JPS59193319A - Method and apparatus for measuring leaf tea steaming time - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To measure the leaf tea steaming time accurately by a method wherein the discharge weight in terms of raw leaf is subtracted from the weight of raw leaf supplied to determine the weight of tea leaves passing through a steaming shell and the results are divided by the supplying weight per unit time to calculate the passage time of tea leaves through the steaming shell. CONSTITUTION:As raw leaves are fed onto a belt 9 of a weighing conveyor 6 from a leaf feeder 15, the frame 7 displaces downward by the weight of the raw leaves and the resistance value of a variable resistor 13 gives a value corresponding to the weight of the raw leaves placed on the belt 9. Raw leaves supplied into a steaming shell 1 are steamed moving from a fixed shell 2 to a rotary shell 3 and discharged from an discharge port 16 to be placed onto a conveyor 17. The resistance value of a variable resistor 24 of displacement detector 23 gives a value corresponding to the weight of steamed leaves placed on a belt 20. A CPU calculates the steaming time according to a computation program written into an ROM and indicates the results on a display means DISP. The discharge weight in terms of raw leaves is calculated by multiplying the discharge weight of the steamed leaves by a specified raw leaf conversion coefficient.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a novel tea steaming time measuring method and a tea steaming time measuring device, and more specifically, it is capable of substantially continuously measuring the steaming time of tea leaves passing through a steamer barrel. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel tea manufacturing and steaming time measuring method and a tea manufacturing and steaming time measuring device that can be used without causing a time delay in the timing of measurement.

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 that takes place is so important that it is said to determine the value of the raw tea product. This steaming process quickly loses the activity of the 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 confectionery, removes the grassy odor, and leaves Ibara's freshness. It has the purpose of elevating the aroma and softening the leaf quality, and the raw leaves input through the input port of the steaming barrel are processed mainly by the tilting of the steaming barrel, the rotation of the steaming barrel, and the rotation of 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 are:
These include the temperature, amount and pressure of steam, the degree of beating or rolling pressure, the amount of fresh leaves input, and the steaming time, that is, the time the fresh leaves pass through the steam barrel. Of course, each of these factors is not individually related to the achievement of the above-mentioned objectives, but is involved in a complex manner, and among them, the steaming time is an especially 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 changes that fresh leaves undergo. This is because the chemical denaturation is significantly different. These physical changes and chemical modifications include softening of the fibers of tea confections, destruction of cells, and modification of color and aroma components, and these changes and modifications determine the properties of the steamed leaves. 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 leaves are obtained. It is necessary to set a specific desired steaming time and 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 best, the control elements related to the steaming time are adjusted appropriately based on the finished quality of the steamed leaves. Ta.

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 steamer main body, b the leaf feeder, and C the cooling machine. d is a steaming barrel, and the steaming barrel d consists of a fixed barrel g, which has an inlet e formed at one end and a steam supply section f at the other end, and a rotating barrel 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 a pivot point of the movable frame i, 1 is a barrel inclination adjustment mechanism, m is a working lever of the adjustment mechanism 1, n is a stirring shaft that passes through the steamer barrel d in the axial direction of the barrel, A large number of stirring blades (not shown) are protruded from the stirring shaft n. 0 is a drive 8B, and the drive section 0 is equipped with a drive mechanism for driving a rotating barrel and a stirring shaft n.

The fresh leaves are then introduced into the steamer barrel d from the input port e of the fixed barrel g by the leaf feeder, and are transferred within the steamer barrel d for several tens of seconds to several minutes, and during this transfer. The above-mentioned physical changes and chemical modifications are carried out while being subjected to heating by steam, the co-rotating action of the rotating barrel, and the rotational action of the stirring blades protruding from the stirring 1jhn. It is discharged from the steam barrel d from the outlet p. and,
The steamed leaves discharged from the steamer drum d are cooled by a cooler C. Chama, who manages the steaming process, occasionally samples the steamed leaves that are discharged from the outlet p of the M-drum 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 sensing the evaporation and dew conditions, and if you are dissatisfied with the judgment results, change the rotation speed of the rotating barrel, the rotation speed of the stirring shaft n, or the inclination of the steaming barrel. Adjust control elements such as temperature and steam properties as appropriate.

Among these control elements, the rotational speed of the rotating barrel and the stirring shaft n
The rotational speed of the steamer d and the degree of inclination of the steaming drum d are factors that directly relate to the appropriate time for fresh leaves to pass through the steamer d, that is, the steaming time.In particular, the degree of inclination of the steamer d is a factor that greatly influences the steaming time.

The conventional steaming process is carried out as described above, and the steaming time is managed using a so-called hands-on 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 appropriately adjusting the control elements based on the finished quality of the steamed leaves.
It was necessary to use an extremely complicated method of checking the quality of the leaves and repeating these adjustments and checks if necessary.

