JP4190747B2 - Food supply system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding and supplying block-like, granular, powder-like, or paste-like food by rotation of an auger screw, and more particularly to a quantitative food supply apparatus that can further stabilize the supply amount. is there.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 5 shows a general example of a continuous line in the process cheese melt emulsification step. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 is a cheese wagon, 2 is a metering pump, 3 is a cooker, 4 is a vacuum vessel, and 5 is a metering pump.
In this continuous line, when raw material cheese is put into the cheese wagon 1, the cheese is sent to the metering pump 2 connected to the outlet 1a of the cheese wagon 1 by the auger screw 6 in the cheese wagon 1, and this metering pump 2 is pumped to the piping and sent to the cooker 3 where steam is mixed and heated. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 7 is a pipe for supplying steam to the cooker 3, and reference numeral 7a is a valve for opening and closing the pipe 7a. The heated cheese is cooled in the vacuum vessel 4 connected to the downstream side of the cooker 3 and cooled, and the next step is performed through the metering pump 5 connected to the downstream side of the vacuum vessel 4. Is sent to. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 8 is a pipe for connecting a vacuum device (not shown) to the vacuum vessel 4, 8 a is a valve for opening and closing the pipe 8, 9 is a stirrer for stirring the cheese in the vacuum vessel 4, and 9 a is a stirrer 9 is a motor for rotating the drive.
The cheese wagon 1 accommodates and arranges the auger screw 6 that is rotationally driven by a motor 6a at the bottom of a container-like device main body 1c having an insertion port 1b into which raw material cheese is introduced. And this cheese wagon 1 keeps the rotation speed of the auger screw 6 constant during manufacture of a product, and sends out the raw material cheese thrown in in the apparatus main body 1c from the discharge port 1a.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the continuous line as described above, there is a demand for making the supply amount of the raw material cheese from the cheese wagon 1 constant. However, in the cheese wagon 1, once the rotation speed of the auger screw 6 is set, it is constant during manufacture. For example, when a large amount of cheese is stocked in the apparatus main body 1c, the supply amount of cheese increases. On the contrary, if the stock amount is small, there is a problem that the supply amount of cheese is insufficient. In addition, in foods such as cheese whose hardness and surface binding force are likely to change depending on humidity and temperature, the transport amount by the auger screw 6 changes depending on climatic conditions, and it is difficult to quantitatively supply from the cheese wagon 1. there were.
In the continuous line, the metering pump 2 is connected to the downstream side of the cheese wagon 1 so as to ensure the quantitativeness of the supply amount. When the pressure on the inlet side fluctuates, the pressure on the discharge side also changes. Since it fluctuates and the flow rate fluctuates, the influence of fluctuations in the amount of cheese supplied from the cheese wagon 1 cannot be avoided. In this case, when the supply amount of cheese from the cheese wagon 1 increases, the rotation speed of the metering pump 2 is constant, so the pressure around the auger screw 6 of the cheese wagon 1 rises and flows to the motor 6 a of the auger screw 6. An increase in current value leads to an emergency stop such as a breaker falling. On the contrary, when the supply amount of cheese from the cheese wagon 1 decreases, the supply amount of cheese from the metering pump 2 also decreases, and the temperature of the cooker 3 may fluctuate and the product may not be a product.
The above-described problems and the like are not limited to cheese, but commonly occur in various devices that send and supply block-like, granular, powder-like, or paste-like foods by rotating an auger screw. In addition to the amount of food stock in the device body, the humidity and temperature of devices that are applied to the supply of foods whose hardness, surface binding force, etc. are likely to change depending on the humidity and temperature, such as the aforementioned cheese. In particular, the supply amount is likely to be unstable.
