JPH04286939A - Method and apparatus for continuously measuring moisture - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately and continuously measure the moisture content of an object to be measured. CONSTITUTION:A moisture measuring apparatus is equipped with a quantitative supply apparatus for continuously and quantitatively supplying an object 6 to be measured such as ground meat and a sensor 5 measuring the moisture content of the object 6 to be measured supplied by the quantitative supply apparatus 4 using light wherein an absorption wavelength is set to 1.20-1.25mum or 0.98-1.05mum and a comparison wavelength is made shorter than the absorption wavelength.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for continuously measuring the water content of water-containing materials, such as fish paste products and other water-containing foods.

0002

[Prior Art] Generally, the quality of water-containing foods, such as fish paste products, varies depending on the amount of water contained in the food, and by measuring this water content, the quality of the fish paste product can be uniformly determined. There is a need for quality control such as oxidation.

[0003] Conventionally, moisture measuring devices used in the process of producing fish paste products, etc. have used a cup or the like to collect material from a mixed and kneaded sample such as surimi, and then measured the moisture using a so-called infrared moisture meter. Ta.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional measurement described above, a worker manually collects the sample material and measures the moisture content, which is very complicated and requires a lot of time for this collection and measurement. The disadvantage is that it takes a lot of time. Furthermore, since this conventional measurement method requires manual intervention, measurement during continuous processing in a factory or the like, ie, measurement while online, is impossible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a method for measuring moisture that can continuously and accurately measure the moisture content of a water-containing object. The purpose is to provide equipment.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems Next, means for achieving the above object will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, which correspond to embodiments. The method for measuring the moisture content of a sample according to the present invention involves continuously and quantitatively supplying the sample and adjusting the absorption wavelength to 1.
Using light having a wavelength of 20 to 1.25 μm or 0.98 to 1.05 μm and a comparison wavelength shorter than the absorption wavelength, the water content of the quantitatively supplied sample is continuously measured. It is characterized by Further, the device for measuring the moisture content of a sample according to the present invention includes a quantitative supply device that continuously and quantitatively supplies the sample, and an absorption wavelength of 1.2.
A sensor that measures the water content of the sample supplied by the quantitative supply device using light having a wavelength of 0 to 1.25 μm or 0.98 to 1.05 μm and a comparison wavelength shorter than the absorption wavelength. It is characterized by having the following. Additionally, the sensor may include an optical fiber.

[0007]

[Operation] The measurement object 6 such as mixed and kneaded surimi is
It is put into the quantitative supply device 4. The quantitative supply device 4 continuously pushes out the input object 6 toward the exit of the quantitative supply device 4 . The measurement object 6 continuously pushed out by this quantitative supply device 4 has an absorption wavelength of 1.20 to 1.25 μm or 0.98 to 1
．． 05 μm and a comparative wavelength shorter than the absorption wavelength is projected, and the water content is measured.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, an embodiment of the apparatus for measuring the moisture content of an object to be measured according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The moisture measuring device of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, is roughly composed of a quantitative supply device 4, a guide pipe 3, and a sensor 5. The quantitative feeding device 4 is composed of a material extrusion device 1 and a quantitative feeding pump 2.

First, the material extrusion device 1 constituting the quantitative feeding device 4 has a hopper 1a formed in a cylindrical shape with an open upper part, and a hopper 1a is provided at the bottom of the hopper 1a as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. , a pair of screws 12, 12 are arranged with their axes substantially parallel to each other. These screws 1
2 and 12, one shaft end of each is operatively connected to a drive device such as a motor. In this material extrusion device 1, a material to be measured 6, which is a material such as a fish paste product that has been mixed and kneaded in a pre-process of a production line (not shown), is supplied to a hopper 1a, and the material to be measured 6 is passed through a pair of screws 12, 12. It is degassed, compressed to a constant density, and gradually sent to the quantitative supply pump 2 side.

Next, the quantitative supply pump 2 is constituted by a gear pump having a pair of gears 21, 21 internally meshed with each other, as shown in FIG. This metering pump 2 is connected to the outlet of the material extrusion device 1 described above, and constantly quantifies the measured object 6 sent from the material extrusion device 1 by rotating a pair of gears 21, 21 by a drive source (not shown). The feed is continuously fed to the guide pipe 3 one by one. Note that the quantitative supply pump 2 may be configured with a rotary pump configured with a pair of rotaries instead of a gear pump configured with a pair of gears.

Next, the guide pipe 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is connected approximately horizontally to the metering pump 2 as shown in FIG. Further, a gutter-shaped receiving portion 7 having an upper half cut out is integrally connected to the outlet 3a of the guide pipe 3. This guide pipe 3 is configured to form a continuous cylindrical object 6 to be measured, which is supplied from the above-mentioned quantitative supply pump 2, and then flows out.

Next, the sensor 5 is arranged at an angle (for example, 5°) with respect to the central axis of the guide pipe 3, that is, the normal direction perpendicular to the measurement surface 6a, to prevent specular reflection. This sensor 5 is a so-called two-color infrared moisture meter,
That is, when measuring the moisture content of the measurement object 6, light with a wavelength that the moisture absorbs and infrared light with a wavelength that the moisture does not absorb are respectively projected onto the measurement object, and the diffuse reflection from the measurement object is performed. The water content is measured by measuring the energy of the light for each wavelength that is returned by the detector, and by examining the difference or ratio of the energy of this light.

In the present invention, these two different wavelengths of light are defined as 1.20 to 1.25 μm or 0.98 to 1.05 μm.
Two different wavelengths are used: an absorption wavelength of μm and a comparison wavelength shorter than this absorption wavelength.

