JPH0154981B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a novel tea manufacturing and steaming apparatus. Specifically, by making it possible to perform the steaming process according to the desired steaming time, it is possible to obtain tea leaves of the desired quality according to the desired steaming time without relying on the empirical judgment of the steaming process manager. The purpose of this invention is to provide a novel tea manufacturing and steaming device that enables this.

Background technology and its problems The tea manufacturing process (raw tea process) consists of an initial steaming process, subsequent rolling processes, and a final drying process. The steaming process is so important that it is said to determine the value of the raw tea product. This steaming process quickly loses the activity of oxidizing enzymes contained in the fresh leaves, maintains the bright green color unique to green tea, dyes the leaf color that permeates from the tea leaves, removes the grassy smell, and leaves the leaves sweet and cool. The purpose is to enhance the aroma and soften the leaf quality, and the raw leaves input from the input port of the steamer barrel are processed into the steamer barrel mainly by tilting the steamer barrel, rotating the steamer barrel, and rotating the stirring shaft. While passing through to the outlet of the steamer, the steam is heated by the steam supplied to the steamer, and pressure is applied by the rotation of the steamer and the stirring shaft. The factors that influence the degree of achievement of each of the above objectives include the temperature, amount, and pressure of steam, the degree of pounding or rolling pressure, the amount of fresh leaves input, and the steaming time, that is, the time the fresh leaves pass through the steamer barrel. Of course, each of these elements is not individually involved in achieving the above objectives, but they are involved in a complex manner.
Among these, steaming time is a particularly important factor. This is because the length of steaming time has an extremely large effect on fresh leaves compared to other factors such as the properties of the steam and the degree of pressure, and subtle differences in steaming time can affect the physical impact on fresh leaves. This is because the changes and chemical denaturations vary greatly. These physical changes and chemical denaturations include softening of tea leaf fibers, destruction of cells, and denaturation of color and aroma components, and these changes and denaturation determine the properties of steamed leaves. is,
In turn, the color, aroma, light color, flavor, and other aspects of the finished tea product will be greatly affected. Therefore, when performing the tea steaming process, it is necessary to manage the steaming time with great care, and it is also necessary to have data on how long the steaming time is and what quality of steamed tea is obtained. and set the desired specific steaming time,
It is necessary to accurately manage the set steaming time. If the steaming time is controlled in this way, the quality of the steamed leaves will be more stable, and even more so, the steamed leaves can be steamed to the desired finished quality.

However, in the conventional steaming process, the steaming time is not actively controlled, and at most the control elements related to the steaming time are adjusted appropriately based on the finished quality of the steamed leaves. It was hot.

The actual state of conventional steaming time management will be explained with reference to FIG. 1, which shows a steamer. In the figure, a
indicates the main body of the steamer, b is the leaf feeder, and c is the cooler. d is a steaming barrel, and the steaming barrel d consists of a fixed barrel g having an input port e formed at one end and a steam supply section f formed at the other end, and a rotating barrel h connected to the fixed barrel g. . The steam barrel d is supported by a movable frame i, and the movable frame i is rotatably supported by a machine frame j. k is the rotation fulcrum of the movable frame i,
l is a barrel tilt adjustment mechanism, m is a working lever of the adjustment mechanism l, n is a stirring shaft that passes through the steamer barrel d in the axial direction, and the stirring shaft n has a large number of stirring blades (not shown). It is installed protrudingly. o is a drive unit, and the drive unit o is equipped with a drive mechanism for driving a rotating drum h and a stirring shaft n.

The fresh leaves are fed into the steamer barrel d from the input port e of the fixed barrel g by the leaf feeder b, and are passed through the steamer barrel d for several tens of minutes.
Transported with transit times ranging from seconds to several minutes,
During this transfer, the above-mentioned physical changes and chemical denaturations are carried out while being heated by steam and subjected to pressure and stirring due to the rotation of the rotary drum h and the rotation of the stirring blades protruding from the stirring shaft n. It is discharged to the outside of the steamer cylinder d from the outlet p at the tip of the cylinder h. The steamed leaves discharged from the steamer drum d are cooled by a cooler c.
The tea master who manages the steaming process occasionally samples the steamed leaves that are discharged from the outlet p of the steamer barrel d, and checks the color, scent, elasticity and stickiness when held in the palm of the hand, and the adhesion to the leaf surface. Immediately judge the finished quality of the steamed leaves by visually sensing the state of the steamed leaves, such as evaporation, and if you are dissatisfied with the judgment results, change the rotation speed of the rotating drum h, the rotation speed of the stirring shaft n, or the inclination of the steaming drum. Adjust control elements such as temperature and steam properties as appropriate. Among these control elements, the rotational speed of the rotating drum h, the rotational speed of the stirring shaft n, and the inclination of the steaming drum d are factors that are directly involved in the passage time of fresh leaves through the steaming drum d, that is, the steaming time, and especially the steaming drum d. The degree of inclination is a factor that greatly affects the steaming time.

The conventional steaming process is carried out as described above, and the steaming time is managed using a so-called trial method, in which control elements are adjusted as appropriate while sampling the finished quality of the steamed leaves. By the way, if a satisfactory finished quality of steamed leaves is obtained when the control elements such as the inclination of the steamer drum d are adjusted to a certain control state, then the inclination of the steamer drum d can be changed to the adjusted state. If you leave it as is, you should be able to get a certain level of steaming quality. However, the appropriate time for fresh leaves to pass through the steamer barrel depends not only on the mechanical control elements mentioned above, but also on the input amount and quality of fresh leaves. It is not always possible to obtain a constant quality of finish. Therefore, in the conventional steaming process, the steaming time is controlled by checking the finished quality of the steamed leaves, adjusting the control elements as appropriate, checking the quality of the steamed leaves in the adjusted state, and making further adjustments if necessary. They were forced to use extremely complicated methods that required repeated adjustments and checks.
Moreover, such adjustment work requires extremely delicate techniques and many years of experience, and even with such skilled techniques, it is impossible to obtain a constant quality of steamed leaves.

