JP2021032874A - Level measuring method for boiled noodle - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress an occurrence of cut noodles when level measuring at a noodle ball machine, not just to lower a standard deviation but improving proper amount passing rate, and to improve the proper amount passing rate when those measured at 0.5 portions are added up to become 1 portion.SOLUTION: A measuring container includes a water non passing wall with a cross section area at an entrance at 2 to 8 square centimeters, up to a horizontal cross section A which has volume of 4 to 20 square centimeters downward from the entrance as a no water passing wall, and a water passing wall below the horizontal cross section A. Detection of whether or not the boiled noodles filled in a measuring container is full amount or not full amount is carried out by a sensor, and when not full amount when the detection position is in a range of 0 to 2 cm in the perpendicular direction from the horizontal section A, an ejection step is eliminated once. When obtaining a target weight by measuring by dividing into two balls and adding them up, when one of the balls is not full weight, ejection step is eliminated once for both two balls. Or, the not full amount ball is ejected first, the remaining one ball is filled into a measuring container of a larger capacity and added together later.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a positive displacement weighing method in which raw noodles for a plurality of servings are collectively boiled and cooled, and the boiled noodles are subdivided, and the present invention relates to automatic weighing by a ball remover. Above all, the present invention relates to a method of measuring the grated noodles by closing the entrance of the measuring container and cutting the protruding boiled noodles each time the noodles are filled. It also relates to the weighing of boiled noodle products in which the product is divided and used in about half the amount.

When weighing boiled noodles with a ball remover, when performing grazing weighing (for example, Patent Document 2) in which the noodle strings protruding from the measuring container are cut with priority given to weighing accuracy, and weighing without cutting with priority given to product quality. (For example, Patent Document 1), but in general, priority is given to weighing accuracy and the generation of cut noodles has been allowed.

In the case of grated noodles, in order to reduce the occurrence of cut noodles, it is necessary to dispense and supply the noodles from the hopper to the measuring container. The inventor of the present application has disclosed in Patent Document 3 a technique for supplying a small amount. In Patent Document 3, by coordinating the water flow and the rotating drum to generate a flow that rotates up and down, the boiled noodles stocked in the water in the hopper are prevented from being congested due to sedimentation and being congested due to agitation of the reciprocating orbit. , Made it possible to supply small amounts of noodles.
However, although the generation of cut noodles can be suppressed, there is still a problem in that it cannot be reduced to zero. In addition, although the small-scale supply of noodles has the effect of preventing the noodles from being clogged at the supply port at the bottom of the hopper, there is a problem that the weight of the noodles is rarely less than the allowable weight, and it takes time and effort to reweigh the noodles.

Further, in the frozen noodle market, it has been conventionally required to divide a frozen product for one serving into two as necessary and provide a dividing groove so that half of the product can be used. Then, in order to suppress the cutting of the noodle strings when divided into two, it is necessary to weigh the boiled noodles in advance with 0.5 meals.
However, there is a problem that the weight deviation increases and the mixing of cut noodle strings doubles when the weights weighed in 0.5 meals are added up to make one meal.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-11817 WO2016 / 129296 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-50425

The present invention is intended to solve these problems, and suppresses the generation of cut noodles when slicing and weighing with a ball-picking machine. Rather than simply aiming to improve weighing accuracy by lowering the standard deviation, increase the probability of distribution within the weight tolerance, the so-called positive pass rate. To increase the positive pass rate when adding up the items weighed in 0.5 meals to make one meal. Further, when adding up the ones weighed in 0.5 meals to make one meal, the purpose is to increase the positive amount passing rate without lowering the processing efficiency of the ball picker.

The inventor dislikes the mixing of short noodles and has studied the weighing of a ball-picking machine that does not grind, but even if the short noodles are contained in the product, the quality will not be affected if the mixing is minimal. From such a point of view, we examined the measurement on the premise of fraying.

Most of the noodles that are not fully filled and discharged without being filled are excluded as lightweight products, but it is known that the mixing rate of cut noodles in such lightweight products is low. The reason is that the filled noodles do not reach the level of grated at the entrance of the weighing container. Therefore, when we examined to close the water passage hole directly under the measuring container inlet from above so that the filling was intentionally completed at the level below the measuring container inlet, short noodles were mixed by unexpectedly closing a small volume. I was able to reduce the rate. And since the volume is small, the weight distribution width can be kept within the permissible range.