[0004]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a quantitative food supply device that can more stably supply block-like, granular, powder-like, or paste-like food at a target flow rate. And
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has an input port into which food in the form of a block or granule or powder or paste is input at the top, a device main body having a discharge port for the food at the bottom, and the interior of the device main body, A food quantitative supply apparatus comprising an auger screw that feeds food in the apparatus main body toward the discharge port by being rotationally driven by a motor, wherein the current measuring means measures the current value of the motor, An inverter that increases or decreases the rotation speed of the auger screw by changing the frequency of the current supplied to the motor, and the frequency of the inverter is changed according to the current value measured by the current measuring means. And a control means for maintaining a stable supply amount of food from the discharge port .
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the food quantitative supply apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the control means has a frequency of the inverter when the current value measured by the current measurement means is higher than a predetermined upper limit threshold value. If the current value is lower than the lower threshold value input in advance, the frequency of the inverter is increased to increase the motor speed, and the current measured by the ammeter Control is performed so that the value falls between the upper threshold value and the lower threshold value.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the food quantitative supply apparatus according to the second aspect, the inverter can switch the frequency to three stages of an upper stage, a middle stage, and a lower stage, and the control means is measured by a current measuring means. When the current value is higher than the upper limit threshold, the inverter frequency is set to the lower stage, and when the current value is lower than the lower limit threshold, the inverter frequency is set to the upper stage, When the current value is between the upper limit threshold and the lower limit threshold, the frequency of the inverter is set to a middle stage.
[0006]
According to the food quantitative supply apparatus of the present invention, the control means controls the inverter corresponding to the current value measured by the current measuring means, and the frequency of the supply current from the inverter to the motor that drives the auger screw to rotate. And adjust the rotation speed of the auger screw to keep the food supply (flow rate, discharge rate) stable.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a fixed-quantity supply apparatus for food according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter may be abbreviated as “quantitative supply apparatus”) will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1: shows the continuous line of the melt emulsification process of the process cheese comprised using the fixed quantity supply apparatus 10 which concerns on this invention. Here, the fixed amount supply device 10 is a cheese wagon, and hereinafter, the fixed amount supply device may be referred to as a “cheese wagon”. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 is a metering pump, 3 is a cooker, 4 is a vacuum vessel, and 5 is a metering pump.
[0008]
In this continuous line, when raw material cheese C (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “cheese”) is introduced into the cheese wagon 10, the cheese C is discharged by the auger screw 11 in the cheese wagon 10. It is sent to the metering pump 2 connected to the outlet 10a, and is pumped to the pipe by this metering pump 2 and sent to the cooker 3, where steam is mixed and heated by the cooker 3. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 7 is a pipe for supplying steam to the cooker 3, and reference numeral 7a is a valve for opening and closing the pipe 7a. The heated cheese is cooled in the vacuum vessel 4 connected to the downstream side of the cooker 3 and cooled, and the next step is performed through the metering pump 5 connected to the downstream side of the vacuum vessel 4. Is sent to. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 8 is a pipe for connecting a vacuum device (not shown) to the vacuum vessel 4, 8a is a valve for opening and closing the pipe 8, 9 is a stirrer, and 9a is a motor for rotationally driving the stirrer 9a.
The cheese wagon 10 accommodates and arranges the auger screw 11 that is rotationally driven by a motor 11a at the bottom of a container-like device main body 10c having an inlet 10b into which raw material cheese is charged. The raw material cheese put in 10c is sent out from the discharge port 10a by the rotational drive of the auger screw 11.
[0009]
The rotation speed of the auger screw 11 is controlled by a command from the controller 12 as a control means. As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 12 includes a current measuring unit 13 that measures the current value of the motor 11 a (here, an ammeter, which may be hereinafter referred to as “ammeter 13”), and an AC power source 15. An inverter 14 that is connected and changes the frequency of the current supplied to the motor 11a is connected. Then, the controller 12 outputs a command corresponding to the current value measured by the ammeter 13 to change the frequency of the inverter 14, so that the rotational speed of the motor 11 a is increased or decreased. Yes.
