JPH04131079A - System for supplying and recycling in automatic koji-producing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the subject system by moving one of conveying liens for conveying koji (rice mold) covers between an elevating line and a descending line one top and bottom parts thereof and a supplying line for supplying the koji covers from the outside in the same direction. CONSTITUTION:A large number of koji covers 2 piled up in layers are moved up in order using an elevating line 36a, then transferred to a descending line 36b by a conveying line 27b, subsequently moved down in order and then transferred to the elevating line 36a by a conveying line 27a. A supplying line 19 for supplying the koji covers 2 from the outside and the conveying line 27a are moved in the same direction and a single conveyor or other conveying unit is used in common for both the lines.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Industrial application field> The present invention relates to an inlet circulation mechanism in an automatic koji making machine.

<Conventional technology> The koji production method generally used in brewing, fermentation, and technology such as sake production involves storing steamed rice in a relatively large wooden box (koji box) and producing each koji box in the koji room. The box koji method of making koji, and the mechanical koji method of mechanically performing the stirring, environmental control, etc. associated with koji making to save labor (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-16967) are known, and both methods require a fixed amount of steamed rice. What they have in common is that they are carried out as one unit.

However, to brew high-quality and high-grade sake called ginjo-shu, a small amount of steamed rice is stored in many small wooden containers (koji lids) in order to stably obtain high-quality tsukiha seikoji. It has been known for a long time that the most preferable method is the koji lid method, which involves stacking these and fermenting them. However, in this method, in order to make the fermentation environment of the koji uniform in a large number of koji lids and in each koji lid, it is necessary to repeatedly change the stacking position during koji making and stir to change the shape of the mounds inside the koji lid. There is.

In contrast, a conventional method and device for mechanically changing the upper and lower positions of the koji lid is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-26948.
The one shown in Publication No. 2 is publicly known.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the above-mentioned conventional mechanism, the koji lid is supported by each shelf that is raised and lowered in the lifting circulation device, so the lifting mechanism becomes complicated and the inside of the circulation device is The only way to transport the koji is by hand or by using a transport means for taking out the koji, and the transport means must be provided separately from the transport means in the circulation system, which is uneconomical in terms of cost and maintenance. There is.

Also, when adding an elevating circulation device to increase the capacity of the circulation device, it is necessary to make complicated adjustments to accurately match the heights of the shelves of each elevating mechanism. There are problems such as the inability to share means.

Means for Solving the Problems> The device of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems sequentially raises a large number of koji lids 2 in a state in which they are each stacked at a predetermined height within the frame 26. An ascending line 36a that rises and a descending line 36b that descends sequentially.
and a transfer line 27b that mutually transfers and supplies the koji lid 2 above and below the ascending line 36a and descending line 36b,
27a to form a circulation mechanism 4, and there are two empty spaces 62a in the circulation mechanism 4 that allow movement of the koji cover 2.
, 62b are provided, and a carry-in line 19 for carrying in the koji lid 2 from the outside to the circulation mechanism 4 is connected to the transfer line 27a.
The structure is such that the koji lid 2 is moved and carried in the same direction as the transport direction of the koji lid 2.

In the ascending line 36a in the circulation mechanism 4 of the koji cover 2,
A large number of stacked koji lids 2 are lifted up step by step by the lower actuator 38a, and the lowering line 36b is also lowered step by step by the actuator 38b from below.

As the koji lid 2 rises and falls, the upper and lower transfer lines 27
b, 27a, the top koji lid 2 of the ascending line 36a is transferred onto the descending line 38b, and the bottom koji lid 2 of the descending line 36b is transferred to the bottom of the ascending line 36a by the upper and lower transfer lines 27b, 27b, respectively. be done.

And, either of the above transfer lines 27a, 27b,
The koji lids are fed in the same direction by a conveyance line 19 that feeds the koji lids 2 into the circulation mechanism 4.

<Example> The drawings show an example of the present invention, and FIGS. 1 and 2 are a front view and a side view of a koji making apparatus housed in a koji making chamber 1.

In this embodiment, the koji making device is a device 3 for plating the first steamed rice on the koji lids 2, and a device 3 for plating, which carries in a large number of subsequent koji lids 2 and stacks them, and in the stacked state, each koji Temperature the lid 2,
Circulation mechanism 4 that lifts and lowers and transfers and circulates (rotates) to evenly provide koji making conditions such as humidity and Cot concentration.
and a stirring device 6 for uniformizing the fermentation conditions within each koji lid 1 by changing the shape of the lip on the circulation mechanism 4 as necessary.