That is, the means 1 of the present invention diffuses the boiled noodles for a plurality of servings stored in the water in the hopper together with the water stream, flows the boiled noodles together with the water from the bottom supply port of the hopper, and lowers the bottom supply port. The filling step of filling the boiled noodles in the measuring container arranged in the water-flowing wall and discharging the filled boiled noodles by opening the lower surface of the measuring container is repeated, and the noodles are discharged from the filling step. A method of grinding the noodles by cutting the boiled noodles protruding from the inlet of the measuring container during the process, wherein the measuring container has the same horizontal cross-sectional area or gradually expands downward from the inlet. It is characterized by including a non-water flow wall up to a horizontal cross section A having a cross-sectional area of 2 to 8 square cm at the entrance and a volume of 4 to 20 cubic cm downward from the inlet, and a water flow wall below the horizontal cross section A. The present invention relates to an automatic weighing method using a ball remover that reduces the cutting of boiled noodles.

Examples of the shape having the same horizontal cross-sectional area from the inlet of the measuring container of the present invention to the bottom include a cylinder, but the shape may be a prism or a shape formed between a prism having chamfered corners and a prism. Further, the shape in which the horizontal cross-sectional area gradually expands downward from the inlet of the measuring container of the present invention may be a conical shape, a quadrangular pyramid, a polygonal pyramid, or a shape in between.
The present invention is characterized in that a horizontal cross section A having a volume of 4 to 20 cubic cm from the inlet to the bottom is composed of a non-water-permeable wall, but preferably, the cross-sectional area of the horizontal cross section A is the cross-sectional area of the inlet. It should be the same as or closer to 2-8 square cm. Then, the structure includes a water passage wall below the horizontal cross section A.

According to the means 1 of the present invention, since the water passage wall from the inlet portion of the measuring container to the horizontal cross section A is a non-water flow wall, when the noodles are filled to the level of the horizontal cross section A, all the water flow holes of the measuring container are closed. Due to the peeling, the amount of water passing through the weighing basket is sharply reduced, and the effect of stopping the supply of the noodles flowing in with the water occurs. Further, if the cross-sectional area of the horizontal cross section A is as small as the entrance, the amount of water passing through the gaps between the noodles is reduced, so that the action of stopping the supply of noodles from the hopper is further enhanced. As a result, the filled noodles have a high probability of stopping between the horizontal cross section A and the entrance (frayed surface), and the number of noodle lines straddling the frayed surface is reduced or absent, so that the occurrence of cut noodles is greatly reduced. be able to.

Further, in rare cases where the noodles are not filled up to the horizontal cross section A, the filling time can be extended so that the noodles can be filled up frequently. Therefore, when it was examined whether the noodles in the measuring container could be detected by the photoelectric sensor whether the noodles were full or not, it was found that the presence or absence of noodles could be determined through the water passage holes of the stainless steel measuring container.

That is, the means 2 of the present invention is filled in the measuring container by a sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container from the periphery of the measuring container between the filling step and the discharging step. In the positive displacement measuring method that sandwiches the full amount detection step that detects whether the noodles are full or not, the position where the sensor detects the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container is from the horizontal cross section A. When the full amount is not detected in the full amount detection step in the range of 0 to 2 cm in the vertical direction, the claim is characterized in that the discharge step following the full amount detection step is eliminated at least once and the process proceeds to the next filling step. The present invention relates to the automatic weighing method by the ball picker according to Item 1.

The sensor suitable for the full amount detection step of means 2 to 4 of the present invention may be a transmissive photoelectric sensor of KEYENCE PRG-51N, regardless of the principle or configuration as long as it can detect the presence or absence of noodles filled in the measuring container. It can be illustrated. The PRG-51N is a type in which a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion are paired, and is arranged so that a measuring container is sandwiched between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion. The height at which the sensor is installed with respect to the measuring container is preferably in the range of 0 to 2 cm in the vertical direction from the horizontal cross section A, and more preferably in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 cm in the vertical direction from the horizontal cross section A.

The PRG-51N transmits a part of the light from the light emitting part fixed to one side around the measuring basket through the water passage hole of the measuring container, and receives the light by the sensor light receiving part fixed to the opposite side of the measuring container. The incoming light signal is output from the sensor light receiving part. In this state, the measuring container is filled with noodles, and when the noodles are filled with the cross section A or more, the light transmitted through the water passage holes is blocked, and a light-shielding signal is output from the sensor light receiving unit. The output signal is input to the automatic control device in which the control contents for operating the slide unit are programmed in advance, and when the light-shielding signal is input, the full amount is detected, so the measuring container is moved to the discharge position to discharge the noodles and light-shielding. When no signal is input, it is detected that the amount is not full, so the weighing basket is kept in the filling position and the next filling process is continued. Therefore, in the means 2 of the present invention, in the case of a ball picker capable of parallel processing for weighing from a plurality of supply ports to a plurality of slide units, it is preferable that the slide units can operate independently in units of one row.

