JPH08228924A - Rice cooking device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To optimally increase and decrease water and to satisfactorily cook rice when a measuring drum is not filled with the rice in the middle of measurement or when the rice is appropriately supplied to an empty rice storage tank and the amount of the supplied rice is a fractional amount even in a device for measuring the rice stepwise for each capacity of the measuring drum. CONSTITUTION: In this device provided with a measuring device 9 for measuring the desired amount of the rice of the rice storage tank 7 by supplying the fixed amount of the rice to a rice washing tank 4 for more than once, washing the rice measured by the measuring device 9 in the rice washing tank 4, adding the proper quantity of the water to the washed and drained rice and supplying it to a rice cooker 5, the measuring device 9 is supported by a load cell 12, the weight of the rice inside the rice storage tank 7 is made to act on the measuring device 9, the weight for a fixed amount is added when loads for more than the fixed amount act on the measuring device 9 and the weight is added when the loads for less than the fixed amount act. Thus, the weight of the rice supplied to the rice washing tank 4 is measured and the proper quantity of the water corresponding to the measured value is added.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and is mainly used for an automatic rice cooker capable of automatically measuring, washing rice, raising a colander, adjusting water, and cooking rice.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a rice washing tank is provided below a rice storage tank, and the measured rice from the rice storage tank is dropped and supplied with water, and the rice is washed in the rice washing tank. There is an automatic rice-cooking device that heats rice in a rice-washing tank, adjusts the water, drops and supplies the rice to a rice cooker, and cooks the rice.

In this rice cooker, in order to measure a desired amount of rice, a measuring drum having an upward opening-like supply port is provided at the bottom of the rice storage tank, and the capacity of the measuring drum is set to a fixed amount. A desired amount of rice is weighed by supplying a fixed amount of rice to the washing tank several times (for example, if the capacity of the weighing drum is 5 go, it is performed 8 times). 4 rice bowls can be obtained by supplying the rice with water), and the amount of rice cooked can be arbitrarily selected.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional ones, the weighing of rice is a stepwise measurement for each capacity of the measuring drum, and the amount of water addition is also measured for each capacity of this measuring drum. It is set to supply a stepwise amount according to the above. For this reason, when the rice is not full in the weighing drum during weighing (for example, when the rice in the rice storage tank runs out during weighing, and the capacity of the weighing drum is 5 cups, it is 4 If it is set to a square, but only 2.25 or 3.75 is supplied, or, rarely, the rice in the rice storage tank causes a bridge phenomenon during the weighing process and the rice is transferred to the weighing drum. If rice does not flow in), or if rice is supplied appropriately to an empty rice storage tank and the amount of rice supplied is halfway (the capacity of the measuring drum is 5 go, for example, In the case of, for example, 3.75 squares), since the amount of rice does not reach the set amount, the amount of water is adjusted under the conditions according to the set amount of rice, which causes poor rice cooking.

As for the amount of water added to the amount of rice, the water content of Japanese rice is almost constant. Therefore, as described above, the amount of water added is the supply of rice initially set. It is predetermined, such as how much it depends on the quantity. However, rice absorbs water after the washing and colanding process,
The mass is also slightly different. In the past, this difference in water absorption amount and mass could not be reflected in the water addition. Furthermore, the water content of rice after washing and straining it changes depending on the quality of rice (water absorption rate of rice, etc.) or the environmental conditions (air temperature, water temperature, etc.) when washing rice. It was also not possible to make fine adjustments to the amount of water added or taken to accommodate changes in water absorption.

In view of the above problems, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a rice cooker capable of adjusting the supply amount of rice other than the set supply amount of rice, or adjusting the water absorption amount of rice and the like and adjusting the amount of water according to the change.

[0007]

The technical means taken by the present invention to achieve the above-mentioned object are basically the rice storage tank 7
The desired amount of rice is measured and supplied to the rice-washing tank 4, and the supplied rice is washed in the rice-washing tank 4, and the rice that has been washed and strained is watered and supplied to the rice cooker 5. In the rice cooker, weight measuring sensors 12 and 30 for measuring the weight of the rice supplied to the rice washing tank 4 are provided, and water is adjusted according to the weight measured by the weight measuring sensors 12 and 30. It is in.

