JPS588848B2 - automatic rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic rice cooking device that automatically measures, washes, and cooks rice.

The automatic rice cooking device is formed with equipment such as a rice rack, a rice cooker, a metering and feeding mechanism that measures and supplies the rice in the rice rack to a rice washing section, and a rice washing mechanism.

However, it is not preferable to provide these devices in an exposed manner because it impairs the protection measures and marketability of the devices.Therefore, the automatic rice cooking device is provided with an airtight device body that houses the devices.

Therefore, in this type of automatic rice cooking device, during rice cooking, the steam inevitably generated from the rice cooker densely fills the airtight device body, resulting in a large amount of condensation.

For this reason, the rice stored inside the device is likely to become moist, and electrical components such as motors, switches, and timers included in the device are likely to suffer dielectric breakdown and rust, and the device itself is There is a problem in which the interior and equipment tend to get dirty.

This invention was developed under the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an automatic rice cooking device that can eliminate the various problems of the conventional rice cooker.

That is, in the present invention, an exhaust hole is provided in a closed box-shaped device main body in which a rice rack is provided and a rice cooker is taken in and taken out, and moisture inside the device main body is passed through the exhaust hole during rice cooking. It is characterized by being equipped with an exhaust mechanism that exhausts the air outside the main body.

Due to the above-mentioned features, the steam generated from the rice cooker during rice cooking can be forcibly and quickly exhausted to the outside of the closed box-shaped device body, thereby minimizing steam filling and dew condensation inside the device body.

Therefore, the present invention has the effect of preventing the rice from getting wet, as well as preventing insulation breakdown, rusting, staining, etc. of electrical parts.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of the apparatus which is shaped like a closed box and has casters 2 attached to its lower surface, and an operation panel 3 is provided at the upper front of the main body as shown in FIG.

This operation panel 3 includes a main switch 4 for connecting to a power source (not shown), a rice cooking timer 5 for starting rice cooking, a selection button 6 for setting the amount of rice, and an adjustment button 7 for cooking rice to the desired hardness. ..., the operating status of the device, i.e., weighing, washing rice,
Display device 8, such as a lamp, that displays each process of rice cooking and keeping warm;
An alarm device, for example, an alarm lamp 9, is provided to notify abnormalities in the water supply and drainage system.

A rice cooking door 10 is provided on the front surface of the main body 1 below the operation panel 3, and further below the rice cooking door 11, a rice rack door 11 is pivotally mounted so as to be openable and closable.

Also, inside the device main body 1, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, there is a shelf board 14 that partitions the inside of the device main body 1 into a lower chamber 12 and an upper chamber 13.
has been erected.

Inside the lower chamber 12, there is a rice rack 15 which is supplied with rice from the rice rack door 11 as needed. It is provided offset to one side.

By providing the rice chest 15 at the bottom of the device body 1 in this way, the rice chest door 11 can be placed at a low position, so when replenishing rice from the top of the device body 1, In comparison, it is easier to replenish rice without requiring much effort, and the rice cooking door 10 can be placed in the middle of the device body 1 instead of at the bottom, making it easier to connect the rice cooker to the device body, which will be described later. It can be easily put in and taken out.

A box holder 17 is fixed in the lower chamber 12 facing below the bottom surface 16, and a rice discarding box 18 is supported on the upper surface of the box holder 17. It is now possible to escape.

As shown in FIG. 8, this rice disposal box 18 has a box main body 20 that is open at the top and has a handle 19 protruding from the front surface, and is engaged and supported by a stepped portion 21 of the box main body 20. It is formed from a cover plate 22 that covers the opening surface of.

The cover plate 22 is provided with a net 23 having a mesh that prevents the rice from falling out over almost the entire surface, and has a handle 24 protruding from the front end surface so that it can be inserted and removed from the front side of the box main body 20. It has become.