The fixing position of the photoelectric sensor of the means 2 of the present invention is preferably a position where the measuring basket is filled with noodles. At that time, since it detects the water flow and the flowing noodles and emits a light-shielding signal intermittently, a timer is combined and a continuous light-shielding signal for a certain period of time (for example, 0.2 to 0.8 seconds) at the end of the filling process is a full condition. It is good to use as.

According to the means 2 of the present invention, the sensor outputs a signal for determining whether the weighing container is full or non-full for each weighing, and if the output signal indicates full, the noodles are discharged and the next filling is performed. Start, and if the output signal indicates a non-full amount, do not discharge the noodles and continue the next filling. By having the automatic control device of the ball picker perform these operations, it is possible to significantly reduce the occurrence of lightweight defects and increase the positive amount passing rate.

Further, the means 3 of the present invention is filled in the measuring container by a sensor capable of detecting the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container from the periphery of the measuring container between the filling step and the discharging step. In the positive displacement measuring method that sandwiches the full amount detection step that detects whether the boiled noodles are full or not, the position where the sensor detects the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container is the horizontal cross section A. When weighing in two balls in the range of 0 to 2 cm in the vertical direction and adding them up to the target weight, one of the two balls to be added up in the full amount detection step is non-full amount. The first aspect of claim 1, wherein when the two balls are detected, the discharge step following the full amount detection step is eliminated at least once, and the one ball for which the non-full amount is detected moves to the next filling step. Regarding the automatic weighing method using a ball remover.

The means 3 of the present invention is an application of the same means 2, and when the weight is divided into two balls and the weights are added up to obtain the target weight, when either of the two balls is non-full, both balls are discharged. If both balls are lost and both balls are full, the discharge process is taken for both balls. Therefore, the means 3 of the present invention is suitable for a ball picker capable of parallel processing for weighing from a plurality of supply ports to a plurality of slide units, and the slide units are allowed to operate independently in units of one or two rows. It is good. For example, after detecting the non-full amount, neither of the two balls is discharged, but only the non-full amount of one ball continues to be filled, and the full amount of one ball waits at the position where the entrance is closed. If it is to be operated, it is possible to operate in units of one row, and if both balls are not discharged after the non-full amount is detected and the filling of both balls is continued, the operation is enabled in units of two rows.

In the same means 3, it is desirable to close the inlet and finish the filling process rather than repeating the filling as it is for one ball that is not discharged in the full state. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the cutting of noodles due to the additional inflow of noodles. Specifically, it is preferable to create a space in advance to close both the inlet and outlet in the middle of the slide of the filling position and the discharging position, and stop the measuring container at that position.

According to the means 3 of the present invention, when the weight is divided into two balls and the weights are added up to achieve the target weight, the weight defect due to the passage of half the amount of the product is eliminated by eliminating the chance of discharging one ball (half amount) to be added up. Can be prevented.

However, the method of canceling the discharge process leads to a loss of processing capacity. There is a method of increasing the processing capacity in advance so as to cover that amount, but it is better that there is no change in the processing capacity in the first place. On the other hand, for example, when weighing udon noodles with a weight of 10 g, the most frequent occurrence when the amount is less than the full amount is a slight shortage within the equivalent of one noodle string.

Therefore, the means 4 of the present invention that eliminates the cancellation of the discharging step is the weighing by a sensor that can detect the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container from the periphery of the measuring container between the filling step and the discharging step. In a positive displacement weighing method that detects whether the boiled noodles filled in the container are full or non-full, and sandwiches the full amount detection step, the position where the sensor detects the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container. However, when the weight is divided into two balls in the range of 0 to 2 cm in the vertical direction from the horizontal cross section A and the total weight is obtained as the target weight, any one of the two balls to be added is the above-mentioned ball. When a non-full amount is detected in the full amount detection process, the non-full amount of one ball is discharged first, and the remaining one ball to be added up is weighed in a volume larger than the standard measuring container in the next filling process. The automatic ball picker according to claim 1, wherein a filling step is performed using a container, a discharging step is performed following the filling step, and then the amount is added to the previously discharged non-full amount of balls. Regarding the weighing method.