As described above, the conventional steaming process was not carried out while controlling the steaming time, but was carried out while controlling the steamed leaf quality based on the empirical judgment of the tea master.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and allows steaming to be performed according to a desired steaming time, so that constant quality can be maintained without depending on the empirical judgment of a steaming process manager. Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a novel tea manufacturing and steaming apparatus that can obtain steamed leaves of desired quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the first tea steaming apparatus of the present invention is a tea steaming apparatus that steams tea leaves by passing them through a steaming barrel to which steam is supplied, which comprises a steamer main body, An operation unit that changes the time of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel by operating at least one of the control elements, and measures the input weight of tea leaves input into the steamer barrel and the discharge weight of tea leaves discharged from the steamer barrel. A steaming time setting switch for setting a desired steaming time, a calculation circuit, and a control unit for controlling the operation unit. The input weight and cumulative output weight are calculated, and the tea leaf steaming time is calculated from the calculated values.
The control section compares the set steaming time with the measured steaming time, and controls the operating section according to the comparison result.

The second tea steaming apparatus of the present invention is a tea steaming apparatus that steams tea leaves by passing the tea leaves through a steaming barrel supplied with steam, and is involved in the steaming machine itself and at least the time for the tea leaves to pass through the steaming barrel. an operating section that changes at least one of the control elements by operation, a measuring section that measures the input weight of tea leaves introduced into the steaming barrel and the discharge weight of tea leaves discharged from the steaming barrel, and a desired steaming time. A steaming time setting switch for setting the steaming time, a calculation circuit, and a control section for controlling the operation section, the calculation circuit calculating the cumulative input weight and the cumulative discharge weight from the values measured by the measurement section. The steaming time of the tea leaves is determined from the calculated value, and the control section compares the set steaming time and the measured steaming time, and controls the operating section according to the comparison result. The arithmetic circuit is configured to be able to reset the temporarily stored cumulative input weight and cumulative discharge weight by operating a reset switch or automatically at predetermined time intervals. It is characterized by this.

Embodiments The tea steaming apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the principle of steaming time measurement in the tea steaming apparatus of the present invention.

Reference numeral 1 indicates a steam barrel formed in a generally cylindrical shape as a whole.
The steamer cylinder 1 is composed of a fixed cylinder 2 and a rotary cylinder 3 arranged so that its connecting opening abuts against the tip opening of the fixed cylinder 2. Reference numeral 4 indicates an input port formed at the upper part of the base end of the fixed barrel 2, and 5 indicates a cylindrical steam chamber provided so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the tip end of the fixed barrel 2. A stirring shaft with a protruding stirring shaft passes through the steamer barrel 1, and a driving section is disposed on the base end side of the fixed barrel 2, and this driving section drives the rotating barrel 3 and the stirring shaft. is designed to be rotationally driven. Further, the inclination of the steam barrel 1 can be adjusted by an appropriate inclination adjustment mechanism. The configurations of the steamer barrel 1 and the parts attached to the steamer barrel 1 other than these are the same as those in known steamers, so detailed explanations will be omitted.

6 is a weighing conveyor that measures the weight of fresh leaves to be fed into the steamer drum 1; an endless belt 9 is stretched between rollers 8, 8 supported at both ends of a frame 7; It is supported by a base 11 via 10,10. 12 is a displacement detector such as a potentiometer or a differential transformer, and includes a variable resistor 13 and a movable element 14 that changes the resistance value of the variable resistor 13. The movable element 14 is adapted to be moved in conjunction with the vertical displacement movement of the frame 7 of the weighing conveyor 6. The delivery end of the weighing conveyor 6 faces the input port 4 of the steamer drum, and the delivery end of the leaf feeder 15 faces above the starting end of the conveyor 6.

Therefore, if the belt 9 of the weighing conveyor 6 is driven and fresh leaves are supplied from the leaf feeder 15 onto the belt 9 of the weighing conveyor 6, the fresh leaves loaded on the belt 9 are fixed from the delivery end of the conveyor 6. The fresh leaves are fed into the steamer barrel 1 through the input port 4 of the barrel 2, and the fresh leaves introduced into the steamer barrel 1 are moved from the fixed barrel 2 to the rotating barrel 3, and then out of the steamer barrel 1 through the outlet port 16 of the belt barrel 3. It is being expelled. While being transferred inside the steaming barrel 1, it is heated by the steam supplied from the steam chamber 5, and is stirred and pressed by the rotary barrel 3 and the stirring blade, and these heating, stirring, and beating effects occur. Steaming is performed by applying pressure. Furthermore, when fresh leaves are placed on the belt 9, the frame 7 of the weighing conveyor 6 is displaced downward together with the belt 9 due to the weight of the fresh leaves, and the displacement detector 12 is moved in conjunction with the displacement of the frame 7. Child 1
4 is moved in a predetermined direction, thereby changing the resistance value of the variable resistor 13. The resistance value at this time has a magnitude corresponding to the weight of the fresh leaves placed on the belt 9 of the conveyor 6.

17 is a weighing conveyor for measuring the weight of steamed leaves discharged from the steamer drum 1; an endless belt 20 is stretched between rollers 19, 19 supported at both ends of the frame 18; Spring 21, 2
1 and supported by a base 22. 23 is a displacement detector similar to the displacement detector 12 described above, and is composed of a variable resistor 24 and a movable element 25;
The movable element 25 is adapted to move up and down in conjunction with the vertical displacement movement of the frame 18 of the weighing conveyor 17. The starting end of the weighing conveyor 17 is arranged below the outlet 16 of the steamer cylinder 1.