Moreover, such adjustment work requires extremely delicate techniques and many years of experience, and even with such skilled techniques, it is impossible to achieve a constant steamed leaf quality.

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 empirical judgment during tea time.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a novel tea steaming time measuring method that can always accurately measure the steaming time of leaf tea that passes continuously through a steamer barrel. and to provide a tea steaming time measuring device.

Summary of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, the method for measuring tea steaming time of the present invention calculates the input weight per unit time of fresh leaves input into the steamer drum, the discharge weight per unit time of steamed leaves from the steamer drum, The weight of steamed leaves discharged per unit time is multiplied by the fresh leaf conversion coefficient to determine the weight of fresh leaves discharged, and the fresh leaf input per unit time from the time when fresh leaves were started to be input to the steamer drum up to the present is calculated. The weight and the fresh leaf equivalent output weight per unit time are respectively integrated, and the weight of the tea confectionery passing through the steamer barrel is determined by subtracting the integrated fresh leaf equivalent output weight from the integrated fresh leaf input weight. It is characterized in that the weight of the tea confectionery is divided by the input weight per unit time to calculate the passage time of the tea confectionery in the steam barrel.

The tea steaming time measuring device of the present invention also includes a means for measuring the weight of fresh leaves input into the steamer drum per unit time, and a means for measuring the weight of steamed leaves discharged from the steamer drum per unit time. , Multiply the steamed leaf output weight per unit time by a predetermined fresh leaf conversion coefficient to obtain the fresh leaf equivalent output weight, integrate the above fresh leaf input weight per unit time and the fresh leaf equivalent discharge weight per unit time, and calculate the fresh leaf output weight by multiplying the fresh leaf output weight per unit time. It consists of an arithmetic circuit that calculates the passage time of the tea confectionery in the steam barrel by calculating the difference between the integrated value of the input weight and the output weight in terms of fresh leaves, and further dividing the difference by the weight of fresh leaves input per unit time. Features.

EXAMPLES Below, details of the present invention will be explained in the order of a tea manufacturing and steaming time measuring device and a tea manufacturing and steaming time measuring method.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the tea steaming time measuring device 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 designates an input port formed at the upper part of the base end of the fixed barrel 2, and reference numeral 5 designates a cylindrical steam chamber provided so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the tip end of the fixed barrel F42. A stirring shaft with stirring blades protruding through the steaming barrel 1 is passed through, and a driving section is disposed on the base end side of the fixed barrel 2, and this driving section rotates the rotating barrel 3 and the stirring shaft. It is designed to be 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 a detailed explanation will be omitted.

6 is a weighing conveyor for measuring the weight of fresh leaves to be fed into the steamer drum 1; an endless belt 9 is passed between rollers 8 and 8 supported at both ends of the frame 7; is supported by a base 11 via springs 10 and lO. 1
2 is a displacement detector such as a potentiometer or a differential transformer, and a variable resistor 13 and the variable resistor 1
A movable element 14 that changes the resistance value of 3 is provided.

The p-type mover 14 is 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 the fresh leaves are fed from the leaf feeder 15 onto the belt 9 of the meter/conveyor 6, the fresh leaves loaded on the belt 9 will be transferred to the delivery end of the conveyor 6. The leaves are fed into the steamer barrel 1 through the input port 4 of the fixed barrel 2, and the fresh leaves introduced into the steamer barrel L are transferred from the fixed barrel 2 to the rotary barrel 3, and then passed through the outlet port 16 of the rotary barrel 3 into the steamer barrel. 1. Extracted outside. While being transferred inside the steamer barrel l, it is heated by the steam supplied from the steam chamber 5 and rotates lp.
It is stirred and pressed by the stirring blade and the stirring blade, and steaming is performed by receiving these heating, stirring, and pressing pressures. 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. is moved in a predetermined direction, thereby changing the resistance value of variable resistor J3. 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 that measures the weight of steamed leaves discharged from the steamer drum 1, and rollers 19 supported at both ends of #18
．． ．． An endless belt 20 is passed between the racks 19 and 19.
The frame 18 is supported on a base 22 via springs 21.21. Reference numeral 23 denotes a displacement detector similar to the displacement detector 12 described above, which is composed of a variable resistor 24 and a movable element 25, and the movable element 25 is interlocked with the vertical displacement movement of the frame 18 of the weighing conveyor 17. It is designed to move up and down. 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. The steamed leaves discharged from the discharge port 16 of the steamer drum 1 are loaded onto the conveyor 17 one after another, and the leaves on the loaded 1 are led from the delivery end of the conveyor 17 to a cooler (not shown) and then transported to the next stage. It is sent to the rough rolling process. and bell) 20
When steamed leaves are placed on top of the weighing conveyor 17, 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 of the frame 18, the mover 25 of the displacement detector 23 is moved. moves downward, thereby causing the variable resistance machine 24
The resistance value of is changed. The magnitude of the resistance value at this time is determined according to the weight of the steamed leaves carried on the belt 20 of the conveyor 17.The ROM is a read-only memory, and arithmetic programs and the like are written therein. The RAM is a random access memory, and the CPU is a central processing unit, which calculates the steaming time according to the calculation program written in the read-only memory ROM. DISP is a display means, and in this embodiment, an LED is used 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 details of the calculations performed by the CPU and the like will be described in the explanation of the tea steaming time measuring method of the present invention.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 2 described above, a conveyor-type continuous type is used as the means for measuring the weight of the fresh leaves introduced into the red body 1, but the tea steaming time measuring apparatus of the present invention The means for measuring the input weight of fresh leaves used in this method is not limited to this, and a so-called batch type method may also be used.

