JPH04240411A - Electric rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To feed rice evenly into a rice bowl and increase rice cooking accuracy, by transferring the rice ground in a grinding chamber through the transfer part with air-flow and feeding, while moving spirally, into the rice cooking bowl in the cooking chamber by means of a feeder provided with a distributing funnel. CONSTITUTION:On cooking rice, first, a push-button 92 is pushed to turn the rice cooking chamber 7 for opening the rice cooker lid 75 by means of a spring action and to feed a specified volume of water into the inner bowl 62. Next, the rice cooker lid 75 is closed to compose the transfer path so that the transfer part 5 side of the transfer pipe 84 and the rice cooking part 7 side are positioned on the same line at the hinge mechanism 76. Next, the valve 85 is raised by driving motors 52, 88 to open the opening 83 of the funnel type distributor 80 and to generate transfer-air in the transfer pipe 84 by the revolution of a fan 53. And the grinding part 3 is driven to grind the rice within a rice container by the action of both inner and outer sleeves and the spiral. After that, the rice is transferred through the transfer pipe 84 by the transfer-air and dispersed, while moving spirally, and fed from the feeding part 6 to the inner bowl 62.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to an automatic rice cooker used at home, and more particularly to an automatic rice cooker equipped with a rice storage section, a rice grinding section, a transfer section, a rice cooking section, etc. .

0002

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic rice cooker equipped with a rice storage section, a rice washing section, a rice transfer section, a rice cooking section, etc. is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-95311. The configuration of this automatic rice cooker is shown in FIG. 11. In FIG. 11, 1 is a pot, 2 is a heating means, 3 is a rice chest part, 4 is a rice discharge port, and 5 is a rice washing part. Further, 6 is a transfer section, 7 is a water tank, 8 is a water supply pump, 9 and 10 are water supply pipes and nozzles, and 11 is a control circuit section. As shown in the figure, the casing has a two-tiered structure, with a pot 1 heated by a heating means 2 and a water tank 7 placed in the upper tier, and a rice rack 3 and a rice washing unit 5 provided in the lower tier. It is configured.

[0003] Then, by operating the operating section of the control circuit section 11, rice of a set amount of rice is supplied from the rice rack section 3 to the rice washing section 5 at the bottom, and the washed rice is transferred to a transfer section consisting of a pipe. 6 and is sent to pot 1 located above. Also, water is co-supplied from the water tank 7 to the pot 1 according to the set water level, and when the water supply is finished, the pot 1 is heated by the heating means 2 and the rice in the pot 1 is cooked.

0004

[Problem to be solved by the invention] The above automatic rice cooker is
This rice cooker is convenient because the functions necessary for cooking rice, from the rice bowl part 3 to the pot 1, are incorporated into one rice cooker. However, as mentioned above, the rice cooking section with the pot 1, the rice rack section 3, and the rice washing section 5 are arranged three-dimensionally from above, and the rice washed in the rice washing section 5 is transferred to the pot 1 through the pipe of the transfer section 6. It is planned to be introduced into the As a result, a mound of rice rises just below the input port of the pipe, and the rice in the pot 1 tends to become uneven. If rice is automatically cooked with a mountain of rice in the pot 1, there are problems such as uneven cooking and health hazards.

[0005] The present invention was made in order to solve the problems of the conventional automatic rice cooker as described above. It is designed to realize an automatic rice cooker.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention includes a rice rack containing rice, a rice polishing section that is connected to the rice rack and grinds the rice in an anhydrous state, and a rice polishing section that sharpens the rice in the rice polishing section. A transfer section that transfers rice using the airflow of a rotating fan through a transfer pipe, a rice cooking section that heats a rice pot with a heating means to cook rice, and an input section that throws the rice transferred from the transfer section into the pot of the rice cooking section. and a control unit that controls the rice cooking operation of the rice cooking unit according to a predetermined sequence, and a nearly funnel-shaped disperser is arranged in the input unit, and the rice transferred from the transfer unit by the disperser is This is an automatic rice cooker that feeds rice into the pot of the cooking section while rotating it.

