JP2020065461A - Kelp warming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an energy-saving type kelp warming apparatus that can warm and soften kelp without deteriorating the quality of kelp or worsening the working environment.SOLUTION: Provided is a kelp warming apparatus 1 including a heating unit 20 for heating kelp, a housing for housing the kelp inside, a sensor 23 for detecting the temperature inside the housing, and a control unit for controlling the operation of a heating element 21 based on the information from the sensor. The heating unit has an electromagnetic wave-irradiating heating element for warming kelp. The housing is configured so as the electromagnetic wave from the heating element be reflected at least in the whole inner surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a kelp warming device for heating kelp stored in a dry state after harvesting.

  The kelp is dried and stored after harvesting. As for kelp, the central part in the longitudinal direction (L1 (leaf) part in Fig. 1) is traded at a high price, and the both ends in the width direction (L2 (red leaf part) in Fig. 1) have low commercial value and low price. Since the kelp stored in a dry state is sold in the market, the widthwise ends of the kelp are usually cut off in the process of commercialization. The kelp in a dry state almost has a wavy wrinkle in the longitudinal direction, and when cutting both ends in the width direction, it is necessary to perform wrinkle stretching in advance from the viewpoint of cutting workability. Since kelp is damaged when wrinkles are stretched in a dry state, a work to soften kelp is usually performed by heating or moistening kelp as a step before wrinkling.

  As a conventional method of heating the kelp, for example, a method of directly applying heat to the kelp to heat generated by an oil burner or an electric heater or far infrared rays generated by a far infrared heater may be used. Further, as a conventional method of humidifying kelp, for example, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-310937) has been proposed. The technique of Patent Document 1 puts kelp in a box provided with a water tank and an oil burner or an electric heater for heating water in the water tank, and humidifies the kelp with the moisture evaporated from the water tank. Further, as a method for heating kelp and smoothing wrinkles, for example, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-66554) has been proposed. The technique of Patent Document 2 is to perform wrinkle extension while heating the dried kelp by a wrinkle extension means having an iron roller.

  For example, the method of heating the kelp by directly applying heat from the oil burner or the electric heater to the kelp or the method of heating the kelp K with far infrared rays directly arriving from the far infrared heater is difficult to control the temperature, and the kelp is burned. However, the energy consumption is extremely high, as it may cause the kelp to harden or break due to being too dry. For example, a conventional heating device using an oil burner has an output of about 15 kW to 20 kW. Further, in these methods, the worker is also directly exposed to the high temperature, so that the working environment in the kelp stretching work which is usually performed in the summer becomes poor. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the water in the container on the entire floor is evaporated by the heat from the oil burner or the electric heater, it is difficult to properly control the humidity, and the kelp may become over-humidified. . The kelp that has become over-humidified needs to be dried again, and if it is dried again, the quality will deteriorate and wasteful energy will be consumed. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, sufficient heating is not performed, effective wrinkle spreading cannot be performed, and kelp may be damaged. Further, the device using this technique has a complicated structure.

JP-A-7-310937 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-66554

  An object of the present invention is to provide an energy-saving type kelp warming device capable of heating and softening kelp without deteriorating the quality of kelp or deteriorating the working environment.

  The present invention provides a kelp warming device for heating dried kelp. The kelp warming device is a heating unit for heating kelp, a housing for housing kelp inside, a sensor for detecting the temperature inside the housing, and a heating element based on information from the sensor. And a control unit for controlling the operation of. The heating part has a heating element that radiates an electromagnetic wave for heating the kelp. At least the entire inner surface of the housing is configured to reflect electromagnetic waves from the heating element. In this way, the casing is configured such that the electromagnetic wave is reflected on the inner surface and there is no substance that absorbs the electromagnetic wave other than the kelp, so the electromagnetic wave is directly absorbed by the kelp K without waste, and the kelp K is absorbed. Can be effectively warmed in a short time. In addition, studies conducted by the inventors of the present application have revealed that dried kelp can be sufficiently softened by heating it to a temperature of about 70 ° C. to 150 ° C. Therefore, heat generation Allows the body to operate at low power.

  In one embodiment, the heating element is preferably a far infrared heater. In addition, the housing may be one in which a layer that reflects electromagnetic waves is formed on the entire inner surface, or the material of the housing itself may be one that reflects electromagnetic waves. In one embodiment, the material of the housing may be aluminum, and the layer formed on the entire inner surface of the housing may be a layer of aluminum. The heat generating part preferably has a reflector on the side opposite to the side of the heat generating element facing the kelp. It is preferable that the control unit controls the heating element so that the temperature of the kelp becomes 70 ° C to 150 ° C.

