JP2001099570A - Method and device for displaying drying state in grain drier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To confirm moisture distribution in a grain drier before completion of measurement. SOLUTION: A moisture content contained in grains in a drier is measured in a given grain unit at each time by a moisture meter 8 and stored at a memory device 19. A control part 13 produces display data according to which distribution in the middle of measurement is reflected in a given grain unit one by one by a graph for display and displays it through a liquid crystal display device 12. This constitution fully updates a distribution graph for display during measurement of moisture. Further, after a lapse of a specified time starting from completion of measurement of moisture, automatic switching to standard display that a drying state is collectively monitored is carried out.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a grain dryer for drying a grain, and more particularly to a grain dryer capable of displaying information on an operating condition during a drying operation, a drying process condition, and the like in various forms. The present invention relates to a drying status display method and apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional grain dryer is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
No. 32266 is known. The grain dryer includes a main body in which a storage room, a drying room, and a shelling chamber communicate with each other, and an elevator.The grain drier from the storage room to the shelling room is dried in the drying room. Circulation drying is performed by circulating the grains that have arrived in the room to the storage room using an elevator.

[0003] Further, this kind of grain dryer is provided with an operation panel having a plurality of operation button switches and a display section, and when a user operates a specific operation button switch, a corresponding operation button switch is previously set. The information about the attached drying process status is displayed on the display unit.
In addition, a standard display mode is provided for collectively displaying a plurality of pieces of information such as the average moisture value of the grain and the drying temperature on the display unit.
The user can confirm a plurality of pieces of information on the drying process status at a time by viewing the contents displayed collectively.

[0004]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional grain dryer, when a user operates a specific operation button switch to display information on a desired drying process status, each time, It is necessary to switch a specific operation button switch from among the plurality of operation button switches.

In order to confirm the progress of drying and the prediction of the end, for example, as shown in FIG.
Select the items you want to check from the moisture distribution, drying prediction menu, and follow the selected menu, each screen,
(B) drying status display screen, (c) moisture distribution display screen,
(D) The drying prediction display screen is switched each time, and the drying conditions are changed with reference to each screen display, and the next work is set up.

[0006] However, in order to confirm the distribution of moisture in the grains in the dryer, by operating the above-mentioned specific switch when the drying process is finally completed, the average value of the final moisture content is determined. And the distribution of moisture content are displayed in a bar graph, which can be confirmed. That is, on the moisture distribution display screen (FIG. 6c), the moisture value and its properties are displayed only after the moisture measurement by the moisture meter is completed. Therefore, for 5 to 10 minutes after the moisture measurement is completed and further display is performed, for example, two-stage drying is performed because of unevenness in water and a large amount of unripe rice (character display).
It was not possible to select a drying method or to predict the time of completion of drying and set up the next operation.

The present invention has been made in order to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and completes the measurement by displaying the moisture distribution in the course of the measurement on a graph basis in a predetermined grain unit. Provides a user interface that allows the user to know the approximate water distribution and water content beforehand, and simultaneously check the progress of the water measurement and the prediction of the end, and provides visibility of the information necessary for the user to change drying conditions and the next setup required. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for displaying a drying state in a grain dryer that can display well and improve operability.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a method for displaying a drying state of a grain dryer according to the present invention includes a display device for displaying a drying state of a grain during a drying process in a plurality of display forms. Used in a grain dryer, the moisture content in grains in the dryer was measured for a predetermined number of grains, and the distribution during the measurement was reflected and displayed one by one on a graph.

Thus, the moisture content during the measurement is displayed as distribution data in a predetermined grain unit, so that the approximate moisture distribution and moisture content can be visually checked before the completion of the moisture content measurement. The drying conditions can be changed for reference, and the setup for the next operation can be performed reliably.

After the measurement of the moisture content in the grain is completed, the graph is displayed for a predetermined time, and after a lapse of the predetermined time, the drying state of the grain is displayed on a display screen in a predetermined format. We decided to switch automatically.

