JP2807935B2 - Koji making equipment with stirrer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a koji-making apparatus in which a container for containing steamed rice is circulated in a koji-making chamber and provided with a stirring device for stirring the steamed rice in the container during the circulation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the past, breakthrough refined koji has been used as high-quality koji for producing high-grade sake such as ginjo sake, and these high-quality koji are prepared in a koji-making room (room = room) in which the environment such as temperature and humidity is adjusted. (Muro)
Inside, many containers (koji lid) each containing a small amount of steamed rice
It is necessary to change the stacking position in order to ferment under uniform conditions. As a device for mechanically changing the stacking position, a device disclosed in JP-A-1-269482 is known.

[0003]

However, even when mechanical koji making is carried out mechanically using a large number of containers as described above, steamed rice skewers such as intermediary work and maiming work performed during koji making are required. The shape change and the stirring operation must be performed manually by unloading from the transfer (circulation) device, which is not preferable from the viewpoints of work efficiency and prevention of invasion of various bacteria.

[0004]

An apparatus according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is an environment-controlled koji-making room.
In the apparatus for performing koji making while moving a number of containers 2 containing steamed rice 24 therein, a circulation mechanism 4 for moving the containers 2 is provided, and stirring for stirring the steamed rice 24 in the containers 2 during the movement is performed. It said device 6 循
It is characterized in that it is provided in the ring mechanism 4 .

[0005]

In the circulation mechanism 4, a large number of containers 2 containing steamed rice are moved so as to sequentially circulate, and steamed rice in each container is fermented under uniform conditions in terms of temperature, humidity, and the like. The stirrer 6 is inserted into the container 2 in the middle of the circulation and stirs the steamed rice and changes the shape of the steamed rice. For this reason, the container 2 does not need to be taken out of the circulation mechanism 4 or the koji making chamber 1 for operations such as agitation, so that the efficiency is improved and adhesion of various germs is prevented.

[0006]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1 and 2 are a front view and a side view of a koji making apparatus accommodated in a koji making chamber 1. FIG. In this embodiment, the koji making apparatus includes a laying device 3 for laying the first steamed rice on the koji lid 2 and a large number of the koji lids 2 after loading and stacking. Mechanism 4 for raising and lowering and transferring and circulating (rotating) in order to uniformly provide koji making conditions such as temperature, humidity, Co ₂ concentration, etc .; It comprises a stirrer 6 for equalizing fermentation conditions in each koji lid 1.

[0007] Each of these devices and mechanisms and their operations will be described in detail below. A. Koji-making room The koji-making room 1 has a space for accommodating the koji-making room device therein, and has a peripheral wall made of a non-water-containing and heat-insulating material so as to form an environmental chamber isolated from the external environment. Air conditioner 7 and upper and lower wind paths 8, 9 and hood 11
Connected by The air conditioner 7 purifies the outside air and adjusts the temperature, humidity, air volume, and oxygen concentration as needed.
It has a function to adjust the concentration of carbon dioxide. Further, an external controller (not shown) is provided in the koji making room 1.
A thermometer 12, a hygrometer 13, and a densitometer 14 for sampling and measuring carbon dioxide (Co ₂ ) for measuring and controlling the internal environment as described above.

B. A hopper 18 for charging steamed rice is attached to the laying device 3 via a load sensor 17 that measures the load on the frame 16 based on the amount of strain, and the koji lid 2 is placed below the hopper 18. A carry-in line 19 composed of a belt conveyer to be kept on standby is provided in the left-right direction. A predetermined amount of steamed rice 24 (see FIG. 5) is discharged from the outlet 21 of the hopper 18 into the koji lid 2 and the drive unit 23 for opening and closing the damper responds to the measured value of the load sensor 17 at this time. Then, the damper 22 is opened and closed so that the amount of steamed rice supplied (plated) is set to be always constant. In the batch type, the supply amount of steamed rice to the hopper 18 is determined by the amount of the steamed rice to be put on the koji lid 2 per sheet and the total amount (eg, 80 to 90 kg) of steamed rice loaded in the circulation mechanism 4 described below. In the formula, it is preferable that the supply port (not shown) to the hopper 18 be a mechanism capable of adiabatically closing the supply port. In the laying device 3, the steamed rice 24 is laid in an initial shape as shown in FIG. 5 (A), and the koji lid 2 after laying is fed into the circulation mechanism 4 on the left side in FIG. .

