JP7654975B2 - Rice washing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for washing rice before cooking.

In a rice washing and cooking device equipped with a rice washing section and a rice cooking section, a configuration that includes an air compressor that supplies air bubbles into the rice washing tank to contribute to the washing of rice is known (Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-177355 A

According to Patent Document 1, a separate drive source such as a compressor is required.

The purpose of this invention is to supply air bubbles to the rice washing tank using simple means to aid in washing rice, etc.

In order to solve the problem that the invention is to solve, the invention described in claim 1 is as follows:
The washing tank is provided with a lower water supply pipe (53) for supplying water from the lower part of the rice washing tank (5) and an upper water supply pipe (48) for supplying water from the upper part of the rice washing tank (5), the upper water supply pipe (48) and the lower water supply pipe (53) being branched off from a main water distribution pipe (46) through which water from a water source passes,
A microbubble generator (81a) is provided in the main water pipe (46) to generate microbubbles when water passes through the microbubble generator (81a);
The microbubble generator (81a) is installed in a tubular microbubble generator unit (81) integrated with the water faucet (80) and is provided downstream of the water faucet (80);
The water supply pipe is branched into an upper water supply pipe (48) and a lower water supply pipe (53) downstream of the microbubble generator unit (81),
The rice washing device is characterized in that a detachable device (81b) that can be attached to and detached from the main water pipe (46) is provided at both ends of the microbubble generator unit (81).

The invention described in claim 2 is
The rice washing device according to claim 1, characterized in that in the rice washing tank (5), a rice washing process for washing rice, a soaking process for soaking the rice in the rice washing tank (5) after the rice washing process, and a water adjustment process for supplying water after the soaking process are carried out, wherein water is supplied from the lower water supply pipe (53) in the rice washing process, water is supplied from the upper water supply pipe (48) in the soaking process, and water is supplied from the lower water supply pipe (53) in the water adjustment process.

The invention described in claim 3 is
The rice storage tank ( 4 ) and the measuring section are covered with a cover member (23),
providing left and right support columns (1b) for supporting a cover member (23);
The microbubble generator (81a) is disposed in the space between the left and right support columns (1b) and below the cover member (23).

With this invention, water containing microbubbles is always supplied during the rice washing and soaking processes, without the need for special operations to generate microbubbles, resulting in a smooth rice washing process. In addition, since no compressor is required, the system can be simplified.

In addition, it is possible to supply appropriate water for each of the rice washing, soaking, and water adjustment processes.

It is also easy to attach and detach from the main water pipe.

1 is a front view of a rice washing and cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the washed rice cooking device. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the rice storage tank and the rice washing tank of the washed rice cooking device. This is a schematic diagram of the rice storage tank and rice washing tank viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the measuring section of the washed rice cooking device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the drum case of the washed rice cooking apparatus. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the partition member and peripheral equipment of the washed rice cooking apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a partition member and peripheral equipment of the washed rice cooking apparatus. 2 is an overall control flowchart of the rice wash cooker. FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing the operating state of the washed rice cooking device as viewed from the side, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing the operating state as viewed from above. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the operation of the rice cooker lid opening/closing arm of the washed rice cooking device. FIG. 2A is a plan view of the rice cooker lid of the washed rice cooking device, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the rice cooker lid. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a microbubble generator unit. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the microbubble generator unit.

The following describes in detail the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

The support member 1, which frames the square tube material vertically and horizontally, is composed of a rectangular frame 1a with casters at the bottom, left and right pillars 1b, 1b of a specified width and height, and multiple cross bars 1c, 1c... supported between the left and right pillars 1b, 1b.

A flat partition member 3 is provided on the crosspiece 1c to mount each piece of equipment, a rice storage tank 4 is provided above it, a rice washing tank 5 is provided below this rice storage tank 4, and a rice cooking device 6 is placed at a distance below the rice washing tank 5. This rice cooking device 6 is composed of a rice cooking kettle 7, a gas stove 8 for heating the kettle, a retractable stand 9, etc. In Figure 1, the side of the stand 9 that is retracted is the front side, and the back side is the rear side.