An example of the batch type measuring means will be explained with reference to FIG. In the figure, ■ indicates the steam barrel described above. Reference numeral 26 denotes a weighing pool having an open top and a discharge door 27.27 that can be opened freely at the bottom. has been done. 28 is a measuring device for measuring the weight of fresh leaves thrown into the weighing pool 26, and 29 is a fresh leaf feeding machine, 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 a total of one pool 26. Therefore, when the door 27.27 of the weighing pool 26 is closed, the weighing pool 26
Fresh leaves are fed into the container from a fresh leaf conveyor 32. 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.

The feeding of fresh leaves into the weighing pool 26 by the fresh leaf conveying machine 32 is stopped, and the door 27, 27 of the weighing pool 26 is opened. When m27.27 of the weighing pool 26 is opened, all fresh leaves of a predetermined weight in the weighing pool 26 are thrown into the hopper 31 of the fresh leaf feeder 29. The fresh leaves introduced into the hopper 31 are smoothed to an average stacking thickness by a scraping device (not shown) and are transferred by a conveyor belt 3o, and are passed from the delivery end of the input R29 through the input port 4'A. It is being thrown into the torso. In addition, the weighing pool 26 from which fresh leaves were discharged immediately closes the doors 27 and 27.
A predetermined measurement is performed 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 (or batch) measuring means may be used to measure the input weight of fresh leaves, and a batch (or continuous) measuring means may be used to measure the discharged weight of steamed leaves.

Next, an example of a method for measuring tea steaming time of the present invention using the measuring device shown in FIG. 2 will be explained.

The steaming time according to the present invention is measured by measuring the input weight Wl of fresh leaves inputted into the steaming drum 1 per unit time and the output weight W2 of the steamed leaves discharged from the steaming drum 1 per unit time,
Measured! Multiply the discharge weight W2 of leaves by a predetermined fresh leaf conversion coefficient α to calculate the fresh leaf equivalent discharge weight W3 per unit time, and calculate the input weight w of fresh leaves per unit time to the steamer drum 1.
i and the fresh leaf equivalent discharge weight per unit time W3 are respectively expressed as the elapsed time W from the start of feeding to the current time T.
This is done by calculating the weight W4 of the tea confectionery passing through the steamer drum 1 at the current time using the formula 2dt, and further calculating the time Ts for the confectionery to pass through the steamer drum 1 using the formula W4÷W1.

The time interval for measuring the input weight IWt and the discharge weight W2 can be determined arbitrarily, but when measuring using the continuous weighing conveyors 6 and 17 shown in FIG. 2, for example,
If the time required for each belt 9 and 20 to be moved from the start end to the delivery end of each conveyor is set equal to the time required, processing of the measured values becomes simple. That is, when 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 10 seconds elapse. The input weight W1 based on the electrical signal output from the displacement amount detector 12 is input into the CPU each time. Similarly, the discharge weight W2 can be measured by measuring the weight W2 of the grass leaves placed on the belt 20 at time intervals corresponding to the travel time t' of the belt 20 and inputting it into the CPU. That's okay. Furthermore, when moving as described above, rI11t,! =t'
There is no need to make them equal.

By the way, in the present invention, as described above, the weight of the tea confectionery passing through the steamer barrel 1 is 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 confectionery changes when it is steamed. That is, the weight of tea confectionery differs depending on whether it is fresh or steamed. The reason for this is that the water on the leaf surface of Manyo leaves is removed by the heating by steam air received while passing through the steamer barrel 1, the pressure from the rotary barrel 3 and the stirring shaft, or water droplets from the steam adhere to the leaf surface. This is caused by water infiltration into the leaves. Therefore, the measured discharge weight W2 needs to be corrected as a discharge weight as a fresh leaf, that is, a fresh leaf equivalent discharge weight, by multiplying it by a predetermined fresh leaf conversion coefficient α, for example.

