JP3176286B2 - Malt hopper controller - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a malt hopper control device in a brewery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In addition to a beer brewing process, a batch process typified by a food manufacturing process has a growing need for labor saving in change work related to a change in the production amount and a change in the product type in multi-product manufacturing. Automating the change process is essential.

[0003] In the beer brewing process, a plurality of types of malt are stored in a malt silo group for each type, a type of malt to be used is set for each type of beer, and a required amount of malt is supplied according to a brewing schedule. Only the procedure of transferring the malt silo containing it to the malt hopper, crushing it and supplying it to the brewing process is adopted, but in an automated brewing plant, the malt transfer part generally has the configuration shown in FIG. Have been.

[0004] This general plant has a large number of malt silos 1a, 1a each accommodating a plurality of types of malt individually.
b, ..., shutters 2a, 2b, ... for taking out various types of malt from these malt silos 1a, 1b, ..., and measuring devices 3a, 3b, ... for measuring the amounts thereof, and a predetermined amount of malt is conveyed. , A malt hopper 5a, 5b,... For accommodating the malt conveyed by the conveyor 4, and a switching shutter 6a for switching which malt hopper to accommodate the conveyed malt according to the type thereof. , 6b, ...
And a crusher 7 for crushing the malt coming out of the malt hoppers 5a, 5b,.

[0005] The brewing schedule of which varieties of beer is to be brewed, when, and how much is conventionally made using a brewing breed setting screen 10 as shown in FIG. That is, the types A to H of the brewed beer are registered in the type column 10a, and the brewed types are sequentially registered in the brewing schedule column 10b using the data in the type column 10a. Then, the result data executed based on the data in the registered schedule column 10b is registered in the result column 10c. It should be noted that the reason why the system I and the system II are found in the performance column 10c is that in this example, beer is brewed in two systems at the same time.

The movement of the conventional beer brewing plant on the basis of the data in the schedule column 10b on the brewing variety setting screen 10 is as follows. The malt silos 1a, 1b,... In the order of the brewed varieties are set, and the malt corresponding to the set varieties is shuttered 2a, 2b,.
b,..., the conveyor 4 and the switching shutters 6a, 6b,... are conveyed to the malt hoppers 5a, 5b,.

Here, in the conventional malt hopper control device, which malt seed is to be accepted by which malt hopper 5a, 5b,... Is determined for each type of beer to be brewed, and the same type of beer is brewed. The malt used for is always transported to the same malt hopper.

[0008]

However, in such a conventional malt hopper control device, since the malt hopper to be used is fixedly determined according to the type of beer to be brewed, the malt hopper is used in a number corresponding to the number of brewed varieties. A hopper is required, and as the number of brewed varieties increases, there is a problem that the number of malt hoppers must be increased accordingly. There is a problem that it is not possible to switch to another production system more suitable for brewing, and that the production equipment cannot be used effectively.

The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and it is not necessary to increase the number of malt hoppers even if the number of brewed varieties increases, and a malt hopper control device capable of efficiently producing beer. The purpose is to provide.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a malt hopper control apparatus which comprises a plurality of malt silos for individually accommodating a plurality of types of malt, and a malt transferred from the plurality of malt silos. Multiple malt hoppers to house,
A varieties / malt species correspondence data storage unit that stores varieties / malt species correspondence data on which varieties of malt types of malt to use for beer,
Based on the brewing schedule storage unit that stores the brewing schedule of how much to brew and the brewing schedule and the varieties / malt type correspondence data, which malt hopper is to be stored in which malt hopper necessary for brewing a certain type of beer The varieties / malt hopper corresponding data storage unit that stores the varieties / malt hopper corresponding data of the varieties / malt hoppers, and the malt of the required malt species at the necessary timing based on the brewing schedule and the varieties / malt hopper corresponding data And a malt transfer control unit for transferring the malt silo to a predetermined malt hopper.

In the malt hopper control device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the correspondence data of the variety and the malt type as to which malt type malt is used for which type of beer, and when the type of beer is used, Based on the brewing schedule of how much to brew, and based on this brewing schedule and the varieties / malt type correspondence data, the varieties and types of malt hoppers required to brew malt necessary for brewing a certain type of beer
Register the corresponding data of the malt hopper.

