Management system for unmanned rice milling equipment

Abstract

The present invention aims to prevent a situation where an unmanned rice milling facility, used by users without supervision, becomes unusable for an extended period due to an operational error after maintenance has been completed, even though the facility is ready for use. [Solution] The management system for an unmanned rice milling facility is characterized by providing a maintenance switch 18 to be operated during maintenance work on the rice milling facility 1, activating a timer 31 when the switch 18 is operated, and notifying the administrator's mobile terminal 32 of the facility shutdown via wireless communication unless the maintenance switch 18 is operated again within a predetermined time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an unmanned rice polishing facility in which a user of the facility supplies brown rice to an input gate, pays the required fee into a coin machine, and polishes the rice.

Background Art

[0002] As described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023 - 30275, the unmanned rice polishing facility is maintained by maintenance workers regularly performing maintenance work, so that users can pay the usage fee and use it freely within a predetermined business hour. And a management system for an unmanned rice polishing facility is described in which the fact that the facility has been used is wirelessly notified to the administrator's mobile terminal or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A worker who performs maintenance work on the unmanned rice polishing facility operates the maintenance switch of the facility to stop the use of the rice polishing device and performs maintenance work. When the work is completed, the worker operates the maintenance switch again to make the facility available and then leaves the facility. However, if the worker leaves the facility while forgetting to operate the maintenance switch, the facility becomes unavailable to the users who visit the facility. In this case, the administrator needs to visit the unmanned rice polishing facility and operate the maintenance switch to make it available.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to prevent a situation where, in an unmanned rice polishing facility that users can use freely, due to an operation mistake in finishing maintenance, the facility becomes unavailable for a long time even though the maintenance work of the facility has ended and it has become available.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The problems of the present invention described above are solved by the following technical means.

[0007] The invention of claim 1 is a management system for an unmanned rice milling machine, characterized in that a maintenance switch 18 is provided for operation during maintenance work on the rice milling machine 1, and when this switch 18 is operated, a timer 31 is activated, and unless the maintenance switch 18 is operated again within a predetermined time, the system notifies the administrator's mobile terminal 32 of the machine's shutdown via wireless communication.

[0008] The invention of claim 2 is a management system for an unmanned rice milling facility, characterized in that a security switch 50 is provided on the usage fee management device (coin mechanism) 24 of the rice milling facility 1, a timer 31 is activated when the security switch 50 is deactivated, and if the security switch 50 is not deactivated again within a predetermined time, an alarm is notified to the administrator's mobile terminal 32 via wireless communication.

[0009] The invention of claim 3 is a management system for an unmanned rice milling facility, characterized in that a human detection sensor 19 is installed in the customer room 12 of the rice milling facility 1, and when the human detection sensor 19 detects a person for a predetermined period of time or longer outside of business hours, an alarm is notified to the administrator's mobile terminal 32 via wireless communication. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In the invention of claim 1, when maintenance work on the equipment is started, pressing the maintenance switch 18 activates the timer 31, stopping the equipment during that time, allowing maintenance work to continue safely. However, once the timer 31 has elapsed for a predetermined period, unless the maintenance switch 51 is pressed again, the equipment shutdown is notified to the administrator's mobile terminal 32 via wireless communication, so that the equipment is not left stopped and rendered unusable. By operating the maintenance switch 18 a second time, the equipment can be made operational without notifying the user of the shutdown.

[0011] In the invention of claim 2, the user collects the usage fee from the usage fee management device 24 with the security switch 50 pressed to deactivate the alarm. However, even if the collection work is completed with the alarm still deactivated, the alarm is notified to the administrator's mobile terminal 32 via wireless communication after a certain period of time, so the alarm does not remain deactivated. After that, the device is set to an alert state and the usage fee management device 24 is closed.

[0012] In the invention of claim 3, if the human detection sensor 19 detects a person in the guest room 12 for a predetermined period of time or longer outside of the operating hours of the rice milling equipment 1, it notifies the administrator's mobile terminal 32 of the person as a suspicious person and triggers an alarm, thus providing good security. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of a rice milling facility 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a plan view showing the interior of the rice milling equipment 1. [Figure 3] This is a front view showing the vicinity of the control panel located inside the rice milling equipment 1. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the remote control screen displayed on the touch panel of the management terminal 20. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the maintenance status screen displayed on the touch panel of the management terminal 20. [Figure 6] This is a partially enlarged front view of the vicinity of the polishing degree selection switch 17. [Figure 7] This is a side view of a small item stand installed in a guest room. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0015] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a rice milling machine 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the interior of the rice milling machine 1, and Figure 3 is a front view showing the vicinity of the control panel inside the customer room of the rice milling machine 1.

