JP5216643B2 - Kneading judgment system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention includes a kneading data input unit for inputting kneading data including the time from the start of kneading, the load at each time, the temperature of the material to be kneaded, and a reference kneading waveform for setting a reference kneading waveform used as a reference for a normal kneading waveform. A waveform setting unit, and a kneading state determination unit that compares an input kneading waveform that is a kneading waveform of the kneading data input from the kneading data input unit and the reference kneading waveform to determine a kneading state for kneading according to the kneading data And a kneading determination system.

  Possible causes of the quality variation in kneading include, for example, a variation in raw material input amount, a human error such as an incorrect blending type, and a kneading failure in which proper kneading has not been performed. Conventionally, in order to determine the variation in quality after kneading, measurement of physical properties of the material to be kneaded, confirmation of specific gravity by a measured value, and the like have been performed.

  However, the method for confirming the physical properties, measured values, and specific gravity of the kneaded rubber as described above takes time to make a determination, cannot grasp in which process during kneading, and cannot investigate the cause, etc. There is a problem.

Therefore, as a method of stabilizing the quality of the kneaded rubber, the time, temperature, or integrated power for each kneading step is measured, and automatic operation management that completes kneading when these reach the target value, or the latest An average reference waveform is produced from the normal kneading waveform and input to the control device, the change in the waveform of each kneading batch at the time of rubber kneading is input to the control device, and collated with the normal reference waveform, A method of determining abnormality of kneading is used (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
The term “kneading batch” as used herein refers to the period from the start of kneading to the end of kneading that can be taken out as a kneaded product, and usually includes a plurality of steps. Then, by managing the time, temperature, and integrated power in each step, the kneading energy given to the material to be kneaded, the heat history of the material to be kneaded, and the like can be managed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-344334 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-344335

When kneading is managed by time (when kneading is performed for a predetermined target time), the energy actually given to the material to be kneaded due to the influence of external factors such as the temperature and the difference in the temperature of the cooling water in the equipment May be different, and it is difficult to say that preferable kneading without variation is performed.
In addition, when kneading is controlled at the temperature of the material to be kneaded (when kneading is performed until a predetermined temperature of the material to be kneaded), it is greatly affected by external factors such as the temperature and the temperature difference of the cooling water of the apparatus. It will be. That is, the actual kneading time may differ from the target kneading time due to the influence of these external factors, but the presence or absence of kneading abnormality cannot be accurately determined by the kneading state determination based on the comparison with the reference waveform.

Therefore, an accumulated power amount (amount of power applied to the material to be kneaded) may be used as a condition for kneading control. However, even when control is performed based on kneading for a predetermined integrated power amount, the time to reach the integrated power amount is a reference time due to the influence of external factors such as air temperature and cooling water temperature. Similarly, the presence or absence of abnormal kneading cannot be accurately determined.
In addition, the load power during kneading work generally does not change uniformly with time, often changes greatly during the step, and it is important for quality to undergo the change during the step. However, control with integrated power does not consider changes in load power in the middle of a step, so even if an abnormality occurs in the middle of a step, it will not be judged abnormal if it finally reaches the target value. It was not a quality control method with sufficient reliability in terms of management.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a kneading determination system capable of determining a kneading state in consideration of a difference in kneading time due to the influence of external factors in view of the problems of the conventional kneading determination method and control method. It is another object of the present invention to provide a kneading determination system capable of quality control in consideration of a change in kneading waveform during a step that has not been detected in the past.

  In order to achieve the above object, the kneading determination system according to the present invention includes a kneading data input unit for inputting kneading data including the time from the start of kneading, the load at each time, and the temperature of the material to be kneaded, and a normal kneading waveform. A reference kneading waveform setting unit for setting a reference kneading waveform used as a reference for the above, and an input kneading waveform that is a kneading waveform of the kneading data input from the kneading data input unit is compared with the reference kneading waveform, A kneading state determination unit that includes a kneading state determination unit that determines a kneading state with respect to kneading according to the kneading data, wherein the characteristic configuration is a unit in which the kneading state determination unit divides the kneading process for each kneading condition. The input kneading time is the time required for kneading in the input kneading waveform in the determination of the kneading state in each step. When the reference kneading waveform has a different length from the reference kneading time, which is the time required for kneading, the input kneading waveform is converted so that the input kneading time and the reference kneading time have the same length. The kneading waveform converting section is provided.

