JP7223473B1 - Method for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains and mechanism for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains - Google Patents

Abstract

Kind Code: A1 A weighing and discharging method for water-absorbing grains capable of continuously and automatically discharging all of the water-absorbing grains in the soaking tank to the next process at a set time while periodically changing the discharging speed of the water-absorbing grains discharged from the soaking tank. and provide a weighing discharge mechanism for water-absorbing grains.
A water absorption ratio is obtained by dividing the discharged water-absorbed grain accumulated weight from a selected soaking tank (11) by the water-absorbed grain accumulated weight of the selected soaking tank (11), and the water absorption ratio is obtained, and the remaining soaking tank (11) is used as the water-absorbed grain accumulated weight before water absorption. Multiplying the water absorption ratio to calculate the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tank 11, from the set time for discharging all the water-absorbing grains to the next process, from the start of discharge of the water-absorbing grains to the end of discharge of the designated soaking tank 11 The remaining required time for discharging the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tanks 11 is calculated by subtracting the accumulated time required, and the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tanks 11 is divided by the remaining required time to remove the water-absorbing grains. The discharge speed from the weighing discharge means 13 is calculated and the set value of the discharge speed is changed.
[Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

In the present invention, the water-absorbing grain obtained by dividing and soaking the grain of a predetermined weight in a plurality of soaking tanks is continuously discharged to the next step at a set time while periodically changing the discharging speed. It relates to a weighing and discharging method and a weighing and discharging mechanism for water-absorbing grains.

When grain-shaped grains such as rice and wheat belonging to the gramineous family and soybeans belonging to the legume family, peas, chickpeas, and fava beans are used as raw materials for foods and seasonings, the grains should be soaked in water. After absorbing water, the water is drained to obtain water-absorbing grains, which are then steamed and then variously processed in many cases.

For example, when producing soy sauce using soybeans that have not been dehulled or cracked as the main raw material, the water-absorbing soybeans obtained by soaking are steamed, mixed with cracked wheat, and further inoculated with koji mold. is incorporated into the koji making equipment to make soy sauce koji. It is necessary to adjust the moisture content of the koji substrate to be added to 42 to 47%. The adjustment of the water content of the koji substrate to be added differs depending on the blending ratio of soybeans and wheat. Realized.

The capacity of the soaking tank, which is used to soak the grain in water to absorb water, is often less than 5 tons (tons) of grain to be processed. It is not common because spots occur to the extent of In particular, when grains of the leguminous family are subjected to limited water absorption, it is preferable to use a large number of soaking tanks with a capacity of 1 to 3 tons in consideration of both quality and productivity.

If the weight of the grain processed per day is less than 5 tons, multiple units of batch-type steaming equipment with a capacity of 1 to 2 tons are installed and used for steaming after being soaked in water to make water-absorbing grains. or using the same batch cooker multiple times a day. When the weight of grain processed per day reaches 5 tons or more, continuous steaming equipment is adopted in consideration of operation time and workability.

Recently, technology has been developed to mass-produce koji using grains such as soybeans as the main raw material. The koji produced is not only processed into foods and seasonings, but also sold as food with function claims. For the purpose of producing a large amount of koji with high efficiency, a large disc koji making machine, which is the most labor-saving one, is adopted. Furthermore, in order to increase the production of koji, an increasing number of factories are equipped with multiple large disc koji making machines per day. In order to produce high-quality and reproducible koji using this apparatus, it is essential to incorporate the koji substrate in thin layers in multiple stages. method was developed.

The method of adding koji substrate in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is based on the premise that grains, which are the main raw material, are processed in a predetermined weight on the upstream side of the koji making apparatus, and the grains are added to the koji making apparatus at a set time. It's becoming In order to ensure this premise, when grains of a predetermined weight are divided into a plurality of soaking tanks and soaked to make water-absorbing grains, and steamed using a continuous steaming device before being loaded into the koji making device, It is necessary to continuously discharge all the water-absorbing grains to a continuous steaming apparatus, which is the next step, within a set time. In addition, the steamed main raw material is cooled and then continuously mixed with auxiliary raw materials such as crushed wheat. In order to keep the mixing ratio of the main raw material and the auxiliary raw material constant during filling, the discharge speed of the water-absorbing grains, which is the main raw material, into the continuous steaming apparatus must be kept constant to some extent.