[0010]
When the current value measured by the ammeter 13 is higher than the upper limit threshold value input in advance, the controller 12 decreases the frequency of the inverter 14 to decrease the rotation speed of the motor 11a, and the current value is input in advance. If it is lower than the lower limit threshold, the frequency of the inverter 14 is increased to increase the rotational speed of the motor 11a.
Specifically, the inverter 14 can be switched to three stages, ie, an upper stage, a middle stage, and a lower stage, in which the frequency decreases in order from the highest, and the controller 12 has the current value measured by the ammeter 13 at the upper limit. When the frequency is higher than the threshold value, the frequency of the inverter 14 is set to the lower level to lower the output of the motor 11a. When the current value is lower than the lower limit threshold value, the frequency of the inverter 14 is set to the upper level. The output of the motor 11a is increased, and the current value measured by the ammeter 13 is controlled to be between the upper limit threshold and the lower limit threshold. Further, when the current value is between the upper limit threshold and the lower limit threshold, the frequency of the inverter 14 is set to the middle stage between the upper stage and the lower stage.
[0011]
(Example)
The crushed solid cheese was discharged and supplied using the above-described fixed amount supply apparatus 10. FIG. 3 shows the current value measured by the ammeter at this time (“auger current value” in FIG. 3), the cheese discharge pressure from the cheese wagon (“discharge pressure” in FIG. 3), and the motor that drives the auger screw. 3 shows measurement results of the frequency of the current supplied to (auger frequency in FIG. 3) and the discharge flow rate of cheese from the cheese wagon (“flow rate” in FIG. 3).
(Comparative example)
A crushed solid cheese was discharged and supplied using the conventional cheese wagon 1 shown in FIG. 5 (the rotation speed of the auger screw was constant). FIG. 4 shows the current value measured by the ammeter at this time (“auger current value” in FIG. 4), the cheese discharge pressure from the cheese wagon (“discharge pressure” in FIG. 4), and the motor that drives the auger screw. 4 shows the measurement results of the frequency of the current supplied to the container (“auger frequency” in FIG. 4) and the discharge flow rate of cheese from the cheese wagon (“flow rate” in FIG. 4).
[0012]
The type of cheese used here and the test environment / conditions such as temperature and humidity are the same as in the above examples.
The waveform of the current value in FIGS. 3 and 4 corresponds to the increase or decrease in the stock amount of cheese in the cheese wagon body, and the current value increases as the stock amount increases, and the stock amount decreases as the stock amount decreases. The current value becomes low. The amount of cheese input to the cheese wagon was periodically increased or decreased to repeatedly produce a state where the amount of cheese stock in the apparatus main body was large and a state where the amount of cheese was small, and the current value, discharge pressure, frequency and flow rate were measured.
[0013]
As is apparent from FIG. 3, in the quantitative supply device 10 according to the present invention, the inverter is controlled by a command from the controller corresponding to the current value measured by the ammeter 13 to rotate the auger screw. The frequency of the supply current to is switched to one of three stages: upper, middle, and lower. Specifically, when the current value measured by the ammeter 13 is higher than the upper threshold value, the frequency of the inverter 14 is set to the lower stage, and when the current value is lower than the lower threshold value. The frequency of the inverter 14 is set to the upper stage, and when the current value is between the upper limit threshold value and the lower limit threshold value, the frequency of the inverter 14 is set to the middle stage. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 4, in the cheese wagon of the comparative example, the frequency of the current supplied to the motor that rotationally drives the auger screw is constant regardless of the fluctuation of the current value measured by the ammeter. The discharge pressure also fluctuates greatly corresponding to the fluctuations.
3 and 4, the quantitative supply device 10 according to the present invention has smaller fluctuations in flow rate and discharge pressure even when the amount of cheese stock in the device body fluctuates than the cheese wagon of the conventional example. It can be seen that the supply amount of food (cheese) is stable.
