JPH10249218A - Device for time soaking of feedstock rice and soaking method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the use efficiency of a device for the time soaking of rice for brewing Sake by providing a vertical soaking means which loads a washed feedstock rice and a rice washing water from above and delivers the washed feedstock rice left to stand in a soaking state for a specified time from the bottom, in a device for the time soaking of feedstock rice. SOLUTION: A feedstock rice is stored in the hopper 11 of a fixed quantity continuous feeder 10, then a rice washer 22 is started and at the same time, the delivery regulating damper 12 of a hopper 11 is opened with its opening adjusted to wash the feedstock rice continuously. At the same time, a water suction process is initiated. The washed feedstock rice is sent to a water tank 41 for soaking of a vertical tank 40, together with a rice washing water, by a conveying pump 31 on a continuous conveyance device 30 and then is stacked in a longitudinally large container 41A. Further, when the feedstock rice is packed upto a specified height in the container 41A, fresh water is poured from a feeder pipe 43 for soaking, so that the rice washing water is replaced by the fresh water by draining the rice washing water from a drainage pipe 44 for soaking. The feedstock rice after water suction is delivered into a dehydrater 50 together with the fresh water through a delivery regulating damper 42 for soaking to be dehydrated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for immersing raw rice for a fixed period of time, and is particularly effective for fixed-time immersion of sake brewed rice. The present invention relates to a fixed-time immersion apparatus and an immersion method for raw rice suitable for high-mix low-volume production.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for sake using highly refined rice such as ginjo sake as raw material rice. In this highly polished rice, the water absorption of water increases in proportion to the immersion time. For this reason,
When adjusting the moisture content by immersing the polished rice and the washed rice material in a water tank, a so-called limited water absorption method is adopted in which the raw rice is taken out of the water tank after a predetermined time has elapsed and the moisture is stopped.

[0003] In this work, the brewer puts raw rice into pieces,
The time measurement is started with a stopwatch at the same time when the rice is immersed in water, and the rice is washed by hand and taken out of the tub after a predetermined time. However, not only the processing capacity is low due to manual labor but also severe labor in the cold, so that mechanization using various devices has been proposed. For example, JP-A-6-28
As shown in No. 4881, the washed rice is placed on a net-type belt conveyor, immersed in water for a predetermined time by adjusting the conveyor speed, and after absorbing a predetermined amount of water, the conveyor is moved to the atmosphere. There has been proposed a method of performing suction dehydration. As another method, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-320023 has been proposed. According to the publication, the cereal raw material is dropped from a hopper through a discharge damper and a discharge speed control damper into a perforated cylinder of a hopper-type water tank, and is transferred to a transfer hose having a water flow stirrer by a transfer pump under stirring with water. The process of transferring and washing, transferring the washing raw material to a large number of immersion containers provided in the conveying means, immersing the immersion container in a water tank for a predetermined time, and sliding the immersion container on a tilting bar to drain the water is continuously performed.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Hei 6-284881 and Hei 6-320023 are known.
According to the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H10-163, the operation of "clarification" is now controlled by the brewer, that is, fresh water is slowly poured into the container containing the washed rice and completely removes the starch particles attached to the raw rice. Operation cannot be performed. In the method of moving in a water tank by a conveyor such as a conveyor in any of the above two methods, the clarifying operation cannot be performed because the flow of water is disturbed. For this reason, the starch grains remaining in the raw rice are gelatinized in the steaming step, and serve as an adhesive between the rice grains, and the steamed rice becomes dumpling-shaped, so-called steamed rice having poor so-called "judge". Problem. Further, in both of the publications, since the immersion is performed by the conveyor, there is a problem that the installation area becomes large.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-320023, after the washing raw material is transferred to a large number of immersion containers provided in the conveying means, and the immersion container is slid on a tilting bar to drain the water,
When the cleaning raw material is discharged from the immersion container, there is a problem that the cleaning raw material partially adheres to the immersion container, remains, and is not completely discharged.

Further, according to JP-A-6-284881 and JP-A-6-320023, highly polished rice having different water absorption times (for example, 10 minutes, 35 minutes, 40 minutes)
When this step is performed in one day when the moisture control is performed, it is necessary to do the following, and there is a problem that it cannot be efficiently performed. First, the conveyor speed is increased, and the moisture of the raw rice immersed for 10 minutes is adjusted. After this is completed, reduce the conveyor speed and start the moisture control of the raw rice immersed for 35 minutes,
After this is completed, the conveyor speed is further reduced and
The moisture of the raw rice immersed for 0 minutes is adjusted. As described above, it is necessary to stop the supply of the raw rice every time the immersion time changes and wait for the completion of the moisture control of the previous lot, resulting in poor work efficiency and poor use efficiency of the apparatus. In particular, there is a problem that it is not suitable as an apparatus for producing many kinds and small quantities, such as recent ginjo sake.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has high utilization efficiency of the apparatus and can keep moisture control constant irrespective of the amount, and is particularly applied to brewed rice. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fixed-time immersion apparatus and a immersion method for raw rice, which is suitable for the above-mentioned sake, and is capable of performing a "clearing" operation necessary for high-grade sake such as recent ginjo sake.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object,
In the fixed time immersion apparatus for raw rice according to the present invention, while continuously receiving and washing rice from the hopper storing the raw rice, the fixed time immersion of the raw rice to be dehydrated after immersing the raw rice for a fixed time to absorb water. A vertical immersion means and a vertical immersion means which allow the rice to be washed and rice washing water to be poured from above and discharged from the bottom after being kept in the immersion stationary state for a fixed time in the apparatus. It was configured to include a fixed quantity discharging means.

[0009] Further, a fixed quantity continuous supply means for continuously supplying a fixed amount of raw rice, a continuous rice washing means for continuously and fixedly washing the raw rice, and a continuous transfer means for transferring the washed rice and the washed water. The vertical rice immersion means that can be drained from the bottom after immersion in water for a fixed period of time, and the raw rice that has been washed and placed in the water below the vertical rice immersion means in the order of input It may be configured to include a fixed amount discharging means for performing fixed amount discharge according to the input amount.