C. Circulation mechanism (a) Lower transfer line Below the frame 26 of the circulation mechanism 4, the lower transfer line 2 formed by extending the left end of the conveyor of the above-mentioned carry-in line 19.
The endless belt 28 is wound around a pulley 29 at the right end of the setting device 3 and a driving pulley 32 with a motor 31 at the left end of the circulating mechanism 4. Below, a guide pulley 33 supporting the belt 28 and the koji lid 2 is pivotally supported at an appropriate pitch.

(B) Elevating line In the frame 26, the koji lid 2 is provided in multiple stages (in the example shown, eight stages each having one empty space in each row) along the guides 34 inside the frame. Ascending line 36a and descending line 3 which are stacked in parallel close to two rows
An actuator 38a comprising an air cylinder with a receiving plate 37 for receiving or lifting the lowermost koji lid 2 from below or between the belts 28 below the two lines 36a, 36b. 38b is installed upward. The actuators 38a, 3
8b is provided with a measuring device (not shown) for detecting a change in the weight of steamed rice (koji) in the koji lid 2 as the koji making progresses. The ascending line 36a is a mechanism for intermittently ascendingly raising the koji lid 2 sent by the lower transfer line 27a one by one at regular time intervals by an actuator 38a, and the lowering line 36b is a mechanism for moving the koji lid 2 up and down as described later.
When the koji lid 2 is transferred to the uppermost stage by b, the mechanism is moved down one stage at a time by operating the actuator 38b in accordance with the ascending interval in the ascending line. In these operations, in addition to the actuators 38a and 38b, a stopper mechanism 39 provided before and after each line, which will be described later, is interconnected.

(C) Structure of koji lid 2 As shown in FIG.
It is made of a 120 (mm) box-shaped wooden tray, and its center is partitioned left and right by a partition plate 41 in the horizontal direction. On the front and back of the koji lid 2, a handle 40 having an angled cross section is laterally attached, and the lower ends of the front and rear peripheral walls protrude from the bottom surface, and a ventilation window 42 is formed on the left and right wall upper ends in a stacked state. The structure is The upper and lower peripheral walls of the front and rear peripheral walls are made of a metal cover such as stainless steel or aluminum so as not to be damaged during stacking or transfer.
And the lower end of the peripheral wall has a sled shape so as to be easily slid left and right.

(D) Operation of Stopper Mechanism and Elevating Line The stopper mechanism 39 is provided near each of the front and rear positions of the elevating lines 36a and 36b.
6B, the stopper frame 44 fixedly provided on the frame 26 side as shown in FIGS.
A lever 46, which is rotatable at each of the upper and lower positions.
And a claw 47 are pivotally supported substantially at the respective centers, and a lever 46 is provided.
The upper end of a vertical rod 48 is connected to the outer end of the bracket 48, and a bracket 49 is provided on the lower claw 47 so as to protrude from the outer surface side and is connected to the rod 48 so as to be vertically slidable.
A set ring 51 is fitted to the rod 48 near the upper portion of the bracket 49 to restrict the bracket 49 from sliding upward.

A spring 52 is provided at the end of the rod 48 projecting downward from the bracket 49, and the bracket 49 is always urged upward by a spring receiver 53. With this mechanism, the lever 46 and the claw 47 form an interlocking mechanism such that they rotate in the same direction via the rod 48 and the bracket 49 when rotated about the fixed fulcrum. However, when the lever 46 rotates counterclockwise by a certain amount or more, the pawl 47 comes into contact with the stopper pin 54 projecting from the stopper frame 44 and stops, so that the spring 5
2 is compressed, and the lever 46 rotates against the spring 52, and the spring 52 causes the lever 46 to rotate.
Also returns.

The actuators 38a, 38b raise and lower the koji lid 2 in each line below the lifting lines 36a, 36b.
And the lever 46 are opened and closed by the handle 40,
Finally, the koji lids 2 in a stacked state are sequentially supported on the claws 47 at predetermined stages by the claws 47.
Is circulated.