The rice storage tank 4 is composed of a main tank 4a at the top with a square cross section and a funnel-shaped hopper section 4b at the bottom, and a measuring drum case 10 is attached to the bottom end of the hopper section 4b. Inside the measuring drum case 10, a cylindrical drum section 11a with a notch 11 is provided, and a measuring drum 13 consisting of front and rear side walls 12a, 12b is provided. The measuring drum 13 is supported on the drum case 10 so as to be freely rotatable by a horizontal shaft 14 that penetrates the front and rear side walls 12a, 12b. A motor 15 is attached to the rear side of the drum case 10 to directly couple the shaft 14. A fixed amount of rice flows down from the rice storage tank 4 through the notch 11 and fills the measuring drum 13. When the notch 11 is rotated downward and reaches the discharge port 16 formed in the drum case 10, the rice flows down and is discharged from the measuring drum 13.

The partition member 3 is provided with an opening 17 corresponding to the discharge port 16, and is configured to deliver a predetermined amount of rice from the rice storage tank 4 to the rice washing tank 5 by rotating the measuring drum 13 a predetermined number of revolutions. In addition, the predetermined amount can be supplied by detecting a rotation sensor (not shown) that counts the number of deliveries.

The drum case 10 and the funnel-shaped hopper 4b are constructed as one unit, and after removing the upper main tank 4a, the unit consisting of the hopper 4b and the drum case 10 can be removed from the partition member 3. That is, the rear side is provided with an engagement portion 20 that allows the engagement protrusion 19 of the drum case 10 to be engaged and disengaged with the hook-shaped portion 18 formed on the partition member 3, and the front side is provided with a detachable engagement stay 21 that can be attached and detached with a screw between the partition member 3 and the drum case 10, and the engagement with the drum case 10 can be released by loosening the screw 22 and rotating the stay 21 around the screw portion.

The drum case 10 is formed so that its lower edge fits into the rectangular opening of the partition member 3, but by disengaging the engagement stay 21 and lifting that side slightly upward to release the engagement of the lower edge with the partition member 3, and then pulling it out diagonally from the front toward the front, the engagement of the rear lower edge can be released and released from the engagement of the engagement part 20.

The rice storage tank 2 and the measuring section are covered on the outside by a cover member 23, and the left and right side walls and the rear wall are appropriately fixed to the partition member 3, etc., and the lower half of the front wall 23a is configured as a door that can be opened and closed, for example, with the right side as viewed from the front as a fulcrum. The upper half of the front wall 23b is connected to the left and right side walls and configured in a removable form. Therefore, the rice storage tank 2 and drum case 10 can be inspected and removed with the lower half of the front wall 23a open. 24 is a square cover plate that detachably covers the main tank 4a from above.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a discharge shutter for discharging rice, which is provided on one side (the front side in the illustrated example) of the funnel-shaped hopper section 4b. It blocks the discharge of rice when in an upright position, and becomes an inclined guide chute by rotating around the pivot support, allowing the rice inside to be discharged.

Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the measuring drum 13, with gaskets 26a, 26b that guide the rice at an angle being installed between the funnel-shaped lower hopper 4b and the drum case 10, and a gap t (e.g., about 1 mm) between the outer periphery of the measuring drum 13 and the inner periphery of the drum case 10 that is large enough to prevent the rice from being crushed even if it enters the drum.

The measuring drum 13 is rotated and stopped repeatedly in a fixed direction by the motor 15, and the measuring drum 13 stops at the position shown in Figure 7. That is, the vibration means 66 is attached to the inclined wall of the side wall of the funnel-shaped hopper 4b near the side where the rear gasket 26b is located, in order to promote the flow of rice inside. In addition, the opening edge of the measuring drum 13 stops behind the rotation of the vibration side gasket 26b, and the other opening edge stops in front of the non-vibration side gasket 26a. The vibration of the vibration means 66 blocks rice that tries to enter the measuring drum 13, while the non-vibration side naturally sends rice into the measuring drum 13, stabilizing the accuracy of the supply amount.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rice washing tank 5 has a receiving tube 31 on the ceiling that guides the rice supplied from the drum case 10, a cylindrical body in the middle, and a hopper-shaped part at the bottom. A jacket part 32 is connected to the bottom of the hopper-shaped part of the rice washing tank 3, and a filter 33 made of a mesh with openings at the boundary between the hopper-shaped part and the jacket part 32 that prevent rice grains from leaking out is provided.

A vertical rotating shaft 34 is provided in the center of the rice washing tank 5, and multiple stirring rods 35, 35... made by bending rods into an inverted L shape are attached to the rotating shaft 34 by welding or other methods at their upper ends. The rotating shaft 34 is rotated by a rice washing motor 36 via a bevel gear mechanism 37, and is configured to stir the rice and water in the tank by the rotation.