Each of these devices and mechanisms and their respective functions will be described in detail below.

I. Koji-making chamber The koji-making chamber 1 has a peripheral wall made of a non-water-containing and heat-insulating material so as to form an environmental chamber that has a space capable of accommodating the koji-making chamber device and is isolated from the outside environment. , is connected to an air conditioner 7 installed outdoors by upper and lower air passages 8.9 and a hood 1].

The air conditioner 7 purifies the outside air and adjusts the temperature, humidity, air volume,
It also has other functions that can adjust oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, etc. as necessary.

Further, in the koji making chamber 1, a thermometer 12 is connected to an external controller (not shown) to measure and control the internal environment as described above. Hygrometer 13. A concentration meter 14 etc. for sampling and measuring carbon dioxide gas (CO) is installed.

(2) Apparatus for plating A hopper 18 for introducing steamed rice is attached to the frame 16 via a load sensor 17 that measures the load based on the amount of strain on the frame 16. A carry-in line 19 consisting of a belt conveyor for placing and waiting is installed in the left and right direction.

A predetermined amount of steamed rice 24 (see FIG. 6) is discharged and dropped from the discharge port 21 of the hopper 18 to the koji lid 2, and at this time, the drive unit 23 for opening and closing the damper is activated by the load sensor 17.
The damper 22 is set to open and close in response to the measured value so that the amount of steamed rice supplied (plated) is always constant.

In the batch type, the amount of steamed rice supplied to the hopper 18 is determined by the amount of rice to be placed on the koji lid 2 per sheet and the total amount of steamed rice (for example, 80 to 90 kg) to be loaded into the circulation mechanism 4, which will be described next. In the supply type, it is desirable to have a mechanism that can adiabatically close the supply port (not shown) to the hopper 18.

The steamed rice 24 is plated in the device 3 in the initial shape shown in FIG. sent to.

■, Circulation mechanism (i) Lower transfer line Below the frame 26 of the circulation mechanism 4, there is a lower transfer line 2 formed by extending the left end of the conveyor line 9.
The two endless healds 28 (see Figs. 2 to 4) are inserted in the left and right sides of the 7a, and are arranged by a pulley 29 at the right end of the device 3 and a drive with a motor 31 at the left end of the circulation mechanism 4. It is wound around a pulley 32, and a guide boo IJ33 supporting the belt 28 and the koji cover 2 is pivotally supported at an appropriate pitch below the upper side of the belt 28.

((1) Lifting line Inside the frame 26, the koji lids 2 are arranged in two rows on the left and right along the guides 34 inside the frame in multiple stages (in the illustrated example, there are eight stages with one empty space in each row). The ascending line 36a and the descending line 3 are stacked close to and parallel to each other.
6b is formed, and between the belts 28 and 28 below both lines 36a and 36b is an actuator consisting of an air cylinder with a receiving plate 37 that stops or lifts the lowermost koji lid 2 from below to raise and lower it. 38a, 38b
Or installed facing upwards. the actuator 38a,
38b shows steamed rice (malt) in the koji lid 2 as the koji making progresses.
A weighing device (not shown) is attached to detect changes in weight.

The rising line 36a is a mechanism in which the koji lid 2 sent by the lower transfer line 27a is intermittently raised upward one step at a time interval by an actuator 38a.
The descending line 36b is a mechanism in which, when the koji lid 2 is transferred to the uppermost stage by an upper transfer line 27b (to be described later), it is lowered step by step in accordance with the ascending interval in the ascending line by operating an actuator 38b. For these operations, in addition to the actuators 33a and 38b, stopper mechanisms 3 provided before and after each line, which will be described later, are used.
9 is connected to the grid.

(iii) Composition of the koji lid The koji lid 2 consists of a box-shaped wooden tray measuring, for example, 500 x 700 x 120 inches, as shown in Fig. 4, and the center is partitioned into left and right by a left-right partition plate 41 On the front and back sides of the koji cover 2, handles 40 with angular cross sections are attached horizontally, and the lower ends of the front and back peripheral walls protrude from the bottom surface, and when stacked, ventilation windows 42 are formed on the left and right wall ends. In addition, covers 43 made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum are attached to the upper and lower ends of the front and rear peripheral walls to prevent damage during stacking or transportation, and the lower ends of the peripheral walls roughly slide left and right. It is curved to make it easier to hold.

