Intelligent full-automatic rice steaming cabinet

Abstract

This invention discloses an intelligent fully automatic rice steamer. The intelligent software system is located on the outer surface of the steamer's exterior. A draining rice steaming tray is located inside the steamer's interior and has drain holes. The edges of the draining rice steaming tray are evenly distributed on both sides of the steamer. A water level sensor is located inside the steamer. A circulation pump is located either outside or inside the steamer. The two ends of a circulation water pipe are connected to the circulation pump and the steamer's interior, respectively. The circulation water pipe is located on the side of the circulation pump closest to the steamer's interior. A spray pipe is connected to the circulation water pipe. A draining spray tray is located in the upper part of the steamer's interior. The advantages of this invention compared to existing technologies are: this invention features a water circulation spray cleaning structure, combined with an intelligent software system, to achieve fully automatic rice washing, cooking, and steaming operations in one integrated process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of rice steamers, specifically an intelligent fully automatic rice steamer. Background Technology

[0002] Existing commercial rice steamers and rice cookers with drainers utilize side spraying to clean the rice. However, because there's only one cooking container, the spraying and cleaning process is limited, sometimes requiring manual stirring. Furthermore, the cooking capacity is typically 35-50 jin (17.5-25 catties), only suitable for small batches of rice. Because the rice is cooked in a single container, the final product often has inconsistent moisture content, resulting in inconsistent texture and taste, significantly reducing the overall quality.

[0003] Existing commercial rice steamers are used to cook large quantities of rice. First, the rice needs to be prepared and thoroughly washed. Washing rice can be done manually or using fully or semi-automatic rice washing machines or rice washing tanks. For large school canteens and group dining halls, washing rice is a major undertaking, requiring multiple people to wash the rice, plate it, and add water. Next, the washed rice is placed by weight into a non-perforated rice steaming tray, and water is added in the correct proportions, ensuring the water completely covers the rice and levels the surface. The tray is then placed in the rice steamer, and the steamer is started. Once started, the steamer automatically heats the water, primarily using a gas burner or electric heating element to boil the water in the tank to generate steam, or using an external heating system, such as a steam generator, to add steam for the rice cooking process. The steamer then automatically stops, indicating the rice is cooked, thus meeting the demand for cooking large quantities of rice.

[0004] However, existing commercial rice steamers and rice cookers with drainage functions only have one cooking container, which is insufficient to meet the needs of venues with large rice consumption. Furthermore, the drainage function, due to the single cooking container, also fails to achieve the desired high-quality rice texture.

[0005] However, the existing commercial rice cooker technology is completely stuck in the traditional cumbersome process of washing rice, loading rice, and adding water, without any support from smart technology, and can no longer keep up with the progress of modern technology. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to overcome the above-mentioned technical defects.

[0007] To solve the above problems, the technical solution of the present invention is: an intelligent fully automatic rice steamer, including a rice steamer cabinet, an intelligent software system, a draining rice steaming tray, a water level sensor, a circulation pump, a circulation water pipe, a draining spray tray, and a spray pipe; The intelligent software system is located on the outer surface of the rice steamer cabinet. The draining rice steaming tray is located in the inner cavity of the rice steamer cabinet and has drain holes. The edges of the draining rice steaming tray are evenly placed on both sides of the cabinet. The rice steamer cabinet can have a single-door structure, a double-door structure, or a multi-door structure. The circulation pump is located outside or inside the rice steamer cabinet. The two ends of the circulation water pipe are connected to the circulation pump and the rice steamer cabinet respectively. The circulation water pipe is located on the side of the circulation pump closer to the rice steamer cabinet. The spray pipe is connected to the circulation water pipe. The draining spray tray is located in the upper part of the inner cavity of the rice steamer cabinet.

[0008] Furthermore, there are four draining rice steaming trays, which are distributed vertically within the inner cavity of the rice steaming cabinet.

[0009] Furthermore, the rice steamer cabinet has a steaming chamber and a water heating chamber. The cabinet can be a cube, cuboid, or cylinder. The steaming chamber is located inside the rice steamer cabinet. Draining rice trays with perforations are evenly placed on both sides. There are two or more draining rice trays with perforations, and their shapes can be square, rectangular, or circular. The water heating chamber is located in the lower part of the rice steamer cabinet.

