JP2020026891A - Drying device equipped with dehumidifier - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a drying a device, especially a drying device equipped with a dehumidifier, which can optimally carry out drying of potatoes such as sweet potatoes, vegetables such as pumpkins and carrots, fruits such as grapes and persimmons, and, furthermore, drying of squids and fish.SOLUTION: A drying device includes: outer air humidity measuring means for measuring the humidity of outer air; in-device humidity measuring means for measuring the humidity inside the device; a dehumidifier attached to the device; and control means for executing drive control for the dehumidifier on the basis of the humidity of outer air measured by the outer air humidity measuring means and the in-device humidity measured by the in-device humidity measuring means. The dehumidifier is connected to an exhaust duct branched from a circulation duct in the device, and the air dehumidified by the dehumidifier is introduced inside the device from an air intake duct connected to the device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a drying apparatus for optimally drying potatoes such as sweet potatoes, vegetables such as pumpkins and carrots, fruits such as grapes and persimmons, and further, drying of squid and fish, and particularly to a drying apparatus having a dehumidifier. .

  Today, many dried foods are manufactured and marketed by improving food processing technology. For example, dried sweet potatoes were originally made as a preserved food of sweet potatoes, but delicious dried sweet potatoes with an emphasis on taste and texture have been manufactured by improving drying techniques. In addition, dried pumpkins and dried carrots obtained by drying vegetables are widely used as ingredients for various dishes. Furthermore, dried fruits such as dried grapes and dried persimmons are widely recognized as foods that are good for beauty and health.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method for producing a dried potato as a typical dried food. In this invention, first, the sweet potato is washed, and the washed sweet potato is sorted into large, medium, and small. Next, the selected potatoes are steamed, the skin is shaved, sliced into a plate shape, and the potatoes sliced to a predetermined width are dried and shipped as commodities.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-00080

  However, in the above method, the number of days for drying is, for example, about one week for sliced potatoes, and about one month for so-called roasting. During this period, if rain or high-temperature days continue, problems such as deterioration of the quality of dried potatoes or decay occur.

  On the other hand, in order to shorten the drying period, a device in which potatoes are put into a dryer and dried by applying air heated by a boiler or the like has been devised. However, although the drying period can be shortened, since outside air is used, it is difficult to adjust the temperature and humidity depending on the situation.

For example, if a warm day continues, it is difficult to cope with it, it is affected by the season, and it is also affected by the place where the dryer is installed and the local weather.
This is not limited to the drying of dried potatoes, for example, the production of dried vegetables such as pumpkins and carrots, the production of dried fruits such as dried grapes and dried persimmons, as well as the production of dried squid and dried fish It is.

  Therefore, the present invention attaches a dehumidifier to a drying device necessary for producing potatoes, dried vegetables, dried fruits, dried fish and the like, and uses the dehumidifier positively in relation to the outside air without being affected by the weather or the season. Another object of the present invention is to provide a drying apparatus provided with a dehumidifier for optimally controlling the humidity in the apparatus, creating an optimum working environment, and efficiently drying various foods.

  According to the present invention, according to the present invention, an outside air humidity measurement unit that measures the humidity of outside air, an inside humidity measurement unit that measures the inside humidity of the device, a dehumidifier attached to the device, and the outside air humidity measurement unit Control means for comparing the measured outside air humidity and the internal humidity measured by the internal humidity measuring means, and controlling the operation of the dehumidifier, and providing a drying apparatus including a dehumidifier. .

  Further, the dehumidifier is connected to an exhaust duct branched from a circulation duct in the apparatus, and air dehumidified by the dehumidifier is introduced into the apparatus from an intake duct.

  Further, the control means, when the humidity in the apparatus is equal to or more than a predetermined value and the outside air humidity is lower than the inside humidity, deactivates the dehumidifier, directly introduces outside air into the apparatus, and controls the inside humidity. Is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and when the humidity inside the apparatus is lower than the outside air humidity, the dehumidifier is driven to dehumidify the air inside the apparatus and introduce it into the apparatus.

  According to the present invention, it is a drying device required for the production of dried potatoes and dried vegetables, dried fruits, squid and dried fish, etc., and by attaching a dehumidifier to the drying device, it is not affected by the weather or the season, and Therefore, a dehumidifier can be actively used, the humidity in the apparatus can be optimally controlled, and various foods can be efficiently dried.