[0007] Furthermore, the automatic rice cooker is configured to intermittently send airflow to the disperser.

[0008] Furthermore, an automatic rice cooker is constructed in which airflow is sent to the disperser with varying degrees of strength.

[0009] Furthermore, the automatic rice cooker is constructed in such a manner that at least the inner surface of the dispersion device in the input section is treated to prevent rice or the like from adhering to it.

The automatic rice cooker is further provided with an abacus-shaped valve made of an elastic material that opens and closes the opening of the distributor in the input section from the inside.

[0011]

[Operation] When you put an amount of water approximately equal to the amount of rice to be cooked into the pot, close the lid, and turn on the power, the rice polishing section and transfer section will start operating. When the operation begins, the rice in the rice rack is taken into the rice polishing section and the bran is removed, and the removed bran is discharged outside. On the other hand, the rice polished in the rice polishing section is sent toward the rice cooking section by the air flow of the slanted transfer pipe of the transfer section. The polished rice sent to the rice cooking section is passed through the input port of the disperser.
It is thrown into the pot by a swirling flow that sometimes intermittent or changes in strength, and is deposited flat in the pot. When the rice in the pot reaches a predetermined amount, the driving of the rice polishing section and the transfer section is stopped, and after all of the rice being transferred is thrown in, the input port of the disperser is closed and the inside is sealed. Then, the power supply to the charging section is turned off, and the rice polishing, transfer, and charging steps are completed. Thereafter, the heating means of the rice cooking section is energized, the heating temperature, heating time, etc. are controlled by the control section, and the rice in the pot is cooked.

0012

[Embodiment] Fig. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention partially shown in cross section, Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line A-A of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a B-B of Fig. 1. -B sectional view.

In Figs. 1 to 4, 1 is a housing, 2 is a rice rack provided in the housing 1, and 3 is rice taken from the rice rack 2, which is polished to form bran, germ powder, etc. (bran). 5 is a transfer section that transfers the polished rice by air flow, 6 is an input section that inputs the rice sent by transfer section 5, 7 is a rice cooking section that cooks the input rice, 8 is a cover of the housing 1.

The housing 1 includes a lower case 11 in which a stepped portion 13 is formed at the lower part of the transfer section 5, a trunk case 14 attached to the lower case 11, and an upper case 1 fixed to the trunk case 14.
It consists of 5. 11a is an opening provided on the front surface of the lower case 11, and 12 is a recess extending into the opening 11a. A rice bran tray 16 is inserted into the recess 12 from the opening 11a so as to be freely drawn out. When the bran tray 16 is loaded, intermittent vibrations are applied by a spring and an electromagnet so that the accumulated bran is sent to the front side. Further, the upper case 15 is cut out at positions corresponding to the rice rack part 2 and the rice polishing part 3. A bottom plate 17 is fixed above the recess 12 on substantially the same plane as the step 13, and has a hole 18 corresponding to the polishing part 3.

The rice racks 2 are formed into a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape and are arranged on the bottom plate 17 at predetermined intervals. The bottom surface of this rice rack part 2 is formed into a funnel shape, and a through hole 21 is provided therein. Further, an upper lid 22 having a through hole 23 provided opposite to the through hole 21, a rice charging port 24, and a rice discharge port 25 is fixed to the upper portion.

