JP2011224165A - Automatic bread maker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic bread maker capable of stably making delicious bread from grains.SOLUTION: A grain bread-making course carried out by a control unit of the automatic bread maker 1 includes: a grinding step for grinding a mixture of grains with a liquid in a bread container by a grinding unit; a kneading step for kneading bread ingredients in the container, which includes the ground four from the grains, by a kneading unit to make a dough; a fermentation step for fermenting the kneaded dough; and a baking step for baking the fermented dough. The control unit confirms whether or not gas purging is performed during the fermentation step, and performs control so as to prevent the dough from rising above a prescribed height in the fermentation step on the basis of information obtained from the rise detector.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic bread maker mainly used in general households.

  A commercially available automatic bread maker for home use puts a bread container containing bread ingredients into a baking chamber in the main body, kneads the bread ingredients in the bread container with a kneading blade and kneads (kneading process), after passing through a fermentation process In general, the bread container is used as a baking mold as it is to bake bread (baking process) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Conventionally, when bread is produced using such an automatic bread maker, flour (rice, rice flour, etc.) obtained by milling grains such as wheat and rice, and various auxiliary raw materials are added to such milled flour. Bread was produced by obtaining the mixed flour and using it as a bread ingredient.

JP 2000-116526 A

  By the way, in general households, as represented by rice grains, they sometimes possess grains in the form of grains instead of powder. For this reason, it would be very convenient if bread could be produced directly from grain using an automatic bread maker. For this reason, the present inventors have invented a method for producing bread using cereal grains as a starting material after extensive research. In addition, regarding this, a patent application has already been filed (Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-201507).

  I will introduce the bread manufacturing method I applied for earlier. In this bread manufacturing method, first, a pulverizing blade is rotated in a mixture of cereal grains and liquid to pulverize the cereal grains (grinding step). Then, for example, gluten or yeast is added to the paste-like pulverized powder obtained through the pulverization process, and the dough is kneaded into the dough (kneading process), and the dough is fermented (fermentation process), and then baked into the bread (baking) Process).

  Applicants are currently developing an automatic bread maker that applies the above manufacturing process, and when the bread is produced from grains using this automatic bread maker at the development stage, the bread quality varies. Sometimes occurred. Such variations are considered to be caused by, for example, fluctuations in the environmental temperature in which the automatic bread maker is placed, variations in the hardness of grain grains used as raw materials, errors in the amount of bread raw materials used, and the like. An automatic bread maker that can produce bread from cereal grains has the advantage of making home bread production more familiar, but if the bread quality is unstable in this way, the bread at the user's home You may lose your willingness to make.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic bread maker capable of producing a well-made bread stably from cereal grains.

  In order to achieve the above object, an automatic bread maker of the present invention comprises a bread container into which bread ingredients are charged, a pulverizing means for pulverizing grains put into the bread container as bread ingredients, Kneading means for kneading bread ingredients into bread dough, heating means for heating the bread ingredients in the bread container, swelling detection means for detecting that the bread dough in the bread container has swelled to a predetermined height, and the crushing means, Control means for controlling the kneading means and the heating means to execute a grain-making bread course for baking bread using grain grains, and the bread container for grain grains includes the bread container A crushing step of crushing the mixture of the cereal grains and the liquid charged in the crushing means with the crushing means, and the bread ingredients in the bread container containing the crushing powder of the cereal grains into the dough by the kneading means A kneading process, a fermentation process for fermenting the kneaded bread dough, and a baking process for baking the fermented bread dough, wherein the control means is based on information obtained from the swelling detection means, It is characterized by determining whether or not to degas during the fermentation process, and performing control so that the bread dough does not swell beyond the predetermined height in the fermentation process.

  In the present specification, the term “bread ingredient” is used in a broad sense with respect to the material from which the bread is baked, and the term “bread ingredient” may be used even for the state of the dough. .

  According to this configuration, since degassing is appropriately performed in the middle of the fermentation process based on information from the swelling detection means, it is possible to suppress the formation of a large cavity in the bread dough that has undergone the fermentation process. Can be baked with good quality bread. Moreover, since the bread dough is prevented from expanding beyond a predetermined height based on information from the swelling detection means, it is not possible due to insufficient handling of the bread dough in the fermentation process. The possibility of producing bread can be reduced. Furthermore, since the dough does not swell beyond a predetermined height, the situation where the dough adheres to the lid of the automatic bread maker can be avoided.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, when the bulge detection means is in a detection state before the first predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the fermentation process, the control means If the swell detection means is not in a detection state before the first predetermined time elapses without degassing at the stage, the gas mixing means is used to It may be possible to execute unplugging.

  According to this configuration, when the dough swells to a desired state without a long fermentation time (in this case, there is a low possibility that a large cavity is formed in the dough), the degassing is performed. The fermentation process can be completed without performing it. When the fermentation process takes a long time (in this case, there is a possibility that a large cavity is formed in the bread dough), degassing can be appropriately performed during the fermentation process. For this reason, high quality bread can be baked by appropriately suppressing the formation of large cavities in the bread dough that has undergone the fermentation process.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the swell detection means is in a detection state until a second predetermined time longer than the first predetermined time elapses after the fermentation process is started. In this case, the degassing is executed when the detection state is reached, and the bulge detection means does not enter the detection state before the second predetermined time elapses, without performing the degassing. It is good also as ending a fermentation process.

  According to this structure, the time of a fermentation process becomes long, and it is judged appropriately and the degassing is performed with a high possibility that a large cavity is formed in the bread dough. For this reason, according to this structure, it is possible to stably obtain high-quality bread.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, when the degassing is executed, the control means is configured so that the swell detection means is in a detection state until a third predetermined time elapses after the degassing is completed. If it becomes, the fermentation process is terminated when the detection state is reached, and the bulge detection means does not enter the detection state before the third predetermined time elapses, the third predetermined time It is good also as ending the said fermentation process in the stage which passed.

  According to this configuration, when degassing is performed in the fermentation process, the fermentation process can be terminated at the stage where the bread dough has been appropriately inflated after degassing. In addition, when the bread dough bulges after degassing, the fermentation process is terminated when a predetermined time (third predetermined time) has elapsed, and therefore the bread manufacturing process becomes too long. Can be prevented.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the bulge detecting means is provided so that the light from the light emitting element can be received by the light receiving element, and detects that the bread dough has swelled to the predetermined height based on a change in the light receiving state. It may be a photo interrupter.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent a large space from being taken in order to obtain a means for detecting the swelling. In addition, since a state in which a bulge can be detected without bothering the user's hand is obtained, it is convenient for the user.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the crushing means includes a crushing blade and a crushing motor that rotates the crushing blade, and the kneading means includes a kneading blade and a kneading motor that rotates the kneading blade, In at least one of the pulverization step and the kneading step, the control unit may monitor the load of the motor and may determine the end of the process being executed based on the load.

  When producing bread from cereal grains using an automatic bread maker, for example, crushed powder obtained at the end of the pulverization process due to variations in grain hardness and environmental (mainly temperature) fluctuations in which the automatic bread maker is placed Variations may occur in the grain size of the bread and the elasticity of the dough obtained at the end of the kneading process. In this configuration, in this configuration, the end point of the pulverization process and / or the kneading process is determined based on the motor load, so the state of the bread ingredients (including the dough) at the end of the pulverization process and the kneading process Can be stabilized. For this reason, the possibility of unsatisfactory bread can be reduced. Note that it is preferable that the end point is determined based on the load of the motor in both the pulverization step and the kneading step.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, it is preferable that the cereal grain breadmaking course further includes a pre-grinding liquid absorption step for causing the cereal grains in the bread container to absorb liquid before the pulverization step. . According to this structure, since it can grind | pulverize in the state which included the liquid (typical thing was water) in the grain, it becomes easy to grind the grain to the core.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, the cereal grain breadmaking course further includes a post-pulverization liquid absorption step in which the pulverized powder of cereal grains in the bread container absorbs liquid after the pulverization step. Is preferred. According to this structure, since the period for cooling the temperature of the pulverized powder that has risen in the pulverization process is obtained by the liquid absorption process after pulverization, bread can be manufactured without using a cooling device. Costs required can be suppressed. In addition, the crushed powder is further broken down by this step, and the amount of fine particles can be increased, so that a fine bread and a delicious bread are baked.

