JP2001099571A - Method and device for displaying drying state in grain drier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simultaneously confirm the progress of a drying moisture of grain and prediction of completion of drying through one action. SOLUTION: A moisture value contained in grain is measured in succession by a moisture meter 8 and reserved at a memory device 19, and a time elapsing between a present measured moisture value and a preset target moisture value is predicted and computed by a control part 13. A change of a moisture value during a time beginning with a start of drying and ending to a present and a prediction time beginning with a present moisture value and ending to a target set value are displayed in time series on one graph through a display part 12. Further, after measurement of a moisture contained in grain is completed and the lapse and a prediction screen are automatically displayed for a given time, it is automatically switched to a standard display screen on which a drying state of grain is displayed in a previously defined given format.

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]

However, in the above-described conventional grain dryer, when a user operates a specific operation button switch to display information on a desired drying process status, the A specific operation button switch must be switched from among the plurality of operation button switches. Specifically, in order to confirm the progress of the drying and the prediction of the end, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, select the item to be confirmed from the drying status, the moisture distribution, and the drying prediction menu, According to the selected menu, each screen, (b) drying status display screen, (c) moisture distribution display screen, (d) dry prediction display screen is switched each time, and drying conditions are changed with reference to each screen display, The next work was being set up.

For this reason, if the user tries to obtain a plurality of pieces of information relating to the drying processing status, a plurality of switching operations are required, and the operation buttons are switched one by one to change the screen display on the display unit. Since it is necessary to perform the operation, the operation is complicated and the operability is not always good.

The standard display mode has the advantage that the information on the drying process status can be collectively obtained. However, since the display content is diversified, a plurality of display contents indicate which drying process status to the user. There was a problem that it was difficult to recognize whether or not it was showing. Also, since the contents displayed in the standard display mode are diversified, it is difficult to display a large amount of information in detail on a display unit having a limited display area. There were also problems such as occurrence. Specifically, the drying progress graph and the prediction graph, which are necessary for the user to change the drying conditions or to ensure the preparation of the next operation, are not displayed collectively. There was no way to confirm at a glance the progress and the prediction of the end.

[0007] The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the prior art. In one operation, the progress of moisture in a grain and the prediction of the end of drying are displayed on the same graph, whereby drying is performed. Provides a user interface that allows the user to simultaneously check the progress of the process and the prediction of the end of the process, and can simultaneously display a large amount of information necessary for the user to change drying conditions and the next setup with good visibility at the same time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for indicating a drying state in a grain dryer which has been improved.

[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 grain dryers, sequentially measure and save the moisture value contained in the grain, predict and calculate the time from the currently measured moisture value to the preset target moisture value, start drying, The change of the moisture value from the present to the present and the predicted time from the current moisture value to the target value are simultaneously displayed in time series.

Thus, the progress of the moisture and the prediction of the end of the drying are displayed simultaneously, for example, on the same graph, so that the user can simultaneously check the progress of the moisture of the drying and the prediction of the completion of the drying, and refer to this graph to determine the drying conditions. Changes can be made or the next operation can be set up reliably.

The prediction calculation is performed by multiplying a difference between the set value and the current moisture value by at least a coefficient defined by a drying pattern and a target moisture value. Further, after the measurement of the moisture contained in the grain is completed and the graph is displayed for a predetermined time, after a lapse of the predetermined time, the drying state of the grain is automatically displayed on a display screen displayed in a predetermined format. I decided to switch.

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. Also, regardless of whether the user specifies the time-series display by the above graph, the display screen is automatically switched after a certain period of time, and the standard information can be obtained. On the other hand, convenience can be improved.

According to the present invention, there is provided a drying apparatus for displaying a drying state of a grain during a drying process, comprising a display device for displaying a drying state of the grain in a plurality of display forms. 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 starting drying. A means for generating display data for simultaneously displaying a change in the moisture value from the present to the present and a predicted time from the current moisture value to the set value in a time series, and a display means for displaying the display data for a predetermined time. Was provided.

