JPH05252932A - Method for controlling temperature of koji in production of koji - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To determine the quantity of operations for controlling the temperature of a culture substrate in response to the characteristics (vitality) of the culture substrate in a process for producing koji (malted rice). CONSTITUTION:In a method for controlling room temperature (c) so that the temperature (b) of a culture substrate follows a target temperature (a), the temperature-rising characteristics (vitality) (g) of the culture substrate is judged on the basis of the difference between the substrate temperature (b) and the room temperature (c), and the quantity (S) of operations for the room temperature (c) is determined in response to the degree of the temperature-rising characteristics.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling the temperature of koji for controlling koji while controlling the temperature in the koji making room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the brewing of high-quality sake, in order to obtain high-quality koji called smashed-out koji, steamed rice (culture medium) is traditionally used in many book-made boxes (koji lids). A koji lid method is employed in which the koji lid positions are manually replaced so that the koji lids are housed and kept in the same environment in each environment room. However, as a mechanical koji making method and apparatus relatively close to this, a koji lid method is disclosed. 2694
The method shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 82 is known. The above device is a device for suspending steamed rice in a number of thin box-shaped containers and suspending it with a chain so as to be stacked, and for performing vertical and horizontal transshipment movements in order to make the environmental conditions uniform. Since the changer (circulation mechanism) uses sprockets and chains inside the environment chamber, impurities are likely to be mixed into the steamed rice, making maintenance of the device difficult and measuring the product temperature to be a standard for environmental control. It had the drawback of being difficult. On the other hand, the applicant of the present invention stacks a large number of containers containing steamed rice in which koji mold is planted in an environmental chamber to form an ascending row (line) and a descending row (line), and performs mutual movement of the containers between the rows. It proposes a circulation mechanism (see Fig. 1) for transferring and moving containers in a stacked state.
In the above-mentioned koji making device, a temperature sensor is attached to one of the koji making containers that circulates in a stacked state by a combination of lifting and left-right transfer lines, and the set target product temperature is automatically tracked while watching the sample measurement value of the product temperature. A method of controlling the temperature is adopted.

[0003]

However, in the conventional koji making, the room temperature is low when the temperature is higher than the target product temperature and lower when the temperature is higher than the target product temperature based on only the high or low of the temperature-controlled product temperature with respect to the set target value of the product temperature which changes with time. Is controlled to raise the room temperature, it is insufficient when the koji mold adhering to steamed rice etc. has sufficient power (vitality or temperature rising property) to grow or grow by itself at that time. Depending on the case, the ability to respond to the set value (responsiveness) at room temperature operation may be different, resulting in inadequacy in following the product temperature, and to excessively promote the natural growth ability of the bacteria at that time. However, there was a problem that high quality koji could not be obtained. The present invention is intended to provide a product temperature control method that solves the above-mentioned problems widely, including not only brewing alcoholic beverages but also brewing miso and soy sauce.

[0004]

A method for controlling the temperature of a product according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is to store a culture medium for koji making in an environment-controlled environment chamber 1 and to prepare a product of the culture medium. In the method of controlling the room temperature c so that the product temperature b follows the target product temperature a corresponding to the temperature change, the temperature rise characteristic g of the culture medium at the time of the temperature measurement is determined from the temperature difference between the room temperature c and the product temperature b. Then
It is characterized in that the magnitude of the manipulated variable S at the indicated room temperature is determined according to the magnitude of the temperature rising characteristic g.