[0010] In these cases, it is preferable that a plurality of vertical immersion means, which are supplied through the distribution means for distributing the raw rice from the continuous rice washing means, are arranged in parallel.

In the method for soaking raw rice for a fixed time according to the present invention, the rice is continuously received from a hopper in which the raw rice is stored and washed, and the raw rice is soaked in water for a fixed time to absorb water and then dehydrated. In the method of immersing raw rice for a fixed time, raw rice washed and rice-washing water are supplied to the vertical immersion tank in a fixed amount from the upper side, allowed to stand, and then discharged from the lower side in a fixed amount to be dehydrated.

Further, in a method for immersing raw rice in a fixed time, wherein the raw rice is continuously received from a hopper in which the raw rice is stored, washed and immersed in water for a fixed time to absorb water, and then dehydrated, a plurality of vertical immersion methods are used. After the fixed amount of the raw rice washed and the rice washing water are supplied to the immersion tank from the upper side and allowed to stand, the fixed amount of water is discharged from the lower part of each vertical immersion tank after a certain period of time according to the order of loading and dewatered. Can be.

[0013]

According to the above construction, the immersion time can be adjusted in the water tank so that the raw rice put in first can be fed out by the vertically long extruded flow type water tank configured as the vertical immersion means. That is, raw rice washed with a continuous rice washing machine can be drained, continuously put into a water tank, immersed for a predetermined time to absorb water, and can be dehydrated at the same speed as when washing rice. Further, when the washed rice and the washing water are put into the water tank from above, the immersion (clearing) fresh water can be supplied slowly as an upward flow or a downward flow without disturbing the lamination of the raw rice. As a result, the vertical immersion means is replaced with fresh water, and the raw rice is clarified by the fresh water, and after the immersion for a fixed time, the raw rice introduced earlier than the bottom can be discharged first. Therefore, since starch granules can be removed from the raw rice, steamed rice with good "judgement" can be obtained without gelatinization in the steaming step. By taking a shower when taking out the raw rice from the water tank as a vertical immersion means, even if water comes out first when taking out the raw rice, the raw rice remaining in the water tank and waiting for dehydration can continue to absorb water. ing.

[0014] The raw rice is continuously supplied to the continuous rice washing means from the constant-quantity continuous supplying means to the continuous rice washing means, the rice is continuously washed to the fixed quantity, and discharged from the vertical immersion means continuously to the fixed quantity. Since it is possible to discharge the water to the dehydrating means, the material supplied first is discharged first, so that all can be immersed and absorbed in the same time.

[0015] In addition, a plurality of vertical immersion means which are fed through the distribution means for distributing the raw rice from the continuous rice washing means are arranged in parallel, so that the raw rice is continuously supplied by the continuous rice washing means. After being washed and sent, the raw rice thus sent is fed into the vertical immersion means for each predetermined volume via the distribution means, and can be introduced and immersed in fresh water for each vertical immersion means. Therefore, immersion time (water absorption time)
In addition, the raw rice having different raw materials can be continuously washed and the immersion time can be adjusted for each vertical immersion means, so that the raw rice having different water absorption times is discharged for dehydration on one side, immersed on one side, and Raw rice having different soaking times (water absorption times) such as charging can be continuously flowed. In addition, a plurality of steps of work are performed at the same time, and work efficiency is improved.

Further, when immersing for a predetermined time and continuously discharging the fixed amount, the amount of raw rice in the immersion tank can be detected, and the opening of the outlet of the immersion tank can be changed according to the amount of raw rice. It is.

By adopting such a method, the amount of raw rice charged into the vertical dipping means changes with time at the time of charging and discharging. At the time of discharging, the opening amount of the discharge port of the immersion tank is changed according to the amount of raw rice, and the discharging speed is kept constant even if the amount of raw rice changes. Therefore, the accuracy of the discharge speed from the vertical immersion means is improved, and the accuracy of the immersion time can be improved. Further, at the time of feeding, when the amount of the raw rice reaches a predetermined amount, the distribution means can be switched and the raw rice can be charged into another vertical dipping means.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of a brewing rice immersion apparatus and a immersion method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a fixed-time immersion apparatus 1 for sake brewed rice according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, a constant time immersion apparatus 1 for sake brewed rice mainly comprises a quantitative continuous feeder 10.
, A continuous rice washing machine 20, a vertical tank 40, and a dehydrator 50. A constant quantity continuous feeder 10 is provided with a hopper 11 into which raw rice, which is sake brewed rice, is charged and stored.
And a discharge control damper 12 disposed at a discharge port below the hopper 11 and controlling a discharge speed of the stored raw rice or a discharge amount per hour. Although the example in which the discharge adjustment damper 12 is operated by the lever 12a is shown in the figure, it may be automatically operated as described later. Further, an opening / closing damper for supplying or stopping the raw rice may be provided separately from the discharge adjusting damper 12.

The continuous rice washing machine 20 comprises a water storage tank 21 for storing water to be washed with rice, and a rice washing machine 22 which is housed in the water storage tank 21 and comprises a conveyor or the like for continuously washing the raw rice. The continuous rice washing machine 20 is disposed below the fixed quantity continuous feeder 10 so as to receive the raw rice discharged from the fixed quantity continuous feeder 10 and continuously wash the raw rice. The continuous rice washing machine 20 is provided with a rice washing machine water pipe 23 for supplying water for washing rice. Further, a continuous transport device 30 is connected to the continuous rice washing machine 20, and the continuous transport device 3
0 is connected to the vertical tank 40. Continuous transfer device 30
Is a transport pump 31 for transporting the raw rice washed with the continuous rice washing machine 20 and the water for washing the rice together, and the continuous rice washing machine 2
0 and a transport pipe 32 connecting the vertical tank 40. The transport pump 31 is driven by an electric motor 33 operated by operating a switch (not shown). Continuous transfer device 30
Transports raw rice washed continuously by the continuous rice washing machine 20 to the vertical tank 40.