That is, according to the above-described characteristic configuration, for example, when the kneading conditions are different due to additional charging of the materials to be kneaded, change in the rotation speed, etc., the kneading state determination is performed in units of steps in which the kneading process is divided for each kneading condition. I do. In addition, in the determination of the kneading state in each step, the length of the input kneading time that is the time required for actual kneading and the reference kneading time that is the time required for kneading in the reference kneading waveform that is the standard of the normal kneading waveform When the lengths are different, the input kneading waveform is converted so that the input kneading time and the reference kneading time have the same length, and then compared with the reference kneading waveform, the kneading state is determined based on the deviation. Do.
As described above, by performing the kneading state determination in units of steps, it is possible to determine how much the kneading state is close to the reference kneading state, and when there is a problem in kneading, It is possible to grasp at which step the kneading abnormality has occurred. In addition, for example, in the input kneading waveform, due to the influence of external factors such as the temperature and the difference in the temperature of the cooling water of the apparatus, there is a difference in the time required to reach the step end condition (reaching target values such as temperature and power). If the input kneading time is different from the reference kneading time, the input kneading waveform is converted into a waveform having the same time width as the reference kneading waveform, and the kneading state is determined based on the reference kneading waveform. The kneading state determination excluding the influence of the factors can be performed.

  A further characteristic configuration of the kneading determination system according to the present invention is that the reference kneading waveform setting unit can set an upper limit and a lower limit for the reference kneading waveform as a determination width from the reference kneading waveform.

That is, according to said characteristic structure, since an upper limit and a lower limit can be set to the said reference | standard kneading waveform, the tolerance | permissible_width | variety can be given to the pass line of kneading judged that normal kneading | mixing was performed.
Also, when the kneading machine is operating, if it is judged whether the kneading has been completed without the input kneading waveform being outside the allowable range of the pass line throughout the step, abnormalities during the step such as the absence of a peak to be generated have occurred. The occurrence can also be determined. This makes it possible to perform quality control of kneading in consideration of changes in the kneading waveform during the step, which has not been detected in the past, and can provide a quality control method with sufficient reliability.

  A further characteristic configuration of the kneading determination system according to the present invention is that the upper limit and the lower limit of the reference kneading waveform set as the determination width from the reference kneading waveform are based on the set one reference kneading waveform. It can be set based on at least one of a gain width that is the rate of increase / decrease of the kneading data with respect to the kneading waveform, an offset width that is the amount of increase / decrease of the kneading data, and a time offset width that is the amount of increase / decrease in the time axis direction. is there.

That is, according to the above characteristic configuration, the upper and lower limits of the reference kneading waveform, which is the allowable width of the kneading pass line, are set to the gain width, the offset width, and the time offset width based on the set one reference kneading waveform. Can be set based on.
When setting the gain width, the load applied to the material to be kneaded at each time point, or the allowable width of the material to be kneaded corresponding to the load can be appropriately set in proportion to the reference kneading waveform. When setting the offset width, which is an increase / decrease amount, the allowable width for the reference kneading waveform can be appropriately set as an absolute amount. Furthermore, when setting the time offset width, it is possible to set an allowable width that allows for early and delayed kneading with respect to the reference kneading waveform.
By setting the allowable width based on these gain width and offset width, it becomes possible to set the strictness and gentleness of the determination based on the reference kneading waveform, and it becomes easy to set the kneading pass line.

  A further characteristic configuration of the kneading determination system according to the present invention is that different values can be set for the gain width, the offset width, and the time offset width depending on the time from the start of the step.

  That is, according to the above-described feature configuration, different values can be set for the gain width, offset width, and time offset width according to the time from the start of the step. Until the peak, the upper and lower permissible widths can be set small to make the kneading state judgment stricter, while after the peak of the kneading waveform, the permissible width can be increased to make the kneading state judgment gentle. Accordingly, it is possible to set the emphasis on the kneading waveform before the peak occurrence and not so much importance on the kneading waveform after the peak occurrence.

