Cooking system

Abstract

A rice cooking system is provided with a conveyor, a steam port, and a scarifying device. The conveyor is provided with a conveying body, the conveying body is provided with a structure allowing steam to pass upwards, and the conveying body is used for conveying rice carried on the conveying body through movement of the conveying body. The steam port is provided below the transport body and is configured so as to supply steam to the rice on the transport body from below the transport body. The scarifying device is configured to scarify the rice on the conveying body in a specified scarifying area in a conveying path of the conveyor for conveying the rice. The steam port is disposed at a position shifted from the scarification region toward the upstream side or the downstream side of the conveyance path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a rice cooking system. Background Art

[0002] There is known a rice cooking system that cooks rice by steam heating and watering rice conveyed by a belt conveyor (eg, see Patent Document 1). According to this rice cooking system, steam is supplied to the entire conveying path of rice conveyed by the belt conveyor.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-149223 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] In order to cook the rice uniformly, in the process of cooking the rice, preferably the rice is loosened. Yet, when the rice conveyed by the belt is loosened, the accumulation thickness of the rice carried on the belt changes due to the loosening action.

[0008] When steam is supplied so that it passes from the bottom of the belt to the top, the thickness of the rice pile affects whether the steam can easily pass through. Therefore, in an environment where the thickness of the rice pile placed on the belt changes due to the loosening action, the steam easily passes from the bottom to the top through the thinner part of the pile. As described above, the uneven passage of steam has an adverse effect on the cooking of the rice.

[0009] Here, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is desired to provide a new technology for suppressing unevenness generated when steam is applied to rice in a rice cooking system, thereby achieving good cooking.

[0010] Solutions to the problem

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a rice cooking system is provided. The rice cooking system includes a conveyor, a steam port, and a loosening device. The conveyor includes a conveyor body having a structure for allowing steam to pass upward, and the conveyor is configured to convey rice placed on the conveyor body by moving the conveyor body.

[0012] The steam port is provided below the conveyor body and is configured to supply steam to the rice on the conveyor body from below the conveyor body. The loosening device is configured to loosen the rice on the conveyor body in a predetermined loosening area in a conveying path where the conveyor conveys the rice. The steam port is arranged at a position offset from the loosening area to the upstream side or the downstream side of the conveying path.

[0013] The loosening action temporarily changes the thickness of the rice on the conveyor and may make it uneven. When the steam passes through the uneven thickness area from the bottom to the top, the steam easily moves from the bottom to the top through the thinner area of ​​the rice. This may have an adverse effect on the cooking of the rice.

[0014] When the steam port is arranged to be directly below the fluffiness area and arranged straight downward relative to the fluffiness area, the center of the fluffiness area is located at the center of the steam path from the steam port, and the unevenness of the accumulation thickness is likely to have an adverse effect on the cooking of the rice.

[0015] On the other hand, when the steam port is arranged at a position offset from the fluffiness zone toward the upstream or downstream side of the conveying path, the amount of steam passing through the fluffiness zone can be reduced, thereby reducing the adverse effect of unevenness in the deposit thickness on rice cooking.

[0016] Therefore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, in a rice cooking system that supplies steam to rice from below, unevenness that occurs when steam is applied to rice can be suppressed, thereby achieving good cooking.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the loosening area may include a first location where the thickness of the rice pile is thinned by the action of the loosening device to loosen the rice. In this case, the steam port may be configured at a location that does not overlap with the first location as a location offset from the loosening area. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the steam port may be configured at a location that does not overlap with a plumb line passing through the first location.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the loosening device loosens the rice by temporarily scooping up the rice on the conveying body. In this case, the loosening area includes a second location where the rice is thinner than the surrounding area due to the scooping up of the rice.

