JP7746882B2 - Huller and sorter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rice huller and sorter.

Patent Document 1 discloses technology for automatically switching between circulation and discharge in a rice huller and sorter.

Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for manually switching between circulation and discharge in a rice huller and sorter.

Patent No. 5370563 Patent No. 6331000

Depending on the rice crop and variety, the sorting state of the oscillating sorting plate between unhulled and brown rice may be stable or stable. If discharge is automatic when the brown rice sorting state is unstable, more than the specified amount of unhulled rice will be mixed in with the brown rice discharged from the machine, resulting in a decrease in the quality of the finished brown rice. Furthermore, if discharge is manual when the brown rice sorting state is stable, the operator will have to manually switch between discharge and circulation, making operation cumbersome.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a rice huller and sorter that performs appropriate hulling and sorting according to the crop yield and variety.

In order to solve this problem, the invention described in claim 1 is:
A rice huller and sorter including a hulling section (2), a swinging sorting section ( 6 ), and a circulation/discharge switching valve ( 7 ) for switching between circulating the grain sorted by the swinging sorting section (6) within the machine or discharging it outside the machine,
The circulation/discharge switching valve (7) is configured to perform the circulation/discharge switching operation by manual operation of the operating lever (11) or automatic switching by the control unit,
A selection means (12) is provided for selecting between a manual mode in which circulation/discharge is switched by manual operation using an operating lever (11) and an automatic mode in which circulation/discharge is switched by a control unit (30) ,
The circulation/discharge switching valve (7) is manually operated by an operating lever (11) when switching from circulation to discharge, and is provided with a semi-automatic mode in which the control unit (30) automatically operates the valve when switching from discharge to circulation;
An operation mode switching dial (12) is provided which is switchable between a manual mode position, a semi-automatic mode position, and an automatic mode position;
A wheat selection switch (42) for selecting the work of sorting wheat and a long grain selection switch (43) for selecting the work of hulling and sorting long grain are provided,
When the wheat selection switch (42) is operated, the mode is switched to automatic mode regardless of the operating position of the operation mode switching dial (12),
When the long grain selection switch (43) is selected, the operation mode is switched to the manual mode regardless of the operation position of the operation mode changeover dial (12) .

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1 ,
A storage tank (16) is provided to store the grain that has passed through the hulling unit (2), and the grain is supplied from the storage tank (16) to the shaking sorting unit ( 6 ),
a grain sensor for detecting the amount or volume of grain in the storage tank (16);
When the circulation discharge switching valve (7) is in circulation mode, if the grain sensor detects that the grain amount or volume exceeds a predetermined amount, the valve switches from circulation to discharge in the automatic mode, and maintains circulation in the manual mode and semi-automatic mode.
When the circulation discharge switching valve (7) is in the discharge position and the grain sensor detects that the amount or volume of grain is equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the system switches from discharge to circulation in the automatic mode and semi-automatic mode, and maintains discharge in the manual mode.

This invention enables appropriate hulling and sorting according to crop yield and variety.

A diagram explaining the inside of the rice huller and sorter seen from the inside A perspective view of the rice huller and sorter seen from the front Operation panel diagram Diagram showing the operating lever and guide Block Diagram flowchart flowchart flowchart Diagram showing the operation mode switching dial A diagram showing the oscillating sorting plate and its action

The following describes an embodiment of the rice huller and sorter of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the inside of a rice huller and sorter seen from the front.

On the left side of the machine body are a storage hopper 1 for storing grain, a pair of hulling rolls 2 on the left and right, a swinging shelf 19, and a main motor 20.

The central part of the machine is equipped with a winnowing unit 3, a suction fan 4, and a dust extraction duct 5.

The right side of the machine is equipped with a multi-stage oscillating sorting plate 6 and a circulation discharge switching valve 7. As shown in Figure 10, the oscillating sorting plate 6 has numerous recesses 6a on its surface, and when oscillated, it separates the rice into a paddy layer, a mixed rice layer, and a brown rice layer. If the amount of mixed rice supplied to the oscillating sorting plate 6 is small, the sorting of paddy and brown rice will be unstable, and more than a certain amount of paddy will be mixed into the brown rice layer, lowering the grade of the finished brown rice. Therefore, it is necessary to supply more than a certain amount of mixed rice to the oscillating sorting plate 6.

A finishing rice elevator 8 is located on the right end of the machine body.

