JPH11332740A - Microwave heating type continuous rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve production efficiency by taking a rice cooking container storing dipped rice from a belt conveyor line, preliminarily heating the container by a microwave heating machine, supplying boiling water within the rice cooking container which is preliminarily heated, taking the rice cooking container to which boiling water is supplied from the belt conveyor line and really heating the container by the microwave heating machine. SOLUTION: Rice washed and dipped for about one hour is fed into a rice cooking container 4 by prescribed quantity, which is placed on a carrier pallet 5 on a belt conveyor main line 1 and is moved. Next, the rice cooking container 4 is moved to a preliminary microwave heating machine 31 which is arranged adjacently to the main line 1 and is preliminarily heated. When the heating is terminated, the container 4 is transferred on the carrier pallet 5 and hot water (80 deg.C or more) which is preliminarily prepared on a hot water supplying machine 10 is supplied by prescribed quantity. Next, the container 4 is moved on the main line 1, is transferred from the carrier pallet 5 to a main microwave heating machine 32 and is really heated, and cooking and steaming of rice are performed. The container 4 is returned on the carrier pallet 5 of the main line 1 from the main microwave heating machine 32 and a rice cooking process is terminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a microwave heating type continuous rice cooker for cooking rice by heating a large number of rice cookers conveyed on a belt conveyor with microwaves.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional heating systems using microwaves include those disclosed in, for example, JP-A-56-11497, JP-A-60-105478, and JP-A-2-117371. It has a structure as schematically shown in FIG. That is, a hood 51 constituting a tunnel is provided directly above the belt conveyor 50, and the hood 5
Magnetron 5 mounted on waveguide 52 communicating with 1
The microwaves are oscillated from 3 and the inside of the hood 51 is stirred by the stirrer fan 54 to heat the food 55 on the belt conveyor.

[0003] This type of structure is a system for drying and simply heating food, and is not intended for an integrated process of cooked rice, cooked rice, and finished rice, but for cooked rice conveyed on a belt conveyor. It is not suitable for a rice cooking system that requires complicated temperature control and heating control for the container.

On the other hand, a gas fired tunnel furnace method is generally used as a method for continuously cooking a large amount of cooked rice. As shown in FIG. 11, in the tunnel furnace system using the gas fire, the washed kettle is placed on the belt conveyor 60 (step 101), and when the operation is started, first, in step 102, the additive is supplied to the kettle. Will be

Next, steps 103 to 105
To supply rice to the kettle, wash and supply water, and attach the lid to the kettle. Then, in the next step 106, the cooked rice in each pot is cooked in the tunnel furnace 61 by gas heating installed on the belt conveyor 60, and then in step 107, the steaming line 6 is cooked.
In Step 2, steam the cooked rice and cook in Step 10
At 8, the lid is removed from the kettle, and finally, at step 109, line out and air cooling are performed before shipment.

[0006]

With the rapid progress of the food service industry and convenience store chains, reform of the supply of cooked rice is required, and the following problems are raised as the problems of the above-mentioned prior art. First, in the case of the microwave heating method, the food can be heated from the inside of the food and has a small influence on the surrounding environment. However, there are the following problems in carrying out the work from raw rice to completion of rice cooking.

[0007] That is, it is difficult to control the temperature of rice and delicately control heating of each rice cooker, and since a large number of magnetrons are provided, when a part of them is broken or maintenance is required. If it is necessary to perform the repair, it is necessary to stop the entire apparatus and eliminate the danger such as leakage of microwaves, and then repair the apparatus.

The gas fire tunnel furnace shown in FIG. 11 has the following problem. First, in order to adjust the thermal power until the tunnel furnace stabilizes at a predetermined temperature, it is necessary to supply an empty kettle (a kettle containing only water) on the initial line every day and adjust the production line. Was.

[0009] This is also the case when switching the rice cooker line, such as not only a single rice but also a cooked rice or a slightly harder finish for rice balls, as a result of market requirements. As a result, the efficiency of the Nissan production line and the energy efficiency Also bad
Lack of stability of cooked rice finish. In particular, thermal power adjustment requires specialists, and these specialists need to be resident and respond.

Secondly, when cooking rice, the heat on the wall surface of the kettle is conducted to the cooked rice, and the cooked heat is used to cook the cooked rice. It is difficult to achieve a uniform finish. Therefore, cooking unevenness in which the finish differs depending on the portion of the pot occurs, and it is difficult to obtain an ideal cooked rice finish.