In the example of FIG. 1, the vertical tank 40 has an immersion tank 41 for receiving the washed rice and the water to be washed. In this case, the rice washing water may be separated and only the raw rice washed may be added. In addition, the vertical tank 40
Is provided with a discharge adjustment damper 42 for immersion which is attached to a discharge port below the water tank 41 for immersion and adjusts a discharge speed or a discharge amount per hour of the immersed raw rice. Further, below the immersion tank 41, there is an immersion tank 41.
Supply pipe 4 for supplying clear water for clarification from below
3, and above the immersion water tank 41, a immersion discharge pipe 44 for overflowing and discharging together the washed rice water for transporting the raw rice and clearing water from above the immersion water tank 41, and Above the water tank 41 for immersion, a shower supply pipe 46 for supplying fresh water to a shower 45 for absorbing the raw rice and washing away the raw rice attached to the wall surface is provided. In the drawing, the immersion discharge control damper 42 is a lever 42.
Although an example of operating with a is shown, it may be automatically operated as described later. Further, an opening / closing damper 47 for supplying or stopping the raw rice may be provided separately from the discharge adjusting damper 42. Further, the supply pipe 43 for immersion, the discharge pipe 44 for immersion, and the supply pipe 46 for shower are provided with an on-off valve 43a,
44a and 46a are provided. In addition, the fresh water is sent by one supply pump 48, but may be separately attached to each.

The raw rice immersed and absorbed is adjusted in discharge speed by a discharge control damper 42 for immersion, and
Is supplied to the dehydrator 50 disposed below the water. Dehydrator 5
Reference numeral 0 denotes a dewatering conveyor 51 that receives the immersed and absorbed raw rice from the vertical tank 40, and is disposed below the dewatering conveyor 51 and dewaters from the absorbed raw rice on the dewatering conveyor 51. Vacuum chamber 52 and vacuum chamber 5
And a vacuum pump 53 for evacuating 2. In the above configuration, for example, a mesh belt is used for the dewatering conveyor 51. A plurality of vacuum chambers 52A, 52B, and 52C are provided at predetermined intervals. Further, a blower 80 (shown in FIG. 5) may be provided above the vacuum chamber 52 and above the mesh belt. The vacuum pump 53 is driven by an electric motor 54 operated by operating a switch (not shown). Dehydrator 50
The raw rice dehydrated in the above is charged into a predetermined rice storage tank 61 by a conveyor 60 for storage and transport.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. At this time, the water absorption start time is the time when the raw rice comes into contact with the water charged into the continuous rice washing machine 20, and the time when the dehydration is completed is the time when the dehydration is performed. First, a predetermined amount of raw rice to be absorbed is charged and stored in a hopper 11 of the continuous metering machine 10. Next, the rice washing machine 22 composed of a conveyor or the like started operating at a predetermined rice washing speed, and the discharge adjustment damper 12 of the hopper 11 of the constant quantity continuous feeder 10 adjusted the amount of discharge per hour adjusted to the rice washing machine 22. The opening amount is opened. For example, the emission control damper 12
The opening amount is adjusted such that 40 kg / min of raw rice is supplied to the rice washing machine 22 in accordance with the capacity of the rice washing machine 22. The raw rice supplied to the rice washing machine 22 is continuously washed and water absorption is started. The time at which the rice comes into contact with the water to be washed is the start of the set water absorption start time.

The raw rice washed in the rice washer 22 is
By the transfer pump 31 of the continuous transfer device 30, the water is sent to the immersion water tank 41 via the transfer pipe 32 together with the washing water. In the water tank 41 for immersion, the washed rice is piled up from the bottom in the vertical container 41A together with the washing water. After the raw rice has entered the predetermined height (Ha), fresh water starts to be injected from the immersion supply pipe 43 below the immersion water tank 41. As a result, the rice washing water is sequentially replaced by the fresh water, and the rice washing water used during the rice washing and during the transportation is discharged together with the fresh water from the immersion discharge pipe 44 provided at the upper part of the water tank.

As another method, fresh water is injected into the immersion water tank 41 from an immersion supply pipe 43 below the immersion water tank 41, into which the raw rice washed together with the rice washing water is poured. throw into. As a result, the washed raw rice falls in the fresh water to the bottom of the immersion tank 41 and is piled up from below in the vertically long container 41A. The fresh water is discharged to the outside through the immersion discharge pipe 44 provided at the upper part of the water tank together with the washing water, and the immersion water tank 41 is sequentially replaced by the fresh water.

At this time, the fresh water is absorbed by the raw rice and completely removes the starch particles adhering to the raw rice and flows above the vertically long container 41A, and the water containing the starch particles flows above the water tank 41 for immersion. The water is discharged from the attached immersion discharge pipe 44 to the outside of the immersion water tank 41. Thereby, the vertical container 4
The raw rice put into 1A is constantly "cleared" by fresh water from the bottom of the vertical container 41A, and the raw rice is cleaned and absorbed in the immersion water tank 41 for a predetermined time. The clearing water is supplied slowly so as not to agitate the raw rice therein.

The discharge speed of the raw rice immersed in the immersion water tank 41 for a predetermined time and absorbed is adjusted by the immersion discharge control damper 42 disposed below the vertical tank 40, and the dewatering machine 50 is used together with fresh water. It is cut out. The discharge speed of the raw rice at this time is set to the same speed as the discharge speed from the hopper 11 of the fixed quantity continuous feeder 10 to the rice washing machine 22 controlled by the discharge control damper 12. For example, like the discharge control damper 12 of the quantitative continuous feeder 10, the opening amount of the discharge control damper 42 for immersion is 40 kg / min.
Is opened so that the raw material rice is cut out by the dehydrator 50.
At this time, since the immersion water tank 41 is vertically long, the immersion water tank 41 has an extrusion flow, and the immersion water tank 41
The raw rice put into the inside is cut out first on a dewatering conveyor 51 of a dewatering machine 50.