The rice polishing section 3 includes a rice polishing mechanism 31 and a drive mechanism 43.
It consists of The rice polishing mechanism 31 includes a joint sleeve 32 having a joint sleeve 32 with a joint sleeve 32 having a rice intake port 34 open above the joint sleeve 33, which has a spline connection portion 33 connected to its outer periphery, and a joint sleeve 32 that is concentric with the joint sleeve 32 above the intake port 34. It consists of an outer sleeve 35 which is disposed in the outer sleeve 35 and fixed to the joint sleeve 32, and an inner sleeve 36 which is provided with a number of slanted slits 37 on the outer periphery and which is disposed concentrically within the outer sleeve 35. . 38 is a lower spiral fixed to the inner sleeve 36 at a position facing the intake port 34, and a spiral protrusion 39 is provided on the outer periphery.
is provided. Reference numeral 40 designates an upper lid that covers the gap formed between the joint sleeve 32 and the inner sleeve 36 at the upper end of the inner sleeve 36, and is provided with a discharge port 41 that communicates with the rice discharge port 25 of the rice rack section 2. 42 is an inner sleeve presser.

In the drive mechanism 43, 44 is a motor attached below the transfer section 5, 45a is a drive pulley fixed to the output shaft of the motor 44, 45b is an intermediate pulley, 45
A driven pulley c is rotatably supported on the bottom plate 17 via a bearing 47, and a spline groove is provided in the center hole. 46a and 46b are belts, and drive pulley 45a
is suspended between the intermediate pulley 45b and between the intermediate pulley 45b and the driven pulley 45c. The rice polishing mechanism 31 is the rice storage unit 2
and the drive mechanism 43, and the lower part of the inner sleeve 36 opens onto the rice bran tray 16 in the installed state.

The transfer section 5 is located above the motor 44 and is located above the rice rack section 2.
It is located next to. 51 is a substantially inverted U-shaped support arm fixed to the upper case 15, and a motor 52 is attached to it. 53 is a spiral fan attached to the output shaft of the motor 52, and 54 is a fan case fixed to the support arm 51. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the fan case 54 is provided with an intake port 55 that projects upward and is connected to the discharge port 25 of the rice barrel section 2. An outlet 56 is open below the intake 55 . The fan case 54 is eccentrically attached to the fan 53 so that the intake port 55 side is wider. Therefore, when the fan 53 rotates, air in the volume space that gradually expands in a spiral shape is sent out toward the outlet 56. Reference numeral 57 denotes an air filter, which is provided at the intake port of the fan case 54.

[0019] The input section 6 and the rice cooking section 7 are provided on the front surface of the housing 1. The rice cooking section 7 includes an outer pot 61 fixed to the upper case 15, an inner pot 62 removably provided in the outer pot 61, and a bottom of the outer pot 61, and heats the bottom surface of the inner pot 62. It consists of a rice cooking heater 63 and the like. A temperature sensor (not shown) that comes into contact with the inner pot 62 to detect the temperature is provided at the center of the rice cooking heater 63. In addition, the outer pot 6
A weight sensor 6 for detecting the weight of the inner pot 62 is installed at the bottom of the pot 1.
4 is placed.

The cover 8 includes a rear lid 71 that covers the rice rack section 2 and is supported by a hinge 26, a fixed cover 73 that is fixed to the upper case 15 and covers the transfer section 5, and a hinge mechanism 76 provided on the upper case 15. Rice cooking lid 7 configured to be openable and closable by
It consists of 5. Reference numeral 72 indicates an operation panel provided on the fixed cover 73, and reference numeral 74 indicates a printed board to which electronic components including a microcomputer and the like are attached to form a control section. Operation panel 7
As shown in the figure, setting keys 2 are provided for selecting the degree of hardness or softness of cooked rice, polished rice + cooked rice, or cooked rice while looking at the display. Moreover, the rice cooking lid 75 covers the upper surface of the rice cooking part 7 in the closed state. 77 is a lid frame provided on the bottom of the rice cooking lid 75; 78
79 is a lid packing, and 79 is an inner lid. The inner lid 79 is the lid frame 77
The lid packing 78 seals the pot 62.