[0014]
In the quantitative supply device 10 according to the present invention, food can be stably supplied at a target supply amount even if the food delivery resistance changes due to changes in humidity, temperature, or the like. For example, in the case of supplying cheese, the binding force is likely to change due to changes in humidity and temperature, and the change in the binding force changes the feeding resistance by the auger screw 11, but the current value accompanying the change in the feeding resistance (by an ammeter) The controller 12 switches the frequency of the inverter 14 and adjusts the rotational speed of the auger screw 11 in response to the change in the measured current value, so that the supply amount (flow rate, discharge amount) of cheese is stably maintained. .
Thereby, in the continuous type line to which this fixed amount supply apparatus 10 is applied, since the supply amount of cheese from the fixed amount supply apparatus 10 (cheese wagon) is stabilized, the melted emulsification of the process cheese can be performed reliably, Quality products can be obtained stably and reliably. Moreover, in this fixed amount supply apparatus 10, even if the stock amount of cheese in the apparatus body increases, the frequency of the inverter 14 is switched to the lower stage when the current value measured by the ammeter exceeds the upper limit threshold value. Since the output of the motor 11a is lowered and the current value measured by the ammeter is thereby lowered, it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as a breaker falling due to overload.
[0015]
In this quantitative supply device 10, the current value measured by the ammeter is controlled by the controller 12, and the frequency of the inverter is switched with the upper and lower thresholds. Therefore, the control is simple and inexpensive. There is an advantage that it can be configured. That is, when the current value measured by the ammeter is higher than the upper threshold value, the inverter frequency is set to the upper stage, and when the current value is lower than the lower limit threshold value, the inverter frequency is set to the lower stage, and the current value is set to the upper limit value. In the configuration in which the inverter frequency is automatically set to the middle stage when it is in the range between the lower limit threshold value, if the current value measured by the ammeter is higher than the upper limit threshold value or lower than the lower limit threshold value, When it is detected that the inverter frequency is low, control of switching the inverter frequency by on / off control is possible, and the control is simple.
Further, for example, a pressure gauge is provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body, and the measured value is handled as an object to be controlled by the controller 12 in the same manner as the current value measured by the above-mentioned ammeter, and the measured value by the pressure gauge is a predetermined target value. (In addition to being a predetermined value, it may be controlled to be within a range between the upper limit threshold and the lower limit threshold), but the apparatus main body needs to be processed. Since there are disadvantages such as troublesome maintenance and an obstacle to cleaning the main body of the apparatus, the configuration in which the current value measured by the ammeter is controlled by the controller 12 is more advantageous in this respect. is there.
[0016]
Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible.
The food to which the quantitative supply device for food according to the present invention is applied is not limited to the aforementioned cheese, and various configurations are possible. In particular, when applied to the supply of foods where the properties such as hardness and surface binding force change due to humidity, temperature, etc., and the delivery flow rate by the auger screw is likely to change, as in the cheese described above, the supply amount (flow rate) The effect of stabilizing the discharge amount is more remarkable. Here, examples of foods that can be applied “the properties such as hardness and surface binding force change depending on humidity, temperature, etc.” include, for example, block-like or granular or powdery caramel, block-like or granular or powdery Examples thereof include foods whose hardness is easily changed by temperature changes such as chocolate and gelatin grains, and foods whose viscosity is easily changed by temperature changes such as cream, ice cream, chocolate (molten state), butter, starch syrup, and honey. Caramel is also a food that easily changes its surface binding force due to changes in humidity and temperature.
[0017]
As described above, the upper limit and lower limit thresholds are set for the control of the food supply amount (flow rate, discharge amount) by this quantitative supply device, and the current values measured by the ammeter are the upper limit threshold value and the lower limit threshold value. For example, automatic control (for example, so-called so-called so-called so-called control) is performed by finely adjusting and changing the frequency of the inverter so that the current value measured by an ammeter becomes a value set as a target value. "PID control") is also possible.