That is, the rice waste box 18 is normally provided with its cover plate 22 close to the bottom surface 16 of the rice rack 15, and accommodates the rice bran that falls from the discharge hole 25 of the bottom surface 16, and only the cover plate 22 is pulled out. In some cases, it is used to store old rice (rice that cannot be taken out by a metering and feeding mechanism described later) accumulated at the bottom of the rice rack 15 and to take out rice bran etc. from the rice rack 15 at regular intervals.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent old rice from being mixed into cooked rice.

Further, a rice cooker 26 is housed in the upper chamber 13 so as to be freely inserted and removed from the rice cooking door 10.

Note that when the rice cooker 26 is inserted and placed in a fixed position on the shelf board 14, it is electrically connected to a terminal device (not shown) that energizes the rice cooker 26.

This rice cooker 26 is formed as shown in FIG.

That is, 27 is an outer casing which is shaped like a container with an open top and has legs 28 protruding from its outer bottom surface, and an outer pot 29 is accommodated and supported within this outer casing 27.
An inner pot 30 is further accommodated within this outer pot 29.

This inner pot 30 is a heating device in which a rice cooking heater 32 supported by a support edge 31 at the bottom of the outer pot 29 is embedded so that its open end is spaced apart and lower than the open end of the outer pot 29. It is arranged on the plate 33.

A gap 34 is formed between the outer pot 29 and the inner pot 30.
A drain pipe 35 is provided in communication with the drain pipe 35, and the lower end thereof is open to the bottom surface of the outer casing 27.

In addition, a clamp panel 36 is protruded from a part of the side surface of the outer casing 27, and this panel 36 has a hole 37 at its upper end as shown in FIG. A hinge plate 38 is screwed to.

A hinge shaft 39 is supported on the hinge plate 38.

Furthermore, within the clamp panel 36 is a hook side clamp 40.
A projecting piece 41 protruding from the lower part thereof is rotatably fitted to the hinge shaft 39.

This clamp 40 has an intermediate portion facing the hole 37, a claw portion 42 bent at the upper end, and a hinge shaft 39.
It is always biased clockwise by the spring force of a torsion spring 43 wound around.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the clamp panel 36 of the outer casing 27
A hinge protrusion 44 is protruded from the opposite side surface, and a lid 46 is rotatably provided on the hinge protrusion 44 via a hinge shaft 45.

This lid 46 opens and closes the openings of the outer pot 29 and the inner pot 30, and a heat-retaining heater 47 is provided inside.

Note that 48 shown in FIG. 3 is a cord for supplying power to the heat-retaining heater 47.

As shown in FIG. 4, a gripping gap 49 is provided on the top surface of the lid 46.
A handle 50 having a handle 50 is provided in a protruding manner, and a lid-side clamp 51 is provided at the distal end of the handle 50 .

One end of this clamp 51 is a pressing part 52 that protrudes from the upper surface of the handle 50 so as to be pressed, and the other end is a claw part 53 that engages and disengages from the hook-side clamp 40 when the pressing part 52 is operated. It becomes.

When the rice cooker 26 formed in this manner is removed from the device main body 1, it can of course be used as a normal electric rice cooker, but inside the device main body 1, the lid 46 is automatically opened and closed to perform the rice cooking operation. It is something.

The automatic opening and closing of the lid 46 in the device body 1 is performed by a lock release mechanism 54 that releases the engagement of each clamp 40, 51 without pressing the pressing part 52, and a lid opening/closing mechanism 55 that rotates the lid 46. It looks like this.

Next, the lock release mechanism 54 will be explained.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 56 denotes a lock release motor, and its rotational force is transmitted through a gear group 57 to rotate the rotating body 58 at a reduced speed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rotating body 58 is supported by a receiver 59, and its shaft end is connected to a transmission gear group 61 that drives an eccentric cam 60.

A release rod 63 is provided on the frame 62 supporting the gear group 61 so as to be reciprocally movable with its tip facing closely to the hole 37 of the clamp panel 36.

This rod 63 has a spring holder 64 attached in the middle thereof, and a spring 65 is attached between this and the front surface of the frame 62.
is provided with a release rod 63 wrapped around it.

