TW202406709A - Kneading system - Google Patents

Abstract

The problem of the present invention is to provide a kneading system capable of appropriately setting a determination condition in determination for a kneaded state and making highly reliable determination. In order to address the abovementioned problem, provided is the kneading system comprising a kneading unit that kneads a material to be kneaded and a determination condition setting unit that sets, before the kneading, a determination condition for determining the kneaded state on the basis of external factors other than a kneading condition at the time of kneading. According to the present invention, the determination condition for determining the kneaded state is set in advance before kneading on the basis of not the kneading condition at the time of kneading but the external factors other than that, thereby enabling setting of an appropriate determination condition in consideration of influence of the external factors. This enables the highly reliable determination in the kneaded state determination.

Description

Mixing system

The present invention relates to a kneading system for kneading kneading materials to obtain a kneaded product.

As a device for kneading highly viscous materials (kneading materials) such as raw rubber or raw plastic, a closed mixer is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a closed kneading machine, which is provided with a chamber for storing kneading materials, a pressure cover for closing the upper part of the chamber, and a pair of rotors for mounting in the chamber. [Prior technical literature] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-120221

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In order to ensure the reproducibility of kneading, the end condition of kneading in a closed kneader as described in Patent Document 1 is set to a point when the kneading time, the temperature of the kneading material, the integrated electric power, etc. reach a predetermined value. Mostly. On the other hand, even when the same end conditions are met, there are cases where kneading is performed normally and cases where excessive or insufficient kneading occurs, requiring determination of the kneading status (including kneading abnormalities such as deviations in kneading quality). means.

Here, as one means of determining the kneading state, determination may be made by measuring physical property values of the kneaded product or performing functional inspection at the product stage. However, the determination takes time, and if it is determined to be defective after the post-processing process, the post-processing process becomes useless and productivity significantly decreases. As another method, it is possible to monitor various data during kneading to determine the kneading state. However, the state of the kneaded material changes greatly during kneading, and the judgment at this time has a large accuracy. problem.

In addition, when judging the kneading state, various parameter values are obtained and judgment is made based on the values. However, in this case, as one of the judgment conditions for judging the kneading state, it is necessary to set a numerical range in which kneading can be regarded as normal ( allowable range). The allowable range is often set to a fixed value or a fixed ratio. By expanding the numerical range of the allowable range, the productivity can be improved, but problems arise in maintaining the quality of the product. Furthermore, since parameter values are acquired at any time during kneading, the appropriate numerical range may vary depending on whether or not judgment is performed. Therefore, it may not be appropriate to set the allowable range to a fixed value or a fixed ratio.

Furthermore, the inventor discovered that even if the obtained parameter values are within the allowable range, the kneading quality may be insufficient. Furthermore, it was discovered that even when kneading is performed using the same equipment and the same kneading materials under kneading conditions that have been determined to be normal, product defects may occur, and as a result, there is a kneading problem. Excess or deficiency occurs.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a kneading system that appropriately sets the judgment conditions when judging the kneading state and can perform highly reliable judgment. [Technical means to solve problems]

The inventors of the present invention have painstakingly studied the above-mentioned problems and found out that the kneading quality is not only affected by the kneading conditions during kneading but also is greatly affected by other factors. Furthermore, the following findings were obtained, and the present invention was completed: when setting the judgment conditions for judging the kneading state, it is not based on the kneading conditions at the time of kneading, but based on other external factors. By setting the conditions beforehand, the judgment conditions can be appropriately set, and a highly reliable judgment can be made. That is, the present invention is the following kneading system.

The kneading system of the present invention for solving the above problems is characterized by having a kneading part that kneads the kneading material; and a judgment condition setting part that bases the kneading conditions on other than the kneading conditions. External factors, set the judgment conditions for judging the kneading status before kneading. As described above, the present inventors discovered that even when the judgment conditions set based on the parameter values obtained during kneading are satisfied, the kneading quality may still be insufficient. As a result of painstaking investigation of the cause, the following results were obtained: Insight: The kneading quality is not only affected by the kneading conditions during kneading (mixing time, temperature during kneading, rotation speed of the rotor, etc.), but is also greatly affected by other factors. The kneading system according to the present invention does not depend on the kneading conditions during kneading, but depends on other external factors. The judgment conditions for judging the kneading state are set in advance before kneading, thereby making it possible to set the conditions to consider Appropriate judgment conditions for the influence of external factors. This enables highly reliable determination in the kneading state determination.

Furthermore, as an embodiment of the kneading system of the present invention, the external factors include the ambient temperature of the kneading part, the mechanical temperature of the kneading part itself, the temperature of the cooling water, and the temperature of the cooling water when it is put into the kneading part. At least one of the physical properties of the kneading material. According to the findings obtained by the present inventors, the kneading quality is affected not only by the type of kneading device or kneading conditions, but also by external factors related to temperature and the state (shape or properties) of the kneaded material before kneading. Great impact. According to this feature, as for the external factors used to set the judgment conditions, as those that do not become direct kneading conditions but may become one of the environmental conditions when kneading is performed, the ambient temperature of the kneading part, the kneading The machine temperature of the part itself, the temperature of the cooling water, and the physical properties (including shape) of the kneading material when put into the kneading part are selected. This makes it possible to set judgment conditions corresponding to the temperature that has a great influence on the kneading quality or the state of the kneaded material before kneading. Therefore, more appropriate judgment conditions can be set with high accuracy, and the reliability regarding the judgment of the kneading state can be further improved.