Thus, the belt 20 of the weighing conveyor 17 is started to be driven at the same time as the belt 9 of the weighing conveyor 6 is started. And the outlet 1 of the steamer barrel 1
The steamed leaves discharged from 6 are loaded onto the conveyor 17 one after another;
The material is guided from the delivery end to a cooler (not shown) and sent to the next rough rubbing step. When steamed leaves are placed on the belt 20, the frame 18 of the weighing conveyor 17 is displaced downward together with the belt 20 due to the weight of the steamed leaves, and in conjunction with the displacement operation of the frame 18, a displacement detector is detected. The movable element 25 of 23 moves downward, thereby changing the resistance value of the variable resistance machine 24. The magnitude of the resistance value at this time is the belt 2 of the conveyor 17.
The size corresponds to the weight of the steamed leaves placed on the 0.

ROM is read-only memory. Arithmetic programs, etc. are written. RAM is random access memory, CPU is central processing unit,
The steaming time is calculated according to the calculation program written in the read-only memory ROM.
DISP is a display means that uses LED to display the steaming time. EXIT is an external output terminal, which sends out a signal for adjusting the inclination of the steamer drum, for example, according to the calculated steaming time. The specific contents of the calculation by the CPU etc. will be explained in more detail later.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 described above, a conveyor type continuous type is used as a means for measuring the weight of fresh leaves introduced into the steamer barrel 1.
The means for measuring the input weight of fresh leaves used to measure the steaming time is not limited to this, and a so-called batch type may also be used. An example of the bat-type measuring means will be explained with reference to FIG. In the figure, 1
indicates the steam barrel described above. Reference numeral 26 denotes a weighing pool having an open upper surface and discharge doors 27, 27 that can be opened freely, and the weighing pool 26 is suspended from a base (not shown) so that it can be moved up and down. It is supported by Reference numeral 28 denotes a measuring device for measuring the weight of fresh leaves thrown into the weighing pool 26, and 29 denotes a fresh leaf feeder, which has a conveyor belt 30 and a hopper 31. The hopper 31 faces a position corresponding to the lower part of the weighing pool 26. Reference numeral 32 indicates a fresh leaf conveyor for feeding fresh leaves into the weighing pool 26. Thus, fresh leaves are thrown into the weighing pool 26 from the fresh leaf conveying machine 32 with the doors 27, 27 of the weighing pool 26 closed. When the weighing device 28 measures a predetermined weight of fresh leaves, it outputs a measurement end signal to the drive section of the fresh leaf conveyor 32 and the door opening/closing mechanism drive section, and the fresh leaves are introduced into the weighing pool 26 by the fresh leaf conveyor 32. and the doors 27, 27 of the weighing pool 26 are opened. When the doors 27, 27 of the weighing pool 26 are opened, all fresh leaves of a predetermined weight in the weighing pool 26 are thrown into the hopper 31 of the fresh leaf thrower 29.
The fresh leaves introduced into the hopper 31 are smoothed to an average layer thickness by a scraping device (not shown) and are transferred by the conveyor belt 30 through the input port 4 from the output end of the input device 29. Then, it is thrown into the steamer barrel 1. Further, the weighing pool 26 from which fresh leaves have been discharged immediately closes the doors 27, 27, and performs a predetermined weighing while receiving fresh leaves again.

Although Fig. 3 shows a batch-type measuring means for measuring the input weight of fresh leaves, the measuring means shown in Fig. 3 can also be used as a measuring means for measuring the discharged weight of steamed leaves. be able to. Furthermore, a continuous type (or batch type) measuring means may be used to measure the input weight of fresh leaves, and a batch type (or continuous type) measuring means may be used to measure the output weight of steamed leaves.

Next, a method for measuring tea manufacturing and steaming time will be specifically explained.

That is, the steaming time is measured by the input weight W1 of fresh leaves input into the steamer drum 1 per unit time and the discharge weight W1 of steamed leaves discharged from the steamer drum 1 per unit time.
2, and multiply the measured steamed leaf discharge weight W2 by a predetermined fresh leaf conversion coefficient α to calculate the raw leaf equivalent discharge weight W3 per unit time, and calculate the fresh leaf input weight W1 per unit time to the steamer barrel 1. and the fresh leaf equivalent output weight per unit time W3, respectively, are integrally integrated over time T from the start of input to the current time T to calculate the cumulative input weight ∫ ^T _O W1dt and the cumulative discharge weight ∫ ^T _O W3dt
Calculate the weight W4 of the tea leaves while they are passing through the steamer barrel at the current time using the formula ∫ ^T _O W1dt−α∫ ^T _O W2dt, and further calculate the time Ts of the tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 1 using the formula W4÷W1. This is done by calculating .

The time interval for measuring the input weight W1 and the discharge weight W2 can be determined arbitrarily, but when measuring using the continuous weighing conveyors 6 and 17 shown in FIG. Processing of the measured values can be simplified if the time is set equal to the time required to move from the start end to the delivery end of each conveyor. That is, the above-mentioned moving time t of each belt 9
is set to 10 seconds, the measurement time starts counting from the time when the leaf feeder 15 starts supplying fresh leaves to the weighing conveyor 6, and the displacement detector 12 outputs the measurement time every 10 seconds. The input weight W1 is inputted into the CPU by an electrical signal. Also, in the same way, the discharge weight W2
The measurement can also be carried out by measuring the weight W2 of the steam carried on the belt 20 at time intervals corresponding to the moving time t' of the belt 20 and inputting it into the CPU. Note that the travel times t and t' described above do not need to be equal.

By the way, in this steaming time measuring method, as described above, the weight of tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 1 can be measured by calculating the difference between the input weight of fresh leaves and the discharged weight of steamed leaves. Therefore, it is necessary that the measured input weight and the measured discharge weight be measured under the same conditions. However, the weight of tea leaves changes when they are steamed. That is, the weight of tea leaves differs depending on whether they are fresh or steamed. The reason for this is that the moisture on the leaf surface of the steamed leaves is taken away by the heating by the steam received while passing through the steamer barrel 1 and the pressure applied by the rotary barrel 3 and the stirring shaft, or water droplets from the steam are applied to the leaf surface. This is due to adhesion or penetration of moisture into the inside of the leaf. Therefore, it is necessary to correct the measured discharge weight W2 by multiplying it by a predetermined fresh leaf conversion coefficient α to obtain a discharge weight as a fresh leaf, that is, a fresh leaf equivalent discharge weight.