Thus, the user can store necessary information in one
The operation can be visually confirmed, and desired information can be obtained without performing a complicated operation. In addition, after a certain period of time has elapsed after the completion of the moisture measurement, the display screen is automatically switched so that standard information can be obtained. By using this together, the convenience for the user can be improved. Can be.

[0012] The present invention provides a drying state display device in a dryer, comprising a display device for displaying a drying state of a grain during a drying process in a plurality of display forms, wherein the moisture content of the grain in the dryer is provided. , A means for measuring a predetermined number of particles, a means for reflecting the distribution during the measurement of the water content one by one to generate display data therefor, and a display means for displaying the display data.

According to the present invention, there is provided a drying apparatus for displaying a drying state of a grain in a plurality of display modes during a drying process. Means for measuring and storing in a storage device, means for presetting a desired moisture value, means for predicting and calculating the time from the currently measured moisture value to the set moisture value, and drying Means for generating display data for simultaneously displaying a change in moisture value from the start to the present and a predicted time from the current moisture value to a set value in a time series, and a display for displaying the display data for a predetermined time. Means.

According to this configuration, before the end of the moisture measurement, the moisture distribution in the middle of the measurement is displayed in a graph in a predetermined grain unit. This makes it possible to visually check the progress of the moisture measurement and the prediction of the end thereof, and to change the drying conditions or to reliably set up the next operation with reference to the contents.

Further, the drying state display device in the grain dryer of the present invention selects and designates, as one display form, a moisture distribution display screen including a moisture distribution during measurement from a plurality of display forms. The display further includes a display selection unit for displaying the display mode on the display unit.

According to this configuration, the user can visually confirm necessary information with one operation, and can obtain desired information without performing a complicated operation. This improves operability.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of a method and an apparatus for indicating a drying state in a grain dryer according to the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a structural diagram schematically showing the structure of a grain dryer according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A mainly shows an internal structure, and FIG. 1B shows an external structure.

1 (a) and 1 (b), the grain dryer 1 has a main body 5 in which a grain collecting chamber 2, a drying chamber 3, and a storage chamber 4 are connected in series, and a lateral side of the main body 5. It is configured to include a lift 6 attached thereto.

A horizontal conveyor 2a is provided at the front of the grain collection chamber 2, a heater 3a comprising a burner or the like is provided at the front of the drying chamber 3, and an air blower 3b is provided at the rear of the drying chamber 3. A plurality of rotary valves 3c are provided between the storage chamber 4 and the grain collecting chamber 2, and an upper conveyor 4a is provided above the storage chamber 4. Further, a hopper 7 is provided below the elevator 6, a moisture meter 8 is provided on a side of the elevator 6, a lower 9 is provided above the elevator 6, and a dust collector 10 is provided on the upper conveyor 4 a.

Here, warm air is generated in the drying chamber 3 by the heater 3a and the air blower 3b, and grains passing through the drying chamber 3 are forcibly dried by the hot air by the rotary valve 3c. I have. The dust collector 10 is provided for discharging unnecessary dust and dust generated in the main body 5 to the outside.

Before the drying process is started, the cereal to be dried is carried into the storage room 4 (stuck), and the drying process is started by the horizontal conveyor 2a, the elevator 6 and the upper conveyor 4a. Then, the cereal accumulated in the grain collection chamber 2 is transported to the storage chamber 4 again to perform circulating drying.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, an operation unit for operating a grain dryer 1 by a user is provided. The operation unit includes an operation panel (operation panel) as shown in FIG. Panel 11 is provided.