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. There are also differences in the quality of fresh leaves due to differences in the picking method (hand-picked or machine-picked), the amount of stems mixed in, etc., differences in texture, and differences in steamed tea confectionery due to differences in steaming time, etc. This is because the weight changes are different. Therefore, an example of the average value in a general case is shown here. For example, if fresh leaves of Ichibancha tea with a water content of about 78% are steamed for about 60 seconds, the fresh leaf conversion coefficient α is about 0.997, and for example, if the water content is about 79%, the fresh leaf conversion coefficient α is about 0.997. When fresh leaves of bancha are steamed for approximately 90 seconds, the fresh leaf conversion coefficient α is approximately 0.985. Note that when fresh leaves are weighed, the weight change of steamed leaves may be larger than 1.00 compared to the weight of fresh leaves.

Such a fresh leaf conversion coefficient α can be input manually each time using a coefficient input switch provided on the control panel, or it can be input in a table with coefficients corresponding to each condition such as fresh leaf quality and steaming time described above. It is also possible to write the information in the memory in advance and read it out automatically from the table when a switch for setting fresh leaf quality and steaming time provided on the control panel is operated.

What is determined is the weight W4 of the tea cake passing through the steamer barrel 1 at the current time T. In other words, from t to steamer barrel 1
By subtracting the accumulated discharge equivalent weight 5, W3dt extracted from the total weight, it is possible to calculate the total weight of the tea leaves currently in the steaming drum 1 and the weight W4 of the tea confectionery passing through the beaten steaming drum.

Then, what is obtained from the formula W4÷W1 is the appropriate time Ts for the tea confectionery 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.

Incidentally, when using the above-mentioned measuring means shown in FIG.
The time obtained by subtracting the required time T2 from the time the fresh leaves are put into the hopper 31 until the time they are put into the steamer from the elapsed time T1 from the time when fresh leaves are started being put in from the weighing pool 26 to the current time. It is necessary to. This time T2 is, for example, the time obtained by dividing the length 1 of the conveyor belt 30 of the feeding machine 29 by the belt drive speed ν, that is, the time it takes for the belt 30 to be moved from the base end of the feeding machine 29 to the sending end. You can set it as the required time. Therefore, in FIG. 3, it becomes 1dt-αJ W2dt)÷W1. In the time measuring method of the present invention, the measured steaming time at the current point in time is outputted to the display, which is displayed on the display, and the steaming time in the steaming device is adjusted while looking at the displayed current steaming time Ts. It is possible to manually adjust the control elements involved and also to compare the measured current steaming time Ts with a preset steaming time and, if there is a discrepancy, set the steaming time Ts. It is also possible to automatically control the control elements to match the steaming time.

Next, a specific example of a tea steaming machine in which the steaming time is automatically controlled using the method for measuring the tea 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. For convenience of explanation, the following explanation will be given using FIG. 6 as a front view and determining the direction of each part.

Reference numeral 34 denotes a middle frame, which is built into the outer frame 33 with its left and right ends protruding from the outer frame 33. The part near the left end of the middle frame 34 is connected to a hanging shaft 36 via two hanging fittings 35 and 35.
The arm shaft 38 is rotatably supported on the outer frame 33 via support arms 37.37, and the arm shaft 38 is supported rotatably on the outer frame 33 via support arms 37.37 (support arms 39.39 on the back side). 37, the rotating arm 39 overlaps with the one on the front side, so it does not appear in the drawing).

A sector gear 40 is attached to the front end of the arm shaft 38, and is engaged with a worm gear 42 on the shaft of a trunk tilt control motor 41 attached to the outer frame 33. 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. Reference numeral 43 is a sink plate for receiving water droplets and water during cleaning. On the middle frame 34, a steam barrel main body 44 and a driving section 45 are placed. The strawberry trunk main body 44 includes a substantially cylindrical fixed trunk 46 called a head, a cylindrical steam chamber 47 provided so as to surround the outer peripheral surface of the tip of the fixed trunk 46, and a head (fixed trunk) 46. The main component is a cylindrical wire mesh shell 48 which is arranged so that its opening meets from the right side, and a steam chamber 47.
The head (fixed trunk) 46 is fixed to the middle frame 34, while the wire mesh layer 48 is rotatable. That is, the wire mesh layer 48 has its right open end rim 49 supported by two body bearing rollers 50 and 50 attached to the middle frame 34,
Further, the annular gear 51 at the left end is a drive gear 5 whose front lower part meshes with the receiving gear 52 and whose rear lower part meshes with the annular gear 51.
It is supported by 3. Note that since the drive gear 53 is attached to a wire mesh trunk drive shaft 54 extending from the drive section 45, the wire mesh layer 48 is rotated by these mechanisms.