  A further characteristic configuration of the kneading determination system according to the present invention includes a kneading data accumulation unit that accumulates kneading data, inputs kneading data accumulated in the kneading data accumulation unit from the kneading data input unit, and It exists in the point which can determine the said kneading | mixing state with respect to data.

  That is, according to the above characteristic configuration, the kneading data regarding the past kneading results accumulated in the kneading data accumulation unit can be input from the kneading data input unit, and the kneading state determination can be performed on the kneading data. . Thereby, the means for realizing the traceability of the kneading work quality for the purpose of quality assurance of the kneaded rubber product can be provided.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the kneading machine and the kneading | mixing determination system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention connected to this. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the kneading | mixing determination in the kneading | mixing determination system of this invention. It is a graph which shows the kneading | mixing waveform of the electric power and kneaded material temperature when normal kneading | mixing was performed. It is a graph which shows the reference | standard kneading | mixing waveform which set the allowable width | variety. It is a graph which shows the mode of kneading waveform conversion of an input kneading waveform in case input kneading time and reference kneading time differ. It is a graph which shows the case where it is judged that kneading is normal in kneading | mixing state determination. It is a graph which shows the case where kneading | mixing is not judged normal in kneading | mixing state determination.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a kneading determination system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, based on FIG. 1, the structure of the kneading machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, and the kneading | mixing determination system connected to this is demonstrated.

As shown in FIG. 1, a kneading determination system 10 according to the present invention includes a reference kneading waveform setting unit 100 that sets a reference kneading waveform used as a reference for a normal kneading waveform, a time from the start of kneading, and a load at each time. A kneading data input unit 110 for inputting kneading data including the temperature of the material to be kneaded, an input kneading waveform that is a kneading waveform of the kneading data inputted from the kneading data input unit 110 and the reference kneading waveform, A kneading abnormality determining unit (an example of a kneading state determining unit 120 that determines a kneading state) that determines a kneading state with respect to kneading according to the kneading data based on the divergence, a determination of the presence or absence of a kneading abnormality in each step (an example of a kneading state determination) An input kneading time which is a time required for kneading in the input kneading waveform and a reference kneading time which is a time required for kneading in the reference kneading waveform A kneading waveform conversion unit 130 that converts the input kneading waveform so that the input kneading time and the reference kneading time have the same length when the lengths are different, and a kneading data accumulation unit 200 that accumulates kneading data are provided. ing.
A kneading determination system 10 according to the present invention is connected to a closed kneader 1 and kneaded data including a kneading batch name, a blending name, and kneaded waveform data from the closed kneader 1 via a kneading data input unit 110. Receive input. And the kneading | mixing state determination is performed with respect to the said kneading | mixing data input according to the predetermined | prescribed processing procedure shown in FIG.
Below, (1) General description of the kneading waveform, (2) Setting of the reference kneading waveform, (3) Determination of the kneading state of the input kneading waveform and post processing will be described in this order.