Specifically, a meter 9 for measuring a desired amount of rice in the rice storage tank 7 is provided by supplying a fixed amount of rice to the washing rice tank 4 one or more times. While being supported by the sensor 12, the weight of the rice in the rice storage tank 7 is caused to act on the weighing device 9, and when a load larger than the fixed amount acts on the weighing device 9, the fixed amount weight is added to determine the fixed amount. If a load of less than a minute is applied, add that weight to wash rice 4
It may be configured to measure the weight of rice fed to the.

Further, it is preferable that the rice washing tank 4 is supported by a weight measuring sensor 30 and the weight of the rice supplied to the rice washing tank 4 is measured by the sensor 30.

[0010]

The weighing device 9 is supported by the weight measuring sensor 12, and the weight of the rice in the rice storage tank 7 acts on the weighing device 9.
When the load of the fixed quantity or more acts on the weighing device 9, the weight of the fixed quantity is added, and when the load of less than the fixed quantity acts, the weight is added, or the weight of the rice washing tank 4 is increased. By supporting the measuring sensor 30 to measure the weight of the rice supplied to the rice washing tank 4 and adjusting the water content according to the measured weight, the rice is stored in the weighing machine 9 during the weighing process. When the rice is not full, or when rice is appropriately supplied to the empty rice storage tank 7 and the supplied amount of rice is halfway, good water control can be performed.
A good cooked state can be obtained.

Further, in particular, the washing tank 4 is provided with a weight measuring sensor 3
In the case where the weight of the rice supplied to the rice washing tank 4 is measured by supporting it with 0, the water addition and reduction considering the amount of water absorbed after the rice washing and the colander raising, and the quality of the rice The optimum amount of water can be adjusted according to the change in water absorption of rice due to differences in water absorption rate or environmental conditions (air temperature, water temperature, etc.) when washing rice, and a good cooked state can be obtained.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment, in which 1 denotes an automatic rice cooker, a rice storage 3 fixed to an upper portion of a frame 2 and a rice washing tank arranged at an intermediate portion of the frame 2. 4 and a rice cooker 5 arranged below the frame 2.

The rice storage 3 is composed of a box-shaped case 6 and a hopper-shaped rice storage tank 7 housed in the case 6, and a control panel 8 is provided on the front surface of the case 6. There is. The upper surface of the case 6 can be opened and closed by a lid so that rice can be replenished into the rice storage tank 7 from above. At the bottom of the rice storage tank 7, a weighing drum (measuring machine) 9 for weighing a set amount of rice and dropping it into the rice washing tank 4 is provided.
It is of a hollow drum type that rotates in one direction by means of which rice flows into the drum 9 from the upper opening-like supply port,
Is reversed to supply a fixed amount of rice to the rice washing tank 4, and the amount of rice set by the number of rotations of the measuring drum 9 can be measured.

For example, if the capacity of the measuring drum 9 is set to 5 and the amount of cooked rice is set to 4 squares, the measuring drum 9 will rotate 8 times. The setting of the amount of cooked rice can be selected stepwise by the setting switch of the control panel 8 every 0.5 squares, and the motor 10 is the controller 11 shown in FIG.
It is adapted to be activated a number of times according to the set value by the transmission pulse from.

A load cell (weight measuring sensor) 12 is provided at the supporting portion of the weighing drum 9, and the weight of rice in the drum 9 and the weight of rice in the rice storage tank 7 act on the weighing drum 9. The weight value of rice measured by the load cell 12 is input to the controller 11. The case 6 of the rice storage 3 is provided with a water supply means 13 connected to the water supply by a pipe. The water supply means 13 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 14 controlled by the controller 11, and the electromagnetic valve 14 is a flow rate sensor. It is possible to supply a predetermined amount of water to the rice washing tank 4 by a command signal from the controller 11.

