Rice husking and milling apparatus

Abstract

To provide a rice husking and milling apparatus which can refresh polished rice through repolishing the polished rice.SOLUTION: A rice husking and milling apparatus where a building 1 is partitioned by a partition wall 11a into an operation room A for a user and a machine room B having a husking machine 4 and a rice milling machine 7 and unhulled rice brought by the user is treated through rice husking and milling or unpolished rice brought by the user is treated through rice milling comprises: a grain discrimination sensor 31 which discriminates among unhulled rice, unpolished rice and polished rice; and a controller C which performs a rice hulling and milling mode, an unpolished rice milling mode and a repolishing rice mode based on the discrimination result of unhulled rice, unpolished rice and polished rice by the grain discrimination sensor 31. The rice husking and milling apparatus is given in which: all of the unhulled rice, the unpolished rice and the polished rice pass through the husking machine 4; an impeller part 21 and a wind selection part 23 are provided where rotation number of a motor 35 for the impeller part and rotation number of a motor 36 for the wind selection part are independently controlled and can be interlocked; and at the time of the repolishing rice mode, rotation of the motor 35 for the impeller part is stopped or rotation number thereof is configured to be low, and rotation number of the motor 36 for the wind selection part is configured to be low.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a paddy rubbing and polishing facility having a re-polishing mode for re-polishing polished rice again.

Background Art

[0002] There is a configuration of a tabletop rice polisher. When a rice polishing / washing button is pressed, a motor rotates for a time corresponding to a set whiteness and polished rice amount, rotates a rice polishing blade assembly, stirs brown rice, scrapes bran, and polishes it. When it is desired to further increase the whiteness while visually observing the polished state of the brown rice, a desired polished state can be obtained by pressing a re-polishing button (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Also, in a so-called coin-type rice polishing facility, brown rice from a rice polishing hopper can be polished, and the polished white rice can be taken out to a white rice hopper. However, there is a configuration in which this white rice is switched to a rice milling hopper and returned to the rice polishing hopper again to perform a re-polishing (or rice milling) operation (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] After the introduced brown rice or paddy rice is polished, further rice polishing treatment is performed according to a determination of whether a desired polished state has been obtained.

[0006] However, it is not a configuration related to the treatment of white rice that has deteriorated after a predetermined number of days have passed since rice polishing.

[0007] The present invention aims to refresh polished rice by re-polishing it in a paddy husking and rice milling facility.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] In order to solve such a problem, the invention according to claim 1 partitions the interior of a building 1 into an operation room A for users with a partition wall 11a and a machine room B equipped with a paddy husking machine 4 and a rice milling machine 7, and in a paddy husking and rice milling facility for paddy husking and rice milling of paddy brought in by the user or for milling brown rice brought in by the user, a grain discrimination sensor 31 for discriminating paddy, brown rice, and polished rice is provided, and the control unit C is configured to execute a paddy husking and rice milling mode, a brown rice milling mode, and a re-polishing mode based on the discrimination results of paddy, brown rice, and polished rice by the grain discrimination sensor 31.

[0009] The invention according to claim 2 is configured to pass through the paddy husking machine 4 regardless of the types of paddy, brown rice, and polished rice in the invention according to claim 1, and includes an impeller section 21 and an air separation section 23, and is configured to be able to interlock while independently controlling the rotational speeds of the impeller section motor 35 and the air separation section motor 36, and during the re-polishing mode, the rotation of the impeller section motor 35 is stopped or the rotational speed is set lower than a predetermined level, and the rotational speed of the air separation section motor 36 is set lower than a predetermined level.

[0010] The invention according to claim 3 is configured such that during the re-polishing mode, polished rice bypasses the paddy husking machine 4 and is supplied to the rice milling machine 7 in the invention according to claim 1.

Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the invention described in claim 1, in addition to the paddy husking and rice milling mode and the brown rice milling mode, a re-polishing mode can be executed, so it can be refreshed by re-polishing polished rice that has passed a certain number of days.

[0012] In addition to the effects described in claim 1, the invention according to claim 2 does not complicate the conveying process because the conveying paths are the same. Further, by stopping the rotation of the motor 35 for the impeller section or reducing the rotational speed, the generation of damaged rice is reduced, and by reducing the rotation of the motor 36 for the winnowing section, the discharge of polished rice is reduced and dust can be discharged and removed.

[0013] In addition to the invention described in claim 1, the invention according to claim 3 can reduce damage because the polished rice does not pass through the husk folding machine 4.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] As an explanation of this embodiment, it will be described based on a building-type husk folding and rice polishing equipment. The paddy hulling and rice milling equipment according to the present invention is configured as shown in the block diagram showing the working process of FIG. 1, and includes an input hopper 2 for quantitatively feeding the input grains, a first elevator 3 for receiving the fed grains and lifting and discharging them, a centrifugal paddy hulling machine 4 as a paddy hulling section for centrifugally hulling the discharged paddy rice, a stone removing machine 5 for sorting foreign matters in the received brown rice, a second elevator 6 for lifting and discharging the brown rice from which foreign matters have been sorted, a rice milling machine 7 for pounding and polishing the discharged brown rice, a white rice hopper 8 for storing the pounded white rice, etc., and is configured to be able to continuously and automatically process paddy hulling and brown rice pounding.

[0016] At the discharge port of the first elevator 3, a first switching valve 3a, which is a switching means for sending brown rice to the stone removing machine 5 when brown rice is received, is provided so as to be switchable with the centrifugal paddy hulling machine 4. Also, a second switching valve 3b is provided below the first switching valve 3a in order to return the input grains to a return port 3c provided above the input hopper 2, and is configured to be switchable between the return passage 3d side and the stone removing machine 5 side.

[0017] As shown in the overall plan view of FIG. 2, the front view of the main part of the machine room in FIG. 3, and the enlarged side view of the main part of the machine room in FIG. 4, the specific equipment layout configuration of the paddy hulling and rice milling equipment divides the building 1 by a partition wall 11a, and forms an operation room A, which is a guest room for the user to operate, and a machine room B for accommodating equipment for paddy hulling and rice milling, front and back. The building 1 forms maintenance ports 11c and 11e of the machine room B on the left and right side walls 11b and 11b, and a central door 12 is provided at a substantially central position of the partition wall 11a. An operation panel 12a, which will be described later, is provided on the guest room side of the central door 12.

[0018] An input port of the input hopper 2 is provided on one side of the left and right of the operation room A, and a bag stand 2a is provided in front of the input port of the input hopper 2. Also, a discharge port of the white rice hopper 8 is provided on the other side of the left and right.

[0019] In Machine Room B, along the position adjacent to the side wall 11b and behind the input hopper 2, the first elevator 3 and the centrifugal rice huller 4 are arranged in this order from the front side. This centrifugal rice huller 4 is arranged at a position facing the maintenance opening 11c formed in the side wall 11b. The maintenance opening 11c is configured to be opened and closed by an opening / closing door 11f and is for the administrator to enter and exit the Machine Room B for inspection. Note that a maintenance opening 11e is also formed in the side wall 11b on the take-out side, and it is configured to be opened and closed by a second opening / closing door 11g.

[0020] In the central part of Machine Room B, the second elevator 6 is arranged near the central door 12, and the stone remover 5 is arranged at a position facing the central door 12 behind it. In the take-out side D of Machine Room B, the rice polisher 7 is arranged at a position adjacent to the side wall 11b behind the white rice hopper 8, and the centrifugal separation part 15 composed of a cyclone 15b and a transfer screw 15a and the bran bags E, E are arranged behind the rice polisher 7.

[0021] The centrifugal rice huller 4 is composed of an impeller 21a that centrifugally projects grain by a rotating blade and an impeller case 21c that houses the impeller 21a and impacts and removes the grain received from the supply port 21b formed at the axial center position thereof to form an impeller part 21. The impeller part 21 and the threshing grain passage cylinder 22 that guides and projects the threshed grain upward by the impeller part are arranged facing the maintenance opening 11c. When the administrator opens the opening / closing door 11f, the impeller part 21 and the threshing grain passage cylinder 22 protrude outside the building 1, and the administrator can perform maintenance such as replacing the impeller 21a from outside the building.

[0022] Also, the winnowing section 23 that receives the threshed grains passing through the threshing passage cylinder 22 at the upper end opening 23a and separates the chaff by suction with the suction fan 23d is arranged at a position higher within the range of the height of the first elevator 3 and inside the impeller case 21c. The winnowing section 23 includes a flow-down plate 24b formed to slope downward and forward from below the upper end opening 23a, a suction fan 23d, a winnowing path 24c through which the chaff sucked by the suction fan 23d passes, a dust exhaust cylinder 23b, and a brown rice discharge port 23c provided below the flow end of the flow-down plate 24b. The brown rice discharge section opens at the lower front of the winnowing section 23, and the dust exhaust cylinder 23b is penetrated and supported by the rear wall 11d of the building 1. If necessary, the transfer screw 15a of the centrifugal separation section 15 is connected to discharge the overflow bran.

[0023] The impeller case 21c is configured to be openable by an inspection lid, and the threshing passage cylinder 22 is detachably connected between the impeller case 21c and the winnowing section 23 so that the impeller section 21 can be disassembled. A second trough 24 through which immature Shina grains flow in is provided in the winnowing section 23 and communicates with the supply port 21b of the impeller 21a formed in the impeller case 21c so as to return. This supply port 21b is arranged at a lower position than the inlet 24a of the second trough 24 and the bottom of the second trough 24 is formed to be inclined in order to directly put the Shina grains into the impeller section 21 and quickly process the threshing of paddy rice.

[0024] The connection configuration of the centrifugal paddy rice separator 4 is such that the supply port 21b of the impeller case 21c is arranged at a lower position than the first switching valve 3a behind the first elevator 3, and the two are communicated by a paddy rice falling cylinder 25 that slopes downward and backward between them. The brown rice supply port 27a of the stone remover 5 is arranged at a lower position in front of the brown rice discharge port 23c that opens at the lower front of the winnowing section 23, and the two are communicated by a threshed rice falling cylinder 26 that slopes downward and forward between them. This threshed rice falling cylinder 26 branches from the first switching valve 3a, slopes horizontally downward toward the inside, and joins the brown rice falling cylinder 27 at the brown rice supply port 27a of the stone remover 5. A second switching valve 3b is provided in the middle of this brown rice falling cylinder 27.

[0025] Regarding the transmission part of the centrifugal rice husk separator 4, an electric motor 28 that transmits the impeller part 21 and the winnowing part 23 via a belt 29 is provided below the winnowing part 23, and upper and lower split transmission covers 29a and 29b that cover the inside thereof are provided. The electric motor 28 is configured such that its fixed position can be adjusted with respect to the inclined frame 28a for belt tension adjustment, and idlers 30a and 30b are fixedly arranged to ensure the belt 29 winding angle. The lower half transmission cover 29b is configured to increase rigidity and resist the pressure received from the adjacent rice bran bag E.

[0026] On the partition wall 11a of the operation room A, as shown in the passenger compartment side layout view of FIG. 5, the control block diagram of FIG. 6, and the transmission diagram of the rice husk separator of FIG. 7, a charging hopper 2 with a shutter for grain input and a polished rice hopper 8 for polished rice extraction are arranged. The user can select whether to perform rice husking and polishing on paddy or polish brown rice by fully automatic operation according to the selection and specification of the polished rice specifications for the grain brought by the user through the operation panel 12a provided on the central door 12.

[0027] The operation panel 12a is provided with a fee input port 13a and a whiteness selection switch 13b, and incorporates a control unit C.

[0028] When the user inserts a fee, inserts paddy or brown rice into the charging hopper 2, and selects the desired whiteness with the whiteness selection switch 13b, each device part in the machine room B starts operating. In the present embodiment, a grain discrimination sensor 31 for discriminating between paddy and brown rice is provided in the charging hopper 2, and it selects whether to perform rice husking and polishing on paddy or polish brown rice, and operates based on the operation process sequence shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] When the grain input into the charging hopper 2 is paddy, it undergoes rice husking (removing the husk) and winnowing of the rice husks in the first elevator 3, the impeller part 21 and the winnowing part 23 of the centrifugal rice husk separator 4, and then is polished by the polishing machine 7 via the stone remover and the second elevator, and the polished white rice is discharged to the polished rice hopper 8 (rice husking and polishing mode).

[0030] When the grains fed into the input hopper 2 are brown rice, they are supplied from the first elevator 3 to the stone remover, and are polished by the rice polisher 7 via the second elevator, and the polished rice is discharged into the white rice hopper 8 (brown rice polishing mode). When grains remain in the input hopper 2 when the operation stops after the operation time for the fee has elapsed, pressing the return switch 2b drives the first elevator 3, and the first switching valve 3a is switched to the side of the stone remover 5, and the second switching valve 3b is switched to the side of the return port 3c. The user receives the remaining grains in the input hopper 2 from the return port 3c through the return passage 3d with a bag or the like and takes them home.

[0031] By configuring the paddy husking and rice polishing equipment as described above, on the operation panel 12a, operation guidance is started by inserting the fee, and the rice polishing specifications are specified by distinguishing and selecting paddy and brown rice, selecting the degree of whiteness, etc. along this guidance, and the input grains are transferred by feeding the brought-in grains into the input hopper 2. After paddy husking and rice polishing are performed in the machine room B, the white rice stored in the white rice hopper 8 can be taken out.

[0032] Regarding the centrifugal paddy husker 4 with the above configuration, the centrifugal paddy husker 4 is arranged close to the side wall 11b of the building 11, facing the maintenance port 11c formed in the same side wall 11b, and the impeller part 21 is arranged close to it. By doing so, just by opening the opening / closing door 11f, the impeller case 21c and the threshing and passing cylinder 22 are exposed outside the building 1, and the work necessary for maintenance becomes possible. Therefore, the equipment accommodation efficiency of the machine room B is improved, the paddy husking and rice polishing equipment is made more compact, and by securing a maintenance space, it is possible to promptly respond to clogging of the impeller part 21 and replacement of parts such as the impeller 21a.

[0033] Regarding the above centrifugal paddy husker 4, since the impeller part 21 is composed of the impeller case 21c that can be opened by the inspection lid of the impeller case 21c and the detachable threshing and passing cylinder 22, when clogging occurs in this impeller part 21, it is possible to quickly respond by removing the inspection lid of the impeller case 21c and the threshing and passing cylinder 22 from the maintenance port 11c.

[0034] In addition, since the winnowing section 23 is provided with a second chute 24 for shiina grains and communicates with the supply port 21b of the lower impeller case 21c, the shiina grains can be directly supplied to the impeller 21a for re-hulling, so that the hulling process is speeded up. Also, by removing the inspection cover of the impeller case 21c, the second chute 24 becomes visible, enabling maintenance such as removing residual rice at the bottom of the second chute 24.

[0035] Regarding the hulling operation of the centrifugal rice huller 4 with the above configuration, paddy rice flows down from the first switching valve 3a through the paddy rice dropping tube 25 to the supply port 21b of the rear impeller case 21c, and is lifted by the impeller 21a to reach the upper end of the winnowing section 23 through the dehulled grain passing tube 22 at the rear. Then, it flows down from the brown rice discharge port 23c to the front stone removing machine 5 through the dehulled rice dropping tube 26. With such a smooth streamline, without any special intermediate drive, the hulled grains can be smoothly transferred from the hulling to the stone removing machine without difficulty, ensuring the hulling efficiency, and avoiding abnormal hulling by stabilizing the hulling action.

[0036] Also, the three dropping tubes 25, 26, and 27 can be easily and surely assembled with a simple configuration that does not cross in a plan view. Further, since the stone removing machine 5 is arranged at a lower position facing the central door 12 of the partition wall 11a while ensuring a space above it, even when the side rice polisher 7 and the rear bran bags E, E are closely arranged, the administrator can open the central door 12 from the operation room A and enter the machine room B for maintenance.

[0037] Here, the re-polishing process will be described. It is for refreshing old rice-like white rice or pounded rice by passing it through the rice polisher 7 again to grind the surface, removing the deteriorated surface, further peeling off the bran, and restoring it to the standard white rice state or achieving a desired whiteness state. The control unit C is configured to include an arithmetic means for discriminating the grain state from the detection results of the grain discrimination sensor 31, and by setting a threshold value for discriminating between brown rice and white rice in addition to the threshold value setting for discriminating between paddy and brown rice, it is configured to discriminate paddy, brown rice, and white rice, and is configured to execute a re-polishing mode in addition to the hulling and polishing mode and the brown rice polishing mode.