The release rod 63 is always urged rearward by the spring force of the spring 65, and its rear end is always in contact with the cam surface of the eccentric cam 60.

Therefore, the release rod 63 is moved forward and backward via the eccentric cam 60 and the spring 65, and the amount of movement given by the eccentric cam 60 is such that the tip of the release rod 63 inserts and removes the hole 37 and presses the hook-side clamp 40 during insertion. The setting is such that rotation is sufficient to disengage the claw portions 42 and 53.

Further, the lid opening/closing mechanism 55 is formed as shown in FIG.

That is, 66 is a reduction gear made up of a combination of many gears, and its input gear 67 meshes with a drive gear 69 rotated by a lid opening/closing motor 68 capable of forward and reverse rotation.

And the gear shaft 7 to which the output gear 70 of the reduction gear 66 is attached
1 is adapted to rotate an operating shaft 73 via a clutch 72, and a U-shaped end plate 7 is provided at the shaft end of the operating shaft 73.
4 is fixed.

One end of an opening/closing arm 76 is pivotally attached to this end plate 74 via a pivot 75.

This arm 76 is bent into a substantially L-shape, and a protrusion 77 that is inserted into and removed from the gripping gap 49 of the handle 50 projects from its tip.

The opening/closing arm 76 is biased by the spring force of a spring 78 so that the protrusion 77 is always inserted into the gripping gap 49.

This spring 78 is provided so that the pivot shaft 75 is wound around it, and one end thereof is hooked to the end plate 74, and the other end is hooked to the opening/closing arm 76.

The clutch 72 transmits power during forward and reverse rotation of the lid opening/closing motor 68, and also transmits the reaction force generated after each clamp 40, 51 of the rice cooker 26 is engaged during normal rotation and the lid 46 is securely closed. This prevents power from being transmitted due to slipping, for example.

Of course, the clutch 72 is not limited to a slipping clutch, and may be any clutch that cuts off power transmission after each clamp 40, 51 is engaged.

One end of a return wire 79 is connected to the middle of the opening/closing arm 76, and the other end of this wire 79 is connected to an arm operating motor 80 equipped with a speed reducer and capable of forward and reverse rotation.

This return wire 79 rotates the opening/closing arm 76 by winding and feeding out the arm actuating motor 80. Furthermore, the return wire 19 can be flexibly deformed, and at the time of feeding out, the opening/closing arm 76 is rotated sufficiently. It is made of a wire material that is rigid enough to be pressed against the surface.

On the other hand, between the lower chamber 12 and the tenth chamber 13, there is provided a metering and feeding mechanism 81 that passes through the shelf board 14 and supplies rice to the inner pot 30. It is formed as shown in the T diagram.

That is, 82 is a screw guide made of a cylindrical body,
This vertically passes through the shelf board 14, and its lower end opening is provided in close opposition to the portion of the bottom plate 16 of the rice rack 15 which is outside the discharge hole 25.

A rice feeding screw 83 that sequentially transports the rice in the rice bowl 15 upward is housed in this guide.
The upper end of the 0-rotation shaft 84 is supported by a frame 85 fixed to the main body 1 of the apparatus.

Inside the frame 85 is a reduction mechanism 86 consisting of a combination of gears.
is accommodated, and its output gear 87 is fixed to the rotating shaft 84.

A drive motor 88 capable of forward and reverse rotation is attached to the upper surface of the frame 85. When rotating in the forward direction, this rotates an input gear 89 of the reduction mechanism 86 via a transmission system, which will be described later. It is designed to drive the exhaust mechanism.

Further, a chute 90 is provided at the upper end of the screw guide 82.
is installed protrudingly.

This chute 90 is provided with its lower end inclined so as to be close to the rice cooker 26, and the lower end deviates outward from a line vertically extending the outer diameter of the rice cooker 26 in the fixed position. (see figure).

The chute 90 allows the rice to slide down along its slope, thereby supplying the rice to the inner pot 30 using the penetrating force of the rice.

