TWI896487B - Rice steamer valve switch device - Google Patents

Abstract

A rice steamer valve cover switch device comprises a rice steaming box having at least one rice discharge port on one side thereof and at least one trough disposed therein, the at least one trough being connected to each rice discharge port, and a screw driven by a motor to rotate is inserted into each trough, and a valve cover structure is combined with the rice steaming box, comprising a valve cover and a valve for driving the valve cover to open or close the rice discharge port. The drive assembly comprises a motor, wherein when at least one tank is filled with rice and water, the motor drives the screw to rotate forward and reverse to wash the rice. When the rice in the tank is cooked, the valve cover is opened and the screw is driven to rotate continuously to push the rice out of the rice discharge port. This allows the rice steamer of the present invention to perform the unified operation of washing rice, cooking rice, and discharging the rice.

Description

Rice steamer valve switch device

The present invention relates to the structure of a rice steamer; in particular, to a valve cover switch device for the rice steamer.

When cooking rice in a conventional rice steamer, the rice is first washed, and then water and rice are thoroughly mixed in a certain ratio and placed in a rice steamer. The rice steamer heats the water and rice mixture, and after the water is heated to steam, the heat from the steam or heat conduction causes the rice to expand and become cooked, thereby cooking the rice into rice.

While these conventional rice steamers can cook rice and water into rice, they lack a way to drain the rice after cooking. Therefore, the rice must be manually scooped out. Alternatively, some people place a cooking towel inside the steamer before adding rice and water. This allows the rice to be quickly extracted after the steamer has cooked the rice. However, since both methods of manually draining the rice from the steamer are performed, the cooking and draining processes remain unconventional.

In view of this, the object of the present invention is to provide a rice steamer with a valve structure, which is used in conjunction with a spiral conveyor for sending rice out, so that the rice steamer of the present invention can achieve the effect of washing, cooking and discharging rice in one operation.

To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention provides a valve cover switch device for a rice steamer, comprising a rice steaming chamber, at least one valve cover structure, and at least one rice steaming trough. The rice steaming chamber comprises a housing having a feed channel and a storage space within the housing, the feed channel communicating with the storage space, and at least one rice discharge port on one side of the housing. The at least one valve cover structure includes a valve cover and a driving assembly; the at least one valve cover is openably arranged at the at least one rice discharge port, the at least one driving assembly is combined with the housing and one end is connected to the at least one valve cover, and the at least one driving assembly is used to drive the valve cover to open or close the at least one rice discharge port. The at least one rice steaming trough includes a trough body and a screw conveyor; the at least one trough body is fixed to the shell and is located in the accommodating space; one end of the at least one trough body is a closed end, and the other end is connected to the at least one rice discharge port; the at least one screw conveyor includes a screw and a motor; the at least one screw is inserted into the at least one trough body, and the at least one motor is combined with the shell and connected to the at least one screw.

The present invention is installed in a rice steamer with a rice and water input function. The invention has the effect that when the at least one tank contains rice and water, the at least one motor drives the at least one screw to continuously rotate forward and reverse, thereby washing the rice in the at least one tank. The rice steamer is then used to steam the rice in the at least one trough. The at least one driving assembly then drives the at least one valve cover to open the at least one rice discharge port. Simultaneously, the at least one motor drives the at least one screw to continuously rotate, thereby pushing the rice in the at least one trough out of the at least one rice discharge port. By utilizing the rice steamer, the valve cover structure, and the structure of the at least one rice steaming trough, the rice steamer of the present invention can achieve the effect of a unified operation of washing rice, cooking rice, and then discharging the rice.

To more clearly illustrate the present invention, a preferred embodiment is described below in detail with accompanying drawings. Referring to Figures 1 through 4A and Figure 6, a rice steamer 100 is shown with a valve cover switch device 100A for a rice steamer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The rice steamer 100 includes a rice steaming box 10, multiple valve cover structures 20A, multiple rice steaming troughs 20, a rice feeding structure 30, and a water adding structure 40. The valve cover switch device 100A for the rice steamer includes the rice steaming box 10, the rice steaming troughs 20, and the valve cover structures 20A. The up-down direction of the rice steamer 100 when in use is defined as a gravity direction G, and the two sides perpendicular to the gravity direction G are the left and right sides. When describing the specific structure of the rice steamer 100 below, the description is based on the directions in its use state.