Furthermore, as an embodiment of the kneading system of the present invention, it is characterized in that the determination condition refers to the upper limit value and/or the lower limit value of the kneading state value indicating the kneading state, and the kneading state value includes the above-mentioned At least one of the driving load related to the driving of the kneading section, the temperature of the kneaded material during kneading, and the position of the ram (ram). According to this feature, by setting the judgment conditions set before kneading to the upper limit value and/or the lower limit value of the kneading state value, that is, the numerical range (permissible range) in which kneading can be regarded as normal, and The allowable range is not treated as a fixed value or a fixed ratio, but can be set to a numerical range that can be appropriately changed according to external factors. Therefore, more appropriate judgment conditions can be set with high accuracy, and the reliability regarding the judgment of the kneading state can be further improved.

Furthermore, as an embodiment of the kneading system of the present invention, the determination condition includes a determination period consisting of a part of the period from the start of kneading in the kneading section to the end of kneading. It has: a correction information acquisition unit that acquires correction information corresponding to the temperature of the kneading material after the kneading in the kneading unit is started; and a status information acquisition unit that acquires the kneading status indicating the kneading unit. The kneading system further includes: a kneading status determination unit that corrects the judgment condition based on the correction information and determines the kneading status in the kneading unit based on the corrected judgment condition and status information. As mentioned above, the kneading quality is greatly affected by the physical properties of the kneading materials. Furthermore, among the physical properties of the kneaded material, particularly the physical properties (viscosity, elasticity, etc.) change depending on the temperature of the kneaded material. Therefore, it is preferable to consider the influence of changes in the physical properties of the kneaded materials due to temperature differences in the kneaded materials when determining the kneading state. Based on this feature, correction information that changes in response to the temperature of the kneading material is obtained, the judgment conditions are corrected based on the obtained correction information, and the kneading status is determined using the corrected judgment conditions and status information, thereby targeting external factors. The judgment conditions set in advance can be used in the judgment in a form that suppresses the influence of changes in the physical properties of the kneaded material that occur depending on the temperature of the kneaded material after the start of kneading. Thereby, the reliability regarding the determination of the kneading state can be further improved. [Effects of the invention]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a kneading system that can appropriately set the judgment conditions when judging the kneading state and perform highly reliable judgment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the kneading system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the kneading system described in the embodiment is only an example for explaining the kneading system of the present invention, and is not limited thereto.

[First implementation mode] FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of the kneading system in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , a kneading system 100A in this embodiment includes a kneading unit 10 and a determination condition setting unit 20 . Moreover, the kneading system 100A in this embodiment is equipped with the kneading state determination part 30A which determines a kneading state using the judgment condition set by the judgment condition setting part 20.

The kneading section 10 kneads kneading materials such as plastic and rubber. The kneading part 10 has a chamber 11, a pressure head 12 (pressure cover), a rotor 13, a cylinder 14, a position sensor 15, a motor 16, and a temperature sensor 17.

The chamber 11 is a tank-shaped member in which a kneaded material is accommodated and kneaded. As shown in FIG. 1 , the upper part of the chamber 11 is open, and the pressure head 12 is inserted into it from above. The kneaded material is sealed inside the chamber 11 by the pressure head 12 .

The pressure head 12 is arranged in the chamber 11 in a state capable of moving up and down. The kneaded material is put into the chamber 11 in a state where the pressure head 12 is moved upward and the upper part of the chamber 11 is opened. Thereafter, the rotor 13 is rotated while the press head 12 is moved downward and the input kneaded material is pressurized from above, thereby kneading the kneaded material.

The space inside the chamber 11 has a shape in which a pair of parallel cylinders with central axes are arranged such that part of their side surfaces overlap. Furthermore, the pair of rotors 13 is rotatably arranged inside the chamber 11 in a state in which the central axis coincides with the central axis of the cylinder. Spiral rotor blades are formed on the surface of the rotor 13 . Furthermore, here, the internal space of the chamber 11 has been described as having the above shape, but it may also have other shapes, for example, it may be a shape in which a pair of parallel cylinders with central axes do not overlap. Furthermore, the rotor 13 is rotationally driven by a motor 16 . At this time, as the type of the motor 16, in addition to an electric motor, it may be driven by hydraulic pressure, an engine, or the like.

It is preferable that the kneading part 10 has a mechanism for temperature adjustment. Specifically, it is possible to form a flow path (piping, etc.) that can supply cooling water to the chamber 11, the pressure head 12, and the rotor 13.

Various kneading conditions related to kneading in the kneading section 10 are not particularly limited. In addition, the kneading conditions in this embodiment refer to the operating conditions of each component of the kneading section 10 during kneading (rotation speed of the rotor 13, pressure generated by the pressure head 12 (head pressure), kneading time, temperature inside the chamber 11, etc.).

Moreover, the kneading part 10 of this embodiment sends the kneading state value which shows a kneading state to the kneading state determination part 30A. Here, the kneading state value includes at least one of the driving load related to the driving of the kneading section 10, the temperature of the kneaded material during kneading, and the position of the press head.

The drive load related to driving the kneading section 10 may be equivalent to the energy consumed (or applied) by the kneading section 10 during kneading. Examples thereof include current, voltage, electric power, accumulated electric power, etc. The electrical characteristic value represents. More specifically, for example, when the motor 16 used in the kneading section 10 of this embodiment is an electric motor, the driving load related to the rotational driving of the rotor 13 is the power consumption of the motor 16 that rotationally drives the rotor 13, This is monitored by the drive power supply circuit of the motor 16 and sent to the kneading state determination part 30A. In other words, the drive power supply circuit of the motor 16 outputs information indicating the drive load related to the rotational drive of the rotor 13 to the kneading state determination unit 30A.