[0019] As a position offset from the loosening area, the steam port can be arranged at a position that does not overlap with the position directly below the second location. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the steam port can be arranged at a position that does not overlap with a plumb line passing through the second location. By the above arrangement, it is possible to suppress unevenness generated when steam is applied to rice.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the loosening device may be a rotating blade device having a rotating shaft and a plurality of blades arranged around the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft may be arranged above the conveying body along the surface of the conveying body. The plurality of blades may include a plurality of blades configured to scoop up rice on the conveying body.

[0021] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the steam port may be arranged at a position that does not overlap with a vertical line passing through the rotating shaft as a position offset from the loosening area. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the steam port may be arranged at a position that does not overlap with a vertical line passing through the rotating shaft.

[0022] When the rice is scooped up by the rotating blade device, the rice accumulation thickness is the thinnest just below the rotating shaft. Arranging the steam port so as not to overlap just below the rotating shaft helps to suppress uneven application of steam to the rice.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rice loosening area may correspond to the area where the rice is scooped up by the loosening device. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the steam port may be arranged at a position that does not overlap with the entirety of the loosening area. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the steam port may be arranged at a position that does not overlap with the entirety of the rice loosening area.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rice cooking system may include a water supply unit. The water supply unit may be configured to supply water to the rice on the conveying body from above. The water supply unit may be arranged on the upstream side of the loosening device on the conveying path.

[0025] By arranging the water supply unit on the upstream side of the rice-raising device on the conveying path, uneven water supply to the rice can be eliminated through the raising action after water supply, thereby improving the cooking of the rice.

[0026] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the steam port can be arranged on the upstream side of the water supply unit on the conveying path. A water film can be formed on the conveying body by water supply. As a result, the permeability of steam at the portion where the water film is formed on the conveying body is reduced, and non-uniformity may occur when steam passes through the rice. By arranging the steam port on the upstream side of the water supply unit, the non-uniformity of steam passage caused by the influence of the water film can be suppressed.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rice cooking system may include a drainage unit. The drainage unit may be provided below the conveying body at a position corresponding to the water supply unit. The drainage unit may be configured to receive water from the water supply unit that falls through the conveying body. By providing the drainage unit, the excess water from the water supply unit that is not absorbed by the rice can be properly drained.

[0028] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rice cooking system may include a cover body that covers the top of the conveyor. The cover body inhibits the steam from diffusing upward, so that the space below the cover body can function as a high-temperature rice cooking space, and the space above the cover body can function as a non-rice cooking space with a lower temperature than the rice cooking space. The water supply unit may be provided in the non-rice cooking space above the cover body. The water supply unit may supply water to the rice on the conveyor body in the rice cooking space through the hole provided in the cover body.

[0029] The temperature suitable for water supply may be lower than the temperature suitable for rice cooking. By setting the area above the conveyor as a non-rice cooking space with a lower temperature than the rice cooking space through the cover, and arranging a water supply unit for the non-rice cooking space, the temperature influence of the high-temperature rice cooking space can be suppressed, and water of an appropriate temperature can be supplied by the water supply unit, so that better rice cooking can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a rice cooking system.

[0031] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of a rice conveying mechanism and a rice loosening mechanism of a rice cooking system.

[0032] Figure 3 It is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the conveying mechanism and the loosening mechanism of the first arrangement of the steam ports.

[0033] Figure 4 It is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the conveying mechanism and the loosening mechanism for explaining the second arrangement of the steam ports.

[0034] Description of reference numerals:

[0035] 1…rice cooking system; 10…conveying mechanism; 20…conveyor; 20A…first conveyor;

[0036] 20B…second conveyor; 21, 23, 24, 25…pulleys; 29…conveyor belt; 29A, 29B…belt;

[0037] 31…rice supply port; 33…connection structure; 35…extraction port; 37…blocking door; 39…cover body;

[0038] 39H…hole; 40…loosening mechanism; 41, 42, 43, 44, 45…loosening device; 51…rotating axis;

[0039] 55…blade; 60…water supply mechanism; 62, 63, 64, 65…water supply part; 69…injection port;

[0040] 72,73,74,75…drainage part; 72a,73a,74a,75a…drainage trough;

