JP7148868B2 - grain drying equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to grain drying equipment.

In a grain processing facility such as a dry preparation facility, a portion of incoming grain is extracted as a sample grain and supplied to a self-verification device. The self-verification device performs weighing, dehusking, sorting, etc. of the grain, and calculates the yield from the weighing data of the granules and scrap grains. The sample grains are moisture tested and dried based on the moisture measurement results in the sample grain drying device prior to being fed to such a self-testing device. The grain thus dried is supplied to the self-assay device.

As such a sample grain drying device, for example, the device described in Patent Document 1 below is known. The apparatus includes a plurality of bins for containing sample grains, a plurality of storage spaces for storing the bins, and a robot for selectively holding one of the bins. The robot moves boxes in and out of the storage space.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-41653

In the above-described device, it is difficult to take out the box stored in the storage space when the robot breaks down while the box is stored in the storage space. Therefore, there is a need for a grain drying apparatus that allows for easy manual removal of boxes.

The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be implemented, for example, as the following modes.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a grain drying apparatus is provided. This grain drying apparatus comprises a plurality of boxes for storing grains to be dried, a conveying section for selectively holding and conveying one box out of the plurality of boxes, and a plurality of boxes capable of being stored. a dryer body comprising a plurality of compartmentalized storage chambers having a plurality of storage chamber openings for loading and unloading a plurality of boxes. Each of the boxes has an exposed surface that is exposed to the outside when stored in one of the plurality of storage units, and the exposed surface has a box opening having a size and shape that allows a person's finger to enter. ing.

According to this grain drying apparatus, even if the conveying unit fails while the box is stored in the storage room, the box can be easily taken out from the storage room by sticking a finger into the box opening and manually pulling out the box. be able to.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the first aspect, the box opening is used for holding the box by the carriage or for positioning the carriage relative to the box. With such a configuration, the box opening can be used both for holding or positioning the box and for manually removing the box from the storage compartment. In other words, if the box has an opening for holding or positioning the box, there is no need for a separate opening for manual removal of the box.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the conveying section comprises a chucking device having a chucking section for selectively holding one box. The chucking device is configured to retain the box by engagement of the chuck portion with the inner edge of the exposed surface defining the box opening. According to such a form, the box can be properly held. Also, the box opening can be used as an opening for the chuck.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the chuck portion comprises two chuck portions. The chucking device is configured such that the two chucking portions move away from each other to hold the box by urging the inner edges outwardly in opposite directions. According to such a form, the box can be properly held.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, each of the two chuck portions is attached with a pressing plate extending in a direction in which the two chuck portions are separated from each other. The chucking device is configured to hold the box by two chucking portions pressing the inner edges outward in opposite directions with each of the pressing plates abutting the exposed surface. According to this form, the box can be held in a state where the pressing plate and the exposed surface are in surface contact with each other. Therefore, it is possible to properly maintain the angle of arrangement of the box with respect to the chuck portion. Also, the depth of entry of the chuck into the box opening can be made constant. Moreover, since the presser plate is formed as a separate part from the chuck portion, the rigidity thereof can be made smaller than that of the chuck portion. As a result, the weight of the device can be reduced, and the power required to move the chuck portion can be reduced.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the box opening has a substantially rectangular shape. According to this form, the contact surfaces between the chuck portion and the inner edge portion are two planes parallel to each other. Therefore, the shape of the chuck portion and the shape of the inner edge portion can be easily matched, and the chuck portion can stably hold the box.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the sixth aspect, the substantially rectangular shape has short sides and long sides. The direction in which the two chuck parts separate from each other is parallel to the short side. According to such a configuration, it is possible to secure a contact surface between the chuck portion and the inner edge portion at the long side of the rectangular shape in the inner edge portion. Therefore, a large extended distance of the contact surface can be ensured. As a result, the chuck portion can hold the box more stably.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the box has a storage chamber for storing grain. The storage chamber is separated from the box opening by a partition so that the box opening and the storage chamber do not communicate with each other. Grain does not flow out of the storage chamber through the box opening regardless of the formation position and size of the box opening. Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the position and size of the box opening is improved.

The present invention can be realized in the form of a grain drying machine as well as a box for housing grain to be dried and a chuck device for holding the box for the grain drying machine.