The rice washing tank 4 is located below the rice storage 3, and is fixedly attached to the lower surface of the case 6. A cylindrical rotating shaft 15 is arranged at the center of the rice washing tank 4 and the rotation thereof is performed. Axis 1
5 is supported on the upper part of the rice washing tank 4 so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis. Further, the rotary shaft 15 projects upward from the rice washing tank 4, and the upper end portion thereof has a motor 16 and a bevel gear transmission mechanism 17.
The motor 16 is rotatably driven around the shaft center. Further, the stirring shaft 1 is attached to the rotary shaft 15.
8 is fixed, and the rotation of the rotary shaft 15 allows the rice in the rice washing tank 4 to be washed.

A drainage device 19 is provided at the bottom of the rice washing tank 4.
A drainage pipe 20 having an opening / closing valve is connected to the drainage device 19, and is connected to the upper part of the rice washing tank 4 via a vertical pipe 21 and an overflow pipe 22. In addition,
The drainage device 19 is provided with a filter mesh so that rice does not flow out. Further, a rice discharging hole which can be opened and closed by a conical rice discharging valve 23 is formed in the lower portion of the rice washing tank 4.

The rice cooker 5 is for business use, and the maximum amount of rice cooked is 2
It is a large one such as a square or four boxes, and an upper opening-shaped inner pot 25 that is insertably and removably inserted from above is provided in an upper and lower-opened outer pot 24, and a gas stove (electric Good) 26. This rice cooker 5
Is placed on the pedestal 27 which is located below the rice washing tank 4 and is movable in the front-rear direction, and the upper end opening of the inner pot 25 can be raised and lowered by the operation lever 28 or the like. A lid 29 is provided with a through hole for rice supply which can be opened and closed by a shutter.

In the automatic rice cooker 1, when the operation start switch of the control panel 8 is pressed, the rice in the rice storage tank 7 is weighed to a set amount, dropped and supplied into the rice washing tank 4, and washed rice. In the tank 4, the water supply means 13, the drainage device 19 and the like are microcomputer-controlled by the controller 11 to wash rice, raise the colander, adjust the amount of water according to the set amount of rice, and thereafter, the lower end side of the rice washing tank 4 From the discharge hole, the water-conditioned rice is dropped and supplied into the inner pot 25 of the rice cooker 5 through the through hole of the lid 29, and then the through hole is closed and rice is cooked.

In the above-mentioned configuration, the case where the capacity of the measuring drum 9 is 5 and the cooking capacity is set to 4 bowls will be described.
In response to a command signal from the controller 11, the motor 10
Is operated and the measuring drum 9 is rotated 8 times. At this time,
When the weighing drum 9 is weighted more than the capacity (5 go ≈ 0.75 kg), it is determined that the weighing drum 9 is full, and the weight of the capacity is used as the measured value. Entered in. Then, when all 10 times are full, the treatment is performed with a preset amount of washing water, washing time, and water adjustment.

When the rice in the rice storage tank 7 is exhausted during the weighing by the weighing drum 9, and the rice in the weighing drum 9 is not full, the weight of the rice in the drum 9 is measured and Is treated as. As shown in FIG. 3, the weight of rice when it is full and the weight of rice when it is not full are totaled, and the weight measurement value is input to the controller 11, and the total is the minimum amount of cooked rice. If it is above,
The amount of water used for washing rice, the washing time,
The setting is changed to water and processed. At this time, a rice shortage error display (display by characters, lamps, etc.) is displayed on the control panel 8.