It is a front view of the drying device provided with the dehumidifier of this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the internal configuration of the drying device provided with the dehumidifier of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the center part of a drying device. It is the perspective view which looked at the drying device provided with the dehumidifier from the front. It is the perspective view which looked at the drying device provided with the dehumidifier from the back. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of a control device that performs drive control of a fan, a heater, a plurality of valves, and a dehumidifier. It is a flowchart explaining the drying process of the dried sweet potato using the drying device provided with the dehumidifier of this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the specific processing at the time of using a dehumidifier.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view of a drying apparatus 1 including the dehumidifier of the present embodiment. In the figure, a drying apparatus 1 has a control panel / monitor section 2 located at a central portion, and drying chambers 3 and 4 are provided on left and right sides. A control unit containing a computer, a heater for heating the drying air flowing through the circulation duct, a fan for controlling the amount of the drying air flowing through the circulation duct, and the like are provided in the center of the drying device 1. A dehumidifier to be described later is installed on the back of the drying device 1.

  The left and right drying chambers 3 and 4 are provided with double-opening doors 5 and 6, respectively. For example, the drying chamber 3 is opened by grasping a handle 5a provided on the door 5 and opening the door to the left and right. Can be. Similarly, the drying chamber 4 can be opened by grasping the handle 6a provided on the door 6 and opening it to the left and right.

  The drying chambers 3 and 4 have the same structure, and can store two racks mounted on a cart respectively. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the drying device 1 including the dehumidifier of the present embodiment. As described above, two racks 9 mounted on two carriages 8 are installed in the left and right drying chambers 3 and 4, respectively, and each rack 9 has a structure capable of storing 20 trays.

  Although the racks 9 provided in the drying chambers 3 and 4 have the same structure, the two racks 9 on the drying chamber 3 side will be described as 9a and 9b for the description of the present embodiment, and the racks 9 on the drying chamber 4 side will be described. The two racks 9 will be described as 9c and 9d. Also, the cart 8 on which the rack 9 is mounted will be described as the carts 8a to 8d correspondingly to the racks 9a to 9d.

  On the other hand, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a central portion of the drying device 1. As described above, the control panel / monitor unit 2 is provided on the front surface of the drying device 1, and a control unit described later is provided inside. The central circulation duct 11 is a duct for sending dry air having a controlled temperature and humidity to the left and right drying chambers 3 and 4 in an optimal state. The temperature, humidity, and air volume of the dry air flowing through the circulation duct 11 are as follows. It is optimally controlled by the control unit.

  The fan 12 is a device for sending drying air of controlled temperature and humidity to the drying chambers 3 and 4, and is connected to a motor 14 via a power transmission belt 13 stretched around a rotating shaft 12a. Therefore, by controlling the driving of the motor 14, the rotation speed of the rotating shaft 14 a on the motor 14 side is adjusted, and the amount of dry air flowing through the main body circulation duct 11 is controlled. The motor 14 is provided with an outside air inlet 14b for introducing outside air, and the motor 14 is covered with a heat shield cover 14c.

  A heater 15 protrudes from the circulation duct 11 and adjusts the drying air flowing through the circulation duct 11 to an optimum temperature. The heater 15 is, for example, a sheathed heater, and a heating wire is disposed in a pipe protruding from the circulation duct 11 via an electrical insulating material. The heating of the heating wire is controlled by a control unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the drying apparatus 1 provided with the dehumidifier of the present example as viewed from the front, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view as viewed from the rear.
The upper part of the circulation duct 11 communicates with the upper part of the drying chambers 3 and 4, and the left and right sides of the fan 12 communicate with the circulation duct (not shown) provided on the sides of the drying chambers 3 and 4. The drying air whose flow rate is controlled by the air is sent to the left and right drying chambers 3 and 4 via the circulation duct 11, and the drying air sent to the respective drying chambers 3 and 4 is supplied to a tray installed in the rack 9 in parallel. The structure is such that it flows uniformly in the inside 10, provides an optimal drying environment for the dried potatoes, and returns air containing moisture to the fan 12. As shown in FIG. 3, a circulation duct valve 17 is provided in the circulation duct 11, and is controlled to be opened and closed by a control unit described later.

  On the other hand, the circulation duct 11 is provided with intake ducts 28a and 28b for branching and introducing outside air, and an exhaust duct 29 for discharging hot air inside the apparatus to the outside of the apparatus. The intake ducts 28a and 28b for introducing outside air are provided on the back surface of the drying device 1 of the present embodiment as shown in FIG. Specifically, the intake duct 28a is provided on the back surface on the drying chamber 3 side, and the intake duct 28b is provided on the back surface on the drying chamber 4 side. Each of the intake ducts 28a and 28b has a built-in negative pressure valve (not shown), which opens and closes according to a change in air pressure in the apparatus (in the duct 11), and opens when a negative pressure is applied to the intake ducts 28a and 28b. .