(1v) Operation of stopper mechanism and lifting line The stopper mechanism 39 is provided close to each front and back position of the lifting lines 36a and 36b, and when looking at this on the lowering line 36b side, it is shown in Figs. 4 and 5. As shown in (A), a stopper frame 44 fixedly provided on the frame 26 side has an F-shaped lever 46 and a pawl 47 that are rotatable in both upper and lower positions and are pivoted approximately at their respective centers. The upper end of a vertical rod 48 is connected to the outer end of the lever 46, and a bracket 49 is provided on the lower claw 47 and projects from the outer side, and is connected to the rod 48 so as to be slidable up and down. A centering ring 51 is fitted onto the rod 48 near the top of the bracket 49 to restrict upward sliding of the bracket 49.

A spring 52 is mounted on the end of the rod 48 that projects downward from the bracket 49, and a spring holder 53 constantly urges the bracket 49 upward. With this mechanism, when the lever 46 and the pawl 47 rotate about the fixed fulcrum, the rod 48. They form an interlocking mechanism in which they mutually rotate in the same direction via a bracket 49. However, if the lever 46 is rotated counterclockwise beyond a certain level, the pawl 47 will move against the stopper bin 54 protruding from the stopper frame 44 side.
Since the lever 46 contacts and stops, the spring 52 is compressed and the lever 46 rotates against the spring 52, and the lever 46 is also returned to its original position by the spring 52.

FIGS. 5(A) to 5(E) show the rotation operation of the descending line 36b by the actuator 38b and the stopper mechanism 39, and FIG. 5(A) shows the upper ends of the claws 47, which are paired on the left and right and have a V-shape. Then, koji cover■(■
The left and right ends of the handles 4 of the handles 4 (~■ represent the number of stages from the bottom of the koji lids 2) are placed, and all of the koji lids 2 that overlap above these are supported. From this state, as shown in Figure (B), when the actuator 38b lifts ■, the lever 46 rotates clockwise by the handle 40 of ■, and the claw 47 assumes a substantially upright position, allowing the handle 40 of ■ to pass through. Become.

Next, as shown in the same figure (C), when the actuator 38b is lowered, the stacked whole koji lids 2 are lowered, and at this time, the handle 40 (■) comes into contact with the upper inner side of the lever 46 and rotates it counterclockwise. Therefore, the claws 47 also rotate in the same direction and come into contact with the stopper 54 to restore and stop in a left or right or V-shape as shown in (D) and (E') in the figure. It is locked, and the entire koji lid 2 stacked above ■ is supported. 2 is lowered as the actuator 38b is lowered, placed on the lower transfer line 27a, and transferred to the lowermost position of the ascending line 36a.

On the other hand, raising the koji lid 2 step by step in the ascending line 36a (rotation operation) involves raising the new koji lid 2 (not shown) transferred downward from the state shown in FIG. 5(A) using the actuator 38a. or by
At this time, the inner end of the lever 46 is attached to the bracket 48 on the rod 48 so as to hold it in a position slightly rotated counterclockwise from FIG. 5(A) to allow the handle 40 to rise.
As a result, when the lowest koji lid 2 rises, the handle 4D rotates the claw 47 clockwise against the spring 52, and the handle 40 of As the lever 46 rises, the spring 52 and the rod 4
8 in the clockwise direction (■ is replaced by ■ in the state shown in FIG. 5(C)), and then the actuator 38a is lowered, through the processes shown in FIGS. 5(C) to (D), Claw 4
A new koji lid 2 is placed on top of the koji lid 7.

(v) Transfer Line The lower transfer line 27a is connected to the belt 28 as already mentioned.
The motor 31 is shared with the carry-in line 19, and the koji lid 2 descended from the descending line 36b is transferred to the transfer line 27a.
It is transferred to the localization value below the rising line 36a.

On the other hand, on the lifting lines 36a and 38b, a transfer line 27b is provided on the frame 26 to horizontally transfer the koji lid 2 at the top position of each line from left to right, and the transfer line 27b is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, a sprocket 57 is pivotally supported by a bracket 56 at the front and rear ends of the left and right sides of the frame 26, and two chains 58 are wound around the sprocket 57 in the left and right direction. It is composed of a motor 59 that drives the sprocket 57 and chino 58.

Then, when the koji lid 2 rises to the highest position on the ascending line 36a and the uppermost position of the descending line 36b becomes an empty space, the descending line 36b is moved from above the ascending line 36a.
The koji cover 2 is horizontally slid and transferred on top. The front and rear chenos 58 are stretched along the handle 40 of the koji lid 2, as shown in FIG. The locking portion 61 is provided with a predetermined pinch.

In the lifting lines 36a, 36b, there are empty spaces 62a, 62b corresponding to one koji lid 2 between the top position of the rising line 36a and the bottom position of the descending line 36b in order to smoothly perform the above-mentioned rotation. With this configuration, the lifting and lowering operations and the left and right transfer operations can be performed at the same time.