In FIG. 2, an operation panel 11 includes a display section 12 composed of a liquid crystal display device and various operation switches SW1.
To SW14 are provided. When the user operates these operation switches SW1 to SW14, the operating conditions of the grain dryer 1 are controlled, and the operation switches SW1 to SW14 are controlled.
The information selected in and the operation status of the grain dryer 1 and the information regarding the drying process status can be displayed on the display unit 12. Here, the drying process is currently being performed at a hot air temperature of 48 ° C. through the display unit 12, the average moisture value of the grains currently in the dryer is 25%, 5 hours have passed since the drying process was started, the variation in moisture was large, This indicates that the grain (paddy) with a little more rice is continuously dried as standard.

The operation switches SW1 to SW11 are formed by push button switches, and the operation switches SW13, SW
Reference numeral 14 is formed by a dial type volume switch.

Further, the operation switch SW2 is
It is composed of four push-button switches, which are denoted by “+”, “−”, “→”, and “←”, and each has a specific function.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system for controlling the operation of the entire grain dryer 1 including the operation panel 11. In the figure, a dryer (MP) that controls the operation of the entire apparatus 1 by executing a preset system program is provided in the dryer of the present embodiment.
A control unit 13 having U) as a control center is provided.

The control unit 13 is connected to a liquid crystal display device constituting the display unit 12 and operation switches SW1 to SW14. In addition, a display screen on which data to be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 12 is drawn and stored. The memory 14 and various drive circuits 15 to 18 are connected, and the wind motor 3 b (dust motor 10), the conveyor 2 a (4 a), the elevating motor 6, It is designed to drive the heater 3a.

The control unit 13 further includes a moisture meter 8 for sampling a plurality of grains and measuring the moisture value of each grain.
A temperature sensor 19 for detecting the internal temperature of the drying chamber 3,
A safety device 20 for forcibly stopping the operation when an abnormality occurs in the grain dryer 1 is connected via an A / D conversion circuit (not shown) and an input / output port.

The water content means the weight percentage (%) of the water contained in each grain or the water percentage (%) of the whole grain to be dried and is also called the water content. Have been. Then, the control unit 13 receives the detection signals output from the moisture meter 8 and the temperature sensor 19 via the input port, and based on the actually measured data of the moisture value and the temperature, the heater by the drive circuit 18 By performing the feedback control of the fuel supply amount to 3a, the drying process is performed so that the actual moisture value of the grain approaches the target moisture value. In addition, the control unit 13 stores and manages, in a nonvolatile memory (EEPROM) 19, data of an operating condition, the above-described measured data, and the like sequentially for each operation mode described later according to a predetermined data structure.

Next, among the operation switches SW1 to SW14 provided on the operation panel 11, only the functions related to the present invention will be described. In the following description, the operation switches SW1 to SW14 are referred to by names associated with each function.

The display changeover switch SW1 is connected to the grain dryer 1
It is provided for displaying a plurality of pieces of information relating to the operation status and the drying process status on the display unit (liquid crystal display device) 12 for each piece of information. Although the details will be described later, when the user presses the display changeover switch SW1, the moisture distribution display during the moisture measurement shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and the standard display shown in FIG. The display is switched. Further, depending on the combination with other switches, it is also possible to independently display the (a) menu screen, (b) drying status screen, (c) moisture distribution, and (d) drying prediction graph shown in FIG. .

The change switch SW2 is, as described above,
It is composed of four push-button switches labeled "+", "-", "→" and "←". The user is "+"
Alternatively, by pressing the "-" switch, more specific items can be selected and designated in the range of the standard display shown in FIG. The guide switch SW3 is provided for displaying a plurality of pieces of information for each operation mode in a time-division manner. The setting switch SW4 is provided to shift to the next option item after adding or deleting an option item by the above-mentioned “→” and “←” switches. The above-mentioned change switches SW2 to SW4 are Since it is not indispensable for practicing the present invention, in the block shown in FIG. 3, it is enclosed in a block shown as each selection switch, and further detailed description will be omitted.

The grain selection switch SW5 is provided for selecting the type of grain to be dried, and calculates the actual moisture value during the drying process each time the user presses the grain selection switch SW5. Statistic processing method can be selected. In addition, the basic formula for calculating the temperature of hot air to be dried is also selected.