Conventionally, in order to continuously discharge all of the water-absorbing grains obtained by dividing grains of a predetermined weight into a plurality of soaking tanks and soaking them in a set time to the next process, first, an operator sets the initial discharge speed of the water-absorbing grains. set. Next, after starting discharge at the initially set initial discharge speed, the operator checks the elapsed time each time the discharge of the water-absorbing grains from the soaking tank is completed, and determines the discharge speed of the water-absorbing grains. By accelerating or decelerating the speed, adjustment was made so that all the water-absorbing grains could be discharged within the set time.

Japanese Patent No. 5822511 China Patent No. 102732420

The grain weight before water absorption of grains to be dividedly supplied to a plurality of soaking tanks can be set and measured for each soaking tank. However, the weight of water-absorbing grains differs due to the factors that affect the water absorption capacity, such as the timing of harvesting the grains, the temperature of the grains, and the temperature of the soaking water. Therefore, if the operator continues to discharge the water-absorbing grains without changing the initial discharge speed initially set, the grains cannot be discharged to the next process within the set time. Here, the water absorption ratio is a value obtained by dividing the weight of water-absorbing grains by the weight of grains before water absorption.

As described above, since the weight of the water-absorbing grains cannot be determined accurately, the operator must determine the conditions under which the water-absorbing grains are transported from each soaking tank and speed up or slow down the discharge speed of the water-absorbing grains. Therefore, at least one worker had to be placed in the area where the immersion tank was installed, which increased the running cost due to labor costs. In addition, it is a difficult task that requires skill to adjust the discharge speed according to the operator's judgment and discharge all the grains of a predetermined weight to the next process in a predetermined time.

The present invention solves the conventional problems as described above, and controls the discharging speed of the water-absorbing grains discharged from the soaking tank by means of a metering discharge means capable of measuring the cumulative weight and the cumulative time. To provide a method for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains and a mechanism for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains capable of continuously and automatically discharging all of the water-absorbing grains in a soaking tank to the next process at a set time while changing the water-absorbing grains systematically.

In order to achieve the above object, the method for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains of the present invention provides for the water-absorbing grains obtained by soaking a predetermined weight of grains in a plurality of soaking tanks by dividing each set weight into water-absorbing grains continuously for a set time. A method for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains to be discharged to the next process, wherein the water-absorbing grains discharged from each soaking tank are conveyed to weighing and discharging means, discharged to the next process via the weighing and discharging means, and weighed. The discharge means can discharge the water-absorbing grains at a set discharge rate, and the cumulative weight of the water-absorbing grains discharged from each of the soaking tanks and the start of discharge of the water-absorbing grains from the weighing and discharging means from each of the soaking tanks for the water-absorbing grains, it is possible to measure the accumulated time required until the discharge from the weighing and discharging means is completed, and the discharge of the water-absorbing grains is started at an initial discharge speed prepared in advance, and the water-absorbing grains reach a designated soaking tank. is discharged from the weighing and discharging means, one or a plurality of soaking tanks are arbitrarily selected from the soaking tanks that have finished discharging the water-absorbing grains, and the water-absorbing water that has been discharged from the selected soaking tanks is discharged. The water absorption factor is obtained by dividing the grain integrated weight by the grain integrated weight before water absorption in the selected soaking tank, and the water absorption factor is multiplied by the grain integrated weight before water absorption in the remaining soaking tanks after the designated soaking tank. Calculate the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tanks, and calculate the amount of time required from the start of discharge of the water-absorbing grains to the end of discharge of the designated soaking tank from the set time for discharging all the water-absorbing grains to the next process. Subtract the time to calculate the remaining required time for discharging the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tank, and divide the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tank by the remaining required time to obtain the water-absorbing grains. The discharge speed is calculated and the set value of the discharge speed is changed.

