JP2802926B2 - Automatic bread maker - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic bread maker in which freshly baked bread is produced at a desired time only by charging a predetermined material.

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional automatic bread maker of this type has a structure as shown in FIGS.

That is, a yeast container 2 provided above a kneading container (not shown) and provided with a lower opening 1 for dropping yeast into the kneading container, and a drive device such as a solenoid (not shown) And an on-off valve 4 that closes the lower opening 1 by engaging with and interlocking with the lower opening 1 of the yeast container 2 and making contact with the lower surface 3 of the yeast container 2. And a rotating shaft 4b that engages with the driving device and rotatably supports the valve portion 4a.The valve portion 4a and the rotating shaft 4b are integrated. Had a configuration.

However, with such a configuration, the lower opening 1 of the yeast container 2 is not sufficiently sealed, and the humidity in the cooking chamber during cooking is reduced by water charged in the kneading container. The yeast becomes high and water enters into the yeast container 2 to fix the yeast. When this happens, the yeast does not fall even if the on-off valve 4 is opened, and there is a problem that bread cannot be formed at all.

In other words, when the on-off valve 4 is opened and the yeast is dropped,
Most of the yeast rolls down the upper surface of the on-off valve 4 in the inclined position, and is then put into the kneading container. At this time,
The condition of the upper surface 5 of the on-off valve 4 is bad. For example, yeast is likely to adhere when it is charged with static electricity, when the surface roughness is rough, or when foreign matter is attached. When the driving device is released from such a state, the on-off valve 4 comes into contact with the lower surface 3 near the lower opening 1 of the yeast container 2 by the spring 6, but in this case, the attached yeast is interposed therebetween and the sealing degree is sufficient. It will not be. The same occurs when the on-off valve 4 is closed before the yeast has completely dropped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a yeast dropping device for an automatic bread maker that can sufficiently seal the lower opening of the yeast container even if the yeast is bitten.

A second object of the present invention is to ensure that the lower opening of the yeast container is sufficiently sealed without requiring high precision of the parts.

Further, a third object of the present invention is to make it difficult for yeast to adhere to the on-off valve portion and to make the movement of the separated on-off valve portion smooth.

It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a yeast dropping device for an automatic bread maker, which can automatically divide and feed yeast.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a kneading container provided in an inner bottom portion with kneading blades mounted in a cooking chamber and rotated by a motor, and a kneading container positioned above the kneading container. A yeast container provided with a lower opening for dropping the yeast into the kneading container, and an opening / closing valve for opening and closing the lower opening of the yeast container in conjunction with a driving device, The top cross-sectional shape of the on-off valve is an arc,
And it is an automatic bread maker provided so as to face the lower opening.

Also, a kneading container provided in the inner bottom with kneading blades mounted in the cooking chamber and rotated by a motor, provided to be located above the kneading container, and for dropping yeast into the kneading container. A yeast container provided with a lower opening portion, and an opening / closing valve for opening and closing the lower opening portion of the yeast container via a rotation shaft in conjunction with a driving device, wherein the opening / closing valve is movable so that the rotation shaft And an automatic bread maker held by.

3. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to control an operation of the driving device, wherein the control unit controls an opening time of the on-off valve.
The automatic bread maker described above.

Action Since the automatic bread maker of the present invention has the above-described configuration, even if the yeast tries to be sandwiched between the on-off valve and the lower opening of the yeast container, the on-off valve and the lower opening of the yeast container are Is a line contact, so that the yeast is not easily pinched, and even if the yeast is pinched, the yeast is easily broken by the wedge effect only with the closing return force of the on-off valve. As a result, the degree of tightness between the cooking room and the yeast container is always kept sufficiently, so that the moisture from the bread dough does not cause the yeast to become sticky or deteriorate, and the yeast always falls normally. Can be done.

The on-off valve that opens and closes the lower opening of the yeast container via the rotating shaft has a shape that is movable and held by the rotating shaft. In this embodiment, a gap is provided in the horizontal plane between the on-off valve and the rotating shaft so that the on-off valve can be moved in the horizontal direction, and furthermore, the on-off valve can be moved in the vertical direction by forming a concave shape. The valve portion of the on-off valve always works along the hole in the lower opening of the yeast container, and as a result, the degree of sealing can be improved without requiring high precision of the parts.

Further, since the cross-sectional shape near the valve mounting portion of the rotary shaft to which the valve portion of the on-off valve is mounted is formed in an arc shape, even if yeast attempts to adhere to this portion, the yeast easily falls down due to vibration of the main body and the like. In other words, if a freely movable valve portion is adopted, the contact between the valve portion and the lower opening of the yeast container becomes an arc surface, so that the valve portion can be moved smoothly. is there. Thereby, cleaning is easy and the centripetality of the valve portion is improved.