Third, the use of gas fire increases energy loss and increases the cost of equipment for cooking rice. In addition, the cost of investment in environmental equipment such as air conditioning equipment and clean room design is increased in order to deteriorate the work environment. Take it.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional heating system, and the microwave-heated continuous rice cooker according to the first aspect of the present invention has a drainer. A belt conveyor line that conveys a rice cooker containing immersed rice, a preliminary microwave heater that is disposed along the belt conveyor line, takes in the rice cooker from the belt conveyor line, and performs preliminary heating; A water heater that supplies hot water to the immersed rice in the heated rice cooker, and the rice cooker that is provided along the belt conveyor line, takes in the rice cooker supplied with the hot water from the belt conveyor line, and performs main heating. It is characterized by comprising the present microwave heater for cooking rice.

According to this configuration, the drained immersed rice is transported on the belt conveyor line, and is preliminarily heated, and thereafter, hot water is supplied and then main heating is performed. As a result, high-speed rice cooking by microwave irradiation and hot water supply to the immersed rice can be continuously performed by the belt conveyor line, the existing microwave heater and the water heater, thereby increasing production efficiency and investment efficiency. . In addition, by individually heating the rice cookers, it is possible to continuously cook rice without any loss as a belt conveyor line by selecting heating control for each heating machine, even in the case of rice cookers under different conditions of rice cooker types.
Further, even when maintenance of the heater is required, it can be performed individually, and the rice cooking operation can be performed without stopping the belt conveyor line.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous microwave heating type rice cooker according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the preliminary microwave heater and the present microwave heater are used. The present invention is characterized in that a predetermined number of both heaters are installed along the belt conveyor line according to the time ratio between the preheating time and the main heating time.

According to this configuration, the standby microwave heater and the present microwave heater are installed along the belt conveyor line. As a result, the microwave heater can be installed in the equipment without waste by installing the heater adjacent to the belt conveyor according to the time ratio of the rice cooking sequence of the preheating and the main heating.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous microwave heating type rice cooker according to the first or second aspect, wherein a transport pallet is sequentially arranged on the belt conveyor line. And an electric roller is provided on the transfer pallet and in each of the spare and main microwave heaters to carry the rice cooker in and out between the transfer pallet and the spare and main microwave heaters. And a fixed electrode is provided at the position of each of the spare and the present microwave heaters, and a sliding electrode is provided on each of the transport pallets so as to be able to contact and separate from the fixed electrode. When it arrives in front of the spare or the present microwave heater, the sliding electrode is brought into contact with the fixed electrode of the spare or the present microwave heater and transported. Driving the pallet and the preliminary or the microwave heating machine of the electric roller, it is characterized in that so as to perform the loading of the cooking vessel between the transport pallet and the protection or the microwave heating apparatus.

According to this configuration, when the transport pallet arrives at the front of the standby or the present microwave heater, the rice cooker is automatically carried out or carried in between the transport pallet and the heaters. As a result, it is possible to automatically carry out or carry in the rice cooker between the transport pallet and the heaters, thereby providing a fully automatic microwave heating type continuous rice cooker.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the continuous microwave heating rice cooker according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein the sliding electrode and the fixed electrode contact each other. A door of the auxiliary or main microwave heater is opened to carry in the rice cooker between the transport pallet and the auxiliary or main microwave heater.

According to this configuration, when the transport pallet arrives at the front of the preliminary or the present microwave heater, the door of the preliminary or the present microwave heater is automatically opened and closed, and the transport pallet and the microwave heater are opened and closed. To carry out or carry in the rice cooker. As a result, the rice cooker can be automatically carried in between the transport pallet and the heaters, thereby providing a fully-automatic microwave heating continuous rice cooker.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous microwave heating rice cooker according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein a rice cooker is mounted on the transport pallet. A weight sensor, a temperature sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the end of heating of the rice cooker, and an infrared output device for outputting information of these sensors as an infrared output to an infrared light receiving device provided at a predetermined position on the belt conveyor line. It is characterized by the following.