When almost all of the input rice is discharged, the shower supply pipe 45 attached above the immersion water tank 41 is opened, and a shower is flowed from above the immersion water tank 41, and the shower water is supplied. The raw rice adhered to the surface is washed away, and the raw rice is removed from the immersion discharge control damper 42 by the dewatering conveyor 51.
It is cut out. Further, even if water is discharged from the immersion water tank 41 earlier than the raw rice, the raw rice in the immersion water tank 41 continues to absorb water by the shower. In addition, the discharge of the fresh water or shower in which the above-mentioned raw rice was immersed was performed in the immersion tank 41.
May be discharged to the outside from a drain pipe (not shown) disposed below the bottom.

The feed speed of the dewatering conveyor 51 of the dewatering machine 50 is set to the same speed as that of the rice washing machine 22. The raw rice sent on the dehydrating conveyor 51 is dehydrated in a vacuum chamber 52 provided below the belt 51a. The time when this dehydration is completed is the water absorption end time. Thus, the raw rice is in the order of contact with water,
Since the water is dehydrated by the dehydrator 50 in the order in which it is put into the rice washing machine 22, the water absorption time can be controlled to a predetermined time. For example, when immersing rice for 10 minutes to make the water absorption time 10 minutes, the rice washing in the rice washing machine 22 is performed for 1 minute, and the vertical tank 4 by the continuous transport device 30 is used.
0 for 2 minutes, immersion in the immersion water tank 41 for 4 minutes, discharge from the immersion water tank 41 to the dehydrator 50 for 2 minutes, and
Suction dehydration in the dehydrator 50 is performed for 1 minute, and water absorption is performed for a total of 10 minutes. At this time, the water absorption time can be adjusted by properly using the plurality of vacuum chambers 52.
For example, a plurality of vacuum chambers 52 separated by a predetermined distance
The water absorption time can be adjusted by selectively using the first vacuum chamber 52A and the next vacuum chamber 52B.
The raw rice dehydrated by the dehydrator 50 is transferred back to a conveyor 60 for storage and transport, and is put into a predetermined rice storage tank 61.

Next, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are schematic views showing the configuration of a fixed-time immersion apparatus 1A for sake brewed rice according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view thereof. The same devices as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In addition, for simplicity of illustration, the entire apparatus is shown in a part of the vertical tank 40, and is omitted in other vertical tanks 40. In the figure,
The fixed-time immersion apparatus 1A for brewed rice mainly includes a quantitative continuous feeder 10A, a continuous rice washing machine 20, and a continuous transporter 30A.
, A vertical tank 40A, a dehydrator 50A, and a control unit 70.

As described in the first embodiment, the constant-quantity continuous feeder 10A automatically opens and closes (ON-OFF) the discharge adjusting damper 12, and continuously discharges a fixed amount when opened. In the present embodiment, the discharge adjustment damper 12 is opened and closed by the motor 74, but a fixed amount may be selected by the motor 74.

The continuous transport device 30A is a vertical pump comprising the transport pump 31 for transporting the raw rice washed by the continuous rice washing machine 20 and the water for washing together with the rice, and the continuous rice washing machine 20 and a plurality of immersion water tanks 41. A transfer pipe 32 for connecting the feed pipe 40A to the feed pipe;
And a distribution valve 34 disposed on the side of the vertical tank 40A of the transport pipe 32. The distribution valve 34 is provided for each of the plurality of immersion water tanks 41 of the vertical tank 40A.
34c,... Are provided. Continuous transfer device 30A
The raw rice continuously washed by the continuous rice washing machine 20 is appropriately distributed by distribution valves 34a, 34b, 34c,... And is conveyed to a immersion water tank 41 of a predetermined vertical tank 40A.
The distribution valves 34a, 34b, 34c,... Open and close according to a command from a controller 70 described later.

The vertical tank 40A is the vertical tank 40 of the first embodiment.
Are arranged in two rows in parallel, and a total of 14 are arranged. In the second embodiment, each immersion water tank 41 of the vertical tank 40A is used.
a, 41b, 41c ... have a cross-sectional shape of 300 mm on a side
Is composed of a vertical container 41A having a height of 2000 mm and a height of 2000 mm, and 120 kg of raw rice can be dipped in one water tank. In the upper part of the water tank, as shown in FIG.
1B is provided, and water used at the time of washing and transporting rice is removed by the drain net 41B. The soiled water from the washed rice is removed by a drain tray 41 provided at the top of the water tank.
D. In addition, below the immersion water tank 41,
A drain pipe 41E for draining water collected at the bottom of the immersion water tank 41 is provided. The raw rice immersed and absorbed in each immersion water tank 41 is supplied to each immersion water tank 41a, 41b, 4
1c,... Immersion discharge control dampers 42a, 42b,
42c, the discharge speed is adjusted by the vertical tank 40A.
Is supplied to the dehydrator 50A disposed below the water supply. Each of the immersion discharge control dampers 42a, 42b, 42c,... Is automatically controlled to open and close (ON-OFF), and discharges a fixed amount continuously when opened. In the present embodiment, the discharge adjustment damper 42a is opened and closed by the motor 76.
May be used to select a certain amount. This fixed amount of discharge is controlled so that the same amount as the discharge amount from the discharge adjustment damper 12 is discharged. In addition, each immersion tank 4
1a, 41b, 41c,...
A discharge pipe 44 for immersion and a supply pipe 46 for shower are respectively provided. The supply pipe 43 for immersion and the supply pipe 46 for shower are provided with on-off valves 77 and 78, respectively, and the on-off valves 77a and 77b are respectively provided.
, And 78a, 78b,.