  In the automatic bread maker configured as described above, temperature detecting means capable of detecting at least one of the outside air temperature, the temperature of the bread container, the temperature around the bread container, and the temperature of the bread material in the bread container. Further, at least one step of varying the process time using the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is included in the plurality of steps performed when the grain bread making course is executed. It is good to be.

  A factor that varies the quality of the bread baked from the grain depending on the environment in which the automatic bread maker is placed is that the temperature of the environment and the temperature of the water used vary. In this regard, in the automatic bread maker of this configuration, temperature detection capable of detecting at least one of the outside air temperature, the temperature of the container into which the bread ingredients are charged, the temperature around the container, and the temperature of the bread ingredients in the container It is set as the structure provided with a means. In this configuration, at least one step of changing the process time using the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means among the plurality of steps performed when the grain bread making course is executed. It has been included. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the quality of bread varies depending on the environmental temperature or the like.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to stably produce a well-made bread from cereal grains. For this reason, it can be expected that home bread making will become popular, making home bread production more familiar.

Vertical sectional view of the automatic bread maker of this embodiment 1 is a partially vertical sectional view of the automatic bread maker according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 cut in a direction perpendicular to FIG. The schematic perspective view for demonstrating the structure of the grinding | pulverization blade with which the automatic bread maker of this embodiment is equipped, and a kneading | mixing blade The schematic plan view for demonstrating the structure of the grinding | pulverization blade with which the automatic bread maker of this embodiment is equipped, and a kneading | mixing blade Top view of bread container when kneading blade is in folded position Top view of bread container with kneading blade in open position Schematic plan view showing the state of the clutch when the kneading blade is in the open position Control block diagram of automatic bread maker of this embodiment The schematic diagram which shows the flow of the bread-making course for rice grains in the automatic bread maker of this embodiment An example of a table used in the automatic bread maker of the present embodiment, in which the time of the water absorption step before crushing is determined in association with the temperature The flowchart which shows the detailed flow of the crushing process performed in the automatic bread maker of this embodiment. The flowchart which shows the detailed flow of the water absorption process after the grinding | pulverization performed in the automatic bread maker of this embodiment. The flowchart which shows the detailed flow of the kneading process performed in the automatic bread maker of this embodiment. The flowchart which shows the detailed flow of the fermentation process performed in the automatic bread maker of this embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of an automatic bread maker of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the specific time, temperature, etc. which appear in this specification are illustrations to the last, and do not limit the content of this invention.
(Configuration of automatic bread maker)
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the automatic bread maker according to the present embodiment. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view of the automatic bread maker according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 cut in a direction perpendicular to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the configuration of the crushing blade and the kneading blade provided in the automatic bread maker of the present embodiment, and is a view when seen obliquely from below. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view for explaining the configuration of the crushing blade and the kneading blade provided in the automatic bread maker of the present embodiment, and is a view when seen from below. FIG. 5 is a top view of the bread container when the kneading blade is in the folded position. FIG. 6 is a top view of the bread container when the kneading blade is in the open posture. Hereinafter, the overall configuration of the automatic bread maker will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

  In the following, the left side in FIG. 1 is the front surface (front surface) of the automatic bread maker 1, and the right side is the back surface (rear surface) of the automatic bread maker 1. Further, it is assumed that the left hand side of the observer facing the automatic bread maker 1 from the front is the left side of the automatic bread maker 1, and the right hand side is the right side of the automatic bread maker 1.

  The automatic bread maker 1 has a box-shaped main body 10 constituted by a synthetic resin outer shell. The main body 10 is provided with a U-shaped synthetic resin handle 11 connected to both ends of the left side surface and the right side surface thereof, thereby facilitating transportation. An operation unit 20 is provided on the front surface of the main body 10. Although not shown, the operation unit 20 includes a group of operation keys such as a start key, a cancel key, a timer key, a reservation key, a selection key for selecting a bread production course (rice flour bread course, flour bread course, etc.), A display unit is provided for displaying contents set by the operation key group, errors, and the like. The display unit includes a liquid crystal display panel and a display lamp using a light emitting diode as a light source.

  The upper surface of the main body behind the operation unit 20 is covered with a synthetic resin lid 30. The lid 30 is attached to the back side of the main body 10 with a hinge shaft (not shown), and is configured to rotate in a vertical plane with the hinge shaft as a fulcrum. Although not shown, the lid 30 is provided with a viewing window made of heat-resistant glass so that a firing chamber 40 described later can be seen.

  A firing chamber 40 having a substantially rectangular planar shape is provided inside the main body 10. The baking chamber 40 is made of sheet metal and has an open top surface, from which a bread container 50 is placed. The firing chamber 40 includes four peripheral side walls 40a and a bottom wall 40b having a substantially rectangular horizontal cross section. Inside the baking chamber 40, a sheathed heater 41 is disposed so as to surround the bread container 50 accommodated in the baking chamber 40, so that the bread ingredients in the bread container 50 can be heated.

  Of the four peripheral side walls 40a constituting the baking chamber 40, the pair of peripheral side walls located on the left and right sides of the automatic bread maker 1 has a light emitting element 42a on one side and a light receiving element 42b on the other side. It is attached. The light emitting element 42a and the light receiving element 42b constitute a photo interrupter. The light emitting element 42 a and the light receiving element 42 b are provided at a position slightly higher than the upper surface of the bread container 50 in a state where the bread container 50 is accommodated in the baking chamber 40. Thereby, in a normal state, the light from the light emitting element 42a is received by the light receiving element 42b. When the bread dough swells from the upper surface of the bread container 50 to a predetermined height (for example, 5 mm), the light receiving state of the light receiving element 42b changes, and this can be detected. That is, the light emitting element 42a and the light receiving element 42b function as a bulge detection unit 42 that detects that the bread dough in the bread container 50 has swelled to a predetermined height.

  For the light emitting element 42a and the light receiving element 42b, known elements may be used as elements constituting a photo interrupter. For example, a light emitting diode (NIR) or the like is used for the light emitting element 42a. A phototransistor or the like is used for the element 42b.

  A sheet metal base 12 is installed inside the main body 10. On the base 12, a bread container support 13 made of an aluminum alloy die-cast product is fixed at a location corresponding to the center of the firing chamber 40. The inside of the bread container support part 13 is exposed inside the baking chamber 40.

  A driving shaft 14 is vertically supported at the center of the bread container support 13. The pulleys 15 and 16 give rotation to the driving shaft 14. Clutchs are disposed between the pulley 15 and the driving shaft 14 and between the pulley 16 and the driving shaft 14, respectively. When the pulley 15 is rotated in one direction to transmit the rotation to the driving shaft 14, the driving shaft The rotation of the driving shaft 14 is not transmitted to the pulley 16, and when the pulley 16 is rotated in the opposite direction to the pulley 15 to transmit the rotation to the driving shaft 14, the rotation of the driving shaft 14 is not transmitted to the pulley 15.

  The pulley 15 is rotated by a kneading motor 60 fixed to the base 12. The kneading motor 60 is a saddle shaft, and the output shaft 61 protrudes from the lower surface. A pulley 62 connected to the pulley 15 by a belt 63 is fixed to the output shaft 61. Since the kneading motor 60 itself is a low speed / high torque type, and the pulley 62 rotates the pulley 15 at a reduced speed, the driving shaft 14 rotates at a low speed / high torque.