Further, inside the steam chamber 47 and the wire mesh layer 48, which have a cylindrical shape as a whole, a stirring shaft 55 is rotatably disposed, and both left and right ends 56 and 57 of the stirring shaft 55 are supported by the middle frame 34. The left end 56 of the shaft 55 is connected to a stirring shaft drive shirt I 58 which protrudes from the drive section 45, and is configured to rotate at an arbitrary number of revolutions. 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 layer 48 from above and below, and 61.61 is an adjustment cover.The fixed cover 60 can be removed by removing screws, and the adjustment cover 61.61 has a handle 62.62. Opening and closing can be adjusted freely by pulling.

Inside the drive unit 45, there are a drive motor for rotating the wire mesh layer 48 and the 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 layer 48 and the 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 corresponds to the wire mesh cylinder drive shaft 54 or stirring @ drive shaft 58 described above. 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. Reference numeral 67 denotes a rotation speed control motor, and when the control arm 68 rotates due to its rotation, the pedestal 69 on which the drive motor 65 is mounted 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. For example, when the distance becomes longer than before, the V-belt 72 bites into the variable diameter pulley 66, and its movable side groove. The wall 73 is moved in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8(B). Therefore, the variable diameter boob 966 has a substantially smaller diameter, and the rotational speed of the driven shaft 63 becomes smaller than the previous rotational speed.

An input lower 4 is opened in a portion close to the upper left end of the fixed barrel 46, and the raw leaves (fresh leaves) that are continuously input into the fixed barrel 46 from the input lower 4 are passed from the steam chamber 47. The steam is heated by the steam supplied into the steamer barrel 44, and is stirred by the rotation of the entire mesh barrel 48 and the rotation of the stirring blades 59, 59, etc. attached to the stirrer 1M55, while moving toward the right side. In this process, it is further steam-heated, and is eventually discharged from the right open end (rim portion 49) of the entire mesh barrel 48 to the outside of the steamer barrel 44.

Note that 75.75 is a supply port at the tip of a steam pipe connected between the boiler and the steam chamber 47, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 76 denotes a weighing conveyor for measuring the weight of fresh leaves introduced into the steamer barrel 44, and in this application example, a weighing conveyor 7 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. The delivery end of the meter conveyor 76 is connected to the input lower 4 of the cylinder 44.
The feeding end of the leaf feeder 78 is facing toward the starting end. 79 indicates a drive motor for the conveyor of the leaf feeder 78. Reference numerals 80 and 80 designate flow sensors arranged opposite to each other at the starting end of the weighing conveyor 76 so as to sandwich the upper surface of the conveyor belt in the direction of its width and force. For example, sensors such as photoswitches are used. The leaf flow sensor 80.80 detects whether fresh leaves are being distributed to the bell of the weighing conveyor 76.

Reference numeral 81 denotes a weighing conveyor for measuring the weight of steamed leaves υ1 discharged from the steaming barrel 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 a discharge amount sensor that detects the weight of the steamed leaves loaded on the measuring conveyor 81 as an electrical signal. And a total of 1. The starting end of the conveyor 81 is the discharge tr of the steamer barrel 44.
(rim portion) 49, and the delivery end faces the cooling &1'83 conveyor held.

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 changes the amount and other properties of lotus generated. It is supposed to be done. 87 is a steam pipe connected between the steam chamber of the boiler 84 and the steam chamber of the steam barrel 44, 47. Reference numeral 88 denotes a steam amount sensor interposed in a part of the chamber 87, and includes 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 all the drums 48 of the steamer drum 44, and 90 denotes a drum rotation speed sensor that detects the rotation speed of all the drums 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 steamed 11ij144
This is a type 41 degree sensor that detects the degree of inclination. 94 indicates a control panel.

'1 Figure 9 shows an example of the above system 'q8 board 94. In the figure, 95 is a power switch, and 96 is a power indicator light, which indicates whether the power is 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 is a buzzer, and for example, when the leaf flow sensor 80, 80 detects that fresh leaves are not being supplied by the belt of the weighing conveyor 76, this buzzer is activated to detect an abnormal condition. inform about something. 100 is a steaming time setting switch, which sets the steaming time to be steamed.

In this application example, there are 28 levels of steaming time that can be selected and set using this setting switch, ranging from 20 seconds to 180 seconds in 5 second increments. The currently set steaming time is increased by, for example, 5 seconds each time, and is decreased by 5 seconds each time the displayed knob is pressed. A display section 101 displays the steaming time set by the setting switch 100. Reference numeral 102 denotes a measurement reset switch, which resets the cumulative data of measured values, that is, the cumulative input conversion coefficient α, which is the cumulative work performed by the arithmetic circuit. Reference numeral 103 denotes a fresh leaf quality setting section, which in this example is provided with input switches for setting respective levels of leaf hardness, wilting degree, mesophyll thickness, and variety of fresh leaves. Each of these setting buttons is set to "young" 104a for leaf hardness.
, "Puji J 104b" and "Hard J 104c" are available in three levels, "New" 105a and "Puji J 104c".
Three levels of mesophyll thickness are available: 105b, 105c, and 106a, 106a, and 106a.
6b, ``Thickness J 106c'' are available, and the varieties are ``WaseJ 107a'', ``Native J 1
Three levels are available: 07b 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 calculated using a pre-stored fresh leaf conversion coefficient. A specific fresh leaf conversion coefficient α corresponding to the combination can be automatically read by comparing the table.