Figure 2 shows the external appearance of the rice huller and sorter seen from an oblique front view.

A hulling section cover 9 for covering the front of the hulling roll 2 is provided on the left front side of the machine body.
An operation panel 10, an operation lever 11, and an operation mode switching dial 12 are provided at the upper center of the left and right sides of the machine body.

A thrower 13 for returning grain is provided at the bottom center of the left and right sides of the machine body.

A swaying sorting unit cover 14 is provided on the front right side of the machine body to cover the front of the swaying sorting plate 6.

A mixed rice elevator 15 and storage tank 16 are located at the rear of the aircraft.

Figure 3 shows the control panel 10 as seen from the front.

An open adjustment switch 17a is provided to adjust the gap between the threshing rolls 2 to the open side, and a close switch 17b is provided to adjust the gap to the closed side. An indicator 18 is provided between the open adjustment switch 17a and the close adjustment switch 17b to show the gap between the threshing rolls 2. The "wheat" mark indicates that the gap between the threshing rolls 2 is at its widest position.

A load monitor 21 is provided to indicate the load status of the main motor 20. An operation switch 22, a stop switch 23, a power switch 24, and a power lamp 24a that indicates whether the power is on or off are also provided.

Figure 4 shows the guide 25 for operating the operating lever 11 left and right.

In this embodiment, there are a start/stop position S located on the left side, a circulation position J located in the center, and a discharge position H located on the right side. A start/stop position detection switch S1 is provided to detect when the operating lever 11 is located at the start/stop position S, and a discharge position detection switch H1 is provided to detect when the operating lever 11 is located at the discharge position H. When the operating lever 11 does not detect either the start/stop position switch S1 or the discharge position switch H1, it is in the circulation position J.

As shown in Figure 9, the operation mode switch dial 12 can be switched between the manual mode position, semi-automatic mode position, and automatic mode position. A manual mode lamp 12a, semi-automatic mode lamp 12b, and automatic mode lamp 12c are provided, and they light up to indicate which mode is selected.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing information input to the control unit 30 from a first grain sensor 26 that detects whether the amount of grain in the storage tank 16 is above a predetermined amount, a second grain sensor 27 that detects whether the amount is below the predetermined amount, a load current detection sensor 28 that detects the load current value of the main motor 20, a start/stop position switch S1, a discharge position switch H1, an operation mode selector dial 12, an operation switch 22, and a stop switch 23. The control unit 30 outputs to the main motor 20, a huller roll gap adjustment motor 40, and a circulation discharge switching valve 7.

Next, we will explain the flow of grain (mainly rice husks) through the rice huller and sorter.

First, we will explain manual mode using Figure 6.

The power switch 24 is turned ON and the operation mode selector dial 12 is switched to manual mode. Operating the operation switch 22 starts the main motor 20 and threshing roll gap adjustment motor 40, driving the threshing roll 2. When the operator operates the operation lever 11, which is in the start/stop position, to the circulation position J, the supply shutter 31 opens, supplying rice from the storage hopper 1 to the threshing roll 2, and the swinging clutch 32 is engaged, driving the swinging sorting plate 6.

Rice grains in the storage hopper 1 are supplied to the hulling roll 2, where they are hulled, and then fall onto the oscillating shelf 19. The mixed rice on the oscillating shelf 19 is supplied to the winnowing section 3, and the husks are sucked in by the suction fan 4 and discharged outside the machine through the dust collector 5. The rice husks are lifted by the suction fan 4 and flow into the return grain thrower 13, which returns them to the storage hopper 1. The mixed rice of rice and brown rice falls and is transported towards the rear of the machine by the mixed rice spiral 35, where it is lifted by the mixed rice elevator 15 and stored in the storage tank 16. The mixed rice discharged from the storage tank 16 has straw scraps and broken cans separated and removed in the transfer trough 36 before being supplied to the multi-stage oscillating sorting plate 6. When the circulation discharge switch valve 7 is set to circulation, the mixed rice discharged from the oscillating sorting plate 6 flows down the circulation shelf 37, returns to the mixed rice spiral 35, and is then supplied again to the oscillating sorting plate 6 by the mixed rice elevator 15. The unhulled rice sorted by the oscillating sorting plate 6 flows down the unhulled rice return shelf 38 and is returned to the storage hopper 1 by the return grain thrower 13.