The dehydrator 50A has two rows in parallel (seven in each row)
The raw rice cut out from the respective immersion water tanks 41 is disposed below the vertical tanks 40 </ b> A disposed in the tanks. The dehydrator 50A includes a dehydrating conveyor 51 for receiving the raw rice immersed and absorbed from the vertical tank 40,
Below the dewatering conveyor 51 and in each immersion water tank 41
Vacuum chambers 52a and 52 for dewatering from the water-absorbed raw rice on the dewatering conveyor 51
b, 52c... and a vacuum pump 53 for evacuating all the vacuum chambers 52. In the above configuration, for example,
A mesh belt is used for the dewatering conveyor 51. Each of the vacuum chambers 52a, 52b, 52c ...
Immersion water tanks 41a, 41b, 4
.. Are arranged at positions of equal length. The immersion water tank 41a has a vacuum chamber 52a.
A and 52aB are similarly placed in the immersion tank 41b,
Vacuum chambers 52bA, 52bB are arranged.
Further, a blower may be provided above the vacuum chamber 52 and above the mesh belt. Each of the vacuum chambers 52a, 52b, 52c,.
Are provided, and each of the on-off valves 79a, 79b,... Is opened and closed by a solenoid received by a command from a controller 70 described later. The raw rice dehydrated by the dehydrator 50 is charged into a predetermined rice storage tank 61 by a storage and transport conveyor 60.

The control section 70 includes a water-absorbing time and rice washing amount setting device 71 such as a keyboard provided on an operation panel, a switch button 72 for instructing start / end of rice washing, and a water tank 4 for each immersion.
1, a pressure sensor 73 for measuring the amount of raw rice put in each immersion water tank 41, and a discharge adjustment damper drive motor for controlling the opening and closing of the discharge adjustment damper 12 of the fixed quantity continuous feeder 10. 74 and distribution valves 34a, 34
Each solenoid 75 for controlling the opening and closing of b, 34c,...
An immersion discharge adjustment damper driving motor 76 for controlling opening and closing of the immersion discharge adjustment damper 42 of each immersion water tank 41,
An immersion supply pipe valve 77 for controlling the opening and closing of the immersion supply pipe 43, a shower supply pipe valve 78 for controlling the opening and closing of the shower supply pipe 45, and a vacuum chamber valve for controlling the opening and closing of the vacuum chamber 52 for dewatering. 79, and a controller 80, such as a controller, connected to the members and described in detail in the following operation.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. First, an operator puts all or the amount of raw rice to be absorbed into the quantitative continuous feeder 10 in sequence. Next, the different water absorption time and the amount of washed rice are input from the setting device 71 such as a keyboard and stored in the controller 80. The controller 80 stores the water absorption time and the rice washing amount in the order of input. An operator inputs a command to start water absorption from the switch button 72. The controller 80 receives a command to start water absorption from the switch button 72,
A start command is output to a drive motor (not shown) of the continuous rice washing machine 20. When a drive motor (not shown) of the continuous rice washing machine 20 is started, the controller 80 outputs a command to the discharge adjustment damper driving motor 74 of the constant quantity continuous feeder 10 to open the discharge adjustment damper 12 and feeds the raw rice to the continuous rice washing machine 20. To discharge. As a result, a fixed amount of raw rice is sequentially supplied to the continuous rice washing machine 20 from the constant quantity continuous supply machine 10, and the rice is washed and water absorption is started. The water absorption start time is stored in the controller 80, and the controller 80 measures the elapsed time thereafter.

The raw rice washed in the continuous rice washing machine 20 is
The rice is washed and sent to the vertical tank 40A by the continuous transport device 30A activated by a command from the switch button 72. In the continuous conveying device 30A, the distribution valve 34a connected to the immersion water tank 41a first receives a command from the controller 80 in which the water absorption time and the rice washing amount are stored.
Is operated by receiving the solenoid 75a.
Is open. Thus, the raw rice and the washed water transported by the continuous transport device 30A are distributed to the distribution valve 34.
After passing through a, it is sent to the immersion tank 41a. Immersion water tank 41
In a, the rice washing water used at the time of washing and transporting the rice is removed by the draining net 41B at the upper part of the water tank, and the dirty water at the time of washing the rice is drained by the drain tray 41D provided at the upper part of the water tank. Only the washed rice is put into the vertically long container 41A of the immersion water tank 41.

The charging into the immersion water tank 41a is performed according to the time elapsed by the controller 80.
Reaches a predetermined amount, the controller 80 outputs a command to the solenoid 75b of the distribution valve 34b connected to the next immersion tank 41b, opens the distribution valve 34b, and is conveyed by the continuous conveyance device 30A. The raw rice and the washed rice are sent to the immersion tank 41b. For example, from the time when the discharge control damper 12 is opened and the continuous rice washing is started, the rice washing in the rice washing machine 22 is performed for 1 minute, the charging to the vertical tank 40A by the continuous transfer device 30A is performed for 2 minutes, and one water tank is used. Capacity of 120
The switching is performed after 6 minutes from the value obtained by adding 3 minutes [t = capacity of 120 kg / (capacity of the rice washing machine 22 of 40 kg / min)] to fill the kg. Switching from the next immersion water tank 41b to the further immersion water tank 41c is performed in three minutes in which the capacity of one water tank is 120 kg. Controller 8
0 outputs the above command to the solenoid 75 of each distribution valve 34 until the initially set amount of raw rice is reached, and the initially set amount of raw rice is put into a predetermined immersion water tank of the vertical tank 40A.

Another method is as follows.
When the controller 80 receives a signal from the pressure sensor 73 that is disposed at the bottom of the container 1 and measures the amount of raw rice put into each immersion water tank 41, the immersion water tank 41a reaches a predetermined amount. The controller 80 outputs a command to the solenoid 75b of the distribution valve 34b connected to the next immersion water tank 41b, opens the distribution valve 34b, and immerses the raw rice and the washed water conveyed by the continuous conveyance device 30A. Water tank 4
1b.