The temperature of the kneaded material during kneading refers to the temperature of the kneaded material in the kneading section 10 during kneading. The temperature of the kneaded material is measured by the temperature sensor 17 arranged in the chamber 11 and sent to the kneading state determination unit 30A. In other words, the temperature sensor 17 outputs a signal corresponding to the temperature of the kneaded material to the kneading state determination unit 30A.

The position of the pressure head 12, that is, the pressure head position, is monitored by the position sensor 15 which detects the position of the pressure head 12, and is sent to the kneading state determination part 30A. In other words, the position sensor 15 outputs a signal corresponding to the position of the pressure head 12 to the kneading state determination unit 30A.

The judgment condition setting unit 20 sets judgment conditions for judging the kneading state before kneading based on external factors other than kneading conditions during kneading.

According to the findings obtained by the present inventors, the kneading quality is not only affected by the type of kneading device or kneading conditions, but also is greatly affected by external factors other than these. Referring to FIG. 2 , the timing (season) during which kneading is performed is related to the ambient temperature of the kneading section 10 which is one of the environmental conditions during kneading and is also an external factor in this embodiment. The inventor's insights into the impact on the kneading quality will be explained below. FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the tendency of the kneading state value to change due to external factors. The horizontal axis of Fig. 2 represents the time period (unit: month) when kneading is executed, and the vertical axis of Fig. 2 represents the kneading state value. In Figs. 2(A) to 2(C), the vertical axes of Figs. 2(A) to 2(C) represent the drive load, The temperature of the mixing material and the position of the pressure head during mixing. Furthermore, in FIG. 2 , the numerical range obtained as the actual measured value of each kneading state value is shown in a columnar shape.

As shown in Figure 2, it can be seen that the obtained kneading state values are also greatly affected by different periods (seasons) when kneading is performed. Therefore, for example, a case is shown in which the upper limit value and/or the lower limit value (allowable range) of the kneading state value as the judgment condition is set based only on the kneading state value when kneading was performed in April (in FIG. 2 dotted line), there may be situations where it may become an inappropriate judgment condition at other times.

Based on this knowledge, in the kneading system 100A of this embodiment, when the judgment conditions are set, they are not based on the kneading conditions and kneading state values, but are based on other external factors before kneading. setting, whereby appropriate judgment conditions that take into account the influence of external factors can be set.

The judgment condition setting part 20 of this embodiment has an external factor information acquisition part 21, a storage part 22, and a calculation part 23.

The external factor information acquisition unit 21 acquires information related to external factors, and sends the acquired information to the storage unit 22 and the calculation unit 23 . Here, external factors refer to factors related to kneading quality other than the above-mentioned kneading conditions, including in particular the ambient temperature of the kneading section 10, the mechanical temperature of the kneading section 10 itself (wall temperature of the chamber 11), At least one of the temperature of the cooling water and the physical properties of the kneaded material when it is put into the kneading section 10 . In addition, the physical properties of the kneaded material as an external factor only need to represent the state of the kneaded material before being put into the kneading section 10. In addition to the shape (powder or block) and size of the kneaded material, the time when the kneaded material is put in can also be mentioned. The physical properties of the mixed materials (viscosity or elasticity, etc.). In addition, as an index indicating the physical properties of the kneaded material indirectly, the temperature of the kneaded material at the time of charging (before charging) can be used. In particular, the ambient temperature of the kneading section 10, the mechanical temperature of the kneading section 10 itself (wall temperature of the chamber 11), and the temperature of the cooling water, which may become one of the environmental conditions during kneading, are external factors. The water temperature and the physical properties (including shape) of the kneaded material when introduced into the kneading section 10 can be selected, and the judgment conditions can be set corresponding to external factors that have a large influence on the kneading quality. Thereby, appropriate judgment conditions can be set with high accuracy, and along with this, reliability regarding the judgment of the kneading state can be improved.

The external factor information acquisition unit 21 acquires information on external factors through input from various measuring machines or operators. As a specific example of the external factor information acquisition unit 21, when the external factor is information related to temperature, a thermometer and a measurement chamber 11 that measure the temperature of the environment (inside and outside the factory) where the kneading system 100A is installed can be cited. A thermometer for wall temperature, a thermometer for measuring the temperature of the cooling water supplied to the kneading section 10, etc. In addition, when the external factor is information related to the physical properties of the kneaded materials, measurement devices (camera devices, viscometers, thermometers, etc.) that measure information related to the shape, size and physical properties of the kneaded materials, or Input the visual confirmation results obtained by visual inspection, etc.

The storage unit 22 stores the information acquired by the external factor information acquisition unit 21 and sends the stored information to the calculation unit 23 . Furthermore, the storage unit 22 also stores information that correlates past kneading state values measured by the kneading unit 10 and sent to the kneading state determination unit 30A and information related to external factors. At this time, the information of each external factor can be created and stored as statistical data of the parent group. By using the generated statistical data, the calculation accuracy in the calculation unit 23 can be improved, and more appropriate judgment conditions can be determined. Furthermore, the storage unit 22 may also store the determination conditions determined by the calculation unit 23. At this time, the information obtained by the external factor information acquisition unit 21 can be associated and stored with the judgment condition determined by the operation unit 23, and the operation speed and operation accuracy in the operation unit 23 can be improved by using the associated information. .

The calculation unit 23 determines the judgment condition based on the information from the external factor information acquisition unit 21 and the storage unit 22 . Here, the judgment condition is used to judge the kneading state (quality), and includes information on the period to be judged and the judgment target. In particular, as the judgment condition determined by the calculation unit 23, it is preferable to set the upper limit value and/or the lower limit value of the above-mentioned kneading state value, that is, a numerical range (permissible range) in which kneading can be regarded as normal. . By setting the judgment condition determined by the arithmetic unit 23 in the allowable range, the allowable range is not treated as a fixed value or a fixed ratio, but can be set to a numerical range that can be appropriately changed according to external factors.