The drying pattern switch SW6 is provided for selectively designating a time change of the hot air temperature. Each time the user presses the drying pattern switch SW6, one of a plurality of temperature patterns prepared in advance, for example, one of a standard temperature pattern, a low temperature pattern, and a taste pattern can be switched and selected.

The drying operation mode switch SW7 is provided to select and designate a drying operation mode such as continuous drying, two-stage drying, ventilation drying, and the like, and each time the user presses the drying operation mode switch SW7. The desired operation mode can be switched and selected. By selecting and designating the combination of the drying pattern switch SW6 and the drying operation mode switch SW7, it is possible to determine the method of the drying treatment according to the properties and use of the grain.

The setting switch SW8 is provided for giving an instruction to store the grains in the storage room 4 before starting the drying process. The drying switch SW9 is connected to the storage room 4
It is provided to instruct the start of the drying process after storing the grains therein. The discharge switch SW10 is provided to carry out the dried grain from the grain collection room 2 to the outside. The stop switch SW is provided to instruct the end of the drying process. The power switch SW12 is provided to turn on and off a main power supply provided in the grain dryer 1.

The grain amount setting switch SW13 is provided for presetting the amount of grain to be dried.
The grain amount is designated according to the rotation angle of the grain amount setting switch SW13.

The moisture setting switch SW14 is provided for designating the moisture value of the grain at the end of the drying process, and designates a desired moisture value according to the rotation angle of the moisture setting switch SW14. ing. That is, it is provided to set the moisture value (target moisture value) of the grain at the time when the drying process ends.

The control unit 13 also manages information set by the operation switches SW8 to SW14 by storing the information in the EEPROM 19 according to a predetermined data structure.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the control unit 13 for realizing the drying state display method in the dryer according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. First, when the user turns on the main power supply of the grain dryer 1, the liquid crystal display device 12 displays a drying operation display, specifically, a standard display mode screen shown in FIG. 5C (step S4).
1). However, the standard display mode screen shown in FIG.
Since the dryer is in the middle of the drying process and is different from the one immediately after the power is turned on, the dryer is substantially in the stopped state, so that information on the state of the stopped apparatus is displayed in the standard display mode. Then, under the control of the control unit 13, each of the motors 3b, 10, 2a (4
a), 6 and 3a are supplied with electric power,
The motor is started for circulation. Also, the driving circuit 1
Electric power is supplied to the heater 3a such as a burner via 8 to start the drying process (steps S42, S43).

When the drying process is started, the moisture meter 8 measures the moisture value of the grain, for example, at intervals of 30 minutes (step S).
45), each moisture value data is sequentially recorded in the EEPROM 19. The moisture meter 8 measures moisture of, for example, 200 grains and transmits the moisture to the control unit 13 via the EEPROM 19.
The control unit 13 reads the moisture data from the EEPROM 19 each time and generates display data to be reflected on a bar graph described later each time.

Next, the user operates the display changeover switch SW1.
When the moisture distribution display screen is selected in step (step S44),
The control unit 13 senses this, and switches to a display mode for displaying the moisture distribution during the moisture measurement on a graph (step S47). FIGS. 6A and 6B show an example of a screen configuration displayed on the liquid crystal display device 12 in this display mode. Here, a graph is displayed in which the vertical axis indicates the number of grains of the grain and the horizontal axis indicates the moisture value, (a) is the moisture distribution during the measurement by the moisture meter 8, and (b) is after the moisture measurement is completed. This is the final moisture distribution display screen, in which the water distribution from the moisture distribution of one grain equivalent to 200 grains is reflected and displayed one by one on a bar graph. The control unit 13 obtains the moisture value from the moisture meter 8, replaces it with a bar graph as distribution data, draws it one by one on the display screen memory 14, and reads it out one by one, so that the liquid crystal display device 12 can read the data shown in FIGS. The desired display shown in FIG.