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

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the rice milling facility 1 is divided into a guest room 12 and a machine room 13 before and after with a partition wall 11 in between in a building 10. On the guest room 12 side of the partition wall 11, there are provided an operation panel 21 and a paddy input gate 28 shown in FIG. 3. In the machine room 13, there are provided a hopper 9 capable of inputting paddy from the guest room 12 side through an input port exposed when the input gate 28 is opened, a rotary valve 26 for feeding out the paddy input into the hopper 9, a lift 3 for conveying the paddy fed out by the rotary valve 26, a stone remover 4 for removing stones mixed in the paddy conveyed by the lift 3, a rice milling machine 5 for milling the paddy, a lift 6 for conveying the paddy with stones removed to the rice milling machine 5, a white rice tank 7 for storing the milled rice, a foreign matter removing device (not shown), and a control unit 14 for controlling the entire rice milling facility 1.

[0018] On the operation panel 21, there are provided a usage fee management device (coin mech) 24 for inputting the fee for rice milling, a whiteness selection switch 17 for adjusting the whiteness by adjusting the position of a pressure adjusting plate (not shown) of the rice milling machine 5, and a maintenance switch 18 (see FIG. 1).

[0019] The maintenance switch 18 can be switched between the "automatic operation" state (operating state during business hours) in which the rice milling facility 1 can be automatically operated based on the output signal of the control unit 14 when a fee is inserted into the coin mechanism 24, and the "manual operation" state (out-of-business state) in which it cannot be used by users and can be operated by the operation (including remote operation) of the administrator or maintenance personnel. It is operated by the maintenance personnel or administrator at the start and end of maintenance. The maintenance switch 18 is covered by an opening / closing door 25 provided on the operation panel 21, and it can be operated only by opening the opening / closing door 25 using the key held by the maintenance personnel who patrol the rice milling facility 1. Inside the opening / closing door 25, in addition to the maintenance switch 18, there are provided the control unit 14, a safe (not shown) for storing the fees inserted into the coin mechanism 24, and a security switch 50.

[0020] When a fee is inserted into the coin mechanism 24, the insertion gate 28 automatically opens, so the user inserts the brought brown rice into the hopper 9 and presses the arbitrary rice milling degree selection switch 17.

[0021] Information such as the brown rice presence / absence sensor 29 provided at the lower part of the hopper 9 and the rice milling degree selection switch 17 is input to the control unit 14 of the rice milling facility 1, and based on this information, drive signals are automatically output to various devices of the rice milling facility 1. Also, 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 unit 14. Note that a human detection sensor capable of 360° detection may be adopted. In this case, with a single human detection sensor, the presence or absence of people in each of the guest room 12 and the machine room 13 can be detected.

[0022] Meanwhile, a communication unit 15, such as a router, that can connect to the internet 30 is provided inside the building 10, and the control unit 14 can transmit data to the cloud server 40 via the communication unit 15. The administrator in charge of the regional rice milling facilities can check the data sent from the control unit 14 on the management terminal 20 via software 27 such as an app or browser. The management system for the rice milling facilities 1 described above consists of the cloud server 40, the management terminal 20, the control unit 14 of each rice milling facility 1, the communication unit 15, etc. In this embodiment, the management terminal 20 and the control unit 14 are configured to be able to connect via communication through the cloud server 40, but the management terminal 20 and the control unit 14 may be configured to communicate 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, operates the maintenance switch 18, and switches from automatic to manual operation. Also, 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 maintenance switch 18 and switches from automatic to manual operation.

[0024] When the maintenance switch 18 is operated, the control unit 14 sends information to the cloud server 40 indicating this and the time of operation, and the following screen is automatically displayed on the management terminal 20. 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 remote control screen displayed on the touch panel of the management terminal 20. The remote control screen shown in the drawing corresponds to the "remote control screen" and "condition setting screen" according to the present invention.

[0026] The remote control screen is equipped with a rice milling pressure adjustment 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, and a display unit 39 for displaying information related to the operated switch.

[0027] The rice milling pressure adjustment switch 35 is an operation switch used 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 provided in the rice milling equipment 1, on the remote control screen which is the "condition setting screen".

[0028] Here, the actual degree of polishing after milling will vary slightly depending on the temperature, even at the same position on the pressure adjustment plate. Therefore, the administrator can access the control unit 14 of the rice milling equipment 1 by operating the rice milling pressure adjustment switch 35, and adjust the pressure during milling by rewriting the position control setting value according to the temperature.