[0010] A method for using an intelligent fully automatic rice steamer includes the following operating steps: Step 1: Spread the rice evenly in a perforated rice steaming tray; Step Two: The intelligent software system controls the circulating pump to draw water to wash the rice from Step One. The intelligent software system starts the water injection program, opens the water inlet valve, and injects clean water. The water level sensor controls the required water level. At this time, the heating system is not started. The clean water discharged from the outlet of the circulating pump circulates through the circulating water pipe and the spray holes on the drain spray plate to wash the rice. The first automatic water intake and washing of the rice is completed. The water from the first washing is discharged. Then, clean water is injected and boiled, and the rice is circulated to cook. After cooking to seven or eight parts cooked, the rice water is discharged. Then, clean water and rice oil in the spray pipe are injected together to spray the rice that is seven or eight parts cooked, removing the sticky starch juice and residue from the rice. After spraying, the heating system is turned on to directly boil and generate steam to steam until fully cooked. Step 3: The intelligent software system on the rice steamer cabinet automatically cleans the inner cavity of the rice steamer.

[0011] Furthermore, alternative solutions include the following operational steps: Step 1: Spread the rice evenly in a perforated rice steaming tray; Step Two: The intelligent software system controls the circulating pump to draw water to wash the rice from Step One. The intelligent software system starts the water injection program, opens the water inlet valve, and injects clean water. The water level sensor controls the required water level. At this time, the heating system is not started. The clean water discharged from the outlet of the circulating pump is circulated through the circulating water pipe and the spray holes on the drain spray plate to wash and soak the rice. After washing and soaking, the heating system is turned on to directly boil and generate steam to steam the rice until it is 70-80% cooked. The water from the first washing, soaking, and boiling is discharged, and then clean water is injected. The heating system is turned on to directly boil the rice and spray it with rice oil or other edible oil in the spray pipe to circulate and cook the 70-80% cooked rice, removing the viscous starch juice and residue from the rice. After spraying, the heating system is turned on to directly boil and generate steam to steam the rice until it is fully cooked. Step 3: The intelligent software system on the rice steamer cabinet automatically cleans the inner cavity of the rice steamer.

[0012] Furthermore, the rice bran oil can be made from other edible oils.

[0013] Furthermore, the spray pipe is one of the following: a telescopic flexible hose, a stainless steel pipe, or a pipe made of other environmentally friendly materials. One end of the spray pipe is sealed and connected to the circulating water pipe, and the other end extends into the interior of the drain spray tray. The spray pipe and the drain spray tray are connected by either a threaded seal or by welding.

[0014] Furthermore, the intelligent software system includes a reservation function and a management software parallel network function, which are set within the software system. The system can intelligently reserve the usage time of the fully automatic rice steamer. The management software parallel network function can be connected in parallel to a mobile app, a kitchen system management software mini-program, a chain operation management system mini-program, and can be set with voice interaction commands.

[0015] The advantages of this invention compared to existing technologies are: Compared to traditional rice steamers, this invention offers the following advantages: It features a water-circulating spray cleaning structure, coupled with an intelligent software system, enabling fully automatic rice washing, cooking, and steaming operations, eliminating the need for manual rice washing and supervision, significantly reducing labor costs; through post-cooking rice water draining and a second oil-water spray, it effectively removes excess starch from the rice, resulting in distinct grains of rice with a soft, glutinous, and non-sticky texture, leading to superior quality; equipped with a high-precision water level sensor and circulating heating structure, it prevents dry burning and overflow, ensuring high operational safety; it supports fully automatic internal cleaning, eliminating residue and bacterial growth, making it hygienic and convenient to use; the cabinet and steaming tray shapes and quantities can be flexibly adapted to different usage scenarios, making it highly versatile and practical. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This invention relates to a three-dimensional intelligent fully automatic rice steamer. Figure 1 .

[0017] Figure 2 This invention relates to a three-dimensional intelligent fully automatic rice steamer. Figure 2 .

[0018] As shown in the figure: 1. Steamer cabinet; 2. Intelligent software system; 3. Draining steaming tray; 4. Water level sensor; 5. Circulation pump; 6. Circulation water pipe; 7. Draining spray tray. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Identical components are indicated by the same reference numerals.

[0020] It should be noted that the terms “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “up,” and “down” used in the following description refer to the directions shown in the attached diagram, while the terms “inside” and “outside” refer to the directions toward or away from the geometric center of a specific component, respectively.

