JPS5849113Y2 - Steamer leaf feeder with metering hopper - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention relates to a leaf feeder for a steamer that supplies a predetermined amount of fresh tea leaves (hereinafter simply referred to as tea confectionery) to a steamer.

In the process of steaming tea confectionery, a certain amount of tea leaves is supplied to a steamer, and a corresponding amount of steam is also supplied, and these are stirred together for action.

Normally, a steamer feeder is used to supply tea leaves, the leaf feeder hopper is fully loaded with tea leaves, the speed of the flat belt of the leaf feeder that conveys the tea leaves in an upward direction is kept constant, and the flat belt is By leveling the transported tea leaves using a leveling device so that they form a layer of a constant thickness, at least a predetermined volume of tea leaves can be supplied to the steamer.

However, the steam machine leaf feeder does not take into consideration that the density of the tea leaf layer on the flat belt changes over time due to the uneven distribution of tea leaves of different sizes, and it is simply an apparent change in the density of the tea leaf layer on the flat belt. Since the volume is only kept constant, the weight of the tea cakes to be supplied is stable, and therefore,
It is difficult to achieve homogeneous steaming because the weight of tea confectionery changes for a constant weight of steam.

This is because, in the steamer feeder shown in FIG. 1, when the tea leaves in the leaf feeder hopper 10 come into contact with the flat belt 12 that forms the bottom of the hopper 10 and are conveyed upward, they move as shown by arrow A. At this time, small tea leaves, such as the finely cut leaves produced during plucking, are sieved through large tea leaves with long stems and settle downward, and conversely, large tea leaves are relatively A floating phenomenon occurs.

In this way, the layer of tea leaves with small tea leaves unevenly distributed on the bottom and large tea leaves on the top is placed on the flat belt 1.
The tea leaves are conveyed upward by the leaf feeder hopper 10, the upper part thereof is scraped off by the scraping device 13, and the tea leaves are scraped to a predetermined thickness, centering on the small tea leaves in the lower part, and then supplied to the steamer. Of the tea confectionery packed inside, a layer of tea confectionery with small tea leaves unevenly distributed and an apparent high density is supplied first, and large tea confections with long stems are unevenly distributed and the apparent density of tea confectionery is small. remains and will continue to be supplied.

Therefore, the steamer is supplied with tea confectionery whose density changes as described above each time the leaf feeder hotsuba 10 is fully loaded with tea leaves, and the steaming process of the tea confectionery repeats insufficient and excessive steaming action, resulting in a homogeneous product. This is not done and is a factor that deteriorates the quality of tea.

This idea focuses on the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional leaf feeders for steam machines, and improves the quality of tea by improving the quality of tea by appropriately installing a weighing hopper. The purpose is to understand when feeding to the leaf feeder hopper.

Next, an example of a device implementing this invention is shown. 1 is a tea leaf storage box of a fresh leaf measuring hopper facing above the hopper 10 of a steamer leaf feeder, and 2 is a take-out door thereof.

4 is an operating motor for opening and closing the extraction door 2; 3 is a crank arm directly connected to the operating motor; 18 is an opening/closing link 1 that is pivotally connected to the crank arm 3 and the storage box 1 via a rotation shaft 24;
9, connecting rods 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23 are opening/closing links of the opening/closing door of the take-out door, and 25 is a twisting spring hung on the opening/closing link 19.

Further, the connecting rod 18 is provided with a long hole 26.

5 is a weighing rod for the fresh leaf weighing hopper, and 6 is its weight.

A limit switch 7 is provided on the upper part of the weighing rod 5, and the electric signal of the limit switch 7 is connected to the drive part of a suitable conveying device (conveyor 17) for supplying tea leaves to the storage box 1 of the fresh leaf weighing hopper.

8 is an electric control device which instructs the operating motor 4 to open and close the weighing hopper, and also measures the number of times fresh leaves are fed into the leaf feeder hopper 10 of the steamer leaf feeder.

9 is a support frame for the fresh leaf weighing hopper.

11 is a belt roller, and 12 is a flat belt of a leaf feeder.

13 is a leveling device installed on the flat belt 12 near the tip of the flat belt 12, and these 10, 11, 12
A leaf feeder such as ゜13 is common.

14 is a chute connecting the flat belt 12 of the leaf feeder and the steamer drum 15, 16 is an outlet of the steamer, and 17 is a conveyor.

In the operation of the steam machine leaf feeder according to this invention, first, when the tea leaves introduced into the storage box 1 of the weighing hopper by the belt conveyor 17 reach a weight preset by the scale rod 5 and the weight 6, The weighing rod 5 contacts the limit switch 7, and the belt conveyor 1 moves to the storage box 1 of the fresh leaf weighing hopper.
Insertion of tea leaves by step 7 is stopped.

