Rice milling equipment

Abstract

To store polished rice without specifying a person to use even though rice milling equipment is used in public.SOLUTION: Rice milling equipment is such that: polished rice of an outlet of a rice milling machine 10 is disposed in a polished rice storage body 23 of a polished rice tank 11 or a polished rice storage locker 21 so as to be supplied alternately; an opening / closing door 28 of the polished rice storage locker 21 is disposed so as to be openable / closable from the outside of a building 1; the opening / closing door 28 is disposed so as to be locked / unlocked; and unlocking of the opening / closing door 28 is executed by inputting a code number.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There is a configuration in which a required amount of polished rice is cut out by a measuring device from a white rice storage tank that stores polished rice processed by a rice milling machine and sold (Patent Document 1). In addition, there is a configuration in which a paddy storage is provided, paddy is stored is stored in the storage in advance, and when verified by verification means, the paddy storage is released and transferred to be polished by a rice milling machine (Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is a configuration in which polished rice is stored and a predetermined amount is cut out and sold as in Patent Document 1, which improves the convenience for users, but the functions of existing rice milling equipment, that is, it is not possible to polish and take home the paddy brought in corresponding to unspecified users.

[0005] Also, the configuration of Patent Document 2 stores and polishes specific paddy, but it is only for corresponding to specific users.

[0006] The present invention enables the storage of polished rice without specifying the users while being rice milling equipment for public use.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve these problems, the invention described in claim 1 provides a rice milling facility in which a building 1 is divided into a machine room 3 and a guest room 4 by a partition wall 2, wherein the polished rice at the outlet of the rice milling machine 10 can be switched and supplied to a polished rice tank 11 or a polished rice container 23 of a polished rice storage room 21, the opening and closing door 28 of the polished rice storage room 21 can be opened and closed from the outside of the building 1, and the opening and closing door 28 can be locked and unlocked.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is configured in the invention described in claim 1 to circulate and ventilate the air inside the rice storage compartment 21 by operating the ventilation fan 42.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is the invention described in claim 1, wherein the white rice container is a white rice storage bag 23 supported by a bag stand 23a, and when a predetermined amount of polished rice is supplied to this white rice storage bag 23, the destination of the polished rice is switched to the white rice tank 11.

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in claim 1, wherein the unlocking of the opening / closing door 28 is performed by entering a PIN code.

[0011] The invention described in claim 5 is the invention described in claim 1, wherein the white rice storage unit 21 is provided in a plurality of storage spaces 22, and the opening and closing doors 28 provided for each storage space 22 can be locked or unlocked independently. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 1, polished white rice can be stored in the white rice storage room 21 of building 1, and the opening and closing door 28 can be locked, so the polished white rice can be used for temporary storage, and an effect similar to that of a so-called coin locker can be expected.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effects described in claim 1, the operation of the ventilation fan 42 circulates the air inside the rice storage unit 21, thereby maintaining a low temperature inside the rice storage unit 21 and preventing deterioration of the quality of polished rice.

[0014] According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 1, the use of the polished rice storage bag 23 makes handling easier.

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effects described in claim 1, since the opening and closing door 28 is unlocked by a password unlocking signal, the unlocking authority can be transferred to any person other than the user, and it is also easy to handle gifts of rice and the like.

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effects described in claim 1, the opening and closing doors 28 provided for each of the plurality of storage spaces 22 are independently locked or unlocked, and the target users can be expanded.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] A view showing the interior of a rice milling facility as seen from a plane according to an embodiment of the present invention [Figure 2] A view showing the guest room of the above rice milling facility as seen from the front [Figure 3] A working process diagram of the above rice milling facility [Figure 4] (A) A perspective view of a partial cross-section of the building of the above rice milling facility, (B) A perspective view of the interior of the polished rice storage [Figure 5] (A) A side cross-sectional view of the branch gutter part at the rice milling machine outlet of the above rice milling facility, (B) A side cross-sectional view showing the operation diagram of the branch gutter part at the rice milling machine outlet and the storage conveyor [Figure 6] An overview diagram of the communication system of the above rice milling facility [Figure 7] (A)~(G) Display explanatory diagrams of the mobile terminal of the above rice milling facility [Figure 8] A flowchart diagram of the operation of the above rice milling facility [Figure 9] A flowchart diagram of the operation of the above rice milling facility [Figure 10] (A) A plan view of a rice milling facility according to another example of an embodiment of the present invention, (B) A front view of the polished rice storage of the other example [Figure 11] (A) A front view of a rice milling facility according to yet another example, (B) Its plan view, (C) A side view of the rice milling machine outlet part <于 [Figure 12](A) Perspective view of the interior of a special rice milling facility, (B) Perspective view of a refrigerable storage locker

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] The fee-based rice milling facility according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the rice milling facility is configured to partition the building 1 into a machine room 3 and a customer room 4 in the front-rear direction by a partition wall 2.