[0013] According to this configuration, the moisture progress from the start of drying to the present and the prediction graph from the present moisture to the set moisture are displayed in time series. As a result, the progress of the drying and the prediction of the end can be visually confirmed, and the drying conditions can be changed or the next operation can be reliably set up with reference to the contents.

Further, the drying state display device in the grain dryer of the present invention, for example, selects and specifies one display form including a time series display by a graph from a plurality of display forms,
A display selecting means for displaying the selected and designated display mode on the display means is further provided.

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

[0016]

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 exhaust fan 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 horizontal conveyor 2a, the elevator 6 and the upper conveyor 4a carry (pull) the grains to be dried into the storage room 4, and the drying process is started. 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 the 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 unit 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 details will be described later, when the user presses the display changeover switch SW1, the time series display shown in FIG. 6A and the standard display shown in FIG. 6B are switched and displayed. Also, depending on the combination with other switches, as in the related art, (a) menu screen, (b) drying status screen, (c) moisture distribution,
(D) It is also possible to display the drying prediction graph alone.

The change switch SW2 is, as described above,
It is composed of four push-button switches labeled "+", "-", "→" and "←". The user is "+"
Alternatively, when the "-" switch is pressed, more specific items can be selected and designated in the range of the standard display shown in FIG. 5B. 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 to select 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 squeeze 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 of 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 of the grain dryer 1, the liquid crystal display device 12 displays a drying operation display, specifically, a screen in the standard display mode shown in FIG. 6B (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 a drying process.

When the drying process is started, the moisture meter 8 measures the moisture value of the grain at intervals of, for example, 30 minutes (step S).
45), each moisture value data is sequentially recorded in the EEPROM 19 (step S46). Then, every time measurement is performed, a predicted time calculation process from the current moisture value to the moisture value set by the stop moisture setting switch SW14 is performed (step S47).

Here, the estimated time can be calculated from the moisture value, the standard dry loss rate defined in advance by the grain and the drying pattern. The standard dry loss is illustrated in tabular form in FIG. The standard drying loss rate shown in FIG.
It is recorded in a specific area of the ROM 19 in advance,
The control unit 13 reads out the standard drying loss rate corresponding to the grain and the drying pattern and the current moisture value as data, and applies a coefficient (standard drying loss) to the difference between the current moisture value and the target moisture value set by the moisture setting switch SW14. It is calculated by executing an operation of multiplying the reciprocal of (decrease rate). For example, the initial moisture value is “29%” and the current moisture value is “25%”.
%, The set moisture value is “15%”, and the type of grain is paddy,
When the drying pattern is "standard", the EEPROM 19
The standard dry loss “0.8% / H”, which is a coefficient corresponding to the above, is read out. By dividing the difference of 10% between the target moisture value and the current moisture value by the standard dry loss, the predicted time 12.5H is obtained. Is calculated. The above calculation is performed for each moisture measurement by the moisture meter 8, and is performed until the drying process is stopped (step S4).
8).

Next, the user operates the display changeover switch SW1.
Is selected (step S49), the control unit 1
3 detects this and switches to a display mode in which the progress of moisture and the prediction of the end of drying are simultaneously displayed on a graph. FIG.
(A) shows an example of a screen configuration displayed on the liquid crystal display device 12 in this display mode. Here, a graph is displayed with the vertical axis representing the moisture value and the horizontal axis representing the time axis,
The moisture progress and the prediction screen when the initial moisture value is 29%, the current moisture value is 25%, and the set moisture value is 15% are shown. As is clear from the figure, the progress of the drying is plotted and displayed with black circles from the initial moisture value to the current moisture value, and the prediction is displayed in chronological order with a solid line from the current value to the set value.

