JPH0131852B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention is capable of displaying changes in the state of bread dough, etc. during the dough kneading process using a characteristic pattern extracted from a drive motor load signal of a mixer. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the method.

(Prior Art) The kneading process, in which water is added to flour, yeast, salt, and other raw materials, is mixed in a mixer, and kneaded is an extremely important process in the bread-making process.
This kneading process produces high-quality bread dough by uniformly mixing the bread ingredients, allowing the flour to absorb sufficient water, and softening, stretching, and bonding the protein (gluten) contained in the flour. This is the role of the process.

There are two types of mixers used for this purpose: horizontal shaft type and vertical shaft type, and horizontal shaft type mixers are mainly used for mixing large quantities. In the mixer, all the ingredients are mixed uniformly at low speed, and then the mixer is rotated at high speed, allowing the flour to absorb enough water.

After entering high-speed mixing, the mixed ingredients (dough) are stretched, folded, and rolled up by the mixer arm (stirring rod).
A series of kneading operations repeated against the wall of the mixer.

As this mixing process progresses, the dough's bonding and elongation progresses, and its viscoelasticity reaches its highest level. If mixing is continued, after a period of stability, the extensibility becomes excessive and the dough loses its elasticity and at the same time becomes sticky. As mixing continues, the dough becomes sticky and fluid, loses its elasticity, and the gluten begins to break, making it unusable as bread dough.

Ideally, the dough mixing described above should be stopped at the highest level of viscoelasticity (final stage), but depending on the type of bread and the operation of the subsequent process (floor time), it may be intentional to stop mixing the dough a little earlier or later. Sometimes it is done. In either case, the operator must monitor the temperature and shut down the mixer when the dough appears to have reached the desired state. Normally, it is necessary to search for several batches in order to set the optimum kneading time on the timer, but even in consecutive batches of the same composition, the timing of the final stage may change slightly due to subtle fluctuations in temperature, measurement, etc.
Therefore, the timing of discontinuing mixing must be determined appropriately depending on the situation, but at present, this is mostly done by monitoring the mixer inner wall temperature indicator and setting a timer. Much depends on the operator's experience and personal skill.

In order to optimize the kneading process of bread dough, which in a sense is a living thing that involves fermentation reactions, countermeasures have been taken for each aspect of the process.

Generally, the bread dough mixing process is controlled in terms of three things: temperature, measurement, and time. First, regarding "temperature," the temperature of the raw water is usually controlled, and in some factories, the temperature at which the dough is kneaded is also controlled by circulating a cooling medium through the jacket (inner wall) of the mixer bowl. Also, JP 58-35656, JP 59-198928
As shown in the issue, the temperature of the flour used, the air temperature,
An automatic temperature control device that measures and calculates the water temperature, refrigerant temperature, etc. has also been proposed.

Next, regarding "weighing," each material is weighed based on the formulation, and in large factories, the main materials are automatically weighed.

Furthermore, "time" is usually controlled by setting a kneading timer, but in addition to variations in temperature conditions and measurement accuracy, the characteristics of the flour used are subject to unavoidable variations unique to agricultural products. Much depends on the operator's experience and intuition. The method of identifying mixing stages and monitoring the corresponding mixer power as presented by MJ Swartfiger and others as a guideline for time management has been proposed for a long time, but temporary indicators (meters) and simple The reality is that pen-written oscilloscope waveform recording is not widely used because it is difficult to determine the mixing load characteristics for each factory and formulation and set the optimal time.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, the process of kneading bread dough, etc. allows for many variables such as material characteristics, composition, temperature conditions, and measurement accuracy, and is generally aimed at producing a wide variety of products. The experience and personal skill of the operator determines success or failure in producing a wide variety of fabrics.

This means that although there may be differences in management levels, measurement, and control methods, the fundamentals are the same, and whether it is a large factory or a small shop, the skill of the operator is still relied on. do not have.

In particular, once mixing has started, the operator's attention is focused on monitoring temperature changes and understanding the progress of kneading, but since large-capacity horizontal mixers are closed types, the internal conditions cannot be checked during operation. Since this is not possible, the mixing end time is determined by activating the can based on temperature changes and the sound of rotating bread dough, etc., or by stopping halfway and reconfirming the process. In addition, the small-capacity vertical shaft mixers found in small-scale stores are open-type mixers that allow you to see the inside, but there is a shortage of experienced technicians, and due to the size of the store, many store managers also serve as store managers, so they must be fully supervised. It's difficult. Furthermore, with the production of a wide variety of products, there are many mistakes in mixing and kneading due to omissions in measuring, forgetting to add ingredients, etc. These increase the burden on operators and lead to a shortage of personnel.