A specific example of a slide unit suitable for the means 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, the side sectional view is expanded vertically, and the upper and lower sliding surfaces of the slide unit are shown in the drawing.
The standard capacity measuring container 43a and the larger capacity measuring container 43b are provided in one slide unit 43. The measuring containers 43a and 43b are located between the top plate 43c and the bottom plate 43d which are parallel to each other. The top plate 43c has top plate openings Li and Si which are inlets of the measuring container, and the bottom plate 43d has bottom plate openings Lo and So which are outlets. There is.
The slide unit 43 has a hopper-side sliding contact surface as where the boiled noodle supply port 44a leading from the hopper bottom supply port is opened, and a discharge side of the fixing plate 45 having openings b1 and b2 for discharging the boiled noodles from the measuring container. It is made slidable by the sliding contact surface bs, and is slid in the section where the two top plate openings Li and Si of the boiled noodle supply port 44a and the slide unit 43 overlap, and the boiled noodle supply port 44a and the top plate openings Li and Si are slid. At the position where the midpoint Bi of the above overlaps, the two bottom plate openings Lo and So of the slide unit 43 are positioned so as to exactly overlap the two openings b2 and b1 of the fixed plate 45.

A case where a measuring container having a standard capacity is used in the means 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the filling step, the slide unit 43 communicates the boiled noodle supply port 44a with the top plate opening Si at (standard capacity filling position). After the time set in the filling process has passed, in the full amount detection process, the slide unit 43 is fully charged by the photoelectric sensor 46 at a position where both the inlet and the outlet of the measuring container 43a are closed (full amount detection position). Determine if it is not full.
Since there is no inflow of noodles or water at this position, there is no need for noise when detecting the full amount (presence or absence of noodles). Moreover, since this position is in the process of moving to the subsequent discharge process, it may be detected during passage without stopping, but if the detection accuracy is to be further improved, it is preferable to pause for 0.1 to 0.5 seconds. In the discharge step, the noodles are moved to a position (discharge position) where the boiled noodle supply port 44a and the intermediate point Bi of the two top plate openings overlap (discharge position), and the noodles are discharged regardless of whether the noodles are full or non-full. The noodles are discharged from the opening b1 of the fixing plate.

Next, a case where a measuring container having a capacity larger than the standard is used in the means 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The sensor of FIG. 10, which is useless when a large-capacity measuring container is used, is hidden.
When the measuring container 43a of the slide unit 43 is determined to be non-full in the full amount detection step, it may be weighed in the measuring container 43b of the adjacent slide unit 43 which is previously determined to be tied to one meal. That is, when a non-full amount is detected in either of the two rows next to each other, a large-capacity measurement is performed next time in the remaining one row.
When filling the measuring container 43b, the boiled noodle supply port 44a and the top plate opening Li are communicated with each other. Next, the full amount detection step is not performed, and the process proceeds to the discharge step. The moving position of the slide unit in the discharging process is the same as in the case of discharging the standard measuring container 43a, and the slide unit is temporarily moved to a position (discharging position) where the boiled noodle supply port 44a and the intermediate point Bi of the two top plate openings overlap. It is stopped and discharged from the opening b2 of the fixing plate 45.

You can freely combine a non-filled ball outside the ball picker with a ball weighed in a large-capacity container, but it is convenient to place them next to each other even in the transport case.
For example, the number of rows of the ball picker and the number of rows of the conveyor of the transport case are matched, and the transport case is arranged so as to pass directly under the discharge port in the same row of the ball picker, and one full ball is sequentially put into the case directly below. To do. Then, the non-full amount of one ball is put into the case after the one case directly underneath is emptied, and the one ball to be weighed next time is put into the empty case directly under the previous one. This is merely the exchange of the front and back in one row, but this allows the non-full one ball to be next to each other and the one ball weighed with a large capacity one time behind and the next to each other. The operating conditions of the chute to be loaded in this way are programmed in advance in the automatic control device in addition to the operation of the slide unit.

According to the means 4 of the present invention, in response to the shortage equivalent to one noodle string that occurs most frequently in non-full weighing, the remaining one ball to be added up is weighed using a measuring container having a volume equivalent to one noodle string. By doing so, the excess or deficiency of the weight of the two balls can be canceled out from each other, and the positive amount passing rate can be increased while suppressing the fluctuation of the processing capacity.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of cut noodles by creating a state in which there is no noodle string straddling the ground surface of the measuring container while weighing the noodles by the ball removing machine.
The upper limit of the weight distribution was originally limited by grinding, but according to the means 2 of the present invention, the lower limit of the weight distribution is eliminated from the discharge of noodles having a horizontal cross section of less than A, and the lower limit is limited to a positive amount (allowable). Range) The passage rate can be increased.
Further, even when the weight is divided into two balls and the weights are added up to obtain the target weight, according to the means 3 of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the discharge of only one ball out of the two balls and increase the positive amount passing rate. Can be done. Further, according to the means 4 of the present invention, the positive amount passing rate can be increased without affecting the processing capacity. As described above, it is possible to reduce the labor of correcting the weight in the noodle production line that requires the weighing of the ball picking machine and contribute to labor saving.