Furthermore, by controlling the opening time of the on-off valve by the control unit connected to the driving device, it is possible to divide the input and drop of the yeast, and as a result, by performing an appropriate cooking process, It is possible to obtain the inner phase of bread that feels softer than when bread is made by adding yeast.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the figure, 10 is the main body of an automatic bread maker,
A chassis 11 is provided in the main body 10, and a motor 12 is mounted on the chassis 11. A motor cooling fan is provided at one end of the shaft 14 of the motor 12.
13 is attached and the other end of the shaft 14 is a small pulley
15 are installed. 16 is the motor cooling fan 13
Is a large pulley attached to one end of a shaft 19 supported by a bearing 18, and a belt 21 is stretched between the large pulley 17 and the small pulley 15. A connector 20 is attached to the other end of the shaft 19.

A container fixing guide 22 provided on the chassis 11 is guided by the container fixing guide 22, and a kneading container 23 is detachably installed. A shaft protruding from the inner bottom of the kneading container 23
A kneading blade 24 is detachably provided at one end of 25. 26 is a bearing supporting the shaft 25, 27 is a shaft
25 is a connector on the kneading container 23 side that is detachably connected to the connector 20 attached to the other end of 25. 28 is kneading container 23
The heater 28 is mounted in a cooking chamber 29 in which the mixing container 23 is detachably mounted.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a lid of the main body 1, and 31 denotes an inner lid that covers an upper end opening of the cooking chamber 29. The inner lid 31 is disposed inside the lid 30. Reference numeral 32 denotes a yeast container disposed on the lid 30 so as to face substantially above the center of the cooking chamber 29. The yeast container 32 is configured so that the inside thereof has an inverted shape of a truncated cone. 33 is a lid of the yeast container 31. Reference numeral 34 denotes a lower opening provided at the lower end of the yeast container 32, which has a circular hole.

Reference numeral 35 denotes an opening / closing valve. The opening / closing valve 35 is interlocked with a valve portion 35a that seals by contacting the inner peripheral portion of the lower opening 34 of the yeast container 34 and a drive device (not shown) such as a solenoid. The valve portion 35a has a semi-spherical three-dimensional shape. In this case, the same effect can be obtained even if the shape of the valve portion 35a is a conical shape.
Any shape may be used as long as it is in contact with the inner peripheral portion of the hole of the lower opening portion 34 of FIG. A flange 36 is formed at the lower end of the valve portion 35a so as not to come off the rotary shaft 35b. The rotating shaft 35b is formed integrally by bending a steel bar,
The part to which the valve part 35a is attached is formed in a substantially U-shape, and the valve part 35a is inserted and assembled from the direction of arrow A in FIG. Further, the rotary shaft 35b is constantly urged by a spring 37 in a direction in which the valve portion 35a of the on-off valve 35 comes into contact with the inner peripheral portion of the hole of the lower opening portion 34 provided at the lower end of the yeast container 32. Further, gaps are provided in the vertical and horizontal directions between the rotating shaft 35b and the valve portion 35a, so that the valve portion 35a of the on-off valve 35 can be moved in the vertical, horizontal and radial directions. . That is, the valve portion 35a of the on-off valve 35 can be freely moved.

Numeral 38 denotes a temperature detecting section provided on the inner side wall of the cooking chamber 29. The temperature detecting section 38 comes into contact with the side wall of the mixing container 23 when the mixing container 23 is mounted in the cooking chamber 29. Reference numeral 39 denotes an operation unit for controlling the automatic bread maker. The control unit (not shown) controls the motor 12, the heater 28, and the on-off valve based on the input information from the operation unit 39 and the input information from the temperature detection unit 38. The operation timing, time, and the like of the driving device for operating the 35 are controlled.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. First,
A kneading vessel 23 equipped with dough 24 and containing bread ingredients other than yeast such as flour and water is set in a cooking chamber 29, the lid 30 is closed, and a predetermined amount of yeast is placed in the yeast vessel 31. Keep it. In this state, the type of bread, the completion time, and the like are input from the operation unit 39 to start the operation. When the predetermined time comes, the operation of the motor 12 starts and the small pulley 15
Rotates to rotate the large pulley 17 and the connector 18 via the belt 21. And connector 18 is a connector
The drive is transmitted to 27, and the kneading blades 24 in the kneading container 23 are rotated to knead the bread material. When a predetermined time period of the kneading has elapsed, a drive device (not shown) such as a solenoid provided inside the lid 30 is energized to rotate the rotating shaft 35b. As a result, the valve portion 35a is separated from the lower opening 34 of the yeast container 32, so that the yeast contained in the yeast container 31 is put into the kneading container 23 through the lower opening 34. The yeast put into the kneading container 23 is kneaded with the kneaded bread dough for a predetermined time, and then, while taking in information from the temperature detection unit 38 based on the process control of the control device, the kneading container 23 is heated by the heater 28. Adjust the temperature of primary fermentation, degassing, secondary fermentation, shaped fermentation,
Each step of baking is performed automatically, and bread is baked at a set time.