In order to reduce the burden on the operator and eliminate individual differences due to differences in experience and skill,
There is a need for a process control method that is easy to record and analyze, is useful for standardization, and has a comprehensive monitoring function that also enables automatic alarms and judgments.

In view of the above-mentioned current situation, the present inventor paid attention to the load signals of mixers for kneading bread dough, etc., recorded the mixer load signals during kneading for various mixer types and varieties of bread dough, etc., and obtained the opinions of on-site operators and the points of experts. We have carried out repeated analysis and research with this in mind.
As a result, the following items were confirmed.

It is possible to extract two curves, a trend fluctuation curve and a pulsation amplitude curve, from fluctuations in the mixer load during dough kneading.

The above trend fluctuation curve and pulsation amplitude curve should complement each other to represent the state of the dough, etc. in the mixer.

Similarly, the above-mentioned trend fluctuation curve and pulsation amplitude curve should be reproducible for batches of strictly the same blend and quantity, and each should show a characteristic pattern for batches of different blend quantities.

Therefore, by displaying mixer load fluctuations as a trend variation curve (referred to as a trend) and a pulsation amplitude curve (referred to as an amplitude), we obtained the knowledge that changes in the condition of bread dough, etc. in the mixer can be observed and determined in patterns. Ta. At the same time, it has also become clear that classifying and comparing these in a management manner will contribute to the standardization of the monitoring work of the kneading process.

Here, I would like to clarify the theoretical details of how the load resistance due to the rotation of the mixing arm (stirring rod) inside the mixer can be understood as a trend and amplitude.

The trend shows an upwardly convex gentle curve pattern of mixer load power that has been moderately smoothed by removing pulsating fluctuation components. This mixer load variation is considered to be a change in viscous resistance (consistency) due to a viscoelastic change in bread dough or the like that is kneaded in the mixer. It is useful to judge the overall progress of the kneading process during a batch, and at the same time it is also possible to infer from the level of load the level of viscoelasticity reached by the kneading of that batch.

The amplitude indicates short-period pulsating fluctuations in the mixer load. In other words, the magnitude of the kinetic moment that the drive shaft of the mixer receives naturally changes depending on the position and condition of the dough, etc., and it is unlikely that a change in the kinetic moment during one rotation will appear as a pulsating amplitude of the mixer load power. it is obvious. The magnitude of the above-mentioned amplitude changes depending on the degree of entanglement of the bread dough that rotates together with the mixer arm. For example, in the case of horizontal axis type,
As shown in the explanatory diagrams in FIGS. 5A and 5B, as the entanglement of bread dough, etc., b to mixer arm a becomes stronger, the load when mixer arm a lifts increases, and the bread dough, etc., b is directed toward ball wall c. The recoil when hitting is noticeable. In the process of such variation analysis, the following facts were confirmed.

Frequency characteristics of mixer load power waveform As a result of spectrum analysis, as shown in Figure 6A and B, as mixing progresses, the power (size of fluctuation) of frequency components that are slightly delayed from the frequency of mixer rotation. increases, and the delay gradually decreases. This main frequency component suggests a change in the pulsating component of the mixer load power due to the rotational movement of bread dough or the like in the mixer.

Distinguishability of Mixer Load Amplitude Pattern The pulsation of the mixer load power that accompanies mixing has a certain pattern of amplitude changes as the state of the dough changes. As can be understood from the examples of Kotsupe bread and butter rolls in Figures 7A and B, this amplitude pattern Pv has a characteristic correspondence with the composition and weight of bread dough etc. even in the same mixer. The relationship was found to be reproducible.

From the above facts, the pulsation of the mixer load power corresponds to the rotational movement of the dough, etc. in the mixer, and the amplitude represents the magnitude of the fluctuation in the load applied to the mixer arm during one rotation of the dough, etc. It has become clear that there is a certain change pattern as the properties of bread dough etc. change during mixing. Furthermore, the frequency of the main amplitude represents the relative speed (sliding) between the bread dough and the mixer arm.