[0021] To make the content of this invention easier to understand, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] like Figures 1 to 2 As shown, an intelligent fully automatic rice steamer is described. The intelligent software system 2 is embedded in the upper part of the outer surface of the rice steamer body 1. It is equipped with a touch screen and a function control module, and integrates a full-process automatic control program for water injection, rice washing, rice cooking, spraying, steaming, and self-cleaning. It can realize one-button start of fully automatic steaming and cooking operations, and also supports custom parameter adjustment to adapt to the steaming and cooking needs of different rice types and amounts.

[0023] The internal chamber of the rice steamer cabinet 1 is divided into an upper steaming chamber and a lower water heating chamber. The water heating chamber has a built-in electric heating component that can quickly heat the water inside the chamber to generate steam, providing a heat source for rice steaming. Four draining rice trays 3 are arranged in parallel and equidistant positions within the steaming chamber, maximizing the use of the internal space and enabling batch rice steaming. The draining rice trays 3 are rectangular with perforations, with evenly spaced circular drainage holes of 3-5mm in diameter. This ensures rapid flow of water and rice water while effectively preventing rice grains from falling. The edges of the draining rice trays 3 extend outwards to form resting edges, which are evenly engaged with pre-set support strips on both sides of the steaming chamber, making them easy to assemble and disassemble, and facilitating manual handling, cleaning, and maintenance.

[0024] The water level sensor 4 is fixedly installed on the inner side wall of the water heating chamber of the rice steamer cabinet 1. It adopts a high-precision liquid level sensing probe, which can monitor the water level in the chamber in real time and transmit the water level data to the intelligent software system 2 in real time to accurately control the water injection volume, avoid overflow due to excessive water level or dry burning due to excessive water level, and ensure the safety of equipment operation and the stability of steaming.

[0025] The circulating pump 5 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the outer side of the rice steamer cabinet 1. It is a silent and corrosion-resistant circulating water pump, suitable for circulating water and rice soup. The circulating water pipe 6 is made of food-grade stainless steel. Both ends of the pipe are connected to the output end of the circulating pump 5 and the water heating chamber of the rice steamer cabinet 1, respectively, forming a closed water circulation path.

[0026] The spray pipe is a retractable and bendable food-grade flexible hose, capable of bending at any angle and fine-tuning its length. One end of the spray pipe is sealed and connected to the circulating water pipe 6, while the other end extends through to the interior of the drain spray tray 7 at the top of the steaming chamber. The spray pipe and the drain spray tray 7 are sealed together by a threaded structure, making disassembly and assembly convenient and ensuring a good seal to effectively prevent water leakage during the water supply process. The drain spray tray 7 is fixedly installed at the top of the inner cavity of the rice steamer cabinet 1. The bottom of the tray is evenly covered with dense spray micro-holes, which can evenly atomize and spray the circulating water and oil-water mixture onto the surface of the rice in the drain steaming trays 3 below, ensuring thorough cleaning and spraying.

[0027] This embodiment also discloses the method of using the above-mentioned intelligent fully automatic rice steamer, and the specific operation steps are as follows: Step 1: Rice preparation: Manually spread the washed and pre-treated or untreated rice evenly inside the four-layer draining rice steaming tray 3, controlling the thickness of the rice spread evenly to avoid excessive local accumulation, ensuring even results in subsequent washing, heating, spraying, and steaming. Then, place and fix the draining rice steaming tray 3 inside the steaming chamber of the cabinet, and close the cabinet door.

[0028] Step Two: Fully Automatic Rice Washing, Cooking, and Steaming: The fully automatic rice steaming program is started via the touchscreen of the intelligent software system 2. The system automatically initiates the water filling process, opening the water inlet valve to inject clean water into the heating chamber. Simultaneously, the water level sensor 4 monitors the water level in real time. Once the system's preset standard water level is reached, the water inlet valve automatically closes. During this stage, the heating system remains off, with no heating action. Subsequently, the intelligent software system 2 activates the circulation pump 5, which draws clean water from inside the heating chamber and delivers it through the circulation pipe 6 and spray pipe to the drain spray tray 7. The water is then evenly sprayed downwards through micro-spray holes, circulating and rinsing the rice inside each layer of the drain steaming tray 3, achieving fully automatic rice washing. After the first rice washing is completed, the system automatically opens the drain valve to completely drain the turbid rice washing wastewater.

