in clarifying wastewater and conserving water. That is, in the rinsing process, when the solenoid valve 21 of the conduit 23 that communicates with the bottom of the constant water level tank 22 is opened, the solenoid valve 34 is simultaneously opened to start supplying water into the washed rice tank 12. Since the water level H in the constant water level tank 22 is kept constant by the overflow port 31, the flow rate of water supplied by the solenoid valve 21 is always constant. Therefore, by opening the solenoid valve 21 for a preset period of time, an accurate amount of water storage can be ensured. The flow rate flowing in from the water supply electromagnetic valve 34 is adjusted to be equal to or slightly larger than the sum of the flow rate flowing out from the electromagnetic valve 21 and the amount of water overflowing from the water overflow port 31. Therefore, the water level H can always be maintained stably.

The rinsing process is repeated several times and when the water in the rice washing tank 12 is completely drained, the process moves to the water adjustment process. Opening/closing valve 2 for drain port 10
6 is closed, and the solenoid valve 21 is opened for a preset time to adjust the water level. Shutter drive mechanism 5 at the same time as water adjustment is completed
5, the shutter 53 opens to open an opening 52 provided in the upper lid 42, which is an inlet for rice and water. shutter 53
At the same time as detecting the opening of the conical valve 28, the rice and water are discharged into the inner pot 4.

The rice and water discharged from this rice washing tank 12 are discharged from the conical valve 28.
As a result, the rice deposited in the inner pot 41 exhibits an ideal distribution curve and does not require any means to level the surface layer of the rice.

On the other hand, when discharging rice from the rice washing tank 12, the stirring means 8 is rotated for a short time at the same time as the conical valve 28 is opened in order to improve rice discharging efficiency.

Here, when the amount of polished rice to be processed is small, a large amount of rice grains may remain particularly at the bottom of the tank, and furthermore, a large amount of rice grains may remain attached to the area indicated by the reference numeral in FIG.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, at the final stage of the rice discharging process, that is, when the rice in the rice washing tank 12 has almost completely been discharged, water is sprayed for a short time from the fountain nozzle 20 to remove the remaining rice at the top and the bottom. Wash away instantly.

Also, the amount of water used for washing is constant regardless of the amount of polished rice, and is added to the amount of water used to adjust the water level. This means that the water that evaporates during rice cooking is almost constant regardless of the amount of rice being cooked, so this method replaces the amount of water that evaporates during rice cooking, making it possible to eliminate the difficult quantitative work of adding extra water depending on the amount of rice being cooked. can be excluded.

The conical valve 28, which has been opened for a predetermined period of time for the above-mentioned cleaning, ie, disposal of leftover rice, is automatically closed, and upon detecting the closing of the conical valve 28, the shack-driving mechanism 55 is reversed and the shutter 53 is closed.

This completes the rice washing process and moves on to the soaking process.

If only the rice washing process is selected and set in advance, automatic operation ends here, all mechanisms are unlocked, and the rice can be pulled out from the box.

When the preset immersion time has elapsed, the heater 46 starts to be energized and the rice cooking process begins. After a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the start of the rice cooking process, the steam exhaust means 70 having a fan is activated to exhaust steam to the outside of the system.

Completion of rice cooking is detected by a sensor 47, and then the steaming process is started. The rice cooker 38 has a built-in heat retention control circuit and is configured to detect a drop in the temperature of the inner pot 41 and automatically perform heat retention after the steaming process is completed. At the end of the above steaming process, the rice cooker 38 is unlocked and can be pulled out from the box 5.

This concludes the series of operating steps in the apparatus of the present invention.

The compact fully automatic rice cooking device according to the embodiment of the present invention, which has the structure and operation mode described above, eliminates all the complexity of rice cooking and allows you to cook freshly cooked hot rice at the desired time by simply setting the timer. It has many advantages as follows:

The automatic rice cooking device according to the embodiment of the present invention is convenient for replenishing polished rice because each mechanism is configured independently and can be freely pulled out from the box. The top plate can be used as a cooking table or storage space, and the rice washing mechanism, which requires special cleaning management, can be easily cleaned.
It also has many advantages, such as easy inspection of each part and easy replacement of each mechanism or part in the event of a failure.

Furthermore, by equipping the rice cooker with a shaft on the top lid that can be opened and closed in the horizontal direction, the rice cooker can be set in the main body of the device with the top lid closed, significantly reducing the overall height of the device. In addition to Chinode single unit type,
It is possible to realize a highly practical device that can be provided in a compact size that can be stored in a system kitchen.

Furthermore, regarding water supply means, conventionally proposed float types, moving electrode types, and metered water storage types have complex structures, poor cleaning performance, and frequent errors in water level detection due to dirt, changes in water quality, etc. In view of these many problems, a digital control method using a constant water level tank has been adopted, which completely eliminates the above problems and has the advantage of being able to accurately control a minute water flow range.

In the present invention, polished rice can be replenished from the cylindrical body of the rice washing mechanism each time.Other examples include a structure in which the rice storage floor is fixed and the top plate is opened/closed or slid to replenish the polished rice, or a rice storage bed All changes in the design of the metering device, such as eliminating the metering device and replacing it with a hopper-only structure in which pre-quantified milled rice is replenished each time, etc., belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

(Effects of the Invention) The present invention is as described above, and according to the present invention, the rice discharging means 11 and the drainage means 10 are provided at the bottom, and the water supply means 2 is provided at the upper part.
3 and a fountain means 20, and a rice washing tank 12 having a built-in stirring means 8; a rice cooker 38 for receiving the washed rice from the rice ejecting means 11;
A constant water level tank 22 is provided inside the upper part of the box 5, and the water supply means 23 is connected to the constant water level tank 22 via a valve 21, so that the amount of water in the rice washing tank 12 can be adjusted according to the amount of washed rice. It can be made appropriate depending on the situation, and the quality of the cooked food is good.

In addition, since the constant water level tank 22 is provided inside the upper part of the box 5, it can be installed using the space of the box 5 and can be made compact, and a pump is not required to supply water to the rice washing tank 12. This allows water to be supplied quietly and prevents disturbances while washing rice.

Therefore, the automatic rice cooking device of the present invention can be stored in a home kitchen either alone or together with a system kitchen.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Drawing 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a side view showing the arrangement of internal mechanisms, Fig. 2 is a side view explaining the handling of the rice cooker, and Fig. 3 is a part showing the inside of the rice cooker. A sectional side view, FIGS. 4 and 5 are plan views showing the opening and closing operations of the shank, and FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the water supply means. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Rice storage floor, 2... Quantitative classification means, 5... Box, 7... Rice washing mechanism, 8... Stirring means, 9... Water supply means, 1O... Drainage means , 11...Means for ejecting rice, 12
...Rice washing tank, 20...Fountain means, 22...Fixed water level tank, 23...Water supply means. No. 72 M2 Figure R

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Washing rice with rice discharging means (11) and drainage means (10) at the bottom, water supply means (23) and fountain means (20) at the top, and built-in stirring means (8) Tank (12); rice cooker (3) that receives washed rice from the rice ejecting means (11);
8); In an automatic rice cooking device provided in a box (5),
A fixed water level tank (22) is provided inside the upper part of the box (5), and the water supply means (23) is provided with a valve (2) in the fixed water level tank (22).
1) An automatic rice cooking device characterized in that it is connected via.