  The pulley 16 is rotated by a crushing motor 64 that is also supported on the base 12. The grinding motor 64 is also a saddle shaft, and the output shaft 65 protrudes from the upper surface. A pulley 66 connected to the pulley 16 by a belt 67 is fixed to the output shaft 65. The crushing motor 64 plays a role of giving high-speed rotation to a crushing blade described later. Therefore, a high-speed rotating motor is selected as the grinding motor 64, and the reduction ratio between the pulley 66 and the pulley 16 is set to be approximately 1: 1.

  The bread container 50 is made of sheet metal and has a bucket-like shape, and a handle (not shown) for handbags is attached to the lip. The horizontal section of the bread container 50 is a rectangle with rounded corners. Further, a concave portion 55 for accommodating a grinding blade 54 and a cover 70, which will be described in detail later, is formed at the bottom of the bread container 50. The concave portion 55 is circular in a planar shape, and a gap 56 is provided between the outer peripheral portion of the cover 70 and the inner surface of the concave portion 55 to allow the bread-making raw material to flow. In addition, a cylindrical pedestal 51 that is a die-cast product of an aluminum alloy is provided on the bottom surface of the bread container 50. The bread container 50 is arranged in the baking chamber 40 in a state where the pedestal 51 is received by the bread container support part 13.

  At the center of the bottom of the bread container 50, a blade rotation shaft 52 extending in the vertical direction is supported in a state where a countermeasure against sealing is taken. A rotational force is transmitted to the blade rotating shaft 52 from the driving shaft 14 through the coupling 53. Of the two members constituting the coupling 53, one member is fixed to the lower end of the blade rotating shaft 52, and the other member is fixed to the upper end of the driving shaft 14. The entire coupling 53 is enclosed by the pedestal 51 and the bread container support 13.

  Protrusions (not shown) are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bread container support 13 and the outer peripheral surface of the pedestal 51, respectively, and these protrusions constitute a known bayonet connection. Specifically, when the bread container 50 is attached to the bread container support part 13, the bread container 50 is lowered so that the protrusions of the base 51 do not interfere with the protrusions of the bread container support part 13. Then, after the pedestal 51 is fitted into the bread container support part 13, when the bread container 50 is twisted horizontally, the protrusion of the pedestal 51 is engaged with the lower surface of the protrusion of the bread container support part 13. Thereby, the bread container 50 cannot be pulled out upward. In addition, the coupling 53 is simultaneously achieved by this operation.

  The twisting direction when the bread container 50 is attached is made to coincide with the rotation direction of the kneading blade 72 described later, and the bread container 50 is configured not to be detached even if the kneading blade 72 rotates.

  A grinding blade 54 is attached to the blade rotating shaft 52 at a position slightly above the bottom of the bread container 50. The crushing blade 54 is attached to the blade rotation shaft 52 so as not to rotate. The crushing blade 54 is made of a stainless steel plate and has a shape like an airplane propeller (this shape is merely an example) as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The crushing blade 54 can be pulled out and removed from the blade rotating shaft 52, and can be easily washed after the bread-making operation and replaced when the sharpness deteriorates.

  A planar dome-shaped cover 70 is rotatably attached to the upper end of the blade rotation shaft 52. The cover 70 is made of an aluminum alloy die-cast product and is received by the hub 54a of the grinding blade 54 to cover the grinding blade 54. Since this cover 70 can also be easily pulled out from the blade rotating shaft 52, it is possible to easily perform washing after the bread making operation is completed.

  On the upper outer surface of the cover 70, a kneading blade 72 having a square shape “<” is attached by a support shaft 71 extending in the vertical direction and disposed at a position away from the blade rotation shaft 52. The kneading blade 72 is a die-cast product of aluminum alloy. The support shaft 71 is fixed or integrated with the kneading blade 72 and moves together with the kneading blade 72.

  The kneading blade 72 rotates in a horizontal plane around the support shaft 71, and takes a folded posture shown in FIG. 5 and an open posture shown in FIG. In the folded position, the kneading blade 72 is in contact with a stopper portion 73 formed on the cover 70 and cannot be rotated clockwise with respect to the cover 70 any more. At this time, the tip of the kneading blade 72 slightly protrudes from the cover 70. In the open position, the tip of the kneading blade 72 is separated from the stopper portion 73, and the tip of the kneading blade 72 protrudes greatly from the cover 70.

  The cover 70 has a window 74 that communicates the space inside the cover and the space outside the cover, and guides the pulverized material provided on the inner surface side corresponding to each window 74 and pulverized by the pulverization blade 54 toward the window 74. And ribs 75 are formed. With this configuration, the efficiency of pulverization using the pulverization blade 54 is enhanced.

  A clutch 76 is interposed between the cover 70 and the blade rotation shaft 52 as shown in FIG. The clutch 76 rotates the blade in the rotation direction of the blade rotation shaft 52 when the kneading motor 60 rotates the drive shaft 14 (this rotation direction is “forward rotation”; clockwise rotation in FIG. 4). The shaft 52 and the cover 70 are connected. On the contrary, in the rotation direction of the blade rotation shaft 52 when the pulverization motor 64 rotates the driving shaft 14 (this rotation direction is referred to as “reverse rotation”, which is counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 4), the clutch 76. Disconnects the blade rotation shaft 52 and the cover 70 from each other. 5 and 6, the “forward rotation” is a counterclockwise rotation, and the “reverse rotation” is a clockwise rotation.

  The clutch 76 switches the coupling state according to the attitude of the kneading blade 72. That is, when the kneading blade 72 is in the folded position shown in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 4, the second engaging body 76b (for example, fixed to the support shaft 71) is the first engaging body 76a (for example, the grinding blade 54). When the blade rotation shaft 52 rotates in the forward direction, the first engagement body 76a and the second engagement body 76b engage with each other, and the rotation force of the blade rotation shaft 52 Is transmitted to the cover 70 and the kneading blade 72. On the other hand, when the kneading blade 72 is in the open position shown in FIG. 6, the second engagement body 76b is in a state of deviating from the rotation track of the first engagement body 76a as shown in FIG. The first engagement body 76a and the second engagement body 76b are not engaged even if the rotation is reversed. Accordingly, the rotational force of the blade rotation shaft 52 is not transmitted to the cover 70 and the kneading blade 72. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing the state of the clutch when the kneading blade is in the open position.

  FIG. 8 is a control block diagram of the automatic bread maker according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the control operation in the automatic bread maker 1 is performed by the control device 81. The control device 81 includes, for example, a microcomputer (microcomputer) including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an I / O (input / output) circuit unit, and the like. . The controller 81 is preferably disposed at a position that is not easily affected by the heat of the baking chamber 40. In the automatic bread maker 1, the controller 81 is disposed between the front side wall of the main body 10 and the baking chamber 40.

  The control device 81 includes a first temperature detection unit 18, a second temperature detection unit 19, the operation unit 20 described above, a bulge detection unit 42 including the light emitting element 42a and the light receiving element 42b, and kneading. A motor drive circuit 82, a grinding motor drive circuit 83, and a heater drive circuit 84 are electrically connected.

  The 1st temperature detection part 18 is a temperature sensor which is provided in the side surface of the main body 10 as shown in FIG. 2, and can detect external temperature. As shown in FIG. 1, the second temperature detector 19 includes a temperature sensor 19 a and a solenoid 19 b, and is provided so that the front end side of the temperature sensor 19 a protrudes from the front side wall of the baking chamber 40 into the baking chamber 40. Yes. The tip of the temperature sensor 19a can be switched between a position in contact with the bread container 50 and a non-contact position by a solenoid 19b. FIG. 1 shows a case where the tip of the temperature sensor 19a is in a non-contact position with the bread container 50. The second temperature detector 19 switches the temperature in the baking chamber 40 (this is an example of the temperature around the bread container of the present invention) and the temperature of the bread container 50 by switching the tip position of the temperature sensor 19a. Can be detected.

  The kneading motor driving circuit 82 is a circuit that controls the driving of the kneading motor 60 under a command from the control device 81. The crushing motor drive circuit 83 is a circuit that controls the driving of the crushing motor 64 under a command from the control device 81. The heater drive circuit 84 is a circuit that controls the operation of the sheathed heater 41 under a command from the control device 81.