The kneading state determination part 30A determines the kneading of the kneading material in the kneading part 10 based on the above-mentioned kneading state value sent from the kneading part 10 and the judgment condition set by the judgment condition setting part 20. The kneading state determination unit 30A is provided with a state information acquisition unit 31 that acquires information indicating a transition of the kneading state value sent from the kneading unit 10 as one of the information used for determination (hereinafter also referred to as "state"). Information"); and a judgment unit 32 that judges whether the kneading state is normal or abnormal during the execution of kneading in the kneading unit 10 based on the status information and the judgment conditions set by the judgment condition setting unit 20. In addition, the details regarding the determination by the kneading state determination part 30A will be mentioned later.

Moreover, the kneading system 100A in this embodiment may be equipped with the control part 40 which controls the operation of the kneading system 100A. An example of the control unit 40 is one that includes a kneading state determination unit 30A and a determination condition setting unit 20 and allows the operation of each component of the kneading unit 10 based on the determination result based on the kneading state determination unit 30A. Take control. In addition, as the control unit 40, the program corresponding to the kneading state determination unit 30A, the determination condition setting unit 20, etc. is stored in a ROM or a non-volatile memory (not shown), and by These programs are loaded into the CPU and executed to execute processes corresponding to the kneading state determination unit 30A, the determination condition setting unit 20, and the like.

Furthermore, the kneading system 100A in this embodiment may be provided with the display unit 50 and the input unit 60 and may be controlled by the control unit 40 .

The display unit 50 is controlled by the control unit 40 to display a reference kneading diagram G described below. In addition, the display unit 50 also displays the operating conditions of the kneading unit 10 or the current operating status (power, kneading material temperature, pressure head position, etc.) The display of the mixing status value), etc. Specifically, the display unit 50 is configured by a display device such as a liquid crystal display. Moreover, when the kneading state determination part 30A determines that the kneading state in the kneading part 10 is abnormal, the display part 50 may display the screen which shows the abnormality of kneading. In addition, the notification of an abnormality in kneading can be performed using a warning sound, a warning light, or the like.

The input unit 60 is used when receiving input from the operator regarding the operating conditions and setting values of the kneading unit 10 or the above-mentioned judgment conditions. Specifically, the input unit 60 is an input means such as a keyboard or a numeric keypad. Furthermore, as a component that serves both as the display unit 50 and the input unit 60, a touch panel liquid crystal display can be used.

Hereinafter, an example of the steps related to the processing of the kneading system 100A according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 . 3 is a flowchart related to the processing in the kneading system 100A of this embodiment. Specifically, it includes the judgment condition setting based on the judgment condition setting part 20 of this embodiment and the kneading state judging part 30A. Flow chart of mixing status determination. Moreover, FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the transition of the kneading state value from the start of kneading to the end of kneading. Furthermore, the data showing the transition of the kneading state value during normal kneading can be used as the reference kneading map G for judgment.

First, the external factor information acquisition unit 21 of the judgment condition setting unit 20 acquires information on external factors (S11). Then, as information stored in the storage unit 22 , that is, as information required for setting the judgment conditions, the past kneading state value measured by the kneading unit 10 and sent to the kneading state determination unit 30A and the external factors are The related information is sent to the computing unit 23 (S12). In the calculation unit 23, the upper limit value and/or the lower limit value (allowable range) of the kneading state value is determined based on the information sent from the storage unit 22 and the information acquired by the external factor information acquisition unit 21 (S13). For example, when the external factor information acquisition unit 21 acquires the ambient temperature of the kneading unit 10, information on the past allowable range used under the same ambient temperature condition as the ambient temperature may be determined as Judgment conditions in this mixing process. That is, past judgment conditions when the environmental conditions at the time of kneading were the same or similar are used, but kneading conditions or recent judgment conditions are not used.

After the judgment condition is set by the judgment condition setting part 20, kneading in the kneading part 10 is started (S14). First, a rubber polymer, a filler such as carbon, and a compounding material such as oil are put into the chamber 11 , the pressure head 12 is lowered to pressurize, and the rotor 13 is rotated. Then, the kneaded material is bitten between the rotor blades of the rotor 13 and kneaded (kneading is started).

Immediately after the start of kneading, the kneaded material is bitten into the rotor 13, and the rubber polymer is gradually pulverized (biting stage). Along with this, the pressure head 12 decreases, the value of the pressure head position becomes smaller, and the electric power increases. Thereafter, during the process of the filler adhering to the rubber surface, the electric power takes a minimum value. Later, during the process of integrating rubber and filler, the power rises again, and with this, the material temperature also rises (integration stage). Thereafter, the electric power reaches the maximum (power peak) and then decreases. Along with this, the temperature rise becomes slower. At this stage, the filler is dispersed evenly (dispersion stage).

During the execution of kneading in the kneading section 10 (the period from the start of kneading to the end of kneading), the status information is obtained by the status information acquisition section 31 in the kneading status determination section 30A (S15), and based on Based on the judgment of the judgment unit 32, it is judged whether the kneading state is normal or abnormal (S16). After the determination, it is determined whether the kneading end condition is satisfied (S17), and kneading is ended based on the determination that the kneading end condition is satisfied (S17: Yes). Furthermore, in addition to the passage of a predetermined time, the kneading end condition may also include reaching a predetermined temperature value, reaching a predetermined electric power value, or a combination thereof.