The rice steamer 10 includes a housing 12 and a heater 14. The housing 12 has two side panels 121 on its left and right sides, a top panel 122 connected between the upper edges of the two side panels 121, and a peripheral panel 123 connected between the two side panels 121 and the top panel 122. In the preferred embodiment, the peripheral panel 123 is a double-layered composite panel with a U-shaped cross-section. The top plate 122 has a feed channel 124 and a pressure relief valve 125 is inserted through the top plate 122. In the preferred embodiment, the feed channel 124 is located on the front side of the top plate 122 and is a long strip extending in the left-right direction. The upper end of the feed channel 124 can be connected to a rice bin that outputs a fixed amount of rice to the feed channel 124.

The two side panels 121, the top panel 122, and the peripheral panel 123 surround a storage space S. In summary, the feed channel 124 is formed above the housing 12, and the storage space S is formed within the housing 12. The feed channel 124 connects to the storage space S along the gravity direction G, and the pressure relief valve 125 also communicates with the storage space S. The heater 14 is an electric heating tube with one end fixed to the left side panel 121 and the other end located below the storage space S. A drain outlet 126 is provided on the lower side of the peripheral panel 123 of the housing 12, and a drain valve 127 is provided on the drain outlet 126. The side panel 121 on the right side of the housing 12 has a plurality of rice discharge ports 128 . The rice discharge ports 128 are circular holes and are arranged at intervals along the gravity direction G.

Each of the valve cap structures 20A includes a valve cap 22A and a drive assembly 24A. The drive assembly 24A is used in conjunction with the valve cap 22A. The valve covers 22A of the valve cover structures 20A are respectively circular covers, and the valve covers 22A are respectively arranged at the rice discharge ports 128 in an openable manner; the drive components 24A of the valve cover structures 20A are coupled to the housing 12 and disposed between the front side of the peripheral plate 123 and the right side of the side plate 121. The drive components 24A are respectively coupled to each of the valve covers 22A at one end, thereby driving each of the valve covers 22A to close or open each of the rice discharge ports 128.

Specifically, a sealing ring 221A is secured around the outer circumference of each valve cap 22A on one side corresponding to each rice discharge port 128. A flange 222A is formed on the outer circumference of each valve cap 22A, further away from each rice discharge port 128. Each valve cap 22A is sealingly embedded in each rice discharge port 128 via the sealing ring 221A, with each valve cap 22A resting against the periphery of each rice discharge port 128 with the flange 222A.

Each drive assembly 24A includes a first pivot seat 241A, a second pivot seat 242A, a lever arm 243A, and a linear actuator 244A. Each first pivot seat 241A is coupled to the front side of the peripheral plate 123 of the housing 12. Each first pivot seat 241A has two first side pieces 2411A on its upper and lower sides, forming a first receiving groove 2412A between the two first side pieces 2411A. Each second pivot seat 242A is coupled to the front side of the right side panel 121. Each second pivot seat 242A has two second side pieces 2421A on its upper and lower sides, forming a second receiving groove 2422A between the two second side pieces 2421A. The center of each lever arm 243A pivots to the two second side pieces 2421A of each second pivot seat 242A, with at least a portion of each lever arm 243A accommodated in each second receiving groove 2422A. One end of each lever arm 243A is coupled to each valve cover 22A. Each linear actuator 244A is a pneumatic cylinder. One end of each linear actuator 244A is pivotally connected to the two first side pieces 2411A of each first pivot seat 241A, and at least a portion of each linear actuator 244A is accommodated in each first receiving groove 2412A. The other end of each linear actuator 244A is pivotally connected to the other end of the lever arm 243A.