[0038] In the re-polishing mode, the brown rice fed into the input hopper 2 is supplied from the first elevator 3 to the stone remover in the same manner as in the brown rice polishing mode, polished by the polishing machine 7 via the second elevator, and the polished rice is discharged into the white rice hopper 8.

[0039] In a paddy-polishing facility capable of executing the re-polishing mode, it is configured to be provided with a fatty acid value measurement sensor 32 upon receiving the supply of white rice samples and to process the white rice with a fatty acid value equal to or higher than a predetermined value in the re-polishing mode. For example, a fatty acid value measurement sensor 32 for receiving a part of the falling white rice as sample white rice and measuring the fatty acid value is arranged in the middle of the return passage 3d downstream of the second switching valve 3b. Based on the measurement result of the fatty acid value of the sample white rice, when performing re-polishing treatment in the re-polishing mode, the second switching valve 3b is used to switch so that the white rice is discharged to the stone remover 5 side. On the other hand, when the polishing treatment by the re-polishing mode is not required based on the measurement result of the fatty acid value, the second switching valve 3b remains as it is and the white rice is collected from the return port 3c.

[0040] The control unit C controls the polishing pressure and the rotation speed of the polishing roll based on the measured value of the fatty acid value. For example, the polishing pressure is to change and adjust the elastic force of the pressing plate arranged at the outlet of the polishing chamber of the polishing machine, and can be adjusted by the forward and reverse rotation linkage of the control motor 33. The rotation speed of the polishing roll is configured to be controlled by controlling a roll motor 34 that interlocks with the polishing roll.

[0041] Next, depending on the setting of the re-polishing mode, similar to the paddy rubbing and polishing mode, the rice can be polished by the polishing machine 7 via the stone remover and the second elevator after passing through the impeller section 21 and the air separation section 23 of the centrifugal paddy rubbing machine 4 (Fig. 8). In this case, in order to prevent rice from being crushed by the impact of the impeller section 21 and scattered by the air separation section 23, the following configuration is adopted. Instead of the electric motor 28 that drives the impeller section 21 and the air separation section 23 through the belt 29, a motor 35 for the impeller section and an inverter 35a, and a motor 36 for the air separation section and an inverter 36a are provided respectively, so that they can be interlocked while independently controlling the rotation speed. By stopping the rotation of the motor 35 for the impeller section or reducing the rotation speed, the generation of damaged rice can be reduced, and by reducing the rotation of the motor 36 for the air separation section, the discharge of polished rice can be reduced and dust can be discharged and removed. In this case, regardless of the types of paddy, brown rice, and polished rice, since the conveying path is the same, the conveying process is not complicated.

[0042] Next, in the setting of the re-polishing mode, the configuration of directly supplying the conveyed polished rice to the air separation section 23 will be described. As an additional configuration for the selection target of the first switching valve 3a for the paddy rice dropping cylinder 25, the switching operation to a polished rice dropping cylinder (not shown) is added (the dotted line in Fig. 8). Therefore, the polished rice is directly supplied from the first elevator 3 to the air separation section 23 through the polished rice dropping cylinder and undergoes air separation treatment. At this time, the rotation of the air separation section 23 is reduced to minimize the scattering of the polished rice. Then, the polished rice is polished by the polishing machine 7 via the stone remover 5. With this configuration, the polished rice does not pass through the centrifugal paddy rubbing machine 4, and damage caused by the impeller section 21 can be prevented.

[0043] The control unit C is configured to determine paddy rice, brown rice, and polished rice and automatically switch to the paddy rubbing and polishing mode, the polishing mode, and the re-polishing mode. However, the switching between these modes may also be manually set by the mode switch 37. In this case, it is advisable to configure it to display the determination result of the grain discrimination sensor 31, which is also called the grain sorting sensor, to assist in manual setting. Also, when a mode setting different from the determination result of the sensor 31 is made, the start of operation is restricted to prevent misoperation.