[0005]

According to the product temperature control method of the present invention, the operation amount S of the finger room temperature up / down operation or the lowering operation immediately after the measurement of the room temperature c and the product temperature b is performed depending on the magnitude of the temperature rising characteristic g of the culture medium such as steamed rice. Since the size is determined, for example, when the temperature rise characteristic g is large, by increasing the operation amount S for raising the instruction room temperature and increasing the operation amount S for lowering it, the target product temperature is more naturally obtained by the growth momentum of the culture medium itself. Since it reaches a, overshoot can be suppressed. Further, when the temperature raising characteristic g of the culture medium is small, by increasing the operation amount S for raising the instruction room temperature and decreasing the operation amount S for lowering it, there is an advantage that the target product temperature a can be followed accurately and quickly. As a result, high quality koji can be obtained in any case.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an outline of an apparatus used for carrying out the present invention. The koji making apparatus housed in a koji making room 1 whose environment is controlled by a controller 8 (host computer) is a koji lid (container). 2, a plattering device 3 for plowing a culture medium such as steamed rice in which koji mold is planted, and a large number of koji lids 2 after the platter are loaded and stacked, and each koji lid 2 is placed in a temperature, humidity, and A circulation (rotation) mechanism 4 for raising and lowering and transferring circulation (rotation) in order to give uniform koji-making conditions such as CO ₂ concentration, and a kneading shape is changed on the circulation mechanism 4 as necessary, and each koji lid 1 And a stirring device 6 for homogenizing fermentation conditions inside. The koji lid 2 is a rectangular wooden box and has a structure capable of maintaining the ventilation of the inside and the outside in a stacked state.

Hereinafter, each of these devices and mechanisms and their respective operations will be described in detail. A. Koji-making room The koji-making room 1 has a space for accommodating the koji-making room device as shown in FIG. 1 and its peripheral wall is non-hydrous and heat-insulating so as to form an environment room isolated from the external environment. It is made of materials and has a function to purify the outside air with an air conditioner 5 installed outdoors and adjust the temperature, humidity and air volume through the hood 7, and oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, etc. as required. .. Furthermore, in the koji making room 1, a thermometer 9a, a hygrometer 9b, and a carbon dioxide gas (CO ₂ ) which are connected to a host computer 8 composed of an external personal computer to measure and control the internal environment as described above are sampled and measured. A densitometer 10 and the like are attached. And the host computer 8
A slave computer 11, such as a sequencer, is connected between each of the arranging device 3, the circulation mechanism 4, and each operating part (described later) of the stirring device 6 to control the operation of each part, and the host computer 8 A display unit 12 such as a display screen, a hard disk 13, a storage unit 15 such as a floppy disk 14 are provided, and the air conditioner 5 is connected to the host computer 8 online (RS-23.
2C) and controlled.

B. Arrangement device A hopper 16 for introducing steamed rice is attached to the arranging device 3, and a carry-in line 17 composed of a belt conveyor for placing the koji lid 2 on standby is installed below the hopper 16 in the left-right direction. ing. On the koji lid 2, steamed rice in which a predetermined amount of koji mold is planted is discharged and dropped from the lower end of the hopper 16, and the dumper 18 is opened and closed at this time so that the steamed rice discharge and supply (sorting) amount is always constant. Is set to. In the arranging device 3, the steamed rice is laid in a mountain shape as an initial shape, and the koji lid 2 after arranging is sequentially fed into the circulation mechanism 4 on the left side in FIG.

C. Circulation Mechanism The circulation mechanism 4 accommodates the left half part of the carry-in line 17 in the lower part, and the upper transfer line 21 composed of a conveyor or the like parallel to the carry-in line 17 is horizontally installed in the upper part, and each of them has one koji. The lid 2 is horizontally moved left and right. Further, below the carry-in line 17, two actuators (not shown) composed of hydraulic cylinders and the like for supporting a large number of koji lids 2 in a two-row right and left stacked state and for raising and lowering them one step at a time are provided, and the above-mentioned raising and lowering is interconnected. Then, the top and bottom koji lids 2 are separated from each other so that the koji lid 2 can be moved left and right, and a stopper mechanism (not shown) for supporting the topmost one and the lower second one or more is provided in the line 17. , 21 along the left and right columns. The koji lid 2 is moved clockwise, as shown in the figure, by, for example, 5 by the operation of the interconnection of the actuator and the stopper and the operation of the carry-in line 17 and the transfer line 21.
It is circulated by sequentially feeding and rotating one step every minute. The first stacking and setting of the koji lid 2 for the circulation operation is performed by inserting the koji lid 2 into the circulation mechanism 4 in advance by a full set manually or by rotating the circulation mechanism 4 in the reverse direction (counterclockwise) to transfer the line 17.
You may stack sequentially from.