The operator, observing the sorting status of the mixed rice on the oscillating sorting plate 6, determines that the sorting status on the oscillating sorting plate 6 has stabilized and switches the operating lever 11 from circulation position J to discharge position H. This causes the circulation/discharge switching valve 7 to switch from circulation to discharge, transitioning from circulation operation to discharge operation, and the sorted brown rice is discharged outside the machine by the finished rice elevator 8.

If the operator determines that the storage hopper 1 is empty of unhulled rice during discharge operation and the amount of mixed rice being supplied to the oscillating sorting plate 6 has decreased, he switches the control lever 11 from discharge position H to circulation position J, switching the machine into circulation operation. During circulation operation, all of the unhulled rice contained in the remaining rice is hulled by the huller roll 2. If the operator determines that all of the remaining rice has become brown rice, he switches the control lever 11 from circulation position J to discharge position H, discharging the remaining rice outside the machine. Once the remaining rice has been discharged outside the machine, he returns the control lever 11 to start/stop position S and operates the stop switch 23 to end the hulling and sorting operation.

Next, we will explain semi-automatic driving based on Figure 7.

The power switch 24 is turned ON and the operation mode switching dial 12 is switched to semi-automatic mode. When the operation switch 22 is operated, the main motor 20 starts and the hulling roll 2 is driven. When the operator operates the operation lever 11 from the start/stop position S to the circulation position J, the supply shutter 31 opens, the swinging clutch 32 is engaged, and the swinging sorting plate 6 is driven.

Rice grains in the storage hopper 1 are supplied to the hulling roll 2, where they are hulled, and then fall onto the oscillating shelf 19. The mixed rice on the oscillating shelf 19 is supplied to the winnowing section 3, and the husks are sucked in by the suction fan 4 and discharged outside the machine through the dust collector 5. The rice husks are lifted by the suction fan 4 and transported to the return grain thrower 13, which returns them to the storage hopper 1. The mixed rice of rice and brown rice falls and is transported towards the rear of the machine by the mixed rice spiral 35, where it is lifted by the mixed rice elevator 15 and stored in the storage tank 16. The mixed rice discharged from the storage tank 16 has straw scraps and broken cans separated and removed in the transfer trough 36, and is then supplied to the multi-stage oscillating sorting plate 6. When the circulation discharge switching valve 7 is set to circulation, the mixed rice discharged from the oscillating sorting plate 6 flows down the circulation shelf 37, returns to the mixed rice spiral 35, and is then supplied again to the oscillating sorting plate 6 by the mixed rice elevator 15. The unhulled rice sorted by the oscillating sorting plate 6 flows down the unhulled rice return shelf 38 and is returned to the storage hopper 1 by the return thrower.

The operator, observing the sorting status of the mixed rice on the oscillating sorting plate 6, determines that the sorting status on the oscillating sorting plate 6 has stabilized and switches the operating lever 11 from circulation position J to discharge position H. This causes the circulation/discharge switching valve 7 to switch from circulation to discharge, transitioning from circulation operation to discharge operation, and the sorted brown rice is discharged outside the machine by the finished rice elevator 8.

When the storage hopper 1 runs out of rice during discharge operation, the amount of mixed rice supplied to the oscillating sorting plate 6 decreases, and the second grain sensor 27 detects that the amount of mixed rice in the storage tank 16 has fallen below a predetermined amount, the circulation discharge switching valve 7 switches from discharge to circulation while the operating lever 11 remains in discharge position H, and the system enters circulation operation.

During circulation operation, the hulling roll 2 hulls all of the unhulled rice contained in the remaining rice. When the operator determines that all of the remaining rice has become brown rice, he or she returns the control lever 11 from discharge position H to circulation position J, then switches it back to discharge position H, thereby entering discharge operation and discharging the remaining rice outside the machine. Once the remaining rice has been discharged outside the machine, the operator returns the control lever 11 to start/stop position S and operates the stop switch 23 to end the hulling and sorting operation.

Next, we will explain the automatic mode based on Figure 8.

The power switch 24 is turned ON and the operation mode switching dial 12 is switched to automatic mode. Operating the operation switch 22 starts the main motor 20 and threshing roll gap adjustment motor 40, driving the threshing roll 2. When the operator operates the operation lever 11, which is in the start/stop position, to the circulation position J, the supply shutter 31 opens, the swinging clutch 32 is engaged, and the swinging sorting plate 6 is driven.