When a drive assembly 24A is needed to open the valve cover 22A of the corresponding rice discharge port 128, the linear actuator 244A of the drive assembly 24A is retracted, causing the lever arm 243A pivoted to the linear actuator 244A to pivot about the second pivot seat 242A. This causes the valve cover 22A, which originally closed the rice discharge port 128, to open the rice discharge port 128. In other preferred embodiments, each of the linear actuators 244A can be a hydraulic cylinder or an electric cylinder capable of extending and retracting along a straight line.

The rice steaming troughs 20 are fixed in the accommodating space S. The rice steaming troughs 20 are arranged at intervals and in parallel along the gravity direction G. The rice steaming troughs 20 respectively include a trough body 22 and a screw conveyor 24. Each of the trough bodies 22 is a tube with a U-shaped cross-section and extends in a straight line along the left and right directions. Each of the trough bodies 22 has a trough body inlet 221 on the top, and a bucket part 222 is connected to the upper edge of each of the trough bodies 22. Each of the trough body inlets 221 is formed in each of the bucket parts 22. The left and right ends of each of the trough bodies 22 are respectively fixed to the inner walls of the two side panels 121. The left end of each of the trough bodies 22 is a closed end, and the right end of each of the trough bodies 22 is connected to each of the rice discharge ports 128. Furthermore, a drain pipe 224 is connected to the lower side of the closed end of each tank body 22. Each drain pipe 224 communicates with the interior of each tank body 22 and is used to connect to a switch valve. Through this structural design, excess water in each tank body 22, such as cleaning water, is discharged to the outside.

2 and 4 to 5 , each of the screw conveyors 24 includes a screw 241 and a motor 242 . Each of the screw 241 is inserted into each of the troughs 22 and includes a shaft 2411 , a spiral blade 2412 , and at least one pair of propeller blades 2413 . In the preferred embodiment, the at least one pair of propeller blades 2413 includes a plurality of pairs of propeller blades 2413 . Each of the spiral blades 2412 is connected to the periphery of each of the shafts 2411 and is used to reciprocally propel the rice and water in each of the troughs 22 during consecutive forward and reverse rotations to produce a rice-washing effect. Alternatively, when the valve cover 22A of each of the rice discharge ports 128 is opened, the continued rotation of each of the spiral blades 2412 propels the cooked rice in each of the troughs 22 toward each of the rice discharge ports 128, causing the rice to be discharged from the rice steaming box 10 through each of the rice discharge ports 128. The multiple pairs of spiral paddle blades 2413 are connected to the periphery of the ends of the shafts 2411 near each of the rice discharge ports 128. Adjacent pairs of spiral paddle blades 2413 are spaced and staggered to break up clumping rice during rotation. Each motor 242 is coupled to the left side plate 121 of the housing 12 , and each shaft 2411 pivots through the left side plate 121 and is coupled to each motor 242 .

Referring to Figures 2 and 6-6B , the rice transport structure 30 is disposed within the housing 12 and located between the feed channel 124 and the troughs 22. The rice transport structure 30 is configured to transport rice from the feed channel 124 to the troughs 22. Specifically, the rice transport structure 30 includes a plurality of rice distribution units 30A and a tilting plate 30B connected between the bucket 222 of the bottommost rice steaming trough 20 and the inner wall of the housing 12. Specifically, the tilting plate 30B is connected between the bucket 222 of the bottommost rice steaming trough 20 and the inner wall of the front side of the peripheral plate 123. The tilting plate 30B is oriented directly opposite the feed channel 124 along the direction of gravity G. In the preferred embodiment, the inclined plate 30B is a plate formed by integrally extending the bucket portion 222.