The weighed fresh leaves are taken out for a time set in advance in the electric control device 8 (from the time the tea leaves in the storage box 1 are put into the leaf feeder hopper 10 until before they are conveyed by the flat belt 12). (preset time), the connecting rod 18 reciprocates due to the rotation of the crank arm 3 directly connected to the operating motor 4, and the opening/closing link 19°20
．． The take-out door 2 is opened and closed through 21, 22 and 23, and the leaf is fed into the feeder hopper 10.

Furthermore, in order to eliminate any hindrance to the weighing of fresh leaves by connecting the connecting rod 18, operating motor 4, and crank arm 3, the opening/closing link 19, which is loaded with a torsion spring 25, is inserted freely in the elongated hole 26 provided in the connecting rod 18. I'm trying to get into position.

Further, the amount of tea leaves dropped into the leaf feeder hopper 10, that is, the amount set by the push tube 5 and the weight 6, should be smaller, for example, to the extent that it occupies a fraction of the volume of the leaf feeder hopper 10.

The tea leaves put into the leaf feeder hopper 10 are conveyed upward by a flat belt 12 forming the bottom of the leaf feeder hopper 10, and are leveled to a predetermined thickness by a scraping device 13 provided near the tip of the flat belt 12. For example, flat belt 12 top 5 c
m), and is dropped from the tip of the flat belt 12 through the charging chute 14 into the steamer barrel 15 of the steamer.

On the other hand, in the steamer barrel 15, approximately 30
0 g of steam is supplied, and the steaming operation of the tea confectionery is performed.

Before the tea leaves in the leaf feeder hopper 10 that were previously introduced by the conveyance of the flat belt 12 are exhausted, the removal time preset in the electric control device 8 will be reached, so the weighing hopper will weigh the tea leaves to a predetermined amount. The tea leaves to be added next time are put into the hopper 10 according to a command from the electric control device 8, so that the tea leaves are continuously supplied to the steamer.

Since the steamer leaf feeder in this example is the same as before,
As shown in C. above, within the leaf feeder hopper 10, a stirring action as shown by arrow A in FIG. Rather than simply filling the leaf feeder hopper 10 with tea confectionery, by disposing a measuring hopper, tea leaves weighed in small amounts are fed into the leaf feeder hopper 10 in multiple batches. The tea leaves in the leaf machine hopper 10 are separated into small leaves and large leaves with long stems at a shorter pitch, and before the separation progresses between sweets, they are conveyed upward by the flat belt 12 and scraped and leveled. It is supplied to the steamer via the device 13.

Moreover, before the previously supplied tea confection in the leaf feeder hopper 10 runs out, the next confection is added to the hopper 10.
Since the metering hopper is controlled by the electric control device 8 so that the tea leaves supplied earlier are Even if the tea leaves are separated to some extent, the next tea confection is supplied by the time the tea leaves are finished being transported, so the separation of the previous tea leaves does not affect the next tea leaves, and therefore, the separation can be kept to a minimum. .

In this way, this invention minimizes the separation effect that conventionally occurs between tea leaves and keeps the density of the tea leaves supplied to the steamer constant, so the steamer is always supplied with a predetermined weight of tea confectionery, and the steam It is possible to obtain homogeneous steamed leaves with no aftertaste (unevenness), and the quality of tea is improved.

In addition, it is possible to measure the weight of tea leaves processed per unit time, and conversely, the amount of tea leaves supplied is set by the weighing hopper and the electric control device 8, and based on this, the speed of the flat belt 12 and the leveling device 13 are adjusted. By adjusting the amount of leveling and further matching the amount of steam supplied, the desired amount of tea leaves can be steam-treated, which is extremely effective for tea production management.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged detailed view. 1... Fresh leaf weighing hopper storage box, 2...
...Ejection door, 3...Crank arm, 4...
...Operating motor, 5... Balance rod, 6...
...Weight, 7...Limit switch, 8...
... Electric control device, 9 ... Support frame for fresh leaf measuring hopper, 10 ... Leaf feeder hopper, 11 ...
... Belt roller, 12 ... Flat belt of leaf feeder, 13 ... Leveling device, 14 ...
...Input chute, 15...Steam barrel, 16...
...Steamer outlet, 17...Conveyor 1
8... Connecting rod, 19... Opening/closing link,
20... Open/close link, 21... Open/close link, 22... Open/close link, 23...
Opening/closing link, 24...Rotation axis, 25...
・Torsion spring, 26...; Long hole.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A leaf feeder hopper 10 with the belt 12 as the bottom is provided at the starting end of a flat belt 12 that is tilted upward from the starting end toward the tip, and a leaf feeder hopper 10 with the belt 12 as a bottom surface is provided on the belt 12 closer to the tip than the hopper 10. A steamer leaf feeder equipped with a device 13;
A weighing hopper is disposed above the hopper 10 and measures a predetermined weight of tea leaves and drops them into the hopper 10. The time is set so that the weighing hopper is fed into the steamer under a certain weight, and the take-out door 2 of the weighing hopper is opened slightly before all the tea and sweets in the hopper 10 are fed into the steamer. A leaf feeder for a steamer equipped with a metering hopper consisting of an electric control device 8.