(1) Kneading waveform An example of a kneading waveform will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 shows kneading waveforms in which the X axis (horizontal axis) is time, and the Y axis (vertical axis) is power and the temperature of the material to be kneaded. The solid line represents the power (unit: kW) as the kneading load, and the chain line represents the temperature of the material to be kneaded (unit: ° C.).
In ordinary kneading, additives such as polymers, fillers, and plasticizers are mainly charged into a kneading tank of a kneader and kneading is started. Many fillers are fine solid particles, and include needles. Additives include solids, liquids, and pastes.
The kneading is performed in units of one “batch”, and one batch includes at least two or more “steps”. A step is a step of dividing the kneading process by time based on changes in kneading conditions such as additional charging of materials to be kneaded and changes in the rotational speed of the kneading machine. The determination is made by a determination means other than the present invention, on condition that the kneaded material temperature, or both of them reach a predetermined value, or the elapse of a predetermined time in the step.
Here, the waveform conversion target of the present invention is a waveform in a step having a condition other than time as an end condition. That is, if the integrated power amount or the temperature of the material to be kneaded affected by external factors is set as the step end condition, there may be a difference between the reference kneading time and the input kneading time. Therefore, when there is a difference between the reference kneading time and the input kneading time, the waveform conversion of the present invention is performed.
One step is completed, and kneading conditions are changed such as charging of chemicals such as fillers and cross-linking agents and changing the number of revolutions of the kneader between the steps before moving to the next step. After changing the kneading conditions, the next step is started. Usually, between each step, the kneading operation is stopped and other chemicals are charged, so that the power required for kneading becomes 0 and the temperature decreases sequentially as shown in FIG.
When one batch is finished through a predetermined number of steps, one kneading is finished.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which carbon 50, oil 5 and other chemicals are added to polymer 100 at a minute amount (less than 3) in a weight ratio and kneading is started. The kneading batch of FIG. 3 includes three steps, and the first step is a process in which a filler mainly enters the polymer. Since the first step is a process in which kneading is performed with a load, even in the kneading waveform of FIG. 3, the load has increased for a while. Thereafter, when the filler has finished entering, the load reaches a peak, and as the kneading proceeds, the filler is uniformly dispersed and the polymer is softened (decrease in viscosity), so that the load is monotonously decreased.
In the kneading in FIG. 3, the first step is completed when the completion condition of the first step is the integrated power, and the first step is completed when the integrated power reaches a predetermined power amount (the step end). The integrated electric energy as a condition is measured and determined by a determination means or the like different from the present invention not described here).

  In the kneading shown in FIG. 3, after the first step, prior to the start of the second step, the operation of the kneader is stopped, the chemicals are put into the kneading tank, and the kneading operation is resumed. Note that the passage of time with low power between the first step and the second step shown in FIG. 3 indicates that the leveling operation in which chemicals are mixed for a while after the start of re-operation is performed. It is shown. After performing this leveling operation for a while, the kneader restarts the kneading operation, and the second step starts. The kneading operation of the step is performed until the end condition of the step is satisfied.

In the kneading shown in FIG. 3, the second step is based on the end condition that the temperature of the material to be kneaded has reached a predetermined value. The step is finished.
Examples of the case where the temperature of the material to be kneaded is set as the end condition of the step include kneading of a resin and a compounding agent. This is because in the kneading of the resin, it is necessary to raise the temperature of the material to be kneaded to the softening temperature of the resin. In addition, in a compounding agent that is preferably melted and dispersed, it is necessary to raise the temperature of the material to be kneaded to the melting point.
Conversely, when a crosslinking agent such as sulfur is added to the rubber material, if the temperature is raised, the crosslinking reaction proceeds and solidifies, making it impossible to form in a later process such as press molding. In some cases, the step end condition is used.

  In the kneading in FIG. 3, chemicals are charged even before the start of the third step. The low power state due to the running-in operation for a while before the start of the third step after the end of the second step and the resumption of the subsequent kneading operation are the same behavior as in the second step.

  The third step of the kneading in FIG. 3 has an end condition of elapse of a predetermined time, and the kneading ends the third step because the predetermined time has elapsed after the start of the third step. In the kneading in FIG. 3, the three steps up to the third step are set as one batch, and thus the kneading is finished.

  Moreover, in FIG. 3, the to-be-kneaded material temperature is shown with the chain line with the electric power shown with a continuous line. The temperature of the material to be kneaded at the time of kneading increases as the kneading load is applied. However, when the load decreases and the cooling capacity for the material becomes approximately the same as the kneading load, the temperature is maintained around a predetermined temperature. Also in FIG. 3, the graph of the material to be kneaded shows the same movement.

  Although FIG. 3 shows an example in which the first step end condition is the integrated power, the second step end condition is the temperature of the material to be kneaded, and the third step end condition is the time, this is merely an example. The step end condition is not limited to the above combination, and an optimal end condition can be set for each kneading batch.