In addition, the mechanism for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains of the present invention continuously divides grains of a predetermined weight into a plurality of soaking tanks by each set weight and soaks the water-absorbing grains, all of which are obtained continuously for a set time while being controlled by a control device. A mechanism for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains to be discharged to the next process, wherein the water-absorbing grains discharged from each soaking tank are conveyed to the weighing and discharging means by the conveying means, and discharged to the next process via the weighing and discharging means. The weighing and discharging means can discharge the water-absorbing grains at a set discharge rate, and the integrated weight of the water-absorbing grains discharged from each of the soaking tanks and the start of discharge of the water-absorbing grains from the weighing and discharging means With respect to the water-absorbing grains from the soaking tank, it is possible to measure the cumulative time required until the discharge from the weighing discharge means is completed, and the control device starts discharging the water-absorbing grains at an initial discharge speed prepared in advance, One or a plurality of soaking tanks are arbitrarily selected from the soaking tanks from which the water-absorbing grains have been discharged, based on the time point at which the water-absorbing grains have been discharged from the weighing discharge means to the soaking tanks of The water absorption ratio is obtained by dividing the discharged water-absorbed grain integrated weight from the soaking tank by the water-absorbed grain integrated weight of the selected soaking tank, and the water absorption ratio is obtained, and the water-absorbing grain integrated weight of the remaining soaking tank after the designated soaking tank. is multiplied by the water absorption ratio to calculate the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tank, and from the set time for discharging all the water-absorbing grains to the next process, from the start of discharge of the water-absorbing grains to the designated soaking tank. Subtract the accumulated time required until the discharge of the remaining soaking tank is completed to calculate the remaining required time for discharging the water-absorbing grain in the remaining soaking tank, and subtract the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grain in the remaining soaking tank from the remaining required time , to calculate the discharging speed of the water-absorbing grains and change the set value of the discharging speed.

According to the method for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains and the mechanism for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains of the present invention, the water absorption rate of the discharged water-absorbing grains is obtained by using the weighing and discharging means capable of measuring the cumulative weight and the cumulative time, and the remaining soaking time is determined. Calculate the accumulated weight of water-absorbing grains in the tank, calculate the remaining time required to discharge the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tanks, calculate the discharge speed of the water-absorbing grains from the next soaking tank, and set the discharge speed. By periodically changing the value, not only can all the water-absorbing grains be continuously discharged to the next process within a set time period, but also a series of these processes can be automated.

In the method for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains and the weighing-and-discharging mechanism for water-absorbing grains of the present invention, the initial discharge speed is obtained by multiplying the predetermined weight of the grains by the initial water absorption rate, which is the water absorption rate estimated from actual results. It is preferable that the weight of the water-absorbing grain is calculated by dividing the weight of the water-absorbing grain by the set time. According to this configuration, since the water absorption rate estimated from the actual results is used, the initial discharging speed of the water-absorbing grains from the first soaking tank can be appropriately set without relying only on the operator's judgment. can be done.

Further, the weighing and discharging means comprises a stock tank and a weighing and discharging device as a main part, and when the completion of transportation of the water-absorbing grain from each of the soaking tanks to the stock tank is detected, a weight sensor detects the water-absorbing grain remaining in the weighing and discharging means. measuring the residual weight of the water-absorbing grain that has been discharged, or estimating the residual weight from an actual value, adding the cumulative weight of the water-absorbing grain discharged from the weighing and discharging device to the residual weight, and adding the discharged water-absorbing grain Accumulated weight is preferred. According to this configuration, when it is detected that the water-absorbing grains have been transported from each soaking tank to the stock tank, the sum of discharged water-absorbing grains can be calculated. Even when the lot is changed, the water-absorbing grains can be continuously discharged to the next process without interrupting the discharge of the water-absorbing grains from the weighing and discharging means. As a result, the quality in the next process is stabilized and the working efficiency is improved.

The effects of the present invention are as described above. In summary, the water absorption rate of the discharged water-absorbing grains is obtained, and the discharge speed of the water-absorbing grains from the next soaking tank is calculated, and the set value of the discharge speed is periodically adjusted. In addition to being able to continuously discharge all of the water-absorbing grains to the next process within a set time, the series of these processes can be automated. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is not necessary for the operator to adjust the discharge speed of the water-absorbing grains, and it is possible to reduce labor costs and lower running costs. In addition, since the adjustment is not based on judgment based on the operator's experience, more accurate discharge is possible.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an installation example of a water-absorbing grain weighing and discharging mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a koji-making apparatus used in the pouring process in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view for explaining measurement of accumulated weight and accumulated time according to one embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flow chart showing a metering discharge method according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which all the water-absorbed soybeans in the No. 4 soaking tank have been discharged to the weighing and discharging means in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a view showing the moment when all the water-absorbed soybeans in the No. 4 soaking tank are discharged from the weighing discharge means in one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a method for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains and a mechanism for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an installation example of a water-absorbing grain weighing and discharging mechanism 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, the shape of each device in FIG. 1 is simplified and the scale of each device is different. This also applies to FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 6. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the method for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains according to the present invention is used in a state in which a plurality of soaking tanks 11 and a belt conveyor 12, which is a conveying means, are combined with weighing and discharging means 13 and a control device 14. be done. The weighing/discharging mechanism 1 may be a mechanism composed of at least the weighing/discharging means 13 and the control device 14, or may be a mechanism combining a plurality of dipping tanks 11 and belt conveyors 12 with the same mechanism.