The fresh leaf conversion coefficient α is not uniformly determined. This is because there are differences in the quality of fresh leaves, that is, differences in leaf hardness, mesophyll thickness, shape, degree of wilting after plucking, quality, etc. caused by differences in the time of plucking, as well as differences in weather and temperature at the time of plucking. the difference between, and
The weight of tea leaves changes when steamed due to the difference in the picking method (hand-picked or machine-picked), the amount of stems mixed in, the quality of fresh leaves due to various texture differences, and the difference in steaming time. This is because they are different. Therefore, an example of the average value in a general case is shown here. For example, if fresh leaves of Ichibancha with a water content of approximately 78% are steamed for approximately 60 seconds, the fresh leaf conversion coefficient α
is approximately 0.997, and the moisture content is approximately 79%.
When fresh leaves of Nibancha are steamed for approximately 90 seconds, the fresh leaf conversion coefficient α is approximately 0.985. Note that when fresh leaves are steamed, the weight change may be such that the fresh leaf conversion coefficient of steamed leaves is larger than 1.00 relative to the fresh leaf weight.

Such fresh leaf conversion coefficient α may be input manually each time using a coefficient input switch provided on the control panel, or a coefficient corresponding to each condition such as fresh leaf quality and steaming time described above may be determined. Alternatively, a table may be written in advance in a memory, and the table may be read out automatically when a switch for setting fresh leaf quality and steaming time provided on a control panel is operated.

What is obtained from the above-mentioned formula ∫ ^T _O W1dt−∫ ^T _O W3dt is the weight W4 of the tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 1 at the current time. In other words, the cumulative input weight ∫ ^T _O W1dt from the time when fresh leaves were started to be fed into the steamer drum 1 until the current time T is converted into the cumulative amount of discharged from the steamer drum 1. By subtracting the weight ∫ ^T _O W3dt, the total weight of the tea leaves currently in the steamer barrel 1, that is, the weight W4 of the tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel can be calculated. Then, what is obtained from the formula W4÷w1 is the time Ts for the tea leaves to pass through the steamer barrel. That is, by dividing the total weight W4 of tea leaves currently passing through the steamer barrel 1 by the weight W1 of fresh leaves input per unit time, it is possible to determine how long it takes for fresh leaves to be thrown into the steamer barrel 1 and discharged from the steamer barrel. I understand.

In addition, when using the above-mentioned measuring means shown in FIG. 3 as a means for measuring the input weight W1 of fresh leaves input into the steamer barrel 1 per unit time, the cumulative input weight ∫ ^T _O W1dt is integrated. The time T is the elapsed time T from the time when fresh leaves from the weighing pool 26 are started to be fed into the hopper 31 of the feeding machine 29 until the current time, and the time T is the time from when fresh leaves are fed into the hopper 31 to the steaming machine. Required time T
It is necessary to set the time by subtracting 2. This time T2 is, for example, the time obtained by dividing the length l of the conveyor belt 30 of the feeding machine 29 by the belt drive speed ν, that is, the time when the belt 30 is
It is sufficient to set it as the time required to move from the proximal end to the delivery end. Therefore, the steaming time when using the input weight measuring means as shown in Figure 3
The relational expression for measuring Ts is Ts=(∫ ^T _O ^- ∫ ^/ 〓W1dt−α∫ ^T _O
W2dt) ÷ W1. In this steaming time measurement method, the steaming time at the current point in time is measured, the current steaming time Ts is compared with a preset steaming time, and if there is a discrepancy, the steaming time Ts is set. The above control elements are automatically controlled to match the steaming time.

Next, an example of the tea manufacturing and steaming apparatus of the present invention using the method for measuring tea manufacturing and steaming time will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 11.

4 to 7 show an example of a steamer main body including an operating section. In the figure, 33 is an outer frame, which is constructed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped using appropriate square members. In addition,
For convenience of explanation, the directions of each part will be defined and explained below using FIG. 6 as a front view. 34 is the middle frame,
The outer frame 3 has its left and right ends protruding from the outer frame 33.
It is incorporated within 3. A part near the left end of the middle frame 34 is connected to a hanging shaft 36 via two hanging fittings 35, 35.
The arm shaft 38 is rotatably supported on the outer frame 33 via the support arms 37, 37, and the arm shaft 38 is rotatably supported on the right end.
39 (support arm 37 on the back side, rotation arm 39
overlaps with the front side, so it does not appear on the drawing. ). and 40 is a fan-shaped gear attached to the front end of the arm shaft 38;
Body inclination control motor 4 attached to outer frame 33
It is meshed with the worm gear 42 of the first shaft. Therefore, by rotating the motor 41, the middle frame 34 is rotated about the hanging shaft 36, and the inclination of the middle frame 34 can be adjusted by such an operating section. 43 is a sink plate for catching water droplets and water during cleaning.

A steam barrel main body 44 and a drive section 45 are placed on the middle frame 34. The steam barrel main body 44 includes a substantially cylindrical fixed barrel 46 called a head, and a cylindrical steam chamber 4 provided so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the fixed barrel 46.
7 and a cylindrical wire mesh shell 48 which is arranged so that its opening abuts against the head (fixed shell) 46 from the right side. The wire mesh trunk 48 is rotatable, whereas the wire mesh trunk 48 is fixed. That is,
The wire mesh cylinder 48 has two cylinder support rollers 50, 50 whose rims 49 at the right open end are attached to the middle frame 34.
Further, the annular gear 51 at the left end has a front lower part connected to the receiving gear 52 and a rear lower part connected to the annular gear 5.
1, respectively. Note that since the drive gear 53 is attached to a wire mesh cylinder drive shaft 54 extending from the drive section 45, the wire mesh cylinder 48 is rotated by these mechanisms.

