JPH0224503B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a novel tea steaming time measuring method and a tea steaming time measuring device, and more specifically, to a method for almost continuously measuring the steaming time of tea leaves passing through a steamer barrel. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel tea manufacturing and steaming time measuring method and a tea manufacturing and steaming time measuring device that can be used without causing a time delay in the measurement timing.

Background technology and its problems The tea manufacturing process (rough tea process) consists of an initial steaming process, subsequent rolling and drying processes, and a final drying process. The steaming process is so important that it is said to determine the value of the raw tea product.

This steaming process quickly loses the activity of the oxidizing enzymes contained in the fresh leaves, maintains the bright green color unique to green tea, dyes the leaf color that permeates from the tea leaves, removes the grassy smell, and creates a sweet and cool aroma. The purpose of this purpose is to fry the leaves and soften the quality of the leaves. While passing through to the outlet, the steam is heated by the steam supplied to the steamer barrel, and pressure is applied by the rotation of the steamer barrel and the rotation of the stirring shaft.

The factors that influence the degree of achievement of each of the above objectives include the temperature, amount, and pressure of steam, the degree of pounding or rolling pressure, the amount of fresh leaves input, and the steaming time, that is, the time the fresh leaves pass through the steamer barrel. Of course, these factors are not individually involved in achieving the above-mentioned objectives, but are involved in a complex manner, and among them, steaming time is an especially important factor. This is because the length of steaming time has an extremely large effect on fresh leaves compared to other factors such as the properties of the steam and the degree of pressure, and subtle differences in steaming time can affect the physical impact on fresh leaves. This is because the changes and chemical denaturations vary greatly. These physical changes and chemical denaturations include softening of tea leaf fibers, destruction of cells, and denaturation of color and aroma components, and these changes and denaturation determine the properties of steamed leaves. This in turn greatly affects the color, aroma, light color, flavor, and other qualities of the finished tea product.

Therefore, when performing the tea steaming process, it is necessary to manage the steaming time with great care, and it is also necessary to collect data on how long the steaming time is and what quality of steamed leaves are obtained. It is necessary to set the desired specific steaming time and to accurately manage the set steaming time. And if the steaming time is managed like this,
The quality of steamed leaves is more stable, and
In addition to this, it is possible to obtain steamed leaves that are steamed to a desired finish quality.

However, in the conventional steaming process, this steaming time is not actively controlled, and at best, the steaming time is controlled based on uncertain factors such as intuition and experience based on the finished quality of the steamed leaves. It was only a matter of adjusting the control elements appropriately.

Regarding the actual situation of conventional steaming time management, Part 11
This will be explained according to the diagram.

In the figure, a indicates the steamer main body, b the leaf feeder, and c the cooling machine. d is a steaming barrel, and the steaming barrel d consists of a fixed barrel g, which has an inlet e formed at one end and a steam supply section f at the other end, and a rotating barrel h connected to the fixed barrel g. .

The steam barrel d is supported by a movable frame i,
The movable frame i is rotatably supported by the machine frame j. k is a rotation fulcrum of the movable frame i, 1 is a barrel inclination adjustment mechanism, m is a working lever of the adjustment mechanism 1, n is a stirring shaft that passes through the steamer barrel d in the axial direction; A large number of stirring blades (not shown) are protruded from the stirring shaft n. o is a drive unit, and the drive unit o is equipped with a drive mechanism for driving a rotating drum h and a stirring shaft n.

The fresh leaves are fed into the steamer barrel d from the input port e of the fixed barrel g by the leaf feeder b, and are passed through the steamer barrel d for several tens of minutes.
Transported with transit times ranging from seconds to several minutes,
During this transfer, the above-mentioned physical changes and chemical denaturation are performed while being heated by steam, and subjected to pressure and stirring due to the rotational action of the rotating drum h and the rotating action of the stirring blades protruding from the stirring shaft n. It is discharged to the outside of the steaming cylinder d from a discharge port p at the tip of the rotary cylinder h. And the steam barrel d
The steamed leaves discharged from the are cooled by a cooler c,
It is moved to the next rough rolling process.

The tea master who manages the steaming process occasionally samples the steamed leaves discharged from the outlet p of the steaming barrel d, and checks the color, scent, elasticity and stickiness when held in the palm of the hand, and the adhesion to the leaf surface. Immediately determine the finish quality of steamed leaves by sensually capturing the conditions such as steamed dew,
If there is some dissatisfaction with the determination result, control elements such as the rotational speed of the rotary drum h, the rotational speed of the stirring shaft n, the inclination of the steaming drum d, and the properties of steam are adjusted as appropriate.
Among these control elements, the rotational speed of the rotary drum h, the rotational speed of the stirring shaft n, and the inclination of the steaming drum d are factors that are directly involved in the passage time of fresh leaves through the steaming drum d, that is, the steaming time, and especially the steaming drum d. The degree of inclination is a factor that greatly influences the steaming time.

The conventional steaming process is carried out as described above, and the steaming time is managed using a so-called trial method, in which control elements are adjusted as appropriate while sampling the finished quality of the steamed leaves. By the way, if a satisfactory finished quality of steamed leaves is obtained when the control elements such as the inclination of the steamer drum d are adjusted to a certain control state, then the inclination of the steamer drum d can be changed to the adjusted state. If you leave it as is, you should be able to get a certain level of steaming quality. However, the appropriate time for fresh leaves to pass through the barrel depends not only on the above-mentioned mechanical control elements, but also on the input amount and quality of fresh leaves, so even under the same control conditions, steamed leaves It is not always possible to obtain a constant quality of finish.

Therefore, in the conventional steaming process, the steaming time is controlled by checking the finished quality of the steamed leaves, adjusting the control elements as appropriate, checking the quality of the steamed leaves in the adjusted state, and making further adjustments if necessary. They were forced to use extremely complicated methods that required repeated adjustments and checks. Moreover, such adjustment work requires extremely delicate techniques and many years of experience, and even with such skilled techniques, it is impossible to obtain a constant quality of steamed leaves.