In addition, 108 is a grass leaf finish quality selection section, and although it is not directly related to the gist of the present invention, among the finish quality of steamed leaves, color, shape,
It is possible to select the desired quality level for each softness. And for colors, 7 of 1 to 7
Level buttons 109a to 109g are prepared, 3 level buttons 1] and 0a to 11Qc are prepared for shape, and 3 level buttons 1lla to 11 are prepared for softness.
1C buttons are prepared, and control values of control elements such as the drum rotation speed, the stirring shaft rotation speed, and the iN air amount 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 the devices shown in FIGS. 4 to 9. C in the diagram
PU central processing unit. The EFROM is an erasable and writable read-only memory in which control programs, arithmetic programs, etc. for processing are written. RAM is a random access memory that can be written to and read from a predetermined address, and contains a relational expression for calculating steaming time from measured input data and a fresh leaf conversion coefficient for converting steamed leaf weight into fresh leaf weight. 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 aforementioned operation start switch; similarly, 98 is an operation stop switch; 10
0 is a steaming time setting switch, 102 is a measurement reset switch, 104 is a leaf hardness level setting button, 1.05 is a wilting level setting button, 108 is a mesophyll level setting button, and 107 is a variety setting button. Also 109
110 is a color level selection button, 110 is a shape level selection button, and 111 is a softness level selection button. And 77
80 is the aforementioned input amount sensor, 80 is the leaf flow sensor, 82 is the discharge amount sensor, 88 is the steam flow sensor, 90 is the barrel rotation speed sensor, 92 is the 1st stirring shaft rotation speed sensor, and 93 is the barrel inclination sensor. be. And each of these switches ioo, buttons 104.105, 106.107.1.09.110.
111, sensor 77.80.82.88.90.92.
93 are gate circuits 114, 114., which are controlled by the gate control circuit 113. It is connected to the input/output port l12 via φ. Further, 41 is the above-mentioned body inclination control motor, and similarly 79 is the leaf feeder 7.
8 belt drive morph, 85 burner controller, 8
9 is a drum rotation speed control motor, and 91 is a stirring shaft rotation speed control motor, which are controlled by relays RL, . . . and a latch circuit 115, which is controlled by a gate launch control circuit 113.
In this application example, the ilJ control of each control element that indirectly controls the steaming time is as shown in FIG. It is done according to the program. This program is attached to each step in 1. I will explain it step by step.

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

(b) "Kari time" (8 hours 1 hour Ts will be referred to as t in order to distinguish the set rounded time from the actual 7817 hours)
Set to 1. 2. Set the actual steaming time to t2. ) has been set? ”.

This is to judge whether or not the desired steaming time has been set using the steaming time setting switch 1oO. If this steaming time tl is not set, the next step will not proceed and tl will be set. Have set. tl
If one of the above has been cast, proceed to the next step C◇ (C) [Have the green leaf quality and cut quality buttons been pressed? ”
F'1] is determined.

This includes each quality of fresh leaves, i.e. leaf hardness, degree of wilting,
Setting buttons for each level of mesophyll and variety 104, J, 05.
106.107 was pressed respectively, and the quality, l! II. This is to check whether the color, shape, and softness level selection buttons 09, 110, and 111 have been pressed, and if all of these buttons have not been pressed, the next step Wait for all buttons to be pressed without proceeding to .

(d) Load the picking time set or selected in steps (b) and (C), each fresh leaf quality level, and each desired quality level, and set the picking time and each level. Read out one control value corresponding to each. In this device, since the steaming time is controlled by adjusting the inclination of the steaming drum 44, the steaming time corresponding to the control value that determines the inclination of the steaming drum 44 is controlled. Things are read out. In addition, the control elements of the drum rotation speed, stirring shaft rotation speed, and steam amount are controlled by all combinations of each quality level of the set fresh leaves and the selected tea confectionery company's quality level. Since the control value of each control element is read out in accordance with the combination of each setting and the selected level, the control value of each control element is read out.

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

This means that the current control values for the barrel inclination, barrel rotation speed, stirring shaft rotation speed, and steam amount are measured by each sensor 88.9o.
, 92 and 93.

