Rice milling apparatus

Abstract

To provide a rice milling apparatus which can perform rice milling treatment with polishing degree a user wants while preventing a germ from being scraped at the time of rice milling treatment and includes favorable operability.SOLUTION: A rice milling apparatus where use charge and unpolished rice brought is charged to perform rice milling at a rice milling part (S3) includes a control panel (S). The control panel is partitioned into: an operation region (Y1) for non-wash polished rice to select non-wash polished rice; an operation region (Y2) for polished rice to select polished rice; and an operation region (Y3) for undermilled rice to select undermilled rice. The operation region (Y1) for non-wash polished rice, the operation region (Y2) for polished rice, and the operation region (Y3) for undermilled rice are arrayed in parallel from a region with high polishing degree to a region with low polishing degree in the right and left direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to rice milling equipment.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as this type of rice milling equipment, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known.

[0003] This conventional rice milling equipment includes a brown rice input section for receiving the input of brown rice, a foreign matter removal section for removing foreign matters contained in the brown rice, a rice milling section for milling the input brown rice, and a white rice extraction section for taking out white rice in a simple building equipped with a roof and side walls on all four sides.

[0004] Further, as the above rice milling section, for example, the one described in Patent Document 2 is known.

[0005] This conventional rice milling section has a mechanism in which brown rice is stirred by rotating a whitening roll in a whitening chamber for whitening brown rice, and the brown rice is milled by interfering with a net disposed inside the whitening chamber.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] By the way, in recent years, due to the increasing health awareness, the nutrients in brown rice have attracted attention again. In particular, the germ contained in brown rice contains a lot of micronutrients (inorganic substances, vitamins) and dietary fiber, and many health effects are expected.

[0008] However, according to conventional rice milling equipment, there was a problem that during the rice milling process, the germ was scraped off, and the nutrients contained in the germ were lost. Also, if the whiteness (also simply referred to as whiteness) in the rice milling process was lowered in an attempt to keep the germ, the milled rice might become insufficient.

[0009] Therefore, in view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a rice milling equipment that can prevent the scraping of the germ during rice milling and can perform rice milling according to the desired whiteness of the user, and also to provide a rice milling equipment with good operability.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] To achieve the above object, a first invention is in a rice milling equipment that inputs paddy rice brought in with a fee and mills it in a rice milling section, an operation panel for setting the whiteness is provided, the operation panel is divided into a non-washing rice operation area for selecting non-washing rice, a white rice operation area for selecting white rice, and a partially pounded rice operation area for selecting partially pounded rice, the non-washing rice operation area, the white rice operation area, and the partially pounded rice operation area are provided in parallel in the left-right direction in order from the area with high whiteness to the area with low whiteness.

[0011] A second invention is, in the first invention, a non-washing rice switch is provided in the non-washing rice operation area, an upper white switch, a standard switch, and a white rice germ protection mode switch for performing a rice milling process to make white rice while preventing the scraping of the germ of paddy rice are provided in the white rice operation area, and a predetermined partially pounded switch and a paddy rice germ protection mode switch for performing a rice milling process to make partially pounded rice while preventing the scraping of the germ of paddy rice are provided in the partially pounded rice operation area.

[0012] A third invention is, in the first invention or the second invention, a re-milling mode switch, which is a control mode for re-milling the once milled white rice, is provided in an area separate from the non-washing rice operation area, the white rice operation area, and the partially pounded rice operation area.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the removal of the germ during rice polishing, perform rice polishing according to the desired whiteness of the user, and provide rice polishing equipment with good operability.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] <1. Configuration of Rice Milling Equipment> Regarding the configuration of the rice milling equipment A configured specifically based on the above technical idea, the configuration of the rice milling equipment A will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the rice milling equipment A according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the rice milling equipment A is configured as a simple building having a roof and four side walls. A front entrance a1 used by the user is provided at the front of the building, and a back entrance a2 used by the operator is provided on the side.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic system configuration diagram (side view) related to the rice milling process of the rice milling equipment A.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the rice milling equipment A includes, in order from the upper side of the processing path of paddy rice, a paddy rice input section S1 that receives the input of paddy rice, a foreign matter removal section S2 that removes foreign matter contained in the paddy rice, a rice milling section S3 that mills the input paddy rice, and a white rice extraction section S4 for taking out white rice (also referred to as milled paddy rice or polished rice). Further, a first elevator E1 is provided between the paddy rice input section S1 and the foreign matter removal section S2, and a second elevator E2 is provided between the foreign matter removal section S2 and the rice milling section S3, respectively, and is configured to convey the paddy rice upward.

[0019] The paddy rice input section S1 includes an input hopper 1 having a substantially funnel shape for inputting the paddy rice brought in by the user, and is configured to transfer the paddy rice input into the input hopper 1 to the first elevator E1. Although not described in detail, it includes an opening / closing door 1a for closing and opening the input surface of the input hopper 1 of the input hopper 1, a grain presence / absence sensor 1b for detecting the presence or absence of a set amount (for example, 3 kg) of grains necessary for the rice milling process, and the like.

[0020] The foreign matter removal section S2 is equipped with a stone separator 2 for sorting stones mixed in paddy rice and a foreign matter removal device 3 for sorting long foreign matters such as straw chips mixed in paddy rice. The paddy rice supplied from the first elevator E1 to the foreign matter removal section S2 is transferred from the stone separator 2 through the foreign matter removal device 3 to the second elevator E2.

[0021] The rice milling section S3 is equipped with a paddy rice tank 4 for temporarily storing paddy rice, a rotary valve 5 for feeding out the paddy rice in the paddy rice tank 4, a rice milling machine 6 for milling paddy rice, and a bran suction fan 7 for sucking the bran generated during the rice milling process by the rice milling machine 6. Details of the rice milling section S3 will be described later. The paddy rice supplied from the second elevator E2 to the paddy rice tank 4 is fed out from the rotary valve 5, supplied to the rice milling machine 6, milled, and then transferred to the white rice extraction section S4.

[0022] The white rice extraction section S4 is equipped with a white rice tank 8 in a substantially funnel shape for receiving the white rice milled by the rice milling section S3, and the white rice can be taken out from this white rice tank 8.

[0023] Figure 3 is a floor plan of the indoor area of the rice milling facility A in Figure 1.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the indoor area of the rice milling facility A is divided by a partition wall a3 into a guest room a4 where the user stays and a machine room a5 where various devices are arranged. The guest room a4 can be accessed from the front entrance a1, and the machine room a5 can be accessed from the back entrance a2. On the machine room a5 side, the above-mentioned input hopper 1, stone separator 2, foreign matter removal device 3, paddy rice tank 4, rotary valve 5, rice milling machine 6, bran suction fan 7, white rice tank 8, etc. are arranged.

[0025] Figure 4 is a front view of the partition wall a3 in Figure 3 as viewed from the guest room a4 side.

[0026] On this partition wall a3, an opening / closing door 1a is provided, and a polished rice outlet a6 is provided so as to face the white rice tank 8, configured such that a user can input paddy rice through the opening / closing door 1a and take out polished rice from the outlet a6. Also, at a substantially central portion of the partition wall a3, an operation panel S for receiving a user's operation and a fee input port G for receiving fee input are provided.

[0027] <2. Configuration of the rice milling section S3> FIG. 5 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the main part of the rice milling section S3 in FIG. 2. Also, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the rice milling section S3 includes a rice polishing chamber 9 for polishing paddy rice, and a rotary valve 5 is disposed in a supply path 10 that communicates the rice polishing chamber 9 and the paddy rice tank 4.

[0028] This rotary valve 5 is configured to feed out the paddy rice stored in the paddy rice tank 4 to the rice polishing chamber 9 in predetermined amounts by rotation. Therefore, the supply amount of paddy rice to the rice polishing chamber 9 per unit time is determined according to the rotation speed of the rotary valve 5. A valve motor M1 that rotationally drives this rotary valve 5 is controlled by a control unit C described later. As a result, the control unit C can control the supply amount of paddy rice to the rice milling section S3 (rice polishing chamber 9) by controlling the valve motor M1. Note that the above-described rotary valve 5 and valve motor M1 constitute a supply amount adjustment unit J1 for adjusting the supply amount of paddy rice to the rice polishing chamber 9.

[0029] The rice polishing chamber 9 includes a rotating shaft 11 that is rotationally driven by a driving motor M2 inside thereof. On this rotating shaft 11, in order from the upper side in the conveying direction F1 of the paddy rice, a conveying roll 12 for conveying the paddy rice dropped and supplied from the rotary valve 5 to the rice polishing chamber 9 and a rice polishing roll 13 for stirring and polishing the paddy rice in the rice polishing chamber 9 are provided.

[0030] The conveying roll 12 is provided with screw threads. Thus, when the rotating shaft 11 rotates, brown rice is conveyed along the longitudinal direction of the shaft and sent from the supply path 10 into the milling chamber 9. Note that the conveying speed of brown rice by the conveying roll 12 is sufficiently faster than the supply speed of brown rice by the rotary valve 5.

[0031] Also, inside the milling chamber 9, a rice milling screen 14 with slits formed in a mesh pattern on the plate surface is disposed so as to surround the rice milling roll 13. As shown in FIG. 6, this rice milling screen 14 is formed in a regular hexagonal cross-sectional shape. Further, the size of the rice milling screen 14 in the preferred embodiment of the present invention is, for example, width W1 = 100 mm (millimeters), height W2 = 120 mm (millimeters), and depth W3 = 400 mm (millimeters). Note that the milling chamber 9 in the present embodiment has an inclined posture with the supply side in the upper position and the outflow side in the lower position.

[0032] The rice milling roll 13 is formed with stirring blades 13a for stirring brown rice so as to protrude from the peripheral surface along the longitudinal direction of the rice milling roll 13. Note that the arrow F2 in FIG. 6 indicates the rotation direction of the rice milling roll 13. Also, the peripheral speed of the rice milling roll 13 (referring to the speed Vs at the tip of the stirring blade 13a. The same applies hereinafter) can be controlled by driving and controlling the drive motor M2 by a control unit C described later. As a result, the control unit C can control the stirring speed of the rice milling roll 13 by controlling the drive motor M2.

[0033] Here, the stirring speed refers to the number of revolutions per unit time (min-1) of the rice milling roll 13. Note that when the peripheral speed and the stirring speed of the rice milling roll 13 increase, the straight - advancing speed of the brown rice in the milling chamber 9 also increases. As a result, the milling speed (the speed at which it is milled) of the brown rice also improves. Note that the above - mentioned rotating shaft 11, rice milling roll 13, and drive motor M2 constitute a stirring speed adjustment unit J2 in the milling chamber 9.

[0034] In this way, when the polishing roll 13 rotates, the paddy rice in the rice polishing screen 14 of the rice polishing chamber 9 is polished (hulled) by grain-to-grain friction by interfering with the plate surface of the rice polishing screen 14 while being stirred and moving straight forward.

[0035] At the lower part of the rice polishing chamber 9, there is an outlet 9a which is an opening for discharging polished rice. A pressure plate 15 biased toward the rice polishing chamber 9 is disposed at the outlet 9a so as to cover it. This pressure plate 15 is fixed to one end side of a pressure arm 17 rotatably provided with a pressure support shaft 16 as a fulcrum, and the other end side of the pressure arm 17 is biased by an elastic spring 18. Further, the pressing force by this elastic spring 18 is adjusted by the position of a pressure adjusting head 19 which moves forward and backward by the drive of a pressure adjusting motor M3. Note that the pressure adjusting motor M3 is driven and controlled by a control unit C described later. As a result, the control unit C can control the pressure of the pressure plate 15.

[0036] Here, the paddy rice polished in the rice polishing chamber 9 flows out from the outlet 9a against the bias of the pressure plate 15 and is supplied to the polished rice tank 8 of the polished rice taking-out section S4. Therefore, the greater the pressure of the pressure plate 15, the higher the pressure inside the rice polishing chamber 9 and the higher the polishing degree. Conversely, the smaller the pressure of the pressure plate 15, the lower the pressure inside the rice polishing chamber 9 and the lower the polishing degree. Note that the above-described pressure adjusting motor M3, pressure support shaft 16, pressure arm 17, and pressure plate 15 constitute a pressure adjusting section J3 for adjusting the pressure inside the rice polishing chamber 9.