According to this configuration, the presence / absence of the cooking of the rice cooker and the presence / absence of the completion of the heating are detected by the transport pallet, and the information obtained based on the detection is transmitted as an infrared output by the infrared output device and transmitted to the infrared light receiving device. . As a result, based on the presence / absence of the rice cooker on the transport pallet and the presence / absence of the heating completion of the rice cooker, the loading / unloading of the rice cooker between the transport pallet and the spare or the present microwave heater is controlled,
It is possible to provide a microwave heating type continuous rice cooker which is more excellent in automation.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the continuous microwave heating rice cooker according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein the information on the presence / absence of the rice cooker on the transport pallet is provided. Each transport pallet is reserved based on the information on the presence / absence of heating completion of the container, the heating end time information by the time detecting means for detecting the end time of heating the rice cooker by the spare or the microwave heater, and the moving speed information of the belt conveyor line. Alternatively, there is provided a calculation means for determining a spare or a microwave heater for carrying each transport pallet so that the total waiting time before being carried into the microwave heater is minimized. It is.

According to this configuration, when each of the plurality of transport pallets is carried into one of the plurality of spare or present microwave heaters and heated, the information on whether or not the transport pallet is equipped with the rice cooker and the heating of the rice cooker are provided. Based on the end presence / absence information, the heating end time information of each backup or main microwave heater, and the moving speed information of the belt conveyor line, each transport pallet is operated by the calculating means so that the total waiting time of each transport pallet is minimized. And the microwave heating machine to carry in is determined and carried in.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous microwave heating rice cooker according to any one of the third to sixth aspects.
Input means for inputting rice heating conditions such as the type of rice put into the rice cooker and the finished rice cooked state on the transport pallet; storage means for storing information on the rice heating conditions input by the input means; An infrared output means for outputting the information stored in the storage means as an infrared output when the pallet arrives in front of the spare or the microwave heater, and receiving the infrared output at an appropriate position on the belt conveyor line. An infrared light receiving device to be supplied to the central control device is provided, and the heating sequence of the spare or the present microwave heater is automatically changed according to the information on the rice cooking heating condition supplied from the infrared light receiving device to the central control device. It is a feature.

[0025] According to this configuration, the input means provided on the transport pallet inputs the type of rice put into the rice cooker and the heating conditions such as the finish of the cooked rice and stores them in the storage means. When reaching the microwave heater, the information of the heating condition is outputted from the storage means by the infrared output device and received by the infrared light receiving device, and the above-mentioned spare or the present microwave heater is transmitted to the above-mentioned heating condition via the central control device. Will be driven accordingly. As a result, the rice put into the rice cooker is cooked in a content according to the type and finishing conditions, and it is possible to provide delicious rice.

[0026]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a rice cooking sequence in the microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to the present invention. As shown in this figure, first, in a preliminary step, after "washing rice", the rice is "immersed" in water for about 1 hour.

Next, after the rice is "water-dried", it is put into a rice cooker and "preliminary heating" is performed. In the present invention, the heating and cooking step is performed separately in the preliminary heating in the former stage and the main heating in the latter stage. In the preliminary heating in the first stage, heating by microwave irradiation is performed to a predetermined temperature (about 60 ° C.) by a microwave heater.

The reason for performing the preheating is that the microwaves are directly applied to the immersed rice itself to cause the rice grains themselves to generate heat and expand instead of radiant heating from the container. This is to make the rice quick and even and plump. If the rice is simply immersed in water, microwaves are absorbed by the added water and heat conduction from the water is mainly performed, so that the finished state is less plump and the finishedness in the container varies.

As a result of various experiments, when pre-heating only the drained soaked rice to about 60 ° C., the result that the reaction of pregelatinization of the rice in the next step is the fastest and that the rice is evenly plumped was obtained. . Therefore, the temperature of the rice grains is heated to 60 ° C. as preheating, and the process is completed.

Next, hot water (80 ° C.) prepared in advance
Of hot water is added to a rice cooker in a predetermined amount. This process plays an important role in shortening the time required for completing rice cooking for improving productivity as a continuous rice heating method. Next, as “main heating”, the rice is boiled and cooked at a 100% heating output of a microwave heater, and then intermittently heated to perform steaming, thereby completing rice cooking.

The specification of a single microwave heater for realizing this continuous rice cooking system and the ratio of the number of microwave heaters for rice cooking time, preheating and main heating will be described. As a minimum required rice cooking capacity of each microwave transmitting container, in the case of a kettle charged with about 7 kg of rice and 10 kg of water, rice cooking time was about 50 minutes in gas-fired cooking, but in the case of the present invention, It can be cooked in about 25 minutes including the steaming process. At that time, the specifications of the microwave heater were such that the power consumption was about 6.4 kW, the micro output was about 3.4 kW, and the rice cooker material was a microwave transmitting container made of polypropylene, and the size was 500 mm in diameter and 200 mm in height.