As described above, the conventional steaming process was not performed while controlling the steaming time, but was performed while controlling the steamed leaf quality based on the empirical judgment of the tea master.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a novel tea steaming time measuring method and steaming method that can always accurately measure the steaming time of tea leaves that continuously pass through a steamer barrel. The purpose is to provide a time measuring device.

Summary of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the tea steaming time measuring method of the present invention measures the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel together with the frame supporting the steamer barrel, and on the other hand, the fresh leaves are transferred into the steamer barrel. Set the supply amount per unit time of the leaf feeder or measure the actual supply amount per unit time, and measure the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer drum in the set or measured unit. The method is characterized in that the time required for tea leaves to pass through the steamer barrel is calculated by dividing the amount supplied per hour.

The tea steaming time measuring device of the present invention also includes a means for measuring the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel together with a frame that supports the steamer barrel, and a leaf feeder that supplies fresh leaves into the steamer barrel per unit time. means for setting a target value of the supply amount per unit time or means for measuring the current value of the supply amount per unit time; It is characterized by comprising an arithmetic circuit that calculates the passage time of tea leaves through the steamer barrel by dividing by .

EXAMPLES The details of the present invention will be explained below in the order of a tea manufacturing and steaming time measuring device and a tea manufacturing and steaming time measuring method.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the tea steaming time measuring device of the present invention.

Reference numeral 1 indicates a steam barrel formed in a generally cylindrical shape as a whole.
The steamer cylinder 1 is composed of a fixed cylinder 2 and a rotary cylinder 3 arranged so that its connecting opening abuts against the tip opening of the fixed cylinder 2. Reference numeral 4 indicates an input port formed at the upper part of the base end of the fixed barrel 2, and 5 indicates a cylindrical steam chamber provided so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the tip end of the fixed barrel 2. In addition, a stirring shaft with stirring blades protruding through the steamer barrel 1 is passed through, and a driving section is arranged on the base end side of the fixed barrel 2, and this driving section controls the rotating barrel 3 and the above-mentioned stirring shaft. is designed to be rotationally driven. Further, the inclination of the steamer barrel 1 can be adjusted by an appropriate inclination adjustment mechanism, and the weight of the tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 1 can be adjusted by the steamer barrel 1, the drive unit, It is supported on a base 7 via springs 6, 6 so that the inclination adjustment mechanism and the frame supporting them can be measured and determined. 8 is a displacement detector such as a potentiometer or a differential transformer, and a variable resistor 9 and a movable element 10 that changes the resistance value of the variable resistor 9.
It is equipped with. The movable element 10 is operated in conjunction with the vertical displacement movement of the steam barrel 1.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a leaf feeder capable of constantly supplying a constant weight of tea leaves to the steamer barrel 1. Its delivery end faces the input port 4 of the steamer barrel 1, and a leaf feeder 11 is provided above the hopper of the leaf feeder 11. The delivery end of the transporter 12 is facing.

Therefore, if fresh leaves are supplied from the transporter 12 into the hopper of the leaf feeder 11, the fresh leaves will be transferred to the leaf feeder 11.
from the delivery end of the steamer cylinder 1 through the input port 4 of the fixed cylinder 2.
The fresh leaves introduced into the steamer barrel 1 are moved from the fixed barrel 2 to the rotating barrel 3, and are discharged from the outlet 13 of the rotating barrel 3 to the outside of the steamer barrel 1. While being transferred inside the steamer barrel 1, the steam is heated by the steam supplied from the steamer chamber 5, and is stirred and pressed by the rotary barrel 3 and the stirring blades.
Steaming is performed by stirring and applying pressure.

Moreover, when fresh leaves are supplied into the steamer barrel 1, the steamer barrel 1
is displaced downward by the weight of the tea leaves thrown in together with the frame supporting the steamer barrel 1, and the resistance value of the variable resistor 9 of the displacement amount detector 8 is changed in conjunction with the displacement operation. The resistance value at this time varies depending on the weight of the tea leaves passing through the steaming barrel 1 and undergoing the steaming process.

The tea leaves that have been steamed in the steamer barrel 1 are led from the outlet 13 of the steamer barrel 1 to a cooler (not shown) and sent to the next rough rolling process.

Reference numeral 14 indicates a flow rate setting device for setting a target supply amount of fresh leaves to be supplied to the steamer drum 1 by the leaf feeder 11 during steady state, and reference numeral 15 indicates how much weight of fresh leaves is actually being supplied per unit time. The leaf feeder 11 adjusts its conveying speed so that the current value of the supply amount measured by the flow rate meter 15 matches the set target value set in the flow rate setting device 14. Feedback control of conveyance and thickness.

EPROM is a read-only memory in which calculation programs and the like are written. RAM is random access memory, and CPU is the central processing unit, which calculates the steaming time according to the calculation program written in EPROM. DISP is a display means, and in this embodiment, an LED is used to display the steaming time. EXIT is an external output terminal, which sends out a signal for adjusting the inclination of the steamer drum, for example, according to the calculated steaming time.

IN is an input terminal, and a signal of a set value of the flow rate setting device 14 of the leaf feeder 11 or a measured value of the flow rate measuring device 15 is inputted. The specific content of the calculation by the CPU etc. will be described in the following explanation of an example of the tea steaming time measuring method of the present invention.

To measure the steaming time according to the present invention, the weight W of the tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 1 is determined by weighing the frame supporting the steamer barrel 1, and the weight W of the tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 1 is determined by weighing the whole frame supporting the steamer barrel 1. Set target value Q1 of the supply amount per unit time of the leaf feeder 11 that supplies fresh leaves into the steamer drum 1
Alternatively, it is performed by dividing by the measured current value Q2 actually supplied (calculating the formula W÷Q1 or W÷Q2) to calculate the time T for the tea leaves to pass through the steamer barrel.