  On the other hand, the exhaust duct 29 is provided to branch off from the circulation duct 11 in the apparatus, and extends to an exhaust port provided on the back of the drying apparatus 1 of the present embodiment as shown in FIGS. Is connected to the dehumidifier 45 installed in the air conditioner. The exhaust duct 29 is provided with an exhaust duct valve 29a as shown in FIG. 3, and is controlled to open and close according to the control of a control unit described later.

  The dehumidifier 45 includes a compressor and a condenser inside, circulates a refrigerant (for example, Freon gas) through the compressor, cools the air moistened by the condenser, changes the humidity into water droplets, and lowers the humidity of the air. The exhaust duct 29 is connected to the dehumidifier 45, and the air containing moisture used for drying the potatoes in the drying chambers 3 and 4 is sent from the circulation duct 11 to the dehumidifier 45 through the exhaust duct 29 and dehumidified. You.

  On the other hand, the air (dry air) dehumidified by the dehumidifier 45 is sent into the apparatus through the external ducts 46a and 46b. Specifically, an external duct 46a is provided from the dehumidifier 45 to the intake duct 28a, and an external duct 46b is provided from the dehumidifier 45 to the intake duct 28b. Is sent to the intake duct 28a through the external duct 46a, and is sent to the drying chamber 3 from the intake duct 28a. A part of the drying air dehumidified by the dehumidifier 45 is sent to the intake duct 28b through the external duct 46b, and is sent to the drying chamber 4 from the intake duct 28b. The dehumidifier 45 is driven according to the control of the control unit.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of a control device that performs drive control of the fan 12, the heater 15, two valves (the circulation duct valve 17, the exhaust duct valve 29a), and the dehumidifier 45. The control unit 18, which is the center of the control device, includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and controls the rotation of the fan 12, the temperature of the heater 15, the opening and closing control of the valve, and the dehumidifier according to the control data stored in the storage unit 19. 45 is controlled.

  The load cells 7 (7a to 7d) are installed at predetermined positions of the carts 8a to 8d, and measure the added value of the weight of the racks 9 placed on the carts 8a to 8d and the load of the potatoes arranged in the racks 9 respectively. Is transmitted to the control unit 18 as load data. The load measurement by the load cells 7 (7a to 7d) is performed at predetermined time intervals, and the control unit 18 calculates the dryness of the dried potatoes using the load data transmitted at predetermined time intervals, It is used for the subsequent drying process.

  The outside air thermometer 20 measures the temperature of the outside air around where the drying device 1 of the present embodiment is installed, and the outside air hygrometer 21 similarly measures the humidity of the outside air around the installation of the drying device 1 of the present embodiment. , And transmits the measured temperature data and humidity data to the control unit 18. The internal thermometer 22 is installed, for example, at a predetermined position on the rack 9 and measures the temperature in the vicinity of the potato (dried potato) to be dried. The internal hygrometer 23 also has a potato (dried potato) to be dried. The humidity in the vicinity of the potato is measured, and the measured temperature data and humidity data are transmitted to the control unit 18.

  The control unit 18 is based on the load data transmitted from the load meter 7 (7a to 7d), and the temperature and humidity data transmitted from the outside air thermometer 20 and the outside air hygrometer 21, and the inside thermometer 22 and the inside hygrometer 23. Perform drying control of dried potatoes.

  On the other hand, the storage unit 19 stores information on the degree of drying of the potato and the optimum temperature and humidity for the degree of drying, and the control unit 18 searches the storage unit 19 from the obtained load data, temperature and humidity data. Then, the optimum control data corresponding to the current degree of drying of the potato is stored. In particular, in the present invention, the humidity information measured by the outside air hygrometer 21 and the humidity information measured by the internal hygrometer 23 in the apparatus are important, and the dehumidifier drive control unit 48 is controlled using both the humidity information, The aforementioned dehumidifier 45 is driven.

In the above configuration, the drying process of the dried potato of the present example will be specifically described below.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a drying process of dried potatoes using the drying device 1 of the present example. First, the potato sliced into a flat plate is arranged on the above-mentioned four racks 9a to 9d (20-stage tray 10), and the racks 9a to 9d are placed on the corresponding carts 8a to 8d. It is stored (step (hereinafter, referred to as S) 1).

