JPH07102175B2 - Fully automatic rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention has been proposed for the purpose of completely saving labor in a rice cooking operation that has conventionally been troublesome by humans. Storage, weighing, washing, and washing of raw materials (milled rice) in the rice cooking operation, The present invention relates to a novel fully-automatic rice cooking device that can automatically process a series of work steps up to rice cooking with an accurate program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various proposals for an automatic rice cooking device have been made, but most of them are for small-sized household use, and their use frequency, processing amount, and operability are not intended for commercial use. There are great differences, and they are of different dimensions in terms of practicality and continuity.

Therefore, as a fully-automatic rice cooker that can be used for business use, there is a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-26031. This fully-automatic rice cooker has a rice storage unit for storing rice, a weighing unit for weighing and discharging rice in the rice storage unit, a rice washing unit for washing rice discharged from the weighing unit, and a rice washing unit for discharging rice. The rice cooker has a rice cooker for cooking rice, and the rice cooker employs a rice cooker having an upper lid that opens and closes with a hinge as a fulcrum.

However, in the fully-automatic rice cooker, since the upper lid is opened and closed around the hinge, the rice washing unit and the rice cooker must be arranged vertically and horizontally apart from each other during rice cooking.
There is a drawback that the whole becomes large. Therefore, it is considered that the rice cooker is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction, and the rice cooker is moved from the lower side of the rice washing section to the outside so that the inner pot is taken in and out. With this configuration, the rice cooker can be arranged directly under the coaxial portion of the rice washing section during rice cooking, which has the advantage that the entire size can be reduced.

[0005]

When the rice cooker is arranged directly below the rice washing section coaxially, the entire size can be reduced, but the heat of the rice cooker has an adverse effect on the rice waiting in the rice washing tank of the rice washing section. And other new problems occur. In view of such a point, the present invention can be downsized as a whole, can prevent the heat effect on the rice in the rice washing part during rice cooking, and can further confirm the operation of the conical valve of the rice washing part and can easily perform cleaning, etc. It is intended to provide a rice cooker.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a rice storing section for storing rice, a measuring section for measuring and discharging rice in the rice storing section, and a rice washing section for washing the rice discharged from the measuring section. A rice cooking unit for cooking the rice discharged from the rice washing unit, wherein the rice washing unit is
With an outlet which is opened and closed by the conical valve at the bottom of the bran rice tank to form a lower funnel-shaped, the cooking section, drawer itself in the longitudinal direction is disposed in cooking position directly below coaxial rice washing tank during cooking
It is equipped with an existing rice cooker and an upper lid for opening and closing the rice cooker, and the conical valve of the rice washing section and the upper lid of the rice cooker at the rice cooking position are moved up and down.
It is provided with a space that is isolated from and communicates in the front-back direction .

[0007]

Since the rice cooker 44 is arranged at the rice cooking position immediately below the coaxial portion of the rice washing unit during rice cooking, the entire device can be downsized. Further, there is a space for vertically separating the conical valve 14 of the rice washing section and the upper lid 29 of the rice cooker 44 at the rice cooking position to communicate in the front-rear direction.
Therefore, the heat of the rice cooker 44 during rice cooking does not adversely affect the rice waiting in the rice washing tank 5 of the rice washing section. Moreover, the operation around the conical valve 14 can be easily confirmed and the cleaning is facilitated.

[0008]

EXAMPLE The present invention will be described with reference to the drawings showing an example thereof. In FIG. 1, raw material is stored in a rice storage tank (part) 1 arranged at the top of FIG. A metering unit (measuring unit) 2 is connected to the bottom. The metering device 2 shown in the present embodiment is a drum type rotating in one direction by the electric motor 3, and a predetermined amount of the raw material is quantitatively divided according to the number of revolutions while keeping the inner volume constant, and the material is dropped downward. According to the pulse counting method controlled by the start of the set value pulse of the counter set by 21.

On the other hand, a raw material chute 4 formed in the shape of a funnel is arranged immediately below the metering device 2, and a raw material supply port 7 is opened through a top plate 6 of a rice washing tank 5 serving as a rice washing section. The rice washing tank 5 is composed of a cylindrical body whose lower part is formed in an inverted cone shape (funnel shape) , and a hollow rotating shaft 9 provided with a plurality of stirring blades 8 each having a different rotation radius is installed at the axial center position of the tank. It is rotatably arranged by an electric motor 11 via a bearing 10 which penetrates through 6. On the other hand, a shaft bar 13 which is inserted coaxially with the hollow shaft 9 and is vertically movable by a rotary cam mechanism 12 provided above the top plate 6 and a lower end of the shaft bar 13 at the bottom of the rice washing tank 5. An outlet 15 for opening and closing the raw material and the cooked water is provided with a conical valve 14 fixed to.