For example, the inclination angle θ of the chute 90 is set to 30 degrees, the height of the outlet from the upper end of the inner pot 30 is set to 50 mm, and the distance L between the outlet and the rice cooker 26 is set to 10 mm or less to obtain the above-mentioned chute effect. It looks like this.

Furthermore, the chute 90 is made of, for example, a rectangular tube, and a detection switch 91 that is turned on depending on the weight of rice is provided on the lower surface of the inlet portion thereof.

When this switch 91 is turned on, it issues a signal to start weighing, which causes a timer 92 to operate and measure the amount of rice set in the selection button 6.

Note that the timer 92 is provided in the frame 85.

Furthermore, rice measurement control is not limited to the case where the timer is used as described above, but may be performed by detecting the rotational speed of the rice feed screw 83, etc., and it goes without saying that various other control structures can be considered.

Next, the transmission system and exhaust mechanism of the drive motor 88 are
This will be explained using figures.

That is, a drive gear 94 is fixed to the middle of a rotating shaft 93 of the drive motor 88, and a driven gear 95 is meshed with this gear 94.

The driven gear 95 is fixed to a gear shaft 96, and this shaft 96 is connected via a spring clutch 98 to a gear shaft 97 to which an input gear 89 of the reduction mechanism 86 is fixed.

This clutch 98 is connected to the gear shaft 96.9 by its own spring force.
When the drive motor 88 rotates in the normal direction, the winding becomes stronger and transmits power, and when the drive motor 88 rotates in the reverse direction, the winding loosens and cuts off the transmission of power.

Further, a pulley shaft 100 is connected to the upper end of the rotating shaft 93 via a spring clutch 99, and a drive pulley 101 is connected to this pulley shaft 100.

This spring clutch 99 has a function opposite to that of the spring clutch 98, and therefore does not transmit power when the drive motor 88 rotates in the forward direction, but transmits power when the drive motor 88 rotates in the reverse direction.

The driving pulley 101 is a belt 10 that is hung across the belt 10.
2, and an exhaust fan 105 is attached to the tip of a pulley shaft 104 of this pulley 103.

This fan 105 is provided facing an exhaust hole 106 (see FIG. 1) opened on the upper side of the device main body 1, and its rotation discharges moisture in the upper chamber 13 to the outside of the device main body 1. ing.

That is, the operation of this exhaust mechanism protects the electrical components in the upper chamber 13 from moisture, prevents the upper chamber 13 and the storage equipment from becoming dirty, and prevents the rice in the screw guide 82 from getting wet.

Note that the operation of the exhaust mechanism, that is, the reversal of the drive motor 88, is started by a timer (not shown) after a certain period of time after rice cooking has started, or by temperature detection using a thermistor or the like, so that the upper chamber 13 is at a certain temperature. It is started when the above temperature is exceeded to prevent rice cooking efficiency from deteriorating due to exhaust air.

Further, in the upper chamber 13, a rice washing mechanism 107 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is provided.

That is, an auxiliary shelf board 108 is fixed on the shelf board 14, and a turning motor 109 capable of forward and reverse rotation is provided between these drawing boards 14 and 108.

This motor 109 has a reduction gear group 11 consisting of a plurality of gears.
It is connected to 0.

Furthermore, a rack board 111 is horizontally suspended above the auxiliary shelf board 108 in the upper part of the upper chamber 13, and a pivot shaft 112 is rotatably installed between this and the auxiliary shelf board 108.

The lower end of this pivot shaft 112 passes through the auxiliary shelf board 108,
The output gear 113 of the reduction gear group 110 is fixed to its tip.

Note that the gear ratio of the reduction gear group 110 is the same as that of the turning motor 10.
The gear ratio is such that the rotation shaft 112 is rotated within a range of approximately 90 degrees during operation 9.

A pair of support plates 114 and 115 are fixed to the pivot shaft 112 so as to face each other in the vertical direction.
4, 115, a plurality of hanging rods 116... are installed, and a screw shaft 117 is installed between them.

The screw shaft 117 is rotatable relative to the support plates 114 and 115, and has an upper end extending through the upper support plate 114.