The rotating shaft 34 is a hollow shaft, and the inner shaft 38 is loosely fitted inside the outer hollow shaft 34 so as to be vertically slidable, and extends downward. A cone-shaped rice discharge valve 39 is detachably provided at the lower end of this shaft 38. The upper end of the shaft 38 is moved up and down by an interlocking mechanism including a cam 41 driven by a rice discharge valve drive motor 40 and a drop arm, which will be described later, to control the opening and closing of the rice discharge valve 39.
When the rice discharge valve 39 opens, the rice in the rice washing tank 5 falls into the inner pot of the rice cooking device 6 below.

A main water distribution pipe 46 is provided to supply water to the rice washing tank 5. An upper water supply pipe 48 and a lower water supply pipe 53 are branched off from the main water distribution pipe 46. An upper water supply route is provided midway through the upper water supply valve 47, which controls whether water is supplied, and through the upper water supply ports 49, 49 in the ceiling of the rice washing tank 5. The lower water distribution pipe 53 passes through the lower water supply valve 50, and is provided with a water supply hose 51a that penetrates the cover member 23 and is provided on the side of the rice washing tank 5, and a lower water supply route that passes from the lower water supply port 52 to the jacket portion 32. In other words, water is supplied in two systems. Each water supply route is equipped with a flow rate sensor (not shown).

The water supply hose 51a is not shown in Figures such as Figure 8 and Figure 10.

Two upper water supply pipes 48, 48 leading to the main water distribution pipe 46 are arranged near the drum case 10, using the partition member 3 as a base, and a lower water supply pipe 53 is provided that passes through the partition member 3.

Reference numeral 55 denotes a shutter that opens and closes the discharge port 16 in cooperation with the electric motor 15. The motor 15 is connected to the shutter shaft 58 via link mechanisms 56 and 57, and is configured so that the shutter 55 opens when the drum opening is aligned with the discharge port 16. For this reason, the shutter 55 is always in a closed position, preventing the scattering of diffusion water during washing in the rice washing tank 5 and preventing the infiltration of water into the measuring drum 13.

The drum case 10 is located to the left of the upper water supply pipes 48, 48, and the motor 40 for the rice discharge valve 39 and the stirring rods 35, 35... and the rice washing motor 36 for driving them are located to the right.

A drain box 60 is provided on the lower side of the rice washing tank 5. The drain box 60 has a drain outlet 61 and is connected to the lower end of an overflow pipe 62 whose upper end opens W into the upper side of the rice washing tank 5, and to one end of the jacket part 32 whose other end communicates with the jacket part 32. Water is drained from the jacket part 32 by opening and closing a drain valve 64, and the water level in the rice washing tank 5 is adjusted while draining water with a water level valve 65.

The drain box 60 is normally closed by the drain valve 64 and the water level valve 65, but when the water in the rice washing tank 5 is to be drained, it is drained from the filter 33 in the jacket section 32 through the drain valve 64 and/or the water level valve 65, the drain box 60, and the drain port 61. The drain valve 64 and the water level valve 65 are opened and closed by appropriate opening and closing outputs. In addition, a water level sensor 68 is provided at the top of the rice washing tank 3 to detect the amount of water in the rice washing tank 5.

The overflow pipe 62 has a horizontal pipe section 62a connected near the upper end of the rice washing tank 3 and a vertical pipe section 62b connected to the horizontal pipe section 62a, and the lower end of the vertical pipe section 62b is connected to the drain box 60. The upper end of the vertical pipe section 62b is extended upward, and this extension pipe section 62c is appropriately fixed and supported by an attachment holder 69 provided on the lower surface of the partition member 3, while penetrating the partition member 3.

The approximately closed space A between the bottom of the rice storage tank 4 and the partition member 3 in the cover member 23 houses the measuring unit 10, various drive units, piping, etc., but ensures ventilation to prevent water vapor from being trapped. That is, a blower fan 70 is arranged on one side wall of the cover member 23, and is configured to be energized and driven during operation of the device to supply outside air into the space A. The air that enters the space A flows through the space A as appropriate and is exhausted outside the machine through the mesh holes, etc., described below. Therefore, humidity is reduced by the flow of outside air through the space A that receives the water vapor that rises during cooking. A controller 71 is arranged on the inner surface of the cover member 23 on the side opposite the blower fan 70, and moisture can be removed by providing ventilation to this controller 71 as well. Furthermore, if the upper end opening of the extension tube section 62c is placed near the controller 71, for example below the front of the controller 71, an appropriate air flow will be generated and the air acting on the controller 71 can be efficiently introduced into the extension tube section 62c.