  In one embodiment, it is preferable that the kelp warming device further includes a humidifying unit capable of humidifying the inside of the housing so that the kelp is prevented from being dried. The humidity at which kelp can be prevented from drying is preferably adjusted so that the amount of saturated water vapor is obtained from the temperature inside the housing.

  In one embodiment, it is preferable that the housing has a size corresponding to the size of the kelp contained therein, and that the kelp carry-in inlet is provided on at least the upper surface. Further, it is preferable that the casing has a kelp carry-out port on its side surface.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively heat and soften a large amount of kelp with a small amount of energy without degrading the quality without adversely affecting the surrounding work environment, thus improving the yield and working cost. It contributes to the reduction of the work load, the reduction of the work load of the worker, and the higher profit of the worker.

It is a schematic diagram of the kelp heated with the kelp heating device which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view of the kelp warming device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the state where the upper surface and the side surface were opened in the kelp warming device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing the exothermic part of the kelp warming device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing a humidification part of a kelp warming device concerning one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the kelp warming apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a perspective view including a front surface and a right side surface of the kelp warming apparatus 1, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view including a left side surface and a back surface of the kelp heating apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which both the lid corresponding to the upper surface and the front surface and the lid corresponding to the right side surface of the kelp warming device 1 are opened. The kelp warming apparatus 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as apparatus 1) includes a casing 10 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

  The casing 10 can accommodate the kelp K in the internal space, and has a dimension corresponding to the size of the kelp K to be accommodated. The housing 10 is preferably slightly longer than the length of the kelp K and slightly wider than the width of the kelp K, and preferably has a height capable of accommodating 20 to 30 kelp K in a stacked manner.

  The housing 10 is provided with a carry-in port 10i for carrying in the kelp K from the top surface 10a to a position corresponding to the wide side surface (front surface) 10b. The carry-in port 10i can be opened and closed by a carry-in port lid 12 having an L-shaped cross section configured by connecting the long sides of the two plate-shaped bodies 12a and 12b at right angles. The long side 12a1 of one plate-shaped body 12a is connected to the wide side surface (back surface) 10c of the housing 10 by, for example, a hinge, and the carry-in lid 12 is opened by opening the carry-in lid 12 upward. 10i is open. The carry-in lid 12 constitutes a part of the housing 10 when closed.

  On the outer surface of the plate-shaped body 12a of the carry-in entrance lid 12, a heat-generating portion cover 12e that accommodates a heat-generating portion 20 (details of which will be described later) is attached. The plate-shaped body 12a is provided with two openings 12d for introducing the electromagnetic waves radiated from the heat generating section 20 into the inside of the housing 10. It is preferable that the plate-shaped body 12b of the carry-in lid 12 is provided with a handle 12c for operating the carry-in lid 12 on the outer surface thereof.

  The position at which the carry-in port 10i is provided is not limited to the position corresponding to the wide side surface 10b from the upper surface 10a, and, of course, may be the position corresponding to the wide side surface 10c from the upper surface 10a. Alternatively, only the position corresponding to the upper surface 10a may be opened and this opening may be used as the carry-in port 10i. In this case, the carry-in inlet lid 12 may have a plate-like body that closes the opening 10i instead of the L-shaped cross section.

  The housing 10 is provided with an outlet 10o for taking out the heated kelp K at a position corresponding to the narrow side surface (right side surface) 10d. The carry-out port 10o can be opened and closed by a carry-out port cover 13 formed of a plate-shaped body 13a. In the carry-out port cover 13, one side 13a1 of the plate-shaped body 13a is connected to the bottom surface 10f of the housing 10 by, for example, a hinge. By opening the carry-out port cover 13 downward, the carry-out port 10o is opened. Has become. The carry-out port lid 13 constitutes a part of the housing 10 when closed. The plate-shaped body 13a of the carry-out port cover 13 is preferably provided with a handle 13b for operating the carry-out port cover 13 on the outer surface thereof.

  The position at which the carry-out port 10o is provided is not limited to the position corresponding to the narrow side surface 10d, and, of course, may be the position corresponding to the narrow side surface (left side surface) 10e. Alternatively, when the carry-in entrance 10i is provided at a position corresponding to the upper surface 10a, the carry-out exit 10o may be provided on the wide side surface 10b or 10c.