[0041] 72b, 73b, 74b, 75b…drain pipe; 80…steam supply mechanism;

[0042] 81, 82, 83, 84, 85…steam ports; 81a, 82a, 83a, 84a, 85a…steam supply pipes;

[0043] 81b, 82b, 83b, 84b, 85b…drainage pipe; 90…cooking section; 91…steam supply pipe;

[0044] 99…exhaust pipe; 100…control system; 110…operation panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0046] Figure 1 The rice cooking system 1 of the present embodiment shown is a steam rice cooking system that supplies steam to the rice while conveying the rice to cook the rice. In the rice cooking system 1, for example, saturated steam or superheated steam is used as a heat source to cook the rice.

[0047] Hereinafter, water vapor will be simply referred to as “steam.” The rice cooking system 1 is controlled by a control system 100 . The control system 100 operates the rice cooking system 1 in accordance with instructions inputted via an operation panel 110 by an operator.

[0048] The rice cooking system 1 includes a conveying mechanism 10, a loosening mechanism 40, a water supply mechanism 60, and a steam supply mechanism 80. The conveying mechanism 10 is configured to convey the supplied rice. The loosening mechanism 40 is configured to loosen the rice conveyed by the conveying mechanism 10. The water supply mechanism 60 is configured to sprinkle water on the conveyed rice. The steam supply mechanism 80 is configured to supply steam from below to the conveyed rice.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, the conveying mechanism 10 includes a conveyor 20 , a rice supply port 31 , a connecting structure 33 , a take-out port 35 , a shutter 37 , and a cover 39 .

[0050] The conveyor 20 is configured to convey rice placed on the conveyor belt 29 by rotating the conveyor belt 29 as a conveying body. Specifically, the conveyor 20 includes a first conveyor 20A and a second conveyor 20B. The first conveyor 20A and the second conveyor 20B are configured as belt conveyors.

[0051] The first conveyor 20A includes a plurality of pulleys 21 and 23 and a belt 29A wound around the pulleys 21 and 23. The belt 29A rotates in the same direction as the pulleys 21 and 23.

[0052] The belt 29A is an endless belt. The belt 29A has a mesh structure through which the steam moving from the bottom to the top can pass. The mesh size is set to a size smaller than a grain of rice.

[0053] The first conveyor 20A receives the rice supplied from the rice supply port 31 on the surface of the belt 29A facing upward, and conveys the rice to the downstream of the conveyance path by the rotation of the belt 29A. The supplied rice is soaked rice soaked in water or seasoning.

[0054] The first conveyor 20A conveys the rice to the inlet of the connection structure 33 located downstream of the conveying path. The rice conveyed by the first conveyor 20A is cooked until it reaches the inlet of the connection structure 33, with a hard core slightly remaining in the center.

[0055] The connection structure 33 has an inclined surface that slopes downward from the first conveyor 20A toward the second conveyor 20B. Rice supplied from the first conveyor 20A to the inlet of the connection structure 33 moves to the outlet of the connection structure 33 by sliding over the inclined surface due to gravity.

[0056] The second conveyor 20B is located at a lower position than the first conveyor 20A, and is provided at the exit of the connection structure 33. Rice from the first conveyor 20A is supplied to the second conveyor 20B via the connection structure 33.

[0057] The second conveyor 20B includes a plurality of pulleys 24 and 25 and an endless belt (hereinafter simply referred to as “belt”) 29B wound around the pulleys 24 and 25 , similarly to the first conveyor 20A.

[0058] The belt 29B rotates in the same direction as the pulleys 24 and 25. The belt 29B has a mesh structure and is configured so that steam moving from the bottom to the top can pass through the mesh structure. The mesh size is set to a size smaller than a grain of rice.

[0059] The size of the rice on the belt 29B is larger than the size of the rice on the belt 29A due to water absorption. Therefore, in consideration of water and steam permeability, the mesh size of the belt 29B is set larger than that of the belt 29A.