1 is a schematic front view of a grain drying apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention; FIG. It is a schematic perspective view showing a storage room. It is a schematic perspective view which shows a sample box. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan cross-sectional view showing a state in which a sample box is stored in a storage chamber; FIG. 4 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a state in which a sample box is stored in a storage chamber; It is a schematic perspective view showing a chuck device. It is a schematic front view showing a chuck device. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a chuck device holding a sample box; FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a sample box as a second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a chuck part holding the sample box of FIG. 9;

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a grain drying apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the invention. Grain drying apparatus 10 is installed in a grain processing facility, such as a drying preparation facility. In the grain processing facility, some of the grains that have been brought in are extracted as sample grains (hereinafter simply referred to as samples). The moisture content of the sample is measured by the grain drying device 10 , dried based on the measurement result, and then supplied to the self-testing device 100 via the chute 110 and hopper 120 . Overall operation of grain drying apparatus 10 and self-verification apparatus 100 is controlled by controller 130 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the grain drying apparatus 10 includes an input/discharge section 20 , a dryer main body 30 and a conveying section 50 . The loading/unloading section 20 has insertion openings 21, 22, 23, and 24 into which a sample box 40 for storing samples can be inserted. A moisture measuring device (not shown) for measuring the moisture content of the sample is arranged inside the loading/unloading section 20 .

Dryer body 30 includes a plurality of storage chambers 31 for storing sample boxes 40, as best seen in FIG. A plurality of storage chambers 31 are partitioned so as to store a plurality of sample boxes 40, respectively. Each of the storage chambers 31 is formed with a storage chamber opening 32 for inserting and removing the sample box 40 . FIG. 1 schematically shows a state in which a sample box 40 is stored in each storage chamber 31 .

The transport section 50 has a chuck device 60 for holding the sample box 40 . The chuck device 60 is configured to be vertically and horizontally translatable along a guide rail (not shown) by an actuator (not shown). Moreover, the chuck device 60 is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the horizontal direction. As a result, the chuck device 60 can eject the sample contained in the sample box 40 it holds from the sample box 40 .

The basic operation of the grain drying apparatus 10 will be described. First, the transport section 50 holds the empty sample box 40 housed in the storage chamber 31 by the chuck device 60 and inserts the sample box 40 into the insertion opening 21 . At this time, samples are supplied to the sample box 40 through the duct 25 . Next, the transport section 50 takes out the sample box 40 containing the sample from the insertion port 21 and inserts it into the insertion port 22 . Then, the transport section 50 rotates the sample box 40 inside the input/discharge section 20 and discharges the sample accommodated in the sample box 40 . The discharged sample is supplied to a moisture measuring device installed in the input/discharge section 20 . The water content measurement device measures the water content of a portion of the input sample.

Next, the transport section 50 takes out the empty sample box 40 from the insertion port 22 and inserts it into the insertion port 23 . At this time, the sample box 40 is supplied with the sample discharged from the moisture measuring device. Next, the transport section 50 takes out the sample box 40 from the insertion port 23 and stores it in the empty storage chamber 31 .

The sample in the sample box 40 accommodated in the storage chamber 31 is dried until it has an appropriate moisture content based on the measurement result of the moisture measuring device. In this embodiment, in the grain drying apparatus 10, drying is performed by supplying air heated by a heater (not shown) to the storage chamber 31 from the rear side. A fan (not shown) for introducing heated air into the storage chamber 31 is installed in each of the plurality of storage chambers 31 . Therefore, drying can be performed for each storage chamber 31 . In addition, the grain drying device 10 is not limited to the form described above, and may be a drying device of any type.