Further, above the outflow port 15, there are provided a separation plate 16 formed in an inverted cone shape having a large number of water passage openings, and an annular drainage jacket 17 and a ceiling plate 16 provided so as to hermetically surround the separation plate 16. An overflow port 18 is provided continuously at the lower part. A side pipe 19 is opened to communicate with the outer peripheral surface of the drainage jacket 17, a float 20 for detecting a rise in the water level in the pipe is enclosed, and the rice cooking water level in the rice washing tank 5 is moved up and down in conjunction with a quantitative dial mechanism 21. It is configured to be detected and adjusted by a movable sensor 22.
In addition, a plurality of water sprinkling holes 23 are provided in the upper part of the rice washing tank 5 through the top plate 6 to open.

As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the side pipe 19 on the outer peripheral surface of the drainage jacket 17, a drainage pipe 25 for draining the wash water to the outside of the system via a drain valve 24 which can be opened and closed, and a drain pipe 25 are installed in the rice washing tank 5. A water supply port 2 which is open for communication via a solenoid valve 26 in order to generate a countercurrent and discharge the floating pollutants from the overflow port 18 to the outside of the system.
7 and 7 are provided respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of guide plates 28 fixed to the side surfaces of the drainage jacket 17 and a lower end held by the guide plates are fixed to a shutter rail 30 provided on the upper surface of the upper lid 29 immediately below the same axis of the rice washing tank 5. A lid 31 that is vertically slidable by a member 31 that is slidable up and down and a pin 33 that has a fulcrum 32 and that is provided on the member 31 is vertically extended and extends forward. 29 is mounted right under the rice washing tank 5.

The upper lid 29 is opened and closed with a stroke H by an opening / closing arm 34 so as to seal the inserted inner pot 35 and hold it by a hook 36 in its open position as shown by the dotted line in the drawing. 34
And the like constitute upper lid opening / closing means. Thus, between the valve cone 14 of the upper cover 29 and the bran rice tank 5 cooker 44 during cooking, at least the stroke H or more vertical space form
It is formed and separates both above and below, and the space is in front
It communicates in the rear direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, a rice and water inlet 37 is opened at the center of the upper lid 29, and the opening has a fulcrum 39 and can be opened and closed by a swing arm 40 driven by an electric motor 38. It has a structure that can be opened and closed by a shutter 41. The shutter 41 moves along the stroke H1 using the shutter rail 30 provided on the upper lid as a guide to open the opening 3
A sensor 42 is provided for slidingly sealing 7 and a sensor 42 for detecting opening / closing of the shutter 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 drawn by the rice and water has a parabolic shape in which the conical surface is extended as shown by the dotted line 43 in FIG. . Therefore, the diameter of the opening 37 provided in the upper lid 29 is determined so as not to intersect with the parabola in the closed position of the upper lid. An operation mode of the device of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings showing an embodiment thereof.
In FIG. 1, the rice cooker 44 having the empty inner pot 35 mounted thereon is moved back and forth.
A pedestal 45 that can be pulled out in the direction is pushed into the refrigerator to move it to a rice cooking position coaxially with the axis of the upper lid 29, and the opening / closing arm 34 lowers the upper lid to seal the inner pot. Here, the sensor 46 detects the inner pot 35.

Next, by setting the fixed quantity dial 21 to the required amount of cooked rice, the pulse counter for controlling the rotation speed of the constant quantity machine 2 is selected and the sensor 22 for detecting the float 20 for detecting the water level in the side pipe 19 is moved. Then, the water level adjusting point 47 in the rice washing tank 5 necessary for cooking rice is determined. By pressing the start button, the metering device 2 is rotated and the raw material in the rice storage tank 1 is quantitatively sorted and dropped into the rice washing tank 5 through the chute 4 through the raw material supply port 7. At the same time, the electric motor 11 is started to rotate the stirring blade 8 at a slow speed, and the solenoid valve 48 communicating with the pressure water system is opened to open the plurality of water spray ports 2.
Water supply starts from 3 and the rice washing process begins. The waste water, which has been accumulated in the rice washing tank and passed through the agitated raw material layer to become rice-washed polluted water, passes through the separation plate 16 provided at the bottom, passes through the drainage jacket 17, the drainage pipe 25, and the drainage valve 24 and is drained. Mouth 4
It is drained to the outside of the system from 9.

Then, the water supply is temporarily stopped by the previously entered rice washing program, the rice polishing process is started, and after the predetermined rice polishing process, water sprinkling is restarted to drain the polluted water. After repeating the above steps, the drain valve 24 shown in FIG.
Is closed and the water supply is started from the water supply port 27 communicating with the drainage jacket 17 through the electromagnetic valve 26. The water supply becomes an upward flow upward in the washing layer 5 due to the sealing of the drain valve 24, overflows from the overflow port 18, drains through the drain pipe 50 and the drain box 51, and is drained to the outside of the system from the drain port 49. When a predetermined overflow time has elapsed, the electromagnetic valve 26 is closed and the drain valve 24 is opened, so that the wash water stored up to the overflow point in the tank is discharged out of the system all at once.