In addition, these steam chambers 4 having a cylindrical shape as a whole
7. A rotatable stirring shaft 55 is provided inside the wire mesh body 48.
are arranged at both left and right ends 5 of the stirring shaft 55.
6, 57 are pivotally supported by the middle frame 34, and the shaft 55
The left end 56 of the stirring shaft 58 is connected to a stirring shaft driving shaft 58 protruding from the driving section 45, and is configured to be rotated at an arbitrary number of rotations. Further, a large number of stirring blades 59, 59, . . . are attached to the stirring shaft 55 radially outward from the center of the shaft. Further, 60 is a fixed cover that surrounds the wire mesh body 48 from above and below, and 61, 61 are adjustment covers. Opening and closing can be adjusted freely by pulling.

Inside the drive unit 45 are a drive motor for rotating the wire mesh cylinder 48 and stirring shaft 55, a reduction mechanism with a constant reduction ratio consisting of large and small pulleys, and a reduction mechanism for changing the rotational speed of the wire mesh cylinder 48 and stirring shaft 55. (control element operation section) is included.

There are various ways to change the rotation speed, such as making the motor itself variable, changing the diameter of the pulley, and using a fluid coupling, but in this example, we used a speed change mechanism as shown in Figure 8. ing.
That is, 63 in the figure is a driven shaft, which is the aforementioned wire mesh cylinder drive shaft 54 or stirring shaft drive shaft 5.
It corresponds to 8. 64 is a driven pulley attached to the shaft. 65 is a drive motor, and a variable diameter pulley 66 is attached to its shaft. and,
Reference numeral 67 denotes a rotation speed control motor, and when the control arm 68 rotates due to its rotation, the pedestal 69 to which the drive motor 65 is attached rotates about its one end 70 as a fulcrum. As a result, the distance between the driven shaft 63 and the shaft 71 of the drive motor 65 changes, and for example, if the distance is longer than before, the V-belt 72
bites into the variable diameter pulley 66 and moves the movable side gutter wall 73 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8B. Therefore, the diameter of the variable diameter pulley 66 becomes smaller, and the rotational speed of the driven shaft 63 becomes smaller than the previous rotational speed.

An input port 74 is opened in a portion close to the upper left end of the fixed barrel 46, and raw leaves (fresh leaves) are continuously input into the fixed barrel 46 through the input port 74.
is heated by the steam supplied into the steamer barrel 44 from the steam chamber 47, and is also heated by the rotation of the wire mesh barrel 48 and the stirring blades 59, 59, attached to the stirring shaft 55.
It moves toward the right side while being stirred by the rotation of..., and is further steamed in this process, and eventually the right opening end (rim portion 49) of the wire mesh shell 48
From there, it is discharged to the outside of the steam barrel 44.

In addition, 75 and 75 are the boiler and steam room 4, which will be described later.
This is the supply port at the tip of the steam pipe connected between 7 and 7.

Reference numeral 76 denotes a weighing conveyor for measuring the weight of fresh leaves introduced into the steamer drum 44, and in this application example, a weighing conveyor similar to the weighing conveyor 6 shown in FIG. 2 is used. Reference numeral 77 denotes an input port sensor that detects the weight of fresh leaves loaded on the weighing conveyor 76 as an electrical signal. and weighing conveyor 76
The delivery end of the leaf feeder 78 faces the input port 74 of the steamer barrel 44, and the delivery end of the leaf feeder 78 faces above the starting end. 79 indicates a drive motor for the conveyor of the leaf feeder 78. 80, 80 is the weighing conveyor 76
Leaf flow sensors are arranged opposite to each other so as to sandwich the upper surface of the conveyor belt from the width direction at the starting end of the conveyor belt, and a sensor such as a photo switch is used, for example. leaf flow sensor 80,
80 detects whether fresh leaves are being distributed on the belt of the weighing conveyor 76 or not.

Reference numeral 81 denotes a weighing conveyor for measuring the weight of steamed leaves discharged from the steamer drum 44, and in this application example, a weighing conveyor similar to the weighing conveyor 17 shown in FIG. 2 described above is used. 82 is weighing conveyor 8
There is a discharge amount sensor that detects the weight of steamed leaves loaded on the vehicle as an electrical signal. and weighing conveyor 8
The starting end of 1 is the outlet (rim part) 49 of the steamer barrel 44
It is located below the cooler 8, and the delivery end is
3 on the conveyor belt.

84 indicates a boiler. 85 is a burner controller that controls the burn-up of a burner 86 attached to the heating chamber of the boiler 84. When the burn-up of the burner 86 changes, the boiler 84 controls the amount of steam generated and other properties. Things are starting to change. 87 is a steam pipe connected between the steam chamber of the boiler 84 and the steam chamber 47 of the steam barrel 44. 88
is a steam amount sensor interposed in a part of the steam pipe 87, and includes, for example, a float that is moved according to the flow rate of steam passing through the steam pipe 87, and has an electric current according to the moved position of the float. The amount of steam can be detected by outputting a signal.