(f) Compare each control value read in step (d) above with each control value read in step (e) above. If all the control values match each other as a result of the 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 number is sent to the operating section, that is, the motor 41, 89, 91 or the burner controller 85, and then 5 to drive the operating section. and step (d), (e), (f) and (g)
At loop step (f), compare the results and check if they match (h) [Has the input command been output? ” and l/” U! Shiri-cut.

This feed command is the supply of fresh leaves to the weighing conveyor 76 by the leaf feeder 78, and when the comparison result in step (f) is strongly matched, the leaf feeder 78 automatically feeds the leaves. Bell l-If of machine 78 (il motor 79
However, if the measurement reset function described later is disabled, or if the supply of fresh leaves by the leaf feeder 7Bi is stopped or interrupted for some reason (this will be explained later), Nhu.

In addition to the feeding command in (f), it is necessary to output the feeding command by another independent means, and if such a special situation occurs, it is necessary to issue a fresh leaf feeding command to the weighing conveyor 76. This step (h) is provided because it is necessary to proceed to the next step after confirming whether or not this has been performed.

(i) If the feed command is not output in step (h), the belt drive motor 79 of the leaf feeder 78
A drive command is issued to drive the conveyor.

(j) When the judgment result of YES is obtained in step (h), F leaf! ±Is it flowing? Make the judgment J.

This is a step to check whether fresh leaves are being distributed on the belt of the weighing conveyor 76. Even if the leaf feeder 78 is being driven, if there are no fresh leaves in the hopper of the leaf feeder 78, or if fresh leaves are not being supplied in the path that transports fresh leaves from the fresh leaf storage room to the hopper of the leaf feeder @78. Since fresh leaves are not supplied to the weighing conveyor 76, it is necessary to detect the presence or absence of fresh leaves. These detections are made by leaf flow sensors 80.80.

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

(1) When the determination result of YES is obtained in step (D), a determination is made as to whether the control start is timed up.

The control referred to here refers to the control of the degree of inclination of the body, and is a question of whether or not the time point at which control of the degree of body inclination is started has been time-amplified. That is, the steaming time in the present invention is measured by measuring the input amount iW1 of fresh leaves put into the steamer drum 44 per unit time and the output @ amount W2 of steamed leaves per unit time discharged from the inside of the steamer drum 44. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately measure the time at 1 until the steamed leaves begin to be discharged from the steamer drum 44, and therefore, the cylinder inclination is not controlled during this period. This is because it is necessary. 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) The input weight Wl of fresh leaves per unit time measured by the weighing conveyor 76 and input amount sensor 77 and the discharge weight W2 of M leaves per unit time measured by the weighing conveyor 81 and input amount sensor 8-2. Load, 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,
The weight W4 of the sweets passing through the steamer barrel 44 is calculated by substituting the numerical values J and ``W3dt'' into the formula.

(n) Calculate the time for the tea confectionery to pass through the steaming barrel 44, ie, the measured steaming time t2, using the formula W4÷W1.

(0) Set steaming time ti and the above step (n)
Compare the steaming time t2 measured in . 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 (0) is sent to the operating section, that is, the barrel inclination control section to drive the barrel inclination control motor 41 and adjust the inclination of the steamer barrel 44. Steam barrel 44
The greater the degree of inclination of the steamer barrel 44, the shorter the time required for the tea confectionery to pass through the steamer barrel, and conversely, the smaller the degree of inclination of the steamer barrel 44, the longer the time required for the tea confectionery to pass through the steamer barrel. Therefore, when the difference between tl and t2 (difference according to the formula tl - t2) is a positive value, the signal output to the control motor 41 is a command for the rotation direction to reduce the inclination of the steamer cylinder 44. Further, 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 (0) matches.

(q) Judgment/□ “Reset?”

This asks whether a command has been input to reset the data of the cumulative value of the measured input weight J, "Wldt" and the cumulative value of the measured discharge weight f: W 3 d t. This reset command is , is also input by pressing the reset switch 102 provided on the control panel 94,
This is done manually every time a predetermined period of time, such as 30 minutes, elapses. If the reset command is not input manually, proceed to step (1); if the reset command is not input, proceed to steps (r) and (S).
), the process proceeds to step (1).

(r) When the reset command is input, the leaf feeder 7
The supply of fresh leaves by 8 is stopped, and all the tea leaves in the steamer barrel 44 are discharged. Discharging the tea confections in the steamer barrel 44 is not actually done by any special discharging means;
This is done, for example, by counting the elapsed time (eg, 5 minutes) required for the evacuation to be completed.

(S) Clear the data written in the memory RAM. Immediately, the data is set to O.