Furthermore, after the determination (S16), it is preferable to send the information about the determination result to the storage unit 22 in the determination condition setting unit 20 and store it. At the same time, it is better to establish a correlation between external factors and judgment results, and to create and store statistical data for each external factor. Thereby, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the determination condition setting in the determination condition setting unit 20 .

Here, with regard to the determination of the kneading state, the points that a skilled worker actually pays attention to during the kneading process are limited, and there is no need to monitor all the data from the start to the end of kneading. Therefore, the kneading system 100A of this embodiment includes the period to be determined and information about the determination object as the determination condition used when making the determination in the kneading state determination unit 30A. The period to be determined (judgment period) ) is set as a part of the period from the start of kneading to the end of kneading in the kneading unit 10, and the information on the determination target is set as a numerical range (permissible range) for the kneading state value.

The determination conditions of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4 . As described above, FIG. 4 shows the transition of the kneading state value (state information) from the start of kneading to the end of kneading. The horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the kneading state value. Then, the five rectangles C1 to C5 shown in FIG. 4 respectively represent the first determination condition C1, the second determination condition C2, the third determination condition C3, the fourth determination condition C4, and the fifth determination condition C5. In the following description, illustration of the predetermined period (time) and the predetermined range (value) in FIG. 4 is omitted except for the first determination condition C1.

The first determination condition C1 is <the value of the indenter position in the status information includes a value in a predetermined range (value x1A to value x1B) within a predetermined period (time t1A to time t1B)>. That is, the position and width of the rectangle C1 shown in FIG. 4 in the horizontal axis direction represent the time range (judgment period) of the first judgment condition C1, and the position and width in the vertical axis direction represent the indenter of the first judgment condition C1. The range of values for the location.

The second determination condition C2 is <the value of the indenter position in the status information includes a value in a predetermined range (value x2A to value x2B) within a predetermined period (time t2A to time t2B)>. That is, the position and width of the rectangle C2 shown in FIG. 4 in the horizontal axis direction represent the time range (judgment period) of the second judgment condition C2, and the position and width in the vertical axis direction represent the indenter of the second judgment condition C2. The range of values for the location.

The third determination condition C3 is <the value of the drive load (electric power) in the status information includes a value in a predetermined range (value x3A to value x3B) during a predetermined period (time t3A to time t3B). That is, the position and width of the rectangle C3 shown in FIG. 4 in the horizontal axis direction represent the time range (judgment period) of the third judgment condition C3, and the position and width in the vertical axis direction represent the driving load of the third judgment condition C3. (electricity) value range.

The fourth determination condition C4 is <during a predetermined period (time t4A to time t4B), the maximum value and minimum value of the drive load (electric power) in the status information are within a predetermined range (value x4A to value x4B) >. That is, the position and width of the rectangle C4 shown in FIG. 4 in the horizontal axis direction represent the time range (judgment period) of the fourth judgment condition C4, and the position and width in the vertical axis direction represent the driving load of the fourth judgment condition C4. (electricity) value range.

The fifth determination condition C5 is <the value of the kneaded material temperature in the status information includes a value in a predetermined range (value x5A to value x5B) during a predetermined period (time t5A to time t5B)>. That is, the position and width of the rectangle C5 shown in FIG. 4 in the horizontal axis direction represent the time range of the fifth judgment condition C5, and the position and width in the vertical axis direction represent the kneading material temperature value of the fifth judgment condition C5. range.

In the kneading system 100A of this embodiment, by setting the judgment period of the first judgment condition C1 to the fifth judgment condition C5 as described above to a part of the period from the start to the end of kneading, it is possible to The required data (status information) is used to make the judgment when it is needed (during the judgment), so that efficient judgment can be made. In addition, it is possible to perform the judgment without making the determination subject to events that have little influence on the kneading quality, and it is also possible to perform a stable judgment. Hereinafter, a more detailed description will be given with reference to FIG. 4 .

In the biting stage immediately after the pressurization is started, it is important to bite the kneaded material normally. If the biting is normal, the pressure head 12 will drop. Therefore, the first determination condition C1 is used to determine whether the value of the indenter position is within the normal range.

In the subsequent integration stage, when the power rise starts slowly, slippage occurs between the rotor 13 and the kneading material, and kneading may become impossible. Therefore, determination is made by monitoring whether the value of the electric power is within the normal range using the third determination condition C3.

At the subsequent power peak, in order to confirm that the magnitude of the shear force of the rotor 13, which is important in dispersion, is normal, a determination is made by monitoring whether the value of the electric power considered to indicate the magnitude of the shear force is within the normal range using the fourth determination condition C4. . At the same time, determination is made by monitoring whether the value of the indenter position is within the normal range using the second determination condition C2.

Then, in the dispersion stage, the temperature of the kneaded material has an appropriate temperature range at the end of kneading. Therefore, the fifth judgment condition C5 is used to monitor whether the value of the kneading material temperature is within the normal range and make a judgment.

When each of the first to fifth determination conditions C1 to C5 becomes unsatisfactory, the display unit 50 may display a failure, or the control unit 40 may perform processing such as sounding an alarm sound.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the determination of the kneading state (S16) by the kneading state determining unit 30A will be described using a specific example. The judgment unit 32 compares the state information acquired every moment from the start of kneading by the state information acquisition unit 31 with the judgment conditions set in advance by the judgment condition setting unit 20 to make a judgment. From the start of kneading to time t1A, there is no time range (judgment period) corresponding to any judgment condition, so no judgment is made. During the period from time t1A to time t1B, the determination unit 32 determines whether the indenter position includes a value equal to or greater than the value x1A and equal to or less than the value x1B (allowable range). In the example shown in FIG. 4 , since the value of the indenter position at time t1A is the value x1A or more and x1B or less, the first determination condition C1 is satisfied. Therefore, the judgment part 23 judges that the kneading state is normal. Next, similarly, when the time is included in the time range (judgment period) of the judgment condition, the judgment unit 32 compares the kneading state value (driving load, kneading material temperature, or pressure head position) represented by the state information with the judgment condition. The indicated allowable range is compared to determine whether the judgment conditions are met. Then, the determination unit 32 determines that the kneading state is normal if the determination conditions are met, and determines that the kneading state is abnormal if the determination conditions are not met.