Reference numeral 89 denotes a drive motor that rotationally drives the wire mesh cylinder 48 of the steamer drum 44, and 90 represents a cylinder rotation speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the wire mesh cylinder 48. Further, 91 indicates a drive motor that rotationally drives the stirring shaft 55, and 92 indicates a stirring shaft rotation speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of the stirring shaft 55. 93 is an inclination sensor that detects the inclination of the steam barrel 44. 94 indicates a control panel.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the control panel 94. 9 in the diagram
5 is a power switch, and 96 is a power indicator light, which indicates whether the power is turned on or not. Reference numeral 97 denotes an operation start switch, which instructs a control circuit, which will be described later, to start a control operation for the steaming apparatus. Reference numeral 98 denotes an operation stop switch, which instructs to stop the above-mentioned control operation. Reference numeral 99 denotes a buzzer, for example, when the leaf flow sensors 80, 80 mentioned above are used to control the weighing conveyor 7.
When it is detected that fresh leaves are not being supplied by the belt 6, this buzzer is activated to notify that there is an abnormal state. 100 is a steaming time setting switch for setting a desired steaming time. In this application example, the steaming time level that can be selected and set using this setting switch is as follows:
There are 28 steps from 20 seconds to 180 seconds in 5 second increments, and each time you press the + displayed knob once, the currently set steaming time is increased by 5 seconds, and - is displayed. Each press of the knob reduces the time by 5 seconds. A display section 101 displays the steaming time set by the setting switch 100. 102 is a measurement reset switch, and the accumulated data of measurement values, that is, the accumulated input weight ∫ ^T _O W1dt and the accumulated acid output weight ∫ ^T _O W2dt × fresh leaf conversion coefficient α
This resets the integration work performed by the arithmetic circuit.
Reference numeral 103 denotes a fresh leaf quality setting section, and in this application example, input switches are provided for setting respective levels of leaf hardness, degree of wilting, mesophyll thickness, and variety of fresh leaves. Each of these setting buttons has 104a for "young" and 104a for "medium" for leaf hardness.
Three levels are available: 04b and ``Hard'' 104c, and the withering degree is ``New'' 105a and ``Pure'' 1.
There are three levels of mesophyll thickness: 05b and 105c.
Three levels are available: 106b, "thick" 106c, and "Wase" 107a,
Three levels are prepared: "Native" 107b and "Variety" 107c. In this example, the combination of each level set for each of these fresh leaf quality setting buttons 104 to 107 and the steaming time level set by the steaming time setting switch 100 is set as a fresh leaf stored in advance. By checking the table of conversion coefficients, it is possible to automatically read out a specific fresh leaf conversion coefficient α corresponding to the combination.

Reference numeral 108 is a steamed leaf finish quality selection section, which, although not directly related to the gist of the present invention, allows selection of desired quality levels for color, shape, and softness among steamed leaf finish qualities. There is. And for colors, there are 10 buttons of 7 levels from 1 to 7.
9a to 109g are prepared, three levels of buttons 110a to 110c are prepared for shape, and three levels of buttons 111a to 111 are provided for softness.
Buttons c are provided, and control values of control elements such as the drum rotation speed, the stirring shaft rotation speed, and the amount of steam are specified according to the combination of these levels.

Next, FIG. 10 shows an example of a block configuration of a control circuit for controlling this apparatus. The CPU central processing unit in the figure. EPROM is a read-only memory that can be erased and written, and contains control programs, arithmetic programs, etc. for processing. RAM is a random access memory that can be written to and read from a predetermined address, and is used to calculate the steaming time from measured input data using the relational formula and the fresh leaf conversion coefficient for converting the weight of steamed leaves into the weight of fresh leaves. A large number of tables are written, including tables showing control values of each control element according to the selected finish quality level.

112 is an input/output port. 97 is the above-mentioned operation start switch, similarly, 98 is an operation stop switch, 100 is a steaming time setting switch, 10
2 is a measurement reset switch, 104 is a leaf hardness level setting button, 105 is a wilting level setting button, 106 is a mesophyll level setting button, and 107 is a variety setting button. Also, 109 is a color level selection button, 110 is a shape level selection button,
111 is a softness level selection button. and,
77 is the aforementioned input amount sensor, 80 is the leaf flow sensor, 82 is the discharge amount sensor, 88 is the steam amount sensor,
90 is a drum rotation speed sensor, 92 is a stirring shaft rotation speed sensor, and 93 is a drum inclination sensor. Each of these switches 100, buttons 104, 105, 1
06, 107, 109, 110, 111, sensors 77, 80, 82, 88, 90, 92, 93 are controlled by gate latch control circuit 113 via gate circuits 114, 114, . It is connected to the input/output port 112. Also 4
1 is the above-mentioned body inclination control motor;
9 is a belt drive motor of the leaf feeder 78, 85 is a burner controller, 86 is a drum rotation speed control motor, 9
1 is a stirring shaft rotation speed control motor, which is controlled by relays RL, . . . and a gate latch control circuit 113. Latch circuit 115, 115,
... is connected to the input port 112 via.

In the present invention, each control element for indirectly controlling the steaming time is controlled according to a program as shown in FIG. This program will be explained in the order of the numbers assigned to each step.

(a) Operation start switch 9 provided on the control panel 94
The program is started by pressing 7.

(b) Steaming time (The steaming time Ts will be referred to as t1 from now on to distinguish it from the measured steaming time.Then, the measured steaming time will be referred to as t2.) Has t1 been set? ?”
Make this judgment.

This is to judge whether or not the desired steaming time has been set using the steaming time setting switch 100. If the steaming time t1 is not set, the steaming process does not proceed to the next step and the steaming time is set to t1.
It has to be set to 1. If t1 has been set, the process advances to the next step c.

(c) Make a judgment as to "Have the raw leaf quality and finished quality buttons been pressed?"

This determines whether the setting buttons 104, 105, 106, and 107 for each level of fresh leaf quality, i.e., leaf hardness, wilting degree, mesophyll, and variety, have been pressed, and the desired finish quality for steamed leaves, i.e., color. , shape, and softness level selection buttons 109, 110, and 111 are pressed, and unless all of these buttons are pressed, the process does not proceed to the next step. , waits for all buttons to be pressed.

(d) Read the steaming time, each fresh leaf quality level, and each desired finish quality level set or selected in steps (b) and (c) above, and read out the control values corresponding to the steaming time and each level. . In this device, the steaming time is controlled by adjusting the inclination of the steaming barrel 44, so the control value that determines the inclination of the steaming barrel 44 corresponds to the steaming time set. is read out. In addition, control of each control element such as barrel rotation speed, stirring shaft rotation speed, and steam amount is performed in conjunction with all combinations of each set quality level of fresh leaves and each level of finished quality of selected tea leaves. Since the control values are carried out in correspondence with each other, the control values of the respective control elements are read out in accordance with the combinations of the above-mentioned settings and selected levels.