[0020] Inside the rice milling facility, there are provided an input hopper 5 for storing paddy rice brought in by the user, a rotary valve 6 for feeding out the paddy rice in the input hopper 5, a first elevator 7 for receiving and winnowing the fed-out paddy rice, a stone separator 8 for sorting and separating stones mixed in the paddy rice, a second elevator 9 for winnowing the paddy rice sorted by the stone separator 8, a rice milling machine 10 for milling the paddy rice into polished rice, and a white rice tank 11 for storing the polished rice. ​​​​​​A rice storage facility 21 is provided on the machine room 3 side of the building 1, between the rice tank 11 and one side wall 20 of the building 1. The rice storage facility 21 has multiple storage spaces 22 (three sections in the illustrated example) along the side wall 20. Bag stands 23a are provided in these multiple storage spaces 22 to hold rice storage bags 23 (for example, 30 kg capacity) in an open position. The polished rice from the outlet of the rice milling machine 10 is discharged into a branch trough 24 and can be switched and supplied to the rice tank 11 or the rice storage facility 21 according to the operation of a switching valve 25. In detail, when the switching valve 25 of the branching trough 24 is switched to the rice storage 21 side, polished rice is supplied to the storage conveyor 26 via the switching valve 25, and is supplied from the storage conveyor 26 to the rice storage bags 23 set in a predetermined storage space 22 by opening a supply shutter 27 which is installed at the bottom of the storage conveyor 26 and can be opened and closed. The amount of polished rice transported by the storage conveyor 26 can be measured by appropriate means, and when the amount reaches the capacity of the rice storage bags 23 or a preset amount, the supply shutter 27 is closed and controlled to open the supply shutter 27 of the next stage to supply the rice storage bags 23 in the next stage storage space 22. The storage conveyor 26 is a scraper conveyor, and the polished rice transported inside the conveyor tube passes through the supply opening with the supply shutter 27 closed, falls through the open supply opening and is stored in the rice storage bags 23 waiting below.

[0023] Each storage space 22 has an opening / closing door 28 that can be opened from the outside of the building 1 to retrieve the rice storage bags 23. Each of these opening / closing doors 28 can be locked or unlocked.

[0024] Here, the management system, which consists of a management computer 31, a mobile terminal (such as a smartphone or tablet) 32, and a control unit C for the rice milling equipment, will be explained based on Figure 6. The control unit C built into the control panel 15 of each rice milling equipment is configured to send and receive data to and from the cloud server 33, and sends and receives data such as the management number (coin-operated rice milling machine number) of the rice milling equipment, the storage unit number assigned to each section of the white rice storage unit 21, and storage unit information such as whether the storage unit is in use and the weight of the milled rice when in use. The management computer 31 is also configured to send and receive data to and from the cloud server 33, and when it receives information on the opening and closing of the door 28 of a specific brown rice storage unit 21, it can refer to the stored white rice storage unit information and receive an unlocked or locked status signal.

[0025] The user of the mobile terminal 32 then links and transmits user identification information, information about the rice storage unit being used, and a PIN to the cloud server 33. Upon receiving the PIN, the management computer 31 refers to the rice storage unit 21 information to recognize which rice storage unit 21 it is and sends an unlock signal or a lock signal via the cloud server 33. This unlock signal or lock signal activates the locking mechanism (not shown) of the opening / closing door 28 to unlock or lock it.

[0026] Figures 7(A) to (G) show examples of operation and display on a mobile device. These include the personal information input screen (A), the screen for checking whether to use the polished rice storage and setting a PIN (B), the screen for setting the amount of polished rice to be stored (C), and the screen for communicating the PIN to a third party (G).

[0027] Therefore, along with the designation via the mobile terminal 32, the user can enter the PIN code to unlock the door 28. Later, when the system recognizes the input of this PIN code, the door 28 of the designated storage space 22 receives an unlock signal and can open the locked door 28. The system accepts this unlock signal at any time, but after a certain period of time, it is configured to output an unlock signal in conjunction with the insertion of a fee from the payment slot 13, and after this period, a storage fee is required and charges are incurred (Figure 7(G)).