Therefore, the present invention was developed based on the above research, and its main purpose is to monitor changes in the state of bread dough, etc. based on changes in mixer load during the kneading process of bread dough, etc. It is something to do.

Another object of the present invention is to display the mixer load signal two-dimensionally as a trend and amplitude, so that the development of viscoelasticity specific to the formulation of dough etc. can be managed from the displayed pattern. It is in.

Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to determine the kneading end time by analyzing the trend and amplitude pattern of the mixer load signal.

(Means for solving the problem) The method of the present invention for solving the above object detects the mixer load in the process of kneading bread dough, etc., and compares the kneading state of each batch with the trend fluctuation curve of the mixer load signal and the pulsation amplitude. The reason is that it is displayed as a curve.

Furthermore, the device of the present invention for solving the above object has the following features:
A converter converts the load of a mixer for kneading bread dough, etc. into a signal, a central processing circuit processes the mixer load signal into a trend fluctuation curve and a pulsation amplitude curve, and converts the mixer load signal into a trend fluctuation curve and a pulsation amplitude curve based on the above processing. The present invention also includes a display device for displaying the following information.

(Operation of the invention) The operation based on the present method and its device will be explained together. First, when materials are put into the mixer and operation is started, the arithmetic circuit that receives the mixer operation start signal from the mixer control circuit starts reading the signal.

The mixer load power signal is converted into a digital signal by a converter, processed by an arithmetic circuit according to a predetermined program, and displayed as a trend and amplitude.

As the kneading process progresses and approaches the end point, one or both of the trend and amplitude patterns is checked according to a preset program. As a result, the optimal kneading end stage is detected and displayed on the display screen or, if necessary, with a buzzer or the like.

(Embodiments of the Invention) Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a method and device for monitoring kneading of bread dough, etc. according to the present invention, and Fig. 2
The figure is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a case where a trend fluctuation curve and a pulsation amplitude curve of a kneading process of bread dough etc. are displayed superimposed, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams showing how peaks are detected from the trend fluctuation curve.

In the diagram, 1 is a mixer for kneading bread dough, etc.
This is a load power detector interposed in the power supply circuit of the electric motor m that rotationally drives the DM. This detector 1
is coupled to a central processing circuit (CPU) 5 via an A/D conversion circuit 4 and a bus line 3 of the device body 2. Conveniently, it is also possible to take in the load signal from a current signal converter provided on the secondary side of the instrument converter.

6 is a keyboard for inputting various information and judgment criteria. Data or commands input from the keyboard 6 are temporarily stored in a memory 8 built into the main body 2 of the apparatus, or serve to directly drive the CPU 5 with commands. 7 is an external storage device. This storage device 7 mainly has the function of storing various data. Therefore, the accumulation and storage of mixed data,
Furthermore, the storage device 7 stores various types of optimal kneading permissible information obtained by analyzing the accumulated data.
memory 8 or CPU as appropriate.
5 and executes predetermined calculations, etc.

The calculations of the CPU 5 and the execution of various functions associated therewith are executed by the mixer control circuit 9 provided in the mixer control panel DO by the operator pushing the mixer operation switch after putting the materials to be mixed into the mixer ball DB. The start/end signal generator 10 is activated by a mixer operation start signal sent to the mixer operation start signal, and the start/end signal generator 10 is controlled by providing a start signal to the CPU 5.

The trend Pt and amplitude Pv are determined by detecting the load power value of the electric motor m that drives the mixer DM using the above-mentioned operation start signal with the detector 1, and converting the load power information from the detector 1 from A/D as mixing progresses. The circuit 4 performs time division sampling to detect the load power value, and the CPU 5 processes it via the bus line 3.
This is superimposed and displayed as a graph in real time on a display unit 11 such as a CRT, liquid crystal display, or EL.
Further, when a peak is detected, a message is displayed to the operator using a buzzer 13 or the like to inform the operator of the optimal end timing range.

When the end of kneading approaches, the end time is checked from the trend Pt based on conditions consisting of four types of parameters as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. That is, the trend Pt of the load power after the check start time Ts when the kneading is nearing the end is held, and a rectangular or parallelogram window is developed from the slope K, the check time Δt, and the allowable fluctuation value Δp. is applied sequentially, and reaching the peak is detected when the width of fluctuation (difference between the maximum value and the minimum value) in the check time Δt converges to Δp. At the time of peak detection, the information may be displayed to the operator using the display unit 11, buzzer 13, or the like. At the same time, a peak detection signal is output to the external output port 14. This results in
Automatic stopping of the mixer at an optimal point is also possible. Here, the constants Ts, △t, △p, and K can be set appropriately by taking into account the mixer characteristics, the type of bread dough, the required kneading state, etc., so that the check can be made at the time of the gentle slope before the peak. Specification and post-peak check specification can be set.
After confirming the completion of mixing, mixer stop signal generator 1
5, the data is recorded in the memory 7.