  Next, in this state, the respective doors 5 and 6 are closed, and a power switch provided on the control panel / monitor unit 2 is turned on (S2). When the power switch is turned on, the control unit 18 starts driving, first transmits a measurement start signal to the load cells 7 (7a to 7d), and thereafter transmits load data from the load cells 7 (7a to 7d) at predetermined intervals. Receive (S3). Further, data of the outside air temperature and the outside air humidity around the drying device 1 are acquired from the outside air thermometer 20 and the outside air humidity meter 21 (S4). Further, data of the temperature and humidity inside the drying apparatus 1 (near the rack) is acquired from the internal thermometer 22 and the internal hygrometer 23 (S5).

  Next, the dryness of the potato is calculated based on the load information from the load cells 7 (7a to 7d) (S6). Then, the control unit 18 sends a control signal to the fan drive control unit 24 based on the data on the temperature and humidity inside the apparatus and the data on the degree of dryness of the potatoes, and starts driving the fan 12 (S7). Further, a control signal is sent to the heater drive control unit 25 to start heating control of the heater 15 (S8).

  At this time, the control unit 18 transmits the acquired data on the temperature and humidity inside the apparatus and the data on the degree of dryness of the potato to the storage unit 19, reads out the optimal control data under this condition from the storage unit 19, and Drive control of the heater 15 is performed.

  Further, it is determined whether or not the above-described dehumidifier 45 is used, based on information on the outside air humidity measured by the outside air humidity meter 21 and the internal humidity measured by the internal humidity meter 23 (S9). FIG. 8 is a flowchart specifically explaining this processing.

  First, it is determined whether the temperature in the drying device 1 is within a predetermined value set in advance (S9-1). This determination is made by referring to the humidity information in the apparatus measured by the internal hygrometer 23. For example, if the humidity in the apparatus is within a predetermined value (NO in S9-1), the dehumidifier 45 is used to dehumidify the air. Alternatively, since the dehumidification is not performed by using the outside air, the circulation duct valve 17 is controlled to be open, and the exhaust duct valve 29a is controlled to be closed (S9-2).

  By this control, the circulation duct valve 17 and the exhaust duct valve 29a are set to the state shown by the solid line in FIG. At this time, the flow of the air (dry air) circulated in the apparatus by the fan 12 is sent to the left and right drying chambers 3 and 4 via the circulation duct 11, and the drying air sent to the respective drying chambers 3 and 4. Flows uniformly in the trays 10 arranged vertically in the rack 9 and returns to the fan 12.

  On the other hand, if the humidity in the apparatus becomes equal to or more than the predetermined value (YES in S9-1), it is necessary to lower the humidity in the apparatus and promote the drying of the sweet potato, so it is determined whether or not outside air can be used. Specifically, the outside air humidity measured by the outside air hygrometer 21 is compared with the inside humidity measured by the inside humidity meter 23, and if the outside air humidity is lower than the inside humidity of the apparatus, the outside air is used (S9-3). For example, when the humidity of the outside air is 30% and the humidity in the device is 60% (S9-3: YES), the humidity in the device is reduced by actively using the outside air. In this case, the circulation duct valve 17 is controlled to be closed, and the exhaust duct valve 29a is controlled to be opened (S9-3).

  By this control, the circulation duct valve 17 and the exhaust duct valve 29a are set to the state shown by the dotted line in FIG. Therefore, in this case, air containing much moisture in the apparatus is discharged from the exhaust duct 29 to the outside of the apparatus. Specifically, at this time, the control unit 18 outputs a non-driving control signal to the dehumidifier 45, and the air containing much moisture is discharged from the exhaust duct 29 through the exhaust port 45a of the non-dried dehumidifier 45. Emitted outside the machine.

  At this time, the interior of the apparatus is in a negative pressure state, the negative pressure valves of the intake ducts 28a and 28b are automatically opened as described above, and low-humidity outside air is automatically introduced into the apparatus from the intake ducts 28a and 28b. You. Therefore, by performing such control, it is possible to efficiently introduce the outside air and efficiently perform the potato drying process.

  On the other hand, if the humidity of the outside air is higher than the inside of the device, the dehumidifier 45 is used because the inside of the device cannot be reduced by using the outside air. For example, when the humidity of the outside air is 60% and the humidity in the apparatus is 50% (NO in S9-3), the humidity in the apparatus is reduced by positively using the dehumidifier 45.

  In this case, the control unit 18 first outputs a control signal to the dehumidifier 45, drives the dehumidifier 45, controls the circulation duct valve 17 to be closed, and controls the exhaust duct valve 29a to be opened (S9-5). ). By this control, the circulation duct valve 17 and the exhaust duct valve 29 a are set to the state shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3, and the air containing much moisture is sent from the exhaust duct 29 to the dehumidifier 45 by the fan 12.

