JPH04218112A - Fully automatic rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To keep a correct valve posture, by preventing external forces acting on a conical valve opening and closing the bottom of a rice washing tank. CONSTITUTION:A vertically moving conical valve 14 is provided to open and close the discharge opening at the bottom of a rice washing tank. The upper lid 29 of the rice cooker 44 placed just below the rice washing tank 5 is raised and lowered by an open-and-close arm 34. Both sides and the front side of the conical valve 14 are surrounded by the arm 34.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention was proposed with the aim of completely reducing the labor involved in rice cooking, which has hitherto been labor-intensive. This invention relates to a new fully automatic rice cooking device that can automatically process a series of work steps from adding and subtracting water, absorbing water, cooking rice, and steaming rice to completion using an accurate program.

0002

[Prior Art] Various proposals regarding automatic rice cooking devices have been made in the past, but most of them are for small home use, and in terms of frequency of use, throughput, and operability, they are not suitable for commercial use, which is the object of the present invention. There is a huge difference, and they are on a different level from the point of view of practicality and continuity.

[0003] Therefore, as a fully automatic rice cooking device that can also be used for commercial purposes, there is a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-206411 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-26031.

0004

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] All of the above-mentioned publications disclose a rice storage section for storing rice, a measuring section for weighing and discharging rice from the rice storage section, and a measuring section for discharging rice from the measuring section. Although it is equipped with a rice washing section that washes rice and a rice cooking section that cooks the rice discharged from the rice washing section, the supply of rice from the rice washing section to the rice cooking section is complicated.

[0005] Therefore, there is a rice cooker in which a conical valve that moves up and down is provided at the outlet formed at the bottom of the rice washing section, so that the conical valve guides the supply of rice optimally for rice cooking in the rice cooker. However, in models that use this conical valve, the valve moves up and down to discharge rice, so if the valve is not kept in the correct position, rice will remain between the outlet and the conical valve. There was a problem.

[0006] Furthermore, when the rice cooker is pulled out from the inside of the refrigerator, there is a problem in that if the rice cooker collides with the conical valve, the valve position collapses. An object of the present invention is to prevent external force from being applied to the conical valve by using an opening/closing arm that opens and closes the top lid of the rice cooker in a fully automatic rice cooker that uses a conical valve.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention includes a rice storage section for storing rice, a measuring section for weighing and discharging the rice in the rice storage section, and a rice washing section for washing the rice discharged from the measuring section. a rice cooking section for cooking rice discharged from the rice washing section, the rice washing section comprising:
A rice-washing tank having a conical lower part has an outlet that can be opened and closed by a conical valve that moves up and down, and the rice-cooking section is movable in the horizontal direction directly below the same axis of the rice-washing tank. In a fully automatic rice cooking device equipped with a top lid for opening and closing the rice cooker, the following technical measures have been taken to achieve the above-mentioned objective.

That is, the present invention is characterized in that it is provided with an opening/closing arm 34 that surrounds both left and right sides and the front of the conical valve 14 and raises and lowers the upper cover 29.

[0009]

[Function] According to the present invention, inspection of the inside of the device, rice cooker 44
External forces that try to act on the conical valve 14 when the conical valve 14 is inserted or taken out are protected by the opening/closing arm 34 to prevent the conical valve 14 from changing its posture.

0010

[Embodiment] To explain the present invention with reference to drawings showing an embodiment thereof, in FIG. 1, a rice storage tank (rice storage section) 1 arranged at the top
The rice storage tank 1 is formed into a hopper shape, in which raw materials are stored.
A metering device (measuring section) 2 is connected to the bottom of the meter. The metering device shown in this embodiment is a drum type that is rotated in one direction by an electric motor 3, and the internal volume is kept constant, and the required amount of raw material is divided into quantitative portions according to the rotational speed and dropped downward. Based on the pulse counting method, which is controlled by the transmission of pulses to the set value of the counter set by the counter.

On the other hand, a funnel-shaped raw material chute 4 is provided directly below the metering device 2, and a rice washing tank (rice washing section) is provided.
A raw material supply port 7 is opened through the top plate 6 of 5. The rice washing tank 5 is made of a cylindrical body with an inverted conical lower part, and a hollow rotating shaft 9 on which a plurality of stirring blades 8 each having a different rotation radius is installed at the axis of the tank passes through the top plate 6. It is rotatably arranged by an electric motor 11 via a bearing 10 provided in the same manner. At the bottom of the rice washing tank 5, a shaft rod 13 is inserted coaxially with the hollow shaft 9 and is movable vertically by a rotary cam mechanism 12 provided above the top plate 6, and a shaft rod 13 is fixed to the lower end of the shaft rod. An outlet 15 for raw material and cooking water is provided which can be opened and closed using a conical valve 14.