When only the raw rice is put into the vertical container 41A of the immersion water tank 41a, fresh water is injected into the vertical container 41A from the immersion supply pipe 43 below the immersion water tank 41a. Thereby, similarly to the first embodiment, the washed rice material falls in the fresh water to the bottom of the immersion water tank 41a, and is piled up from below in the vertically long container 41A. The fresh water is discharged to the outside through the immersion discharge pipe 44 provided at the upper part of the water tank together with the washing water, and the immersion water tank 41a is sequentially replaced with the fresh water. At this time, the fresh water is absorbed by the raw rice and completely removes the starch particles adhering to the raw rice and flows above the vertical container 41A, and the water containing the starch particles is attached above the immersion water tank 41a. The immersion discharge pipe 44 is discharged to the outside of the immersion water tank 41a. Thereby, the raw rice put into the vertical container 41A is constantly "cleared" by fresh water from the bottom of the vertical container 41A.
Is performed, the raw rice is cleaned, and water is absorbed in the immersion water tank 41a for a predetermined time. The clearing water is supplied slowly so as not to agitate the raw rice therein.

The raw rice immersed in the immersion water tank 41a for a predetermined period of time and absorbed by water is disposed below the vertical tank 40, and is immersed by the immersion discharge adjusting damper driving motor 76 operated by a command from the controller 80. The discharge adjustment damper 42 is opened and cut out by the dehydrator 50. The time at which the command from the controller 80 is output is as follows: from the time at which continuous rice washing of the raw rice is started, rice washing in the rice washing machine 22 is performed for one minute, and the continuous transport device 30A
Is output to the vertical tank 40A by 2 minutes and 7 minutes after the value obtained by adding the immersion time 4 minutes in the immersion water tank 41a, and the discharge control damper 42a for immersion of the first immersion water tank 41a is output first. Is open. The immersion discharge control damper 42b of the next immersion water tank 41b outputs 11 minutes after the value obtained by adding the immersion time of 4 minutes in the immersion water tank 41b. The controller 80 sequentially outputs the command to the immersion discharge adjustment damper driving motor 76 of each immersion discharge adjustment damper 42 into which the raw rice has been put, and cuts the raw rice into the dehydrator 50.

At this time, the rate of discharge of the raw rice is adjusted by the immersion discharge control damper 42 and the rice is cut out by the dehydrator 50. The discharge speed of the raw rice at this time is set to the same speed as the discharge speed from the hopper 11 of the fixed quantity continuous feeder 10 to the rice washing machine 22 controlled by the discharge control damper 12. For example, similar to the above-described discharge control damper 12,
The opening amount of the discharge adjustment damper 42 for immersion is 40 kg / mi.
An opening is made such that n raw rice is cut out by the dehydrator 50. At this time, the opening amount of the discharge adjustment damper 42 for immersion is
Each immersion water tank 41 is disposed at the bottom of each immersion water tank 41.
Pressure sensor 73 for measuring the amount of raw rice put in
The controller 80 may receive a signal from the controller and adjust the opening amount in accordance with the amount of the raw rice so that the discharge speed of the raw rice is constant. For example, when the amount of raw rice in the immersion water tank 41 is large, the opening amount is reduced, and when the amount of raw rice is small, the controller 80 increases the opening amount of the immersion discharge control damper 42 so as to increase the opening amount. Control.

When the raw rice is cut out, the dipping water tank 41
Is vertically long, it becomes an extruded flow in the immersion water tank 41, and the raw rice previously introduced into the immersion water tank 41 is
First, it is cut out by the dewatering conveyor 51 of the dewatering machine 50.
Also, when the raw rice is cut out from the immersion water tank 41,
The immersion water tanks 41a, 41b, and 41c are not simultaneously cut out. For example, in the above case, the immersion water tank 41a is cutting out, the immersion water tank 41b is immersing, and the immersion water tank 41c is cut. Then it is being introduced. As described above, the present invention provides each immersion tank 41a,
1b and 41c are cut out first, and are not cut out simultaneously from the respective immersion water tanks 41a, 41b and 41c, but are cut out sequentially from the immersion water tanks 41a. All the water absorption times are cut out the same.

When the input rice is discharged to a predetermined amount, the weight of the predetermined amount is measured by the pressure sensor 73, and the signal is sent to the controller 80. Upon receiving the signal, the controller 80 opens the shower supply pipe valve 78, flows a shower from above the immersion water tank 41, rinses the raw rice adhered to the wall surface, and discharges the raw rice from the immersion discharge control damper 42 to the dewatering conveyor. Cut into 51,
The shower is discharged to the outside from a drain pipe 41 </ b> E provided below the immersion water tank 41.

The raw rice cut out to the dewatering machine 50 by opening the immersion discharge control damper 42 is dewatered in the vacuum chamber 52 disposed below the belt 51a while being transported on the dewatering conveyor 51. You. The time when this dehydration is completed is the water absorption end time. The feed speed of the dewatering conveyor 51 of the dehydrator 50A is set to the same speed as the rice washing speed of the rice washer 22. In the second embodiment, the controller 80
Outputs a signal for opening the immersion discharge adjusting damper 42 of each immersion water tank 41a, 41b, 41c, and a corresponding vacuum chamber valve 79 for dewatering.
The open signal is output to. For example, the controller 80 outputs a signal to the immersion discharge adjustment damper drive motor 76a to open the immersion discharge adjustment damper 42a of the immersion water tank 41a, and outputs a signal to the corresponding vacuum chamber valve 79a for dewatering. Outputs an open signal.

Next, a signal is output to the motor 76b for driving the immersion discharge control damper of the immersion discharge control damper 42b of the immersion water tank 41b to be opened next, and the corresponding vacuum chamber valve 79b for dewatering is provided. The open signal is output to. Thereby, since the dewatering is performed in each vacuum chamber 52 corresponding to each immersion water tank 41, the distance between each immersion water tank 41 and the dewatering conveyor 51 of each vacuum chamber 52 becomes equal, and the water is discharged from each immersion water tank 41. The time from dehydration to dehydration is also equal. Therefore, the time until dehydration is constant even if the raw rice passes through different immersion water tanks 41 from water absorption during washing. The raw rice dehydrated by the dehydrator 50A is
It is put back on a conveyor 60 for storage and transport and is put into a predetermined rice storage tank 61.