By configuring the lifting line by stacking the koji lids 2 as described above, the actuators 38a, 3
The lifting line can be constructed with a lifting device having a simple mechanism such as the stopper mechanism 8b and the stopper mechanism 39.

(2) Stirring device The stirring device 6 transfers the steamed rice 24 plated by the device 3 from the state shown in FIG. 6(A) to, for example, the state shown in FIG. 6(B).
(C') etc. This change is done every rotation or several times in order to ferment the entire koji in the koji cover 2 under uniform conditions, depending on the progress of koji making. It is held at intervals of two days.

The stirring device 6 includes a bracket 63 protruding from the ascending line 36a, a swinging arm 64 consisting of a parallel link whose base end or bending point is pivotally supported on the bracket 63, and a swinging arm 64 attached to the tip of the swinging arm 64. an agitation unit 67 with a motor 66 mounted thereon, and an air linter 6 attached to the frame 26 side so as to swing the right end of the swing arm 64 up and down.
It consists of 8.

FIG. 7 shows the structure of the stirring section 67. In this example, for each of the left and right sections of the koji lid 2 divided into two by the partition plate 41, a plurality of agitators are arranged in the front and rear direction when the swinging arm 64 is lowered. A rotating shaft 69 of the book is inserted downward, and around the rotating shaft 69, four horizontal stirring rods 71 are partially protruded at different angles at different pitches. The stirring part 67 descends from above when the koji lid 2 starts to be transferred from the ascending line 36a to the descending line 36b, and alternately continues to rotate in reverse. Before coming into contact, it is swung upward by the cylinder 68 and stored in a standby position for the next stirring operation. This operation stirs the koji in the koji lid 2, but in order to obtain a desired mound shape, the speed of the upper transfer line 27b may be changed or the stirring section 67 may be repeatedly oscillated.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the stirring section 67, in which each stirring section 67 or stirring rod 71 is alternately attached to opposite spiral bodies 72 or rotating shafts 69. In addition, the stirring part 67 may be a leveling plate-like member or a comb-like member that does not have a rotating part as described above and is lowered from above to change the shape of the mound.

■, Ventilation control rod - As shown in Figure 2, a ventilation control section 73 is installed in the air passage 9 that returns indoor air to the air conditioner 7. If the CO7 concentration increases excessively or the humidity suddenly changes due to a drop in the indoor environmental temperature, ventilation adjustments are made such as releasing indoor air to the outside and introducing outside air into the air conditioner 7.

That is, the ventilation adjustment section 73 has openings 74a and 74b at the top and bottom.
A box-shaped case 76 with
Tampers 77a and 77b for opening and closing the tamper 4b are each pivotally supported, and in a normal state, both tampers 77a and 77
By blocking the openings 74a and 74b, the case 76 acts as a part of the air passage.
When openings 7b are opened by the same amount, outside air is introduced through the openings 14a and sent to the air conditioner 7, depending on the degree of opening, and indoor air is discharged to the outside through the openings 74b.

When the dampers 74a, 74b are further rotated, the dampers 74a, 74b overlap each other diagonally as shown by the imaginary lines in FIG. So,
All the air sent into the air conditioner 7 becomes outside air, and all the air released from the room is released outside.

As shown in the figure, the dampers 77a, 77b include an arm 78a, which is pivotally supported together with the dampers 77a, 77b.
78b, a rod 79 connecting the ends of the arms 78a and 78b, and the damper 77 by swinging the arm 78a.
A, 77b are driven by a cylinder 81 attached to the case 76 side that interlocks opening and closing in opposite directions.

■ Measurement of the temperature of one product In order to understand the progress of fermentation (malt production) in the koji making room 1, is it extremely important to measure the temperature of the koji in the koji lid 2 and its changes? In this method, a mechanism and method are adopted in which the temperature of each specific piece of koji is constantly measured during the ascending or descending operation in the circulation mechanism.

The mechanism for measuring the above-mentioned product temperature will be explained below.

Vertical guide rods 82 are installed on the left and right side surfaces of the frame 26 of the circulation mechanism, and each rod 82 is attached with a plug 83 of a magnetically attachable/detachable type so as to be slidable up and down. On the other hand, for example, the rising line 36
Magnetic outlets 84 are attached to both sides of the koji lid 2 located at the bottom of a, to which the magnetic plug 83 is connected by attraction, and both are connected in advance by a solenoid or the like before starting the temperature measurement.