[0060] The second conveyor 20B receives the rice supplied from the outlet of the connection structure 33 on the surface of the belt 29B facing upward, and conveys the rice downstream of the conveying path by the rotation of the belt 29B. A take-out port 35 is provided at the end of the second conveyor 20B downstream of the conveying path.

[0061] The rice conveyed by the second conveyor 20B is cooked until it reaches the outlet 35. The cooked rice is discharged from the outlet 35 and received by a not-shown receiving dish provided below the outlet 35. As described above, the rice supplied from the rice supply port 31 is conveyed to the outlet 35 by the conveyor belt 29 provided in the conveyor 20, more specifically, by the rotation of the belts 29A and 29B, while being steamed.

[0062] The gate 37 is provided at a position downstream of the rice conveying path relative to the rice supply port 31. The gate 37 has a structure for leveling the rice. The gate 37 levels the rice so that the rice moving downstream of the conveying path has a substantially constant accumulation thickness on the conveyor belt 29. The rice moves as the conveyor belt 29 rotates while being accumulated to have a substantially constant thickness from the surface of the conveyor belt 29.

[0063] As an additional explanation, the expansion of rice due to water absorption causes the size of a single grain of rice to increase. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotation speed of the belt 29B conveyed by the second conveyor 20B is set faster than the rotation speed of the belt 29A conveyed by the first conveyor 20A.

[0064] This speed setting is to suppress the change in the thickness of the rice on the conveyor belt 29 due to the change in the size of the rice grains. By setting the speed, in this embodiment, the thickness of the rice on the conveyor belt 29 is not affected by the change in the size of the rice grains, and the thickness is kept substantially the same between the first conveyor 20A and the second conveyor 20B.

[0065] To prevent the steam supplied from the bottom of the conveyor 20 from diffusing upward, a cover 39 is provided above the conveyor 20 in the rice conveying path between the rice supply port 31 and the outlet 35. Specifically, the cover 39 is arranged to cover the conveyor 20 and the top of the rice conveying path.

[0066] The cover 39 suppresses the diffusion of steam, so that the space below the cover 39 functions as a high-temperature rice cooking space heated by steam, and the space above the cover 39 functions as a non-rice cooking space at a lower temperature than the rice cooking space. The cover 39 is provided with a plurality of holes 39H for supplying water to the rice cooking space.

[0067] like Figure 2 As shown, the loosening mechanism 40 includes a plurality of loosening devices 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, which are dispersedly arranged in the conveying direction of the rice in the conveying path of the rice. Each loosening device 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 is configured as a rotating blade device. Each loosening device 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 includes a rotating shaft 51 and a plurality of blades 55 arranged around the rotating shaft 51.

[0068] The rotating shaft 51 is provided along the surface of the conveyor belt 29 parallel to the horizontal plane. Specifically, the rotating shaft 51 is arranged parallel to the surface of the conveyor belt 29. In addition, the rotating shaft 51 is arranged orthogonal to the rotation direction of the conveyor belt 29. The rotation direction of the conveyor belt 29 corresponds to the conveying direction of meters.

[0069] A plurality of blades 55 are provided around the rotating shaft 51. Specifically, the plurality of blades 55 are arranged radially relative to the rotating shaft 51, and are formed into a shape capable of scooping up rice to loosen the rice. Each blade 55 is composed of a rod-shaped member having a surface arranged along the axial direction and radial direction of the rotating shaft 51. The rod-shaped member may be made of a soft material. The rod-shaped member may have elasticity.

[0070] The radial length from the center of the rotating shaft 51 to the radial front end of each blade 55 is substantially the same as the distance from the center of the rotating shaft 51 to the surface of the conveyor belt 29. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, each blade 55 is mounted on the rotating shaft 51 in the following manner, that is, when each blade 55 is located directly below the rotating shaft 51, the front end of the blade 55 is configured at a position very close to but not contacting the surface of the conveyor belt 29 or at a position slightly contacting the surface of the conveyor belt 29.