As described above, by penetrating the partition member 3 with the extension 62c of the overflow pipe 62, the upper opening is exposed to the space A, and the ventilation from the blower fan 70 is supplied to the rice washing tank 5 through the overflow pipe 62. In other words, the air that enters from the upper end of the extension pipe part 62c of the overflow pipe 62 passes through the extension part 62c and the horizontal pipe part 62a and enters the rice washing tank 5. This has the effect of drying the inside of the rice washing tank 5. In this way, by forming a ventilation part B such as the extension pipe part 62c of the overflow pipe 62 between the space A and the rice washing tank 5, the circulating air from the blower fan 70 can be introduced into the rice washing tank 5, and the inside of the rice washing tank 5 can be dried.

If the extension pipe section 62c of the overflow pipe 62 is provided as the ventilation section B, even if dust in the space section A is transported by air, this dust falls through the vertical pipe section 62b of the overflow pipe 62 and reaches the drain box 60, so there is little risk of the dust entering the rice washing tank 5.

A mesh 73 made of a ventilation net or punched metal may be attached to the upper end of the extension tube 62c (ventilation section B) to prevent the intrusion of foreign objects.

A hollow portion C is provided at the bottom of the bottom surface of the space A surrounded by the cover member 23 and the partition member 3, etc., to accommodate various harnesses (not shown). In more detail, the partition member 3 is formed by drawing and integrally molding the side walls, and a bottom plate 72 is provided below it in a lid-like manner to form the hollow portion C. A mesh-like body 74 made of a ventilation net or punched metal is attached to an appropriate location of the partition member 3 to communicate with the hollow portion C. In this case, the mesh size of the mesh-like body 73 at the upper end of the extension tube portion 62c (ventilation portion B) is made smaller than the mesh size of the mesh-like body 74 arranged in an appropriate location of the partition member 3, which enhances the effect of preventing foreign objects, especially microscopic insects, from entering the space A.

Next, the water level sensor 68 will be described. The water level sensor 68 is provided to detect whether the water level in the rice washing tank 5 is just about to reach an overflow state or has reached an overflow state, and is a known configuration that has a detection electrode 68a (water level detection unit) that detects when a predetermined water level is reached, and detects a change in capacitance based on the presence or absence of a water level to detect when the predetermined water level has been reached. The water level sensor 68 is detachably supported on the partition member 3. The detection electrode 68a is connected and fixed to the supporting base member 68b. That is, it is located on the upper surface of the partition member 3 at a location close to the front wall lower half portion 23a of the cover member 23 and connected and fixed to the base member 68b. The base member 68b of the water level sensor 68 is fixed by fastening and loosening the pivot lock pieces 75 arranged at two locations on the left and right with butterfly bolts 76, and the pivot operation of the butterfly bolts 76 can be performed by hand, so that it is provided in a so-called tool-less manner. When the base member 68b is removed, the large opening 77 formed in the partition member 3 can be opened. Therefore, by opening the lower half 23a of the front wall of the cover member 23, the worker can visually check inside the rice washing tank 5 through the opening 77 that opens to the front side.

In the above embodiment, the water level detection section of the water level sensor 68 is in the form of an electrode that can detect the presence or absence of electrostatic capacitance, but it can be in various configurations, such as a float type that can turn an electrical contact on and off as the float rises.

Water is supplied to the rice washing tank 5 through two routes: an upper water supply route via the upper water supply port 48 on the ceiling of the rice washing tank 5, and a lower water supply route from the lower water supply port 51 through the jacket section 32. The lower water supply pipe 52 is positioned in FIG. 12(b) so that a swirling flow is easily generated within the rice washing tank 5.

When washing rice in the rice washing tank 5, it is desirable to configure the rotation direction of the large and small stirring rods 35, 35... attached to the rotating shaft 34 inside the rice washing tank 5 and the direction in which water is sprayed from the lower water supply route to be opposite to each other.

Next, we will explain how to operate the rice cooking device.