(2) Setting of reference kneading waveform In step S1 shown in FIG. 2, the reference kneading waveform setting unit 100 sets a reference kneading waveform. The reference kneading waveform is a kneading waveform used as a reference when normal kneading is performed.
In setting the reference kneading waveform, as the reference kneading waveform selection shown in step S100, it is possible to select and input from the kneading data which is the past record stored in the kneading data storage unit 200. Of course, an average of waveforms that can be determined to be normal may be calculated and used.

In the reference kneading waveform setting in step S1, the gain width that is the increase / decrease rate of the kneading data, the offset width that is the increase / decrease amount of the kneading data, and the time axis are interactively set according to the allowable width (determination width) setting shown in step S110. The upper and lower limits of the reference kneading waveform, that is, the allowable width of the reference kneading waveform can be set based on one or more of the time offset width that is the amount of increase / decrease in the direction. For example, by setting the gain width and the offset width, the allowable width of the reference kneading waveform is set as follows.
Allowable upper limit = reference value × (100 + gain width (up) (%)) / 100 + offset width (up)
Allowable lower limit = reference value × (100−gain width (lower) (%)) / 100−offset width (lower)

  FIG. 4 shows a graph of a reference kneading waveform with an allowable width set. In FIG. 4, a thick solid line is set as a reference kneading waveform, a thin solid line is set as an allowable width upper limit, and a chain line is set as an allowable width lower limit. The upper limit and the lower limit of the allowable width are determined by setting the gain width and the offset width expressed by the above formulas or the time offset width in the time axis direction.

    In addition, in the setting of the above allowable width (determination width), by making it possible to set different values for the upper limit width and the lower limit width according to the time from the start of the step, for example, determination conditions for kneading state determination before and after the peak The severity of the can be adjusted. For example, by setting the permissible width before the peak small and the permissible width after the peak large, the kneading state before the peak is judged severely, while the judgment after the peak is made gradual. The determined kneading state can be determined. Such weighting is particularly useful in determining the kneading state having such a property that the kneading waveform before the peak has an important meaning in product quality.

  For example, in the first step of FIG. 4, the allowable width a before the peak is smaller than the allowable width A after the peak, and the allowable width A after the peak is set larger than the allowable width a before the peak. Thereby, the kneading state before the peak can be strictly judged, and after the peak, it can be judged more gently than before the peak.

  In this application, the setting of the reference kneading waveform and the evaluation / determination of the input kneading waveform (kneading waveform to be evaluated / determined) using the reference kneading waveform will be described as a series of procedures. When the reference kneading waveform is set once, the reference kneading waveform may be automatically generated in the subsequent kneading state determination of the same product, or the reference kneading data storage unit 105 provided in the kneading determination system may be used. The stored reference kneading data may be called and the reference kneading waveform based on the reference kneading data may be used for determining the kneading state for each kneading batch of the product.

(3) Input kneading waveform determination and post-processing When the reference kneading waveform is set in step S1, kneading data to be subjected to kneading state determination is input in subsequent step S2. The kneading determination system 10 according to the present invention receives kneading data input from the hermetic kneading machine 1 via a kneading data input unit 110 via an inverter drive in an inverter board not shown in FIG. 1 and a sequencer in a control board. The kneading data includes various data relating to kneading, such as kneading batch name, blending name, kneading waveform data indicating power and time with respect to time, and the like.

  When the kneading data that is the target of the kneading state determination is input in step S2, the kneading determination system 10 according to the present invention uses the kneading state determination unit 120 to input the kneading waveform of the input kneading data to the input kneading waveform. The kneading state is determined for all the included steps (steps S3 to S6).

According to the present invention, in the kneading state determination, as shown in steps S3 to S5, the input kneading time which is the time required for kneading in the input kneading waveform and the reference kneading which is the time required for kneading in the reference kneading waveform When the length differs from the time (step S3), the kneading waveform conversion unit 130 performs kneading waveform conversion of the input kneading waveform so that the input kneading time and the reference kneading time are the same (step S3). S4), kneading state determination is performed (step S5). The kneading waveform conversion will be described in the following paragraphs.
On the other hand, when the length of the input kneading time is equal to the reference kneading time (step S3), the kneading state determination is performed as it is without performing kneading waveform conversion (step S4) (step S5).