In this embodiment, although not shown, the sensor 5 has a built-in light source that emits light of the above-mentioned wavelength, and a photoelectric element that receives the reflected light of the emitted light reflected by the object to be measured. There is. The sensor 5 is placed above the guide pipe 3 at a predetermined distance, as shown in FIG.

Next, a method for measuring the moisture content of an object to be measured using the apparatus configured as described above will be explained. First, a measurement object 6, which is a material such as fish paste product mixed and kneaded in the previous process of the production line, for example, surimi, is supplied to the hopper 1a of the material extrusion device 1. In the material extrusion device 1, the screws 12, 12 are constantly rotating, and the supplied measurement object 6 is compressed to a constant density while deaerating the object, and is gradually sent to the quantitative feeding pump 2 side.

[0016] The quantitative supply pump 2 is connected to the material extrusion device 1.
The object to be measured 6 sent from the guide pipe 3 is sent to the guide pipe 3 by a fixed amount by a pair of gears 21, 21. The object to be measured 6 is moved by the guide pipe 3 over a receiving part 7 formed in a continuous column shape and connected to the guide pipe 3 .

Then, the sensor 5 on the receiving part 7 projects light of the comparison wavelength and the absorption wavelength onto the measuring object 6, detects the light returned from the measuring object 6 by irradiation with this light, and detects the light returning from the measuring object 6. 6
Measure the moisture content inside. Moisture measurement of the measurement object 6 by this sensor 5 is performed when the measurement object 6 is connected to the above-mentioned quantitative supply device 4.
Since the sample is continuously sent to the guide pipe 3, measurements can be performed continuously. Note that the measurement object 6 that has fallen from the measuring receiving section 7 is moved again to the next process on the production line by a conveyor or the like (not shown).

Now, the above-mentioned surimi measurement object 6 of the present invention
Fig. 4 shows an example of the measurement results using the moisture measurement method and device. These are the results of measurement using an absorption wavelength of 1.2 μm and a comparison wavelength of 1.1 μm, and an absorption wavelength of 1.0 μm and a comparison wavelength of 0.95 μm. In both cases, the electrical output increases as the moisture content increases, making it possible to measure high moisture levels.

By the way, in the embodiment described above, the sensor 5
However, as shown in FIG. 1, an example was described in which light is projected onto the object at a predetermined distance, but as shown in FIG. 5, this sensor is equipped with an optical fiber, and this optical fiber 5c
may be fixed to the guide pipe 3. In this case, the optical fiber 5c is composed of a coaxial fiber, and the tip of the fiber penetrates the peripheral wall of the guide pipe 3, projects into the guide pipe 3, and is fixed. That is, the moisture content of the object to be measured 6 is measured within the guide pipe 3.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a gutter-shaped receiving portion 7 is connected to the outlet of the guide pipe 3, and a projection type sensor 5 is disposed above the receiving portion 7, but as shown in FIG. A nozzle 10 having a rectangular cross section may be connected to the nozzle 10, and the measurement may be performed using transmission type sensors 5a and 5b. In this case, the object to be measured 6 is formed into a rectangular cross section by the nozzle 10, and as shown in FIG. Sensors 5a and 5b are arranged on both sides to project light onto the object to be measured,
The measurement is performed by receiving the transmitted light from the measurement object 6 along with the projection of this light.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8, each transmission type sensor may be provided with optical fibers 5d and 5e, and each fiber 5d and 5e may be fixed facing the guide pipe 3.

[0022] The above-mentioned embodiment is merely an example, and the moisture measuring method and device thereof according to the present invention are applicable to measuring the moisture of various high-moisture objects.

[0023]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the moisture content measuring method and device according to the present invention are capable of measuring the moisture content of a uniformly measured object by continuously supplying it with a metering supply device installed in the device and using a sensor. Since the measurement can be carried out continuously and easily with high accuracy, it is possible to stably control the moisture content of the sample to be measured, and it has an excellent effect in terms of quality control in that the product can be made uniform.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of a moisture measuring device according to the present invention.

[Fig. 2] A schematic plan view of the quantitative supply device according to the same embodiment.

[Fig. 3] A schematic side view of the quantitative supply device according to the same embodiment.

[Figure 4]
Explanatory diagram showing the measurement results of the measuring device according to the same example

[Fig. 5] Schematic side view of a moisture measuring device according to another embodiment.

[
FIG. 6: Partially enlarged perspective view of a moisture measuring device according to another embodiment

[Fig. 7] Schematic side view of a moisture measuring device according to another embodiment.

[
FIG. 8: Schematic side view of a moisture measuring device according to another embodiment

[Explanation of symbols]

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method for measuring the water content of a material to be measured, in which the material to be measured is continuously and quantitatively supplied, and the absorption wavelength is set to 1.20 to 1.25 μm or 0.98 to 1.05 μm.
m, and the water content of the sample to be quantitatively supplied is continuously measured using light having a comparative wavelength shorter than the absorption wavelength. 2. A moisture measuring device for measuring the moisture content of a sample, comprising: a quantitative supply device that continuously and quantitatively supplies the sample; and an absorption wavelength of 1.20 to 1.25 μm or 0.98 to 1 μm. .05 μm, and a sensor that measures the moisture content of the sample supplied by the quantitative supply device using light with a comparative wavelength shorter than the absorption wavelength. A device to measure moisture. 3. The apparatus for continuously measuring moisture according to claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises an optical fiber.