Front view of the measuring container used in Example 1 of the present invention. Front view of a conventionally known measuring container Cross-sectional view of the entire ball picker suitable for the present invention Cross-sectional view showing the B cross section shown in FIG. Front view showing the positional relationship between the photoelectric sensor used in the full amount detection process and the measuring container Cross-sectional view showing the C cross section shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a sensor detects a state in which both the inlet and outlet of the measuring container are closed in the second embodiment. Explanatory drawing of slide unit suitable for means 4 of this invention Sectional drawing which shows each process by the standard capacity measuring container of means 4 of this invention Sectional drawing which shows each process by the measuring container with large capacity of means 4 of this invention

The hopper structure of the ball-picking machine suitable for the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, but the present invention is not limited to these examples such as means for diffusing boiled noodles in the hopper.

In the first embodiment, a ball picker equipped with a hopper 1 suitable for dispensing small amounts was used. The boiled noodles 2 for a plurality of servings stored in the water in the hopper 1 can maintain the diffusion state of the boiled noodles by rotating around the drum 1a by the drum 1a rotating together with the water stream 1b and the water stream 1c.
In the filling step, the diffused boiled noodles 2 are poured out together with water from the bottom supply port 1d of the hopper and filled in the measuring container 3a. The bottom supply port 1d has a slit shape with a width of 25 mm and a gap of 6 mm, and an air cylinder that connects the rod 1dr to the expansion / contraction operation of instantly opening and closing the 6 mm gap to 12 mm every 1 to 2 seconds to eliminate the clogging of noodles (Fig. (Not shown).

The appearance of the measuring container 3a used in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The measuring container 3a used in the first embodiment is provided in the slide unit 3 between the parallel top plate 3b and the bottom plate 3c having a thickness of 6 mm, and has a columnar shape in a certain section downward from the entrance 3a1 which is a horizontal opening. There is a neck, and the section of this neck has the same horizontal cross-sectional area, extends in a conical shape for a certain section from below, and forms a columnar shape from below. The inlet 3a1 has an inner diameter of 22 mm and an area of 3.8 square cm, the distance between the inlet 3a1 and the horizontal cross section A is 2.1 cm, the volume is 8 cubic cm, which is a non-water flow wall, and 15 mm below the horizontal cross section A is the extension of the neck. Although the horizontal cross-sectional area does not change, it is composed of a water passage wall, and similarly, it is composed of a water passage wall. The water passage wall is made of a stainless steel plate having a thickness of 1 mm and having pores having a diameter of 2 mm evenly formed.

The slide unit 3 slides between the hopper-side sliding contact surface 4 and the discharge-side fixing plate 5 by an air cylinder (not shown) connected by a rod 3r.
In the filling step, the measuring container 3a communicates with the hopper bottom supply port 1d and the measuring container inlet 3a1 in the arrangement shown in FIG. 3, and in the discharging step, the measuring container 3a moves to the arrangement of 3aa and the measuring container inlet 3a1 blocks. In the closed state, the measuring container outlet 3a2 and the opening 5a of the discharge side fixing plate 5 are in a communicating state, and the filled noodles are discharged. The slide unit 3 slid this section at a speed of 500 to 550 reciprocations per hour. At the stop position of 3aa, only the time required for discharge was stopped. Further, although the ball-picking machine shown in FIG. 4 has a triple structure, in Example 1, two of the three hopper bottom supply ports were closed and only one was used in a single-shot state.

(Preparation of boiled noodles)
For the boiled noodles weighed in Example 1, 2 L of 10% salt water was added as kneading water to 5 kg of wheat flour for udon noodles, mixed at a reduced pressure of 60 kilopascals for 10 minutes, and then the dough mass was divided into two equal parts. About 3 kg of the dough mass, which is half of that amount, is made into noodles by a standard method after 30 minutes at 30 ° C. After stopping stirring, the noodles were boiled at 98 to 99 ° C. for 14 minutes to obtain about 5 to 5.5 kg of boiled noodles. Then, the noodles were cooled to room temperature and put into a hopper 1 having a capacity of 60 L in which water at 15 ° C. circulates in 3 to 5 minutes, and the drum 1a was immediately rotated to make the noodles in a diffused state.