Next, the water control of highly polished rice having different water absorption times will be described. For example, the water absorption time is 10 minutes,
FIG. 4 shows an example of absorbing water in the above-described order when the water content of each of the three types of 35 minutes and 40 minutes is adjusted by 600 kg.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The numbers in the circles in the figure indicate time (minutes).

First, the operator sequentially sets a water absorption time of 10 minutes and a rice washing amount of 600 kg from the setting device 71, a water absorption time of 35 minutes and a rice washing amount of 600 kg, and further, a water absorption time of 4 kg.
The user inputs 0 minutes and the amount of washed rice of 600 kg, stores it in the controller 80, and then presses the switch button 72. This allows
The controller 80 outputs a command, opens the discharge adjustment damper 12 and cleans the rice with the continuous rice washer 20 and starts water absorption of the raw rice. The water absorption start time is stored in the controller 80.

The raw rice washed in the continuous rice washing machine 20 is
The feed rice is continuously sent to the vertical tank 40A by the continuous transfer device 30A, and the distribution valves 34 are sequentially opened according to a command from the controller 80, and the sent raw rice is sequentially put into the immersion water tank 41. In the case of this embodiment, the continuous transfer device 30
A, it is sent to the distribution valve 34 and put into the immersion water tank 41, and thereafter the distribution valve 34 is sequentially opened every three minutes,
Raw rice is sequentially charged into the first immersion water tank 41a to the fifth immersion water tank 41e. This charging time is a total of 15 minutes, and 600 kg of raw rice is charged from the immersion water tank 41a to the immersion water tank 41e. During this charging, the first immersion tank 41a is set for a predetermined immersion time 7 min.
Minute (1 minute + 2 minutes + 4 minutes = 7 minutes), and the next immersion water tank 41b reaches a predetermined immersion time of 10 minutes and the next immersion water tank 41c reaches a predetermined immersion time of 13 minutes. , The raw rice in it, the discharge control damper for immersion 4
From 2a, 42b, 42c, it is cut out to the dewatering conveyor 51.

The raw rice washed 15 minutes after the start of the rice washing is the raw rice for the next 35 minutes of water absorption time, and this raw rice is sequentially arranged from the sixth immersion water tank 41f to the tenth immersion water tank. It is put in by 41j. In this input, the raw rice washed after 30 minutes from the start of the rice washing is input. During this time, the raw rice for the first water absorption time of 10 minutes is all dehydrated, returned to the storage and transport conveyor 60, and put into a predetermined rice storage tank 61.

Next, the raw rice that is washed 30 minutes after the start of the rice washing is the raw rice that has a further water absorption time of 40 minutes.
This raw rice is supplied in order from the eleventh immersion water tank 41k.
It is thrown into the 4th immersion water tank 41n and into the 1st immersion water tank 41a. This input is 45 from the start of rice washing.
The raw rice that has been washed by the minute is supplied. During this time, the next rice raw material introduced for 35 minutes of water absorption time reaches the predetermined immersion time of 47 minutes soon, and is transferred from the immersion water tank 41f via the immersion discharge control damper 42f to the dewatering conveyor 5.
Cut out to 1. After that, the raw rice having a water absorption time of 35 minutes is sequentially cut out from the eleventh immersion water tank 41k to the fourteenth immersion water tank 41n on the dewatering conveyor 51.

Next, after the raw rice having a water absorption time of 35 minutes is cut out to the fourteenth immersion water tank 41n, the raw rice having the next water absorption time of 40 minutes is cut into the eleventh immersion water tank 41 after eight minutes.
From k, it is cut out to a conveyor 51 for dehydration. As described above, the raw rice having different water absorption times is charged during the immersion, and is also dehydrated during the immersion and the charging, whereby the predetermined water absorption time is completed, and the predetermined rice storage tank is provided at short intervals. 6
Since it is put into 1, the productivity is improved.

In the above, the order of charging is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the water-absorbing time can be changed to 40 minutes first, then 10 minutes, and finally to 35 minutes. In this way, the efficiency of working time is increased. The above device is summarized in a block diagram as shown in FIG.

Next, referring to a block diagram, the flow of the method of immersing the sake brewed rice of the present invention in a fixed-time immersion apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step 1, water absorption time 10
Times such as minutes, 35 minutes, etc., and capacities such as an immersion amount of 600 kg are input from the setting unit 71. In step 2,
Press switch button 72 to wash rice. In step 3, the controller 70 determines whether or not the rice washing has been started. Specifically, the discharge control damper 12 that supplies the continuous rice washer 20 from the constant quantity continuous feeder 10 may be opened.

In step 4, the controller 70 stores the time at which the rice washing was started, and measures the time thereafter. In step 5, the controller 70 outputs an opening command to the distribution valve 34a of the first vertical immersion water tank 41a.

In step 6, the controller 70 outputs an open command to the first immersion supply pipe valve 77a to send fresh water to the first vertical immersion water tank 41a. In step 7, the controller 70 determines whether or not the input immersion amount has been washed. Specifically, the rice washing amount is obtained from the capacity of the rice washing machine 22 and the elapsed time, and the rice washing amount and the immersion amount are compared to determine. If the answer is YES in Step 7, the process goes to Step 12, and if the answer is NO (No) in Step 7, the process goes to Step 8. In step 8, the controller 70 determines whether or not the rice has been washed by the capacity of the vertical tank. Specifically, as in step 7, the amount of rice washing is determined from the capacity of the rice washing machine 22 and the elapsed time, and the amount of rice washing is compared with the capacity of the vertical tank to make a determination. If NO in step 8 (NO), the process returns to step 4. If yes, go to step 9.
In step 9, the controller 70 determines whether the transport time has elapsed,
Has been determined. If NO, repeat. YES
If so, go to step 10. In step 10, the controller 70 outputs an open command to the distribution valve 34b of the immersion water tank 41b of the next second vertical tank. Step 11
Then, the controller 70 controls the immersion water tank 41b of the first vertical tank.
First immersion supply pipe valve 77b to send fresh water to
Output an open command. In step 12, the controller 7
0 determines whether or not the immersion water tank of the first vertical tank has passed a predetermined immersion time. Specifically, the controller 70 measures and determines the immersion time from the rice washing start time to the immersion water tank 41a. In the case of YES at step 12, the procedure goes to step 13.