At the time of brewing, when brewing various types of beer in accordance with the brewing schedule, the malt transfer control unit uses the brewing schedule, the variety / malt type correspondence data, and the variety / malt hopper correspondence data based on the brewing schedule. Malt of the required malt species is transferred from the malt silo containing the malt to a predetermined malt hopper at a required timing.

Thus, even if the variety of beers increases, it is not necessary to add a malt hopper in accordance with the increase of the types of beer, and the equipment cost can be suppressed. Even if the production amount changes, the production system can be switched simply by changing the designation of the malt hopper to be used, so that the equipment can be effectively used.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a beer brewing variety setting screen. The brewing plant used in this embodiment has the general configuration shown in FIG. 5, but the operation software for determining when and what malt type malt is to be stored in the malt hoppers 5a, 5b,. Unlike the example,
The configuration is as shown in FIGS.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the malt hopper control device according to the present embodiment comprises a display device 21 and a keyboard 22 which form a man-machine interface with an operator.
And a touch panel 23, and an input / output processing unit 24 for processing input / output signals for these man-machine interfaces.
And the type of beer to be used for which type of malt,
Based on the malt type correspondence data storage unit 25, the brewing schedule storage unit 26 storing the brewing schedule of when and how much beer of which varieties are brewed, based on the brewing schedule and the variety / malt type correspondence data. Equipped with a varieties / malt hopper correspondence data storage unit 27 for storing varieties / malt hopper correspondence data on which malt hoppers are required to brew varieties of beer for brewing, and brewing results data of various varieties of beers. Is provided.

Based on the data stored in the variety / malt type correspondence data storage unit 25 and the data stored in the brewing schedule storage unit 26, malt of the malt type required at a required timing is stored therein. An arithmetic processing unit 29 for performing an arithmetic process of how much amount is transferred from the malt silo to a predetermined malt hopper, and registering the variety / malt hopper correspondence data in the malt / malt hopper correspondence data storage unit 27; On the basis of the schedule, for example, the shutters 2a, 2b of the malt silos 1a, 1b,.
, The amount to be measured by the measuring devices 3a, 3b,..., The operation of the conveyor 4, and the switching shutters 6a, 6b of the malt hoppers 5a, 5b,. , A process control unit 30 for performing process control such as opening which malt is supplied to a predetermined malt hopper, an output signal from the process control unit 30 to the plant equipment 31, and a process control unit from the plant equipment 31 A process input / output signal processing unit 32 for processing an input signal to 30 is provided.

Next, the operation of the malt hopper control device having the above configuration will be described. First, the malt type to be used is determined for each type of brewed beer, and malt silo 1
a, 1b,... are also determined in advance, and the variety / malt species correspondence data is registered in the variety / malt species correspondence data storage unit 25.

At the time of drafting a brewing schedule, a variety setting screen shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the display device 21, and a brewing schedule is set while operating a keyboard 22 and a touch panel 23 as a man-machine interface. That is, in the schedule column 40b, the product type column 40a
, The brewing varieties A to H are sequentially designated and their production amounts are input (steps S1 and S2 in the flowchart of FIG. 3).

In the receiving hopper section 40c, a malt hopper for receiving malt is set for each variety. In the case of the illustrated embodiment, for the varieties A, the malt hopper (1) 5a and the malt hopper (4) 5d transfer malt of the kind necessary for the production of the varieties A from the malt silo in which they are contained. Then, for the variety B, the malt of the type required for the production of the variety B is transferred from the corresponding malt silo to the malt hopper (2) 5b and the malt hopper (5) 5e, respectively. The malt hopper to be used for
4).

When the setting work of the brewing schedule and the receiving hopper is completed as described above, these data are registered in the brewing schedule storage unit 26 and the varieties / malt hopper correspondence data storage unit 27, respectively.

When the actual operation starts, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the process control unit 30 refers to the brewing schedule in the brewing schedule storage unit 26 and reads out the varieties to be brewed next and the transfer amount (step). S11),
The malt silos 1a, 1b,... Containing the malt species corresponding to the variety are determined based on the data in the variety / malt species correspondence data storage unit 25 (step S12), and the variety / malt hopper correspondence data storage unit 27 is further determined. Malt hoppers 5a and 5 to receive the malt based on the data of
are determined (step S13).