(Data collection)
To collect noodles, the noodles weighed 20 times in succession from the second weighing with the same filling time are received in 20 trays, and the weight of each noodle and the number and weight of noodles of 20 cm or less included are weighed electronically. It was recorded and the recorded values are summarized in Example 1- (1) of Table 1.
Subsequently, the remaining half of the dough (more than 30 to 40 minutes passed) was prepared in the same manner, and the same weighing and collection of noodles were carried out to confirm the reproducibility. The recorded values are summarized in Examples 1-2 ▼ of Table 1.

Further, the measuring container of FIG. 1 attached to the ball picker in Example 1 was replaced with the measuring container of FIG. 2 having no non-water flow section, and all the others were carried out in the same manner. It is summarized in (1) and 1- (2). In each case, 90% or more of the noodle strings were included in the range of 50 to 53 cm in length and 10 to 13 g in weight of the noodle strings.

(Result of Example 1)
The average weight of Example 1 was (1) 127.4 g, (2) 127.5 g, and so on.
The standard deviation σ of Example 1 is ▲ 1 ▼ 2.9 g, ▲ 2 ▼ 2.6 g,
The range of Example 1 is ▲ 1 ▼ 12 g, ▲ 2 ▼ 9 g,
The average number of short noodles of 20 cm or less in Example 1 was (1) 0.9, (2) 0.5, and so on.
The average weight of the short noodles of 20 cm or less in Example 1 was (1) 1.1 g and (2) 1.2 g.
On the other hand
The average weight of Comparative Example 1 was (1) 130.9 g, (2) 130.6 g,
The standard deviation σ of Comparative Example 1 is (1) 1.8 g, (2) 1.7 g,
The range of Comparative Example 1 is ▲ 1 ▼ 7 g, ▲ 2 ▼ 7 g,
The average number of short noodles of 20 cm or less in Comparative Example 1 is (1) 2.5, (2) 3.0, and so on.
The average weight of the short noodles of 20 cm or less in Comparative Example 1 was (1) 3.5 g and (2) 3.9 g.

(Summary of Example 1)
Although the average weight of Example 1 was about 3 g lighter, the standard deviation was about 1 g larger, and the range was about 3 g larger than that of Comparative Example 1, the range of Example 1 was about 10 g, so the weight of a general product. It was within the tolerance. On the other hand, in the mixing rate of short noodles of 20 cm or less, the number and weight of Example 1 were reduced to 1/3 of that of Comparative Example 1.
This is because the water flow wall of the measuring container of Example 1 was closed by 15 mm downward from the top plate 3b as compared with the measuring container of Comparative Example 1, and the weight of the filled noodles was reduced by only 3 g. This showed that it became difficult to reach the ground surface, which is the entrance.
The noodles of Example 1 in which the average number of mixed "short noodles of 20 cm or less" was less than one had no problem in terms of quality.
As described above, the effectiveness of the means 1 of the present invention was shown.

(Conditions for ball picker)
With the ball picker shown in Fig. 3 and 4, the weighing equivalent to 0.5 meals was remodeled into two parallel parallels (one of the three hopper bottom supply ports is closed and two on both sides are effective), and 510 to 530 meals per hour. The speed was set.
Of the two parallel stations, one is the detection side by arranging the standard capacity measuring container, the light emitting part and the light receiving part of the photoelectric sensor as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, and the other is as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, a slide unit having a standard capacity measuring container and a larger capacity measuring container in double was installed and set as the selection side.
The capacity of the measuring container on the detection side and the standard capacity on the selection side were the same at 136 cubic cm, and the capacity larger than the standard on the selection side was 143 cubic cm, and the volume was increased by 7 cubic cm.
The photoelectric sensor on the detection side is PRG-51N manufactured by KEYENCE, and the light emitting unit 6a and the light receiving unit 6b are closed together with the inlet and outlet in the middle of sliding from the filling position to the discharging position so that the measuring container 3a is sandwiched between the light emitting unit 6a and the light receiving unit 6b. It was installed horizontally at a vertical position (6c in FIG. 7) and at a height of 1 cm in the vertical direction from the horizontal cross section A with respect to the measuring container 3a.
After that, the empty measuring container 3a repeatedly slides from the filling position to the discharging position, confirms that the incoming light signal is transmitted without interruption by the measuring container 3a, and then slides the full measuring container to obtain a light-shielding signal. I checked the output.
Finally, the next weighing on the selection side in the case of full amount detection is the same as in FIG. 9, the standard capacity measuring container 43a is selected and filled, and the next measurement on the selection side in the case of non-fullness detection is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the slide unit is moved to the large-capacity filling position for filling, and in any case, the sequencer of the ball picker is moved so that the slide unit 43 is moved to the (discharging position) of FIGS. The conditions were entered in (Mitsubishi Electric) to enable automatic control of the slide unit.