[0029] After the wastewater is drained, the system automatically injects clean water again. After the water is injected, the cabinet heating system is started to heat and boil the clean water inside the water heating chamber. The boiling water is driven by the circulation pump 5 to circulate and rinse the rice, and the rice is cooked. When the rice is cooked to seven or eight parts done, the system automatically discharges the viscous rice water inside to remove excess starch from the rice and reduce the stickiness of the cooked rice.

[0030] After the rice water is drained, the system automatically injects a measured amount of clean water again. Simultaneously, rice bran oil can be added to the water circulation pipe, or other edible vegetable oils such as corn oil or peanut oil can be used depending on the needs. The clean water and edible oil mix in the circulation pipe and are continuously sprayed all-around onto the rice that is about 70-80% cooked through the spray pipe and draining spray plate 7. This further washes away any remaining sticky starch juice and impurities on the surface of the rice, improving its texture and color. After the spraying operation is complete, the system continuously activates the heating system, using boiling water in the water heating chamber to generate high-temperature steam to steam the rice at a constant temperature until it is fully cooked, completing the fully automatic rice steaming process.

[0031] Step 3: Automatic Equipment Cleaning: After the rice is cooked and manually removed, the intelligent software system 2 can start the self-cleaning program with one click. The system automatically injects water, and together with the circulating pump 5 and the drain spray plate 7, it circulates and sprays the cooking chamber, water heating chamber, drain rice tray 3, and pipeline inside the rice steamer cabinet 1 to clean them. It automatically washes away residual rice water and starch residue, and the cleaning wastewater is automatically discharged, realizing fully automatic cleaning of the equipment cavity without the need for manual wiping, greatly reducing the amount of cleaning work and avoiding bacterial growth.

[0032] The alternative includes the following steps: Step 1: Spread the rice evenly in the perforated rice steaming tray 3; Step Two: The intelligent software system 2 controls the circulating pump 5 to draw water to wash the rice from Step One. The intelligent software system 1 starts the water injection program, opens the water inlet valve, and injects clean water. The water level sensor controls the required water level. At this time, the heating system is not started. The clean water discharged from the outlet of the circulating pump 5 circulates through the circulating water pipe 6 and the spray holes on the drain spray plate 7 to wash and soak the rice. After washing and soaking, the heating system is turned on to directly boil and generate steam to steam the rice until it is seven or eight parts cooked. The water from the first washing, soaking, and boiling is discharged. Then, clean water is injected and the heating system is turned on to directly boil. Together with rice oil or other edible oil in the spray pipe, the rice that is seven or eight parts cooked is sprayed and circulated to cook the rice, removing the viscous starch juice and residue in the rice. After spraying, the heating system is turned on to directly boil and generate steam to steam until fully cooked. Step 3: The intelligent software system 2 on the rice steamer cabinet 1 automatically cleans the inner cavity of the rice steamer.

[0033] The spray pipe is one of the following: a telescopic flexible hose, a stainless steel pipe, or a pipe made of other environmentally friendly materials. One end of the spray pipe is sealed and connected to the circulating water pipe 6, and the other end extends into the interior of the drain spray tray 7. The spray pipe and the drain spray tray 7 are connected by either a threaded seal or by welding.

[0034] Furthermore, the intelligent software system includes a reservation function and a management software parallel network function, which are set within the software system. The system can intelligently reserve the usage time of the fully automatic rice steamer. The management software parallel network function can be connected in parallel to a mobile app, a kitchen system management software mini-program, a chain operation management system mini-program, and can be set with voice interaction commands.

[0035] The present invention and its embodiments have been described above. This description is not restrictive, and the accompanying drawings are only one embodiment of the present invention; the actual structure is not limited thereto. In conclusion, if those skilled in the art are inspired by this description and design similar structures and embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention, such designs should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent fully automatic rice steamer, characterized in that: It includes the rice steamer cabinet (1), intelligent software system (2), drain rice steamer tray (3), water level sensor (4), circulation pump (5), circulation water pipe (6), drain spray tray (7) and spray pipe; The intelligent software system (2) is set on the outer surface of the rice steamer cabinet (1). The draining rice steaming tray (2) is set in the inner cavity of the rice steamer cabinet (1) and has a draining hole. The edge of the draining rice steaming tray (2) is evenly placed on both sides of the cabinet. The water level sensor (4) is set inside the rice steamer cabinet (1). The rice steamer cabinet (1) can have a single-door structure, a double-door structure, or a multi-door structure. The circulation pump (5) is set outside or inside the rice steamer cabinet (1). The two ends of the circulation water pipe (6) are connected to the circulation pump (5) and the rice steamer cabinet (1) respectively. The circulation water pipe (6) is located on the side of the circulation pump (5) close to the rice steamer cabinet (1). The spray pipe is connected to the circulation water pipe (6). The draining spray tray (7) is set in the upper part of the inner cavity of the rice steamer cabinet (1).