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

Here, the input data to be asked whether a particular change has been made is each level of fresh leaf quality and desired finish quality. For example, if the quality of the fresh leaves supplied from the fresh leaf storage room changes, or if you want the steamed leaf quality to be at the level you expected (↓t) by selecting y on the 4-quality button at the beginning, this can be done manually. The data will be changed immediately, and if the data is changed, the control of each control element adjusted in steps (d) to (g) will be redone.Therefore, if any of the input data If the data has been changed, return to step (d) and perform Ily control of the control element.If the human power data has not been changed, return to step (h) to measure the steaming time and determine the degree of body inclination. Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above description, the method for measuring the tea steaming time of the present invention can be applied to the weight of raw leaves thrown into the heel per ψ time and the steaming drum. Constantly measure the weight of manyo produced per unit time, multiply the amount of irises ejected per unit time by the fresh leaf conversion coefficient to find the weight of fresh leaves, and calculate the weight of fresh leaves fed into the steamer. Add up the weight of fresh leaves input per unit time and the weight of fresh leaves output per unit time from the time it started to the present, respectively, and
Subtract the accumulated raw leaf conversion 'ff discharge weight from the accumulated fresh leaf input weight to find the weight of the tea confectionery passing through the steaming IFil, and divide the weight of the confectionery passing through the above-mentioned input weight per unit time. The present invention is characterized by calculating the appropriate time for the tea confectionery to pass through the steamer.

The tea steaming time measuring device of the present invention also includes a means for measuring the weight of fresh leaves fed into the 7Pi barrel per unit time, and a means for measuring the weight of fresh leaves fed into the 7Pi barrel per unit time. Multiply the weight of many leaves discharged per unit time by a predetermined fresh leaf conversion coefficient to determine the weight of fresh leaves discharged per unit time, and integrate the weight of fresh leaves input per unit time and the weight of fresh leaves discharged per unit time, respectively. , an arithmetic circuit that calculates the time required for the tea confectionery to pass through the noboru body by calculating the difference between the integrated value of the fresh leaf input weight and the raw leaf equivalent discharge weight, and further dividing the difference by the fresh leaf input weight per unit time. It is characterized by becoming.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to continuously measure the passing time of the tea confections that are continuously passed through the body, and the time gap between the passage of the confectionery and the measurement can be reduced. It is possible to accurately measure the steaming time at any given time. Then, by comparing the steaming time measured by the present invention with the desired steaming time and controlling the control elements related to the browning time according to the comparison result, the steaming time of the tea cake can be adjusted. You can set the steaming time to your desired time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a side view showing the outline of a conventional tea making machine;
The figure is a schematic side view for explaining the principle of the tea steaming time measuring device of the present invention, and FIG. Figures 4 to 11 show specific examples of a tea making and cooling device in which the steaming time is controlled using the steaming time measuring method of the present invention, and Figure 4 is a schematic plan view showing the entire steaming device. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the machine body, Fig. 6 is a front view of the Karitsuki body, Fig. 7 is a left side view of the steam machine main body, Fig. 8 is an example of the operation part, (A) is a front view, (B) is a left side view showing only the drive motor taken out, Fig. 9 is a front view showing an example of the control panel, Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the control circuit, and Fig. 11 is the program. It is a flowchart which shows an example. Explanation of symbols 1...Steamer barrel, 6.12...Measuring means for input weight, 17.23...Measuring means for discharging weight, C
PU, EPROM, RAM/Archive/Arithmetic circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Always measure the weight of fresh leaves input into the steamer drum per unit time and the weight of steamed leaves discharged from the steamer drum per unit time, and convert the weight of steamed leaves per unit time into fresh leaves. Multiply the coefficient to obtain the fresh leaf equivalent output weight, and integrate the fresh leaf input weight per unit time and the fresh leaf equivalent output weight per unit time from the time when fresh leaves were started to be input into the steamer drum to the present, respectively. The weight of the tea confectionery passing through the steamer barrel is determined by subtracting the accumulated fresh leaf output weight from the accumulated fresh leaf input weight, and the weight of the confectionery passing through the steamer is divided by the input weight per unit time mentioned above. A method for measuring tea steaming time characterized by calculating the passage time in a steamer barrel (2) Means for measuring the weight of raw leaves input into the steamer drum per unit time, means for measuring the weight of steamed leaves discharged from the steamer drum per unit time, and means for measuring the weight of fresh leaves per unit time discharged from the steamer drum, and the weight of steamed leaves per unit time. Multiply the discharged weight by a predetermined fresh leaf conversion coefficient to obtain the discharged weight in terms of fresh leaves. Add up the weight of fresh leaves input per unit time and the weight of fresh leaves discharged per unit time, and calculate the cumulative value of the input weight of fresh leaves and fresh leaves. A tea manufacturing system characterized by comprising: an arithmetic circuit that calculates the difference between the converted discharge weight and the integrated value, and further divides the difference by the fresh leaf input weight per unit time to calculate the passage time of the tea confectionery in the steamer barrel. Steaming time measuring device.