Next, the display changeover switch SW1 is turned on again.
N (step S48) or when the same display information is continuously displayed for a predetermined display time (= 60 seconds) (step S49), the display screen in the standard display mode shown in FIG. Return to (Step S50). That is,
The user can return to the original standard display at a desired time by pressing the display changeover switch SW1, and automatically return to the standard display after a predetermined display time has elapsed without pressing the display changeover switch SW1. This saves the user time and effort.

The standard display mode screen shown in FIG. 5 (c) shows the current drying condition in real time. More specifically, the drying process is performed in a mode where the grain type is the paddy and the continuous operation mode, and the hot air temperature is 45 ° C. It shows that 5 hours have passed since the start of the drying process with the current average moisture value of 25%, and the remaining 15 hours of the drying process is required. The display of the elapsed time of the drying time and the remaining time until the end is alternately displayed at intervals of 5 seconds.

Then, the process from the motor control in step S42 to the moisture measurement process in step S45 is repeated until the drying process is completed. When the drying process is completed, a drying completion display is performed according to the standard display mode (step S51). Heater 3a and each motor 2a (4a), 3b, 10,
6 is performed (steps S52 and S53).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the moisture distribution during the measurement required by the user is displayed in a graph by only one operation of the display changeover switch SW1. It becomes easy to confirm the prediction of the end. When the display of the specified information is completed, the display is automatically switched to the standard display mode, so that the user can automatically obtain standard information without having to perform complicated operations after obtaining desired information. Information can be obtained.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention, the moisture content of the grains in the dryer is measured every predetermined grain unit, and the distribution during the measurement is graphed for each predetermined grain unit. Because it can be reflected and displayed, the user can visually confirm that the moisture measurement is progressing smoothly, and
Before the end of the measurement, the approximate distribution and the prediction of the end of the drying can be confirmed, and the drying conditions can be changed with reference to the approximate distribution and the moisture value, and the setup for the next operation can be reliably performed.

When a certain period of time has passed after the completion of the moisture measurement, the display automatically switches to a standard display in which the drying condition can be monitored collectively.
It is possible to automatically obtain standard information without performing complicated operations, and it is also possible to improve convenience for the user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram schematically showing the structure of a grain dryer of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an operation panel.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a display screen by a control system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display screen configuration according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a conventional display screen configuration example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Grain dryer 2 ... Grain collection room 3 ... Drying room 3a ... Heater 4 ... Storage room 5 ... Main body part 6 ... Elevator 8 ... Moisture meter 12 ... Display part (liquid crystal display device) 13 ... Control part (MPU) 14 ... Display screen memory 19 ... Non-volatile memory (EEPROM) SW1 ... Display changeover switch SW14 ... Moisture setting switch

Claims (4)

[Claims] The present invention is used for a grain dryer provided with a display device for displaying a drying state of a grain during a drying process in a plurality of display forms, and measures a predetermined number of grains in a moisture content of the grain in the dryer. A method of displaying a drying state in a grain dryer, wherein the distribution during measurement is reflected and displayed one by one on a graph. 2. When the measurement of the water content in the cereal is completed, the graph is displayed for a predetermined time, and after a lapse of the time, the dry state of the cereal is displayed in a predetermined format. The method according to claim 1, wherein the screen is switched to a screen. 3. A grain dryer provided with a display device for displaying a drying state of grains in a plurality of display forms during a drying process, comprising: means for measuring a predetermined number of grains of water content of the grains in the dryer; A drying state display device in a grain dryer, comprising: means for reflecting the distribution during the measurement of the water content on a graph one by one to generate display data therefor; and display means for displaying the display data. 4. A display selecting means for selecting and specifying one display form including the time-series display from among the plurality of display forms, and displaying the selected and specified display form on the display means. The drying state display device in the grain dryer according to claim 3.