  The housing 10 and the carry-in inlet lid 12 and the carry-out outlet lid 13 that form a part of the housing 10 are both made of a material that reflects electromagnetic waves from the heating element 21 of the heating section 20. This material may be any material that can appropriately reflect the electromagnetic waves emitted from the heating element 21 depending on the type of the heating element 21. For example, when a far infrared heater is used as the heating element 21, the material of the housing 10 is preferably aluminum.

  By enclosing the space in which the kelp K is placed by the housing 10, the carry-in lid 12 and the carry-out lid 13, and by making the housing 10, the carry-in lid 12 and the carry-out lid 132 with a suitable electromagnetic wave reflecting material such as aluminum. The electromagnetic waves radiated from the heating element 21 are effectively reflected without being absorbed by the entire inner surfaces of the housing 10, the inlet cover 12, and the outlet cover 13, and the reflected electromagnetic waves are arranged in the space K Is absorbed by and converted into heat. Therefore, the output of the heating element 21 should be made much higher than in the case where the kelp K is heated only by the heat transfer from the heat source or the case where the kelp K is heated only by the electromagnetic waves directly reaching from the electromagnetic wave generation source. Without (that is, low energy consumption), the quality of the kelp K is not deteriorated (for example, the kelp is burnt, the konbu K is hardened or damaged due to overdrying, etc.), and the kelp K is effectively about 70 ° C to 150 ° C. Can be heated to. Further, since the electromagnetic wave from the heating element 21 does not leak to the outside of the housing 10, the kelp K can be heated without deteriorating the working environment.

  FIG. 4 shows a part of the heat generating unit 20 included in the device 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus 1 is provided with two heat generating parts 20 shown in FIG. The heating unit 20 includes a heating element 21 connected to an external power source (not shown), and a reflector 22 for reflecting electromagnetic waves emitted in a direction opposite to the position of the kelp K toward the kelp K. Have. In the apparatus 1, the heat generating part 20 is attached to the outer surface of the plate-shaped body 12a of the carry-in inlet lid 12, and the electromagnetic waves from the heat-generating body 21 are directed from the opening 12d provided in the plate-shaped body 12a toward the inside of the housing 10. Is emitted.

  The heating element 21 is not limited as long as it can appropriately heat the kelp K, but since it has a property of radiating an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength that is effectively absorbed by the kelp K and converted into heat, it is a far infrared ray. It is preferably a heater. In the apparatus 1, two rod-shaped far-infrared heaters arranged in series are used as the heating element 21, but the present invention is not limited to this, and only one infrared heater is used, or three infrared heaters are used. It is also possible to arrange and use more than one far infrared heater in parallel. In the apparatus 1, the heat generating portion 20 is attached to the carry-in lid 12, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be attached to the wide side surface 10c of the housing 10, for example.

  In the device 1, since the casing 10, the carry-in lid 12, and the carry-out outlet lid 13 that surround the space in which the kelp K is arranged are made of a material (for example, aluminum) that reflects electromagnetic waves (for example, far infrared rays), the heating element 21. Electromagnetic waves emitted from (for example, a far-infrared heater) are reflected on the inner surface of the housing 10 and directly absorbed by the kelp K without waste, and the kelp K can be effectively warmed in a short time. Therefore, in the device 1, for example, a far-infrared heater having an output of about 1.5 kW to 2.0 kW may be used, and the energy consumption can be significantly reduced as compared with the conventional device.

  The output of the heating element 21, that is, the set temperature can be adjusted by the temperature adjusting knob 24. The temperature sensor 23 is preferably provided inside the housing 10 at any appropriate position. The device 1 includes a control unit (not shown) for appropriately controlling the output of the heating element 21 based on the information from the temperature sensor 23. The control unit can use a device such as a thermostat, or can be software that can be executed by a general-purpose personal computer.

  The reflector 22 is provided on the opposite side of the heating element 21 from the side facing the kelp K. In the device 1, as shown in FIG. 4, the reflector 22 can reflect the electromagnetic wave emitted from the heating element 21 in the direction opposite to the position of the kelp K toward the kelp K. As described above, it is preferable that the cross-sectional shape of the heating element 21 in the direction crossing the lengthwise direction is a U-shaped shape in which the side of the kelp K is widened. The heating element 21 is arranged in a U-shaped inner portion. The material of the reflector 22 is not limited as long as it can appropriately reflect the electromagnetic wave radiated from the heating element 21 depending on the type of the heating element 21, but the housing 10 and the carry-in port cover are not limited. It is preferable that the same material as that of the material 12 and the carry-out port lid 13 is used.