  The air containing a large amount of moisture sent to the dehumidifier 45 is dehumidified by the compressor and the condenser, and sent into the apparatus through the external ducts 46a and 46b. At this time, as described above, the circulation duct valve 17 is closed and the exhaust duct valve 29a is open, so that the inside of the device is in a negative pressure state, and the negative pressure valves of the intake ducts 28a and 28b open automatically, Part of the drying air dehumidified by the dehumidifier 45 is sent to the intake duct 28a through the external duct 46a, and is sent to the drying chamber 3 from the intake duct 28a. A part of the drying air dehumidified by the dehumidifier 45 is sent to the intake duct 28b through the external duct 46b, and is sent to the drying chamber 4 from the intake duct 28b.

  Thereafter, the dryness is sequentially calculated in accordance with the load data from the load cells 7 (7a to 7d) acquired at predetermined time intervals (S6), and it is determined whether the calculation result matches the optimal dryness (S10). . If the degree of dryness has not reached the optimum value, the determination (S10) is NO, and the above processing is repeated (S3 to S10).

  Thereafter, when the drying degree of the potatoes reaches the optimum value (S10), YES, it is determined that the drying degrees of the potatoes arranged in the racks 9a to 9d in the drying chambers 3 and 4 have reached the optimum state as a product. Then, the process ends (S11).

As described above, by using the drying apparatus 1 of the present example, it is possible to perform optimal control for each degree of drying stored in the storage unit 19, and it is possible to efficiently produce dried potatoes. In particular, in the present invention, the operating cost of the drying apparatus 1 can be reduced by using the outside air as needed, and the drying apparatus is excellent in cost performance.
Also, when outside air is not available, the dehumidifier 45 is actively used to dehumidify the air with high humidity in the device at once, and dried potatoes can be manufactured very efficiently, and the humidity in the device is always optimal. , And produce dried potatoes of excellent quality.

  In the description of the above embodiment, the drying process of dried potatoes has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to dried potatoes, and can be similarly carried out in the manufacture of dried vegetables in which vegetables such as pumpkins and carrots are placed on a rack. . In addition, the same can be applied to the manufacture of dried fruits in which fruits such as grapes and persimmons are placed on a rack, and the same is applied to the production of dried squid and squid with fish and squid on a rack. Can be.

  In the description of the above embodiment, the compressor type dehumidifier 45 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the compressor type. For example, a drying device including another type of dehumidifier such as a zeolite type may be used. Good.

1. Drying device 2: Control panel / monitor unit 3, 4, Drying room 5, 6, Door 7, 7a to 7d
8, 8a to 8d, cart 9, 9a to 9d, rack 11, circulation duct 12, fan 12a, rotating shaft 13, power transmission belt 14, motor 14a, motor rotating shaft 14b, outside air Inlet 14c, heat shield cover 15, heater 17, circulation duct valve 18, control unit 19, storage unit 20, outside air thermometer 21, outside air humidity meter 22, internal thermometer 23, inside Hygrometer 24 fan drive control unit 25 heater drive control unit 26 valve opening / closing control units 26a to 26c drive control units 28a and 28b intake duct 29 exhaust duct 29a exhaust duct valve 45 ..Dehumidifier 45a..Exhaust ports 46a, 46b..External duct 48..Dehumidifier drive controller

Claims (5)

Outside air humidity measuring means for measuring the humidity of the outside air,
An in-apparatus humidity measuring means for measuring the humidity in the apparatus,
A dehumidifier attached to the device,
Control means for controlling the operation of the dehumidifier based on the outside air humidity measured by the outside air humidity measurement means, and the humidity in the apparatus measured by the inside humidity measurement means,
A drying device provided with a dehumidifier, comprising:   The dehumidifier is connected to an exhaust duct branched from a circulation duct in the device, and air dehumidified by the dehumidifier is introduced into the device from an intake duct connected to the device. Item 2. A drying device comprising the dehumidifier according to Item 1.   The controller is characterized in that when the inside humidity is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and the outside air humidity is lower than the inside humidity, the dehumidifier is not driven, and outside air is directly introduced into the inside of the device. A drying device comprising the dehumidifier according to claim 1.   The control means drives the dehumidifier to dehumidify the air in the device when the humidity in the device is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and the humidity in the device is lower than the outside air humidity, and introduces the air into the device. A drying device provided with the dehumidifier according to claim 1 or 2.   2. The drying target food according to claim 1, wherein sweet potatoes such as sweet potatoes, or vegetables such as pumpkins and carrots, fruits such as grapes and persimmons, and foods of fish and shellfish such as squid and fish. A drying device provided with the dehumidifier described in the above.

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