(E) Transfer line The lower transfer line 27a is connected to the belt 28 as described above.
And the motor 31 are shared with the carry-in line 19, and the koji lid 2 descending from the descending line 36b is transferred to the transfer line 27a.
Is transferred to the localization value below the ascending line 36a. On the other hand, on the lifting lines 36a and 36b, the frame 26 is provided with a transfer line 27b for horizontally transferring the koji lid 2 at the uppermost position of each line from left to right.
7b, a sprocket 57 pivotally supported by brackets 56 at the front and rear left and right sides of the frame 26, and two chains 58 wound around the sprocket 57 in the left-right direction as shown in FIGS. It is constituted by a motor 59 for driving the sprocket 57 and the chain 58.

When the koji lid 2 rises to the uppermost position on the ascending line 36a and the uppermost position of the descending line 36b becomes an empty space, the koji lid 2 is horizontally moved from the ascending line 36a to the descending line 36b. Is slid and transferred. The front and rear chains 58 are stretched along the handle 40 of the koji lid 2 as shown in FIG.
Locking portion 6 for locking the left end of the koji and feeding the koji lid 2 to the left.
1 are provided at a predetermined pitch. The lifting line 3
Empty spaces 62a and 62b corresponding to one koji lid 2 are formed in the upper portions of the ascending line 36a and the lowermost position of the descending line 36b in 6a and 36b in order to smoothly perform the above-described rotation. With this configuration, the lifting operation and the left and right transfer operation can be performed simultaneously. By forming the elevating line by stacking the koji lids 2 as described above, the elevating line can be operated by an elevating device having a simple mechanism such as the actuators 38a and 38b and the stopper mechanism 39.

D. Stirring device The stirring device 6 converts the steamed rice 24 laid by the laying device 3 from the state of FIG.
(C) The shape of the filling is changed to a state such as (C), and this change is made at every rotation or several times to ferment the whole koji in the koji lid 2 under uniform conditions according to the progress of koji making. The rotation is performed at intervals. The stirring device 6 includes a bracket 63 protruding from the rising line 36a, a swing arm 64 formed of a parallel link pivotally supporting a base end or a bending point of the bracket 63,
Stirrer 6 with motor 66 attached to the tip of 4
7. An air cylinder 68 attached to the frame 26 to swing the right end of the swing arm 64 up and down.
It is composed of

FIG. 6 shows the structure of the stirring section 67. In this example, the left and right sections of the koji lid 2 divided into two by the partition plate 41 are arranged in the front-rear direction when the swing arm 64 is lowered. A plurality of rotary shafts 69 are inserted downward, and four horizontal stirring rods 71 project around the rotary shaft 69 at different angles at regular intervals. The stirring unit 6
7 shows that the koji lid 2 is moved from above the ascending line 36a to the descending line 36.
When the transfer onto the b starts, it descends from above and continues in reverse rotation alternately, and the transfer of the koji lid 2 causes the peripheral wall to swing upward by the cylinder 68 before coming into contact with the agitating section 67. It is stored in the standby posture of the stirring operation. By this operation, the koji in the koji lid 2 is agitated, but in order to obtain a desired embossed shape, the speed of the upper transfer line 27b is changed,
Oscillation of the stirring section 67 may be repeated.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the agitating section 67. In this example, the agitating sections 67 are provided with helical bodies 72 of opposite directions instead of the agitating rods 71, which are attached to the rotating shaft 69 alternately. . In addition, the stirrer 67 may be a plate-like or comb-like member having no rotating part as described above, and may be lowered from above to change the embossed shape.

E. Ventilation control unit As shown in FIG. 2, air path 9 for returning indoor air to air conditioner 7
In is ventilated adjusting portion 73 is interposed, if該換air adjusting unit 73 increases excessively is Co ₂ concentration indoor air by fermentation, or the humidity upon reduction of indoor environmental temperature changes suddenly, room The air is released to the outside, and ventilation control such as taking in outside air into the air conditioner 7 is performed. That is, the ventilation control unit 73 connects a box-shaped case 76 having upper and lower openings 74a and 74b to the air passage 9, and a damper for opening and closing the openings 74a and 74b at the inner end of the openings 74a and 74b. 77a and 77b are rotatably supported by the respective shafts. In a normal state, both dampers 77a and 77b close the openings 74a and 74b, and the case 76 functions as a part of the air path. Is opened by the same amount, the outside air is introduced from the opening 74a in accordance with the opening degree, is sent to the air conditioner 7, and the indoor air is discharged to the outside through the opening 74b.