(e) Read the current value of each control element.

This is read by the respective sensors 88, 90, 92 and 93 with the respective current control values for the cylinder inclination, the cylinder rotation speed, the stirring shaft rotation speed and the steam quantity.

(f) Compare each control value read in step (d) with each control value read in step (e) above. If all the control values match each other as a result of comparison, the process proceeds to step (h), and if even one of them does not match, the process proceeds to step (g).

(g) For the control elements whose control values did not match in step (f) above, a control signal corresponding to the compared difference is sent to the operating unit, that is, the motor 41, 89, 91.
Alternatively, it is output to the burner controller 85 to drive those operating parts. and steps (d), (e), (f)
and (g) in a loop until the comparison results match in step (f).

(h) Make a judgment as to whether the input command has been output.

This feeding command is the supply of green leaves to the weighing conveyor 76 by the leaf feeder 78, and normally, when the comparison result in step (f) above is determined to be a "match", the belt control of the leaf feeder 78 is automatically performed. A belt drive command is output to the motor 79, but if the measurement reset described later is performed or if the supply of fresh leaves by the leaf feeder 78 is stopped or interrupted for some reason, step (f) is executed. It is necessary to output a feeding command by a step other than the feeding command by or by other independent means, and if such a special situation occurs, it is difficult to determine whether a fresh leaf feeding command to the weighing conveyor 76 has been issued or not. This step (h) is provided because it is necessary to confirm the following before proceeding to the next step.

(i) If the feed command is not output in step (h), the belt drive motor 7 of the leaf feeder 78
A drive command is issued to 9 to drive the conveyor.

(j) When the judgment result of YES is obtained in step (h), the judgment is made as to "Are the leaves flowing?"

This is a step to check whether fresh leaves are flowing on the belt of the weighing conveyor 76 or not. Even if the leaf feeder 78 is being driven, the leaf feeder 78
If there are no fresh leaves in the hopper of the leaf feeder 78, or if fresh leaves are not being supplied in the route for conveying fresh leaves from the fresh leaf storage room to the hopper of the leaf feeder 78, fresh leaves will not be supplied to the weighing conveyor 76. , it is necessary to detect its presence or absence. These detections are carried out by leaf flow sensors 80,8
done by 0.

(h) If it is detected in step (j) that the leaves are not flowing, the buzzer 99 is activated to notify the abnormality.

(l) When the determination result of YES is obtained in step (j), a determination is made as to "Is it time to start control?"

The control referred to here refers to control of the degree of inclination of the torso, and is a question of whether or not the point in time at which control of the degree of torso inclination is started has timed up. That is,
In this embodiment, the steaming time is measured using the steaming barrel 44.
This is done by measuring the input weight W1 of fresh leaves input per unit time and the output weight W2 of steamed leaves per unit time discharged from the steamer barrel 44. This is because the steaming time cannot be measured correctly until the discharge of the steam starts, and therefore it is necessary to not control the inclination of the shell during this period. In this case, the time to be timed up can be set uniformly, for example, 5 minutes, or it can be set individually by giving a margin of some percentage to the desired steaming time t1. can.

(m) Weighing conveyor 76 and input amount sensor 77
The input weight W1 of fresh leaves per unit time measured by the weighing conveyor 81 and the weighing sensor 82
Read the discharge weight W2 of steamed leaves per unit time measured by , further read the fresh leaf conversion coefficient α corresponding to the combination of the set steaming time t1 and the set fresh leaf quality level, and calculate each numerical value. , ∫ ^T _O read from memory RAM
The weight W4 of the tea leaves passing through the steamer barrel 44 is calculated by substituting it into the equation W1dt−∫T ^O _W3dt .

(n) Calculate the passage time of the tea leaves through the steamer barrel 44, ie, the measured steaming time t2, using the formula W4÷W1.

(o) Compare the set steaming time t1 and the steaming time t2 measured in step (n) above.
If they match, the process proceeds to step (q); if they do not match, the process proceeds to step (p).

(p) A signal corresponding to the difference compared in step (o) is sent to the operating section, ie, the barrel tilt control section, to drive the barrel tilt control motor 41 and adjust the tilt degree of the steam barrel 44. As the inclination of the steaming drum 44 increases, the time for tea leaves to pass through the steaming drum is adjusted to become shorter, and conversely, as the inclination of the steaming drum 44 decreases, the passing time is adjusted to become longer. Therefore, when the difference between t1 and t2 (difference according to the formula t1-t2) is a positive value, the signal output to the control motor 41 is set in the direction of rotation that reduces the inclination of the steamer cylinder 44. A command is output, and when the difference is a negative value, a rotation direction command for increasing the degree of inclination of the steamer cylinder 44 is output. This command is output until the comparison result in step (o) matches.

(q) Make a judgment as to whether it is a reset.

This is the cumulative value of the measured input weight ∫ ^T _O W1dt
A question is asked as to whether or not a command has been input to reset the data of ∫ ^T _O W3dt, which is the cumulative value of the discharged weight measured. It is input every time a predetermined period of time, such as 30 minutes, elapses. If no reset command is input, proceed to step (t);
If no reset command has been input, the program executes the reset control in steps (r) and (s) and then proceeds to step (t).

(r) When a reset command is input, the supply of fresh leaves by the leaf feeder 78 is stopped, and all the tea leaves in the steamer barrel 44 are discharged. Ejecting the tea leaves in the steamer drum 44 is not actually done by special ejecting means, but by counting the elapsed time (for example, 5 minutes) required for the ejection to be completed. It is carried out by.