Based on FIG. 5, kneading waveform conversion (step S4) will be described.
In the kneading determination system 10 of the present invention, the kneading state determination is performed by comparing the input kneading waveform with the reference kneading waveform. However, in actual kneading work, external factors such as the difference in temperature and the temperature of the cooling water of the apparatus are used. Therefore, the kneading time of the input kneading waveform may be different from the kneading time of the reference kneading waveform. In this case, in order to perform an appropriate comparison, the length of the kneading time of the input kneading waveform and the reference kneading waveform needs to be the same. Therefore, in the present invention, when the kneading times of the input kneading waveform and the reference kneading waveform are different, the kneading waveform conversion unit 130 performs kneading waveform conversion so that the input kneading time and the reference kneading time have the same length.

For example, FIG. 5A is a waveform diagram before performing kneading waveform conversion. In FIG. 5 (a), the input kneading waveform in which the chain line is a record is shown, and the reference kneading waveform in which the solid line is a reference is shown.
In the kneading shown in FIG. 5 (a), the first step is terminated until the integrated power reaches a predetermined value, and the second step is terminated until the temperature of the material to be kneaded reaches the predetermined temperature. The end condition is that until the kneading time in the step reaches a predetermined time.
In FIG. 5A, the kneading times of the input kneading waveform and the reference kneading waveform are different in the first step and the second step. In the first step, the power peak of the input kneading waveform is lower than the power peak of the reference kneading waveform, and a longer kneading time is required compared to the reference kneading waveform in order to reach a predetermined integrated power amount.
In addition, the difference in the kneading time in the second step is that the end condition is the temperature of the material to be kneaded, but it is affected by the temperature and the temperature of the cooling water, and the input kneading waveform has a shorter time than the reference kneading waveform. The step has been completed.
In addition, about the 3rd step, since the completion | finish conditions are made into the kneading | mixing time in the said step, the kneading | mixing time of an input kneading waveform and a reference | standard kneading waveform is the same.

The kneading waveform conversion is performed for each step by converting the kneading time at each step of the input kneading waveform to be the same as the kneading time at each step of the corresponding reference kneading waveform.
For example, in the second step of FIG. 5A, when the kneading time in the step of the input kneading waveform (the time from the start of the second step to the end of the second step) is T2, the kneading of the corresponding reference kneading waveform is performed. Time is T1.
In this case, in the kneading determination system 10 of the present invention, the kneading waveform conversion unit 130 performs kneading waveform conversion of the input kneading waveform so that the length of the input kneading time is equal to the reference kneading time. That is, the kneading data at the elapsed time t2 from the start of the second step of the input kneading waveform is the kneading data at the elapsed time t2 ′ = (T1 / T2) × t2 from the start of the step.
By performing such conversion, the kneading time in the step becomes the same at T1 for both the reference kneading waveform and the input kneading waveform, and the input kneading waveform and the reference kneading waveform in the step can be compared.

  FIG. 5B shows a waveform after the kneading waveform conversion is performed on the input kneading waveform of FIG. A chain line indicates the input kneading waveform after the kneading waveform, and a solid line indicates the reference kneading waveform. Since the input kneading waveform after the kneading waveform conversion has the same kneading time as the reference kneading waveform, the input kneading waveform and the reference kneading waveform can be compared.

  It should be noted that the material to be kneaded in the closed kneading machine 1 targeted by the present invention does not cause a chemical change, but merely a material for physically kneading the material. In addition, the kneading data can be compared.

In the kneading state determination by the kneading state determination unit 120 in step S5, the kneading state is determined for each step included in the kneading batch that is the target of the kneading state determination. The determination of the kneading state is performed based on the difference between the input kneading waveform and the reference kneading waveform.
That is, when only the reference kneading waveform is set as the kneading state determination based on the deviation, the kneading state determination is performed based on the deviation of the input kneading waveform from the reference kneading waveform.
Further, when an upper limit or a lower limit that is an allowable width (judgment width) is set in the reference kneading waveform, a divergence as to whether or not the input kneading waveform is within the allowable width (judgment width) from the reference kneading waveform. The kneading state is determined based on the above.
In a step of the kneading batch subject to the kneading state determination, if the kneading step has been completed without the input kneading waveform deviating from the upper and lower permissible widths of the reference kneading waveform, the kneading step About a step, it is judged that there was no abnormality in kneading | mixing.
On the other hand, if there is a portion where the input kneading waveform deviates from the upper limit or the lower limit of the allowable kneading waveform in a step of the kneading batch subject to the kneading state determination, It is judged that there was an abnormality.