(Data collection)
The preparation of the boiled noodles was the same as in Example 1, and immediately after the hopper 1 was put in, the drum 1a was rotated to put the noodles in a diffused state and start weighing. Noodles are collected by receiving 19 consecutive noodles on a tray from the second weighing with the same filling time, weighing and recording the weight of each noodle by electronic weighing, 0.5 meals on the detection side and the next selection. The 0.5 meals on the side were added up to make one meal weight. After that, the same data collection was performed 3 times by collecting all the boiled noodles outside the ball picking machine and refilling them in the hopper, and the results of the 4 times were summarized. Table 2 shows the 3rd and 4th times by refilling. I summarized the times. In each case, 90% or more of the noodle strings were included in the range of 50 to 53 cm in length and 10 to 13 g in weight of the noodle strings.

(Result of Example 2)
At the first measurement, there is no non-full amount on the detection side,
0.5 food detection side average 117.3 g, standard deviation σ 2.9 g, range 9 g,
0.5 meal selection side average 117.3 g, standard deviation σ 2.3 g, range 9 g,
The total average of one meal is 234.6 g, the standard deviation is σ3.9 g, and the range is 15 g.
For the second refill weighing, there was no non-full amount on the detection side,
0.5 food detection side average 114.2 g, standard deviation σ 2.9 g, range 11 g,
0.5 meal selection side average 113.2 g, standard deviation σ 2.4 g, range 10 g,
The total average of one meal is 227.4 g, the standard deviation is σ4.3 g, and the range is 14 g.
At the third refilling measurement, there was no non-full amount on the detection side,
0.5 food detection side average 114.4 g, standard deviation σ2.5 g, range 9 g,
0.5 meal selection side average 113.2 g, standard deviation σ 2.4 g, range 8 g,
The total average of one meal is 227.6 g, the standard deviation is σ 4.2 g, and the range is 13 g.
In the 4th re-input weighing, non-full amount occurred twice on the detection side, and 2 large weighings were performed on the selection side.
0.5 food detection side average 108.7 g, standard deviation σ 5.9 g, range 23 g
0.5 meal selection side average 112.6 g, standard deviation σ 4.0 g, range 15 g
The total average of one meal was 221.3 g, the standard deviation was σ4.6 g, and the range was 16 g.

(Summary of Example 2)
In the first weighing, the second weighing by refilling the hopper, and the third weighing, there was no non-full amount on the detection side, and all the selected sides were weighed in a standard capacity measuring container. In the 4th weighing by refilling the hopper, the noodles became soggy that the noodles became unfilled in the 14th and 18th weighing order on the detection side, and the 15th and 19th weighing on the selection side were larger than the standard. The container was selected.
As a result, the standard deviation σ 5.9 g and the range 23 g on the detection side of the 4th re-injection weighing were able to suppress the standard deviation σ to 4.6 g and the range to 16 g in the weight of one meal after totaling.
As described above, the effectiveness of the means 4 of the present invention was shown.

(Discussion of Example 2)
In the second embodiment, non-full amount occurred in the 14th and 18th weighing orders on the detection side of the 4th weighing, and a weighing container larger than the standard was selected in the 15th and 19th weighings on the selection side. If the 14th and 18th non-full noodles are not discharged and the next filling is continued, there is a high probability that the noodles will be full. In that case, the standard deviation σ5.9g on the 4th detection side, the range It was clear that 23g would be reduced.
In addition, tentatively, the 14th and 18th non-full noodles in the order of measurement on the detection side of the 4th measurement are not discharged, the next filling is continued, and 0.5 meals on the selection side to be added to these are discharged. If the noodles are discharged at the same time as the next discharge on the detection side, all 18 meals of noodles can be prepared by the weight of one meal, and as a result, it is standard compared to the case where two balls equivalent to 0.5 meals are included. It was clear that the deviation σ and range values were significantly reduced. From these, the effectiveness of the means 2 and 3 of the present invention can be shown.