That is, the set value of the flow rate setting device 14 of the leaf feeder 11 or the measured value of the flow rate meter 15 is read into the RAM, while the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 1, that is, the voltage indicated by the displacement amount detector 8 is read into the RAM. The amount of change in value also
The data is read into the RAM, and an operation is performed to divide the latter by the former to measure the time it takes to pass through the steamer barrel, that is, the steaming time.

For example, the weight W of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 1 is 4 kg.
Therefore, if the measured value Q2 of the supply amount is 360 kg/h, the steaming time T is calculated to be 40 seconds.

Note that the timing for determining the weight W of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel can be determined arbitrarily, but when operating some control element related to the steaming time based on the calculated time T of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel, It is preferable to set the timing to take into account the response delay time due to the operation of each control element.

By the way, in the present invention, as described above, it is essential to understand the supply amount of fresh leaves per unit time into the steamer drum 1 as a set value and as a measured value. It is necessary to use a leaf feeder equipped with a control mechanism to constantly supply fresh leaves, or at least a leaf feeder that can freely measure the actual amount of fresh leaves currently being supplied.

Of course, just like a conventional leaf feeder, the supply amount per unit time can be adjusted by volume by adjusting both the circulating speed of the belt and the height of the leveling tool installed above the feed end. It is not impossible to measure the steaming time by referring to a conversion table, etc., using a method that
It cannot respond to changes in the properties of fresh leaves themselves, such as size, softness, hardness, bulk density, etc. Furthermore, errors in the supply amount in the leaf feeder will directly cause errors in steaming time measurements, so high precision If it is desired to measure the steaming time, it is important to use a leaf feeder capable of feedback control of the feed rate or a leaf feeder capable of measuring the current feed rate as described above. As such a leaf feeder, there are devices described in, for example, JP-A-53-107495 and JP-A-55-96425. The leaf machine will be explained with reference to Fig. 2.

Reference numeral 16 designates an inclined conveyor frame which is supported vertically movably with respect to the base frame 18 by four-bar parallel links 17, and balanced with the dividing cylinder 20 by balance rods 19. A belt with crosspieces 21 is spanned, a hopper is provided at the starting end of the belt with crosspieces 21, and a spring 22, a rack 23 and a pinion 24 pivotally connected to the inclined conveyor frame 16 are installed between the inclined conveyor frame 16 and the base frame 18. A displacement detector 26 consisting of a variable resistor 25 such as a potentiometer is attached to the base frame 18 and is pivoted.

27 is a vertical bucket conveyor which is a transport device for feeding fresh leaves into the hopper, 28 is a drive motor for the vertical bucket conveyor 27, and 29 is an inclined conveyor frame 16.
This is a variable speed drive motor that drives the crosspiece belt 21 that is stretched over the belt 21 in a freely variable circulation speed.

30 is a vibrating gutter supported by a plate spring 31 on the protruding side 18a of the base frame 18, and the eccentric drive mechanism 3
2. Note that the conveyance capacity of the vibrating gutter 30 and the conveyance capacity of the vertical bucket conveyor 27 are sufficiently larger than the conveyance capacity of the crosspiece belt 21 stretched over the inclined conveyor frame 16.

The EPROM is a read-only memory and is used as a variable-speed drive motor 29 for passing control programs, arithmetic programs, and set target values for processing.
A large number of conversion formulas and the like are written for changing the rotation speed of the variable speed drive motor 29 that drives the crosspiece belt 21 based on the standard initial rotation speed table and the calculated current supply amount. RAM is random access memory.

The CPU is a central processing unit that calculates the current supply amount according to the control program and calculation program written in the EPROM, and also issues a drive/stop signal to the drive motor 28 of the vertical bucket conveyor 27 and changes speed. The aforementioned speed change command for the drive motor 29 is issued.

33 is a flow rate setting device, which corresponds to the flow rate setting device 14 in FIG.

DISP is a display means, and EXIT is an external output terminal, which sends out the set value set in the flow rate setting device 33 or the measured value of the calculated current supply amount.
Connected to input terminal IN in the figure.

After setting the target supply amount Q1 in the flow rate setting device 33, when the control power switch is turned on, the drive motor 28 rotates and feeds fresh leaves onto the hopper inner frame belt 21, and the variable speed drive motor 29
begins to rotate at the initial rotation speed R read out from the RAM corresponding to the set target value, and the belt with crosspiece 21 discharges the fresh leaves received in the hopper onto the vibrating gutter 30 from its delivery end. The vibrating gutter 30 supplies the fresh leaves one after another to the steamer.

At this time, since the carrying capacity of the vertical bucket conveyor 27 is far superior to the carrying capacity of the belt with crosspieces 21 of the inclined conveyor frame 16, fresh leaves gradually accumulate on the belt with crosspieces 21 in the hopper.

Then, the weight of the accumulated fresh leaves causes the inclined conveyor frame 16 to be displaced downward, and in conjunction with the displacement operation of the inclined conveyor frame 16, the displacement amount detector 26
The rack 23 is moved downward, thereby rotating the pinion 24 and changing the resistance value of the variable resistor 25.

Therefore, the voltage value indicated by the displacement amount detector 26 has a magnitude corresponding to the weight of the fresh leaves placed on the crosspiece belt 21.

When this value matches the value stored in the RAM as an upper value by a setting means (not shown), the CPU issues a stop command to the drive motor 28 of the vertical bucket conveyor 27, while the variable speed drive motor 29 The chisel is driven as it is, and only the fresh leaves are continued to be discharged by the crosspiece belt 21.

Then, when fresh leaves are discharged, the inclined conveyor frame 1
6 is displaced upward, and in conjunction with the displacement operation of the inclined conveyor frame 16, the rack 23 of the displacement amount detector 26 is moved upward, thereby causing the pinion 24 to rotate in the reverse direction, and the resistance of the variable resistor 25 is The value is forced to change.