Next, the transport unit 50 takes out the sample box 40 containing the dried sample from the storage chamber 31 and inserts it into the insertion port 24 . Then, the transport section 50 rotates the sample box 40 inside the input/discharge section 20 and discharges the sample accommodated in the sample box 40 . The ejected sample is supplied to self-assay device 100 via chute 110 and hopper 120 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the sample box 40. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the sample box 40, and FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the sample box 40. As shown in FIG. 4 and 5 show a state in which the sample box 40 is stored in the storage chamber 31. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the sample box 40 has an exposed surface 41 exposed to the outside when stored in the storage chamber 31 . The sample box 40 further comprises a storage chamber 42 behind the exposed surface 41 for storing the sample. As shown in FIG. 3, the accommodation chamber 42 has a substantially rectangular shape, and the upper side thereof is entirely open.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the exposed surface 41 projects outwardly from the outer edge of the storage chamber 42 when viewed from the direction in which the exposed surface 41 and the storage chamber 42 overlap each other. formed in the shape of Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the exposed surface 41 has dimensions greater than the containment chamber opening 32 . Therefore, when the storage chamber 42 is completely stored in the storage chamber 31 , the storage chamber opening 32 is completely closed by the exposed surface 41 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the exposed surface 41 has a box opening 44 approximately in its center. The box opening 44 penetrates the exposed surface 41 in its thickness direction. In this embodiment, the box opening 44 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having short sides 45 and long sides 46 . The box opening 44 is sized and shaped to contain a 2 cm diameter circle inside. In other words, box opening 44 is sized and shaped to allow insertion of a human finger. This box opening 44 is used to hold the sample box 40 by the chuck device 60, as will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the storage chamber 42 is separated from the box opening 44 by a partition wall 43 so that the box opening 44 and the storage chamber 42 do not communicate with each other. Therefore, the sample stored in the storage chamber 42 will not flow out of the storage chamber 42 through the box opening 44 . Therefore, the degree of freedom in designing the position and size of the box opening 44 is improved. For example, if the box opening 44 communicates with the storage chamber 42, it is desirable that the box opening 44 be provided as high as possible in order to prevent the sample stored in the storage chamber 42 from flowing out of the box opening 44. , according to the present embodiment, such consideration is no longer necessary.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the chuck device 60. FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of the chuck device 60. FIG. The chuck device 60 is attached via a base 51 to a member of the conveying section 50 that can translate horizontally and vertically. It has two chuck parts 61a and 61b. The chuck portions 61a and 61b have the same shape and size, and are arranged vertically symmetrically. The chuck portions 61a and 61b are configured to be movable in directions away from each other and in directions toward each other by an actuator. In this embodiment, this movable direction is the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, the chuck portions 61a and 61b respectively include first portions 62a and 62b, second portions 63a and 63b, and third portions 64a and 64b. The first portions 62a, 62b extend vertically. The second portions 63a, 63b extend from the inner ends of the first portions 62a, 62b perpendicularly or horizontally to the first portions 62a, 62b. The third portions 64a, 64b extend vertically from the tips of the second portions 63a, 63b (ends opposite to the first portions 62a, 62b). The third portions 64a, 64b extend from the third portions 64a, 64b in the same direction as the first portions 62a, 62b extend. Thereby, groove portions 65a and 65b are formed in the chuck portions 61a and 61b.

The chuck device 60 further includes holding plates 66a and 66b outside the chuck portions 61a and 61b in the vertical direction. The pressing plates 66a and 66b extend vertically. In this embodiment, the pressing plates 66a, 66b form the same plane in the vertical direction as the first portions 62a, 62b. The pressing plates 66a and 66b are formed as parts separate from the chuck portions 61a and 61b, and are attached to the chuck portions 61a and 61b with bolts.

The operation of holding the sample box 40 by the chuck device 60 will be described. First, the second portions 63 a, 63 b and the third portions 64 a, 64 b are inserted into the box opening 44 . At this time, the holding plates 66a and 66b come into surface contact with the exposed surface 41. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the arrangement angle of the sample box 40 with respect to the chuck portions 61a and 61b can be properly maintained. Also, the depth of entry of the chuck portions 61a and 61b into the box opening 44 can be made constant. Since the pressing plates 66a and 66b are not required to have as much rigidity as the chuck portions 61a and 61b, the pressing plates 66a and 66b are separated from the chuck portions 61a and 61b as described above, thereby making the chuck device 60 lighter. Also, the power of the chuck device 60 can be reduced.

Next, the chuck portions 61a and 61b are moved away from each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the chuck portion 61a moves in the direction of arrow A1 (vertically upward), and the chuck portion 61b moves in the direction of arrow A2 (vertically downward). do. As a result, the inner edge portion 47 (see FIG. 3) of the exposed surface 41 forming the box opening 44 comes into contact with the second portions 63a and 63b while being accommodated in the grooves 65a and 65b. When the chuck portions 61a and 61b try to move further away from each other, the chuck portions 61a and 61b press the inner edge portion 47 vertically outward in opposite directions. Thereby, the sample box 40 is held in the chuck device 60 as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, since the box opening 44 has a substantially rectangular shape, the contact surfaces between the second portions 63a, 63b and the inner edge 47 are two planes (horizontally extending) parallel to each other. plane). Therefore, the shape of the second portions 63a, 63b and the shape of the inner edge portion 47 can be easily matched. In other words, no precise machining accuracy is required to match the shapes of the two. As a result, the chuck device 60 can stably hold the sample box 40 .

Moreover, in this embodiment, the direction of movement of the chuck portions 61 a and 61 b is the vertical direction, which is parallel to the short side 45 . Therefore, the second portions 63 a and 63 b can secure a contact surface between the second portions 63 a and 63 b and the inner edge portion 47 at the long side 46 of the inner edge portion 47 . As a result, a large extended distance of the contact surface can be ensured, so that the chuck device 60 can hold the sample box 40 more stably.