When the dampers 74a and 74b are further rotated, the dampers 74a and 74b overlap with each other in an oblique direction as shown by the imaginary line in FIG. Since the valve 74b is fully opened, all air sent to the air conditioner 7 becomes outside air, and all air released from the room is released to the outside. As shown, the dampers 77a and 77b are arms 78 that are supported together with the dampers 77a and 77b.
a, 78b, a rod 79 connecting the ends of the arms 78a, 78b, and the arm 78a swinging to form a damper 77.
a and 77b are driven by a cylinder 81 mounted on the case 76 side that opens and closes in the opposite direction.

F. Measurement of the temperature of the koji In order to grasp the progress of the fermentation of the koji in the koji-making chamber 1 (koji-making), the measurement of the temperature of the koji in the koji lid 2 and its change are extremely important. A mechanism and a method for always measuring the temperature of one specific koji-making during the raising or lowering operation in the mechanism are employed.

Hereinafter, the mechanism for measuring the product temperature will be described. One vertical guide rod 82 is provided on each of the left and right side surfaces of the frame 26 of the circulation mechanism, and a magnet detachable plug 83 is attached to the rod 82 so as to be vertically slidable. On the other hand, for example, on both sides of the koji lid 2 at the lowermost stage of the ascending line 36a, a magnet-type outlet 8 to which the magnet plug 83 is suction-connected.
4, both of which are connected in advance by a solenoid or the like before starting the measurement of the product temperature. As shown in FIG. 3, a measuring circuit 85 communicating with both left and right ends is wired in the koji lid 2 at the lowermost stage, and a temperature sensor 86 made of a platinum sensor or the like is provided at the center thereof. Is configured to be able to be electrically measured through either the left or right outlet 84.

As a result, the koji lid 2 is
From the bottom to the top, the plug 83 and the outlet 84 rise together with the cord 87 connected.
The plug 83 and the outlet 84 are disconnected at the moment when the koji lid 2 is transferred to the descending line 36b, and stands at the top of the descending line 36b after the transfer. The plug 83 and the outlet 84 on the right side of the koji lid 2 are connected, and the product temperature is measured until the koji lid 2 descends to the lowermost stage. During this time, the plug 83 slowly descends downward due to its own weight, and waits for the next connection.

On the other hand, on the descending line 36b side, a plug 83 on the descending line side is set to the outlet 84 on the right side of the koji lid 2 at the uppermost position, so that the descending line 83 is separate from the measurement on the ascending line side. On the side, the same temperature measurement as described above is performed, and the process is continued until the koji lid 2 is lowered to the lowermost stage and transferred to the ascending line. The plug 83 lowered from the outlet 84 by the descending line 36b is separated from the outlet 84.
The outlet pulling recoil device 88 provided above the outlet automatically pulls the outlet to the uppermost standby position. As described above, the temperature measurement is continuously performed on two koji lids, one on the ascending line 36a and the descending line 36b.

[0026]

According to the apparatus of the present invention constructed as described above, the operations such as changing the shape of the steamed rice and stirring the rice while continuously transferring and circulating the steamed rice containers that are performed mechanically and efficiently. In addition, the steamed rice container does not need to be taken in and out of the koji making room or the outside for these operations. As a result, the efficiency of the koji making operation is improved and the koji making room
When taken out and stirred, or when stirring manually
Unfortunately of bacteria entering the like into the container is prevented as, in addition to environmental changes koji chamber due to out of the container does not occur, it is continuous control and work even when automating koji work and environmental control There are advantages.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially sectional front view of a koji making apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the koji making apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a circulation mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of a circulation mechanism.

5 (A) to 5 (C) are explanatory diagrams showing a shape of koji in a koji lid. FIG.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing a structure of an upper transfer line and a stirring device.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing another embodiment of the stirring device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Koji making room 2 Koji lid (container) 4 Circulation mechanism 6 Stirrer 19 Loading line 26 Frame 27a, 27b Transfer line 36a Up line 36b Down line 38a, 38b Actuator

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-1-269482 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) C12M 1/16

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An environment-controlled koji-making room (1)
In the apparatus for koji making while moving a number of containers (2) containing steamed rice (24), the container (2)
A knitting machine with a stirrer provided with a stirrer (6) in the circulation mechanism (4) for stirring the steamed rice (24) in the vessel (2) during the movement. apparatus.