The rice distribution units 30A are arranged at intervals along the gravity direction G and are used in conjunction with the rice steaming troughs 20 except the bottommost rice steaming trough 20. Each rice distribution unit 30A is located above the tilting plate 30B and includes a driver 32, a rotating shaft 34, and a conveyor plate 36. Each driver 32 is mounted on the left side plate 121 of the housing 12. Specifically, the driver 32 includes a cylinder 321 and a rotating handle 322. Each cylinder 321 is pivotally connected to the left side plate 121. Each of the rotating shafts 34 is located in the accommodating space S and its left and right ends are rotatably pivoted through the two side plates 121 . The left end of each of the rotating shafts 34 is connected to one end of each of the rotating handles 322 , and the other end of each of the rotating handles 322 is pivoted to each of the pressure cylinders 321 . Each conveyor plate 36 is a long rectangular plate extending in the left-right direction. One side of each conveyor plate 36 is connected to each of the rotating shafts 34, and this side of each conveyor plate 36 leads to each of the trough entrances 221. When rice falls onto the conveyor plate 36 along the direction of gravity G, it slides along the conveyor plate 36 from this side to the trough entrance 221 and enters the corresponding trough 22. Each of the drivers 32 is used to drive each of the rotating shafts 34 to move each of the conveyor plates 36 between a first position P1 and a second position P2.

Please refer to Figures 6 to 6B. When each conveying plate 36 is located at the first position P1, each conveying plate 36 is in a vertical state and will not come into contact with the rice falling from the feed channel 124. Therefore, the rice falling from the feed channel 124 cannot be transported to the corresponding trough 22. When each conveying plate 36 is located at the second position P2, each conveying plate 36 is in a tilted state and the other side is against the inner wall of the front side of the peripheral plate 123. At this time, the conveying plate 36 is opposite to the feed channel 124 along the gravity direction G, so that the rice falling from the feed channel 124 can come into contact with the conveying plate 36 and can be transported to the corresponding trough 22 by the conveying plate 36. In another case, when all the conveying plates 36 are located at the first position P1, the rice falling from the feed channel 124 will directly fall onto the lowest inclined plate 30B and be transported to the lowest trough 22 by the inclined plate 30B.

6-7A , the water supply structure 40 is disposed within the housing 12 and includes a plurality of first water pipes 42 and a second water pipe 44. The first water pipes 42 are spaced apart along the gravity direction G and located within the storage space S. Each first water pipe 42 is used in conjunction with a rice steamer 20 to supply water to each of the rice steamers 20. The second water pipe 44 is located within the storage space S and supplies water to the housing 12.

Specifically, each first water pipe 42 is a straight tube extending in the left-right direction. The left and right ends of each first water pipe 42 are inserted through the two side panels 121 on either side of the housing 12. The right end of each first water pipe 42 is closed, and the left end is connected to a first water inlet pipe 421 for connection to a water source. Each first water pipe 42 has a plurality of first water outlet holes 422 below it, and these first water outlet holes 422 face the bucket portion 222 of each rice steamer 20. The left and right ends of the second water pipe 44 are inserted through the two side panels 121 on either side of the housing 12. The right end of each second water pipe 44 is closed, and the left end is connected to a second water inlet pipe 441 for connection to a water source. The second water pipe 44 has a plurality of second water outlet holes 442 below it. In other embodiments, the number of the first water outlet holes 422 of each of the first water pipes 42 may be one or more, and the number of the second water outlet holes 442 of the second water pipes 44 may also be one or more.

When the rice steamer 100 is in use, please refer to Figures 2, 3, 4A and 6 to 6B. The valve covers 22A of each valve cover structure 20A are in a closed state, and the rice is first input into the feed channel 124 of the rice steaming box 10 from a rice box or other rice output system. The rice entering the feed channel 124 will fall downward along the gravity direction G and be transported to the trough body 22 of each rice steaming trough 20 through the rice transport structure 30. An appropriate amount of water is injected into each trough body 22 through the first water pipes 42 of the water adding structure 40, and water is injected into the housing 12 through the second water pipe 44. At this time, the water will flow to the bottom of the housing 12 due to gravity and submerge the heater 14.

During the rice washing step, as shown in Figures 4 and 4A, each motor 242 drives each screw 241 to rotate forward and reverse, thereby washing the rice and water within each trough 22. Next, the rice cooking step is performed. The heater 14 heats the water within the housing 12, generating steam that fills the storage space S. The heat from the steam cooks the rice within each steaming trough 20 into cooked rice. Once the rice within each steaming trough 20 is cooked, the rice is discharged.