The outline of the rice cooking sequence confirmed in the experiment is as follows. That is, when the microwave output is 3400 W and the rice is 7 kg, the microwave heater is used for preheating as 60 mm.
℃ about 3 minutes, then add hot water of 80 ℃ or more to the main heating to boiling for about 10 minutes, and then switch to intermittent heating after boiling for about 12 minutes, so rice cooking is completed in about 25 minutes in total I do.

As is clear from this sequence, the number of microwave heaters required for arranging the rice heating process in two stages as a belt conveyor is determined by the ratio between the preheating time and the main heating time. Assuming that the preheating step is “1”, the main heating step after the hot water is supplied is “7”. For example, when the number of microwave heaters required for the preheating step is three, the number of microwave heaters required for the main heating step is 21.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are a chart and a block diagram showing the flow of all the steps of the rice cooking system using the microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to the present invention. As is apparent from this figure, the rice cooking system using the present microwave-heating continuous rice cooker can be largely divided into a belt conveyor auxiliary line 2 and a microwave heater 3 installed adjacent to the belt conveyor main line 1. . The microwave heating device 3 includes a preliminary microwave heater 31 and a main microwave heater 32.

In these figures, on the first belt conveyor spare line 21, first, the rice stored in the rice storage machine 11 in step 201 is milled by the rice mill 12 in step 202, and then the rice is washed by the rice washing machine 13. The rice is washed (Step 203) and immersed in water for about one hour with the immersion machine 14 to produce immersed rice (Step 204). Then, in Step 205, a predetermined amount is weighed by the rice feeder 15 to measure the microwave transmission container ( After the rice is supplied to the rice cooker 4, the rice is placed on the transport pallet 5 on the main belt conveyor line 1 (step 206), and the weight is checked by a weight sensor (not shown) installed on the unloading pallet 5. (Step 20
7).

With the microwave transmitting container (rice cooker) 4 placed on the belt conveyor main line 1, the belt conveyor main line 1 starts, and then, in steps 208 and 9, the contents of the rice cooker 4 Clean up the rice surface and attach the lid to the rice cooker. Then, step 210
Then, the rice cooker 4 is transferred to the auxiliary microwave heater 31 arranged adjacent to the main belt conveyor line 1, and the preliminary heating is executed.

Here, the rice cooker 4 is moved (loaded) from the belt conveyor main line 1 to the standby microwave heater 31.
The method will be described. First, the transport pallet 5
As shown in FIG. 4, in addition to a weight sensor (not shown), a thermistor for detecting whether or not heating of the rice cooker 4 mounted on the transport pallet 5 and the infrared sensor 6 for container detection at the upper end is completed. (Temperature sensor) 7 and an electric roller 8 driven at the center by an external power supply operation
It has.

Further, the transport pallet 5 is provided with an infrared output device 5a for transmitting infrared light using the detection information of the weight sensor, the container detection infrared sensor 6 and the temperature sensor 7 as output signals. The output is sent to a central control unit by an infrared light receiving device (not shown) arranged at an appropriate position on the main line 1 of the belt conveyor.

Further, although not shown, an input means such as keys and a storage means are provided on the transport pallet 5, and the input means is used to input the rice cooking conditions such as the type of rice thrown in and the state of rice cooking. When the transport pallet 5 reaches a predetermined standby microwave heater or the present microwave heater, the infrared output is output from the infrared output device 5a toward the infrared light receiving device. The heating conditions in each heater are set according to the conditions.

The auxiliary microwave heater 31 is shown in FIG.
As shown in the perspective view, front view, and side view of FIGS. 6 and 7, a main body 31 a capable of opening and closing a front opening 31 c with a door 31 b is provided with an electric roller 31 d on a bottom surface inside a heating chamber and a container detection sensor on a back wall surface. 31e. Although not shown, a magnetron, which is a microwave generator, is provided in the storage. The preliminary microwave heater 31
The transport to the pallet 5 is performed by the electric roller 8 (see FIG.
) And the drive of the electric roller 31d of the preliminary microwave heater 31.

As for the power supply to the electric roller 8 of the transport pallet 5, a sliding electrode (not shown) is provided on the back of the pallet. When the transport pallet 5 is transported in front of the heater, the belt conveyor main line 1 is temporarily stopped at a predetermined position where both electrodes overlap, and the transport pallet 5 An instruction to determine whether to supply power to the roller 8 is sent from the central control unit.