  The control device 81 reads a program relating to a bread manufacturing course (breadmaking course) stored in a ROM or the like based on an input signal from the operation unit 20, and a kneading blade by the kneading motor 60 via the kneading motor driving circuit 82. The automatic bread maker 1 performs panning control while controlling the rotation of the grinding blade 54 by the grinding motor 64 through the grinding motor driving circuit 83 and the heating operation by the sheathed heater 41 through the heater driving circuit 84 through the grinding motor driving circuit 83. The manufacturing process is executed. Further, the control device 81 is provided with a time measuring function, and temporal control in the bread manufacturing process is possible.

The control device 81 is an embodiment of the control means of the present invention. The kneading blade 72, the kneading motor 60, and the kneading motor drive circuit 82 are embodiments of the kneading means of the present invention. The pulverization blade 54, the pulverization motor 64, and the pulverization motor drive circuit 83 are embodiments of the pulverization means of the present invention. The sheathed heater 41 and the heater driving circuit 84 are embodiments of the heating means of the present invention. Moreover, the 1st temperature detection part 18 and the 2nd temperature detection part 19 are embodiment of the temperature detection means of this invention. Further, the bulge detection unit 42 is an embodiment of the bulge detection means of the present invention.
(Operation of automatic bread machine)
The automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above manufactures bread from rice grains (one form of cereal grains) in addition to a bread course that produces (baked) bread from wheat flour or rice flour ( Bake) bread course (rice grain bread course) can be executed. However, the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment is characterized by a control operation when the rice grain bread making course is executed. For this reason, below, operation | movement of the automatic bread maker 1 is demonstrated focusing on when the bread-making course for rice grains is performed.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the flow of the bread making course for rice grains in the automatic bread maker of the present embodiment. In FIG. 9, the temperature indicates the temperature of the bread container 50. As shown in FIG. 9, in the rice grain breadmaking course, the water absorption process before pulverization (one form of liquid absorption process before pulverization), the pulverization process, the water absorption process after pulverization (one form of liquid absorption process after pulverization), The kneading step, the fermentation step, and the firing step are sequentially performed in this order. In addition, in a fermentation process, although mentioned later for details, the case where degassing is performed in the middle may be performed.

  In producing bread with a rice grain breadmaking course, a user attaches a crushing blade 54 and a cover 70 with a kneading blade 72 to a bread container 50. Then, the user measures a predetermined amount of rice grains and water (for example, 220 g of rice grains and 210 g of water) and puts them in the bread container 50. Here, rice grains and water are mixed, but instead of mere water, for example, a liquid having a taste component such as broth, a fruit juice, a liquid containing alcohol, or the like may be mixed. . The user puts the bread container 50 into which the rice grains and water have been put into the baking chamber 40, closes the lid 30, selects the rice grain breadmaking course by the operation unit 20, and presses the start key. Thereby, the bread-making course for rice grains which manufactures bread from rice grains is started.

  The water absorption step before pulverization is a step aimed at making the rice grains easy to pulverize to the core in the subsequent pulverization step by including water (one form of liquid) in the rice grains. The control device 81 drives the solenoid 19b at the start of the pre-grinding water absorption process (for example, it may be performed immediately after pressing the start key or after a while), and the tip of the temperature sensor 19a is moved to the bread container 50. Make contact. Thereby, the control apparatus 81 detects the temperature of the bread container 50 via the temperature sensor 19a.

  And the control apparatus 81 determines the time of the water absorption process before a grinding | pulverization from the table (refer FIG. 10) which shows the temperature of the detected bread container 50, and the time of the water absorption process before a grinding | pulverization previously matched with container temperature. To do. This table is stored in the ROM of the control device 81, for example. The water absorption speed of rice grains varies depending on the temperature of the water. If the water temperature is high, the water absorption speed increases, and if the water temperature is low, the water absorption speed decreases. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, when the temperature of the bread container 50 (indicating the temperature reflecting the water temperature) is high, the time of the water absorption step before crushing is shortened, and when the temperature of the bread container 50 is low By lengthening the time of the water absorption step before pulverization, it is possible to suppress variation in the water absorption degree of the rice grains.

  Note that the table in FIG. 10 is obtained by experiments in advance so that a good bread can be obtained, but is merely an example and can be changed as appropriate. For example, in FIG. 10, the time for the water absorption step before pulverization is changed every 5 ° C., but this temperature interval may be increased or decreased. Moreover, the upper limit and the lower limit of the temperature may be determined as appropriate.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the time for the pre-grinding water absorption step is determined based on the temperature of the bread container 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the temperature of the bread raw material contained in the bread container 50 can be measured. And it is good also as a structure which determines the time of the water absorption process before a grinding | pulverization based on this temperature. In addition, since the water used depending on the season tends to be cold or warm, the time for the water absorption step before pulverization is determined based on, for example, the outside air temperature or the temperature of the baking chamber 40 (the temperature around the bread container 50). However, in this case, the water temperature in the bread container 50 is not appropriately reflected, and the water absorption degree of the rice grains may vary. For this reason, it is preferable to determine the time of the water absorption process before crushing based on the temperature of the bread container 50 and the temperature of the bread raw material in the bread container 50.

  In the water absorption step before pulverization, the pulverization blade 54 may be rotated at the initial stage, and thereafter the pulverization blade 54 may be intermittently rotated. In this way, the surface of the rice grain can be damaged, and the liquid absorption efficiency of the rice grain can be increased.

  When the time of the pre-grinding water absorption step determined as described above elapses (the pre-grinding water absorption step is completed), the pulverization step of pulverizing the rice grains is executed according to a command from the control device 81. In this pulverization step, the pulverization blade 54 is rotated at high speed in a mixture of rice grains and water. Specifically, the control device 81 controls the pulverization motor 64 to rotate the blade rotation shaft 52 in the reverse direction, and starts the rotation of the pulverization blade 54 in the mixture of rice grains and water. At this time, the cover 70 also starts rotating following the rotation of the blade rotation shaft 52, but the rotation of the cover 70 is immediately prevented by the following operation.

  The rotation direction of the cover 70 accompanying the rotation of the blade rotation shaft 52 for rotating the pulverization blade 54 is clockwise in FIG. 5, and the kneading blade 72 has been in the folded posture (the posture shown in FIG. 5). In this case, the resistance is changed by the resistance received from the mixture of rice grains and water and the posture is changed to the posture shown in FIG. When the kneading blade 72 is in the open position, as shown in FIG. 7, the clutch 76 connects the blade rotation shaft 52 and the cover 70 so that the second engagement body 76b deviates from the rotation track of the first engagement body 76a. Separate. At the same time, the kneading blade 72 in the open position abuts against the inner wall of the bread container 50 as shown in FIG.

  The pulverization of the rice grains in the pulverization step is performed in a state where water is soaked in the rice grains by the water absorption step before pulverization, so that the rice grains can be easily pulverized to the core. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of a crushing process executed in the automatic bread maker of the present embodiment. A detailed flow of the pulverization step will be described below with reference to FIG.

  In starting the crushing process, as described above, the control device 81 controls the crushing motor 64 to start the rotation of the crushing blade 54 (step S1). Almost simultaneously with the start of the rotation of the grinding blade 54, the time measurement and the monitoring of the value of the control current supplied to the grinding motor 64 are started (step S2). The value of the control current supplied to the grinding motor 64 is an example of a parameter that has a correlation with the load of the grinding motor 64. The purpose of monitoring the load of the crushing motor 64 is to detect the crushing state of the rice grains put into the bread container 50.

  When monitoring of the control current value of the grinding motor 64 is started, the control device 81 first checks whether or not the current value has reached a predetermined level (step S3). Here, the predetermined level is a value (current value) determined in advance as an experiment as a preferable condition for baking a good bread, and is stored in the ROM of the control device 81, for example. If the current value has reached the predetermined level (Yes in step S3), the control device 81 stops the rotation of the crushing blade 54 (step S4) and ends the crushing process.