When discharging rice, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, and 4A, the rice discharge ports 128 must be opened. The valve cap structures 20A first use their respective drive assemblies 24A to move the valve caps 22A from their positions sealing the rice discharge ports 128, thereby opening the rice discharge ports 128. The motors 242 then drive the screws 241 to rotate continuously, pushing the rice within the troughs 22 toward the rice discharge ports 128 through the spiral blades 2412, ultimately discharging the rice from the rice discharge ports 128. In this way, the valve switch device 100A of the rice steamer involving the rice steaming box 10, the rice steaming troughs 20 and the valve structures 20A, through the design of the valves 22A that can open or close each rice discharge port 128, and each spiral conveyor 24 arranged in each trough body 22, enables the rice steamer 100 having the valve switch device 100A of the rice steamer to perform the unified operation function of washing rice, discharging rice from the rice steaming box 10 after cooking.

In addition to the preferred embodiment described above, in which the rice steamer 10 has multiple rice discharge ports 128, in other preferred embodiments, the rice steamer 10 may also have only one or more rice discharge ports 128. In this case, the number of rice steaming troughs 20 and the number of valve structures 20A that open or close the rice discharge ports 128 will also change with the number of rice discharge ports 128, either one or more.

Furthermore, the number of first water pipes 42 provided in the water supply structure 40 of the rice steamer 10 can be changed to one or more depending on the number of rice discharge ports 128. It should be noted that when the housing 12 has only one rice discharge port 128, the rice transport structure 30 comprises only the inclined plate 30B, without the rice distribution unit 30A. Furthermore, the inclined plate 30B is connected between the trough body 22 of the rice steaming trough 20 and the inner wall of the housing 12, thereby directly transporting rice dropped from the feed channel 124 into the trough body 22 of the rice steaming trough 20 via the inclined plate 30B. When the housing 12 has a plurality of rice discharge ports 128, the rice delivery structure 30 is coordinated with each of the rice steaming troughs 20 except the bottom one to be provided with the rice distribution unit 30A.

The above description is merely an example of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Any equivalent variations made by applying the present invention description and the scope of the patent application should be included in the patent scope of the present invention.

100: Rice Steamer 100A: Rice Steamer Lid Switch 10: Rice Steamer 12: Casing 121: Side Panel 122: Top Panel 123: Circumferential Plate 124: Inlet Channel 125: Pressure Relief Valve 126: Drain Outlet 127: Drain Valve 128: Rice Discharge Outlet 14: Heater 20: Rice Steamer 22: Steamer Body 221: Steamer Inlet 222: Hopper 224: Drain Pipe 24: Screw Conveyor 241: Screw 2411: Shaft 2412: Spiral Blades 2413: Propeller Blades 242: Motor 20A: Valve cover structure 22A: Valve cover 221A: Sealing ring 222A: Flange 24A: Drive assembly 241A: First pivot seat 2411A: First side plate 2412A: First receptacle 242A: Second pivot seat 2421A: Second side plate 2422A: Second receptacle 243A: Lever arm 244A: Linear actuator 30: Meter transport structure 30A: Meter dispensing unit 30B: Tilt plate 32: Actuator 321: Cylinder 322: Handle 34: Rotating shaft 36: Conveyor plate 40: Water supply structure 42: First water pipe 421: First water inlet 422: First water outlet 44: Second water pipe 441: Second water inlet 442: Second water outlet G: Direction of gravity P1: First position P2: Second position S: Storage space

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rice steamer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view of Figure 1 from another angle. Figure 3 is a top view of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3. Figure 4A is an enlarged view of the portion marked 4A in Figure 4. Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the tank body and screw in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 3. Figure 6A is an enlarged view of the portion marked 6A in Figure 6. Figure 6B is an enlarged view of the portion marked 6B in Figure 6. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Figure 3. Figure 7A is an enlarged view of the portion marked 7A in Figure 7.