Rice grains in the storage hopper 1 are supplied to the hulling roll 2, where they are hulled, and then fall onto the oscillating shelf 19. The mixed rice on the oscillating shelf 19 is supplied to the winnowing section 3, and the husks are sucked in by the suction fan 4 and discharged outside the machine through the dust collector 5. The rice husks are lifted by the suction fan 4 and transported to the return grain thrower 13, which returns them to the storage hopper 1. The mixed rice of rice and brown rice falls and is transported towards the rear of the machine by the mixed rice spiral 35, where it is lifted by the mixed rice elevator 15 and stored in the storage tank 16. The mixed rice discharged from the storage tank 16 has straw scraps and broken cans separated and removed in the transfer trough 36, and is then supplied to the multi-stage oscillating sorting plate 6. When the circulation discharge switching valve 7 is in circulation position J, the mixed rice discharged from the oscillating sorting plate 6 flows down the circulation shelf 37, returns to the mixed rice spiral 35, and is again supplied to the oscillating sorting plate 6 by the mixed rice elevator 15. The unhulled rice sorted by the oscillating sorting plate 6 flows down the unhulled rice return shelf 38 and is returned to the storage hopper 1 by the return grain thrower 13.

When the first grain sensor 26 in the storage tank 16 detects a predetermined amount of mixed rice or more, the circulation/discharge switching valve 7 switches from circulation to discharge, transitioning from circulation operation to discharge operation, and the brown rice is discharged from the finishing lift 8 to the outside of the machine.

When the storage hopper 1 runs out of rice during discharge operation, the amount of mixed rice supplied to the oscillating sorting plate 6 decreases, and the second grain sensor 27 detects that the amount of mixed rice in the storage tank 16 has fallen below a predetermined amount, the circulation discharge switching valve 7 switches from discharge to circulation while the operating lever 11 remains in circulation position J, and the system enters circulation operation.

During circulation operation, all of the rice grains contained in the remaining rice are hulled by the hulling roll 2. After a predetermined time (e.g., 5 minutes) has elapsed, the circulation discharge switching valve 7 switches from circulation to discharge, transitioning from circulation operation to discharge operation and discharging the remaining rice outside the machine. After a predetermined time (e.g., 5 minutes) has elapsed, the discharge operation automatically stops and the hulling and sorting operation ends.

Next, we will explain how to switch from automatic mode to manual mode or semi-automatic mode during hulling and sorting operations.

When the condition of the rice grains is poor, for example when there is a lot of light rice grains, it is difficult to fill the storage tank 16, and the sorting state of the oscillating sorting plate 6 is often unstable. In such cases, if the hulling and sorting operation is started in automatic mode, the circulation/discharge switching valve 7 will switch from circulation to discharge while the sorting state of the oscillating sorting plate 6 is poor, resulting in a problem where more than the specified amount of rice grains are mixed in with the brown rice and it is discharged outside the machine.

In such cases, the operator can visually check the hulling and sorting status immediately after hulling begins and switch from automatic mode to manual mode or semi-automatic mode, preventing more than a specified amount of poorly sorted rice from being discharged outside the machine against the operator's wishes.

Next, we will explain how to switch from manual mode or semi-automatic mode to automatic mode during hulling and sorting operations.

At the start of the hulling and sorting operation, the operator, who is unable to determine the condition of the rice grains, first begins operation in manual or semi-automatic mode.

After the hulling and sorting operation begins, the storage status in the storage tank 16 and the sorting status of the unhulled and brown rice on the oscillating sorting plate 6 are visually checked, and if the sorting status is determined to be good, the system switches to automatic mode. From then on, the hulling and sorting operation can be carried out fully automatically until the end.

In this way, the operator can select the desired operating mode depending on the condition of the rice grains, allowing for appropriate hulling and sorting operations.

Next, we will explain the control that occurs when transitioning from circulation operation to discharge operation after the start of hulling and sorting operation in automatic mode.

After discharge operation begins, brown rice is discharged outside the machine, but depending on the type of rice, the amount of mixed rice newly supplied to the storage tank 16 may not balance the amount of brown rice discharged outside the machine. For example, even if a large amount of broken rice is being discharged outside the machine and the hulling process is continuing with the hulling roll 2, if the second grain sensor 27 detects that the amount of grain in the storage tank 16 is below a predetermined amount, the circulation discharge switch valve 7 will switch to circulation operation. Then, the amount of mixed rice in the storage tank 16 will immediately increase, and the first grain sensor 26 will detect that the amount is above the predetermined amount, switching from circulation operation to discharge operation, resulting in a so-called hunting situation.