  On the other hand, when the current value does not reach the predetermined level (No in step S3), the control device 81 checks whether or not the rotation time of the crushing blade 54 has passed 1 minute (step S5). If the rotation time has not passed 1 minute (No in step S5), the process returns to step S3 and the above operation is repeated. On the other hand, when the rotation time has passed 1 minute (Yes in Step S5), the control device 81 stops the rotation of the crushing blade 54 (Step S6). The control device 81 waits until the rotation stop period of the grinding blade 54 has passed 3 minutes (step S7), and then restarts the rotation of the grinding blade 54 (step S8). After that, it returns to step S3 and repeats the above-mentioned operation.

  When the pulverization process proceeds in this way, even if there is a change in the environment in which the automatic bread maker 1 is placed or a variation in the hardness of the rice grains to be used, the state of the mixture of water and pulverized powder after the pulverization process Can be made substantially constant. For this reason, it is possible to suppress variations in the quality of bread.

  Note that the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment is configured to check whether or not the control current value of the crushing motor 64 has reached a predetermined level immediately after the rotation of the crushing blade 54 is started. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, for example, the current value tends to be unstable at the initial stage when the rotation of the grinding blade 54 is started. Therefore, confirmation of whether or not the control current value has reached a predetermined level may be started after a predetermined period has elapsed.

  In some cases, the control current value may never reach a predetermined level. As a countermeasure in such a case, for example, when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of crushing, the crushing process may be ended even when the control current value has not reached a predetermined level. As another countermeasure, for example, the user may be notified of an abnormality by displaying an error or the like, and the pulverization process may be interrupted.

  In this embodiment, the rotation of the crushing blade 54 is intermittent rotation that repeats rotation (1 minute) and stop (3 minutes). When the control current value of the crushing motor 64 reaches a predetermined level, the rotation operation is performed. The crushing process is terminated after stopping. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the rotation period and stop period of the grinding blade 54 may be changed as appropriate. Further, the grinding blade 54 may be rotated continuously instead of intermittently. However, intermittent rotation is preferable because the rice grains can be crushed uniformly by convection by using intermittent rotation.

  In the present embodiment, the pulverization state of the rice grains is detected using the load of the pulverization motor 64. The control current value supplied to the crushing motor 64 is used as a parameter having a correlation with the load of the crushing motor 64. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the parameters correlated with the load of the crushing motor 64 include, for example, the torque of the crushing motor 64, the power value when the crushing motor 64 is driven, the temperature change of the crushing motor 64, and the like. You may make it. In short, it is only necessary to select a parameter having a correlation with the load of the crushing motor 64 and capable of detecting the crushing state by monitoring the parameter.

  Further, during the crushing step, the vibration of the bread container 50 is large, and therefore it is preferable that the temperature sensor 19a of the second temperature detection unit 19 is in a position where it does not contact the bread container 50. Thereby, damage to temperature sensor 19a and bread container 50 can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the pulverization step, the temperature of the bread container 50 (the temperature of the pulverized powder in the bread container 50) rises due to frictional heat during the pulverization. And the temperature of the bread container 50 will be about 40-45 degreeC, for example. In this state, when yeast is added and bread dough is made, the yeast does not work and good bread cannot be produced. In consideration of such points and the like, the automatic bread maker 1 is provided with a water absorption step after pulverization in which the pulverized rice grains are left immersed in water after the pulverization step.

  The water absorption step after pulverization is a cooling period in which the temperature of the pulverized rice grain powder is lowered, and at the same time, the pulverized powder further absorbs water to increase the amount of fine particles. Thus, by increasing the fine particles, it becomes possible to bake fine bread. The water absorption step after pulverization may be performed only for a predetermined time. In such a configuration, for example, depending on the environmental temperature, the bread container 50 (bread raw material) at the start of the next kneading step is performed. Due to variations in temperature, a good bread may not be obtained.

  For this reason, as one countermeasure, the first temperature detection unit 18 (detecting the outside air temperature) or the second temperature detection unit 19 (the tip of the temperature sensor 19a is not brought into contact with the bread container 50. That is, The environment temperature is detected by, for example, the end of the crushing process (may be before the start of the crushing process in some cases) by using the temperature around the bread container 50 (the temperature in the baking chamber 40). You may make it determine the time of the water absorption process after a grinding | pulverization based on temperature. Thereby, the dispersion | variation in the temperature of the bread container 50 in the stage which the water absorption process after a grinding | pulverization was completed can be suppressed.

  Specifically, for example, a table is created by examining the relationship between the environmental temperature and the time during which the temperature of the bread container 50 after the pulverization process becomes the optimum temperature (for example, about 28 ° C. to 30 ° C.) This table is stored in the ROM of the control device 81. For example, as in the table of FIG. 10, the optimum water absorption time is examined and stored at intervals of 5 ° C. for a certain range of environmental temperature. Then, the environmental temperature is detected as described above, the water absorption time is determined from the detected temperature and the table stored in the ROM of the control device 81 in advance, and the water absorption process after pulverization is executed. In the case of the water absorption process after pulverization, it is necessary to lengthen the process time when the environmental temperature is high, and shorten the process time when the environmental temperature is low.

  In the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment, the water absorption step after pulverization is not the above-described method, but the method time of the water absorption step after pulverization is appropriately changed by another method as shown in FIG. Is supposed to run. This will be described below.

  When the pulverization process ends, the control device 81 detects the outside air temperature by the first temperature detection unit 18 (step S11). It is confirmed whether or not the detected outside air temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature set in advance (step S12). The predetermined temperature is a preferable temperature when starting the kneading process, and is set to a temperature of 28 ° C. or higher and 30 ° C. or lower, for example.

  When the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature (Yes in Step S12), the control device 81 detects the temperature of the bread container 50 by the second temperature detector 19 (Step S13). Here, temperature detection is performed with the tip of the temperature sensor 19 a of the second temperature detection unit 19 in contact with the bread container 50. And the control apparatus 81 confirms whether the temperature of the detected bread container 50 is below predetermined temperature (step S14).

  When the detected temperature of the bread container 50 is equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature (Yes in step S14), the control device 81 sets a first time (for example, 30) set in advance after the water absorption process after pulverization is started. It is confirmed whether or not (minute) has elapsed (step S15). The first time is provided so that the time for the water absorption step after pulverization does not become too short. That is, as described above, the water absorption step after pulverization also plays a role of increasing the amount of fine particles of the pulverized powder by further absorbing water into the pulverized powder obtained in the pulverization step. For this reason, since it is not preferable if the water absorption process after grinding becomes too short, the first time is set. However, if the first time is set too long, the pulverized powder will be cooled too much and cause a temperature variation at the start of the kneading process. Therefore, the first time is set so that such a situation does not occur. It is preferable to do this. Note that step S15 for confirming whether or not the first time has elapsed may be configured not to be provided.

  If the first time has elapsed since the start of the water absorption process after pulverization (Yes in step S15), the control device 81 ends the water absorption process after pulverization. On the other hand, if the first time has not elapsed since the start of the water absorption process after pulverization (No in step S15), the control device 81 waits until the first time elapses, and performs the water absorption process after pulverization. finish.

  When the detected temperature of the bread container 50 is higher than the predetermined temperature (No in step S14), the control device 81 performs a second time (first time) set in advance after the water absorption process after crushing is started. It is confirmed whether or not the time is longer than the time, for example, 60 minutes (step S16). And when the 2nd time has passed (it is Yes at Step S16), even if the temperature of bread container 50 has not reached predetermined temperature, the water absorption process after crushing is ended. On the other hand, when the second time has not elapsed (No in step S16), the process returns to step S13, and the operations after step S13 are performed.