Furthermore, above the outlet 15, there is a separation plate 16 formed in the shape of an inverted cone and having a large number of water passage ports, and an annular drainage jacket 17 provided to tightly surround the separation plate.
and an overflow port 18 are provided in series with the lower part of the top plate 16. A side pipe 19 is opened in communication with the outer circumferential surface of the drain jacket 17, and a float 20 for detecting a rise in the water level inside the pipe is enclosed, and the rice cooking water level in the rice washing tank 5 is raised or lowered in conjunction with a metering dial mechanism 21. Mobile sensor 2
2, it is configured to be detected and adjusted. Furthermore, a plurality of water sprinkling ports 23 are provided at the top of the rice washing tank 5 by opening through the top plate 6.

As shown in FIG. 2, on the outer peripheral surface of the drainage jacket 17, in addition to the side pipe 19, there is also a drain pipe 25 and a rice washing tank 5 for draining washing water out of the system through a drain valve 24 which can be opened and closed.
In order to generate an upward flow inward and discharge suspended pollutants out of the system from the overflow port 18, a water supply port 27 is provided, which communicates with the water supply port 27 through a solenoid valve 26. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of guide plates 28 are fixed to the side surfaces of the drain jacket 17 and a shutter rail 30 is fixed to the shutter rail 30 whose lower end is attached to the upper surface of the upper lid 29, as shown in FIG. The upper lid can be opened and closed in the vertical direction by a member 31 configured to be slidable up and down, and an opening/closing arm 34 extending forward by hanging a pin 33 provided on the member 31 with a fulcrum 32. 29 are arranged.

The upper lid is opened and closed with a stroke H by the opening/closing arm 34, and is configured to seal the inserted inner pot 35 and hold it in the open position with a hook 36, as shown by the dotted line in the figure. 34 surrounds the left and right sides and the front of the conical valve 14 and forms a so-called closed loop through the inner part of the refrigerator. As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 37 for rice and water is opened in the center of the upper lid 29.
The opening has a fulcrum 39 and can be opened and closed by a shutter 41 which can be opened and closed by a swing arm 40 driven by an electric motor 38. The shutter 41 slides and seals the opening 37 by moving along a stroke H1 using a shutter rail 30 provided on the top lid as a guide, and is provided with a sensor 42 for detecting opening/closing of the shutter. A rectangular opening/closing arm 34 along the lines 30 and the like is provided.

In the apparatus of the present invention, when the conical valve 14 provided at the bottom of the rice washing tank 5 is opened, the outflow curve of the rice and water flowing out has a parabolic shape as shown by the dotted line 43 in FIG. 2, which is an extension of the conical surface. . Therefore, the opening 37 provided in the upper lid 29
The diameter is determined so that it does not intersect with the parabola in the closed position of the top cover. The operation mode of the apparatus of the present invention constructed as described above will be explained with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments. In FIG. The inner pot is moved directly below the center, and the upper cover is lowered by the opening/closing arm 34 to seal the inner pot. Here, the inner pot 3 is detected by the sensor 46.
5 detections are performed.

Next, by setting the metering dial 21 to the required amount of rice to cook, the pulse counter that controls the rotation speed of the metering device 2 is selected, and the sensor 22 that detects the water level detection float 20 in the side pipe 19 is moved. Then, the water level adjustment point 47 in the rice washing tank 5 necessary for rice cooking is determined. By pressing the start button, the metering device 2 rotates to quantitatively divide the raw material in the rice storage tank 1 and drop it into the rice washing tank 5 via the chute 4 through the raw material supply port 7. At the same time, the electric motor 11 is started and the stirring blade 8 is rotated at a warm speed, and the solenoid valve 48 connected to the pressure water system is opened to start supplying water from the plurality of water sprinkling ports 23, and the rice washing process begins. The wastewater that has passed through the raw material layer that is accumulated and stirred in the rice washing tank and becomes rice washing polluted water passes through a separation plate 16 provided at the bottom and is then discharged to a drainage jacket 17, a drainage pipe 25, and a drainage valve 24.
The water is drained out of the system through the drain port 49.

[0017] Next, water supply is temporarily stopped according to a rice washing program inputted in advance, and the rice polishing process is started.After a predetermined rice polishing process has elapsed, water sprinkling is started again to drain the rice washing polluted water. After repeating the above steps, the drain valve 24 shown in FIG.
When the drain jacket 17 is closed, water supply starts from the water supply port 27 which is open and communicated with the drainage jacket 17 via the solenoid valve 26. By sealing the drain valve 24, the supplied water flows upward in the rice washing tank 5, overflows from the overflow port 18, passes through the drain pipe 50 and the drain box 51, and is drained out of the system from the drain port 49. When a predetermined overflow time has elapsed, the electromagnetic valve 26 closes, the drain valve 24 opens, and the cleaning water that has been stored up to the overflow point in the tank is drained out of the system all at once.