[0071] The rotating shaft 51 rotates so that the blades 55 directly below move in the same direction as the conveying direction of the rice. Each blade 55 operates in such a manner that, during one rotation around the rotating shaft 51, it temporarily scoops up the rice on the surface of the conveyor belt 29 within a predetermined range centered directly below the rotating shaft 51 on the surface of the conveyor belt 29, and puts the scooped rice back onto the conveyor belt 29.

[0072] Figure 3 The dotted line L1 and Figure 4 The dotted line L2 schematically indicates the uppermost layer of rice stacked on the conveyor belt 29 and indirectly and schematically indicates the accumulated thickness of the rice. A predetermined range of the surface of the conveyor belt 29 centered just below the rotation axis 51 corresponds to the loosening region R.

[0073] “Directly below the rotation axis 51” refers to the area below the rotation axis 51 on the vertical line passing through the rotation axis 51. The loosening area R corresponds to the area where the rice is scooped up. In the loosening area R, the rice is scooped up, so that the accumulation thickness of the rice is thinner than that of the area adjacent to the loosening area R.

[0074] In particular, the center of the loosening area R, in other words, the point P0 on the surface of the conveyor belt 29 directly below the rotation axis 51, corresponds to a point where the accumulation thickness is thinnest compared to the surroundings. This thinnest point corresponds to a point where the resistance to the steam passing from bottom to top is the lowest, and corresponds to a point where the steam can pass from bottom to top most easily.

[0075] The water supply mechanism 60 includes a plurality of water supply units 62, 63, 64, 65 which are dispersedly arranged on the rice conveying path in the conveying direction of rice. Each of the water supply units 62, 63, 64, 65 is arranged in a non-cooking space above the lid 39.

[0076] The water supply mechanism 60 is configured to supply water to the rice by spraying water on the rice on the conveyor belt 29 via the holes 39H formed in the cover body 39 using the water supply parts 62 , 63 , 64 , and 65 .

[0077] The water supplied to the rice is warm water of about 75° C. In response, the rice on the conveyor belt 29 is heated by the steam and cooked at a temperature of about 98° C. By arranging the water supply parts 62, 63, 64, 65 above the cover 39, it is possible to suppress the transfer of heat from the high-temperature rice cooking space to the water supply parts 62, 63, 64, 65, so that warm water of an appropriate temperature can be supplied to the rice from the water supply parts 62, 63, 64, 65.

[0078] Each water supply unit 62, 63, 64, 65 has a plurality of injection ports 69 formed in a pipe arranged across the conveyor belt 29 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation direction of the conveyor belt 29. Each water supply unit 62, 63, 64, 65 supplies water to the rice on the conveyor belt 29 from the plurality of injection ports 69.

[0079] The water supplied from the water supply parts 62, 63, 64, 65 cannot be completely absorbed by the rice. The water that has not been absorbed by the rice and has reached the surface of the conveyor belt 29 passes through the conveyor belt 29 and falls below the conveyor belt 29.

[0080] like Figure 2 As shown, the plurality of water supply parts 62, 63, 64, 65 are provided corresponding to the plurality of loosening devices 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 except for the loosening device 41 located at the most upstream of the conveying path.

[0081] That is to say, in the rice conveying path, multiple water supply parts 62, 63, 64, and 65 are respectively arranged upstream of the corresponding loosening devices 42, 43, 44, and 45 on the conveying path to spray water on the rice before being loosened by the corresponding loosening devices 42, 43, 44, and 45.

[0082] Thus, the uneven watering by each water supply unit 62, 63, 64, 65 is solved by the subsequent loosening action. For example, water flows from top to bottom through the rice stacked on the conveyor belt 29, resulting in uneven distribution of water in the stacking direction, which can be solved by the loosening action.