The vertical bucket conveyor 27 is stopped,
When only the crosspiece belt 21 is being driven, the CPU samples the weight reduction transition data by reading the voltage value indicated by the displacement amount detector 26 into the RAM at appropriate intervals.

This reading is performed by a setting means (not shown) until the value stored in the RAM as a lower value is reached.

When the voltage value indicated by the displacement amount detector 26 matches the lower value, the CPU moves to the vertical bucket conveyor 27 again.
A drive command is issued to the drive motor 28, and feeding of fresh leaves into the hopper is resumed.

On the other hand, immediately write the weight loss trend data as Y=
In order to approximate the straight line of AX + B, the least squares method is calculated, the values of A and B are calculated, and the value of A is displayed on DISP as the measured current value of supply amount Q2, and based on this value of A. Then, a rotation speed correction command is issued so that the rotation speed of the variable speed drive motor 29 is corrected to R×Q1/A (=R×Q1/Q2).

During this time, fresh leaves are accumulated, and when the value indicated by the displacement detector 26 reaches the set upper value again, the vertical bucket conveyor 27 is stopped and sampling of the weight loss trend data is resumed. When the lower value is reached again, the least squares method is immediately performed to calculate the latest measured current value. At the same time, the rotational speed of the variable speed drive motor 29 is corrected again based on the value, the vertical bucket conveyor 27 is driven again, and the accumulation of fresh leaves on the belt 21 with the inner crosspiece of the hopper is resumed. is repeated, and feedback control is performed so that the calculated current measured value approaches the set target value set by the flow rate setting device 33.

Therefore, the supply amount per unit time of the leaf feeder, which is essential for measuring the steaming time of the present invention, is as follows. If the current measurement value Q2 calculated as A is read in, highly accurate steaming time measurement becomes possible.

Note that FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a control circuit for the leaf feeder shown in FIG. 2.

In addition, in the explanation up to now, the steaming time measuring device and the leaf feeder were explained as separate items for understanding the invention using FIGS. 1 to 3, but the CPU,
It is desirable to construct a total management system by configuring the arithmetic circuits so that each arithmetic process is performed by sharing RAM, EPROM, etc. and interrupting each other's arithmetic processes.

In the tea steaming time measuring method of the present invention, the measured steaming time at the current point in time is outputted to the display, which is displayed on the display, and while checking the displayed current steaming time T, the steaming time in the steaming device is adjusted. It is possible to manually adjust the control elements involved, such as the inclination of the steaming barrel 1 and the rotational speed of the rotary barrel 3 and stirring shaft, and also to adjust the current steaming time measured. It is also possible to compare T with a preset steaming time and, if there is a mismatch, automatically control the control element so that the steaming time matches the set steaming time T.

Next, a specific example of a tea manufacturing and steaming apparatus in which the steaming time is automatically controlled using the method for measuring the tea manufacturing and steaming time will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10.

4 to 6 show an example of a steam machine main body including an operating section. In the figure, reference numeral 34 denotes a middle frame support frame, which is framed by appropriate square members. For convenience of explanation, the following explanation will be given using FIG. 6 as a front view and determining the direction of each part.

Reference numeral 35 denotes a movable middle frame, which is built into the middle frame support frame 34 with its left and right ends protruding from the middle frame support frame 34. The part near the left end of the movable middle frame 35 is rotatably supported on a hanging shaft 37 via two hanging fittings 36, 36, and the part near the right end is supported by the middle frame via support arms 38, 38. Support frame 34
Rotating arm 4 at both ends of arm shaft 39 pivotally supported by
0,40 (the support arm 38 and rotation arm 40 on the back side overlap with those on the front side, so they do not appear in the drawing). And 4
Reference numeral 1 denotes a sector-shaped gear attached to the front end of the arm shaft 39, and is meshed with a worm gear 43 on the shaft of a trunk inclination control motor 42 attached to the middle frame support frame 34. Therefore, by rotating the motor 42, the movable middle frame 35 is rotated about the hanging shaft 37, and the movable middle frame 3 is rotated by such an operation section.
5. That is, the inclination of the steam barrel can be adjusted.

The main body of the steamer cylinder 44 and the drive section 45 are placed on the movable middle frame 35. The steam barrel 44 includes a substantially cylindrical fixed barrel 46 called a head, and a cylindrical steam chamber 4 provided so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the fixed barrel 46.
7 and a rotary cylinder 48 made of cylindrical wire mesh, which is arranged so that its opening abuts against the head (fixed cylinder) 46 from the right side.
While the head (fixed trunk) 46 is fixed to the movable middle frame 35, the rotary trunk 48 is rotatable. That is, the rotating barrel 48 has a rim 49 at its right open end supported by two barrel bearing rollers 50, 50 attached to the movable middle frame 35, and an annular gear 51 at the left end is supported by a receiving gear at the lower front side. 52 is supported by drive gears 53 that mesh with the annular gears 51, respectively. In addition, drive gear 5
3 is attached to a rotary drum drive shaft 54 extending from the drive section 45, so the rotary drum 48 is rotated by these mechanisms.

In addition, these fixed cylinders 4, which are cylindrical as a whole,
6. A rotatable stirring shaft 55 is provided inside the rotating barrel 48.
are arranged at both left and right ends 5 of the stirring shaft 55.
6 and 57 are pivotally supported by the movable middle frame 35, and the left end 56 of the shaft 55 is connected to a stirring shaft drive shaft 58 protruding from the drive section 45. Also,
A large number of stirring blades 59, 59, . . . are attached to the stirring shaft 55 radially outward from the center of the shaft. Further, 60 is a fixed cover that surrounds the rotary cylinder 48 from above and below, and 61, 61 are adjustment covers. Opening and closing can be adjusted freely by pulling the button.

Inside the drive unit 45, there are a drive motor for rotating the rotary drum 48 and the stirring shaft 55, a reduction mechanism with a constant reduction ratio consisting of large and small pulleys, and a speed reduction mechanism for changing the rotational speed of the rotary drum 48 and the stirring shaft 55. (control element operation section) is included.