First, the control unit of the computer (not shown) is configured to set the conditions necessary for operating the rice cooking device, such as the amount of rice to be cooked, the time for washing rice (the rotation time of the stirring rod 35), the time for polishing rice (the rotation time of the stirring rod 35), and the time for soaking in the rice washing tank or kettle, using an operation panel (operation display device) 80 arranged on the lower half 23a of the front wall of the cover member 23. It is equipped with a liquid crystal display screen 81, and the above conditions necessary for washing and cooking rice can be set while displaying and guiding the functions and operation procedures of the surrounding switch group 82.

The effect of the above example is explained below.

Turn on the power switch, set the rice cooking conditions by following the operations on the operation panel 80, and after setting the various rice cooking conditions, turn on the start switch, and the operation will start according to the rice cooking flow shown in Figure 11.

That is, first the power switch is turned on (step 1), the rice cooking conditions are set and input (step 2), and the start switch 75 is pressed (step 3). In step 4, the rice in the rice storage tank 4 is weighed in the measuring drum, a set amount of rice is supplied to the rice washing tank 5, and the rice is washed in step 5.

Step 5 of the rice washing process consists of a bran removal process in which the rice is stirred while water is dripping, a polishing process in which the rice is first given water, then drained and stirred in a wet state, a rough rinsing process in which the rice is stirred at a specified water level, and a final rinsing process in which the rice is stirred while water overflows from the tank.

After the rice washing process in step 5 above, proceed to step 6, the water adjustment process.

In step 7, the washed rice in the rice washing tank 5 and the measured amount of water in step 3 are dropped into the rice cooker 7 by opening and closing the rice discharge valve 139.

In step 8, the rice in the rice cooker 7 is soaked in water for a specified time. After the specified time has elapsed, the rice is ignited in step 9, cooked in step 10, steamed in step 11, and cooked to the desired consistency in step 12.

Figure 11 shows that the soaking process is carried out in the rice cooker 7, but it is also possible to carry out the soaking process in the rice washing tank 5, and then drop the rice into the rice cooker 7 after a water adjustment process.

Before turning on the start switch, you can operate the reservation switch to display the reservation screen and set the completion time, etc., so that the rice will be cooked at the scheduled time.

In the above embodiment, the water level is gradually reduced from the full level of the rice washing tank by opening the water level valve 65 to ensure a predetermined amount of water, but the invention is not limited to this configuration and may be configured to, for example, provide a flow rate sensor to manage the amount of water supplied.

After the start switch is turned on, the blower fan 70 is operated continuously during the rice washing and cooking operation, but is also configured to operate for a predetermined time after the rice cooking operation. This configuration allows the inside of the rice washing tank 5 to be dried after the rice cooking operation is completed. After the rice cooking operation, the drain valve 64 and the drop valve 39 are set to be in a closed state and the drain valve 64 to be open when the blower fan 70 is operated. Therefore, the air blown by the blower fan 70 is introduced from the extension pipe section 62c and enters the upper side of the rice washing tank 5 through the horizontal pipe section 62a, while entering the lower side of the rice washing tank 5 through the vertical pipe section 62b and the drain box 60, thereby improving the drying efficiency compared to air supply only from the upper side.

In this embodiment, the drain box 60 is provided to the side of the rice washing tank 5 (the right side in the example shown in FIG. 1), making it easy to perform maintenance on the drain box 60. In addition, if the kettle lid opening/closing arm 81 (described later) moves left and right and is configured to be located directly below the drain box 60 in the lid open position (FIG. 13), it does not get in the way when attaching or detaching the rice washing tank 5.

Regarding the rice cooker 7, in FIG. 14, the rice cooker 7 is provided with a container 31 and a removable rice cooker lid 32 that closes the opening of the main body of the container 31 and has a high center. A supply hole 32h is formed in the center of the rice cooker lid 32, and a slide shutter 33S is attached so as to be able to open and close as a supply hole opening and closing means and to close the supply hole 32h.

The slide shutter 33S is slidable along horizontal guide rails 33a, 33a, and is configured to supply rice and water dropped from the rice washing tank 5 into the rice cooking pot 31 by opening the supply hole 32h.

The sliding shutter 33S is configured so that the lid opening/closing arm 81 engages the knob 32c in the center of the rice cooker 32, and the supply hole 32h can be opened and closed by controlling the left and right movement, and is positioned directly below the drain box 60 when the lid is in the open position as described above.

Next, we will explain how the water supplied contains microvalves, which improves the washing process.