The pattern thus obtained can be recorded as appropriate with a hard copy from the printer 12 along with various recording data. Moreover, patterns indicating these optimal kneading conditions can be registered as standard patterns. The standard pattern can be displayed on the display 11 to function as a guideline for the kneading process for each batch. Alternatively, it is also optional to output from the external output port 14. still,
It is also possible to provide an auxiliary display 11' for display.

The peak value can also be detected from the mixer load power pulsation amplitude curve. As mentioned above, the pattern of the amplitude of pulsation differs depending on the composition and quantity of bread dough, etc., but it was found that within the same batch it peaks at final stage, so we will monitor and compare the changes in amplitude. By this, it can be determined that the maximum value has been reached.

Further, since the integrated value of the mixer load power corresponds to the total amount of energy required for kneading the batch, it is possible to terminate the kneading when the value reaches a certain value.

This kind of monitoring and judgment concept can be applied not only to horizontal-shaft mixers but also to vertical-shaft mixers.

The kneading process method and apparatus having the above configuration are applied only to the kneading process for producing bread dough etc. using wheat flour as a raw material.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, the following effects are achieved.

(b) In addition to smoothing the pulsation fluctuation component of the mixer load signal for kneading bread dough, etc. and displaying it as a trend fluctuation curve, short-period pulsation fluctuations, which have not been considered noise in the past, can be displayed as a pulsation amplitude curve. This makes it possible to judge the properties, composition, weight, etc. of bread dough, etc., and also makes it possible to use the correlation between both curves as an objective evaluation factor. As a result, it is possible to collect and monitor the kneading state of bread dough, etc. for each batch as data, and it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the kneading is appropriate. In particular, the overlapping combination of both curves can greatly contribute to stabilizing the determination.

(b) It is possible to improve the identifiability of the kneading state of bread dough etc. by patterning the trend fluctuation curve and pulsation amplitude curve, allowing operators to easily optimize the kneading process and stabilize quality, and to avoid kneading mistakes. It is preventable.

(c) Pattern recognition can contribute to increased efficiency and labor savings in operator monitoring work. Additionally, it can also contribute to more efficient power usage and energy savings.

(d) With the configuration that displays the mixer load as a trend fluctuation curve and a pulsation amplitude curve, it can be manufactured as a simple monitoring device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a method and device for monitoring the kneading of bread dough, etc. according to the present invention, and Fig. 2
The figure is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the case where the trend fluctuation curve and pulsation amplitude curve of the kneading process of bread dough etc. are superimposed. Figures 3 and 4 are schematic explanatory diagrams of detecting peaks from the trend fluctuation curve. Figure 5 6A and 6B are frequency characteristic diagrams of mixer load power, and FIGS. 7A and 7B are curve diagrams showing specific experimental examples. 1...Detector, 2...Device body, 5...CPU,
9...Mixer control circuit, 11, 11', 13...
...Display, DM...Mixer, m...Motor, Pt
...Trend variation curve, Pv...Pulsation amplitude curve.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The mixer load in the process of kneading bread dough, etc. is detected, and the kneading state of each batch is displayed as a trend fluctuation curve obtained by smoothing the mixer load signal having a pulsation fluctuation component, and is superimposed on this. A method for monitoring kneading of bread dough, etc., in which short-period pulsation fluctuations of a mixer load signal are displayed as a pulsation amplitude curve. 2. In the method described in claim 1,
A method for monitoring the kneading of bread dough, etc., in which the mixing end time is displayed from the state transition of a pulsation amplitude curve and a trend fluctuation curve. 3. A converter that converts the load of a mixer for kneading bread dough, etc. into a signal, a central processing circuit that processes the mixer load signal into a trend fluctuation curve and a pulsation amplitude curve, and a trend fluctuation curve and a pulsation amplitude curve based on the above processing. A monitor device for monitoring kneading of bread dough, etc., comprising a display device that superimposes and displays