For example, if the first standby microwave heater 31 is in operation, the feeding point of the standby microwave heater 31 is passed through the transport pallet 5 without issuing a power feeding instruction, and the adjacent standby microwave heater 31 is turned on. It is moved before the heater 31. When the second standby microwave heater 31 is in the operation standby state, the transport pallet 5 is stopped at the power supply point at a predetermined position, and the electric roller 8 of the transport pallet 5 and the second standby microwave heater are stopped. The central controller outputs a power supply instruction to the electric roller 31d and an instruction to open the door 31b of the auxiliary microwave heater 31, and the rice cooker 4 on the transport pallet 5 is used as the second auxiliary microwave heater 31. Carry in.

In this case, the information required for determining the power supply to the electric roller 8 of the transport pallet 5 on the main belt conveyor line 1 includes, as to the auxiliary microwave heater 31 side, any of the auxiliary microwave heaters 31. Is required to be operated, and information on the operation determination of which standby microwave heater 31 is on standby is required.

On the side of the transport pallet 5, information on the presence or absence of the rice cooker 4 on the transport pallet 5 based on the output of the weight sensor, and before each preliminary microwave heater 31, the preliminary heating has already been completed. Since the cooked rice container 4 is also conveyed, information from the temperature sensor 7 of the transport pallet 5 for determining whether or not the cooked rice cooker 4 is needed is required.
Based on these pieces of information, the central control device determines whether the rice cooker 4 on the transport pallet 5 is to be passed straight through or in front of the preliminary microwave heater 31.

Further, information on the presence / absence of the rice cooker 4 on each transport pallet 5, information on the presence / absence of heating of the rice cooker 4 and heating from the output of a temperature sensor or humidity sensor (not shown) in the refrigerator of the preliminary microwave heater 31 are provided. Based on the information on the remaining heating time obtained by performing a comparison operation with the sequence or obtained by a timer (not shown) and the speed information of the main belt conveyor line 1, a specific rice cooker 4 is designated by the central controller. Is compared with the remaining time until completion of heating of each of the preliminary microwave heaters 31, and the time when the rice cooker 4 waits in front of the preliminary microwave heater 31. Has a program for appropriately distributing each rice cooker 4 to the standby microwave heater 31 at the optimum position so that the minimum value is obtained.

With this configuration, the rice cooker 4 on each transport pallet 5 is transported along the traveling direction of the main belt conveyor line 1 to the position of the standby microwave heater 31 most suitable for time, and the rice cooking operation is performed efficiently. Can be executed.

The instruction of the central control device performed when returning the cooked rice cooker 4 to the main belt conveyor line 1 is as follows: the rice cooker 4 is mounted on the transport pallet 5 on the main belt conveyor line 1. It is determined whether or not there is no rice cooker. When the transport pallet 5 is stopped once at the power supply point when it is determined that there is no rice cooker, power is supplied to the electric roller of the transport pallet 5 and the electric roller 31 d in the auxiliary microwave heater 31 by inversion driving. The cooked rice container 4 which has been instructed and cooked is returned to the transport pallet 5.

The method of moving (carrying in and out) the rice cooker 4 between the main belt conveyor line 1 and the standby microwave heater 31 described above is based on the method of moving the rice cooker 4 in the microwave heater 32 described later. The same applies to movement (loading and unloading).

As described above, when each rice cooker 4 is carried into the preliminary microwave heater 31,
Upper electric roller 8 and electric roller 31 in heater 31
d rotates and carries the rice cooker 4 on the transport pallet 5 into the storage of the preliminary microwave heater 31 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 (indicated by step 210 in FIG. 3). Then, when the heating is completed, the electric roller 31d in the preliminary microwave heater 31 is reversed and the rice cooker 4 is carried out, and
It returns to the transport pallet 5 and moves to the next step 211. In the present embodiment, three auxiliary microwave heaters 31 are provided along the main belt conveyor line 1.

In step 211, the previous step 210
Remove the lid of rice cooker 4 preheated in step 21 and
In 2, a predetermined amount of hot water (80 ° C. or more) prepared in advance in the water heater 10 is supplied. The amount of hot water supplied at this time is controlled by the central control device. Further, in step 213, a seasoning or the like is added to the rice cooker 4 to which the hot water has been supplied. Then, in steps 214 and 215, the weight inspection, the re-leveling operation, and the attachment of the lid are performed.