Various methods can be considered to change the rotation speed, such as making the motor rotation speed itself variable, changing the diameter of the pulley, and using a fluid coupling, but in this example, the speed change mechanism shown in FIG. is used. That is, 63 in the figure is a driven shaft, which corresponds to the aforementioned rotary drum drive shaft 54 or stirring shaft drive shaft 58, or a deceleration intermediate shaft thereof. 64 is a driven variable diameter pulley that is pivotally attached to the driven shaft 63, 65 is a drive motor, and a drive variable diameter pulley 66 is attached to the shaft. Reference numeral 67 denotes a speed change control motor, which rotates the moving piece 68 of the drive variable diameter pulley 66 to move it back and forth in the axial direction to control the interval between the movable side groove walls 69. On the other hand, the driven variable diameter pulley 64, the interval between the movable side groove walls 69 is widened or narrowed according to the length of the V-belt 70, and the rotation speed is changed by changing the diameters of the pulleys.

Further, reference numeral 71 designates a base, which is constructed in a convex shape from the front, and is attached to arm shafts 73, 73 which are supported above and below the right side column 72 of the convex portion, and one end of which is connected to the center support column 74 of the middle frame support frame 34. Parallel arm 7 attached above and below
5, 75 are pivotally attached, and a balance rod 76 is attached in the opposite direction to the lower arm shaft 73. A split barrel 77 is locked to the tip of the balance rod 76, and the steam barrel 44 and drive 45, the movable middle frame 35, and other necessary members are mounted, so as to be able to move up and down in balance with the total weight of the middle frame support frame 34.

78 is a spring corresponding to the spring 6 in FIG. 1 explaining the principle of the tea steaming time measuring device, and is a spring 78 that corresponds to the spring 6 in FIG.
As mentioned above, since it is balanced with the dividing barrel 77 by the balance rod 76, it expands and contracts up and down depending on the weight of the tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 44, and the steamer barrel 44 and the drive unit 4
5. It is possible to measure the weight of tea leaves with high accuracy, regardless of the weight of the frames 34, 35, etc.

79, a pinion 81 is pivotally attached to a variable resistor 80 such as a potentiometer fixed to the base 71, a rack 82 is attached as a movable element to the middle support frame 34, and these pinions 81 and racks 82 are meshed. This displacement detector corresponds to the displacement detector 8 in FIG.

83 is an oil damper for damping the vertical vibration of the middle frame support frame 34; a cylindrical pot 84 attached to the base 71 is filled with machine oil;
A piston 85 loosely fitted into the inner circumferential wall of 4 is immersed in the machine oil, and the base end of the piston 85 is suspended from the middle frame support frame 34.

Reference numeral 86 denotes an input port that opens near the upper left end of the fixed body 46. A square funnel-shaped funnel 87 is fixed to the input port 86, and a screw 89 driven by a small motor 88 is installed inside the funnel 87. It plays the role of quickly guiding the fresh leaves put into the funnel 87 into the fixed barrel 46. Jyougo 8
7. The small motor 88 and the screw 89 are supported on the middle frame support frame 34 or the movable middle frame 35 to eliminate as much as possible the interference of force from the leaf feeder side due to the pushing of fresh leaves, and to prevent the tea leaves from passing through the steamer barrel. This minimizes weight measurement errors and provides highly accurate steaming times.

Further, 90 covers the entire lower surface of the steamer barrel 44, and drains the steam turned into water droplets in the steamer barrel 44 and water during cleaning, and discharges tea stems that have fallen through the mesh of the rotary barrel 48. A plate is supported on a base 71 so as not to cause an error in measuring the weight of the tea leaves as they pass through the steamer barrel.

91 is the steam main pipe and steam room 4 of the boiler, which will be described later.
This is a highly flexible steam pipe connected between 7 and 7.

Reference numeral 92 denotes a leaf feeder that constantly supplies a constant weight of fresh leaves into the steamer barrel 44, and in this application example, a leaf feeder similar to the leaf feeder shown in FIG. 2 is used. The vibrating gutter serving as the delivery end of the leaf feeder 92 faces the input port 86 of the steamer barrel 44, and the delivery end of the vertical bucket conveyor faces above the starting end hopper.

Reference numeral 93 includes a flow rate setting device of the leaf feeder 92 and an arithmetic circuit that calculates the current supply amount, and a feed unit that outputs the set target value of the flow rate setting device or the measured current value of the current supply amount to the steaming device control panel, which will be described later. The control panel of the leaf machine 92 is shown.

Reference numerals 94 and 94 denote leaf flow sensors that are arranged slightly above the funnel 87 and facing each other so as to sandwich it from the width direction. For example, a sensor such as a photo switch is used to supply fresh leaves from the leaf feeder 92 to the steamer drum 44. Detect whether or not the

95 indicates a boiler. 96 is a burner controller that controls the burn-up of a burner 97 attached to the heating chamber of the boiler 95. When the burn-up of the burner 97 changes, the boiler 95 controls the amount of steam generated and other properties. Things are starting to change. 98 is a steam main pipe that is piped from the steam chamber of the boiler 95 to near the steam chamber 47 of the steam barrel 44;
The above-mentioned flexible steam pipe 91 is connected to the end of the main steam pipe 98 . 99 is a steam amount sensor interposed in a part of the steam main pipe 98, and includes, for example, a float that is moved according to the flow rate of steam passing through the steam main pipe 98, and has an electric current according to the moved position of the float. The amount of steam can be detected by outputting a target signal.

Reference numeral 100 indicates a barrel rotation speed control motor that changes the speed of the rotating barrel 48 of the steamer barrel 44, and 101 indicates the rotating barrel 48.
The figure shows a barrel rotation speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the cylinder. Further, 102 indicates a stirring shaft rotation speed control motor that changes the speed of the stirring shaft 55, and 103 indicates a stirring shaft rotation speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the stirring shaft 55. 42
1 is the above-mentioned cylinder inclination control motor, and 104 is a cylinder inclination sensor that detects the inclination of the steamer cylinder 44.