[0037] Note that a bran removing fan 7 for sucking the bran generated in the rice polishing chamber 9 is provided below the rice polishing chamber 9, and by driving the bran removing fan 7, the bran generated by the rice polishing process is appropriately sucked and removed. Note that a fan motor M4 for driving the bran removing fan 7 is driven and controlled by the control unit C.

[0038] <3. Configuration of Control Unit C> FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the rice polishing section S3 of the rice polishing equipment A in FIG. 1.

[0039] The control unit C is an information processing device configured to include a CPU that performs arithmetic processing and a memory that can read and write information necessary for the arithmetic processing. The CPU operates according to various control programs stored in the memory, whereby the configuration described as functional blocks in FIG. 7 is realized. Note that the control unit C may be a sequence control instead of the CPU.

[0040] A selection switch SW is connected to the input side of the control unit C, and the control unit C can acquire the operation information of the selection switch SW. Also, a supply amount adjustment unit J1, a stirring speed adjustment unit J2, a pressure adjustment unit J3, and a bran removal fan 7 are connected to the output side of the control unit C. Thereby, the control unit C can control the supply amount of paddy rice to the polishing chamber 9 by the supply amount adjustment unit J1, the stirring speed of the polishing roll 13 by the stirring speed adjustment unit J2, the pressure of the pressure plate 15 by the pressure adjustment unit J3, and the removal of bran by the bran removal fan 7, respectively.

[0041] The control unit C is configured to be able to execute rice polishing processing in a plurality of control modes with different control amounts. As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit C includes a normal mode execution unit c1 that executes the "normal mode", a no-rinse rice mode execution unit c2 that executes the "no-rinse rice mode", a germ protection mode execution unit c3 that executes the "germ protection mode", and a re-polishing mode execution unit c4 that executes the "re-polishing mode", and is configured to select and execute these modes.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a list of control amounts for each mode executed by the control unit C. In FIG. 8, the control mode, control items, and control amounts are summarized in a list. The X (kg / hr), P (MPa), and R (min-1) in the figure are set values set according to the scale of the rice milling unit S3, and are control amounts serving as standards for rice milling processing. Note that such set values are preset by an operator before the rice milling process. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as these set values, for example, values of X = 380, P = 1, and R = 900 are set. This set value means that, as the control amount, the brown rice supply amount per hour is 380 kg, the pressure of the pressure plate 14 is 1 MPa, and the rotation speed of the polishing roll 13 is 900 min-1, and the control is performed accordingly.

[0043] The normal mode execution unit c1 is a program for executing the normal mode, and the normal mode is a mode for performing normal rice milling processing. Also, in the normal mode, according to the needs of the user, it is possible to switch among three states of standard, partial husking, and top-grade polishing with different degrees of finished polishing. Note that such switching is performed by operating the selection switch SW.

[0044] The normal mode (standard) in the figure is a control mode in which control amounts serving as standards for performing normal rice milling processing are set, and the rice milling processing is performed by the brown rice supply amount X, pressure P, and stirring speed R of the rotary valve 5. In the normal mode (partial husking), the pressure P is reduced by about 30% compared to the normal mode (standard). Thereby, the degree of finished polishing can be lowered. In the normal mode (top-grade polishing), the pressure P is increased by about 20% compared to the normal mode (standard). Thereby, the degree of finished polishing can be raised.

[0045] The no-washing rice mode execution unit c2 is a program for executing the no-washing rice mode, and the no-washing rice mode is a control mode for finishing brown rice as no-washing rice. In the no-washing rice mode, the brown rice supply amount is reduced by about 20% and the pressure P is increased by about 40% compared to the normal mode (standard). Thereby, the degree of finished polishing can be raised and it can be finished as no-washing rice.

[0046] The germ protection mode execution unit c3 is a program for executing the germ protection mode, and the germ protection mode is a control mode for performing polishing processing while preventing the removal of the germ of brown rice. In the germ protection mode, it is possible to switch between two states of standard and partial milling with different final degrees of whiteness. Such switching is performed by operating the selection switch SW.

[0047] In the germ protection mode (standard), the supply amount of brown rice is reduced by about 20% compared to the normal mode (standard). Also, in the germ protection mode (standard), the pressure is set to about the same level as in the normal mode, and in the germ protection mode (partial milling), the pressure P is reduced by about 30%.