Next, the process shifts to step 216 to perform main heating. In the main heating, in the present embodiment, the present microwave heaters 32 are installed more than in the preheating described above, but the structure of each of the microwave heaters 32 is exactly the same as that of the preliminary microwave heater 31. It is. Also, as described above, the operation of transporting the rice cooker 4 from the transport pallet 5 of the main belt conveyor line 1 to each heater and the operation of returning each heater to the transport pallet from the heaters are the same as the preliminary microwave heater 31, and The rice in the cooked rice container is heated by microwaves to cook and steam the rice.

When the cooking and steaming are completed,
The rice cooker 4 is returned from the microwave heater 32 onto the transport pallet 5 of the main belt conveyor line 1 (step 21).
7), the process proceeds to the final step on the main belt conveyor line 1 and the rice cooking is completed (step 218).

Thereafter, the rice cooker 4 is moved onto the second belt conveyor spare line 22 and is inverted on the belt conveyor spare line 22 to take out the rice from the rice cooker 4 (step 219) and to loosen the rice. Cooled by the cooler 17 (step 220), the cooked rice is delivered. On the other hand, the empty rice cooker 4 from which the cooked rice has been taken out is washed in the washing machine 16 in step 221, and then, as shown in steps 222 and 223, the second belt conveyor spare line 22 is again placed on the main belt conveyor line 1. Is returned to.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining input information to the central control unit 9. As is apparent from this figure, the central controller 9 inputs menus, information on door sensors for detecting opening and closing of the doors of the heaters 31 and 32, information on sensors for weight, temperature and humidity, input of magnetrons, and the like. Temperature information,
Sensor information of the transport pallet 5, error signals of each part,
A line signal indicating the state of the main belt conveyor line 1 and the first and second auxiliary belt conveyor lines 21 and 22, a water heater signal indicating the state of the water heater 10, rice cooking on the first auxiliary belt conveyor line 21 Information such as a rice feed signal indicating the amount of rice supplied to the container 4 is input. The central controller 9 processes these signals and outputs them as line control signals to the belt conveyors (1, 21, 22) and also as various device control signals.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific signal transmission / reception relationship between the central control device 9 and each device. The signals transmitted to the central control device 9 include signals on the first belt conveyor spare line 21. Signal K1 such as information on the progress of each step of rice storage, rice polishing, rice washing, and immersion, and information on the type and storage amount of rice and the amount of rice supplied to the rice cooker 4 by the rice supply machine,
Signals S0 indicating progress information of the rice cookers 4,... Mounted on the respective transport pallets 5,... On the main belt conveyor line 1, detection information of the rice cookers 4, temperature detection information, and the like. There is S29.

Each of the preliminary microwave heaters 31,...
A signal M1 indicating the operation status, the progress of heating in the refrigerator, and the status of maintenance based on the position information of the rice cooker 4 on the main belt conveyor line 1 from each of the microwave heaters 32,. To M12 are output. For example, when the magnetron temperature rises as the maintenance information of the heaters (31, 32) and an error signal is generated, even if the next rice cooker 4 comes, the rice cooker 4 is not operated, and the adjacent heaters (31, 32) are not operated. And the production can be carried out without stopping the main belt conveyor line 1, and at the same time, the maintenance can be performed immediately.

In step 212, the water heater 10 outputs a signal H1 indicating the heating status and remaining amount of water, and further outputs a signal such as container washing and delivery information after the completion of rice cooking in the final stage of the rice cooking operation. K2 is also output. In addition, W1
W3 to W3 indicate movement signals between the main belt conveyor line 1 and the spare microwave heater 31, and W4 to W12 indicate movement signals between the main belt conveyor line 1 and the microwave heater 32.

[0058]

According to the present invention, the microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to the first aspect of the present invention is a belt for conveying a rice cooker containing drained immersed rice. A conveyor line, a pre-microwave heater arranged along the belt conveyor line, taking in the rice cooker from the belt conveyor line and performing pre-heating, and hot water immersion rice in the pre-heated rice cooker. And a microwave heater that is provided along the belt conveyor line, takes in the rice cooker supplied with the hot water from the belt conveyor line, performs main heating, and cooks rice. It was done.

According to the present invention, while the drained rice is transported on the belt conveyor line, the rice is preheated first, and thereafter hot water is supplied and then the main heating is performed. Therefore, high-speed rice cooking by microwave irradiation and hot water supply to the immersed rice can be continuously performed by the belt conveyor line, the existing microwave heater and the water heater, thereby increasing the production efficiency and investment efficiency of the continuous rice cooking system. be able to. In addition, by individually heating the rice cookers, it is possible to continuously cook rice without any loss as a belt conveyor line by selecting heating control for each heating machine, even in the case of rice cookers under different conditions of rice cooker types. Further, even when maintenance of the heater is required, it can be performed individually, and the rice cooking operation can be performed without stopping the belt conveyor line.