Reference numeral 80 denotes a distributor in the input section 6, and the distributor 80 is provided inside the inner lid 79. The disperser 80 is formed into a funnel shape consisting of a cylindrical portion 81, a conical portion 82, and an opening 83, and the opening 83 passes through the inner lid 79 to the inner pot 62.
It is exposed almost in the center. 84 is a hinge mechanism 76
The cylindrical part 81 is connected to the cylindrical part 81 so that the air flow is tangentially emitted by an inclined transfer pipe extending from the cylindrical part 81. 85 is a valve that opens and closes the opening 83 of the distributor 80, 86 is a rod, 87 is a rack, 88 is a motor, 89 is a pinion driven by the motor 88, and 90 is a spring. A rod 86 passes through the top plate of the distributor 80 and is connected to a rack 87 that meshes with a pinion 89 . Further, the spring 90 is interposed between the valve 85 and the upper plate of the distributor 80, and constantly pushes down the valve 85 to close the opening 83. The structure of valve 85 is shown enlarged in FIG. The valve 85 is made of an elastic material and, as shown in the figure, has a mounting hole 85a in the center into which a rod 86 is fitted, and is formed into an approximately abacus ball shape with an inclined surface 85b corresponding to the conical part 82. There is. In particular, a small protrusion 85c having a semicylindrical cross section is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the inclined surface 85b. Therefore, when the valve 85 closes the opening 83, the protrusion 85
c expands through the opening 83 while contracting due to elasticity, and is configured to cover and seal the mouth edge from the inner pot 62 side. The surfaces of the valve 85 and the disperser 80 are treated to prevent the adhesion of rice grains and dust by forming a thin film of an anti-static material or a non-affinity material such as Teflon (trade name).

91 is a steam hole provided in the inner lid 79, 92 is a push button, and 93 is a latch connected to the push button 92 to lock the rice cooking lid 75. When the push button 92 is pressed, the latch 9
3 is released, and the rice cooking lid 75 rotates around the hinge mechanism 76. Further, if the rice cooking lid 75 is rotated in the opposite direction and pressed, the latch 93 is engaged and the rice cooking lid 75 is locked. 94 is a lead wire. The lead wire 94 is a ribbon wire formed by flatly connecting a plurality of color-coded coated wires, and is led out from the casing 1 via the hinge mechanism 76 and connected to the motor 88 of the distributor 80 and the like.

The operation of the automatic rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration will be explained next.

It is assumed that the rice polishing mechanism 31 is attached to the rice polishing section 3 in advance, and that a considerable amount of rice is placed in the rice tray section 2.

When the push button 92 is pressed, the rice cooking lid 75 rotates around the hinge mechanism 76 under the action of a spring, and the rice cooking section 7 is opened. The inner pot 62 is taken out from the opened rice cooking part 7, and an amount of water roughly corresponding to the planned amount of rice to be cooked is poured into the inner pot 62 using a scale or an attached cup. Then, when the inner pot 62 is set in the rice cooking part 7 and the rice cooking lid 75 is closed, the transfer part 5 side and the rice cooking part 7 side of the transfer pipe 84 are on the same line at the hinge mechanism 76, and the transfer path is connected. Ru.

Next, the user connects the power cord to an outlet, operates the operation panel 72, and inputs rice cooking conditions such as the scheduled meal time as described above using the keys to set a reservation. As time passes and the operation start time arrives, the three motors 44, 52
, 88 are both energized, and the operations of the rice polishing section 3, transfer section 5, input section 6, etc. are started. When the motors 52 and 88 are energized, the pinion 89 and the like are driven to raise the valve 85 and open the opening 83 of the distributor 80, and at the same time, the fan 53 rotates and transfer air begins to flow into the transfer pipe 84. .