  The kelp K inside the housing 10 may be dried by heating. Since the kelp deteriorates due to hardening and damage as the kelp dries, it is preferable to appropriately humidify the inside of the housing 10 in order to prevent the kelp from overdrying. In the device 1, the humidifying section 30 is provided on the inner surface of the narrow side surface 10e of the housing 10.

  FIG. 5 shows the humidifying unit 30 used in the device 1. The humidifying section 30 has a heater 31 connected to an external power source (not shown), and a tank 32 containing water. The heater 31 is not limited, but a thin silicon rubber heater can be used, for example. The tank 32 has a thin flat plate-shaped inner space, and water can be stored in this inner space. The heater 31 is sandwiched between the tank 32 and the inner surface of the side surface 10e of the housing 10, and is in surface contact with the tank 32 so that the water in the tank 32 can be heated over a wide area. Therefore, by using the humidifying section 30, it is easy to appropriately control the evaporation amount. It is preferable that the tank 32 is fixed to the side surface 10e, and a protective plate 32a for preventing water from being applied to the silicon rubber heater at the time of supplying water into the tank 32 is preferably provided at the upper portion.

  As for the heater 31, for example, a switch (not shown) that directly turns the heater 31 on and off so that the inside of the casing 10 is maintained at a substantially saturated vapor pressure can be used by the operator in a kelp state (dry state or dew condensation). It can be activated or deactivated while checking whether or not), or a humidity sensor may be arranged in the housing 10 and automatically activated or deactivated based on information from the humidity sensor. The output of the heater 31 may be an output enough to evaporate the water in the tank 32 so that the housing 10 can be humidified while maintaining a substantially saturated vapor pressure. By humidifying the inside of the housing 10 so as to have a substantially saturated vapor pressure, evaporation of water from the kelp K can be minimized and overdrying of the kelp can be prevented.

  In the device 1, the humidifying section 30 is provided inside the housing 10, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the humidifying unit 30 is provided outside the housing 10, and the humidified air generated by the humidifying unit 30 is sent into the inside of the housing 10 from a supply port provided on, for example, a narrow side surface 10e of the housing 10. Good.

1 Kelp heating device 10 Housing 10a Upper surface 10b Front (wide side)
10c back (wide side)
10d Right side (narrow side)
10e Left side (narrow side)
10f Bottom face 10i Carry-in port 10o Carry-out port 12 Carry-in port cover 12a, 12b Plate-shaped body 12a1 Long side 12c of plate-shaped body 12a Handle 12c Handle 12d Opening 12e Heat-generating part cover 13 Carry-out port cover 13a Plate-shaped body 13b Handle 20 Heat-generating part 21 Reflector 22 Body 23 Temperature sensor 24 Temperature control knob 30 Humidifier 31 Heater 31a Protective plate 32 Tank

K kelp L1 leaf L2 red leaf R1 root kelp R2 root

Claims (10)

A kelp heating device for heating dried kelp,
A heating section having a heating element that emits an electromagnetic wave for heating the kelp;
A casing that houses kelp inside and is configured to reflect electromagnetic waves from the heating element at least on the entire inner surface,
A sensor for detecting the temperature inside the housing,
A kelp warming device comprising: a controller that controls the operation of the heating element based on information from the sensor.   The kelp warming device according to claim 1, wherein the heating element is a far infrared heater.   The kelp warming device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material of the casing is aluminum.   The kelp warming device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a layer of aluminum is formed on the entire inner surface of the casing.   The kelp warming device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat generating portion has a reflector provided on a side opposite to a side of the heat generating element facing the kelp.   The kelp warming device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit controls the heating element so that the temperature of the kelp is from 70 degrees to 150 degrees.   The kelp according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a humidifying unit for humidifying the inside of the housing to a humidity capable of preventing the heated kelp from being dried. Heating device.   The kelp warming device according to claim 7, wherein the amount of water vapor in the housing that is humidified by the humidifying unit is adjusted so as to be a saturated amount of water vapor obtained from the temperature in the housing.   The said housing | casing has a size corresponding to the size of the kelp accommodated inside, and the carrying-in port of the kelp was provided at least on the upper surface. Kelp heating device.   The kelp warming device according to claim 9, wherein the casing has a kelp carry-out port provided on a side surface thereof.

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