The control unit 13 converts the time data calculated by the above-described predicted time calculation into coordinate values, and generates screen data for plotting on a graph in which the vertical axis indicates the moisture value and the horizontal axis indicates the time. The drawing surface is displayed on the display screen memory 14, and by reading the drawing surface, the liquid crystal display device 12
The desired display shown in FIG.

Next, the display changeover switch SW1 is set to O again.
N (step S50) or when the same display information is continuously displayed for a predetermined display time (= 60 seconds) (step S51), the display screen in the standard display mode shown in FIG. (Step S52). 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. Then, step S45
The calculation of the predicted time in step S47 from the moisture measurement of step S47 is repeated until the end of the drying process, and when the drying process is completed, the end of drying is displayed according to the standard display mode (step S53).
Heater 3a such as a burner and each motor 2a (4a), 3
b, stop processing of 10, 6 (steps S54, S5
5).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user can operate the display changeover switch SW1 only to operate the display switch SW1 to simultaneously display the progress of the moisture required by the user and the prediction of the end of the drying on the graph, whereby the drying is performed. It becomes easy to predict the progress and end. When the display of the specified information is completed, the display automatically switches to the standard display mode, so that the user obtains the desired information,
It is possible to automatically obtain standard information without performing complicated operations.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention, the moisture value contained in a grain is measured and stored successively, and the time from the currently measured moisture value to the preset target moisture value is reduced. By performing the prediction calculation, it is possible to simultaneously display the change in the moisture value from the start of drying to the present time and the predicted time from the current moisture value to the target value in one graph in a time-series manner. Can check the progress of the drying and the prediction of the end at a glance, and can change the drying conditions with reference to the graph of the progress and the prediction, and can reliably perform the setup of the next operation.

When the moisture measurement is completed, the progress and prediction graphs are automatically displayed for a predetermined time, and the display is automatically switched to a standard display in which the drying condition can be monitored at a time. Thus, standard information can be automatically obtained without performing complicated operations, and the convenience for the user can be improved.

[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 table showing standard dry loss rates in a table format.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display screen configuration according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 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

Continued from the front page F term (reference) 3L113 AA07 AB03 AC04 AC40 AC41 AC45 AC46 AC53 AC56 AC57 AC63 AC78 AC79 AC82 AC83 AC86 BA03 CA02 CA03 CA08 CA13 CA20 CB03 CB22 CB23 CB24 CB27 CB28 CB35 CB38 CB39 DA01 DA07 DA08

Claims (5)

[Claims] The present invention is used for a grain dryer equipped with a display device for displaying a drying state of a grain during a drying process in a plurality of display forms, and sequentially measures and stores the moisture value contained in the grain, and measures the current measurement value. Predicted calculation of the time from the measured moisture value to the target moisture value, and simultaneously displays the change in the moisture value from the start of drying to the present time and the predicted time from the current moisture value to the target moisture value in a time series. A drying state display method in a grain dryer. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prediction calculation is performed by multiplying a difference between the set value and a current moisture value by at least a coefficient defined by a drying pattern and a target moisture value. A method for displaying a drying state in the grain dryer according to the above. 3. When the measurement of the moisture contained in the grain is completed, the time-series display is performed for a predetermined time, and after a lapse of the time, the drying state of the grain is displayed on a display screen in a predetermined format defined in advance. The method for displaying a drying state in a grain dryer according to claim 1, wherein the method is switched. 4. A grain dryer provided with a display device for displaying a drying state of the grain during a drying process in a plurality of display forms, wherein a means for sequentially measuring a moisture value contained in the grain and storing it in a storage device; Means for setting a desired target moisture value in advance; means for predicting and calculating the time from the currently measured moisture value to the set target moisture value; and means for calculating the moisture value from the start of drying to the present. Change, means for generating display data for simultaneously displaying the predicted time from the current moisture value to the target moisture value in a time series manner, and display means for displaying the display data for a predetermined time. Status display device in a cereal dryer. 5. 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 4, characterized in that: