JPS6319022B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the moisture content (moisture content) of grains, and mainly relates to an apparatus for measuring the moisture content of grains such as paddy, brown rice, and wheat.

This type of device for measuring the moisture content of grains is equipped with a pair of electrode plates in a weighing container, a fixed mass of grain is placed in the container, and the capacitance between the pair of electrode plates is measured. The device that converts this into moisture content and displays it is known as Utility Model Application No. 55864 (1983). In addition, using the weighing container as one electrode, a horizontal electrode rod is provided in the center of the container, grain is put into this container until it reaches a predetermined mass, and the capacitance between the container and the electrode rod is converted into moisture content. A device that attempts to correct the error in capacitance due to grain bulk by installing another electrode rod on top of the electrode rod is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-109929 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55 -132918.

However, in the former two methods, the capacitance changes depending on the packing density and bulk of the grain, making it impossible to accurately measure the moisture content.

In addition, although it is possible to correct it to some extent by detecting the bulk itself as in the third known example, the capacitance value between the upper electrode rod and the weighing container is based solely on the bulk of the grain. It is not a one-dimensional function, but also a function of the moisture content to be determined, and it was discovered that with this method, it is contradictory in principle to correct it.

Furthermore, the fourth known example is JP-A-56-93052.
JP-A No. 55-93052 discloses a device that uses a special container with extremely different widths and depths to feed extra grain each time and scrape out the excess grain with a screw conveyor. However, the structure is complicated and has a special shape, and the power cost is high.In particular, it is necessary to scrape out each raw material and return it to the raw material tank, which is poor measurement efficiency, and the returned material is sent to other production areas and producers. There is a risk of mixing with
Even if mixing is avoided, the waiting time is long, making it unsuitable and impractical as a total moisture content measurement or total weight measurement method.

Therefore, as a factor for correcting the moisture content, the inventor first set the volume at the time of capacitance measurement as constant, then measured this mass or weight, and combined this measurement value with the previously known volume at the time of capacitance measurement. Then, the bulk density was determined, and this bulk density value was used as the basic value for the correction calculation of the moisture content.

In other words, since the volume of the capacitance to be measured is constant and the measurement is performed with the object being measured filling this volume, there is no change in bulk (volume), and corrections due to changes in bulk can be made. No more calculations required.

The calculation formula is as follows.

M (%) = k ₁ (V) + k ₂ (W) + k ₃ M: Moisture content k ₁ , k ₂ , k ₃ : Constant V: Apparent moisture (electrode output) W: Weight of fixed volume of grain This invention is a device for carrying out this calculation method based on the above-mentioned principle, and is designed to sequentially measure accurate moisture content and sequentially measure weight, and display and record it.

Generally, country elevators (large-scale drying and conditioning storage facilities) and rice centers (common drying and preparing facilities)
At grain collection and receiving sites, such as grain collection and receiving sites, the moisture content and quality of grain brought in from an unspecified number of farmers vary. It is necessary to accurately understand the moisture content, and the moisture content measuring method shown in the present invention and an apparatus for carrying out the method are required in the field of receiving work at such facilities.

In this invention, a cylindrical body made of an electrode whose axis is perpendicular to the hopper is connected to the lower part of the hopper, and the upper and lower ends of the hopper are connected to the lower part of the hopper. An upper gate and a lower gate are provided to open and close the cylinder, and on the vertical axis inside the cylinder there are electrode rods that are electrically insulated from the cylinder and reach the upper and lower gates. is a mechanical device that is mechanically and electrically separated from this, and is provided with a weighing container having a volume larger than the volume of the cylindrical body and having a dispensing gate at the lower end, and when the cylindrical body is empty. , a means for separately measuring and storing the capacitance between both cylinders and electrode rods when grains are placed therein, and a means for measuring the grain mass or weight in the weighing container and transmitting it to the upper and lower gates. Means for converting and storing the grain bulk density value in the cylinder based on the cylinder volume value between them, and calculating the moisture content value when the grain is filled from the stored capacitance value, and calculating the moisture content value at the time of grain filling from the stored capacitance value, This is a grain moisture content measurement device comprising an electric or electronic measurement and calculation device having calculation means for correcting the moisture content and display means for displaying these.

In another invention, the mechanical device comprises three devices: a mechanical device consisting of a cylinder with a fixed volume and a weighing container, an electrical or electronic measurement and calculation device, and a sequence control device, and the mechanical device is located at the bottom of the hopper. An electrically insulated cylinder whose axis is perpendicular is connected to this, and an upper gate and a lower gate are provided above and below this cylinder to open and close the lower end. , and this cylinder serves as one electrode, and on the vertical axis inside the cylinder there are electrode rods that are electrically insulated from the cylinder and reach the upper and lower gates, and at the bottom of the cylinder is mechanically and electrically separated from this, and has a dispensing gate at the lower end,
A weighing container having a volume larger than the internal volume of the cylinder is provided, and the electrical or electronic measurement and calculation device measures the capacitance between the cylinder and the electrode rod and stores the measured value. means for measuring the mass or weight of the grain in the weighing container, converting it into a bulk density with respect to the volume of the cylinder, and storing the value; The sequence control device comprises a calculation means for performing a correction calculation based on density, and a means for displaying the result and the mass or weight value of the grain in the weighing container, and the sequence control device includes: when the upper gate is closed, When the lower gate is closed from the open state while grain is being supplied into the hopper, the capacitance when the cylinder is empty is measured by the capacitance measuring means. The value is stored in the storage means, and then the upper gate is opened, and then closed after a while, and the capacitance is measured again by the capacitance measuring means with the cylindrical body filled with grains, and this value is calculated as described above. The measured value is stored in the storage means separately from the previous measured value, and between these, the dispensing gate is closed, the lower gate is opened, and then the grain mass or weight is measured by the mass or weight measuring means, and this measured value is is converted into a grain bulk density value based on a previously given cylinder internal volume value between the upper and lower gates, and this is stored in the storage means, and then the two stored capacitance values are read out. Then, the calculation means converts it into a moisture content value, reads out the stored bulk density value, performs a correction calculation on the moisture content value based on this value, and calculates the weighing result together with the corrected moisture content value by mass or weight. This grain moisture content measuring device is characterized in that it is provided with a sequence control device that displays the value on a display means and opens a gate of a weighing container after the bulk density is stored.

The invention will now be explained on the basis of representative embodiments shown in the drawings.

In FIG. 1, numeral 10 is a hopper, which may be a simple hopper or may form the bottom of a storage tank, and is generally called a storage hopper. Reference numeral 11 denotes a cylinder which is electrically insulated and mechanically connected to the lower part of the cylinder, and is usually a cylinder, but the device is the same even if it is a square cylinder or a polygon cylinder. Reference numerals 12 and 13 denote gates for opening and closing the upper and lower parts of the cylindrical body 11, and in the illustrated embodiment, they are gate valve type gates, and are horizontally opened and closed by pneumatic cylinders 14 and 15, respectively. It is provided. Thus, the aforementioned cylindrical body 11 serves as one electrode. On the vertical axis of the cylindrical body 11, an electrode rod 16 whose axis is the same as the cylindrical body 11 is provided, and both ends thereof reach near the upper and lower gates 12, 13. The cylindrical body 11 is electrically insulated and mechanically rigid so as not to interfere with grain passage.
It is fixedly attached via a suitable support member 17. 1
Reference numeral 8 denotes a weighing container provided below the cylindrical body 11 in an electrically and mechanically insulated manner, and a dispensing gate 19 is provided at the lower end, and this gate 19 is also Opens and closes using a pneumatic cylinder. The volume of the weighing container 18 is larger than the volume surrounded by the cylindrical body 11 and the upper and lower gates 12 and 13. In the illustrated example, the weighing container 18 is supported by a machine frame, which is a stationary part, via a three-point supported load cell type mass or weighing scale 20.

The above is the mechanical device A.

The device of the present invention further includes a capacitance measuring means 21 for measuring the capacitance between the cylindrical body 11 and the electrode rod 16, a means 22 for storing the measured value, and a displacement measuring device for measuring the displacement of the load cell of the weighing device 20. Take the electric displacement value, convert it to the bulk density value, and at the same time,
There is a storage means for converting the electrical displacement value of the load cell into mass or weight and storing it. This storage means may be used for the same purpose as the storage means 22 if there is sufficient storage capacity, or it may be provided separately. Good too. Further, a calculating means 24 converts the capacitance into a water content and performs a correction calculation using a bulk density value, and a display means 25 displays the resulting water content and the mass value of the mass value result of the mass measuring means 23. The constitution of the specific invention of the present invention is a combination of the above-mentioned mechanical device A and the above-mentioned electrical or electronic measurement and calculation device B. be.

Furthermore, a second invention comprises a sequence control device C that repeatedly operates the mechanical device A and the electrical or electronic measurement and arithmetic device B in the following order. The explanation will be based on a flowchart consisting of a block diagram shown in FIG.

First, the upper gate 12 is closed and grain is put into the hopper 10. The lower gate 13, which had been open, is closed, and based on this completion signal, the capacitance in the empty cylinder 11 is measured, and this value is stored in the storage means 2.
2. Next, the upper gate 12 is opened to fill the cylinder 11 with part of the grain in the hopper, and after a while, the upper gate 12 is closed again, the capacitance is measured again, and this measured value is memorized. put.

Simultaneously with these operations, the dispensing gate 19 of the weighing container 18 is closed, and then the lower gate 13 is opened to remove all of the grains in the cylinder 11 from the weighing container 18.
drop it inside.

Next, the mass or weight of the grains in the weighing container 18 is measured by the measuring means 23, and the upper gate 1 of the cylinder 11 is measured and calculated in advance.
Based on the spatial volume surrounded by 2 and 13, the above measured value is converted into a bulk density value, and the value is stored in the storage means 22.
to be memorized.

Next, the payout gate 19 is opened, the grains in the weighing container are taken out, and the two capacitance values stored in the storage device are read out, and the calculating means converts them into moisture content, and the stored bulk density value is calculated. The bulk density value is read from the storage means, and the calculation means section 24 performs a correction calculation of the content, and the resulting numerical value is displayed as the moisture content on the display means 25, and the mass or mass is calculated by the weight measurement means 23. Alternatively, the weight value is displayed on the display means 25 at the same time. Such operations are repeated in sequence.

In the above calculation, it was explained that the capacitance value is directly stored, but the value converted to moisture content is stored in advance, and the calculation after reading from the storage means involves correction based on the change in moisture content when empty, and Even if the correction calculation is performed based on the specific gravity, it is an equivalent means for the present invention.

Similarly, the same effect can be achieved even if the measured mass or weight value is stored as is and later converted into bulk density.

As mentioned above, in this invention, the electrode rod 16
is perpendicular to the inside of the cylinder 11, and in principle every measurement is carried out with the grains filled in the cylinder 11 up to the position partitioned by the upper gate 12, so there is no room for errors due to bulk, and To measure the mass or weight, drop the grain from the cylindrical body 11 into the weighing container 18 below, measure the mass or weight at this part, correct the result based on the bulk density value, Since it is a display device, the displayed value is more accurate.

Further, since the electrode rod 16 is oriented vertically, it is not subjected to any load from grains, and there is no risk that it will bend and cause an error in the measured value. Also, the mass or weight value displayed at the same time can be output and recorded at the same time.

Further, in the second invention, since the sequence control device C as described above is provided, repeated measurements can be performed in an orderly manner.

The calculation time for these devices is extremely short;
In actual operation, the operating time of each part is limited by the opening/closing time of each gate and the time the grain falls.

In the second aspect of the present invention, the capacitance of the empty cylinder 11 is always measured every time, and this is used as a correction term in calculations, so even if the amount of water inside the cylinder changes over time, This has the effect of more accurately displaying the moisture content of the grain itself.

In addition, in opening and closing each gate in these two inventions, unlike conventional weighing hoppers, there is no need to put in a constant mass or constant weight, so the gates can be opened and closed at once, and the time required for opening and closing the gates is short and efficient. can be significantly improved.

Furthermore, grain is input and discharged only by gravity, and the only part that requires power for this device is the opening and closing of the gate, so the power cost is low, and there is only one cylinder.
1 and the weighing container 18 have a large cross-sectional area such as a circle, square, or polygon, which reduces loading and unloading time, and allows operations such as scraping out part of the material once placed in the cylinder 11 to adjust the volume. is not required at all, the overall measurement time can be significantly shortened compared to known methods, and there is no risk of mixing with other grains to be measured.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures relate to the present invention; FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the entire device, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart consisting of a block diagram showing the flow of signals. Symbol, A...Mechanical device, B...Electrical measurement and calculation device, C...Sequence control device, 10...
... Hopper, 11 ... Cylindrical body, 12 ... Upper gate, 13 ... Lower gate, 14, 15 ... Pneumatic cylinder, 16 ... Electrode rod, 18 ... Weighing container, 19 ... Payout gate, 21 ... Capacitance measuring section, 22... Storage section, 23... Mass measuring section, 24
. . . calculation section, 25 . . . display section, 26 . . . recording section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical body consisting of an electrode whose axis is perpendicular is connected to the lower part of the hopper and is electrically insulated from the hopper. An upper gate and a lower gate are provided to open and close the upper and lower ends, and an electrode rod that is electrically insulated from the cylinder and reaches the upper and lower gates is provided on the vertical axis inside the cylinder. At the bottom of the cylindrical body, a mechanical device is provided, which is mechanically and electrically separated from the weighing vessel and has a discharge gate at the lower end and has a volume larger than the volume of the cylindrical body. A means for separately measuring and storing the capacitance between the cylinder and the electrode rod both when the grain is loaded and when the grain is loaded, and a means for measuring the mass or weight of the grain in the weighing container and storing this separately. A means for converting and storing the grain bulk density value in the cylinder based on the cylinder volume value between the upper and lower gates, and calculating the moisture content value when the grain is filled from the stored capacitance value, and calculating the bulk density value. A grain moisture content measuring device comprising an electrical or electronic measurement and calculation device having a calculation means for correcting the moisture content based on the value and a display means for displaying these. 2. It consists of three devices: a mechanical device consisting of a cylinder with a fixed volume and a weighing container, an electrical or electronic measurement and calculation device, and a sequence control device. An insulated cylinder whose axis is perpendicular is connected to the cylinder, and an upper gate and a lower gate are provided at the upper and lower positions of this cylinder to open and close the upper and lower ends of this cylinder. It is used as an electrode for
On the vertical axis inside the cylinder, there are electrode rods that are electrically insulated from the cylinder and reach the upper and lower gates, and at the bottom of the cylinder, there are electrode rods that are mechanically and electrically isolated from this. , and a weighing container having a discharge gate at the lower end and having a volume larger than the volume of the cylindrical body part, and the electrical or electronic measurement and calculation device measures the capacitance between the cylindrical body and the electrode rod. means for measuring the mass or weight of the grain in the weighing container, converting it into a bulk density relative to the volume of the cylinder, and storing the value; The sequence control device comprises a calculation means for converting the volume into moisture content and performing a correction calculation based on the bulk density, and a means for displaying the result and the mass or weight value of the grain in the weighing container. When the upper gate is closed and grain is being fed into the hopper, when the lower gate is closed from the open state, the capacitance measuring means determines that the cylinder body is empty. Measure the capacitance at that time, store this value in the storage means, open the upper gate, close it after a while, and measure the static capacitance again by the capacitance measuring means with the cylindrical body filled with grains. The capacitance is measured, this value is stored in the storage means separately from the previous measurement value, and between these, the dispensing gate is closed, the lower gate is opened, and then the grain is measured by the mass or weight measuring means. The mass or weight is measured, and this measured value is converted into a bulk density value of the grain based on a previously given value of the internal volume of the cylinder between the upper and lower gates, and this is stored in the storage means. The two stored capacitance values are read out and converted into a water content value in a calculation means, and the stored bulk density value is read out, and the water content value is corrected based on this value. A moisture content measuring device for grains, characterized in that a sequence control device is provided for displaying the weighing result together with the moisture content value as a mass or weight value on a display means, and for opening the gate of the weighing container after the bulk density has been stored. . 3. The grain moisture content measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the cylinder is one of a cylinder, a rectangular cylinder, and a polygonal cylinder. 4. The grain moisture content measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the display means is one or more of a digital display using a video tube, a liquid crystal panel, and a print.