  The kneading determination system 10 performs the kneading state determination for each step of the kneading batch that is the target of the kneading state determination for all the steps included in the kneading batch (steps S3 to S6 by branching of S6). Iteration). And after the said kneading | mixing state determination is completed about all the steps contained in the said kneading batch (step S6), the kneading | mixing determination system 10 performs kneading | mixing state determination about the said kneading batch containing those steps (step S7). .

In the kneading state determination of the kneading batch, when kneading is determined to be normal for all the steps included in the kneading batch (step S7), the kneading determination system 10 determines that the kneading batch is normal, and The kneading data relating to the kneading batch is stored as performance data in the kneading data storage unit 200 (step S9), and the material to be kneaded is sent to the next process.
On the other hand, if the kneading batch includes at least one step that is determined to be kneading abnormality (step S7), the administrator determines whether or not kneading abnormality has occurred and determines whether or not kneading is successful, and then determines the determination completion signal. Is output (step S8). Then, the kneading data relating to the kneading is stored in the kneading data storage unit 200 as the result data (step S9), and the material to be kneaded is sent to the next process.

The above kneading state determination will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the actual input kneading waveform is indicated by a thick solid line, the allowable width upper limit is indicated by a thin solid line, and the allowable width lower limit is indicated by a chain line.
In the kneading shown in FIG. 6, the input kneading waveform (thick solid line) is within the allowable width upper limit (thin solid line) and allowable width lower limit (dashed line) for all steps from the first step to the third step. It is in. Therefore, it is determined that the kneading batch was normal as a whole.
On the other hand, in the kneading shown in FIG. 7, in the second step and the third step, the input kneading waveform (thick solid line) indicated by a thick solid line is within the allowable width upper limit (thin solid line) and allowable width lower limit (dashed line). However, in the vicinity of the peak of the first step, there is a portion where the input kneading waveform (thick solid line) is below the allowable width lower limit (dashed line). Therefore, it is determined that the kneading in FIG. 7 is abnormal in the kneading in the first step. Therefore, in this case, the kneading in FIG. 7 is not determined to be normal for the entire kneading batch (step S7), and the kneading batch is subjected to the kneading state determination by the administrator (step S8). In this case, the administrator determines the presence or absence of kneading abnormality, determines the success / failure determination of kneading, outputs a determination completion signal, and then the kneading data is stored in the kneading data storage unit 200 as performance data. (Step S9).

  The kneading determination system according to the present invention includes a kneading data accumulation unit 200 that accumulates kneading data, and accumulates past kneading data in the kneading data accumulation unit 200. Then, the kneading state determination can be performed using the past kneading data as the input kneading data. Thereby, it is possible to provide means for realizing traceability of kneading work quality for the purpose of quality assurance of rubber products kneaded in the past.