A U-shaped motor mounting plate 118 is attached to the upper surface of the upper support plate 114, and a lifting motor 119 is attached to this.
is supported.

The rotating shaft of this motor 119 rotates the screw shaft 117 via a gear group 120.

A lifting arm 121 is supported on the screw shaft 117 by threading a threaded part 122 provided at its intermediate portion, and one end of this arm 121 is slidably connected to a certain suspension rod 116. has been done.

That is, the lifting arm 121 is connected to the screw shaft 117.
It is provided so that it can be moved up and down in parallel with the support rod 116 as a guide.

Further, the other end of the lifting arm 121 is protruded so as to be able to face above the center of the rice cooker 26, and a blade shaft 123 is rotatably supported through the tip thereof, and a rice washing motor 124 is mounted thereon. It has been done.

A rice washing blade 125 is attached to the lower end of this blade shaft 123 so as to be perpendicular thereto, and the upper end is attached to the rice washing motor 1.
24 through a gear group 126.

Such a rice washing section is inserted into and removed from the inner pot 30 by the lifting and lowering movement of the lifting arm 121, and is also moved to the insertion and removal position and a position that does not interfere with the opening and closing of M46 by the rotating movement of the lifting arm 121. There is.

Further, a hardness switch device 127 is slidably provided on the other rack rod 116 located on the rice washing section side.

This device 127 slides the rack rod 116 in conjunction with the operation of the selection buttons 6, and is stopped at a position corresponding to the pressed selection button, that is, the amount of rice.

This device 127 includes a switch 129 for cooking rice normally, a switch 130 provided above this switch 129 for cooking rice softer, and a switch 129 for cooking rice in a soft manner.
A switch 131 is provided below to cook rice harder.
have.

Each switch 129, 130 of this switch device 127,
131 is turned on and off when the lifting arm 121 is raised and lowered, but only the switch designated by the adjustment button I becomes effective as the lifting arm 121 rises, and at this time, the lifting motor 119 is turned on and off. It is designed to stop.

That is, the switch device 127 controls the stop position of the lifting arm 121, determines the position of the suction port of the drain hose (described later), and secures a desired amount of water in the inner pot 30.

Further, a water supply tank 132 is arranged on the ceiling of the upper chamber 13, and a water supply pipe 1 provided with an inflow water supply valve 133a is disposed in the water supply tank 132.
Water is replenished from 33 as appropriate.

Of course, the water supply pipe 133 is a water supply source such as water supply (not shown).
It is connected to.

A water supply hose 135 with an outflow water supply valve 134 provided in the middle is connected to the bottom of the water tank 132, and the tip of this hose 135 is connected to the tip of the lifting arm 121 so that it can face the opening of the inner pot 30. It is supported through.

The water supply tank 132 is provided with a float switch 136 that controls the inflow water supply valve 133a so as to keep the water level inside the tank constant.

Further, an auxiliary chamber 138 is provided on one side of the water tank 132 via a dam plate 137, and a hose 139 is provided on the bottom of the auxiliary chamber 138.
is connected.

The lower end of this hose 139 is connected to a water reservoir, for example, a drainage tank 140 attached to the lower surface of the shelf board 14.

The drain tank 140 is provided facing the rice cooker 26 housed in a fixed position in the main body 1, and an opening 141 is formed in a portion of the shelf board 14 facing the open end thereof.

Above this opening 141 is a drain pipe 35 of the rice cooker 26.
are facing each other.

Note that the shelf board 14 has a slight slope (not shown) that gradually becomes lower toward the opening 141 side.

Further, a drainage mechanism 142 is provided inside the upper chamber 13.

This mechanism 142 includes a pump motor 143 and this motor 1.
43 via a gear group 144,
A rotating shaft 147 to which a pair of cam bodies 145, 146 are fixed, and a first shaft provided opposite to each cam body 145, 146 separately.
, second drainage pumps 148, 149.

Each of the drain pumps 148 and 149 has its elastically deformed bellows-shaped portion pressed and separated by cam bodies 145 and 146, respectively, so that the drain pumps 148 and 149 expand and contract to perform a pumping action.