[0018]
The specific structure of the apparatus main body and the auger screw can be changed as appropriate.
For example, as the apparatus main body, FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration in which the outlet for the introduced food is opened near the bottom wall 10e in the side wall portion 10d, but is not limited thereto. A configuration opened in the bottom wall can also be adopted. In this case, the auger screw is disposed vertically in the apparatus main body (the rotation axis is vertical), and the food is sent out toward the discharge port by the rotational drive of the auger screw.
[0019]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the food quantitative supply apparatus of the present invention, the control means controls the inverter corresponding to the current value measured by the current measuring means, and the motor that rotationally drives the auger screw from this inverter. By changing the frequency of the supply current to the auger screw and adjusting the rotation speed of the auger screw, the supply amount (flow rate, discharge amount) of food from the discharge port of the main unit can be kept stable, Products can be obtained stably and reliably. In particular, even when supplying foods whose hardness, surface binding force, etc. are likely to change due to changes in humidity and temperature, an excellent effect is achieved in that the supply amount (flow rate, discharge amount) can be kept stable.
Further, when the current value measured by the current measuring means is higher than the upper limit threshold value inputted in advance, the frequency of the inverter is lowered to lower the rotation speed of the motor, and the current value is lower than the lower limit threshold value inputted in advance. If the frequency is lower, the frequency of the inverter is increased to increase the rotation speed of the motor, and the current value measured by the ammeter is controlled so as to fall between the upper limit threshold and the lower limit threshold. ), And the inverter frequency can be switched to the upper, middle, and lower stages according to the upper and lower thresholds (Claim 3), the number of rotations of the motor can be reduced by a simple and inexpensive configuration. There is an advantage that can be controlled.
[Brief description of the drawings]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an overall view showing a continuous line of a process cheese melt emulsification step configured by applying a food quantitative supply device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the vicinity of the food quantitative supply device of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing measured values such as current values when cheese is supplied using the quantitative food supply device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a graph showing measured values such as current values when cheese is supplied using a cheese wagon of a comparative example.
FIG. 5 is an overall view showing a continuous line of a process cheese melt emulsification process using a cheese wagon of a conventional example.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fixed-quantity supply apparatus of food, 10a ... Discharge port, 10b ... Input port, 10c ... Apparatus main body, 11 ... Auger screw, 11a ... Motor, 12 ... Control means (controller), 13 ... Current measurement means (ammeter), 14 ... Inverter, C ... Food (raw cheese).

Claims (3)

The main body of the apparatus has an inlet at the top for feeding food in the form of block, granule, powder or paste, and the outlet of the food at the bottom. A food quantitative supply device comprising an auger screw that feeds food in the device body toward the discharge port,
A current measuring means for measuring the current value of the motor, an inverter for changing the frequency of the current supplied to the motor to increase or decrease the rotational speed of the auger screw, and a current value measured by the current measuring means. And a control unit for changing the frequency of the inverter to keep the amount of food supplied from the outlet of the apparatus main body stable .   If the current value measured by the current measuring means is higher than the upper limit threshold value input in advance, the control means decreases the frequency of the inverter to decrease the rotation speed of the motor, and the lower limit value where the current value is input in advance. If the frequency is lower than the threshold value, the frequency of the inverter is increased to increase the rotation speed of the motor, and the current value measured by the ammeter is controlled to fall between the upper limit threshold value and the lower limit threshold value. The fixed-quantity supply apparatus of the foodstuff of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The inverter can switch the frequency to three stages of an upper stage, a middle stage, and a lower stage, and the control means sets the frequency of the inverter when the current value measured by the current measuring means is higher than the upper limit threshold value. If the current value is lower than the lower limit threshold, the inverter frequency is set to the upper stage, and if the current value is between the upper limit threshold and the lower limit threshold 3. The quantitative food supply device according to claim 2, wherein the frequency of the inverter is set to a middle level.

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