The immersion tank 11 comprises an immersion tank body 111 and a discharge damper 112 . The weighing and discharging means 13 comprises a stock tank 131 which is a means for storing water-absorbing grains, a belt scale 132 which is a weighing and discharging device, and a load cell 133 which is a weight measuring means. The load cell 133 can measure the weight of the water-absorbing grain remaining in the weighing discharge means 13 using the stock tank 131 and the belt scale 132 as a tare.

At the start of soaking, a predetermined weight of grain is divided into each set weight and soaked in each soaking tank 11 . The water-absorbing grain obtained in the soaking tank body 111 is discharged onto the belt conveyor 12 by opening the discharge damper 112 provided below the soaking tank body 111 . The water-absorbing grains on the belt conveyor 12 are conveyed to the weighing and discharging means 13 and carried out to the next process via the weighing and discharging means 13 . The next main steps are the steaming step of steaming the water-absorbed grains, and the loading step of mixing the steamed grains that have undergone the steaming step with auxiliary raw materials and koji mold into the koji-making apparatus.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the koji-making apparatus 2 used in the filling process. FIG. 2(a) is a plan view, and FIG. 2(b) is a side view. In FIG. 2(b), a koji substrate 20 conveyed by a loading conveyor 23 is supplied onto a circular culture bed 21 rotating around a central axis 22 (arrow a). The koji substrate 20 is incorporated in the radial direction of the circular culture bed 21 by moving the loading conveyor 23 in the radial direction of the circular culture bed 21 . When the circular culture bed 21 completes the first rotation, a first sediment layer is formed on the circular culture bed 21 . During the second rotation of the circular culture bed 21, the second sedimentary layer is formed on the first sedimentary layer. Similarly, the number of sedimentary layers increases.

In the case of using the koji-making apparatus 2 having the circular culture bed 21, if the filling is not completed when the circular culture bed 21 has been circulated an integral number of times, a difference in the number of deposited layers in the circumferential direction will occur. The number of layers is partially increased and the number of layers is partially decreased. In these cases, the thickness of the deposited layer of the koji substrate 20 at the end of the filling process will have a height difference of one layer. There is a problem of lack of ventilation.

As will be described later in detail, according to the present invention, all the water-absorbed grains from the soaking tank 11 can be continuously and automatically discharged to the next process within a set time. It can be incorporated into the circular culture bed 21 at a set time. Therefore, when the circular culture bed 21 has been circulated an integral number of times, the filling can be finished.

The weighing discharge means 13 will be specifically described below. In FIG. 1, the water-absorbing grains transported to the weighing and discharging means 13 are stored in the stock tank 131 and then discharged onto the belt scale 132 . The belt scale 132 is a device capable of calculating the integrated weight of the water-absorbing grain while conveying the water-absorbing grain with a belt. A general-purpose belt scale 132 can be used, and the integrated weight can be calculated from the belt speed and the value of the weight sensor. Since the water-absorbing grains from the soaking tank 11 are sent to the belt scale 132 , the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains discharged from the soaking tank 11 can be measured by the belt scale 132 .

If the height of the water-absorbing grains on the belt scale 132 is regulated by a gate (not shown) at the entrance of the belt scale 132 to control the belt speed, the discharge speed (weight/time) of the water-absorbing grains from the belt scale 132 can be adjusted. is adjustable, and the water-absorbing grains can be discharged at the set discharge speed.