[Another embodiment]
(1) In FIG. 4, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 of the above embodiment, the allowable width (determination width) is set based on the gain width and the offset width, but in addition to these, the allowable width in the time axis direction ( Determination width) may be set. The allowable width (judgment width) in the time axis direction is set by the time offset width.
(2) Although the above embodiment assumes the kneading state determination in batch units after completion of the kneading batch, the kneading determination system according to the present invention is compatible with online processing that performs kneading state determination in parallel with the kneading step. It is good as a thing. In this case, the kneading determination system may determine the kneading state for each step and display the kneading waveform of the kneading data being produced as a chart on the kneading data display unit 300.
(3) In addition to determining the kneading state in batch units after completion of the kneading batch and determining the kneading state corresponding to online processing in parallel with the kneading step, the kneading data is accumulated in the kneading determination system 10. A kneading data accumulating unit 200 is provided so that past kneading data can be accumulated in the kneading data accumulating unit 200 and the kneading state determination can be performed using the past kneading data as the input kneading data. Therefore, it is possible to provide a means for realizing traceability of kneading work quality for the purpose of quality assurance of rubber products kneaded in the past.
(4) The reference kneading data may be registered in the reference kneading data storage unit 105 to enable management by a management number. Further, the registered reference kneading data may be reflected as a waveform display on the kneading data display unit 300 by a management number. The allowable width of the reference kneading waveform is expressed as a normal kneading range (upper limit, lower limit). The kneading result data stored in the kneading data storage unit 200 can be displayed, printed, and PDF output as a result chart on the kneading data display unit 300.
(5) In the above embodiment, the example of determining the kneading abnormality is shown as the determination of the kneading state. However, in the present application, when the reference kneading waveform and the input kneading waveform are compared and determined, the degree of fitness is determined. It is good also as a structure which can digitize and can provide the fitness information corresponding to a to-be-kneaded material.
By providing not only normality / abnormality evaluation but also fitness information in association with each material to be kneaded, a useful examination index that can be used for evaluation of the material to be kneaded can be provided.
(6) In the above embodiment, an example corresponding to a change in kneading time due to external factors such as air temperature and cooling water temperature has been shown. However, such as variations in the quality of raw materials and additives, variations due to incorrect raw material input, etc. Correspondence to changes in kneading time due to internal factors is also possible with the configuration of the present application.

  As described above, the kneading determination system for the hermetic kneader of the present invention has been described based on the examples thereof, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above examples, and does not depart from the spirit thereof. The configuration can be changed as appropriate.

  According to the kneading determination system of the present invention, it is possible to provide a kneading determination system that takes into account the difference in kneading time due to the influence of external factors. In addition, it is possible to provide a kneading determination system capable of quality control in consideration of a change in kneading waveform in the middle of a step, which has not been detected conventionally.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sealing kneader 10 Kneading determination system 100 Reference kneading waveform setting unit 110 Kneading data input unit 120 Kneading state determination unit 130 Kneading waveform conversion unit 200 Kneading data storage unit

Claims (5)

A kneading data input unit for inputting kneading data including the time from the start of kneading, the load at each time, and the temperature of the material to be kneaded;
A reference kneading waveform setting unit for setting a reference kneading waveform used as a reference for normal kneading waveforms;
A kneading state determination unit that compares an input kneading waveform that is a kneading waveform of the kneading data input from the kneading data input unit and the reference kneading waveform, and determines a kneading state with respect to kneading according to the kneading data based on the difference therebetween; A kneading determination system comprising:
The kneading state determination unit is configured to determine the kneading state in units of steps where the kneading process is divided for each kneading condition,
In the determination of the kneading state in each step, when the length of the input kneading time that is the time required for kneading in the input kneading waveform is different from the length of the reference kneading time that is the time required for kneading in the reference kneading waveform, A kneading determination system comprising: a kneading waveform conversion unit that converts the input kneading waveform so that the input kneading time and the reference kneading time have the same length.   The kneading determination system according to claim 1, wherein the reference kneading waveform setting unit can set an upper limit and a lower limit for the reference kneading waveform as a determination width from the reference kneading waveform.   The upper limit and the lower limit of the reference kneading waveform set as the determination width from the reference kneading waveform, with reference to the set one reference kneading waveform, the gain width that is the increase / decrease rate of kneading data with respect to the reference kneading waveform, kneading The kneading determination system according to claim 2, wherein the kneading determination system can be set based on at least one of an offset width that is an increase / decrease amount of data and a time offset width that is an increase / decrease amount in the time axis direction.   The kneading determination system according to claim 3, wherein different values can be set for the gain width, the offset width, and the time offset width depending on the time from the start of the step. It has a kneading data accumulation unit that accumulates kneading data,
Input the kneading data stored in the kneading data storage unit from the kneading data input unit,
The kneading determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the kneading state can be determined with respect to the kneading data.

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