[0028] In Figure 8, the user loads a predetermined amount of brown rice into the input hopper 5, deposits a predetermined amount of money into the payment slot 13, and sets the desired milling degree using the milling degree selection switch 12 (S101-S103). When these conditions are met, the control unit C outputs drive signals for each part. If the user wishes to supply and retrieve milled rice from the storage unit, they operate the storage unit designation switch shown in Figure 9(C) on the portable terminal 32 to set an available or desired storage unit space 22 (S104), and then enter a PIN code (S105). This activates the switching valve 25 of the branch trough 24, switching the supply of milled rice from the outlet of the rice milling machine 10 to the storage unit conveyor 26 (S106), and simultaneously locking the unlocked opening / closing door 28. The control unit C is configured to allow the user to withdraw a predetermined discount amount of money from the change return slot 14 when it receives signals related to the use of the white rice storage unit 21 via S104 and S105.

[0029] Next, the control unit C calculates the amount to be supplied to the rice storage bags 23 waiting in the storage space 22 and calculates the operating time of the storage conveyor 26 (S107, S108). That is, normally the supply amount is set in the control panel 15 and the operating time of the storage conveyor 26 is calculated based on the set supply amount. However, if no supply amount is set, the control unit C retrieves the amount of polished rice that can be stored, based on the detection of the size of the rice storage bags 23 by an out-of-disk light sensor or the like (S109), and calculates the operating time of the storage conveyor 26 (S108).

[0030] Once the above preparatory work is completed, drive signals are output to each part, and each part is operated (S110, S111).

[0031] When operation begins, polished rice is supplied to the storage conveyor 26 via the branch trough 24 and put into polished rice storage bags 23 that wait for a set predetermined time through the opened supply shutter 27 (S112, S113), and the supply shutter 27 is closed (S114).

[0032] When a predetermined amount is filled into the above-mentioned white rice storage bag 23, it is determined whether or not the next storage space 22 is designated (S115). If it is designated, the operation of the storage conveyor 26 continues and the next supply shutter 27 is opened and closed (S116). On the other hand, if it is not designated in S115, the switching valve 25 of the branch trough 24 is switched and the polished rice is supplied to the white rice tank 11 side (S117).

[0033] Thereafter, once the required milling process for the brown rice is completed, it is determined whether or not the rice milling facility operation has ended, and each part stops operating along with the output of a stop signal (S118, S119).

[0034] Next, the procedure for retrieving the white rice stored in the storage space 22 will be explained based on Figure 9. The control unit C stores the PIN set in S105 in Figure 9 and counts the elapsed time using its built-in timer (S201, S202).

[0035] Incidentally, the system is configured to allow users to directly input a PIN into the control panel 15, or to input a PIN using a portable terminal 32 that can exchange information with the control unit C of the control panel 15 via the management computer 31. When it is determined that the PIN has been entered by the user or a third party who has been given the PIN by the user (S203), the PIN is retrieved (S204). Rice milling work information and storage space 22 information related to the user who registered this PIN are recognized and retrieved. In Figure 6, among the portable terminals 32, the one indicated by code 32A is a terminal owned by the user, and the one indicated by code 32B is a terminal owned by a third party.

[0036] Next, the stop time after the input of stop signals for each operating part is determined (S205), and after a certain period of time has elapsed, an unlock signal for the opening / closing door 28 is output after waiting for the fare to be inserted into the fare slot 13 (S206, S207). On the other hand, if the time is less than the certain period of time, the fare is waived and the unlock signal for the opening / closing door 28 is output immediately.

[0037] When the removal of the white rice storage bag 23 is detected (S209), the PIN is reset and a lock signal is output (S210).

[0038] A ventilation opening 41 is provided at the top of the partition wall 2, leading to the upper space of the rice storage room 21. The air inside the rice storage room 21 can be circulated by operating a ventilation fan 42 installed in the wall of the guest room 4 of the building 1 (Figures 1 and 2). This makes it possible to lower the temperature of the high-temperature atmosphere inside the rice storage room 21.