In addition, by the weighing and discharging means 13, it is possible to measure the integrated time required from the start of discharging the water-absorbing grains from the weighing and discharging means 13 to the end of discharging. Measurement of accumulated weight and accumulated time will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the transport state of the water-absorbing grains 10 in the weighing and discharging means 13 in chronological order.

When the water-absorbing grains 10 from the first soaking tank 11 begin to be conveyed to the stock tank 131 via the belt conveyor 12, the weight measured by the load cell 133 increases. The operation and stop control of the belt conveyor 12 will be described later. FIG. 3(a) shows the state immediately before the weight of the water-absorbing grains 10 of the weighing and discharging means 13 reaches the upper limit weight value, the belt conveyor 12 stops, and the belt scale 132 of the weighing and discharging means 13 starts operating. In this state, the tip 10a of the water-absorbing grain 10 is positioned at the inlet of the belt scale 132. As shown in FIG. From this state, the operation of the belt scale 132 is started.

FIG. 3(b) shows the state immediately before the belt scale 132 starts operating and the water-absorbing grains 10 are discharged from the weighing and discharging means 13. FIG. In this state, the tip 10 a of the water-absorbing grain 10 reaches the exit of the belt scale 132 . The time obtained by adding the time when the tip 10a of the water-absorbing grain 10 reaches the outlet of the belt scale 132 to the time when the operation of the belt scale 132 is started is set as the discharge start time (time zero) of the water-absorbing grain 10 from the weighing and discharging means 13. At this point, the measurement of the accumulated weight of the discharged water-absorbing grains is started. Since the position of the tip 10a of the water-absorbing grain 10 in FIG. 3(a) is always the same, the moving distance of the tip 10a of the water-absorbing grain 10 (the distance between the entrance and the exit of the belt scale 132) is always constant. Therefore, from the belt speed of the belt scale 132, it is possible to calculate the time when the tip 10a of the water-absorbing grain 10 in FIG. Time (time zero) can be measured.

The discharge start time (time zero) of the water-absorbing grains 10 from the weighing and discharging means 13 may be detected by other methods. For example, a flow sensor may be provided at the outlet of the belt scale 132, and the point at which the flow sensor detects the tip 10a of the water-absorbing grain 10 after the belt scale 132 starts operating may be set as the discharge start time (time zero) of the water-absorbing grain 10. .

When the operation of the belt scale 132 is started and the weight of the water-absorbent grains 10 measured by the load cell 133 becomes lower than the upper limit weight value by a certain amount, the operation of the belt conveyor 12 is restarted. After that, the operation and stop of the belt conveyor 12 are repeated based on the upper limit weight value. FIG. 3(c) shows a state before discharge of the water-absorbing grains 10 from the first soaking tank 11 is completed and discharge of the water-absorbing grains 10 from the second soaking tank 11 is started. . In this state, the ends 10b of the water-absorbing grains 10 are positioned at the top inside the stock tank 131. As shown in FIG. When the discharge damper 112 of the first soaking tank 11 is open and the belt conveyor 12 is in operation, the flow sensor (not shown) provided at the exit of the belt conveyor 12 does not detect the water-absorbing grains 10 for a certain period of time. 3(c), it is determined that the first end 10b is in the stock tank 131. In this case, as shown in FIG.

At this point, the weight obtained by adding the weight of the water-absorbing grains 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13 measured by the load cell 133 to the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains discharged from the belt scale 132 is added from the first soaking tank 11. can be the cumulative weight of water-absorbing grains. After that, the operation of the belt scale 132 continues, and when the accumulated weight of the water-absorbed grains discharged from the belt scale 132 reaches the accumulated weight of the water-absorbed grains from the first soaking tank 11, the first soaking tank is reached. It is time to finish discharging the water-absorbing grains 10 from 11 . The time from the discharge start time to the discharge end time is the cumulative time required for discharging the water-absorbing grains 10 from the first soaking tank 11 through the weighing discharge means 13 .