The suction hose 150 of the first drainage pump 148 is used as a drainage hose, and its lower end is supported through the tip of the lifting arm 121.

The lower end of this suction hose 150 is provided so as to be able to suck the rice water from the bottom side of the inner pot 30, and the suction port is equipped with a device to prevent rice from being sucked in, such as a net (not shown). It is being

Such a first drainage system drains the water in the inner pot 30 during rice washing, and drains the water in the inner pot 30 after washing the rice.
The water is drained so that a predetermined amount of water remains within the water.

The lower end of the suction hose 150 of the second drainage pump 149 is connected to the bottom surface of the drainage tank 140.

That is, the second drainage system drains the water in the drainage tank 140.

Of course, the discharge hose 15 of each drainage pump 148, 149
2,153 is led out of the device main body 1.

Further, the drain tank 140 is provided with a drain detector 154, which is comprised of, for example, a float switch, which detects when a predetermined amount of water has accumulated inside the drain tank 140.

This detector 154 is designed to operate in conjunction with appropriate countermeasure equipment.

The countermeasure devices here include, for example, the alarm lamp 9 and the second drainage system, and therefore, when the drainage detector 154 detects a predetermined water position, the alarm lamp 9 is lit and the pump motor 143 is driven. be.

In other words, if an abnormality occurs in the water supply system, such as when the outflow water supply valve 134 fails and water continues to be supplied to the inner pot 30, the drainage detection unit (the drainage tank 140 and the drainage detector 154) automatically detects the abnormality. It is designed so that it can be resolved.

Next, the operation of the fully automatic rice cooking device configured as described above will be explained.

First, after storing the rice cooker 26 in a fixed position in the main body 1 through the rice cooking door 10, operate the main switch 4 and the rice cooking timer 5, as well as the selection button 6 and the adjustment button 7 to set the desired amount of rice. and set the level of doneness.

At this time, the hardness switch device 127 slides the rack rod 116 by a drive device (not shown) and stops at a position corresponding to the amount of rice, and one of the switches 129, 130, and 131 is operated.

When the above settings are completed, the lock release mechanism 54 operates first.

That is, since the unlocking motor 56 is driven, the eccentric cam 60 rotates via the gear group 57 → rotating body 58 → transmission gear group 61.

Then, the eccentric cam 60 connects the release rod 63 with the spring 65.
The release rod 63 is pushed forward against the pressure of the rice cooker 2.
6 and presses the hook-side clamp 40, which is rotated counterclockwise about the hinge shaft 39 against the torsion spring 43.

In this way, each clamp 40, 510 is disengaged.

Next, the lid opening/closing mechanism 55 operates. That is, first, since the lid opening/closing motor 68 rotates in the forward direction, the operating shaft 73 is rotated at an appropriate deceleration via the deceleration device 66, and the opening/closing arm 76, which was raised almost vertically, is rotated clockwise in FIG. do.

In this case, since the opening/closing arm 76 is pulled by the return wire 79, the rotation causes the opening/closing arm 76 to be displaced to the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. .

After that, the arm actuating motor 80 rotates forward, and the return wire 7
9, the opening/closing arm 76 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 5 by the force of the feeding force and the force of the spring 78.
The protrusion 77 is inserted into the gripping gap 49.

Next, since the lid opening/closing motor 68 is reversed, the lid 46 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. Stop at a position.

After that, the turning motor 109 rotates forward and rotates the turning shaft 112.
is rotated 90 degrees so that the tip of the lifting arm 121 faces directly above the inner pot 30.

Thereafter, the lifting motor 119 rotates normally and the screw shaft 117 is rotated, so that the lifting arm 121 descends and inserts the rice washing blade 123 into the inner pot 30.

Note that the lowering of the lifting arm 121 is controlled by a limit switch (not shown) or the like so that it stops at a fixed position.

Then, the metering supply mechanism 81 operates.