As described above, the kneading system 100A in this embodiment is provided with: a kneading unit that kneads the kneading material; and a judgment condition setting unit that based on external factors other than the kneading conditions during kneading, Judgment conditions for judging the kneading state are set before kneading. This kneading system 100A is not based on the kneading conditions during kneading, but is based on other external factors. The judgment conditions are set in advance before kneading. The judgment conditions of the kneading state can be set appropriately by taking into account the influence of external factors. This enables highly reliable determination in the kneading state determination.

[Second Implementation Mode] FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of the kneading system in the second embodiment of the present invention. In the kneading system 100B in the second embodiment, a kneading state determination unit 30B is provided instead of the kneading state determination unit 30A in the kneading system 100A in the first embodiment. The kneading state determination unit 30B In addition to the status information acquisition unit 31 and the judgment unit 32, a correction information acquisition unit 33 is further provided. In addition, description of the same components as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

Mixing quality is greatly affected by the physical properties of the mixing materials. Furthermore, among the physical properties of the kneaded material, particularly the physical properties (viscosity, elasticity, etc.) change depending on the temperature of the kneaded material. Therefore, it is preferable to consider the influence of changes in the physical properties of the kneaded materials due to temperature differences in the kneaded materials when determining the kneading state. Here, the kneading system 100B of this embodiment includes the correction information acquisition unit 33 that acquires the correction information corresponding to the temperature of the kneaded material after the kneading is started in the kneading unit as the kneading state determination unit 30B. The judgment conditions are corrected with the correction information, and the corrected judgment conditions and status information are used to judge the kneading state. This can suppress the judgment conditions set in advance based on external factors based on the temperature of the kneading material after the start of kneading. The form of influence caused by the change in the physical properties of the kneaded material is used in the judgment.

The correction information acquisition unit 33 obtains the correction information. The correction information obtained here is information that changes according to the temperature of the kneaded material. As a specific example of the correction information acquisition unit 33 in this embodiment, the time from the start of kneading in the kneading unit 10 to the time when the kneaded material reaches the reference temperature Ts (an example of a predetermined temperature) is measured, and the time is measured based on the result. The length of time measured is used to obtain correction information.

The correction reference information is information used as a reference when the correction information acquisition unit 33 obtains the correction information. In this embodiment, the corrected reference information includes a reference temperature Ts and a reference time ts. The correction reference information is determined by the user and is stored in advance based on the operation input received through the input unit 60 , for example. At this time, when storing the correction reference information, the function of the storage unit 22 in the judgment condition setting unit 20 described above can be applied, or a storage means independent of the storage unit 22 can be provided and combined with the reference mixing graph G or the end condition information. Various data used by the kneading state determination unit 30B and the control unit 40 are stored together. Furthermore, the reference time ts may be the time from the start of kneading until the temperature of the kneaded material reaches the reference temperature Ts in the reference kneading diagram G.

The acquisition of the correction information by the correction information acquisition unit 33 and the correction of the judgment condition by the judgment unit 32 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 shows another aspect of the transition of the kneading state value (state information) from the start of kneading to the end of kneading. The horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the kneading state value. Compared with the state information shown in Figure 4 (base mixing diagram G), in the state information shown in Figure 6, the material temperature rises earlier and mixing proceeds earlier. The correction information acquisition unit 33 monitors the temperature of the kneaded material acquired every moment from the start of kneading by the state information acquisition unit 31, and acquires the time ta from the start of kneading until the temperature of the kneaded material reaches the reference temperature Ts. The correction information acquisition unit 33 determines the difference Δt (=ta-ts) between the time ta and the reference time ts as the correction time and stores it. In the example shown in Fig. 6, the temperature of the kneaded material rises earlier than the reference kneading diagram G (the dotted line in Fig. 6), and ta is smaller than ts. Therefore, Δt has a negative value. In addition, the correction time is an example of correction information.

The judgment unit 32 of this embodiment determines the correction time Δt based on the correction information acquisition unit 33 and corrects the judgment condition. Specifically, the determination unit 32 adds the correction time Δt to times t1A, t1B, etc., which define the time ranges of the first to fifth determination conditions. That is, the corrected first judgment condition C1 is <the value of the indenter position from time t1A+Δt to time t1B+Δt (time range) including the value x1A or more and x1B or less (allowable range)>. Here, in the example shown in FIG. 6 , Δt has a negative value, so the time range (determination period) is moved to an earlier time by correction. In FIG. 6 , the judgment conditions C1 to C5 before correction are shown by dotted lines, and the judgment conditions C1 to C5 after correction are shown by solid lines. After correcting the judgment conditions, the judgment unit 32 judges the kneading state based on the corrected judgment conditions.

Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows an example in which the temperature of the kneaded material rises earlier than the reference kneading pattern G. On the other hand, when the material temperature rises more slowly than the reference kneading pattern G, the time ta until the temperature of the kneaded material reaches the reference temperature Ts is longer than the reference time ts. At this time, the correction time Δt becomes a positive value. Furthermore, the correction moves the time range (judgment period) of the judgment condition to a later time.