D. Stirrer The stirrer 6 is provided downward on the circulation mechanism 4, the rotating stirrer is inserted into the koji lid 2 so as to be able to move up and down, and if necessary, the internal stirrer is installed during the rotation operation of the koji lid 2. Stir the steamed rice or change the filling shape. These stirring and changing of the filling shape can be performed by, for example, koji making work such as middle work, finishing work,
Depending on the timing and purpose of work such as malting, the main purpose is to homogenize the whole steamed rice, allow it to cool, evaporate, and control the growth of koji in the next step.

E. Product temperature sensor A product temperature sensor 22 for measuring or detecting the temperature of the steamed rice contained in at least one of the koji lids 2 installed in the circulation mechanism 4 in a full set and two in the rotation target position.
Is installed, and the plug mounted on the circulation mechanism 4 side so as to be able to move up and down, during the lifting operation of the rotation of the koji lid 2,
The product temperature sensor 22 is connected to the product temperature sensor 22, and the product temperature of the steamed rice in the koji lid 2 is sampled and detected while moving up and down, and the detection data is input and transmitted to the host computer 8.

F. Product temperature control Koji that is ideally made is obtained by adjusting the environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity during the koji making process. Therefore, the ideal temperature, which is one of these environmental conditions, should be empirically obtained. You can Therefore, in this embodiment, an ideal set product temperature a from the start of environmental control during koji making to the start of koji (about 24 hours) is provided in advance, and the actually measured product temperature a measured by the product temperature sensor 22 is set. The instruction room temperature c measured by the thermometer 9a is controlled by the air conditioner 5 so that b follows the set product temperature a.

F-1. Control Based on Variation in Product Temperature with Target Product Temperature FIG. 2 shows an example of conventional product temperature control. In this example, the koji room 1 is used.
After preheating to a certain temperature in advance, the temperature control of the culture medium is started, and the intermediate work and the finishing work are performed in the middle of the control, and then the koji work is performed. In the figure, circle b at product temperature b
_At the measurement point t ₁ within ₁ , the quality temperature rises and approaches the target product temperature a, so if the corresponding room temperature c is lowered by the operation amount S ₁ as indicated by the circle c ₁ , the product temperature b becomes The curve shown in the circle b ₁ descends without reaching the target product temperature a. Due to the increase approaching toward the target product temperature a in the measurement point t ₂ in a circle b ₂ contrast, manipulated variable to indicate room temperature c a circle c ₂ S ₂ (although S ₁ = S ₂₎ Even if the temperature is lowered by only, the product temperature b continues to rise like the curve in the circle b ₂ ,
The curve descends as shown in circle b ₃ .

That is, in the above example, the product temperature b with respect to the target product temperature a
Since the rising and approaching conditions (variation between the target temperature a and the product temperature b and the slope of the product temperature b at each time point) are substantially the same, it is possible to control the room temperature c with the same cooling operation amounts S ₁ and S _2. Nevertheless,
One of the product temperatures b is decreasing and the other is increasing, resulting in different overshoots. It is considered that the cause of the difference between the two is based on the difference in the difference (bc) between the indicated room temperature c and the product temperature b at each time point.

F-2. Control in consideration of the temperature rise characteristic (genkiness) of the product temperature In contrast to the above control results, in the circles c ₁ and c ₂ in FIG. 3, the product temperature measuring points t ₁ and t in the circles b ₁ and b ₂ are measured. Temperature rising characteristics (vigor) judged based on the difference (bc) from the room temperature indicated in ₂
The consideration, since variable difference at t ₂ time than time point t ₁ is greater (heating characteristic small), than the operation amount S ₁ of the operation amount S ₂ indicated room c in circle c ₂ within the circle c ₁ It is operated by enlarging it in the descending direction. As a result, the product temperature b accurately follows the target product temperature a in any case as shown by the circle b ₃ . In this example, the software storing the comparative calculation of the above c and b in the storage unit 15
The host computer 8 controls the air conditioner 5 according to the result. The decrease of the article temperature b immediately after the middle job is caused by the middle job itself, and in the illustrated example, the temperature of the koji room 1 is reduced. Although the room temperature and the indicated room temperature are treated as equal, if there is a large difference between the two, it is possible to perform more accurate control based on the actually measured room temperature.