For this reason, after switching to discharge operation, even if the second grain sensor 27 temporarily detects a grain amount below a predetermined amount, the system is controlled so as not to immediately switch to circulation operation. For example, if the second grain sensor 27 continues to detect a grain amount below a predetermined amount for a set period of time (e.g., 10 seconds), the system will switch to circulation operation. Alternatively, if the second grain sensor 27 detects a grain amount below a predetermined amount for a set period of time (e.g., 5 times), the system will switch to circulation operation.

Alternatively, the load current value of the main motor 20 can be detected, and when the second grain sensor 27 detects that the amount of grain is below a predetermined amount and the load current value is below the set value, the system can transition to circulation operation.

This allows for stable operation of the circulation discharge switching valve 7 in unstable conditions within the set time after the start of discharge operation in automatic mode.

After the discharge operation starts and the set time has elapsed, the system will transition to circulation operation based solely on detection by the second grain sensor 27. This reduces the discharge of unhulled rice outside the machine when the sorting of the oscillating sorting plate 6 becomes temporarily unstable due to a decrease in the amount of grain in the storage tank 16.

If discharge and circulation operations are repeated within a set time in automatic mode, a notification will be sent to switch to manual or semi-automatic mode. Alternatively, the operation mode will be switched to semi-automatic mode, and the automatic mode lamp 12c will change to semi-automatic mode lamp 12b.

The above explanation has mainly focused on rice grains, but when sorting wheat, operating the wheat selection switch 42 will switch to automatic mode, regardless of the operating position of the operation mode switch dial 12, and the automatic mode lamp 12c will light up.

When hulling and sorting long grains, selecting the long grain selection switch 43 switches to manual mode regardless of the operating mode switch dial 12 position, and the manual mode lamp 12a lights up.

2. Hulling section (hulling roll)
7 Circulation discharge switching valve 11 Operation lever 12 Operation mode switching dial
6. Oscillating sorting section (oscillating sorting plate)
30 control unit

Claims (2)

A rice huller and sorter including a hulling section (2), a swinging sorting section ( 6 ), and a circulation/discharge switching valve ( 7 ) for switching between circulating the grain sorted by the swinging sorting section (6) within the machine or discharging it outside the machine,
The circulation/discharge switching valve (7) is configured to perform the circulation/discharge switching operation by manual operation of the operating lever (11) or automatic switching by the control unit,
A selection means (12) is provided for selecting between a manual mode in which circulation/discharge is switched by manual operation using an operating lever (11) and an automatic mode in which circulation/discharge is switched by a control unit (30) ,
The circulation/discharge switching valve (7) is manually operated by an operating lever (11) when switching from circulation to discharge, and is provided with a semi-automatic mode in which the control unit (30) automatically operates the valve when switching from discharge to circulation;
An operation mode switching dial (12) is provided which is switchable between a manual mode position, a semi-automatic mode position, and an automatic mode position;
A wheat selection switch (42) for selecting the work of sorting wheat and a long grain selection switch (43) for selecting the work of hulling and sorting long grain are provided.
When the wheat selection switch (42) is operated, the mode is switched to automatic mode regardless of the operating position of the operation mode switching dial (12),
When the long grain selection switch (43) is selected, the rice huller/sorter is shifted to a manual mode regardless of the operating position of the operation mode changeover dial (12) . A storage tank (16) is provided to store the grain that has passed through the hulling unit (2), and the grain is supplied from the storage tank (16) to the shaking sorting unit ( 6 ),
a grain sensor for detecting the amount or volume of grain in the storage tank (16);
When the circulation discharge switching valve (7) is in circulation mode, if the grain sensor detects that the grain amount or volume exceeds a predetermined amount, the valve switches from circulation to discharge in the automatic mode, and maintains circulation in the manual mode and semi-automatic mode.
A rice huller and sorter as described in claim 1, characterized in that when the circulation discharge switching valve (7) is in the discharge position and the grain sensor detects that the amount or volume of grain is below a predetermined amount, it switches from discharge to circulation in automatic mode and semi-automatic mode, and maintains discharge in manual mode.