100: Rice Steamer

100A: Rice steamer valve switch device

10: Rice steamer

12: Shell

121:Side panel

122: Top plate

123: Zhouban

124: Feed channel

125: Pressure relief valve

20A: Valve cover structure

22A: Valve cover

24A: Drive assembly

241A: First hub

2411A: First lateral slice

2412A: First tank

242A: Second pivot socket

2421A: Second lateral panel

2422A: Second container

243A: Leverage Arm

244A: Linear Drive

Claims (10)

A rice steamer valve cover switch device comprises: a rice steamer box, comprising a shell, the shell having a feed channel and a storage space inside the shell, the feed channel communicating with the storage space, and at least one rice discharge port on one side of the shell; at least one valve cover structure, comprising a valve cover and a drive assembly; the at least one valve cover is openably arranged at the at least one rice discharge port, the at least one drive assembly is coupled to the shell and one end of the drive assembly is connected to the at least one valve cover, and the at least one valve cover is connected to the at least one rice discharge port. The driving assembly is used to drive the valve cover to open or close the at least one rice discharge port; and the at least one rice steaming tank includes a tank body and a screw conveyor; the at least one tank body is fixed to the shell and is located in the accommodating space; one end of the at least one tank body is a closed end, and the other end is connected to the at least one rice discharge port; the at least one screw conveyor includes a screw and a motor; the at least one screw is inserted into the at least one tank body, and the at least one motor is coupled to the shell and connected to the at least one screw. The rice steamer valve switch device as described in claim 1, wherein a sealing ring is fixed on one side of the outer peripheral surface of the at least one valve cover and the other side has a flange; the at least one valve cover is sealedly embedded in the at least one rice discharge port with the sealing ring. A valve cover switch device for a rice steamer as described in claim 1, wherein the housing has a side panel and the at least one rice discharge port is formed on the side panel; the at least one drive assembly includes a first pivot seat, a second pivot seat, a lever arm and a linear actuator; the at least one first pivot seat is coupled to the housing; the at least one second pivot seat is coupled to the side panel; the middle of the at least one lever arm is pivoted to the at least one second pivot seat, and one end of the at least one lever arm is coupled to the at least one valve cover; one end of the at least one linear actuator is pivoted to the first pivot seat and the other end is pivoted to the other end of the at least one lever arm. The valve cover switch device of the rice steamer as described in claim 3, wherein the at least one first pivot seat has two first side pieces on both sides, and a first receiving groove is formed between the two first side pieces; one end of the at least one linear actuator is pivotally connected to the two first side pieces of the at least one first pivot seat, and at least a portion of the at least one linear actuator is received in the first receiving groove of the at least one first pivot seat. The valve cover switch device of the rice steamer as described in claim 3, wherein the at least one second pivot seat has two second side pieces on both sides, and a second receiving groove is formed between the two second side pieces; the middle of the at least one lever arm is pivotally connected to the two second side pieces of the at least one second pivot seat, and at least a portion of the at least one lever arm is received in the second receiving groove of the at least one second pivot seat. The valve cover switch device of the rice steamer as described in claim 1, wherein each trough body is a tube with a U-shaped cross-section and has a trough body inlet on the top; the at least one screw is arranged in the at least one trough body and includes a shaft and a spiral blade, the at least one shaft is connected to the at least one motor, and the at least one spiral blade is connected to the periphery of the at least one shaft. The valve switch device of the rice steamer as described in claim 6, wherein the at least one screw further includes at least one pair of propeller blades, and the at least one pair of propeller blades are connected to the end of the at least one shaft near the at least one rice discharge port. The valve cover switch device of the rice steamer as described in claim 1, wherein the housing has a side panel; the feed channel is located above the housing, and the feed channel is connected to the accommodating space along a gravity direction; the at least one rice discharge port includes a plurality of the rice discharge ports, and the rice discharge ports are formed on the side panel and arranged at intervals along the gravity direction; the at least one rice steaming trough includes a plurality of rice steaming troughs, and the trough bodies of the rice steaming troughs extend straight along a direction perpendicular to the gravity direction and have a trough body inlet on the top respectively. The valve cover switch device of the rice steamer as described in claim 8, wherein the rice steaming troughs are arranged at intervals and in parallel along the direction of gravity. As described in claim 8, the valve cover switch device of the rice steamer, wherein each of the trough bodies is a tube with a U-shaped cross-section and is connected to a bucket at the upper edge.