As described above, the temperature rise characteristics in this embodiment are judged binaryly by the magnitude (positive or negative) of the difference (bc) between the room temperature c and the article temperature b. In addition to the change in the product temperature, the slope of the product temperature change at that point in time
It is also possible to determine the variation and the like by calculating and computing, which is more accurate control. In addition to the above, in order to more accurately judge the temperature rise characteristics at each time point, it is preferable to proportionally grasp the magnitude of the variation of b-c and determine the room temperature operation amount according to the magnitude of the magnitude. To grasp the temperature rise characteristics in proportion to the variation of bc, for example, temperature rise characteristics (g) = m [article temperature (b) -room temperature (c)] + n (where m and n are constants) There is a formula). FIG. 4 exemplifies a case where the above method is determined based on an actual product temperature control curve. If constants m = 1 and n = 0, temperature rising characteristics g _{1 to} g at times t _{1 to} t ₄ are shown. ₄ is -12, -3, 2, respectively
As shown in Fig. 12, the difference in the product temperature b of koji with respect to the room temperature c gradually increases, and the temperature rising characteristic also increases.

For this reason, as the process proceeds from t ₁ to t ₄ , the operation amount S for lowering the room temperature c is successively increased, and the operation amount for raising the room temperature c is successively decreased. By such a method, the individuality of the koji and the temperature rising characteristic over time can be relatively grasped as concrete numerical values and reflected to the operation amount. FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the process of determining the manipulated variable when controlling the room temperature according to the method of the present invention. In this example, the temporary operation amount SA initially determined based on the target product temperature a and the product temperature b is used to determine the final actual operation amount SB depending on the magnitude of the temperature rising characteristic and the operation in the raising or lowering direction.

[0018]

According to the method of the present invention configured as described above, the finger room temperature up / down operation immediately after measuring the room temperature and the product temperature depending on the magnitude of the temperature rising characteristics of the culture medium such as steamed rice during koji making or Since the size of the lowering operation amount is determined, for example, when the temperature rising characteristic is large, the raising operation amount of the indicated room temperature is made small, and the lowering operation amount is made large, so that the growth momentum of the culture medium itself makes it more natural. Since the target product temperature a is reached, overshoot can be suppressed. In addition, when the temperature raising characteristic of the culture medium is small, there is an advantage that the target product temperature can be accurately and quickly tracked by increasing the operation amount for raising the indicated room temperature and decreasing the operation amount for lowering it. In any case, there is an effect that high quality koji can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of a koji making device used in the method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing an example of conventional product temperature control.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of article temperature control according to the method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for grasping the temperature rising characteristics of the culture medium in proportion to specific numerical values.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a system for determining a room temperature manipulated variable according to the method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 a Target product temperature b Product temperature of culture medium c Room temperature g Temperature rising characteristics S Room temperature manipulated variable SA Room temperature manipulated variable (temporary amount) SB Room temperature manipulated variable (actual amount)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A culture medium for koji making is housed in an environment-controlled environment chamber (1), and the product temperature (b) is made to follow a target product temperature (a) in response to a change in product temperature of the culture medium. At room temperature (c)
In the method of controlling temperature, the temperature rise characteristic (g) of the culture medium at the time of the temperature measurement is judged from the temperature difference between room temperature (c) and product temperature (b), and an instruction is given according to the magnitude of the temperature rise characteristic (g). A product temperature control method in koji control, characterized in that the size of a manipulated variable (S) at room temperature is determined.