[0029] Furthermore, if the setting value for the position control of the pressure adjustment plate is changed remotely during rice milling, it may negatively affect the quality of the milled rice. Therefore, in this embodiment, the setting value cannot be rewritten (adjusted) by operating the rice milling pressure adjustment switch 35 only during rice milling. However, the setting value can be rewritten by operating the rice milling pressure adjustment switch 35 regardless of whether rice milling is in progress or not, or the setting value can be rewritten by operating the rice milling pressure adjustment switch 35 only when in automatic operation mode and when no person is detected by the person detection sensor 19. In addition, the management terminal 20 screen may display that rice milling is in progress or that no one is in the passenger compartment 12, so that the administrator can see the detection status of the person detection sensor 19 at a glance from a remote location, and prevent the setting value from being changed remotely during rice milling.

[0030] Each of the ON switches 41, 43, 45, 47 and each of the OFF switches 42, 44, 46, 48 are switches for remotely operating the equipment of the rice milling facility 1. When the system is switched to manual operation, it is assumed that there are no customers and only maintenance personnel are inside the building 10. Therefore, regardless of the detection results of the human detection sensor 19, each piece of equipment can be remotely operated using these switches 41 to 48. Consequently, instead of maintenance personnel who may not be familiar with the mechanisms of the rice milling facility, a manager familiar with the facility can operate the ON switch 41, 43, 45 or 47 or the OFF switch 42, 44, 46 or 48 corresponding to the malfunctioning equipment while the system is in manual operation mode, thereby driving the equipment and restoring it from malfunction.

[0031] Furthermore, if the maintenance switch 18 is operated, for example, one hour later, an alarm indicating that the equipment is down will be sent to the administrator's mobile terminal 32. If the maintenance work is prolonged, the alarm notification will not be sent again by operating the maintenance switch 18 again. Alternatively, if the maintenance switch 18 is not operated again, the alarm notification will be sent, allowing the administrator to become aware of the equipment downtime and take appropriate action.

[0032] Thus, once the equipment recovers from a malfunction and / or after routine maintenance is completed, the maintenance worker operates the maintenance switch 18 to switch from manual operation to automatic operation and resume operations of the rice milling equipment 1. When the maintenance switch 18 is operated, as described above, information to that effect and the time of operation are sent from the control unit 14 to the cloud server 40.

[0033] On the other hand, in this embodiment, each time the screen switching switch 38 is operated (by the administrator), the screen switches between the remote control screen shown in Figure 4 and the following maintenance status screen.

[0034] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the maintenance status screen displayed on the touch panel of the management terminal 20.

[0035] The maintenance status screen displays the "automatic shut-off" time for each rice milling equipment 1, that is, the time when the maintenance switch 18 was operated to switch from automatic operation to manual operation (business shutdown state), the "automatic on" time, that is, the time when the maintenance switch 18 was operated to switch from manual operation to automatic operation (business restart), and the screen switching switch 38 that switches to the remote control screen shown in Figure 4.

[0036] In this way, the start time of maintenance (the time of "automatic shut-off"), the end time of maintenance (the time of "automatic on"), and the time required for maintenance can be confirmed and understood for each rice milling facility 1 scattered throughout the region, allowing managers to easily understand the work status of the maintenance personnel.

[0037] Furthermore, administrators can determine the time required for maintenance from the "automatic shut-off" and "automatic on" times shown in Figure 5, thereby improving the efficiency of tasks such as maintenance guidance.

[0038] Furthermore, the remote control screen and maintenance status screen shown in Figures 4 and 5 can be displayed on the management terminal 20 even during automatic operation. However, when the machine is in automatic operation mode and there is a person inside the passenger compartment 12, the remote control screen is configured to prevent remote operation of the input gate 28, rotary valve 26, and rice milling machine 5 (remote operation is restricted). In other words, when the machine is in automatic operation mode and there is a person inside the passenger compartment 12, the input gate 28, rotary valve 26, and rice milling machine 5 cannot be driven by operating the rice milling machine ON switch 41 or the all-device ON switch 47 displayed on the remote control screen.