As shown in FIG. 15, a tubular microvalve generator unit 81 incorporating a microbubble generator 81a is detachably connected to the middle of the main water pipe 46 located behind the rice washing tank 5. The microbubble generator unit 81 is formed integrally with the water faucet 80, and the microbubble generator 81a is provided downstream of the water faucet 80.

The microbubble generator unit 81 is provided with attachments 81b at the upper and lower ends, and is configured to be detachable from the main water pipe 46. The microbubble generator unit 81 is disposed in the vertical longitudinal direction between the left and right supports 1b, and between the crosspiece 1c and the cover member 23. For convenience, the water faucet 80 is depicted facing backwards in FIG. 15, but it is preferable for operation to have it facing diagonally forward. The microbubble generator 81a is supported by a support 82, and the support and the microbubble generator 81a can be attached and detached using a tool.

The microbubble generator 81a is a well-known technology that generates microbubbles (tiny air bubbles) in water as the water passes through it.

Water containing microbubbles that passes through the microbubble generator 81a of this embodiment passes through the upper water supply route and the lower water supply route and enters the rice washing tank 5.

In the rice washing process of this embodiment, water is supplied from the lower water supply route into the rice washing tank 5, and the rice is washed by the rotating action of the stirring rod 35. This allows the microbubbles contained in the water to promote the removal of bran and other dust particles adhering to the surface of the rice. The same applies to the rice polishing process and the rinsing process. In the soaking process performed in the rice washing tank 5 after the rice washing process, water is supplied from the upper water supply route. Specifically, a predetermined amount of water is supplied at set time intervals (for example, every 3 minutes). In the soaking process, the stirring rod 35 is stopped. At this time, the microvalves are more likely to act on the inner wall of the rice washing tank 5, making it difficult for the rice to adhere to the inner wall of the rice washing tank 5, and when the rice in the rice washing tank 5 is dropped into the rice cooking pot 7 after the water adjustment process, it is possible to make it difficult for the remaining rice to adhere to the inside of the rice washing tank 5. In addition, the microbubbles get between the rice grains, making it easier for the grains to separate, improving the soaking action.

For the water adjustment process after the soaking process, water is supplied from the lower water supply route. As with the soaking process, this makes it difficult for residual rice to adhere to the inside of the rice washing tank 5.

Figure 16 shows another embodiment in which a microbubble generator 81a is attached to the water supply hose 51a of the lower water supply pipe 53. With this embodiment, microbubbles can be supplied to the rice washing process and the water adjustment process.

3 Partition member 4 Rice storage tank 5 Rice washing tank 10 Measuring section 23 Cover member 70 Blower fan 62 Overflow pipe A Space section B Ventilation section (extension pipe section 62c)
C: Cavity W: Opening 71: Controller 73: Mesh body 74: Mesh body 80: Water faucet 81: Microbubble generator unit 81a: Microbubble generator

Claims (3)

The washing tank is provided with a lower water supply pipe (53) for supplying water from the lower part of the rice washing tank (5) and an upper water supply pipe (48) for supplying water from the upper part of the rice washing tank (5), the upper water supply pipe (48) and the lower water supply pipe (53) being branched off from a main water distribution pipe (46) through which water from a water source passes,
A microbubble generator (81a) is provided in the main water pipe (46) to generate microbubbles when water passes through the microbubble generator (81a);
The microbubble generator (81a) is installed in a tubular microbubble generator unit (81) integrated with the water faucet (80) and is provided downstream of the water faucet (80);
The water supply pipe is branched into an upper water supply pipe (48) and a lower water supply pipe (53) downstream of the microbubble generator unit (81),
A rice washing apparatus characterized in that a detachable device (81b) that can be attached to and detached from a main water pipe (46) is provided at both ends of the microbubble generator unit (81). The rice washing device according to claim 1, characterized in that in the rice washing tank (5), a rice washing process for washing rice, a soaking process for soaking the rice in the rice washing tank (5) after the rice washing process, and a water adjustment process for supplying water after the soaking process, the rice washing process supplies water from the lower water supply pipe (53), the soaking process supplies water from the upper water supply pipe (48), and the water adjustment process supplies water from the lower water supply pipe (53). The rice storage tank ( 4 ) and the measuring section are covered with a cover member (23),
providing left and right support columns (1b) for supporting a cover member (23);
3. The rice washing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the microbubble generator (81a) is disposed in a space between the left and right support columns (1b) and below the cover member (23).