In addition, as shown in Fig. 3, a measurement circuit 85 is wired inside the koji cover 2 at the bottom, which leads to both the left and right ends, and a product temperature sensor 86 consisting of a platinum sensor or the like is installed in the center. is configured so that it can be electrically measured through either the left or right Hunsent 84.

As a result, in the rising line 36b, the plug 83 and the outlet 84 rise while being connected together from the bottom to the top of the koji lid 2, and the temperature of the measured product is sent to the controller (not shown) through the coat 87. The plug 83 and outlet 84 are removed at the moment the koji cover 2 is transferred to the descending line 36b, and after the transfer, the descending line 3
The plug 83 waiting at the top of the koji lid 6b is connected to the outlet 84 on the right side of the koji lid 2, and the temperature of the product is measured until the koji lid 2 descends to the bottom. During this time, the plug 83 slowly descends downward due to its own weight and waits for the next connection.

On the other hand, on the descending line 36b side, the plug 83 on the descending line side is set to the outlet 84 on the right side of the koji cover 2 at the top position, and apart from the measurement on the ascending line side, the above-mentioned on the descending line side is set. Similar product temperature measurements are performed until the koji lid 2 is lowered to the lowest stage and transferred to the ascending line. The plug 83, which has been lowered by the descending line 36b and separated from the outlet 84, is removed by a refill device 88 for pulling up the outlet, which is attached above the plug 83.
It will automatically be raised to the highest standby position.

As described above, the ascending line 36a and the descending line 36
The product temperature is continuously measured at one koji lid, a total of two koji lids.

(2) Addition of the circulation mechanism In the above-mentioned circulation mechanism, when increasing the capacity of the entire device, for example, a circulation mechanism without the transfer line 27a drive motor 31 may be used for the circulation mechanism 4 and the serving device 3 shown in FIG. If the belts 28 are interposed side by side and connected so as to share the carry-in line I9 and the transfer line 27g, the belt 28 can be easily expanded by replacing it with a longer one.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the mechanism of the present invention configured as described above, the koji lids in the lifting line are stacked in multiple stages, which simplifies the lifting mechanism. Since the carrying direction is the same, it is easy to connect the carrying line and the transfer line, and both lines can be shared by a single conveyor or other feeding means.It is also possible to connect the steamed rice input device etc. before carrying in. It's easy to do.

In addition, when adding other circulation devices to increase the capacity of the circulation device, it is sufficient to install devices of the same structure sequentially in parallel along the direction of the carry-in line. Even in this case, the carry-in line and transfer line are shared and It has the advantage that expansion work is easy and low cost, such as only needing to extend the line itself.

Furthermore, when the system is expanded as described above, a plurality of circulation devices are lined up in a line and in the same direction along the delivery line, which has the effect of making it easier to maintain the devices and manage the koji making.

In addition to the above, since two empty spaces are provided in the circulation mechanism, the koji lid can be raised and transferred from side to side at the same time, which has the advantage of increasing the filling speed and the setting speed of the koji lid.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a partially sectional front view of the koji making apparatus, FIG. 2 is a side view, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the circulation mechanism, and FIG. 4 is a part of the circulation mechanism. Disassembled perspective view, Figures 5 (A) to (E) are explanatory diagrams showing the lowering operation mechanism of the koji lid in the lowering line and its operation, and Figures 6 (A) to (C') are illustrations of the koji lid inside the koji lid. FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing the structure of the upper transfer line and the stirring device, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view showing another embodiment of the stirring device. 1: Koji lid 4; Circulation mechanism 6: Stirring device 19/Carry-in line 26: Frame 27a, 27b: Transfer line 36a:
Rising line 36b: descending line 38a, 38
b: 7 rif Uni939: Stopper mechanism 4
o1 handle 46: Reha 47: Stopper 4g: o Rad 62a, 62b: Empty space 73:
Ventilation control section

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A rising line (36a) in which a large number of koji lids (2) are stacked at a predetermined height within the frame (26), and a descending line (36a) in which the koji lids (2) are successively raised and lowered; (36b) and the rising line (36a)
) and above and below the descending line (36b).
2) transfer lines (27b) and (27a)
) to form a circulation mechanism (4), and the circulation mechanism (4
) are provided with two empty spaces (62a) and (62b) to allow the movement of the koji lid (2), and the above-mentioned circulation mechanism (4) is provided.
In contrast, there is a carry-in line (1) that carries in the koji cover (2) from outside.
9) is a carry-in circulation mechanism in an automatic koji making machine installed in a structure that moves and carries in the koji cover (2) in the same direction as the transfer direction of the koji cover (2) in the transfer line (27a).