According to the grain drying apparatus 10 described above, even if the conveying unit 50 (including the chuck device 60) fails while the sample boxes 40 are stored in the storage chamber 31, it is possible to insert a finger into the box opening 44. The sample box 40 can be easily removed from the storage chamber 31 by manually pulling out the sample box 40 with . Moreover, the box opening 44 is also used for holding the sample box 40 by the chuck device 60 . Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide an opening for taking out the sample box 40 .

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a sample box 140 as a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing chuck portions 161a and 161b that hold the sample box 140. FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the sample box 140 has an exposed surface 141 instead of the exposed surface 41 of the first embodiment. The exposed surface 141 has a box opening 144 . Box opening 144 has a horizontally extending side 146 and a side 147 extending from side 146 so as to approach each other at a 45° angle to side 146 . As shown in FIG. 10, the chuck portions 161a and 161b move horizontally away from each other while being inserted into the box opening 144. As shown in FIG. As a result, the chuck portions 161 a and 161 b press the inner edge of the box opening 144 at the edge 147 .

Thus, the shape of the box opening can be of any shape and size into which a human finger can be inserted. Also, the chucking device may be of any known type configured to retain the box by engagement of the chucking portion with the inner edge of the exposed surface, depending on the shape of the box opening. Also, the box opening may be used not only for holding the box, but also for positioning the sample box and the transport device (more specifically, the box holding device). For example, the box opening may be a hole into which a positioning protrusion is inserted. Of course, instead of the chuck device, any type of box holding device capable of holding the sample box may be employed. For example, the holding device may be of the electromagnet type, as described in US Pat. Alternatively, the box opening may be provided only for manual removal of the sample box in the event of a transport device failure.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In addition, within the range where at least part of the above problems can be solved or where at least part of the effect is achieved, the components described in the claims and the specification can be combined or omitted. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Grain drying apparatus 20... Input/discharge part 21, 22, 23, 24... Insertion port 25... Duct 30... Dryer main body 31... Storage room 32... Storage room opening 40, 140... Sample box 41, 141... Exposed surface DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 42... Storage chamber 43... Partition wall 44, 144... Box opening 45... Short side 46... Long side 47... Inner edge part 50... Transfer part 51... Base 60... Chuck device 61a, 61b, 161a, 161b... Chuck part 62a, 62b 1st portion 63a, 63b 2nd portion 64a, 64b 3rd portion 65a Groove 66a Pressing plate 100 Self-test device 110 Chute 120 Hopper 130 Control device 146, 147 Side

Claims (6)

A grain drying apparatus comprising:
a plurality of bins for containing grains to be dried;
a conveying unit that selectively holds and conveys one of the plurality of boxes;
a dryer main body comprising a plurality of storage chambers partitioned so as to store the plurality of boxes, the plurality of storage chambers having a plurality of storage chamber openings for taking in and out the plurality of boxes;
with
Each of the boxes has an exposed surface exposed to the outside when stored in one of the plurality of storage chambers.and a storage chamber for storing the sample behind the exposed surfacePreparationRare,
The exposed surface has a box opening that is sized and shaped to fit a human finger.,
The box opening is used for holding the box by the transport or for positioning the transport with respect to the box,
The conveying unit includes a chuck device having a chuck portion that selectively holds the one box,
The chuck device is adapted to stably hold the box when the box is conveyed by the conveying section by engaging the chuck portion with the inner edge portion of the exposed surface forming the box opening. composed
Grain drying equipment. A grain drying apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The chuck section includes two chuck sections,
The chucking device is configured such that the two chucking portions move away from each other to hold the box by urging the inner edges outwardly in opposite directions. . A grain drying apparatus according to claim 2 ,
Each of the two chuck parts is attached with a pressing plate extending in the direction in which the two chuck parts are separated from each other,
The chuck device is configured such that the two chuck portions hold the box by pressing the inner edge portions outward in opposite directions with each of the pressing plates in contact with the exposed surface. Done grain drying equipment. The grain drying apparatus according to claim 2 or 3 ,
The grain drying apparatus, wherein the box opening has a substantially rectangular shape. A grain drying apparatus according to claim 4 ,
The substantially rectangular shape has a short side and a long side,
The direction in which the two chuck parts separate from each other is a direction parallel to the short side. The grain drying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The box comprises a storage chamber for containing the grain,
The storage chamber is separated from the box opening by a partition so that the box opening and the storage chamber do not communicate with each other.

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