(s) Clear the data of cumulative input weights ∫ ^T _O W1dt and ∫ ^T _O W3dt written in the memory RAM. That is, the data is set to 0.

(t) Make a judgment as to "Has the data been changed?"

Here, the input data to be specifically asked whether or not they have been changed are the respective levels of fresh leaf quality and desired finished quality. For example, if the quality of fresh leaves supplied from the fresh leaf storage room changes, or if the expected level of steamed leaf quality was not obtained by selecting the initial finish quality button, each input data will be changed. They are changed immediately, and if these data are changed, it is necessary to redo the control of each control element adjusted in steps (d) to (g). Therefore, if any of the input data is changed, the process returns to step (d) and the control elements are controlled again. If the input data has not been changed, the process returns to step (h) to continue measuring the steaming time and controlling the body inclination.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the first tea steaming device of the present invention is a tea steaming device that steams tea leaves by passing them through a steaming barrel to which steam is supplied. A steamer main body, an operating section that changes at least one of the control elements related to the time that tea leaves pass through the steamer barrel, and the weight of tea leaves input into the steamer barrel and the tea leaves discharged from the steamer barrel. A steaming time setting switch that sets a desired steaming time, a calculation circuit, and a control unit that controls the operation unit. Calculate the cumulative input weight and cumulative discharge weight from the calculated values,
The tea leaf steaming time is calculated from the calculated value, and the control unit compares the set steaming time and the measured steaming time, and controls the operating unit according to the comparison result. It is characterized by the following. Therefore, steaming can be performed according to the desired steaming time. Therefore,
The degree of steaming of tea leaves, which previously had to be relied on by the tea master's empirical judgment, can be controlled mechanically and with high precision.

A second tea steaming apparatus of the present invention is a tea steaming apparatus for steaming tea leaves by passing the tea leaves through a steaming barrel to which steam is supplied, which comprises a steamer body and at least passage of tea leaves through the steaming barrel. an operation section that changes at least one of the control elements related to time by operation; a measurement section that measures the input weight of tea leaves that are input into the steamer barrel; and the discharge weight of tea leaves that are discharged from the steamer barrel; The device includes a steaming time setting switch for setting the steaming time to be steamed, a calculation circuit, and a control unit for controlling the operation unit, and the calculation circuit calculates the cumulative input weight and cumulative discharge weight from the values measured by the measurement unit. and calculates the steaming time of the tea leaves from the calculated value, and the control section compares the set steaming time and the calculated steaming time, and controls the operation section according to the comparison result. The arithmetic circuit is configured to be able to reset the temporarily stored cumulative input weight and cumulative discharge weight by operating a reset switch or automatically at predetermined intervals. It is characterized by the fact that Therefore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the measurable value of the time the tea leaves pass through the steamer barrel, and in turn, it is possible to more accurately match the actual time the tea leaves pass through the steamer barrel to the set desired steaming time. .

Therefore, according to the tea steaming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to always obtain tea leaves of constant quality and of the desired quality.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the inclination of the steamer barrel was used as the factor related to the controlled passage time of tea leaves through the steamer barrel, but the factors controlled in the tea steaming apparatus of the present invention are not limited to this. However, other factors related to the time the tea leaves pass through the steaming barrel, such as the rotational speed of the steaming barrel, the rotational speed of the stirring shaft, the angle of the stirring blades protruding from the stirring shaft, etc., may also be used.
Further, some of these elements may be controlled in combination.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing a conventional tea steaming device, FIGS. 2 to 11 show an example of the implementation of the tea steaming device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows an example of a means for measuring steaming time. Fig. 3 is a schematic side view of the main part showing another example of the measuring section in the means for measuring steaming time, Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the entire tea steaming device, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of the steaming machine main body. Figure 6 is a front view of the steamer body, Figure 7 is a left side view of the steamer body, Figure 8 is an example of the operation section, A is a side view,
B is a side view showing only the drive motor taken out, FIG. 9 is a front view showing an example of a control panel, FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of a control circuit, and FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a program. It is. Explanation of symbols, 41...Operation unit, 44...Steam barrel,
76, 77... Insertion weight measuring section, 81, 82...
Discharge weight measurement section, EPROM, RAM, CPU,
EPROM, RAM, 112, 113...Arithmetic circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A tea manufacturing and steaming device that steams tea leaves by passing them through a steaming barrel to which steam is supplied, which comprises a steamer body and at least a control element that is involved in the passage time of tea leaves through the steaming barrel. an operating section that changes at least one of the elements by operation; a measuring section that measures the weight of tea leaves thrown into the steamer barrel; and the weight of tea leaves discharged from the steamer barrel; and a steamer that sets the desired steaming time. It is equipped with a time setting switch, an arithmetic circuit, and a control section that controls the operation section, and the arithmetic circuit calculates the cumulative input weight and the cumulative discharge weight from the values measured by the measuring section. The tea leaf steaming time is calculated from the numerical value, and the control unit compares the set steaming time and the measured steaming time, and controls the operating unit according to the comparison result. A tea steaming device that is characterized by: 2. A tea steaming device that steams tea leaves by passing them through a steaming barrel to which steam is supplied, which controls the steamer itself and at least one of the control elements involved in the time the tea leaves pass through the steaming barrel. An operation section that changes the rotation, a measurement section that measures the weight of tea leaves being thrown into the steamer barrel and the weight of tea leaves that are discharged from the steamer barrel, a steaming time setting switch that sets the desired steaming time, and a calculation section. a circuit, and a control section that controls the operation section, and the arithmetic circuit calculates an integrated input weight and an integrated discharge weight from the values measured by the measurement section, and uses the calculated values to control the steaming of tea leaves. The control section compares the set steaming time with the measured steaming time and controls the operation section according to the comparison result, and the control section is configured to calculate the steaming time. A tea steaming device characterized in that the temporarily stored cumulative input weight and cumulative discharge weight can be automatically reset by operating a reset switch or at predetermined intervals.