In step 13, the controller 70 outputs an opening command to the immersion discharge adjusting damper 42 of the first vertical tank. In step 14, the controller 70 outputs an open command to the vacuum chamber valve 79 of the first vertical tank.

In step 15, rice is charged into a predetermined rice storage tank 61 and stored. In the case of NO in step 12, the process returns to step 7, and similarly to the above, it is determined whether or not the input immersion amount has been washed or not, and whether or not the rice has been washed by the capacity of the vertical tank. The distribution valve 34 for charging and clearing the rice into the next and subsequent third immersion water tanks 41c.
And the valve 77b for the immersion supply pipe is controlled. At this time, although shown as first and second in the figure, when the capacity of the vertical tank is charged by a predetermined amount, the capacity is temporarily increased, and this step is repeated. Thereby, the immersion capacity is charged and immersed in the plurality of immersion water tanks for a predetermined immersion time, and the steps of immersion and immersion are performed simultaneously, thereby improving the production efficiency. In addition, it goes without saying that the number of immersion water tanks, the water absorption time, the immersion order, and the like may be appropriately changed without being limited to the above-described embodiment.

[0058]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A rice rinsing machine comprising a constant quantity continuous supply means for continuously supplying raw rice by a constant amount, a continuous rice washing means for continuously and quantitatively washing the raw rice, and a continuous conveying means for conveying the rice-washed raw rice and the rice-washed water. Provided vertical rice immersion means that can be discharged from the bottom after the raw rice and washed rice water have been put in from above and immersed in water for a fixed time, and the raw rice that has been placed below the vertical immersion means and that has absorbed water is placed in the input order. , The water content can be kept constant irrespective of the amount of raw rice. Also, a plurality of vertical immersion means to be supplied through the distribution means for distributing the raw rice from the continuous rice washing means are arranged in parallel, and the raw rice and the washing water are washed from above from a plurality of vertical immersion tanks. After supplying and feeding a fixed amount at a time, according to the order of loading, a fixed amount of water is discharged from the lower part of each vertical dipping tank after a lapse of a fixed time, and dewatering is performed. Rice can be washed continuously and the immersion time can be adjusted for each vertical immersion means, so that raw rice having different immersion times (water absorption times) can be continuously flowed. In addition, a plurality of steps of work are performed at the same time, and work efficiency is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a first embodiment of a fixed-time immersion apparatus for sake brewed rice according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the configuration of a second embodiment of the apparatus for immersing sake-brewed rice at a constant time according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged schematic view of a second embodiment of the fixed-time immersion apparatus for brewed rice of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a time chart of the immersion time of the brewed rice of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an apparatus for immersing sake brewed rice at a constant time according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the apparatus for immersing sake brewed rice at a constant time according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fixed time immersion apparatus 10 Constant quantity continuous feeder 11 Hopper 12 Discharge adjustment damper 20 Continuous rice washing machine 21 Water storage tank 22 Rice washing machine 30, 30A Continuous transfer device 31 Transfer pump 32 Transfer pipe 34 Distribution valve 40, 40A Vertical tank 41 For immersion Water tank 42 discharge control damper for immersion 43 supply pipe for immersion 44 discharge pipe for immersion 45 supply pipe for shower 50, 50A dehydrator 51 dehydration conveyor 52 vacuum chamber 53 vacuum pump 60 storage conveyor 61 rice storage tank 70 control unit 71 Setting device for water absorption time and rice washing amount 72 Switch button 73 Pressure sensor 74 Discharge adjustment damper drive motor 75 Solenoid 76 Immersion discharge adjustment damper drive motor 77 Immersion supply pipe valve 78 Shower supply pipe valve 79 Vacuum chamber valve 80 Controller

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A fixed time immersion apparatus for raw rice in which rice is continuously received from a hopper in which raw rice is stored, the rice is washed, water is immersed for a fixed time, water is absorbed, and dehydration is performed. A vertical immersion means for allowing water to be discharged from above and discharging from the bottom after holding the immersion stationary state for a certain period of time, and a fixed amount discharge means disposed below the vertical immersion means A fixed-time immersion apparatus for raw rice. 2. A fixed quantity continuous supply means for continuously supplying a fixed amount of raw rice, a continuous rice washing means for continuously and fixedly washing the raw rice, and a continuous transfer means for transferring the washed rice and the washed water. The vertical rice immersion means that can be drained from the bottom after immersion in water for a fixed period of time, and the raw rice that has been washed and placed in the water below the vertical rice immersion means in the order of input A fixed-time immersion apparatus for raw rice, comprising: fixed-quantity discharging means for performing constant-quantity discharging according to the input amount. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of vertical immersion means are arranged in parallel through a distribution means for distributing raw rice from the continuous rice washing means. A fixed-time immersion apparatus for raw rice according to any one of the above. 4. A method for immersing raw rice in a fixed time, wherein the raw rice is continuously received from a hopper storing the raw rice and washed, and the raw rice is immersed in water for a fixed time to absorb water and then dehydrated.
A method for immersing raw rice for a fixed time, comprising supplying fixed amount of raw rice and washed rice water to a vertical immersion tank from above, leaving the rice to stand, and then discharging and dehydrating from the lower portion. 5. A method for immersing raw rice in a fixed time, wherein the raw rice is continuously received from a hopper storing the raw rice and washed, and the raw rice is immersed in water for a fixed time to absorb water and then dehydrated.
After the raw rice washed and rice washing water are supplied to a plurality of vertical immersion tanks from the upper side in a fixed amount and then allowed to stand, and then discharged and dehydrated from the lower part of each vertical immersion tank after a certain period of time according to the order of introduction. A method for immersing raw rice for a fixed time, characterized in that: