Rice milling equipment control device

Abstract

The present invention aims to enable a manager to properly manage multiple rice milling facilities in a unified manner, allowing users to utilize the facilities in good condition. [Solution] The rice milling equipment management device is characterized by having a communication unit 15 in the control device 14 that controls the rice milling equipment 1, inputting a record of maintenance work into the control device 14 via a maintenance switch 22 and storing it, accumulating the usage time of the rice milling equipment 1 in the control device 14, and before the predetermined maintenance period has elapsed, wirelessly notifying the management terminal 20 of the maintenance deadline from the communication unit 15.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a management device for a rice milling facility that purifies brown rice into white rice.

Background Art

[0002] As a management system for a rice milling facility, a Patent No. 7017095 discloses an operation information display system for a rice milling facility.

[0003] This operation information display system is a system in which a rice milling facility is equipped with a wireless communication device, and when the rice milling facility is used, its operation information and usage history are notified to a communication terminal held by a manager, enabling the manager located at a position away from the rice milling facility to know the operating status.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Rice milling facilities require maintenance such as cleaning of the facilities and adjustment of the rice milling machines after long-term use. However, since the usage time and frequency of multiple rice milling facilities are not uniform, it is necessary for the manager to visit each rice milling facility for inspection and adjustment.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to enable a manager to appropriately manage a plurality of rice milling facilities collectively so that users of the facilities can use them in a good condition.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The problems of the present invention are solved by the following technical means.

[0008] The invention of claim 1 is a rice milling equipment management device characterized by having a communication unit 15 in a control device 14 that controls the rice milling equipment 1, inputting a record of maintenance work into the control device 14 via a maintenance switch 22 and storing it, accumulating the usage time of the rice milling equipment 1 in the control device 14, and before a predetermined maintenance period has elapsed, wirelessly notifying the management terminal 20 of the maintenance deadline from the communication unit 15.

[0009] The invention of claim 2 is a management device for a rice milling facility according to claim 1, characterized in that the maintenance switch 22 is installed near the control device 14 in the machine room 13.

[0010] The invention of claim 3 is a rice milling equipment management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the maintenance deadline is displayed on the maintenance indicator 36 of the setting operation panel 21 of the rice milling equipment 1. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] In the invention of claim 1, the rice milling equipment 1 requires maintenance work such as adjustment and cleaning because the rice milling machine wears out due to prolonged rice milling operations. By performing maintenance work at appropriate times and pressing the maintenance switch 22, the date is stored in the control device 14. The time the rice milling equipment 1 is used is accumulated, and before the predetermined maintenance deadline has passed, the communication unit 15 wirelessly notifies the management terminal 20 of the maintenance deadline. This allows an administrator who is away from the rice milling equipment 1 to notice and perform the maintenance work within the maintenance deadline, thus maintaining the rice milling equipment 1 in good condition.

[0012] In the invention of claim 2, the maintenance switch 22 is provided near the control device 14 in the machine room 13, which is inaccessible to equipment users, thus eliminating the risk of users accidentally touching it and changing the maintenance deadline.

[0013] In the invention of claim 3, the maintenance deadline for the rice milling equipment 1 is displayed on the maintenance indicator 36 on the control panel 21, which is viewed by the equipment user, so that the user can use the rice milling equipment 1 with peace of mind knowing that maintenance work is being carried out. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a front view of a rice milling facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of a rice milling facility, showing the inside of the facility. [Figure 3] This is a block diagram of the data processing and control system for a rice milling facility. [Figure 4] This is a front view of the operation and setting panel for a rice milling machine. [Figure 5] This is a partially enlarged side cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the rice milling machine. [Figure 6] (A) Side view of the mobile rice milling equipment, (B) Rear view, (C) Enlarged side view. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0016] In this embodiment, each rice milling facility 1 scattered throughout the region is configured identically to the others, and the configuration of each rice milling facility 1 will be described.

[0017] As shown in the plan view of Figure 2, the rice milling facility 1 is divided within the building 10 by a partition wall 11, with a passenger room 12 in front and a machine room 13 behind. The passenger room 12 side of the partition wall 11 is equipped with the control panel 21 and brown rice input gate 28 shown in Figure 1. The machine room 13 is equipped with a brown rice hopper 9 into which brown rice can be input from the passenger room 12 side through an input opening that is exposed when the input gate 28 is opened, a rotary valve 26 for dispensing the brown rice that has been put into the brown rice hopper 9, an elevator 3 shown in Figure 2 for transporting the brown rice dispensed by the rotary valve 26, a stone remover 4 for removing stones mixed in with the brown rice transported by the elevator 3, a rice milling machine 5 for milling the brown rice, an elevator 6 for transporting the stone-free brown rice to the rice milling machine 5, a white rice tank 7 for storing the milled rice, a foreign matter removal device (not shown), and a control device 14 for controlling the entire rice milling facility 1.

[0018] On the operation panel 21, there is a coin inserter 24 for inserting the fee for polishing rice, and a whiteness selection switch 17 for adjusting the whiteness by adjusting the position of the pressure adjustment plate (not shown) of the rice polisher 5. A maintenance switch 22 is provided in the control device 14 on the side of the machine room 13.

[0019] The maintenance switch 22 is a switch that switches between the "automatic operation" state (operating state during business hours) in which the rice polishing equipment 1 can be automatically operated based on the output signal of the control device 14 when a fee is inserted into the coin inserter 24, and the "manual operation" state (business suspension state) in which it cannot be used by users and can be operated by the operation of the administrator or maintenance personnel (including remote operation). It is operated by the maintenance worker at the start and end of maintenance. The control device 14 is covered by an opening / closing door 25 provided on the side of the operation panel 21. By opening the opening / closing door 25 using the key held by the maintenance worker, it can be accessed. The opening / closing door 25 opens with the right-side handle 25a and is locked with the left-side key 25b. Inside the opening / closing door 25, in addition to the control device 14, there is a safe (not shown) for storing the fee inserted into the coin inserter 24.

[0020] When a fee is inserted into the coin inserter 24, the brown rice input gate 28 automatically opens. Therefore, the user inserts the brought brown rice into the hopper 9 and presses an arbitrary whiteness selection switch 17 to set the rice polishing. When the rice polishing is completed after a predetermined continuous rice polishing time has elapsed, the user can select whether to return the remaining rice in the hopper 9 or continue to polish the rice. When continuing to polish the rice, wait with the input port door closed until the rest time ends.

[0021] Information such as the brown rice presence / absence sensor 29 provided at the lower part of the hopper 9 and the milling degree selection switch 17 is input to the control device 14 of the polished rice equipment 1. Based on this information, drive signals are automatically output to various devices of the polished rice equipment 1. Further, human detection sensors 19 are provided in each of the guest room 12 and the machine room 13 in the building 10, configured to detect whether there is a person in each of the guest room 12 and the machine room 13 and transmit a detection signal to the control device 14. Note that a human detection sensor capable of 360° detection may be adopted. In this case, a single human detection sensor can detect the presence or absence of people in each of the guest room 12 and the machine room 13. Furthermore, the maintenance switch 22 provided in the control device 14 is pressed by the operator after the cleaning and milling degree adjustment of the polished rice equipment 1 are completed, and the date and time are stored in the storage unit 30 of the control device 14. When a predetermined operating time has elapsed and the maintenance due date approaches, the maintenance due date is notified from the communication unit 15 to the management terminal 20. The maintenance due date is also displayed on the maintenance display 36 of the operation panel 21 visible from the guest room 12 side, allowing the user to confirm that it is before the maintenance due date and use it with confidence.

[0022] On the other hand, a communication unit 15 such as a router connectable to the Internet is provided in the building 10, and the control device 14 can transmit data to the cloud server 40 via the communication unit 15. The administrator who oversees the polished rice equipment in the region can confirm the data sent from the control device 14 on the management terminal 20 via software 27 such as an app or a browser. The above-mentioned management system for the polished rice equipment 1 is composed of a cloud server 40, a management terminal 20, the control device of each polished rice equipment 14, a communication unit 15, etc. In this embodiment, the management terminal 20 and the control device 14 are configured to be communicably connected via the cloud server 40, but they may be configured to communicate directly without going through the cloud server 40.