2. The intelligent fully automatic rice steamer according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are four draining rice steaming trays (3), which are distributed vertically within the inner cavity of the rice steaming cabinet (1).

3. The intelligent fully automatic rice steamer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rice steamer cabinet (1) has a steaming chamber and a water heating chamber. The cabinet can be a cube, cuboid, or cylinder. The steaming chamber is located inside the rice steamer cabinet (1). The steaming chamber can be a single chamber, an upper and lower chamber, or a double chamber on the left and right. Draining rice steaming trays (3) with padding and holes are evenly placed on both sides. The number of draining rice steaming trays (3) is two or more, and the shape can be square, rectangular, or circular. The water heating chamber is located in the lower part of the rice steamer cabinet or on the left and right sides.

4. The method of using an intelligent fully automatic rice steamer according to claims 1-3, characterized in that: The following steps are included: Step 1: Spread the rice evenly in the perforated rice steaming tray (3); Step 2: The intelligent software system (2) controls the circulating pump (5) to draw water to wash the rice in step 1. The intelligent software system (1) starts the water injection program, opens the water inlet valve, injects clean water, and the water level sensor controls the required water level. At this time, the heating system is not started. The clean water discharged from the outlet of the circulating pump (5) is circulated through the spray holes on the circulating water pipe (6) and the drain spray plate (7) to wash the rice. The first automatic water intake is used to wash the rice automatically. The water from the first washing is discharged. Then, clean water is injected and boiled. The rice is circulated and cooked until it is 70-80% cooked. The rice water is discharged. Then, clean water is injected and sprayed together with the rice oil in the spray pipe to wash the 70-80% cooked rice, taking away the sticky starch juice and residue in the rice. After the spraying is completed, the heating system is turned on to directly boil and generate steam to steam until fully cooked. Step 3: The intelligent software system (2) on the rice steamer cabinet (1) automatically cleans the inner cavity of the rice steamer.

5. The method of using an intelligent fully automatic rice steamer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The alternative includes the following steps: Step 1: Spread the rice evenly in the perforated rice steaming tray (3); Step 2: The intelligent software system (2) controls the circulating pump (5) to draw water to wash the rice in step 1. The intelligent software system (1) starts the water injection program, opens the water inlet valve, injects clean water, and the water level sensor controls the required water level. At this time, the heating system is not started. The clean water discharged from the outlet of the circulating pump (5) is circulated through the water pipe (6) and the spray holes on the drain spray plate (7) to wash and soak the rice. After washing and soaking the rice, the heating system is turned on to directly boil and generate steam to steam the rice until it is seven or eight parts cooked. Then, the water from the first washing, soaking and boiling is discharged, and clean water is injected. The heating system is turned on to directly boil and spray the rice that is seven or eight parts cooked with rice oil (or other edible oil) in the spray pipe to circulate and cook the rice, taking away the viscous starch juice and residue in the rice. After spraying, the heating system is turned on to directly boil and generate steam to steam until fully cooked. Step 3: The intelligent software system (2) on the rice steamer cabinet (1) automatically cleans the inner cavity of the rice steamer.

6. The intelligent fully automatic rice steamer according to claim 4, characterized in that: Other edible oils may be used instead of rice bran oil.

7. The intelligent fully automatic rice steamer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spray pipe is one of the following: a retractable flexible hose, a stainless steel pipe, or a pipe made of other environmentally friendly materials. One end of the spray pipe is sealed and connected to the circulating water pipe (6), and the other end extends into the interior of the drain spray tray (7). The spray pipe and the drain spray tray (7) are connected by either a threaded seal or by welding.

8. The intelligent fully automatic rice steamer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intelligent software system includes a reservation function and a management software parallel network function, which are set within the software system. The system can intelligently reserve the usage time of the fully automatic rice steamer. The management software parallel network function can be connected in parallel to a mobile app, a kitchen system management software mini-program, a chain operation management system mini-program, and can be set with voice interaction commands.

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