If the weight value is less than the minimum amount of rice cooked, a rice shortage error stop is displayed on the control panel 8,
Subsequent processing is stopped. In addition, when the rice in the rice storage tank 7 causes the bridge phenomenon and the rice does not flow into the measuring drum 9, or when the rice is appropriately supplied to the empty rice storage tank 7, the amount of the supplied rice is halfway. The same applies to the case where the amount is odd.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment in which the rice washing tank 4 is supported by the case 6 or the frame 2 by the load cell (weight measuring sensor) 30, and the weighing drum 9 is not supported by the load cell. In the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, when the rice in the rice storage tank 7 is exhausted during the weighing, the rice in the rice storage tank 7 causes a bridge and the weighing drum. If rice does not flow into 9 or if rice is properly supplied to an empty rice storage tank 7 and the supplied amount of rice is halfway, it is possible to handle it and put it into the rice washing tank 4. After measuring, the weight of rice is measured, so it corresponds to the difference in the mass of rice.
It is possible to precisely adjust the water content according to the water absorption of rice after raising the colander, and to finely adjust the water content corresponding to the difference in water absorption of the rice after washing and straining the rice.

That is, since the optimum amount of water addition / reduction with respect to the amount of rice supplied before washing the rice is determined, the weight of the rice after washing / raising is measured, and this weight measurement value is used by the controller 11
After that, the weight value measured by the load cell 30 may be adjusted so that it becomes the sum of the weight of the rice supply amount before washing rice and the optimum water addition amount. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the weight value reaches an optimum value when water is added or removed, the electromagnetic valve 14 of the water absorbing means 13 is shut off by the command signal from the controller 11 to stop the water supply, and when the water content is adjusted. Since the flow rate sensor is not used, there is an advantage that an error due to the use of the flow rate sensor does not occur.

[0025]

According to the present invention, the weighing device 9 is supported by the weight measuring sensor 12, and the weight of the rice in the rice storage tank 7 is made to act on the weighing device 9 so that the weighing device 9 has a certain amount or more. When the load of No. 1 acts, the weight of the fixed amount is added, and when the load of less than the fixed amount acts, the weight is added, or by supporting the rice washing tank 4 with the weight measurement sensor 30. By measuring the weight of rice supplied to the rice washing tank 4 and adjusting the amount of water according to the measured weight, when the rice in the weighing machine 9 is not full during weighing, When rice is appropriately supplied to the empty rice storage tank 7 and the amount of the supplied rice is halfway, it is possible to perform good water control and obtain a good cooked state. .

Further, in particular, the washing tank 4 is provided with the weight measuring sensor 3
In the case where the weight of the rice supplied to the rice washing tank 4 is measured by supporting it at 0, the amount of water absorbed after the washing and colanding and the difference in the amount of water in consideration of the mass of rice, In addition, the optimum amount of water can be adjusted according to changes in the water absorption of rice due to differences in rice quality (water absorption rate, etc.) or environmental conditions during washing (temperature, water temperature, etc.), and a good cooked state can be obtained. To be

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a main part according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing a signal input / command system.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of a main part according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Rice Washing Tank 5 Rice Cooker 7 Rice Storage Tank 9 Measuring Drum (Measuring Instrument) 12 Load Cell (Weight Measuring Sensor) 30 Load Cell (Weight Measuring Sensor)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A desired amount of rice in a rice storage tank (7) is weighed and supplied to a rice-washing tank (4), and the supplied rice is washed in the rice-washing tank (4) as well as washed and strained rice. In a rice cooker adapted to supply water to a rice cooker (5), weight measuring sensors (12) and (30) for measuring the weight of rice supplied to the rice washing tank (4) are provided, A rice cooker characterized by being configured to adjust the amount of water according to the weight measured by the weight measuring sensors (12), (30). 2. A measuring device (9) for measuring a desired amount of rice in a rice storage tank (7) by supplying a fixed amount of rice to the rice washing tank (4) one or more times. 9) is supported by a weight measuring sensor (12), and the weight of the rice in the rice storage tank (7) is applied to the weighing device (9) so that the weighing device (9) receives a load equal to or more than the fixed amount. The weight of the rice supplied to the rice-washing tank (4) is measured by adding the weight of the fixed quantity when adding, and adding the weight when the load less than the fixed quantity acts. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein: 3. A weight measuring sensor (30) for the rice washing tank (4).
The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the rice cooker is supported by the sensor and the weight of rice supplied to the rice washing tank (4) is measured by the sensor (30).