A microwave-heated continuous rice cooker according to a second aspect of the present invention is the microwave-heated continuous rice cooker according to the first aspect, comprising the preliminary microwave heater and the present microwave heater. The number of both heaters according to the ratio between the preheating time and the main heating time is set along the belt conveyor line.

According to the present invention, the preliminary microwave heater and the main microwave heater are installed along the belt conveyor line according to the time ratio of the preheating and main heating rice cooking sequences, respectively. As a result, the microwave heater can be installed in the equipment without waste.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the continuous microwave heating type rice cooker according to the first or second aspect, wherein the pallets are sequentially transported on the belt conveyor line. And an electric roller is provided on the transport pallet and in each of the spare and main microwave heaters to carry the rice cooker between the transport pallet and the spare and main microwave heaters. , To allow unloading, and to provide a fixed electrode at the position of each of the preliminary and the present microwave heater, and to provide a sliding electrode that can contact and separate from the fixed electrode on each of the transport pallets,
When the transport pallet arrives in front of the preliminary or the present microwave heater with the movement of the belt conveyor line, the sliding electrode is brought into contact with the fixed electrode of the preliminary or the present microwave heater and the transport pallet and The electric roller in the auxiliary or main microwave heater is driven to carry in the rice cooker between the transport pallet and the auxiliary or main microwave heater.

According to the present invention, when the transport pallet arrives in front of the standby or the present microwave heater, the rice cooker is automatically carried in between the transport pallet and the heaters. Therefore, it is possible to provide a fully automatic microwave heating type continuous rice cooker.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous microwave heating type rice cooker according to the third aspect, wherein the sliding electrode and the fixed electrode contact each other. The configuration is such that the door of the auxiliary or main microwave heater is opened to carry in the rice cooker between the transport pallet and the auxiliary or main microwave heater.

According to the present invention, when the transport pallet arrives in front of the auxiliary or main microwave heater, the door of the auxiliary or main microwave heater is automatically opened, and rice is cooked between the transport pallet and the heaters. Since the container is carried in, it is possible to provide a fully automatic microwave-heated continuous rice cooker using a heater having a door so as to prevent microwave leakage.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous microwave heating rice cooker according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein a rice cooker is mounted on the transport pallet. A weight sensor, a temperature sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the end of heating of the rice cooker, and an infrared output device for outputting information of these sensors as an infrared output to an infrared light receiving device provided at a predetermined position on the belt conveyor line. Configuration.

According to the present invention, the presence / absence of the rice cooker is detected by the transport pallet, and the presence / absence of the end of the heating, and information obtained based on the detection is transmitted as an infrared output by the infrared output device and transmitted to the infrared light receiving device. Therefore, it is possible to control the loading and unloading of the rice cooker between the transport pallet and the backup or the present microwave heater, and to provide a microwave heating continuous rice cooker that is more excellent in automation.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the continuous microwave heating type rice cooker according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, wherein the information on the presence / absence of the rice cooker in the transport pallet is provided. Each transport pallet is reserved based on the information on the presence / absence of heating completion of the container, the heating end time information by the time detecting means for detecting the end time of heating the rice cooker by the spare or the microwave heater, and the moving speed information of the belt conveyor line. Alternatively, the apparatus is provided with a calculating means for determining a spare or a microwave heater for carrying each transport pallet so that the total waiting time before being carried into the microwave heater is minimized.

According to the present invention, the total waiting time of the transport pallet waiting before the heater is minimized, so that the production efficiency of the continuous rice cooking system can be further improved.

The microwave-heated continuous rice cooker according to the invention of claim 6 is the microwave-heated continuous rice cooker according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein
Input means for inputting the rice heating conditions such as the type of rice put into the rice cooker and the rice cooked state in each of the transport pallets; storage means for storing information on the rice heating conditions input by the input means; An infrared output means for outputting the information stored in the storage means as an infrared output when it reaches the standby or the front of the microwave heater, and receives the infrared output at an appropriate position on the belt conveyor line and An infrared light receiving device to be supplied to the control device is provided, and the heating sequence of the spare or the present microwave heater is automatically changed according to the information on the rice heating condition supplied from the infrared light receiving device to the central control device. .