That is, the drive motor 88 rotates normally, and the rice feed screw 83 is rotated via the drive gear 94 → driven gear 95 → spring clutch 98 → reduction mechanism 86.

Therefore, the rice in the rice rack 15 is taken in at the lower end opening of the screw guide 82, and this rice is sequentially fed upward via the rice feeding screw 83.

Therefore, the rice is transferred to the chute 90 at the upper end of the screw guide 82, slides down the chute 90, and is thrown into the inner pot 30 with its momentum.

Since the rice supplied to the inner pot 30 in this manner is measured by the timer 92 operated via the detection switch 91, the amount of rice set by the selection button 7 is supplied into the inner pot 30.

Note that during this operation, the display device 8 is linked to instruct this weighing process.

Once the measurement is complete, washing of the rice begins.

That is, water is always stored in the water supply tank 132 up to a predetermined water level by the float switch 136, and the water supply valve 13 for outflow is
4 is opened and a certain amount of water is supplied into the inner pot 30 via the water supply hose 135.

After this, the rice washing motor 124 is driven, and the rice washing blade 125
Rotate to wash the rice.

This initial rice washing operation causes a large amount of dirt to be separated and suspended from the rice.

Then, the inflow water supply valve 134 is opened again, and water is further supplied into the inner pot 30.

Therefore, the water in the inner pot 30 overflows into the void 34.
flow inside.

Therefore, the floating dirt is removed from the inner pot 30 along with the overflowing water.

Note that the water that has flowed into the gap 34 flows through the drain pipe 35 and is drained into the drain tank 140.

After the overflow ends, that is, after removing the dirt, the pump motor 143 is driven, so the inner pot 30
The water inside is sucked in through the suction hose 150, passes through the first drainage pump 148, and is drained out via the discharge hose 152.

Of course, the second drainage pump 149 also operates at the same time, so
The drain water in the drain tank 140 is also sucked into the horn 151.
The water is drained from the water through the second drainage pump 149 and the discharge hose 153.

In this way, the first stage of the rice washing process is completed.
25 is still rotating, and then the inner pot 30
After two predetermined periods of time, water is introduced into the water tank and drained by the first drain pump 148, and this process of supplying water, crushing rice, and draining is repeated several times, and during this process, the display device 8 shows the rice washing process. Instruct.

In addition, according to the structure including the drain tank 140 that receives overflow water as described above, even if the water supply valve 134 for outflow fails and the water does not stop flowing, it will flow into the drain tank 140 and drain the water. Since the water is drained through the second drainage system, the inside of the device main body 1 etc. will not be flooded with water.

Of course, even if the inflow water supply and drain 133 fails, the water that overflows the weir plate 137 and flows into the auxiliary chamber 138 is led to the drainage tank 140 via the hose 139, so the second drainage system Drained.

When this rice washing process is completed, a certain amount of water is supplied into the inner pot 30.

After that, the lifting motor 119 reverses and the lifting arm 121
is raised and once stopped at a position specified by the hardness switch device 127 to place the suction port of the suction hose 150 at a desired position within the inner pot 30.

During this stop, unnecessary water is drained, and the amount of water in the inner pot 30 is thus determined.

Then, the lifting motor 119 is reversed again and the lifting arm 1
Raise 21.

Note that this upward movement is stopped at a fixed position by a limit switch (not shown) or the like.

Thereafter, the rotation motor 109 is reversed, and the lifting arm 1
21 is rotated 90 degrees and removed from above the inner pot 30.

After that, the lid opening/closing motor 68 of the lid opening/closing mechanism 55 is activated again.
rotates forward and rotates the lid 46 clockwise via the opening/closing arm 76. When this happens, the lid 46 closes the opening of the inner pot 30, etc., and the pressing force of the opening/closing arm 76 causes the lid-side clamp 51 to close to the pot-side clamp 40. engage with.

By the time this point is reached, the release rod 63 of the release mechanism 54 has moved back and does not interfere with the engagement of the clamps 40, 51.