[0039] Figure 10 shows another example of a white rice storage unit. In Figure 10(A), a door 43 is provided on one side of the rear of the machine room 3, allowing the owner to enter and exit primarily for maintenance, etc. The white rice storage unit 21A is positioned facing the entrance that is opened by this door 43. The white rice storage unit 21A is equipped with casters (not shown) and is mounted on a rail 44 located between the entrance and the back of the machine room 3, making it movable and lockable. The locking mechanism is a known configuration that restricts or releases the rotation of the casters. Therefore, when using the white rice storage unit 21A, the casters are locked to make it easy to take out the white rice storage bags 23, and when the owner enters the machine room 3 for maintenance, it is moved to the back along the rail 44 to secure space for a person to enter. The white rice storage unit 21A is equipped with shelves and partitions to form multiple compartments, and each compartment is configured to hold a white rice storage bag 23 and be locked (Figure 10(B)). Although details about the polished rice conveyor are omitted here, it may be configured to accommodate multiple levels by providing guide chutes for supply, or the polished rice discharged into the polished rice tank 11 in the passenger compartment 4 may be appropriately divided into smaller portions and manually carried to the polished rice storage room 21A.

[0040] Figure 11 shows yet another example of a polished rice storage facility. A polished rice storage facility 21B is provided between the polished rice tank 11 and one side wall 20 of the building 1, with the passenger compartment 4 side open, allowing polished rice storage bags 23 containing polished rice to be removed from the passenger compartment 4 side. A left / right flow path switching valve 47 is provided in a branch trough 46 at the outlet of the rice polishing machine 10 to switch the supply to either the polished rice tank 11 or the polished rice storage bags 23 waiting in the polished rice storage facility 21B. A weighing scale 48 is placed at the bottom. The control unit C receives a weighing signal from the weighing scale 48 and, when a predetermined amount of polished rice has been stored, switches the left / right flow path switching valve 47 to the polished rice tank 11 side.

[0041] In Figure 11(B), the rice bran separated by the rice milling machine 10 is transported and stored in a rice bran bag 49 located at the rear of the machine room 3. The rice bran, carried by the airflow from the rice bran pressure fan 50, is sent through a flexible transport path 51, and the rice bran separated from the airflow by the separation action of the rice bran cyclone 52 is discharged into the rice bran bag 49 via a transfer spiral 53. A branch duct 55 is provided in the middle of the discharge duct 54 that discharges the airflow from the rice bran cyclone 52 to the outside, and the end of this branch duct 55 faces the upper space of the polished rice storage room 21B. When the switching valve 56 at the branch is switched, the airflow is supplied to the polished rice storage room 21A, providing a cooling effect.

[0042] Figure 12 shows the configuration of a refrigerated storage locker in guest room 4. A storage box 61 is provided on top of the main unit 60, which has a built-in refrigeration system, allowing cold air to be introduced through the refrigeration system. Users open the lid 62 and place items inside the storage box 61, and use it while the rice milling equipment is in operation. In the example shown, it is configured to accommodate a shopping basket 63. A sensor 65 that detects opening and closing is provided on the entrance door 64 of guest room 4, and the power (not shown) of the refrigeration system inside the main unit 60 is turned ON based on the detection of the door being open. The power is then turned OFF when the rice milling equipment is in operation, i.e., when payment is made in the payment slot 13 and the rice milling operation is performed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Building 2 partition walls 3 Machine room 4 guest rooms 5. Hopper for brown rice 10 Rice milling machine 11 White rice tanks 21 White rice storage 22 Storage space 23. Rice storage bag (rice storage container) 23a Bag stand 28 Opening and closing doors 41 Ventilation fan

Claims

1. A rice milling facility in which a building (1) is divided into a machine room (3) and a guest room (4) by a partition wall (2), characterized in that the polished rice at the outlet of the rice milling machine (10) can be switched and supplied to a polished rice tank (11) or a polished rice container (23) of a polished rice storage room (21), the opening and closing door (28) of the polished rice storage room (21) can be opened and closed from the outside of the building (1), and the opening and closing door (28) can be locked and unlocked.

2. The rice milling equipment according to claim 1, wherein the air inside the rice storage compartment (21) can be circulated and ventilated by operating a ventilation fan (42).

3. The rice polishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polished rice container is a polished rice storage bag (23) supported by a bag stand (23a), and when a predetermined amount of polished rice is supplied to the polished rice storage bag (23), the destination for the polished rice is switched to a polished rice tank (11).

4. The rice milling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unlocking of the opening / closing door (28) is performed by entering a PIN code.

5. The rice milling equipment according to claim 1, wherein the white rice storage (21) is provided in a plurality of storage spaces (22), and the opening and closing doors (28) provided for each storage space (22) can be independently locked or unlocked.

Images