JPH03920Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of industrial application] This invention relates to an automatic rice preparation device that automatically performs a series of tasks to prepare stored rice for cooking.

[Conventional technology]

Figures 4 to 7 are diagrams showing a conventional automatic rice preparation device proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application No. 101013/1983 (Japanese Patent Application No. 257618/1983), and Figure 4 is an overall configuration diagram; FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of the rice storage amount detection device, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing the rice preparation operation.

In Fig. 4, 1 is the main body, 2 is a rice storage chamber provided in the upper part of the main body 1, 3 is a rice measuring device provided at the bottom of the rice storage chamber 2, and 4 is a rice measuring device below the rice measuring device 3. The rice washing device 5 is a water supply device provided above the rice washing device 4, and the reference numeral 6 is a control device that is electrically connected to each of these components and controls each of the components.

The rice storage chamber 2 has a hopper shape, and an opening is formed at the bottom. A casing 3d constituting a rice measuring device 3 is integrally formed at the bottom of the rice storage chamber 2. Near the bottom of rice storage room 2 is a fifth
As shown in the figure, an impeller (resistor) 21 connected to a motor 20 is housed. Casing 3
A circular mass 3a is rotatably installed inside d. Weigh out the specified amount of rice each time.
The mass 3a is rotated by a motor 3c via a transmission disk 3b in contact with its outer periphery, and the motor 3c is controlled by a control device 6. At the bottom of the casing 3d that accommodates the cell 3a, there is formed a rice dropout opening that has almost the same shape as the opening of one chamber of the cell 3a, and the rice thrown into the chamber of the cell 3a from the rice storage chamber 2 is poured into the cell 3a. Due to rotation, one chamber becomes casing 3.
When it matches the rice droplet d, it falls downward through this rice droplet. A chute 7 is provided at the dropping position of the rice to receive the rice and drop it into the rice washing container 4a of the rice washing device 4. The container 4a is a cylindrical container with an open top and bottom, and a stirring rod 4b is arranged inside the container, and the upper end of the stirring rod 4b is connected to the rotating shaft of a motor 4c. The bottom opening of the container 4a can be opened and closed by a bottom plate 4d, and the bottom plate 4d is opened and closed in conjunction with the transport device 8. The conveying device 8 has a gutter-shaped conveying body 8a, and the conveying body 8a is arranged so that its almost middle part is located directly below the rice washing container 4a, and it seesaws (swings) using this middle part as a fulcrum. is attached to a drive device (not shown). The bottom plate 4d is pivotally supported outside the bottom opening of the rice washing container 4a, and is always pressed in the opening direction, that is, downward, by a spring force. A motor (not shown) that drives the carrier 8a and the motor 4c are controlled by the control device 6.

A water supply device 5 is provided above the rice washing device 4,
This water supply device 5 includes a water receiving tank 5a connected to an appropriate water source, a water supply pipe 5b whose one end is connected to the bottom of the water receiving tank 5a and the other end facing the upper opening of the rice washing container 4a, and the water supply pipe 5b. A solenoid valve 5c is provided to control the amount of water. The solenoid valve 5c is connected to a control device 6, and its opening time is controlled.

At the bottom of the main body 1, when the conveyor 8a swings with its right end 8b facing down, this right end 8
Drainage receiving part 9 that receives and discharges water flowing down from b
is provided. Also, when the conveyor 8a swings with its left end 8c facing down, this left end 8c
Place the rice cooker 10 in a position where it can catch the water and rice flowing down from the
is located. The lid 11 of the rice cooker 10 is opened so that rice and water that has flowed down can enter the pot. At that time, the lid holding device 12 attached to a predetermined position in the main body 1 is attached to a handle 11a formed on the top surface of the lid 11.
, and hold the lid 11 open in the middle, that is, at an angle of 90° or less. Rice cooker 10 has lid 1
1 is supported by a hinge mechanism so that one side can be opened freely, and the other end has a latch mechanism for the lid 11.

Reference numerals 18a and 18b are limit switches provided below the carrier 8a, and 19 is a control display board provided at the top of the main body 1 and connected to the control device 6. The control display board 19 performs controls up to rice weighing. Selection switches such as a rice measuring switch 19a for controlling rice cooking, a rice cooking switch 19b for controlling rice cooking, and a rice washing switch 19c for controlling rice washing are provided.