[0039] Furthermore, while the system is in automatic operation mode and there is a person inside the machine room 13, it is configured so that the equipment inside the machine room 13, such as the elevators 3 and 6, the stone remover 4, the foreign object removal device, and the rice milling machine 5, cannot be remotely operated (remote operation is restricted) via the remote control screen. In other words, while the system is in automatic operation mode and there is a person inside the machine room 13, it is configured so that the equipment inside the machine room 13, such as the elevators 3 and 6, the stone remover 4, the foreign object removal device, and the rice milling machine 5, cannot be driven by operating the rice milling machine on switch 41, the stone remover on switch 43, the elevator on switch 45, and the all-device on switch 47 displayed on the remote control screen. These configurations ensure safety by preventing situations where various devices in the rice milling equipment 1 are unexpectedly activated when maintenance personnel or users are present in the passenger room 12 or machine room 13. The input gate 28, rotary valve 26, elevators 3 and 6, stone remover 4, foreign object removal device, rice milling machine 5, etc., are examples of devices included in the rice milling equipment 1 according to the present invention.

[0040] Furthermore, if a bran fan for sucking up the bran generated by the rice milling machine 5 and a bran spiral for transporting the bran are installed in a separate bran room located within building 10, the bran fan and bran spiral may also be configured to restrict remote operation while there are people in the machine room 13, even when they are in automatic operation mode.

[0041] On the other hand, Figure 6 is a partially enlarged front view of the vicinity of the polishing degree selection switch 17. In this embodiment, in addition to inserting cash into the coin mechanism 24 (see Figure 3) as a payment method for rice milling fees, the system is configured to allow the selection of electronic payment methods such as cards. As shown in Figure 6, a reader 23 used for electronic payment and an LCD screen 16 that displays guidance regarding electronic payment are provided above the milling degree selection switch 17. In this way, the reader 23 that performs the reading operation and the LCD screen 16 that displays the guidance are located in close proximity, so users can easily make electronic payments.

[0042] Electronic payment employs a post-payment system, where payment is made electronically after the usage fee has been determined. For example, in the past, with a pricing system where you paid 100 yen for every 10 kg of brown rice, you would have had to make three payments when milling 30 kg of brown rice. However, with the adoption of the post-payment electronic payment system, even when milling large quantities of brown rice, the cumbersome payment process can be completed in just one transaction.

[0043] Furthermore, the system is configured to display the remaining balance available for electronic payment on the LCD screen 16, allowing users to prevent insufficient payment by checking the remaining balance displayed on the LCD screen 16. Alternatively, the system may be configured so that users cannot use electronic payment unless their remaining balance is above a certain amount (e.g., 1,000 yen or more). In this case as well, insufficient payment after rice milling can be prevented.

[0044] In this embodiment, the LCD screen 16 is configured to display only the last four digits of the remaining balance, and amounts above a certain threshold (in units of tens of thousands) are not displayed. In the case of coin-operated rice milling equipment, displaying four digits is sufficient, so by not displaying the fifth digit or beyond from the end, crime can be deterred.

[0045] Furthermore, when change is due, a QR code should be displayed on the LCD screen, allowing the amount of change to be displayed by scanning it, and the change can then be collected at the sales office or other designated location. Coin Mech 24 collects payments while the security switch 50 is deactivated. However, even if the maintenance switch 18 is closed while the switch is deactivated, an alarm is sent to the administrator's mobile terminal 32 after a predetermined time has elapsed according to the timer 31, allowing them to go and activate the security switch 50.

[0046] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 2, a large battery 34 is located at the back of the machine room 13, as viewed from the passenger room 12 side. In the rice milling equipment 1 according to this embodiment, the battery 34 is charged at night when electricity costs are low, and the rice milling and other operations are performed using electricity supplied from the battery 34 during the daytime when electricity costs are relatively high. By configuring it in this way, electricity costs can be kept low. In this embodiment, the rice milling fee is set lower by the amount of electricity costs reduced by using the battery 34. Previously, the operation was conducted at 100 yen per 10 kg of brown rice, but now it is set to operate at 100 yen per 15 kg of brown rice. In this way, the saved electricity costs are passed on to the users, thereby increasing customer traffic.

[0047] Furthermore, the guest room 12 is equipped with an electrical outlet (not shown), which is configured to be powered only when the vehicle is switched to manual operation via the maintenance switch 18. This allows maintenance personnel to secure power for vacuum cleaners and other devices, and prevents misuse of the outlet (electricity theft) during automatic operation (during business hours).

[0048] In addition, in this embodiment, the rice milling equipment 1 can be remotely operated using the management terminal 20 in the event of natural disasters such as earthquakes or heavy rains, allowing for free rice milling. This contributes to the local community. According to this embodiment, the time when the maintenance switch 18, which can switch between automatic operation (where the machine can be operated by a user inserting a fee) and manual operation (where the machine cannot be operated by a user but can be operated by an administrator or maintenance person), is operated is displayed on the maintenance status screen of the management terminal 20 (see Figure 5). Therefore, maintenance personnel who visit each rice milling equipment 1, including the rice milling equipment A to C shown in Figure 5, can check on the management terminal 20 the time when they started maintenance by operating the maintenance switch 18 and the time when they finished maintenance by operating the maintenance switch 18, allowing the administrator to easily grasp the work status of the maintenance personnel.