An example of the steps related to the processing of the kneading system 100B according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7 . 7 is a flowchart related to the processing in the kneading system 100B of this embodiment. Specifically, it includes the judgment condition setting based on the judgment condition setting part 20 of this embodiment and the kneading state judging part 30B. Flow chart of mixing status determination. In addition, descriptions of common contents related to the flow of processing in the kneading system 100A of the first embodiment will be omitted.

First, the judgment condition setting unit 20 sets judgment conditions based on external factors (S21). Furthermore, step S21 includes content equivalent to the above-mentioned steps S11 to S13.

Then, kneading is started (S22), and the time at which kneading is started is stored. Next, the state information acquisition unit 31 in the kneading state determination unit 30B acquires the state information and stores it together with the current time (S23).

Next, the correction information acquisition unit 33 in the kneading state determination unit 30B determines whether the temperature of the kneading material has reached the reference temperature Ts based on the state information acquired in step S23 (S24).

The correction information acquisition unit 33 acquires the correction information based on the determination in step S24 that the temperature of the kneaded material has reached the reference temperature Ts (S24: Yes) (S25). Specifically, the correction information acquisition unit 33 calculates the time ta from the time when the kneading process is started and the current time. Time ta is the time from the start of kneading until the temperature of the kneaded material reaches the reference temperature Ts. The correction information acquisition unit 33 determines the difference Δt (=ta-ts) between the time ta and the reference time ts as the correction time and stores it.

Next, the judgment unit 32 corrects the judgment condition based on the correction time Δt determined in step S25 (S26). Specifically, the determination unit 32 updates the determination conditions by adding the correction time Δt to times t1A, t1B, etc., which define the time range of each determination condition C1 to C5.

After executing step S26, the kneading state determination unit 30B acquires the determination condition (S27). The judgment unit 32 acquires the judgment condition before correction before performing the correction of the judgment condition in S26, and acquires the corrected judgment condition after performing the correction of the judgment condition in S26.

In the following steps S28 and S29, the kneading state determination unit 30B determines the kneading state in the kneading unit 10 based on the state information acquired in step S23 and the corrected determination condition acquired in step S27.

First, it is determined whether the time when the status information is acquired is included in the time range of the determination condition (S28). Then, based on the determination that it is included in the time range (S28: Yes), it is determined whether the status information meets the determination condition (S29). Whether or not the judgment conditions are met is determined based on the form of the judgment conditions.

For example, the first determination condition C1 is <the value of the indenter position from time t1A to time t1B (time range) includes a value equal to or greater than x1A and equal to or less than x1B (allowable range)>. The kneading state determination unit 30B monitors the value of the head position from time t1A to time t1B. Then, the determination unit 32 determines whether the value of the indenter position between time t1A and time t1B includes a value equal to or greater than the value x1A and equal to or less than the value x1B. Based on the determination that the value is included, the determination unit 32 determines that the determination condition is met (S29: Yes). Furthermore, it is determined that the value is not included and therefore the determination condition is not met (S29: No). For example, in the determination of the first determination condition C1, it is determined that the determination condition is met because the pressure head value is within the allowable range. On the other hand, it is determined that the pressure head value does not fall within the allowable range during the period until time t1B. The judgment conditions are not met. The kneading state determination unit 30B may perform the processing of steps S21 to S31 in parallel while performing the determination of step S29, or may perform the processing of step S29 for other determination conditions.

Here, if it is determined in the process of S29 that the determination condition is not met (S29: No), the control unit 40 may notify the kneading abnormality (S30). For example, the control unit 40 causes the display unit 50 to display a screen indicating an abnormality in kneading. Furthermore, step S30 can also be omitted.

The kneading state determination unit 30B determines whether the kneading end condition is satisfied based on the determination in S29 that the determination condition is met (S29: Yes) or based on the fact that the process of S30 has been executed (S31). Then, it is determined that the kneading end condition is satisfied (S31: Yes), and the kneading process is ended.

As another aspect of the processing in the kneading system 100B of this embodiment, the correction information acquisition unit 33 acquires correction information based on the temperature Ta of the kneading material when kneading is started. At this time, the correction standard information includes a correction schedule. The correction schedule is a table showing the correspondence between the temperature Ta of the kneaded material when kneading is started and the correction time. For example, the correction schedule includes a plurality of temperature ranges and correction times when the temperature Ta is within the temperature range. For example, the higher the temperature Ta becomes, the shorter the correction time is determined. The correction time can be a negative value.

The correction information acquisition unit 33 obtains correction information based on the temperature Ta of the kneaded material when kneading is started and the correction schedule included in the correction reference information.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another aspect of the processing in the kneading system 100B of this embodiment. Next, the kneading process in another aspect will be described with reference to FIG. 8 . First, similarly to the kneading process shown in FIG. 7 , the processes (S21, S22) until the judgment condition setting unit 20 sets the judgment condition and starts kneading are executed.

Then, after step S22, the correction information is obtained (S32). Specifically, the correction information acquisition unit 33 acquires a signal indicating the temperature of the kneaded material from the temperature sensor 17 and stores this temperature as the temperature Ta of the kneaded material when kneading is started. Specifically, the correction information acquisition unit 33 refers to the correction schedule indicated by the correction reference information, determines the correction time corresponding to the temperature Ta as the correction time Δt, and stores it.

Next, the judgment unit 32 corrects the judgment condition in step S33 based on the correction time Δt determined in step S32, and obtains the corrected judgment condition in step S34.

Next, similarly to the kneading process shown in FIG. 7 , the status information is acquired in step S35 , and then the processes corresponding to steps S28 to S31 are executed (S36 to S39). Then, it is determined that the end condition is satisfied (S39: Yes), and the kneading process is ended.