[0083] The water supply mechanism 60 further includes a plurality of drainage parts 72, 73, 74, 75, which correspond to the plurality of water supply parts 62, 63, 64, 65. The drainage parts 72, 73, 74, 75 are respectively provided at positions corresponding to the water supply parts 62, 63, 64, 65 below the conveyor belt 29, and are used to appropriately drain excess water from the plurality of water supply parts 62, 63, 64, 65 that is not absorbed by the rice.

[0084] Drain grooves 72a, 73a, 74a, 75a are provided at the downstream ends of the drainage parts 72, 73, 74, 75 to recover water that has not fallen into the drainage parts 72, 73, 74, 75 but has adhered to the conveyor belt 29. This recovery is performed to prevent the residual water from affecting the next process.

[0085] Each drainage section 72, 73, 74, 75 receives water from the corresponding water supply section 62, 63, 64, 65 and falls through the conveyor belt 29, and discharges the water to each drainage pipe 72b, 73b, 74b, 75b. Among the plurality of drainage sections 72, 73, 74, 75, the water recovered by the second drainage section 73 from the upstream is relatively clean water with less starch, so in order to reduce the operating cost, it is reused as the water supply of the water supply section 63.

[0086] On the other hand, the water recovered by the drainage unit 72 is likely to be mixed with foreign matter, and is therefore not suitable for recycling. The water recovered by the drainage units 74 and 75 has a high starch content and is therefore not suitable for recycling.

[0087] The steam supply mechanism 80 includes a plurality of steam ports 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, steam supply pipes 81a, 82a, 83a, 84a, 85a corresponding to the plurality of steam ports 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and drain pipes 81b, 82b, 83b, 84b, 85b, wherein the plurality of steam ports 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 are dispersedly arranged on the rice conveying path in the rice conveying direction. The plurality of steam ports 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 are provided below the conveyor belt 29, and are configured to supply steam to the rice on the conveyor belt 29 from below the conveyor belt 29.

[0088] The steam ports 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 are provided corresponding to the loosening devices 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, respectively. The steam supplied from the steam ports 81, 82, 83 provided below the belt 29A is wet steam obtained by reheating steam from an external boiler (not shown), and the steam supplied from the steam ports 84, 85 is dry steam directly supplied from the external boiler. The steam ports 81, 82, 83, 84, 85 are arranged at positions offset from the loosening regions R of the corresponding loosening devices 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, respectively.

[0089] Specifically, the steam ports 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , and 85 are respectively arranged at positions offset from the loosening regions R of the corresponding loosening devices 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , and 45 toward the upstream of the conveying path.

[0090] The fact that the steam ports 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 are arranged at positions offset from the loosening region R can be understood as the fact that the centers of the steam ports 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 and the center of the loosening region R are not aligned in the vertical direction.

[0091] The steam port 81 is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the position directly below the rotating shaft 51 of the loosening device 41, which corresponds to the position P0 where the rice accumulation thickness becomes thinner than the surrounding area by the scooping action. As described above, the rice is loosened by the scooping action in the loosening area R. In the loosening area R where the rice is loosened by the scooping action, the rice accumulation thickness is thinner than the adjacent area, and the rice accumulation thickness is the thinnest directly below the rotating shaft 51.

[0092] By arranging the steam port 81 in the above manner, there is no portion where the thickness of the rice deposit is the thinnest and through which the steam can easily pass directly above the steam port 81. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of Figure 3 The steam moving upward from the steam port 81 indicated by the one-dot chain line passes through the portion directly below the rotating shaft 51 where the deposition thickness is the thinnest.

[0093] Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of deviation in the movement of the steam when the steam supplied from the steam port 81 moves upward from the bottom of the conveyor 29 through the rice on the conveyor 29 .

[0094] In addition, if Figure 2 As shown, the steam port 82 is located at a position downstream of the conveying path from directly below the rotating shaft 51 of the agitating device 41. As described above, the steam port 82 is arranged at a position offset from the agitating region R toward the downstream of the conveying path.