[0049] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when a maintenance worker visits the rice milling equipment 1 and operates the maintenance switch 18, a remote control screen (see Figure 4) for remotely operating the equipment of the rice milling equipment 1 is automatically displayed on the management terminal 20. This allows the administrator to remotely operate (remotely drive) and restore the malfunctioning equipment on behalf of the maintenance worker, who may not be familiar with the mechanisms of the rice milling equipment 1, and to quickly begin remote operation (because it is displayed automatically).

[0050] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when the system is in automatic operation mode, remote operation of the equipment in the rice milling facility 1 is restricted while there are people in the passenger compartment 12 or the machine room 13. This prevents situations where equipment in the rice milling facility 1, such as the rice milling machine 5, is unexpectedly activated when maintenance personnel or users are present, thus ensuring safety.

[0051] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, even when remote operation of the rice milling machine 5, which is one of the devices of the rice milling equipment 1, is restricted, that is, when it is in automatic operation mode (operating mode) and there are people in the customer room 12 or machine room 13, it is possible to adjust the control setting value of the rice milling machine 5 by operating the rice milling pressure adjustment switch 35 shown in Figure 4, except when milling is in progress, thus providing convenience. Moreover, if it is possible to adjust the control setting value of the rice milling machine 5 by operating the rice milling pressure adjustment switch 35 regardless of whether milling is in progress or not, convenience can be further improved.

[0052] Figure 7 shows a small item stand installed in the guest room 12. Multiple hooks 52a, 53a are provided on the left and right support columns 52, 53 erected on the indoor wall. The hooks 54a, b of the stand 54 are hooked onto these hooks to adjust the height to a suitable level, allowing items such as bags of brown rice to be placed on them.

[0053] Next are some ideas related to grain dryers.

[0054] In the hot air temperature limiting control process for dryers, especially during the high-temperature and high-humidity period from mid- to late August, the hot air temperature limit is easily imposed even if the airflow from the dryer itself is sufficient, which can prevent the drying speed from increasing. Therefore, if the controlled temperature exceeds the upper limit of the limit, and the system determines from the temperature sensor's detection value that the airflow from the dryer itself is sufficient, the system will automatically change the upper limit of the limit.

[0055] Furthermore, in the internal hot air dryer configuration, proximity switches are installed near the air intakes (where condensation prevention plates are attached and there are holes) of the left and right hot air passages. These proximity switches are adjusted to turn ON when dust accumulates, thereby detecting dust. If the proximity switches turn ON after a certain period of time, it is determined that dust has accumulated due to condensation, and condensation is prevented by reducing the amount of heat recycled back into the system.

[0056] Furthermore, in a dryer equipped with a means for detecting grain weight, when the grain weight in the dryer decreases, it communicates with the rice huller, and when the weight falls below 30 kg, the dryer sends an email or other message to the user to inform them that the dryer has finished discharging the grain.

[0057] Furthermore, in a configuration where a weighing scale is installed in the dryer, the scale is automatically zeroed out after a certain period of time has elapsed since the end of grain discharge. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1. Rice milling equipment 12 guest rooms 18 Maintenance switch 19 people detection sensors 24. Usage fee management device (coin mechanism) 31 Timer 32 Mobile devices 50 Security Switch

Claims

1. A management system for an unmanned rice milling machine, characterized by providing a maintenance switch (18) to be operated during maintenance work on the rice milling machine (1), activating a timer (31) when this switch (18) is operated, and notifying the administrator's mobile terminal (32) of the machine shutdown via wireless communication unless the maintenance switch (18) is operated again within a predetermined time.

2. A management system for an unmanned rice milling facility, characterized in that a security switch (50) is installed on the usage fee management device (coin mechanism) (24) of the rice milling facility (1), and when the security switch (50) is deactivated, a timer (31) is activated, and if the security switch (50) is not deactivated again within a predetermined time, an alarm is notified to the administrator's mobile terminal (32) via wireless communication.

3. A management system for an unmanned rice milling facility, characterized by installing a human detection sensor (19) in the customer room (12) of the rice milling facility (1), and if the human detection sensor (19) detects a person for a predetermined period of time or longer outside of business hours, an alarm is notified to the administrator's mobile terminal (32) via wireless communication.

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