Further, the rice polishing mechanism 31 of the rice polishing section 3 is driven by the energization of the motor 44, and the lower spiral 38 rotates, so that the rice in the rice tray section 2 taken in from the intake port 34 is transferred to the outer sleeve 3.
5 and the inner sleeve 36. The rice that has been pushed up is transferred to the rotating inner sleeve 36 and the fixed outer sleeve 3.
5, it moves in irregular directions and rises while being stirred. The rice is on its way up and the inner and outer sleeves 35 and 36
Due to the contact with the side of the US, the spiral, and the struggle between US comrades,
The bran and germ powder on the surface layer are removed. Then, the bran, which is composed of the peeled bran and the like and the dust mixed with the polished rice, passes through the slit 37, falls within the inner sleeve 36, and is deposited in the bran tray 16. The accumulated bran is sequentially sent to the front by intermittent vibration of the bran tray 16, and the bran tray 16 is pulled out at an appropriate time to discard the accumulated bran.

After the bran has been removed, the rice is further pushed up while being polished by the upper mesh, and sent to the intake port 55 of the transfer section 5 through the upper discharge ports 41 and 25. The rice polished in the rice polishing section 3 and sent into the intake port 55 is transferred to the transfer pipe 84 by the ejector effect of the air flow sent from the rotating fan 53 and passing through the takeout port 55 at high speed.
It is rolled up into the container and sent toward the input section 6. The rice grains being transferred are transferred without stagnation due to the cooperative force of gravity based on the inclination of the transfer pipe 84 and the wind force of the airflow flowing through the pipe. The rice that has reached the input section 6 is then transferred to a disperser 80.
is sprayed in the tangential direction inside the cylindrical portion 81, descends along the conical portion 82 while rotating, and enters the inner pot 62 from the opening 83.
It is dispersed and introduced within the country. At this time, the air flow sent to the disperser 80 is supplied intermittently or with varying strength. As a result, the rice put into the inner pot 62
It is immersed in water that is deposited flat from the bottom inside. The control operation of the strong/weak or intermittent air flow to the distributor 80 is as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 9 and the timing chart of FIG. 10. (a) In the figure, the start time t of rice polishing
Polishing time Tw from s to end time te and delay △T,
That is, an intermittent air flow is sent into the transfer pipe 84 in a time range of (Ta=Tw+ΔT). In addition, in figure (b), Ta
The surface of the rice put into the inner pot 62 is made uniform by the air flow that changes in intensity over time. Thereafter, the control of the rice cooking process by the control section is transferred to the rice cooking section, as shown in the block diagram of FIG.

On the other hand, the weight sensor of the rice cooking section 7 detects the total weight of the inner pot 62 and constantly outputs the detected weight signal to the control section of the operation panel 72. The control unit adjusts the inner pot 6 based on the total weight.
The weight of water is calculated by subtracting the weight of 2, and the appropriate amount of rice corresponding to the amount of water is calculated based on the calculation result. When the amount of rice input by the input unit 6 approaches the appropriate amount of rice calculated by the control unit,
First, the motor 44 is stopped and the rice polishing operation of the rice polishing section 3 is stopped. Thereafter, the rotations of the motors 52 and 88 are stopped after a certain period of time, and after the rice has been introduced into the inner pot 62 along the route between the transfer section 5 and the input section 6, the transfer and input operations are stopped. When the rotation of the motor 88 is stopped after the input of the input unit 6 is completed, the valve 85 is pushed down by the spring 90 and the opening 83 of the distributor 80 is closed. The amount of rice thrown into the feeding section 6 after the rice polishing operation is stopped corresponds to the remaining amount of rice on the transfer path, and is experimentally calculated in advance from the amount of air blown by the fan 53, the rotation speed of the motor 52, and the like. By adding this remaining amount, the inner pot 6
2 will be compensated when the amount of rice reaches the appropriate amount.