[0048] Next, the effects of the germ protection mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. FIG. 9 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the main part of the rice milling section S3 in FIG. 2 during rice milling in the germ protection mode. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 9. Also, FIG. 11(a) is an enlarged sectional view of the main part around the whitening chamber 9 in the normal mode, and FIG. 11(b) is an enlarged sectional view of the main part around the whitening chamber 9 in the germ protection mode.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, during rice milling by the germ protection mode (standard), the brown rice grains br are supplied from the brown rice tank 4 to the whitening chamber 9, but are configured to reduce the supply amount of brown rice by about 20% compared to the normal mode (standard).

[0050] Here, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part around the whitening chamber 9 in the normal mode of Fig. 11(a), in the normal mode, due to the high density of paddy grains br in the whitening chamber 9 (the filling rate increases), the orientations of the paddy grains br become scattered, and the tips of the paddy grains br where the germ exists come into contact with the polishing screen 14, making it easier for the germ to be scraped off. Also, not only the contact with the polishing screen, but also in the case where the orientations of the grains are scattered during grain-to-grain friction, an action of removing the germ between the paddy grains occurs. In contrast, in the germ protection mode, by reducing the supply amount of paddy by about 20% compared to the normal mode (standard), the density of the paddy grains br in the whitening chamber 9 is reduced (the filling rate is lowered), and the longitudinal orientations of the paddy grains br are more likely to align in the advancing direction (the direction along the whitening roll 13). As a result, while achieving the desired degree of whitening by the contact of the sides of the paddy grains br with the polishing screen 14 and the frictional action between the paddy grains, it is possible to prevent the tips of the paddy grains br where the germ exists from contacting the polishing screen 14 or the germ from being removed between the paddy grains. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform polished rice processing that prevents the removal of the germ. In addition, by reducing the frictional action between the paddy grains, not only can the removal of the germ be prevented, but also by uniformly scraping the surface of the paddy grains, the umami layer of the polished rice can be left, and the taste can be finished well.

[0051] Returning to Figs. 7 and 8, the re-polishing mode execution unit c4 is a program for executing the re-polishing mode, and the re-polishing mode is a control mode for re-polishing once-polished paddy (i.e., polished rice). That is, since the surface of polished rice oxidizes and its flavor deteriorates over time after polishing, this re-polishing mode can improve the deterioration of the flavor by re-polishing.

[0052] In the re-polishing mode, the pressure P is reduced by about 30% compared to the normal mode (standard). This can prevent the broken rice of the polished rice that has become brittle over time. In addition, it can prevent excessive scraping of the surface of the polished rice.

[0053] <4. Configuration of the Selection Switch SW> Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of the main part of the operation panel S in Fig. 4.

[0054] As shown in Fig. 12, the operation panel S is designed to partition a plurality of operation areas Y1, Y2, and Y3 according to the degree of polishing, and is provided with various selection switches SW described below. In this embodiment, it is partitioned in a parallelogram design.

[0055] An unpolished rice operation area Y1, a polished rice operation area Y2, and a partially milled rice operation area Y3 are provided in order from the left side to the right side of the operation panel S. That is, the operation areas are provided such that the degree of polishing decreases from the higher side to the lower side.

[0056] An unpolished rice switch 100 is provided in the unpolished rice operation area Y1, a super white switch 101, a standard switch 102, and a polished rice germ protection mode switch 103 are provided in the polished rice operation area Y2, and a first partially milled switch (8 minutes) 104, a second partially milled switch (5 minutes) 105, and a brown rice germ protection mode switch 106 are provided in the partially milled rice operation area Y3.

[0057] The polished rice germ protection mode switch 103 is provided above the super white switch 101 and the standard switch 102, and the brown rice germ protection mode switch 106 is provided above the first partially milled switch 104 and the second partially milled switch 105, making it easy for the user to visually recognize.

[0058] The polished rice germ protection mode switch 103 is a switch for selecting a mode that finishes polishing the rice while protecting the germ, and the brown rice germ protection mode switch 106 is a switch for selecting a mode that finishes partially milling the rice while protecting the germ.