Reference numeral 105 indicates a control panel of the steaming apparatus of this application example.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the control panel 105. In the figure, 106 is a power switch that can be switched between automatic, manual, and stop, and 107 is a power indicator light, which indicates whether the power is on or not. Reference numeral 108 denotes an operation start and stop switch, which instructs a control circuit, which will be described later, to start and stop a control operation for the steaming apparatus.

Reference numeral 109 denotes a buzzer, which is activated to detect an abnormality when, for example, the leaf flow sensors 94, 94 detect that fresh leaves are not being supplied from the leaf feeder 92 into the steamer drum 44. Notify the user of the current situation.

110 is a steaming time setting switch for setting a target steaming time. In this application example, the level of steaming time that can be selected and set using the steaming time setting switch 110 is limited to between 20 seconds and 180 seconds, and each time you press the + displayed knob once, the steaming time level can be selected and set. The steaming time is
Increments at intervals of 100 seconds, 10 seconds, and 1 second; - 100 seconds, 10 seconds, and 1 each time the displayed knob is pressed once.
It is supposed to be decremented at each interval of seconds, but 20
The following is considered as 20 seconds, and 180 or more is considered as 180 seconds. Reference numeral 111 is a barrel rotation speed setting volume, which sets the rotation speed of the rotary drum 48 of the steaming drum 44. 112 is a stirring shaft rotation speed setting volume, which sets the rotation speed of the stirring shaft 55. 113 is a body inclination setting volume, and the power switch 10
6 is set to the manual side, and the inclination of the steam barrel 44 is manually set.

114 is a steam amount setting volume, which sets the amount of steam supplied from the boiler 95 to the steam chamber 47.

115 is a zero point update switch;
Due to water droplets adhering to the inside and outside of the steamer barrel 44 and tea stems clogging the mesh of the rotary barrel 48, the displacement detector 79 detects the weight of so-called waste other than tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 44. The purpose is to prevent errors in steaming time measurements. When this zero point update switch 115 is pressed, the supply of fresh leaves from the leaf feeder 92 is temporarily interrupted, the inside of the steamer drum 44 is tilted to the lowest position, and this state is held for a while, and the inside of the steamer drum 44 is When all the tea leaves have been discharged, the voltage value indicated by the displacement detector 79 is read into the RAM, and the value read at this time is set as the zero point (0 kg) from then on.
This is to measure the weight of tea leaves passing through the chamber.

116 is a zero point automatic correction switch, and its purpose is almost the same as the zero point update switch 115, but this switch 116 is used at the start of the day's work or when cleaning a rotary cylinder clogged with tea leaves. When the rotary cylinder is replaced with a rotary cylinder, the increase in weight of debris, etc. corresponding to the time from the time of startup or replacement is automatically subtracted and the virtual The aim is to perform zero point correction.

117 is a display device for displaying various current values, and display switches 118a, 118b, 118d, 118
The current value of the control element specified by either e is displayed. That is, 118a is a steaming time display switch, 118b is a body inclination display switch, and 118c is a steaming time display switch.
118d is a drum rotation speed display switch, 118d is a stirring shaft rotation speed display switch, and 118e is a steam amount display switch.

Next, FIG. 9 shows an example of a block configuration of a control circuit for controlling the apparatus shown in FIGS. 4 to 8.

In the figure, CPU is a central processing unit, and EPROM is a read-only memory, which calculates the steaming time from a control program for processing, an arithmetic program, input data from the control panel 93 of the leaf feeder 92, and measured data. A large number of relational expressions for zero point correction when the automatic zero point correction switch 116 is pressed are written.
RAM is random access memory.

119 is an input/output port. 108 is the above-mentioned operation start/stop switch, similarly 110 is a steaming time setting switch, 11 is a barrel rotation speed setting volume, 112 is a stirring shaft rotation speed setting volume,
113 is a barrel inclination setting volume, 114 is a steam amount setting volume, 115 is a zero point update switch, and 116 is a zero point automatic correction switch.

94 is the aforementioned leaf flow sensor, 99 is a steam amount sensor, 101 is a barrel rotation speed sensor, 103 is a stirring shaft rotation speed sensor, 104 is a barrel inclination sensor,
79 is a displacement detector. Each of these switches, volume, and detectors 110, 111, 1
12, 113, 114, sensor 94, 99, 10
1, 103, 104, detector 79 are connected to input/output port 119 via gate circuits 121, 121, . . . which are controlled by gate latch control circuit 120. Further, 42 is the above-mentioned cylinder inclination angle control motor, 96 is a burner controller, 100 is a cylinder rotation speed control motor, 1
02 is a stirring shaft rotation speed control motor, which is controlled by relay RL... and gate latch control circuit 120, latch circuits 122, 122...
It is connected to the input/output port 119 via the input/output port 119.

Therefore, in this application example, the control of each control element for indirectly automatically controlling the steaming time is
This is done according to the program shown in the figure. This program will be explained below in the order of the numbers assigned to each step.

(a) Power switch 10 provided on control panel 105
6 to automatic side and operation start/stop switch 1
By pressing 08 once, a program for indirectly automatically controlling the steaming time is started.

(b) "Has the steaming time (steaming time T is hereinafter referred to as t1 to distinguish the set steaming time from the actual steaming time, and the actual steaming time is designated as t2) been set?" make a judgment.

This is to judge whether or not the desired steaming time has been set by the steaming time setting switch 110, and this steaming time t1
If t1 is not set, the process waits for t1 to be set without proceeding to the next step. If t1 has been set, proceed to the next step (c).

(c) Make a determination as to whether the setting has been made using each of the other setting volumes.

This is for determining whether or not the desired settings of the barrel rotation speed, stirring shaft rotation speed, and steam amount have been made using the drum rotation speed setting volume 111, stirring shaft rotation speed setting volume 112, and steam amount setting volume 114. Unless all settings have been made for each of these volumes, the process waits for all settings to be made without proceeding to the next step.

(d) The voltage value indicated by the displacement detector 79 when the steam barrel 44 is empty at the start is read into the RAM as the zero point.

This is the middle frame support frame 34 that supports the steamer drum 44 etc. when the tea stalks are not clogged or water droplets are not attached.
This is because the weight of the tea leaves is read in and the subsequent measurement of the weight of the tea leaves is performed using the amount of displacement from this zero point.

(e) Read the steaming time, drum rotation speed, stirring shaft rotation speed, and steam amount set in steps (b) and (c) above, and read out the corresponding control values. In this device, since the steaming time is controlled by adjusting the inclination of the steaming barrel 44, the initial control value of the inclination of the steaming barrel 44 corresponding to the set steaming time is read out. It will be done. In addition, the control of each control element such as barrel rotation speed, stirring shaft rotation speed, and steam amount is different from the steaming time control, and is set completely according to the experience and preference of the tea master, and the control values remain as they are until the set values are changed. It was carried out in
As before, you can judge the finish quality of the steamed leaves and adjust the settings to suit your preferences.

(f) Read the current value of each control element.

Current values of the cylinder inclination, cylinder rotation speed, stirring shaft rotation speed and steam amount are read by the respective sensors 104, 101, 103 and 99.

(g) Compare each control value read in step (e) above with each current value read in step (f) above. Then, if all of the comparison results match each other, proceed to step (i), and if even one does not match, proceed to step (h).

(h) For the control elements that did not match the control values in step (g) above, a control signal corresponding to the compared difference is transmitted to the operating unit, that is, the motor 42, 100, 1.
02 or burner controller 96,
It drives those operating parts. And the steps
Step through (e), (f), (g) and (h) in a loop.
Wait until the comparison results match in (g).

(i) Determine whether the input command has been output.

This input command is the steam drum 44 by the leaf feeder 92.
Normally, when the comparison result in step (g) above is determined to be a match, the drive system of the leaf feeder 92, that is, the second
Drive motor 28 in the figure, variable speed drive motor 2
9 and the eccentric drive mechanism 32. However, if the supply of fresh leaves by the leaf feeder 92 is stopped or interrupted for some reason, a drive signal other than the feed command in step (g) is output. It is necessary to output the input command using the step 1 or other independent means, and when such special circumstances arise, it is necessary to confirm whether fresh leaves are being supplied to the steamer drum 44 or not. This step (i) is provided because it is necessary to proceed to the next step.

(j) If the loading command is not output in step (i), a drive signal is output to the drive motor 28, variable speed drive motor 29, and eccentric drive mechanism 32 to drive the respective conveyors.

(k) When a YES judgment result is obtained in step (i), a judgment is made as to "Are the leaves flowing?"

This is actually a vertical bucket conveyor with fresh leaves.
7. This is a step to confirm whether or not the steam is being supplied to the steamer drum 44 via the crosspiece belt 21 and the vibrating gutter 30. Vertical bucket conveyor 27,
Even if the crosspiece belt 21 and the vibrating gutter 30 are driven, if there are no fresh leaves in the hopper, or if fresh leaves are not being supplied on the path that conveys fresh leaves from the fresh leaf storage room to the vertical bucket conveyor 27, the steamer drum 44 Since fresh leaves are not supplied to plants, it is necessary to detect their presence or absence.
These detections are made by leaf flow sensors 94,94.

(l) If it is detected in step (k) above that the leaves are not flowing, the buzzer 109 is activated to notify the abnormality.

(m) When the judgment result of YES is obtained in step (k), a judgment is made as to "Is the control start point time-up?"

The judgment referred to here refers to the control of the degree of inclination of the torso, and is a question as to whether or not the point in time for starting control of the degree of inclination of the torso has timed up. That is, to measure the steaming time, the weight of the tea leaves put into the steamer drum 44 is measured using the middle frame support frame 34 that supports the steamer drum 44, etc.
Since this is done by measuring each steamer cylinder 4.
Until the discharge of steamed leaves from the steaming barrel 44 becomes steady, even if the weight of tea leaves passing through the steaming barrel 44 is measured, it will be an excessive weight. This is because even if the degree of inclination is controlled, it is not satisfactory, so during this period it is necessary not to measure the weight of the tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel and to control the degree of inclination of the body. and,
For example, the time up during this time is 5
It can be set uniformly, such as minutes, or it can be set individually by giving a margin of some percentage to the set steaming time t1.

(n) Reads the weight W of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 44 based on the amount of displacement from the zero point voltage value of the displacement amount detector 79, and also reads the weight W of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 44 per unit time output from the control panel 93 of the leaf feeder 92. Input the set target value Q1 or measured current value Q2 of the supply amount to the input terminal IN.
Load via.

(o) Make a judgment as to "Is the zero point automatic correction switch pressed?"

This is intended to automatically correct the tea leaf weight within the expected range by subtracting in advance the error caused to the tea leaf weight measurement due to the weight increase of the inner frame support frame 34 etc. due to the adhesion of debris, etc.

Note that this zero point automatic correction switch 116 is automatically released when the first zero point update control is performed in later steps (u) and (v).
It can also be manually released by pressing the switch 116 twice.

(p) If the automatic zero point correction switch 116 is pressed, the weight increase due to adhesion of dregs, etc. is subtracted and the tea leaf weight read in step (n) is corrected.

Incidentally, the weight increase ΔW due to adhesion of debris etc. is expressed, for example, as in the following equation.

△W=k×t (0<t<60min) △W=K (=60k) (t≧60min) Therefore, the correction formula for the tea leaf weight is performed by W←W−△W.

(q) Calculate the passage time of the tea leaves through the steamer drum 44, ie, the measured steaming time t2, using the formula W÷Q1 or W÷Q2.

(r) Compare the set steaming time t1 and the steaming time t2 measured in step (q) above.
If they match, the process proceeds to step (t), and if they do not match, the process proceeds to step (s).

(s) A signal corresponding to the difference compared in step (r) is sent to the operating section, ie, the barrel inclination control section, to drive the barrel inclination control motor 42 and adjust the inclination of the steamer barrel 44. As the degree of inclination of the steamer drum 44 increases, the time for tea leaves to pass through the steamer drum is adjusted to become shorter, and conversely, as the degree of inclination of the steamer drum 44 decreases, the time for the tea leaves to pass through the steamer drum is adjusted to become longer. Therefore, the signal output to the barrel inclination control motor 42 reduces the inclination of the steamer barrel 44 when the difference between t1 and t2 (difference according to the formula t1-t2) is a positive value. A rotational direction command is output, and when the difference is a negative value, a rotational direction command is outputted to increase the degree of inclination of the steamer cylinder 44. This command is output until the comparison result in step (r) matches.

(t) “Was the zero point update switch pressed?”
Make this judgment.

In order to more accurately measure the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel, the zero point is updated based on the weight increase after the adhesion of residue to the steamer barrel has become steady. After temporarily interrupting the supply of fresh leaves from 92 and discharging all the tea leaves passing through the arithmetic circuit 44, read the voltage value indicated by the displacement detector 79, and use that value as the new zero point.
Rewrite the original value in RAM. This directive is
It is also input when the zero point update switch 115 provided on the control panel 105 is pressed, or it is input every time a predetermined time, such as two hours, elapses. It's okay to do that. If the zero point update command is not input, the process proceeds to step (w), and if the zero point update command is input, the control for zero point update in steps (u) and (v) is executed, and then step (w) is executed. Proceed to.

(u) When the zero point update command is input, the supply of fresh leaves by the leaf feeder 92 is stopped, and the steamer 44
Eject all the tea leaves inside. Discharging the tea leaves in the steamer barrel 44 is not actually done by a special discharge means, but by setting the slope of the steamer barrel 44 to the maximum and taking the time necessary to complete the discharge. This is done by counting the elapsed time (for example, 2 minutes).

(v) Clear the voltage value previously recognized and stored as the zero point written in the RAM, and rewrite it with the voltage value of the displacement detector 79 measured after discharge.

(w) A judgment is made as to whether the settings of each setting device have been changed.

For example, this may occur if the quality of fresh leaves supplied from the fresh leaf storage room changes, or if steamed leaves of the expected quality may not be obtained depending on the initially set steaming time, drum rotation speed, stirring shaft rotation speed, or steam amount. If not, the setting switch and volume may be changed immediately according to the tea master's preference, and if these settings are changed, proceed to steps (e) to (h).
It is necessary to redo the control of each control element adjusted in . Therefore, if any of the set values is changed, the process returns to step (e) to continue measuring the steaming time and controlling the body inclination as described above.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the tea steaming time measuring method of the present invention calculates the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel by weighing the frame supporting the steamer barrel. Set the supply amount per unit time of the leaf feeder that supplies fresh leaves into the steamer barrel, or measure the actual supply amount per unit time, and set the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel. The method is characterized in that the time required for the tea leaves to pass through the steamer barrel is calculated by dividing the amount of tea leaves supplied per unit time, which is calculated or measured.

The tea steaming time measuring device of the present invention also includes a means for weighing the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel together with a frame that supports the steamer barrel, and a means for measuring the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel per unit time of a leaf feeder that supplies fresh leaves into the steamer barrel. A means for setting a target value of the supply amount or a means for measuring the current value of the supply amount per unit time, and a means for measuring the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer drum using the set target value or the measured current value of the supply amount per unit time. It is characterized by comprising an arithmetic circuit that calculates the passage time of tea leaves through the steamer barrel by division.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to substantially continuously measure the steaming time of tea leaves that are continuously passed through the steamer barrel, and there is almost no time lag between the passage of tea leaves and the measurement. It is possible to accurately measure the steaming time at any given time. Then, by comparing the steaming time measured by the present invention with the desired steaming time and controlling the control elements related to the steaming time according to the comparison result, the tea leaves can be steamed for the desired steaming time. It can be done.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view for explaining the principle of the tea steaming time measuring device of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a control method for measuring supply amount and constant weight supply of a leaf feeder useful for measuring steaming time of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the control circuit, and FIGS. 4 to 10 show how the steaming time is controlled using the steaming time measuring method of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the entire steaming device;
Fig. 5 is a plan view of the steamer main body mainly showing what is attached to the inner frame support frame, Fig. 6 is a front view of the steamer main body,
Fig. 7 shows an example of the operating section, and is a plan view showing only the main parts taken out, Fig. 8 is a front view showing an example of the control panel, Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the control circuit, and Fig. 10. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a program, and FIG. 11 is a side view schematically showing a conventional tea manufacturing and steaming apparatus. CPU, EPROM, RAM... Arithmetic circuit, 1, 4
4...Steaming barrel, 2,46...Fixed barrel, 3,48...
Rotating cylinder, 8, 79...Displacement amount detector, 11, 92
... Leaf feeder, 34 ... Middle frame support frame, 35 ... Middle frame, 71 ... Base.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel is determined by weighing the frame supporting the steamer barrel, and on the other hand, the supply per unit time of the leaf feeder that supplies fresh leaves into the steamer barrel. Set the amount or measure the actual supply amount per unit time, and divide the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer drum by the set or measured supply amount per unit time to calculate the amount of tea leaves. A method for measuring tea steaming time, which is characterized by calculating the time taken to pass through a steaming barrel. 2. Means for weighing the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer drum, including the frame supporting the steamer drum, and means for setting a target value for the supply amount per unit time of the leaf feeder that supplies fresh leaves into the steamer drum. or a means for measuring the current value of the supply amount per unit time, and dividing the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel by the set target value or measured current value of the supply amount per unit time, and passing the tea leaves through the steamer barrel. A tea steaming time measuring device characterized by comprising an arithmetic circuit for calculating time.