[0023] As an example of information being transmitted to the management terminal 20, if the rice milling operation stops due to a malfunction such as a rice jam while a user is milling rice, the user first contacts the telephone number listed inside the building 10. Then, a maintenance worker visits the rice milling equipment 1 in person and operates the changeover switch 18 to switch from automatic to manual operation. Similarly, when the maintenance worker visits each rice milling equipment 1 to perform routine maintenance such as collecting payments and cleaning, the maintenance worker first operates the changeover switch 18 to switch from automatic to manual operation.

[0024] When the changeover switch 18 is operated, the control device 14 sends information to the cloud server 40 indicating that the switch was operated and the time of operation. In this embodiment, the management terminal 20 is configured as a tablet terminal equipped with a touch panel, but it may also be configured as a desktop computer or the like.

[0025] Figure 4 shows the adjustment screen of the control device 14, which includes a rice milling pressure increase / decrease switch 35 for adjusting the rice milling pressure, a business hours switch 37 for setting business hours, a rice milling machine on switch 41 for driving the rice milling machine 5, a rice milling machine off switch 42 for turning off the rice milling machine, a stone remover on switch 43 for driving the stone remover 4, a stone remover off switch 44 for turning off the stone remover 4, an elevator on switch 45 for driving the elevators 3 and 6, an elevator off switch 46 for turning off the elevators 3 and 6, an all-device on switch 47 for driving all the equipment in the rice milling facility 1, an all-device off switch 48 for turning off all the equipment in the rice milling facility 1, a screen switching switch 38, a display unit 39 for displaying information related to the operated switch, and a maintenance switch 22.

[0026] The rice milling pressure adjustment switch 35 is an operation switch used on the remote control screen, which is the "condition setting screen," to adjust (change) the setting value for the position control of the pressure adjustment plate of the rice milling machine 5, which is one of the devices installed in the rice milling equipment 1. It is used to set the polished rice, standard, partially milled rice, and flavorful rice, but all settings are adjusted at once during maintenance.

[0027] Figure 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the partition wall 11 showing the rice milling machine 5. A resin cover plate 30' is suspended on the partition wall 11 side of the white rice tank 7 that comes out of the rice milling machine 5, preventing people from reaching the outlet 5a of the rice milling machine 5 even if they reach in from the passenger compartment 12 side.

[0028] Furthermore, a stay 32 is provided for a cylindrical brown rice cylinder 31 that connects the brown rice confirmation window 33 of the partition wall 11 to the lower end 9a of the brown rice hopper 9. A hook portion 34 is provided on the reinforcing horizontal column on the machine room side of the partition wall 11, allowing the brown rice cylinder 31 to slide laterally along the hook portion 34. When the opening / closing door 25 is closed, the brown rice cylinder 31 is fixed to the brown rice confirmation window 33 to prevent it from shifting.

[0029] When multiple rice milling facilities 1 are managed collectively by an administrator in a regional block, it is advisable to periodically collect usage time and frequency data for the coin-operated rice milling machines in bulk, and to automatically notify the management terminal 20 of the maintenance order, in order to manage usage amount and frequency on a regional block basis.

[0030] Figure 6 shows a rice milling system in which the rice milling equipment 1 is mounted on the bed of a truck 50 so that it can be moved and perform rice milling work. The conveyor 51 is installed on the brown rice hopper 9 side and rotates upward when brown rice bags are placed on it, and slides laterally to the white rice tank 7 and rotates downward when white rice bags are placed on it so that the white rice bags can be lowered to the ground. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 1. Rice milling equipment 13 Machine room 14 Control device 15 Communications Department 20 Management terminals 21 Setting operation panel 22 Maintenance Switch 36 Maintenance Indicator

Claims

1. A rice milling equipment management device characterized by having a communication unit (15) in a control device (14) that controls the rice milling equipment (1), inputting a record of maintenance work into the control device (14) via a maintenance switch (22) and storing it, and accumulating the usage time of the rice milling equipment (1) in the control device (14) and wirelessly notifying a management terminal (20) of the maintenance deadline from the communication unit (15) before the predetermined maintenance period has elapsed.

2. The rice milling equipment management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the maintenance switch (22) is provided near the control device (14) in the machine room (13).

3. The rice milling equipment management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the maintenance deadline is displayed on the maintenance indicator (36) of the setting control panel (21) of the rice milling equipment (1).

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