Furthermore, the correction information acquisition part 33 of this embodiment may also acquire correction information based on the temperature of the kneading part 10. The temperature of the kneading section 10 includes mechanical temperature, which is obtained by temperature sensors installed inside and outside the kneading section 10 . When kneading in the kneading section 10 is started, the temperature of the kneaded material put into the chamber 11 of the kneading section 10 approaches the temperature of the kneading section 10 by contacting the inner wall of the chamber 11 of the kneading section 10 temperature. Therefore, the temperature of the kneading section 10 can be used instead of the kneading material temperature, thereby simplifying the temperature measurement related to obtaining the correction information.

The kneading system 100B according to this embodiment acquires correction information that changes according to the temperature of the kneading material, corrects the judgment condition based on the obtained correction information, and further judges the kneading state using the corrected judgment condition and status information. This judgment condition, which is set in advance based on external factors, can be used in the judgment in a form that suppresses the influence of changes in the physical properties of the kneaded material due to the temperature of the kneaded material after the start of kneading. Thereby, the reliability regarding the determination of the kneading state can be further improved.

In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment shows an example of a kneading system. The kneading system of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made to the kneading system of the above-described embodiment within the scope that does not change the gist described in the claims.

For example, it is also possible to configure a part of the kneading system in the above-described embodiment as an independent kneading state determination device and to add it to the already installed kneading device (kneading section 10). At this time, the kneading state determination device may be configured to include at least the judgment condition setting unit 20 and the kneading state determination unit 30A or 30B, and further include a control unit 40, a display unit 50, and an input unit 60.

In addition, as the judgment condition used in the kneading system in this embodiment, the judgment period is defined by time, but it is not limited to this. For example, the determination period may be defined by the integrated power value. If the integrated electric power value is used as a reference, when a bite failure occurs during the bite stage, the electric power becomes low, so the increase in the integrated electric power value also becomes small, and an appropriate judgment can be made without being affected by the time delay of the bite. That is, the judgment period is defined by the accumulated electric power value, and the judgment is made based on the accumulated electric power value. This allows the determination to be made in response to the energy actually applied during kneading (pressure head position, driving load, and kneading material temperature). Judgment enables stable judgment that eliminates the influence of time delays caused by events that have little impact on kneading quality.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the allowable range as the judgment condition is defined by the upper limit and the lower limit of the kneading state value, but it may also be determined by only the upper limit of the kneading state value or only by the lower limit. Limit value regulations. [Industrial availability]

The kneading system of the present invention can be used for kneading the kneaded product. In addition, in order to perform kneading with excellent reliability in determining the kneading state, the kneading system of the present invention can be preferably utilized. This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-125830 filed on August 5, 2022. The entire contents of this Japanese application are incorporated by reference into this specification.

100A, 100B: Mixing system 10: Mixing Department 11: Chamber 12:pressure head 13:Rotor 14:Cylinder 15: Position sensor 16: Motor 17:Temperature sensor 20: Judgment condition setting part 21: External factor information acquisition department 22:Storage Department 23:Operation Department 30A: Mixing state judgment part 31: Status information acquisition department 32: Judgment Department 33:Correction information acquisition department 40:Control Department 50:Display part 60:Input part G:Basic mixing chart

[Fig. 1] is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of the kneading system in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Fig. 2] is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the tendency of the kneading state value to change due to external factors. [Fig. 3] is a flow chart related to the processing of the kneading system in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Fig. 4] is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the transition of the kneading state value from the start of kneading to the end of kneading related to the kneading process. [Fig. 5] is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the structure of the kneading system in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Fig. 6] is a schematic explanatory diagram showing another aspect of the transition of the kneading state value from the start of kneading to the end of kneading related to the kneading process. [Fig. 7] is a flow chart related to the processing of the kneading system in the second embodiment of the present invention. [Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a flowchart of another aspect of the process of the kneading system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

100A: Mixing system

10: Mixing Department

11: Chamber

12:pressure head

13:Rotor

14:Cylinder

15: Position sensor

16: Motor

17:Temperature sensor

20: Judgment condition setting part

21: External factor information acquisition department

22:Storage Department

23:Operation Department

30A: Mixing state judgment part

31: Status information acquisition department

32: Judgment Department

40:Control Department

50:Display part

60:Input part

Claims (4)

A mixing system characterized by: The mixing department, which performs the mixing of mixing materials; and The judgment condition setting unit sets judgment conditions for judging the kneading state before kneading based on external factors other than kneading conditions during kneading. Such as the mixing system of claim 1, wherein, The external factors include at least one of the ambient temperature of the kneading section, the mechanical temperature of the kneading section itself, the temperature of the cooling water, and the physical properties of the kneaded material when put into the kneading section. Such as the mixing system of claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned judgment conditions refer to the upper limit value and/or the lower limit value of the kneading state value indicating the kneading state, The kneading state value includes at least one of a driving load related to driving of the kneading section, a kneading material temperature during kneading, and a pressure head position. A mixing system as claimed in any one of items 1 to 3, wherein, The judgment condition includes a judgment period consisting of a part of the period from the start of kneading in the kneading section to the end of kneading, The aforementioned mixing system has: The correction information acquisition unit acquires correction information corresponding to the temperature of the kneading material after the kneading in the aforementioned kneading unit starts; and a state information acquisition unit that acquires state information indicating temporal changes in the kneading state value in the kneading unit, The kneading system further includes: a kneading state determination unit that corrects the judgment condition based on the correction information and determines the kneading state in the kneading unit based on the corrected judgment condition and the status information.

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