[0095] Furthermore, the steam port 82 is arranged at a position offset from the loosening region R of the loosening device 42 toward the upstream of the conveying path. Specifically, the steam port 82 is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the position directly below the rotating shaft 51 of the loosening device 42, and further, is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the entire loosening region R of the loosening device 42. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the steam supplied from the steam port 82 from passing through the thinnest deposited portion directly below the rotating shaft 51 of the loosening devices 41, 42.

[0096] Furthermore, on the conveying path, the steam port 82 is located upstream of the water supply portion 62 and the drainage portion 72, and the water supply portion 62 and the drainage portion 72 are located upstream of the loosening device 42. The water supply of the water supply portion 62 can temporarily form a water film at the mesh structure of the conveyor belt 29.

[0097] The water film can temporarily block the steam from passing upward from the bottom of the conveyor belt 29. As a result, the permeability of the steam in the conveyor belt 29 is reduced, and the non-uniformity of the steam applied to the rice may occur. As described in this embodiment, by arranging the steam port 82 on the upstream side of the water supply unit 62, the non-uniformity of the steam applied to the rice due to the influence of the water film can be suppressed.

[0098] The steam port 83 is arranged at a position offset from the loosening region R of the loosening device 42 toward the downstream of the conveying path and from the loosening region R of the loosening device 43 toward the upstream of the conveying path so that the steam port 83 does not entirely overlap with the loosening regions R of the loosening devices 42 and 43 .

[0099] On the conveying path, the steam port 83 is located on the upstream side of the water supply portion 63 and the drainage portion 73, and the water supply portion 63 and the drainage portion 73 are located on the upstream side of the loosening device 43. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the influence of the unevenness of the water film and the accumulation thickness can be suppressed, so that the steam from the steam port 83 can be applied to the rice above in a substantially uniform manner.

[0100] The steam port 84 is arranged at a position offset from the loosening region R of the loosening device 44 toward the upstream of the conveying path so that the steam port 84 does not overlap the entire loosening region R of the loosening device 44. On the conveying path, the steam port 84 is located on the upstream side of the water supply portion 64 and the drainage portion 74, and the water supply portion 64 and the drainage portion 74 are located on the upstream side of the loosening device 44. By applying the steam from the steam port 84 and the water supplied by the water supply portion 64, the hardness of the rice when the rice is cooked can be adjusted.

[0101] The steam port 85 is arranged at a position offset from the loosening area R of the loosening device 44 toward the downstream of the conveying path so that the steam port 85 does not overlap with the loosening area R of the loosening devices 44 and 45 as a whole, and the steam port 85 is arranged at a position offset from the loosening area R of the loosening device 45 toward the upstream of the conveying path.

[0102] On the conveying path, the steam port 85 is located upstream of the water supply unit 65 and the drain unit 75, and the water supply unit 65 and the drain unit 75 are located upstream of the loosening device 45. By using the steam from the steam port 85 and the water supplied by the water supply unit 65, fine adjustments related to the cooking quality can be made.

[0103] The rice cooking system 1 further includes a cooking section 90, which is located on the downstream side of the loosening device 45 on the conveying path. The rice loosened by the loosening device 45 is finally cooked by steam, which is supplied from an external boiler (not shown) through a steam supply pipe 91 of the cooking section 90, and is taken out from the outlet 35. In the rice cooking system 1, an exhaust pipe 99 is provided at the upper part of the cooking section 90.

[0104] As described above, the rice cooking system 1 of the present embodiment described above has the above-described features regarding the arrangement of the steam ports 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , the water supply units 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , and the rice loosening devices 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 .

[0105] With this feature, the rice cooking system 1 can form an appropriate steam flow from the bottom of the conveyor belt 29 to the top on the conveying path of the rice from the rice supply port 31 to the outlet 35 transported by the conveyor belt 29, thereby providing relatively uniform steam to the rice on the conveyor belt 29. Therefore, according to the rice cooking system 1, the rice can be cooked well.