[0044] Note that the input hopper 2 is provided with a flow rate sensor 38 at an appropriate position, and when the white rice flow rate during the re-polishing mode setting is equal to or less than the reference value flow rate or a preset predetermined flow rate, the operation in the re-polishing mode is not accepted. This configuration prevents the occurrence of crushing of white rice that is not suitable for re-polishing.

[0045] Next, the trial mode in which the user can polish paddy rice prepared in advance by the administrator side will be described. A paddy rice tank 40 is installed in the machine room B, and this tank 40 is connected to the first elevator 3. By a combined operation of operating the trial switch 41 and the whitening degree selection switch 13b, a predetermined amount of paddy rice in the paddy rice tank 40 is fed out, polished, and taken out to the white rice hopper 8. The user can also appropriately take home this whitened white rice.

[0046] With the above configuration, the user can polish rice without bringing in rice. Also, when installed in a store such as a supermarket, the store can provide the user with the rice of the brand that the store wants to promote immediately after polishing, and the user can eat this rice. Note that the amount of polished rice and the fee during the trial mode setting can be appropriately set by the administrator.

[0047] Next, the setting of the sake rice polishing mode and its processing method will be described. One of the characteristics of sake rice is the so-called center white. Note that the center white refers to the white and opaque part in the center of the rice, which has gaps in the starch and appears white and cloudy because light is refracted. Therefore, it is configured to have a center white measurement sensor 42 that measures the center white of the sake rice after polishing, and while determining whether or not a predetermined center white state has been reached, the sake rice is appropriately returned to the entrance side of the polishing machine 7 and the polishing is repeated in a circulating polishing manner (the two-dot chain line in FIG. 8). Note that when the sake rice polishing mode is selected, the supply amount to the polishing machine 7 is set to be less than that of normal polishing. This is because the residence time in the whitening chamber of the polishing machine 7 can be lengthened.

[0048] As an example of the center white measurement sensor 42, it is a sensor provided with a plurality of electrostatic detection units. The density of the sake rice in the center white state can be detected based on the difference in capacitance, and the above-mentioned circulating polishing is repeated until the capacitance corresponding to the center white density is reached.

[0049] Also, when the re-polishing mode is used and the next polishing is to be performed, when cash is inserted, the grain inlet is closed, the inside is idled, and in the cleaning function of discharging the remaining rice, it has a function of extending the cleaning time. Since the polished rice has a soft surface and a small particle size, it becomes difficult to flow. Therefore, in the cleaning mode, by thoroughly removing the internal residues and dust, the flow becomes better, and stable re-polishing can be achieved.

Explanation of Signs

[0050] 1 Building 4 Paddy Winnower 7 Polisher 11a Partition Wall 21 Impeller Section 23 Air Separation Section 31 Grain Discrimination Sensor 35 Motor for Impeller Section 36 Motor for Air Separation Section A Operation Room B Machine Room C Control Unit

Claims

1. In a paddy husking and polishing equipment that partitions the inside of a building (1) into an operation room (A) for users with a partition wall (11a) and a machine room (B) equipped with a paddy husker (4) and a rice polisher (7), and husks, polishes, or polishes the brown rice brought in by the user, a grain discrimination sensor (31) for discriminating paddy rice, brown rice, and white rice is provided, and the control unit (C) is configured to execute a paddy husking and polishing mode, a brown rice polishing mode, or a re-polishing mode based on the discrimination results of paddy, brown rice, and white rice by the grain discrimination sensor (31). The paddy husking and polishing equipment is characterized by this.

2. Regardless of the types of paddy, brown rice, and white rice, it is configured to pass through the paddy husker (4), and is equipped with an impeller section (21) and a winnowing section (23), and is configured to be able to interlock while independently controlling the rotation speeds of the impeller section motor (35) and the winnowing section motor (36). During the re-polishing mode, the rotation of the impeller section motor (35) is stopped or the rotation speed is set lower than a predetermined level, and the rotation speed of the winnowing section motor (36) is set lower than a predetermined level. The paddy husking and polishing equipment according to Claim 1.

3. During the re-polishing mode, the white rice is configured to bypass the paddy husker (4) and be supplied to the rice polisher (7). The paddy husking and polishing equipment according to Claim 1.

Images