After the rice washing process is completed, the drain valve 24 is closed and the solenoid valve 48 is opened to begin supplying water in the water adjustment process. In this step, the circuit of the water level detection sensor 22 is turned on, and as the water level in the rice washing tank 5 rises, the float 20 in the side pipe 19 rises, and at the water level detection point 47, the solenoid valve 48 is closed to stop the water supply. Then, in response to the output signal of the sensor, the cam-type opening/closing mechanism 12 provided above the shaft 13 rotates, causing the conical valve 14 that seals the outlet 15 at the bottom of the rice washing tank to fall by a predetermined stroke, and the raw materials and cooking water are placed in the upper lid 29. The water is allowed to flow down into the inner pot 35 through the opening 37.

The opening 37 is always closed by a shutter 41, temporarily opened by a motor 38 in response to an output signal from the sensor 22, and automatically closed after a predetermined period of time. When the raw material has finished flowing out, the conical valve 14 returns to its original position by the rotation of the cam opening/closing mechanism 12 and seals the outlet 15. Next, the water absorption time of the raw material is restricted by a timer that is activated upon detection of the completion of rice ejection, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the rice cooker 4 is activated by the output signal of the timer.
Burner 4 (not shown) is lit and the rice cooking process begins. The combustion gas is supplied through a conduit that is opened and closed by a gas solenoid valve (not shown), and the solenoid valve is opened by the output signal of the timer and is connected to a thermostat (not shown) that detects the bottom temperature of the inner pot 35. It is configured to be blocked by

Completion of the rice cooking process is detected by the thermostat, the burner is extinguished, and a separate timer is activated to limit the steaming time. After a predetermined steaming time has elapsed, the output signal of the timer notifies the completion of rice cooking, thereby completing the series of operating steps in the apparatus of the present invention. In the present invention, the proposed top lid mechanism equipped with a shutter 41 and provided with an opening 37 that can be opened and closed is extremely effective in realizing the present invention. Since the bottom of the rice washing tank and the conical valve are arranged with a space between them, it is possible to eliminate all adverse thermal effects on the raw materials waiting in the rice washing tank, and it is also easy to check the operation around the conical valve. Therefore, it is easy to clean, the top lid can be opened and closed smoothly, and the rice cooker is airtight.

Further, in the rice cooker placed below, during each process of absorbing the raw materials, cooking rice, steaming, etc., and after the rice has been removed, the top lid is raised, the inner pot is pulled out, and the empty inner pot is set. The sensor 4 is electrically interlocked to prevent the shutter 41 from being opened during this period, and the sensor 4 detects the opening of the shutter.
By configuring the conical valve 14 to open with the second output signal, there is an advantage that human errors such as double discharge can be completely prevented.

[0022] The device of the present invention makes it possible to completely automatically process a series of operations from measuring raw materials to completing rice cooking by simply inputting a start signal, and is also capable of continuously and automatically processing a large amount of rice. It also has the ability to That is, a sensor (not shown) that detects the output signal of the water level detection sensor 22 indicating the completion of water addition and the opening of the conical valve 14.
and a sensor to detect sealing of the conical valve (not shown)
By using the respective output signals in a cascade to generate the start pulse and automatically restarting the device, the rice washing process can proceed in the upper rice washing section while the lower rice cooker is in actual operation. Since it is possible to give the raw materials in the rice washing tank a waiting time for water absorption until the completion of rice cooking, both rice washing and rice cooking operations can be performed continuously in a single device.

[0023]

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, an opening/closing arm is provided which surrounds the right and left sides and the front of the conical valve which moves up and down to open and close the outlet at the bottom of the rice washing tank, and lifts and lowers the top lid to open and close it. The opening/closing arm prevents external force from acting on the conical valve during loading and unloading of the rice cooker, inspection, etc., thereby maintaining the correct valve posture of the conical valve and reliably preventing leftover rice and rice washing water from leaking out. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the arrangement of an internal mechanism showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the device.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Rice storage department 2　Measuring part 5　Rice washing department 14 Conical valve 29 Top lid 34 Opening/closing arm 44 Rice cooker

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rice storage section for storing rice, a measuring section for weighing and discharging the rice in the rice storage section, a rice washing section for washing the rice discharged from the measuring section, and a rice cooking section for cooking the rice discharged from the rice washing section. , the rice washing section is provided with an outlet that can be opened and closed by a conical valve that moves up and down at the bottom of a rice washing tank whose lower part is formed into a conical shape, and the rice cooking section is arranged in a horizontal direction directly below the same axis of the rice washing tank. In a fully automatic rice cooking device equipped with a movable rice cooker and a top lid for opening and closing the rice cooker, an opening/closing arm (34) surrounds both left and right sides and the front of the conical valve (14) and raises and lowers the top lid (29). ) A fully automatic rice cooking device.