The operation of the yeast dropping unit in the above-described process will be described in accordance with each claim of the present invention.

First, if the yeast adheres to the surface of the valve portion 35a in the middle of falling, the drive device is released, the return force of the spring 37 works, and the valve portion 35a is moved to the lower opening 3 of the yeast container 32.
Try to close 4. In this case, the valve portion 35a and the lower opening portion 34
Is a line contact, so even if the yeast tries to bite into that part, the force is concentrated and the lower opening 34 side of the yeast container 32 has a wedge effect due to the edge of the punched hole. Thus, the yeast can be easily removed, and as a result, the yeast does not bite into the lower opening portion 34, and a sufficient seal can be obtained. In addition, this prevents the yeast from being affected by the moisture from the dough containing a large amount of water in the kneading container 23, so that the yeast falling is always performed in a normal state at a good timing, and the deterioration of the yeast is also prevented. Can be done. The same applies to the case where the lower opening 34 is closed by the valve portion 35a before all the yeasts have fallen.

Next, since the valve portion 35a of the on-off valve 35 can be moved vertically, horizontally and radially, that is, freely movable, even if the valve portion 35a is misaligned with respect to the hole of the lower opening portion 34. When the hemispherical valve portion 35a collides with the lower opening portion 34 in the middle of closing, a force is exerted so as to be centripetal, so that both sides are improved, and as a result, sufficient sealing can be performed.

Further, since the cross-sectional shape near the valve mounting portion of the rotary shaft 35b to which the valve portion 35a of the on-off valve 35 is mounted is formed in an arc shape, yeast does not adhere to this portion, and the valve portion 35a The contact between the valve shaft 35b and the rotating shaft 35b is linear contact, so that the movement (centripetal movement) of the valve portion 35a is also smooth.

In addition, if you want a bread with a fine internal phase and a lift, it is necessary to put the yeast in two parts, ferment the dough after each feeding timing, and ferment the whole dough thoroughly and evenly. . In this case, first, a menu is selected by the operation unit 39 and a process stored in advance is started. In this process, the yeast input is performed twice, and the opening time of the on-off valve 35 at the first yeast input is set as follows. That is, the time required for dropping about half of the predetermined amount of yeast set in the yeast container 32 is set in advance. In this way, the on-off valve 35 acts to close the lower opening portion 34 of the yeast container 32 during the fall of the yeast, so that the yeast can be divided into two portions and injected.

Effect of the Invention As is clear from the description of the above embodiment, according to the present invention, the upper section of the on-off valve has an arc shape and is provided so as to face the lower opening. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the deterioration of the yeast and the poor falling of the yeast.

In addition, an opening / closing valve that opens and closes the lower opening of the yeast container via a rotating shaft in conjunction with the driving device is provided, and the opening / closing valve is held by the rotating shaft in a movable state. The sealability of the yeast container can be improved without requiring accuracy.

Further, since the opening time of the on-off valve is controlled by the control unit so that the on-off valve is closed during the fall of the yeast, automatic split feeding of yeast can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of an essential part of an automatic bread maker showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the essential part, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the whole automatic bread maker. 4 to 6 are sectional views of a main part of an automatic bread maker showing a vertical example. 12 ... Motor, 23 ... Kneading container, 24 ... Kneading blade, 29 ...
… Cooking room, 32 …… Yeast container, 34 …… Bottom opening, 35
... On-off valve, 35a ... Valve section, 35b ... Rotary shaft, 39 ... Operating section.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shigeru Yamaguchi 1006 Kadoma Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masahiro Koyama 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma, Osaka Pref.Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Takahiro Ohshita 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A47J 37/00 301 A47J 43/07

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A kneading container provided in a cooking chamber and having a kneading blade, which is rotatably driven by a motor, provided on an inner bottom portion, and a yeast provided in a position above the kneading container and containing yeast in the kneading container. A yeast container provided with a lower opening for dropping, and an opening / closing valve for opening and closing the lower opening of the yeast container in conjunction with a driving device, wherein an upper cross-sectional shape of the opening / closing valve has an arc shape, and An automatic bread maker provided to face the lower opening. 2. A kneading container provided in a cooking chamber and having a kneading blade rotatably driven by a motor provided on an inner bottom thereof, and a yeast provided in a position above the kneading container and containing yeast in the kneading container. A yeast container provided with a lower opening for dropping, and an on-off valve for opening and closing the lower opening of the yeast container via a rotation shaft in conjunction with a driving device, wherein the on-off valve is movable. An automatic bread maker held by the rotating shaft. 3. A control unit for controlling an operation of the driving device,
3. The automatic bread maker according to claim 1, wherein the opening time of the on-off valve is controlled by the control unit.