Next, the operation of the above apparatus will be explained using the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7. First, rice is put into the rice storage chamber 2 (if rice is not put in), then the lid 11 of the rice cooker 10 is latched in the middle open state by the lid holding device 12, and the rice cooking amount adjusting section of the control device 6 and the rice cooking Set the time adjustment section. Next, the user selects the selection switches 19a to 19c to select the extent of the operation to be performed. Now, when the rice cooking switch 19b is selected, the control device 6 drives the motor 20 to rotate the impeller 21. When a large amount of rice is stored in the rice storage chamber 2, the impeller 21 receives a large resistance, the current flowing through the motor 20 increases, and the voltage V of the current detection resistor _R1 increases. Comparator 22
compares this voltage V with the reference voltage V ₀ and changes the output depending on its magnitude, in which case a small output is produced. Conversely, when the amount of stored rice is less than a predetermined value, the current of the motor 20 becomes smaller and the output of the comparator 22 becomes larger. Therefore, the control device 6 can determine whether the stored rice amount exceeds or is below a predetermined value based on the output of the comparator 22, and if it is below the predetermined value, an alarm is issued to notify the user. motor 2
If 0 is operated continuously, its life will be significantly degraded, so it is operated for a very short period of time. Next, the control device 6 determines whether or not the lid 11 is open based on a signal from a limit switch (not shown), and if the limit switch is on, that is, the lid 11 is held, the controller 6 waits until the timer-set operation start time. enter the state. If the limit switch is off, the operation is stopped and the user is immediately notified by an alarm or the like. Next, when the timer-set operation start time comes, the conveyor 8a is moved to the drainage side (fourth
(double-dashed line side in the figure). As a result, the bottom opening of the rice washing container 4a is closed by the bottom plate 4d interlocking with the carrier 8a. Next, the mass 3a of the measuring device 3 is rotated by a predetermined number of revolutions based on the rice cooking amount set, and the weighed rice is thereby put into the rice washing container 4a via the chute 7. Here, storage amount detection is performed again in the same manner as described above,
After weighing, it is detected whether the amount of stored rice has fallen below a predetermined value, and if it is below a predetermined value, an alarm is issued. Thereafter, the solenoid valve 5c is opened to supply water into the rice washing container 4a, and at the same time, the stirring rod 4b is rotated to wash the rice. At this time, the bottom opening of the rice washing container 4a and the bottom plate 4d are not completely sealed, so that some water may leak out. As a result, the washed rice is drained out of the main body 1 from the wastewater receiving part 9 through the conveyor 8a in sequence. Such rice washing is repeated until the sewage turbidity falls below a predetermined value or a predetermined time elapses, and after the final rice washing, the solenoid valve 5c is closed and the operation is stopped until all drainage is completed. do. Thereafter, the conveyor 8a is swung so that the left end 8c is on the lower side, and the bottom opening of the rice washing container 4a is opened. Then, the solenoid valve 5c is opened for a predetermined period of time to supply water into the rice washing container 4a, and while washing off the rice adhering to the container 4a and the carrier 8a, the rice and the corresponding amount of rice cooking water are added to the pot of the rice cooker 10. Prepare. At this time, a water sprinkler may be attached to the tip of the water supply pipe 5b in order to completely wash off the rice adhering to the rice washing container 4a and the like. Next, the conveyor 8a is swung to the drainage side again,
Water is supplied for a predetermined period of time and post-cleaning is performed. Transport body 8a
is detected by the position limit switches 18a, 18b and precisely controlled by the control device 6. At the same time as post-cleaning, the lid holding device 12 is activated,
Unlatch the lid 11. As a result, the lid 11
falls due to its own weight. On the other hand, the rice in the pot has risen like a mountain, and it is actually rice cooker 1.
The rice cooker 10 is rotated by a rocking device provided at the bottom of the rice cooker 10
Place the rice evenly in the pot by applying horizontal vibration. Thereafter, a standby time is allowed to soak the rice in water for a predetermined time, and then energy is applied to the rice cooker 10.

The above is the case when the rice cooking switch 19b is selected, but when the rice measuring switch 19a is selected, the conveyor 8a is swung toward the rice cooker 10 from the beginning and the rice is weighed as described above. The washed rice passes through the rice washing container 4a and is stored in the pot of the rice cooker 10 via the carrier 8a, and the lid 11 is closed.

Also, if you press the rice washing switch 19c,
The steps up to the input of rice cooking energy to the rice cooker 10 are performed in the same manner as when the rice cooking switch 19b is selected.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

The conventional automatic rice preparation device as described above detects the amount of rice stored in the rice storage chamber 2, and stops the rice preparation operation when the remaining amount is less than a predetermined value. on the other hand,
The above predetermined value is the maximum rice charging amount of this device (for example, 5
Normally, the amount is set to 1) or slightly more than that. Therefore, the user is notified that there is no rice stored when the stored amount falls below a predetermined value, and even if there is actually about 5 cups of rice left, There is a problem with the inconvenience of having to take replenishment measures such as going out to buy food.