  Step S16 for confirming whether or not the second time has elapsed since the start of the water absorption step after pulverization is provided for the following reason. That is, it may be assumed that it takes a very long time for the temperature of the bread container 50 to drop to a predetermined temperature. In such a case, if the kneading process is not started indefinitely, the bread production time becomes extremely long, and the user may feel inconvenient. For this reason, the upper limit of the water absorption time is set so that the time of the water absorption step after pulverization does not become too long. However, this step S16 may be omitted. In this case, it waits until the temperature of the bread container 50 reaches a predetermined temperature, and the water absorption process after pulverization is completed.

  By the way, when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, it is impossible to lower the temperature of the bread container 50 to a predetermined temperature in the water absorption step after pulverization. For this reason, in this case, in principle, the water absorption step after pulverization is terminated when the temperature falls to the outside temperature. In detail, it processes as follows.

  That is, when the outside air temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature in Step S12 (No in Step S12), the control device 81 detects the temperature of the bread container 50 by the second temperature detection unit 19 (Step S17). Then, the control device 81 confirms whether or not the detected temperature of the bread container 50 is equal to or lower than the outside air temperature (step S18).

  When the detected temperature of the bread container 50 is equal to or lower than the outside air temperature (Yes in step S18), the control device 81 determines whether or not the first time has elapsed since the water absorption process after pulverization was started. Confirm (step S19). The first time is determined for the same purpose as in step S5. And it is good also as a structure which does not provide step S19 similarly to step 5. FIG.

  If the first time has elapsed since the start of the water absorption process after pulverization (Yes in step S19), the control device 81 ends the water absorption process after pulverization. On the other hand, when the first time has not elapsed since the start of the water absorption process after pulverization (No in step S19), the control device 81 waits until the first time elapses, and performs the water absorption process after pulverization. finish.

  When the detected temperature of the bread container 50 is higher than the outside air temperature (No in step S18), the control device 81 has the second time set in advance since the water absorption step after pulverization is started? It is confirmed whether or not (step S20). And when the 2nd time has passed (it is Yes at Step S20), even if the temperature of bread container 50 has not reached outside temperature, the water absorption process after crushing is ended. On the other hand, when the second time has not elapsed (No in step S20), the process returns to step S17, and the operations after step S17 are performed.

  The purpose of providing step S20 is the same as the purpose of providing step S16. Step S20 may not be provided in the same manner as step S16. In this case, the process waits until the temperature of the bread container 50 reaches the outside air temperature, and the water absorption process after pulverization is completed.

  In the present embodiment, the time for the water absorption process after pulverization is varied based on the temperature of the bread container 50, but the time for the water absorption process after pulverization is varied based on the bread raw material temperature in the bread container 50. It is good.

  In the present embodiment, the time required for the water absorption step after pulverization (end time of the water absorption step after pulverization) is determined while appropriately detecting the temperature of the bread container 50 during the water absorption step after pulverization. Instead, at the start of the water absorption step after pulverization, for example, the outside air temperature and the temperature of the bread container 50 are detected, and the temperature decrease rate of the bread container 50 predicted by the outside air temperature (need to be obtained by experiments in advance). In addition, the time required for the water absorption step after crushing may be determined from the temperature of the bread container 50.

  When the water absorption step after pulverization is completed, a kneading step is subsequently performed. At the start of the kneading process, seasonings such as gluten, salt, sugar, and shortening are each put in a predetermined amount (for example, gluten 50 g, sugar 16 g, salt 4 g, shortening 10 g) into the bread container 50. This insertion may be performed by the user's hand, for example, or an automatic insertion device may be provided to insert them without bothering the user's hand.

  Gluten is not an essential ingredient for bread. For this reason, you may judge whether to add to a bread raw material according to liking. Further, a thickening stabilizer (eg, guar gum) or wheat flour may be used instead of gluten.

  At the start of the kneading process, the control device 81 controls the kneading motor 60 to rotate the blade rotating shaft 52 in the forward direction. When the cover 70 rotates in the forward direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 6) following the forward rotation of the blade rotation shaft 52, the kneading blade 72 is opened by receiving resistance from the bread ingredients in the bread container 50. From (see FIG. 6) to the folded posture (see FIG. 5). In response to this, as shown in FIG. 4, the clutch 76 connects the blade rotating shaft 52 and the cover 70 at an angle at which the second engagement body 76 b interferes with the rotation track of the first engagement body 76 a. As a result, the cover 70 and the kneading blade 72 rotate in the forward direction together with the blade rotation shaft 52. The kneading blade 72 is rotated at a low speed and a high torque.

  As the kneading blade 72 rotates, the bread ingredients are kneaded and kneaded into a dough that has a predetermined elasticity. When the kneading blade 72 swings the dough and knocks it against the inner wall of the bread container 50, an element of “kneading” is added to the kneading. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of a kneading process executed in the automatic bread maker of the present embodiment. The detailed flow of the kneading process will be described below with reference to FIG.

  When the water absorption process after pulverization is completed and gluten or seasoning is charged into the bread container 50, the control device 81 controls the kneading motor 60 to start the rotation of the kneading blade 72 (step S21). Further, almost simultaneously with the start of rotation of the kneading blade 72, the control device 81 starts time measurement (step S22). The bread ingredients in the bread container 50 are kneaded by the kneading blade 60 until a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the time measurement (step S23). To be precise, in the present embodiment, the rotation of the kneading blade 72 during this period is an intermittent rotation. However, the rotation of the kneading blade 72 during this time may be a continuous rotation.

  When the predetermined time has elapsed, the control device 81 stops the rotation of the kneading blade 72 (step S24). Then, while this kneading blade 72 is stopped, yeast (for example, dry yeast) is charged. The yeast may be thrown in by the user's hand, or may be put in automatically by providing an automatic throwing device. The reason why the yeast is not added together with gluten is to prevent the yeast (dry yeast) and water from coming into direct contact as much as possible and to prevent the yeast from scattering. However, in some cases, yeast may be added simultaneously with gluten or the like. In this embodiment, yeast is introduced while the kneading blade 72 is stopped. However, yeast may be introduced while the kneading blade 72 is rotated.

  When yeast is introduced while the kneading blade 72 is stopped, the control device 81 restarts the rotation of the kneading blade 72 and starts monitoring the value of the control current supplied to the kneading motor 60 (step). S25). In this embodiment, the kneading blade 72 is rotated continuously after the yeast is charged. When the kneading blade 72 rotates, the control device 81 checks whether or not the current value has reached a predetermined level (step S26). This confirmation is performed until the current value reaches a predetermined level. Then, when the current value reaches a predetermined level, the kneading blade 72 is stopped to finish the kneading process.

  The predetermined level is a value (current value) determined in advance as an experiment as a preferable condition for baking a good bread, and is stored in the ROM of the control device 81, for example. The value of the control current supplied to the kneading motor 60 is an example of a parameter having a correlation with the load of the kneading motor 60. In addition, for example, the torque of the kneading motor 60, the power value when the kneading motor 60 is driven, the kneading motor 60 A temperature change of the motor 60 or the like may be used as the parameter. The purpose of monitoring the load on the kneading motor 60 is to detect the state of the bread dough in the bread container 50.

  Note that the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment is configured to check whether or not the control current value of the kneading motor 60 has reached a predetermined level immediately after the rotation of the kneading blade 72 is resumed. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, for example, the current value tends to become unstable at the initial stage when the rotation of the kneading blade 72 is resumed. Therefore, confirmation of whether or not the control current value has reached a predetermined level may be started after a predetermined period has elapsed.

  In some cases, the control current value may never reach a predetermined level. As a countermeasure in such a case, for example, when a predetermined time has passed since the rotation of the kneading blade 72 is resumed, the kneading process may be terminated even when the control current value does not reach the predetermined level. . As another countermeasure, for example, the user may be notified of the abnormality by an error display or the like, and the kneading process may be interrupted.