[0106] [Other embodiments]

[0107] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modes may be adopted. For example, the number of steam ports 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, water supply parts 62, 63, 64, 65, and loosening devices 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 is not limited to the above-mentioned examples.

[0108] The steam port 81 may be provided further upstream on the conveying path so that the steam port 81 does not overlap the entirety of the loosening region R loosened by the loosening device 41. In this case, the position of the rice supply port 31 may be changed to a further upstream position.

[0109] The steam ports 82, 83, 84, 85 may be arranged to overlap with the edges of the loosening regions R of the loosening devices 42, 43, 44, 45, but not overlap with the central portion of the loosening regions. For example, the steam ports 82, 83, 84, 85 may be arranged to not overlap with the central portion where the pile thickness is thinner, and the pile thickness of the central portion is less than 30% of the pile thickness of the region adjacent to the loosening region R.

[0110] In addition, the functions of one constituent element in the above-mentioned embodiment may be dispersed and arranged in a plurality of constituent elements. The functions of a plurality of constituent elements may also be integrated into a single constituent element. A portion of the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment may be omitted. At least a portion of the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment may also be added to the configuration of the other embodiments described above, or at least a portion of the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment may be replaced with the configuration of the other embodiments described above. All modes included in the technical idea determined by the phrases recorded in the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A rice cooking system, characterized in that: have: A conveyor, the conveyor comprising a conveying body having a structure for allowing steam to pass upward, and the conveyor is configured to convey rice placed on the conveying body by movement of the conveying body; a steam port, the steam port being disposed below the conveying body and configured to supply steam to the rice on the conveying body from below the conveying body; as well as a loosening device, the loosening device being configured to loosen the rice on the conveying body in a predetermined loosening area in a conveying path of the rice conveyed by the conveyor, and The steam port is disposed at a position offset from the fluffiness region toward an upstream side or a downstream side of the conveying path.

2. The rice cooking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The loosening area includes a location where the pile thickness of the rice is thinned by the action of the loosening device to loosen the rice. The steam port is arranged at a position that is offset from the loosening area and does not overlap with the position directly below the location.

3. The rice cooking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The loosening device operates in a manner of loosening the rice by temporarily scooping up the rice on the conveying body from the conveying body, The scarification area includes a location where the rice is scooped up so that the thickness of the rice pile is thinner than that of the surrounding area. The steam port is arranged at a position that is offset from the loosening area and does not overlap with the position directly below the location.

4. The rice cooking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The loosening device is a rotating blade device having a rotating shaft and a plurality of blades, wherein the rotating shaft is arranged above the conveying body along the surface of the conveying body, and the plurality of blades are arranged around the rotating shaft and configured to scoop up the rice on the conveying body. The steam port is arranged at a position that is offset from the loosening area and does not overlap with a position directly below the rotating shaft.

5. The rice cooking system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The tilling area corresponds to the area where the rice is scooped up by the tilling device, The steam port is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the entirety of the loosening area.

6. The rice cooking system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: A water supply unit is provided, wherein the water supply unit is configured to supply water to the rice on the conveying body from above, The water supply unit is arranged on the upstream side of the scarifying device on the conveying path.

7. The rice cooking system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The steam port is arranged on the upstream side of the water supply unit in the transport path.

8. The rice cooking system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: A drainage portion is provided. The drainage portion is located below the conveying body and corresponds to a position of the water supply portion, and receives water from the water supply portion that has passed through the conveying body and fallen.

9. The rice cooking system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: A cover body is provided, the cover body covers the upper part of the conveyor, and the cover body suppresses the steam from diffusing upward, so that the space below the cover body functions as a high-temperature rice cooking space, and the space above the cover body functions as a non-cooking rice space at a lower temperature than the rice cooking space. The water supply unit is provided in the non-rice cooking space above the cover body, and supplies water to the rice on the conveying body located in the rice cooking space through a hole provided in the cover body.

Images