This invention was made to solve the above problems, and the purpose is to provide an automatic rice preparation device that allows rice to continue cooking without having to replenish rice even if there is rice remaining. .

[Means for solving problems]

The automatic rice preparation device according to this invention includes a rice storage detection device, an alarm that operates when the amount of stored rice falls below a predetermined value, a preparation restart switch, and a preparation restart switch that is operated while the alarm is operating. In addition, a rice preparation restart means is provided for causing the rice preparation operation to be performed at least once.

[Effect]

In this invention, when the amount of stored rice falls below a predetermined value, an alarm is issued to alert the user, and if the user operates the restart switch, rice will be prepared at least once.

〔Example〕

Figures 1 to 5 are diagrams showing one embodiment of this invention, in which Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram, Figure 2 is a block circuit diagram of the preparation restart means, and Figure 3 is a flowchart of the preparation restart operation. It is.

As is clear from FIG. 1, this embodiment is equipped with a rice storage amount detection device 31 (see FIG. 5) that detects the amount of rice stored in the rice storage room 2, an alarm 32, and a preparation restart switch 33. When it is detected from the output of the rice storage amount detection device 31 that the amount of stored rice has become less than a predetermined value, the rice preparation means 35 explained in FIGS. 6 and 7 stops its operation. On the other hand, the alarm 32 is activated, and while the alarm 32 is activated, the preparation restart switch 3 is activated.
3 is operated, the rice preparation means 34 outputs an output and the rice preparation means 35 is operated once.

In Fig. 2, 37 is a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as microcomputer) in the control device 6, and the CPU 37
A, a memory 37B, an input circuit 37c, and an output circuit 37D. The input circuit 37c is connected to the rice storage amount detection device 31 and the preparation restart switch 33, and the output circuit 37D is connected to the alarm 32 and the rice preparation means 35.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. Figure 3 shows the memory 37 of the microcomputer 37.
12 is a flowchart showing a rice preparation operation program including a preparation restart operation stored in FIG.

Only the preparation restart operation will be explained below. The rest is the same as the conventional device. However, the storage amount detection and alarm operation after rice measurement shown in FIG. 6 are not used.

When the rice cooking switch 19b is selected in step 41, the amount of stored rice is detected in step 42, and when it becomes less than a predetermined amount, the alarm 32 issues an alarm in step 43. The alarm 32 is one that uses sound, light, or the like. Then, the subsequent rice preparation operation does not proceed. The user who noticed the alarm,
When the preparation restart switch 33 is operated in step 44,
In step 45, a restart operation of rice preparation is commanded, and the rice preparation operation described above is restarted. However, when the preparation restart switch 33 is operated again, step 45 does not output any output, and the subsequent rice preparation operation is stopped.

In this way, even after the alarm 32 is activated,
The rice preparation operation can be performed for only the remaining amount of rice, making it possible to respond to emergency needs.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, this device is equipped with a rice storage amount detection device, an alarm that operates when the rice storage amount falls below a predetermined value, and a preparation restart switch, and the preparation restart switch is operated while the alarm is operating. Since the rice preparation operation is performed at least once, there is an effect that the remaining amount of rice can be prepared without being forced to replenish rice even if there is rice remaining.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 to 3 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the automatic rice preparation device according to this invention, and Figure 1 is an overall configuration diagram;
Fig. 2 is a block circuit diagram of the rice preparation restarting means, Fig. 3 is a flowchart of the rice preparation operation including the preparation restart operation, and Figs. 4 and 5 are diagrams showing the automatic rice preparation device of this invention and the conventional rice preparation device. , FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram, FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of the rice storage amount detection device, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts showing the rice preparation operation of the conventional automatic rice preparation device. In the figure, 2 is a rice storage room, 3 is a rice measuring device, 4 is a rice washing device, 5 is a water supply device, 6 is a control device, 10 is a rice cooker, 31 is a rice storage amount detection device, 32 is an alarm,
33 is a preparation restart switch, 34 is a preparation restart means,
35 is the rice preparation means. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same parts.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) A device that stores rice, weighs it, washes it, and supplies the washed rice to a rice cooker along with water corresponding to the amount of rice. a rice storage amount detection device that detects the storage amount of the rice; an alarm that operates when the storage amount of the rice falls below a predetermined value; an artificially operated brewing restart switch; The automatic rice preparation is characterized by comprising a rice preparation restart means which stops the rice preparation operation when the rice preparation operation is activated, and causes the preparation operation to be performed at least once when the preparation restart switch is operated while the alarm is operating. Device. (2) The rice storage amount detection device consists of a resistor placed inside the rice and a motor that rotates it.
The automatic rice preparation device according to claim 1, wherein the amount of stored rice is detected based on the current value of the motor.