  In the automatic bread maker 1, in this kneading process, the control device 81 controls the sheathed heater 41 to adjust the temperature of the baking chamber 40 to a predetermined temperature (for example, 32 ° C.). In this case, the tip of the temperature sensor 19 a of the second temperature detection unit 19 is in a position where it does not contact the bread container 50. For this reason, in the kneading process in which the vibration of the bread container 50 is large, the temperature sensor 19a and the bread container 50 are hardly damaged. In addition, when baking bread containing ingredients (for example, raisins, etc.), it may be added during the kneading process.

  When the kneading process is completed, a fermentation process is performed in which the bread dough is fermented at a temperature suitable for fermentation (fermentation temperature) according to a command from the control device 81. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a detailed flow of a fermentation process executed in the automatic bread maker of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the detailed flow of the fermentation process will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the kneading process is completed, the control device 81 first controls the sheathed heater 41 to start temperature control so that the temperature of the baking chamber 40 becomes a predetermined fermentation temperature (for example, 38 ° C.) and time. Start measurement. At the same time, monitoring of the bulge detector 42 is started (step S31). In addition, the temperature detection of the baking chamber 40 in a fermentation process is performed in the state which stopped the drive of the solenoid 19b of the 2nd temperature detection part 19, and the temperature sensor 19a left | separated from the bread container 50. FIG.

  Next, the control device 81 confirms that the first predetermined time has not elapsed (step S32). This first predetermined time is a time required by experiments as a time when the bread dough is continuously fermented as it is and a large cavity is formed in the bread dough and there is a high possibility that a high-quality bread cannot be obtained. In the automatic bread maker 1 of this embodiment, 60 minutes is used, but this time may be changed as appropriate.

  When the first predetermined time has not elapsed (Yes in step S32), the control device 81 is in the detection state of the bulge detection unit 42 (the bread dough is at a predetermined height (for example, 5 mm from the upper surface of the bread container 50). (Height is inflated to the height)) (step S33). When the bulge detection unit 42 is in the detection state (Yes in step S33), the control device 81 ferments the bread dough just in good condition, and if the fermentation continues further, the dough is too bulging and is inconvenient (for example, large It is determined that a cavity is generated or bread dough has adhered to the lid 30), and the fermentation process is terminated (step S34). On the other hand, when the bulge detection unit 42 is not in the detection state (the bread dough is not bulged to a predetermined height) (No in step S33), the control device 81 returns to step 32 and repeats the process.

  If the first predetermined time has elapsed (No in step S32), the control device 81 confirms that the second predetermined time has not elapsed (step S35). This second predetermined time is the time required for the bread dough to be fermented to a good condition (the bread dough is in a state where it is inflated until it is detected by the swelling detection unit 42). Even if it takes a long time, it is a time determined based on the standard that this time will not normally be exceeded, and is determined experimentally. In the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment, 80 minutes is set, but this time may be appropriately changed.

  When the second predetermined time has not elapsed (Yes in step S35), the control device 81 determines whether or not the bulge detection unit 42 is in a detection state (a state where the bread dough is bulged to a predetermined height). Is confirmed (step S36). When the bulge detection unit 42 is in the detection state (Yes in step S36), the control device 81 controls the kneading motor 60 to move the kneading blade 72 at a very slow speed (for example, 10.8 rpm) for a short time. It is rotated (for example, 10 seconds), and degassing is performed to remove the gas accumulated in the dough (step S37). Thereby, the bread dough is deflated and becomes lower than a predetermined height (for example, a height of 5 mm from the upper surface of the bread container 50). On the other hand, if the bulge detection unit 42 is not in the detection state (No in step S36), the control device 81 returns to step 35 and repeats the process.

  There is a possibility that gas is accumulated and a large cavity is formed in the bread dough detected by the bulge detection unit 42 after the first predetermined time has elapsed and before the second predetermined time has elapsed. Is expensive. Baking the bread in such a state is not preferable because the bread having a large cavity inside is baked. For this reason, degassing is performed during the fermentation process so that a large cavity is not formed inside the bread. When degassing, if the kneading blade 72 is rotated at a high speed, the dough is crushed and it becomes difficult to bake the plump bread. For this reason, as in the present embodiment, the rotation of the kneading blade 72 during degassing is preferably performed at a low speed, and the time is also preferably short.

  After degassing, it is confirmed that the third predetermined time has not elapsed since degassing was completed (step S38). This third predetermined time is the time required for the dough after the degassing to be inflated in good condition (the dough is inflated until it is detected by the inflating detection unit 42) (the time after degassing). No matter how long it takes, it is a time determined by the standard that this time will not normally be exceeded and is experimentally required. In the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment, the time is 50 minutes, but this time may be changed as appropriate.

  If the third predetermined time has not elapsed (Yes in step S38), the control device 81 determines whether or not the bulge detection unit 42 is in a detection state (a state in which the bread dough is bulged to a predetermined height). Is confirmed (step S39). When the bulge detection unit 42 is in the detection state (Yes in step S39), the control device 81 ferments the bread dough just in good condition, and if the fermentation is continued further, the dough is too bulging and is inconvenient (for example, large It is determined that a cavity is generated or bread dough has adhered to the lid 30), and the fermentation process is terminated (step S34). On the other hand, if the bulge detection unit 42 is not in the detection state (No in step S39), the control device 81 returns to step 38 and repeats the process.

  By the way, when it is determined in step S35 that the second predetermined time has elapsed (No in step S35), and when it is determined in step S38 that the third predetermined time has elapsed (step S38). In No), the bread dough swells insufficiently, but the control device 81 ends the fermentation process (step 34).

  As described above, the second predetermined time and the third predetermined time are normally set such that the bread dough detection unit 42 detects the bread dough before this time elapses. For this reason, even if it waits for bread dough to further swell in this state (No in step S35 and No in step S38), there is a high possibility that the dough will not easily swell to the desired state. Then, in order to avoid that the manufacturing process of bread becomes long, the fermentation process is ended as described above. The second predetermined time and the third predetermined time are provided with such an intention. However, in some cases, step S35 and step S38 may not be provided. However, it is preferable to configure as in the present embodiment.

  Such a state (No in step S35 and No in step S38) should not normally occur. If such a state occurs, there is a possibility that high-quality bread cannot be baked. high. For this reason, before starting the baking process performed following a fermentation process, you may make it notify such a situation to a user by an alarm sound, an error display, etc., and may interrupt manufacture of bread depending on the case. You may make it do.

  When the fermentation process is performed as described above, for example, regardless of the environment in which the automatic bread maker 1 is placed or fluctuations in raw materials (particularly fluctuations in the amount of yeast), the fermentation process is terminated and the fermentation process is terminated. It is possible. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the possibility that an unsatisfactory bread is produced due to a defect in the fermentation process. Moreover, it can prevent that dough adheres to the back side of the lid | cover 30 of the automatic bread maker 1 in a fermentation process.

  In the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment, the first to third predetermined times are stored in the ROM or the like of the control device 81 as fixed values, but are not limited to this configuration. That is, for example, a plurality of first to third predetermined times are prepared corresponding to the environmental temperature (a table is stored in a ROM or the like), and corresponding to the environmental temperature where the automatic bread maker 1 is placed. You may make it fluctuate suitably.

  When the fermentation process is completed, the firing process is subsequently executed according to a command from the control device 81. The control device 81 controls the sheathed heater 41 to raise the temperature of the baking chamber 40 to a temperature suitable for baking (for example, 125 ° C.), and for a predetermined time (50 in this embodiment) in the baking environment. Min) Bake bread. The end of the firing process is notified to the user by, for example, a display on a liquid crystal display panel (not shown) of the operation unit 20 or a notification sound. When detecting the completion of bread making, the user opens the lid 30 and takes out the bread container 50.

  In this baking process, there may be a difference in the time to reach a temperature suitable for baking bread depending on the environmental temperature (outside air temperature) where the automatic bread maker 1 is placed. For this reason, it is good also as a structure by which the time of a baking process is fluctuate | varied also in this baking process based on external temperature.