When the lid 46 is closed in this way, a large reaction force acts on the opening/closing arm T6, so power transmission is cut off at the clutch 72, and then the lid opening/closing motor 68 is stopped.

After that, the arm actuating motor 80 reverses, and the return wire 7
9, the protrusion 77 of the opening/closing arm 76 comes out of the gripping gap 49 of the gripper 50.

Next, the lid opening/closing motor 68 is reversed again and the opening/closing arm 7
Raise 6 almost vertically and stop.

When the time set in the rice cooking timer 5 comes, the rice cooking heater 32 of the rice cooker 26 is energized and the rice cooking process begins, and the display device 8 instructs the rice cooking process.

Then, after a certain period of time after the rice cooking starts, or in the upper chamber 13.
When the internal temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, the drive motor 88 is rotated in reverse and the exhaust fan 105 is driven through the spring clutch 99 → drive pulley 101 → belt 102 → driven pulley 103.
is rotated, thereby quickly exhausting steam generated from the rice cooker 26 as rice is cooked to the outside from the upper chamber 13.

When this rice cooking process is completed, the heat-retaining heater 47 is then energized to keep the rice warm, and the display device 8 instructs the heat-keeping process.

The operations described above are performed by an appropriate control circuit (not shown) whose timing is determined by a timer or the like.

The rice cooker 26 that has completed automatic rice cooking in this way is taken out of the main body 1 by opening the rice cooking door 10, and the rice cooker 26 that has been taken out presses the pressing part 52 of the lid side clamp 51. Of course, by doing this, the clamp 51 can be removed from the pot-side clamp 40 and the lid 46 can be opened manually.

It should be noted that this invention is not limited to the above-described one embodiment, and unless it contradicts the gist thereof, specific details such as the main body of the device, the rice rack, the rice cooker, the metering and feeding mechanism, the rice washing mechanism, the exhaust hole, the exhaust mechanism, etc. Of course, the structure, shape and position, etc. can be configured and implemented in various ways.

The present invention as described above has the structure set forth in the claims, so that the steam generated from the rice cooker is forcibly and quickly exhausted outside the airtight box-shaped device body, and the steam inside the device body is It can prevent the rice stored in the rice bowl from becoming moist, insulation breakdown, rusting, staining, etc. of the electrical parts inside the device, and has great practical effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show a fully automatic rice cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line 1 - 2 in Fig. 1 during the rice washing process, and 3 The figure is in Figure 1.
- A vertical cross-sectional view along the line, Figure 4 is a partially cutaway side view of the rice cooker and its related equipment, Figure 5 is a plan view of the rice cooker and its related equipment, and Figure 6 is a cross-section of the clamp mechanism. 7 is a side view of the metering and feeding mechanism, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the rice disposal box, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the drive motor and related equipment. 1... Device body, 15... Rice chest, 26
...Rice cooker, 28...Outer pot, 30...
...Inner pot, 34...Gap, 35...
・Drain pipe, 46... Pot lid, 54...
・Lock release mechanism, 55... Closing mechanism, 81.
... Metering supply mechanism, 88 ... Drive motor, 93 ... Rotating shaft, 99 ... Spring clutch, 100 ... Preshaft, 101 ...
... Drive pulley, 102 ... Belt, 103
...Driven pulley, 104...Pulley shaft, 105...Exhaust fan, 106...
Exhaust hole, 107...Rice washing mechanism, 132...
...Water supply tank, 133a...Inflow water supply valve,
133... Water supply pipe, 134... Outflow water supply valve, 135... Water supply hose, 140...
...Drainage tank, 142...Drainage mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rice bowl is installed inside the rice bowl, and the device is equipped with a closed box-shaped device body into which a rice cooker can be taken in and taken out, and the rice in the rice bowl is automatically weighed within the device body, and after the rice is washed, the rice is cooked. An automatic rice cooking device that cooks rice in a rice cooker, characterized in that the device main body is provided with an exhaust hole, and an exhaust mechanism is provided for discharging moisture inside the device main body to the outside of the device main body through the exhaust hole during rice cooking. Automatic rice cooking device.