After the rice washing process is completed as described above, the drain valve 24 is closed and the solenoid valve 48 is opened to start the water supply in the water control process. In the process, the circuit of the water level detection sensor 22 is turned on, the float 20 in the side pipe 19 rises as the water level in the rice washing tank 5 rises, and the solenoid valve 4 at the water level detection point 47.
8 is closed and water supply is stopped. Then, the cam type opening / closing mechanism 12 provided above the shaft 13 is rotated by the output signal of the sensor, and the conical valve 14 for closing the outlet 15 at the bottom of the rice washing tank is dropped for a predetermined stroke to provide the raw material and the cooking water on the upper lid 29. It is made to flow down into the inner pot 35 through the opening 37.

The opening 37 is a shutter 41 during rice cooking.
The electric motor 38 receives the output signal of the sensor 22 to temporarily open it, and automatically closes it after a predetermined time elapses. Upon completion of the outflow of the raw material, the conical valve 14 returns to the original position by the rotation of the cam opening / closing mechanism 12 and seals the outflow port 15. Next, the water absorption time of the raw material is constrained by a timer that is excited by detecting the completion of rice discharge, and after a predetermined time elapses, the burner (not shown) of the rice cooker 44 is ignited by the output signal of the timer to start the rice cooking process. The rice in the rice washing section during rice cooking is affected by the heat of the rice cooker.
Spilling is prevented by the space for heat insulation. The combustion gas is supplied by a pipeline opened and closed by a gas solenoid valve (not shown), which is opened by an output signal of the timer and which detects a bottom surface temperature of the inner pot 35 (not shown). It is configured to be shut off by.

Completion of the rice cooking process is detected by the thermostat, the burner extinguishes, and a separate timer operates to restrain the steaming time. After the elapse of a predetermined steaming time, the completion of rice cooking is notified by the output signal of the timer, and the series of operation steps in the device of the present invention is completed. In addition, in the rice cooker arranged below the rice washing tank, during each process such as water absorption, rice cooking, steaming of raw materials, and after rice removal is completed, lift the upper lid, pull out the inner pot, and set the empty inner pot. Until then, the shutter 41 is electrically interlocked so that it is not opened, and the conical valve 14 is opened by the output signal of the sensor 42 that detects the opening of the shutter. Can be completely prevented.

Further, the apparatus of the embodiment makes it possible to fully automatically process a series of operations from weighing of raw materials to completion of rice cooking by inputting a start signal, and continuously and automatically processing a large amount of rice. It also has a function capable of performing. That is, the output signals of the water level detection sensor 22 for completion of water addition and reduction, the sensor (not shown) for detecting the opening of the conical valve 14 and the sensor (not shown) for detecting the sealing of the conical valve are used for the cascade. The above-mentioned start pulse is generated and the device is automatically restarted to allow the rice cooker arranged below to move the rice washing process in the upper rice washing section while the rice cooker is in operation. Since the standby time for absorbing water can be given to the raw material, the operations of washing rice and cooking rice can be continuously processed in a single device.

[0021]

The present invention is as described above. Since the rice cooker is arranged at the rice cooking position directly under the coaxial axis of the rice washing tank during rice cooking, the entire size can be reduced. In addition, since the conical valve of the rice washing section and the upper lid of the rice cooker at the rice cooking position are vertically separated, and there is a space that communicates in the front-back direction, the heat of the rice cooking section during rice cooking adversely affects the rice in the rice washing section. In addition, since the space is communicated in the front-rear direction, it is possible to confirm the operation of the conical valve in the rice-washing section, and to easily clean it.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention by partially cutting away.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Rice Storage Section 2 Measuring Section 5 Rice Washing Tank 14 Cone Valve 15 Outlet 29 Upper Lid 34 Upper Lid Opening / Closing Means 44 Rice Cooker

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rice storage unit for storing rice, a weighing unit for weighing and discharging rice from the rice storage unit, a rice washing unit for washing rice discharged from the weighing unit, and a rice discharged from the rice washing unit. The rice washing section includes a rice cooking section for cooking rice, and the rice washing section is provided with an outlet that can be opened and closed by a conical valve at the bottom of the rice washing tank whose lower part is formed in a funnel shape. of comprising a lid for opening and closing the closable cooker and該炊rice unit drawer in the longitudinal direction is disposed in cooking position, in the longitudinal direction to isolate the upper lid of the cooker down in the cooking position and the valve cone of the rice washing unit Communication
Fully automatic rice cooker, which is equipped with a space for