[0059] A re-polishing mode switch 107 is provided at the lower right part of the operation panel S, and a brown rice return switch 108 is provided at the lower left end part. The brown rice return switch 108 is a switch for returning the brown rice in the input hopper 1 to the input hopper 1 side through the return passage M from the first elevator E1, and receiving the brown rice in the bag brought by the user. The re-polishing mode switch 107 with low usage frequency can be provided in a less conspicuous position, and by providing the brown rice return switch 108 on the side closer to the input hopper 1, the brown rice return operation can be made easier.

[0060] The selection switch SW in this embodiment is a general term for the no-rinse rice switch 100, the premium rice switch 101, the standard switch 102, the germ protection mode switch 103 for white rice, the first milling division switch (8 minutes) 104, the second milling division switch (5 minutes) 105, the germ protection mode switch 106 for brown rice, and the re-polishing mode switch 107.

[0061] The control unit C is configured to acquire the operation information of various selection switches SW on the operation panel S and execute the above-described respective control modes corresponding to the operated switches.

[0062] Here, during the execution of the normal mode, the control unit C is configured to be able to appropriately switch the types of the normal mode (standard), the normal mode (milling division), and the normal mode (premium rice) according to the operation of each switch on the operation panel S. As a result, it becomes possible for the user to finely adjust the whiteness of the brown rice during the polishing process while looking at the finished white rice.

[0063] On the other hand, the germ protection mode and the re-polishing mode are configured such that switching to other modes is restricted during the polishing process. The germ protection mode is for preventing misoperation, and the re-polishing mode is for preventing broken rice from occurring and clogging the polishing chamber 9 due to switching to other modes. Note that the re-polishing mode is configured to be less likely to cause misoperation by the user by providing a dedicated re-polishing mode switch 107.

[0064] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited only to the above-described embodiments. Needless to say, it can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea. For example, the control amount of the control unit C described in FIG. 8 can also be configured as follows.

[0065] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a list of control amounts for each mode executed by the control unit C of another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, in the germ protection mode (standard), the supply amount of brown rice is less than that in the non-washing rice mode and is reduced by about 40% compared to the normal mode (standard).

[0066] As shown in FIG. 13, when the supply amount of brown rice is reduced by about 40% in the germ protection mode (standard) compared to the normal mode (standard), the density of the grain br in the whitening chamber 9 is reduced (the filling rate is decreased) more than in the embodiment of FIG. 8, and the longitudinal direction of the grain br tends to be aligned in the traveling direction (the direction along the whitening roll 13). On the other hand, in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 8, there is an effect that the time required for the rice polishing process is shorter than in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 13, and the administrator of the rice polishing equipment can select and set the supply amount in advance according to the needs of the user. When the germ protection mode is partial milling, the rice polishing process is substantially the same as that of the partial milling in the normal mode. Specifically, when there are a plurality of types of partial milling as described later, it is desirable to perform the milling with the lowest degree of whitening (for example, about 3 minutes as described later). This makes it easy for users who do not know which degree of whitening should be selected when leaving the germ part by partial milling to understand.

[0067] Next, another embodiment 2 of the control unit C will be described with reference to FIG. 14.

[0068] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a list of control amounts for each mode executed by the control unit C of another embodiment 2. In the case of this embodiment 2, during the rice polishing process in the germ protection mode, the brown rice grains br are supplied from the brown rice tank 4 to the whitening chamber 9. At this time, the supply amount of brown rice is reduced by about 20% (or 40%) compared to the normal mode (standard), and the stirring speed is increased by about 10%.

[0069] In the germ protection mode, by reducing the supply amount of paddy rice by about 20% (or 40%) compared to the normal mode (standard), the density of the grain br in the whitening chamber 9 is reduced (the filling rate is lowered), and the longitudinal direction of the grain br is more likely to be aligned with the traveling direction (the direction along the whitening roll 13). Furthermore, by increasing the stirring speed by about 10%, the ratio of the peripheral speed Vs to the speed of the paddy rice moving in the whitening chamber 9 is increased, and the straightness of the grain br is increased. Due to these synergistic effects, the longitudinal direction of the grain br can be better aligned with the traveling direction. As a result, while achieving the desired degree of whitening by the contact of the side surface of the grain br with the polishing screen 14 and the frictional action between the paddy rices, it is possible to better prevent the tip of the grain br where the germ exists from contacting the polishing screen 14 or removing the germ between the paddy rices. Therefore, it is possible to more suitably perform rice polishing treatment that prevents the removal of the germ, reduce the frictional action between the paddy rices, not only prevent the removal of the germ, but also leave the umami layer of the finished rice and finish the taste well.