1 Hopper capable of supplying small amounts of noodles 1a Rotating drum in hopper 1 1b Downward precipitation flow in hopper 1 1c Spouting water flow in hopper 1 1d Bottom supply port in hopper 1 1dr Expanding and contracting the bottom supply port in hopper 1 Rod 2 Boiled noodles in hopper 1 3 Slide unit applicable to 1 to 3 of the present invention 3a Measuring container of slide unit 3 3a1 Inlet of measuring container 3a 3a2 Outlet of measuring container 3a 3aa Noodle discharge position of measuring container 3a 3b Slide unit Top plate of 3 3c Bottom plate of slide unit 3 3r Rod that slides slide unit 3 4 Sliding surface on the hopper side of slide unit 3 4a Boiled noodle supply port 5 Discharge side fixing plate 5a Opening for discharging boiled noodles of fixing plate 5 6a Photoelectric sensor light emitting part of Example 2 6aL1 Light beam of light emitting part 6a 6aL2 Transmitted light of light of light emitting part 6a passing through a water passage hole of a measuring container 6b Photoelectric sensor light receiving part of Example 2 6c By the photoelectric sensor of Example 2 Detection position [Figs. 8 to 10]
43 Slide unit suitable for means 4 of the present invention 43a Measuring container with standard capacity of slide unit 43 43b Measuring container with larger capacity than standard of slide unit 43 43c Top plate of slide unit 43 43d Bottom plate of slide unit 43 44a Boiled noodle supply Mouth 45 Fixed plate on discharge side 46 Photoelectric sensor Li Top plate opening of measuring container 43b of slide unit 43 Top plate opening of measuring container 43a of Si slide unit 43 Top plate opening of Bi slide unit 43 Midpoint between Li and Si Lo slide Bottom plate opening of the measuring container 43b of the unit 43 So Bottom plate opening of the measuring container 43a of the slide unit 43 as hopper side sliding contact surface of the slide unit 43 b1, b2 Boiled noodle discharge opening of the fixing plate 45 bs Discharge side sliding contact of the slide unit 43 surface

Claims (4)

Boiled noodles for multiple servings stored in water in the hopper are diffused together with a stream of water, the boiled noodles are poured out together with water from the bottom supply port of the hopper, and the noodles are arranged below the bottom supply port and have a water passage wall. The filling step of filling the container with the boiled noodles and the discharging step of discharging the filled boiled noodles by opening the lower surface of the measuring container are repeated, and the inlet of the measuring container is inserted between the filling step and the discharging step. It is a method of weighing the boiled noodles that sticks out of the noodles.
The measuring container has a shape in which the horizontal cross-sectional area is the same or gradually expands downward from the inlet.
A non-water-permeable wall extending from the entrance to a horizontal cross section A having a volume of 4 to 20 cubic cm downward with a cross-sectional area of 2 to 8 square cm.
An automatic weighing method using a ball remover that reduces cutting of boiled noodles, which comprises a water passage wall below the horizontal cross section A. During the filling step and the discharging step, the amount of boiled noodles filled in the measuring container is full or non-full by a sensor that can detect the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container from around the measuring container. In the positive displacement measuring method that sandwiches the full amount detection process to detect
The position where the sensor detects the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container is in the range of 0 to 2 cm in the vertical direction from the horizontal cross section A.
The automatic weighing by the ball picker according to claim 1, wherein when the full amount is not detected in the full amount detection step, the discharge step following the full amount detection step is eliminated at least once and the process proceeds to the next filling step. Method. During the filling step and the discharging step, the amount of boiled noodles filled in the measuring container is full or non-full by a sensor that can detect the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container from around the measuring container. In the positive displacement measuring method that sandwiches the full amount detection process to detect
The position where the sensor detects the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container is in the range of 0 to 2 cm in the vertical direction from the horizontal cross section A.
When weighing in two balls and adding them together to reach the target weight,
When any of the two balls to be added together detects a non-full amount in the full amount detection step, both of the two balls eliminate the discharge step following the full amount detection step at least once.
The automatic weighing method using a ball picker according to claim 1, wherein one ball that has detected a non-full amount moves to the next filling step. During the filling step and the discharging step, the amount of boiled noodles filled in the measuring container is full or non-full by a sensor that can detect the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container from around the measuring container. In the positive displacement measuring method that sandwiches the full amount detection process to detect
The position where the sensor detects the presence or absence of boiled noodles in the measuring container is in the range of 0 to 2 cm in the vertical direction from the horizontal cross section A.
When weighing in two balls and adding them together to reach the target weight,
When any one of the two balls to be added detects a non-full amount in the full amount detection step, the non-full amount of one ball is discharged first.
In the next filling step, the remaining one ball to be added up is filled by using a measuring container having a volume larger than that of a normal measuring container, and the filling step is followed by a discharge step.
After that, the automatic weighing method by the ball picker according to claim 1, wherein the total amount is added to the non-full amount of balls discharged earlier.

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