When the soaking time of the rice put into the inner pot 62 reaches a set value, power is supplied to the rice cooking heater 63 to heat the inner pot 62 and start cooking the rice. Thereafter, the rice in the inner pot 62 is cooked and the meal is started at the scheduled time under control according to a sequence determined by the control unit based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

In the above embodiment, the rice polishing mechanism 31 was explained as an example in which the outer sleeve 35 rotated around the fixed inner sleeve 36. You can also rotate it. Further, although the case is shown in which the motor 44 that drives the rice polishing mechanism 31 and the motor 52 that drives the fan 53 of the transfer section 5 are provided separately, it is also possible to use one motor for both purposes. . In addition, the rice rack part 2 is fixed to the lower case 1, and the rice polishing mechanism 3
Although an example is shown in which the rice rack 1 is configured to be detachable, the rice rack part 2 may be configured to be detachable from the housing 1, and the rice polishing mechanism 31 may also be configured to be detachable. In addition, although the rice cooking section 6 is arranged at the front and the rice rack section 2, rice grinding section 3, and transfer section 5 are arranged at the rear, the rice cooking section 6 and the rice rack section 2 can also be arranged at the left and right sides. The arrangement of each part can be changed as appropriate, and the shapes of the case and cover, the structure of each part, etc. are not necessarily limited to the embodiments.

[0032]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, the present invention includes a rice rack containing rice, a rice polishing section that is connected to the rice rack and grinds rice in an anhydrous state,
A transfer section that transfers the polished rice in the rice grinding section using airflow from a rotating fan via a transfer pipe, a rice cooking section that heats the pot with a heating means to cook the rice, and a section that transfers the rice to the pot of the rice cooking section. The dispersing device is equipped with an input section into which the rice transferred from the rice is inputted, and a control section that controls the rice cooking operation of the rice cooking section according to a predetermined sequence. An automatic rice cooker was constructed in which the rice transferred from the transfer section is rotated and thrown into the pot of the rice cooking section.

[0033] Furthermore, an automatic rice cooker was constructed in which air flow was intermittently sent to the disperser.

[0034] Furthermore, an automatic rice cooker was constructed in which the air flow was sent to the disperser with varying degrees of strength.

[0035] Furthermore, an automatic rice cooker was constructed in which at least the inner surface of the dispersion device in the input section was treated to prevent the adhesion of rice, etc.

Furthermore, an automatic rice cooker was constructed in which an abacus bead-shaped valve made of an elastic material was installed to open and close the opening of the distributor in the input section from the inside.

As a result, the rice does not form a mountain in the pot as in the conventional case, but is piled up almost horizontally in the pot. Therefore, even if you reserve rice cooking and rice cooking and automatically cook the rice, you will not have to worry about uneven cooking and harm to your health.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an automatic rice cooker that is convenient because it can wash and cook rice in an anhydrous state and does not reduce the accuracy of rice cooking.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention, partially shown in cross section.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the transfer section.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the valve.

FIG. 9 is an operational block diagram of a control section.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of a conventional automatic rice cooker.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Housing 2　Rice box section 3　Research Department 5 Transfer section 6 Input section 7　Rice cooking section 8 Cover 80 Distributor

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claim 1: A rice rack containing rice, a rice polishing unit connected to the rice rack and polishing the rice in an anhydrous state, and the rice polished in the rice polishing unit being rotated through a transfer pipe. a rice cooking section that heats a pot with a heating means to cook the rice; a charging section that puts the rice transferred from the transfer section into the pot of the rice cooking section; a control unit that controls the rice cooking operation of the rice cooking unit in accordance with a sequence set by the rice cooker, and a substantially funnel-shaped disperser is disposed in the input unit, and the rice transferred from the transfer unit is swirled by the disperser. An automatic rice cooker characterized in that the rice is put into the pot of the rice cooking section. 2. The automatic rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the automatic rice cooker is configured to intermittently send airflow to the disperser. 3. The automatic rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the automatic rice cooker is configured to send airflow to the disperser with varying degrees of strength. 4. The automatic rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein at least the inner surface of the disperser in the input section is made of a synthetic resin material treated to prevent rice from adhering to the rice. 5. The automatic rice cooker according to claim 1, further comprising an abacus-shaped valve made of an elastic material that opens and closes the opening of the distributor in the input section from the inside.