[0070] In yet another embodiment, the moisture value of the input paddy rice is detected by a moisture value detection sensor disposed in the input hopper 1. When the moisture value is below a predetermined value, the stirring speed is increased by 10%. When it is above the predetermined value, since it is determined that breakage of the rice is less likely to occur, it may be configured to have an increase rate greater than 10% (about 40 to 50%). Further, at this time, it may be configured such that the greater the moisture value, the greater the increase rate.

[0071] In the rice polishing equipment of this embodiment, the degree of whitening is automatically changed seasonally and monthly. When the pressure in the whitening chamber 9 by the pressure plate 15 is the same, the finished white rice has a tendency that the whiteness increases and the bran breakage is good during the high-temperature period, and the whiteness decreases and the bran breakage becomes worse during the low-temperature period.

[0072] It is possible to obtain a stable finished white rice throughout the year. It is possible to save the man-hours for the administrator to change the whiteness seasonally.

[0073] The supply amount X of the paddy rice of the rotary valve 5 may be automatically changed seasonally and monthly.

[0074] Temperature measuring means may be provided, and control may be performed to make the whiteness and supply efficiency variable according to the temperature.

Explanation of Signs

[0075] 1 Input hopper 1a Opening / closing door 1b Grain presence / absence sensor 2 Stone remover 3 Foreign matter removal device 4 Brown rice tank 5 Rotary valve 6 Rice milling machine 7 Husk removing fan 8 White rice tank 9 Polishing chamber 9a Outlet 10 Supply path 11 Rotating shaft 12 Conveyor roll 13 Polishing roll 14 Rice milling screen 15 Pressure plate 16 Pressure support shaft 17 Pressure arm 18 Elastic spring 19 Pressure adjustment head 100 Washed rice-free switch 101 Upper white switch 102 Standard switch 103 Germ protection mode switch for white rice 104 First pounding switch (8 minutes) 105 Second pounding switch (5 minutes) 106 Germ protection mode switch for brown rice 107 Re-rice milling mode switch 108 Brown rice return switch A Rice milling equipment a1 Front opening a2 Rear opening a3 Partition wall br Grain S1 Brown rice input section S2 Foreign matter removal section S3 Rice milling section S4 White rice extraction section E1 First grain elevator E2 Second grain elevator M1 Valve motor M2 Driving motor M3 Pressure regulating motor M4 Fan motor Y1 Operation area for non-washed rice Y2 Operation area for white rice Y3 Operation area for pounded rice

Claims

1. In a rice milling facility that charges a fee and inputs paddy rice and mills it in a rice milling section, an operation panel for setting the degree of whiteness is provided, the operation panel is divided into a non-washed rice operation area for selecting non-washed rice, a white rice operation area for selecting white rice, and a partially milled rice operation area for selecting partially milled rice, the non-washed rice operation area, the white rice operation area, and the partially milled rice operation area are provided in parallel in order from the area with a higher degree of whiteness to the area with a lower degree of whiteness in the left-right direction. The rice milling facility is characterized by this.

2. A non-washed rice switch is provided in the non-washed rice operation area, an upper white switch, a standard switch, and a white rice germ protection mode switch for performing a rice milling process to make white rice while preventing the removal of the germ of paddy rice are provided in the white rice operation area, and a predetermined partially milled rice switch and a paddy rice germ protection mode switch for performing a rice milling process to make partially milled rice while preventing the removal of the germ of paddy rice are provided in the partially milled rice operation area. The rice milling facility according to Claim 1 is characterized by this.

3. A re-milling mode switch, which is a control mode for re-milling once-milled white rice, is provided in an area separate from the non-washed rice operation area, the white rice operation area, and the partially milled rice operation area. The rice milling facility according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 is characterized by this.

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