As described above, according to the automatic bread maker 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to bake bread from rice grains, which is very convenient. And the bread making course for rice grains has been devised so as to be able to suppress the influence on the fluctuation of the environmental temperature where the automatic bread maker 1 is placed, the variation in the hardness of the rice grains used as bread ingredients, the error in the input amount of bread ingredients, etc. Therefore, it is possible to stably produce a good (high quality) bread from rice grains.
(Other)
The automatic bread maker shown above is an example of the present invention, and the configuration of the automatic bread maker to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the embodiment described above.

  For example, in the embodiment described above, bread is produced from rice grains. However, the bread is not limited to rice grains, and bread is produced using grains such as wheat, barley, straw, buckwheat, buckwheat, corn, and soybeans as raw materials. Even in this case, the present invention is applied.

  Moreover, in embodiment shown above, the light emitting element 42a and the light receiving element 42b which comprise the swelling detection part 42 are arranged in the left-right side of the automatic bread maker 1 among the four surrounding side walls 40a which comprise the baking chamber 40. It was set as the structure provided in a pair of located surrounding side wall. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, for example, the light emitting element 42a and the light receiving element 42b may be provided on a pair of peripheral side walls located on the front and rear sides of the automatic bread maker 1. Further, the light emitting element 42a and the light receiving element 42b are not provided on the peripheral side wall 40a of the baking chamber 40, but may be provided, for example, on the back side of the lid 30 or the bread container 50. In the present embodiment, the photo interrupter constituting the bulge detection unit 42 has a so-called light transmission type configuration, but may be a light reflection type configuration depending on circumstances.

  Further, in the embodiment described above, the bulge detection unit 42 is configured by a photo interrupter, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, for example, the bulge detection unit may be configured by a thin line made of metal or the like and a tension detection unit that detects a change in tension applied to the thin line. In this case, the fine line is provided so as to be separated from the upper surface of the bread container 50 by a predetermined height. Both ends of the thin wire are fixed to, for example, the peripheral side wall 40a of the baking chamber 40, and the tension change can be detected by the tension detecting means on one end side. In this way, when the bread dough exceeds a predetermined height from the upper surface of the bread container 50, the tension applied to the thin line changes, so that the bread dough swells beyond the predetermined height from the upper surface of the bread container 50. Can be detected. In the case of this configuration, it is necessary to set the thin line after the bread container 50 is accommodated in the baking chamber 40.

  In the embodiment described above, the motor load (specifically, the current value) is monitored in the pulverization step and the kneading step, and the end of the process being executed is determined based on the load. However, only one of them may be configured to determine the end of the process being executed based on the motor load.

  For example, in the kneading process, when it is not determined to end the process being executed based on the load of the motor, the kneading process may be executed as follows. That is, when starting the kneading process, the outside temperature is detected by the first temperature detector 18. Then, the time of the kneading step is determined from the detected outside air temperature and a table indicating the time of the kneading step that is set in advance in association with the outside air temperature. This table is stored in the ROM of the control device 81, for example. The quality of the bread dough produced by the kneading process is easily affected by the environmental temperature where the automatic bread maker 1 is placed. By configuring in this way, it is possible to suppress changes in the quality of the bread due to fluctuations in the environmental temperature. In addition, it is good also as a structure which determines the time of a kneading process based on the temperature (for example, temperature of the baking chamber 40) around the bread container 50 instead of determining the time of a kneading process based on external temperature.

  Moreover, in embodiment shown above, it was set as the structure which fluctuates process time using the temperature detected by the temperature detection part in the water absorption process before a grinding | pulverization, and the water absorption process after a grinding | pulverization. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the process time may be fixed to a predetermined time for at least one of the two processes.

  Moreover, the manufacturing process performed with the bread-making course for rice grain shown above is an illustration, and it is good also as another manufacturing process. For example, in the embodiment described above, when producing bread from rice grains, the water absorption process is performed before and after the crushing process. However, the water absorption process may be omitted.

  In addition, in the embodiment described above, the automatic bread maker 1 includes two blades of the crushing blade 54 and the kneading blade 72, and a motor is separately provided for each of them. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and for example, a configuration including a blade and a motor that are used for both pulverization and kneading may be employed. Further, the bread making course executed by the automatic bread maker may be only the rice grain making course.

  The present invention is suitable for an automatic bread maker for home use.

1 Automatic bread maker 18 First temperature detector (part of temperature detector)
19 2nd temperature detection part (a part of temperature detection means)
41 Seeds heater (part of heating means)
42 Swelling detection unit (swelling detection means)
42a Light emitting element (part of bulge detection means)
42b Light receiving element (part of bulge detection means)
50 bread container 54 grinding blade (part of grinding means)
60 Kneading motor (part of kneading means)
64 Crushing motor (part of crushing means)
72 Kneading blade (part of kneading means)
81 Control device (control means)
82 Kneading motor drive circuit (part of kneading means)
83 Crushing motor drive circuit (part of crushing means)
84 Heater drive circuit (part of heating means)

Claims (9)

A bread container into which bread ingredients are charged;
Pulverizing means for pulverizing grain grains put into the bread container as a bread material;
Kneading means for kneading bread ingredients in the bread container into bread dough;
Heating means for heating the bread ingredients in the bread container;
Bulge detection means for detecting that the bread dough in the bread container has bulged to a predetermined height;
A control means for controlling the pulverizing means, the kneading means, and the heating means to execute a bread making course for cereal grains to bake bread using cereal grains,
The cereal grain breadmaking course includes a pulverizing step of pulverizing a mixture of cereal grains and liquid charged in the bread container by the pulverizing means, and a bread material in the bread container containing the pulverized powder of the cereal grains A kneading step of kneading the dough with the kneading means, a fermentation step of fermenting the kneaded dough, and a baking step of baking the fermented dough,
The control means determines whether or not to degas during the fermentation process based on information obtained from the bulge detection means, and the bread dough bulges beyond the predetermined height in the fermentation process. An automatic bread maker characterized by controlling so that there is no such thing.   The control means performs the degassing when the bulge detection means is in a detection state before the first predetermined time elapses after the fermentation process is started. If the swell detection means is not in a detection state before the fermentation process is completed and the first predetermined time has elapsed, the degassing may be performed using the kneading means. 2. The automatic bread maker according to claim 1, wherein   The control means is in a detection state when the bulge detection means is in a detection state until a second predetermined time longer than the first predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the fermentation process. The degassing is executed in a stage, and the fermentation process is terminated without degassing when the swelling detection means does not enter the detection state before the second predetermined time elapses. The automatic bread maker according to claim 2.   When the degassing is executed, the control means determines that the swell detection means is in a detection state before the third predetermined time elapses after the degassing is completed. If the swell detection means does not enter the detection state before the third predetermined time elapses, the fermentation process is performed when the third predetermined time elapses. The automatic bread maker according to claim 2, wherein the automatic bread maker is terminated.   The bulge detecting means is a photointerrupter provided so that light from a light emitting element can be received by a light receiving element, and detecting that the bread dough has bulged to the predetermined height based on a change in a light receiving state. The automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The grinding means includes a grinding blade and a grinding motor that rotates the grinding blade,
The kneading means includes a kneading blade and a kneading motor that rotates the kneading blade,
The at least one of the pulverization step and the kneading step, the control means monitors the load of the motor, and determines the end of the process being executed based on the load. The automatic bread maker according to any one of 1 to 5.   The cereal grain breadmaking course further includes a pre-pulverization liquid absorption step of absorbing liquid into the cereal grains in the bread container prior to the pulverization step. Automatic bread maker described in crab.   The cereal grain breadmaking course further includes a pulverized liquid absorbing step of absorbing liquid into the pulverized cereal grain powder in the bread container after the pulverizing step. The automatic bread maker according to any one of the above. A temperature detection means capable of detecting at least one of an outside air temperature, a temperature of the bread container, a temperature around the bread container, and a temperature of the bread material in the bread container;
Among the plurality of steps performed when the grain bread making course is executed, at least one step of changing the process time using the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means is included. An automatic bread maker according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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