Then, for example, which of the shutters 2a, 2b,... Of the malt silos 1a, 1b,. , How much is measured, how the conveyor 4 is operated, and the switching shutters 6a, 6b,... Of the malt hoppers 5a, 5b,.
Is opened to output a process control signal indicating whether or not malt is to be supplied to a predetermined malt hopper, so that malt transfer processing is executed.

The process control unit 30 also takes in the result data for each brewed variety from the plant equipment 31 via the process input / output processing unit 32 and stores the data in the result storage unit 28.
Further, it is displayed on the result column 40d of the type setting screen of the display device 21 via the arithmetic processing unit 29 and the input / output processing unit 24.

The above operation is repeatedly executed for all varieties registered in the brewing schedule (step S14).

Here, if the production target amount of beer of a certain type is changed in the brewing schedule, for example, if the production target amount of type A needs to be reduced by half, the type of beer in FIG. Receiving hopper field 40c on setting screen
If the malt hopper corresponding to the cultivar A is changed to only one of the hopper (1) and the hopper (4) and the production target amount of the cultivar C needs to be doubled, By changing the malt hopper corresponding to the variety C in the receiving hopper section 40c from one of the hoppers (6) and further setting the hopper (3) as the receiving hopper, it is possible to easily change the used quantity of the malt hopper.
You can change the brewing system and increase or decrease it.

When a trouble occurs in one production system, the setting is changed in the receiving hopper column 40c so that malt hoppers of other systems that do not belong to the troubled system are designated and malt is accepted. This makes it possible to respond flexibly to troubles.

[0027]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
Correspondence data of varieties and malt types for which varieties of malt to use for malt beer, brewing schedule for when and how much beer of which varieties to brew, and brewing schedule and varieties Based on the malt species correspondence data and the malt hopper corresponding to the malt hopper to store the malt necessary for brewing a certain kind of beer, the corresponding data of the malt hopper are registered, and at the time of brewing, the variety is stored according to the brewing schedule. -Malt of the required malt type is transferred from the malt silo in which it is stored to the predetermined malt hopper at the required timing based on the malt type correspondence data and the variety / malt hopper correspondence data, so that brewing is performed. Even if the varieties of beer to be increased increase, a malt hopper that accepts malt when brewing the varieties is arbitrarily set from existing ones Therefore, it is not necessary to add a malt hopper in accordance with the increase of the variety as in the conventional case, the equipment cost can be suppressed even in the case of multi-product production, and the production target amount needs to be changed. In this case, it is possible to respond by increasing or decreasing the malt hopper to be used, and also in the case where the production system needs to be switched, by changing the malt hopper to be used to belong to another production system. This makes it possible to use the equipment effectively and to improve the flexibility of the use of the equipment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a type setting screen of the display device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for drafting a brewing schedule in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining a receiving malt hopper in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a system diagram showing a pre-malt preparation process of a general beer brewing plant.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a type setting screen of a display device of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a, 1b, 1c,... Malt silos 2a, 2b, 2c,... Shutters 3a, 3b, 3c,... Meter 4 Conveyors 5a, 5b, 5c,. Display device 22 Keyboard 23 Touch panel 24 Input / output processing unit 25 Variety / malt type correspondence data storage unit 26 Brewing schedule storage unit 27 Variety / malt hopper correspondence data storage unit 28 Result storage unit 29 Arithmetic processing unit 30 Process control unit 31 Plant equipment 32 Process input / output signal processing unit 40 Product type setting screen 40a Product type column 40b Schedule column 40c Receiving hopper column 40d Result column

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) C12C 1/00-13/10 G06F 17/60 G05B 15/02 JICST / JAFIC (JOIS)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of malt silos for individually accommodating a plurality of malt types, a plurality of malt hoppers for accommodating malt transferred from the plurality of malt silos; A varieties / malt type correspondence data storage unit that stores the varieties / malt types corresponding data on which malt type malt is used, and a brewing schedule for when and how much beer of which type is brewed. Based on the brewing schedule and the varieties / malt type correspondence data, the brewing schedule storage unit stores the varieties / malt hopper correspondence data indicating which malt hopper is to be stored in which malt hopper required for brewing a certain type of beer. A breed / malt hopper correspondence data storage unit, and a necessary timing based on the brewing schedule and the cultivar / malt hopper correspondence data. Malt hopper control device comprising a malt transfer controller for transferring the malt silo in which it is accommodated in a predetermined malt hopper malt such.