According to the present invention, the heating means such as the type of rice put into the rice cooker and the finish of the cooked rice are input by the input means provided on the transport pallet and stored in the storage means, and the transport pallet is stored in the predetermined spare When reaching the microwave heater, the information of the heating condition is outputted from the storage means by the infrared output device and received by the infrared light receiving device, and the above-mentioned spare or the present microwave heater is transmitted to the above-mentioned heating condition via the central control device. Will be driven accordingly. Therefore, the rice put into the rice cooking container is cooked under the rice cooking conditions according to the type and finishing conditions, and it is possible to provide delicious rice.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a basic sequence of an embodiment of a microwave heating type continuous rice cooking device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view conceptually showing a sequence of an embodiment of a microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a transport pallet in the microwave heating continuous rice cooker according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a standby microwave heater in the microwave heating continuous rice cooker according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of the auxiliary microwave heater.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side sectional view of the preliminary microwave heater.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a central control device and signals from peripheral portions to the central control device in the microwave heating continuous rice cooker according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block circuit diagram illustrating a signal path to each part on the main line of the belt conveyor in the microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional microwave processing system.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing a conventional tunnel furnace system using gas fire.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Belt Conveyor Main Line 2, 21, 22 Belt Conveyor Spare Line 3 Microwave Heating Device 4 Rice Cooker 5 Transport Pallet 6 Infrared Sensor 7 Temperature Sensor 8 Electric Roller 9 Central Controller 10 Water Heater 31 Preliminary Microwave Heater 32 Micro Wave heater

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A belt conveyor line for conveying a rice cooker containing drained immersed rice, and a spare micro arranged along the belt conveyor line for taking the rice cooker from the belt conveyor line and performing preliminary heating. A wave heater, a water heater for supplying hot water to the immersed rice in the preheated rice cooker, and the rice cooker provided along the belt conveyor line and supplied with the hot water from the belt conveyor line. A microwave heating type continuous rice cooker characterized by comprising a microwave heater that takes in, performs main heating, and cooks rice. 2. A heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of heaters corresponding to a ratio of a preheating time and a main heating time by the preliminary microwave heater and the present microwave heater are arranged along the belt conveyor line. The microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to claim 1, characterized in that: 3. A transport pallet for sequentially transporting the conveyor pallet is provided on the belt conveyor line, and electric rollers are provided on the transport pallet and in each of the spare and main microwave heaters. The rice cooker can be carried in and out between the spare and the microwave heater,
In addition, a fixed electrode is provided at the position of each of the preliminary and the present microwave heaters, and a sliding electrode that can be brought into contact with and separated from the fixed electrode is provided on each of the transport pallets. When it arrives in front of the preliminary or the present microwave heater, the sliding electrode is brought into contact with the fixed electrode of the preliminary or the present microwave heater to drive the transport pallet and the electric roller in the preliminary or the present microwave heater. 3. The microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rice cooker is carried in between the transport pallet and the standby or main microwave heater. 4. A door of the preliminary or main microwave heater is opened by contact between the sliding electrode and the fixed electrode, and a rice cooker is carried in between the transport pallet and the preliminary or main microwave heater. 4. The microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to claim 3, wherein the apparatus is operated. 5. A weight sensor for determining whether or not the rice cooker is mounted on the transport pallet, a temperature sensor for detecting whether or not heating of the rice cooker has been completed, and an infrared light receiving device provided with information of these sensors at a predetermined position on a belt conveyor line. The microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the apparatus is provided with an infrared output device for outputting as an infrared output. 6. The heating end by time detecting means for detecting whether or not the rice cooker is mounted on the transport pallet, the information on whether the rice cooker has been heated, and the end time when the standby or the microwave heater heats the rice cooker. Based on the time information and the moving speed information of the belt conveyor line, each transport pallet is either reserved or booked to carry each transport pallet so that the total waiting time before being carried into the microwave heater is minimized. The microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to claim 5, further comprising a calculation means for determining a microwave heater. 7. An input means for inputting rice heating conditions such as a type of rice put into a rice cooker and a finished rice cooking condition on each of the transport pallets, and a storage means for storing information on the rice heating conditions input by the input means. And an infrared output means for outputting the information stored in the storage means as an infrared output when the transport pallet reaches the front of the spare or the present microwave heater, and the infrared light in an appropriate position on the belt conveyor line. An infrared light receiving device is provided to receive the output and supplied to the central control device, and the heating sequence of the spare or the present microwave heater is automatically performed based on the information on the rice heating condition supplied from the infrared light receiving device to the central control device. The microwave heating type continuous rice cooker according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the rice cooker is varied.