On the other hand, if the water-absorbing grains 10 from the second soaking tank 11 are put into the stock tank 131 before the stock tank 131 storing the water-absorbing grains 10 from the first soaking tank 11 is empty, the stock The water-absorbing grains 10 are continuously discharged from the tank 131 . Therefore, the water-absorbing grains 10 from the first soaking tank 11 and the water-absorbing grains 10 from the second soaking tank 11 do not become discontinuous. Therefore, the end time of discharging the water-absorbing grains 10 from the first soaking tank 11 from the weighing and discharging means 13 remains unchanged from the weighing and discharging means 13 for the water-absorbing grains 10 from the second soaking tank 11. is the discharge start time, and the measurement of the accumulated time is not interrupted. For the second and subsequent soaking tanks 11 as well, the end time of discharging the water-absorbing grains 10 from the current soaking tank 11 by the weighing discharge means 13 is set to the water-absorbing grains 10 from the next soaking tank 11. By setting the discharge start time from the water-absorbing grains 10, the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains 10 and the accumulated time required for discharging the water-absorbing grains 10 can be measured.

In the above example, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the end 10b of the water-absorbing grain 10 from one soaking tank 11 is positioned at the top of the stock tank 131 at the exit of the belt conveyor 12. Although it was detected with a flow sensor, it can also be detected without using a flow sensor. Even if the discharge of the water-absorbing grains 10 from the first soaking tank 11 is completed, if the discharge of the water-absorbing grains 10 from the second soaking tank 11 is stopped, the water-absorbing grains 10 can be transferred to the stock tank 131. The charging is stopped, the height of the water-absorbing grains 10 in the stock tank 131 continues to decrease, and the weight of the weighing discharge means 13 continues to decrease. Therefore, when the weight of the water-absorbing grains has decreased to a predetermined weight (for example, 1 t), the end 10b of the water-absorbing grains 10 from one soaking tank 11 is positioned at the upper part in the stock tank 131. It should be judged as a state.

The present embodiment will be specifically described below with reference to numerical examples. Numerical examples are examples, and may be changed as appropriate, and are not limited to these. Although grains to be water-absorbed are not particularly limited, soybeans will be described as an example in this embodiment. For convenience, the reference numeral 10 for absorbent grains 10 is also used for absorbent soybeans. In this embodiment, the immersion is carried out on a lot-by-lot basis. A lot is a unit of production in which one lot is made up of a given weight of grain. In this embodiment, the water-absorbing soybeans 10 obtained by soaking 50 tons of soybeans in one lot, which is the main raw material of the koji substrate 20 (see FIG. 2), are divided into two lines of 25 tons each, and then subjected to a steaming process and the like. It is basically incorporated into one disk-shaped koji making apparatus. That is, two lines of the weighing and discharging mechanism 1 shown in FIG. 1 are used. Ten immersion tanks 11 of the same specification are arranged in one line. In this case, the weight of soybeans charged into one dipping tank 11 is 2.5 tons, and the amounts of soybeans and water to be charged and the soaking time are the same set values for all the dipping tanks 11 of the two lines. The water-absorbing soybeans 10 are discharged entirely from the weighing discharge means 13 in a set time of 150 minutes.

The operation and stoppage of the belt conveyor 12, which is the conveying means, is controlled by the control device 14, but the control method is not particularly limited, and for example, the weight of the water-absorbing soybeans 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13 may be used as a reference. In this case, the upper limit weight of the remaining water-absorbing soybeans 10 is set to 1.2 t, and if the weight exceeds 1.2 t, the belt conveyor 12 is stopped, and if the weight falls below 1.1 t, the operation is resumed. The upper limit weight value of 1.2 tons is preset in consideration of the volume of the stock tank 131 . Alternatively, a weight sensor may be provided in the stock tank 131, an upper limit weight value of the stock tank 131 may be set, and the belt conveyor 12 may be stopped when the upper limit weight value is exceeded.

The criteria for starting and stopping the belt conveyor 12 are not limited to weight. You may make it stop.

In this embodiment, for convenience, the most upstream immersion tank 11 is called No. 1 immersion tank 11 , and the n-th immersion tank 11 from No. 1 immersion tank 11 is called No.n immersion tank 11 . The discharging speed is the discharging speed of the water-absorbing soybeans 10 from the weighing discharging means 13 , more specifically, the discharging speed from the belt scale 132 .

Hereinafter, the weighing discharge method according to the present embodiment will be described in order of steps with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 4, when the operation starts, the water-absorbing soybeans 10 start to be discharged from the No. 1 soaking tank 11, and after the weight of the weighing and discharging means 13 reaches the upper limit weight value, the belt scale 132 provided in the weighing and discharging means 13 is driven at an initial ejection speed (step 100 in FIG. 3).

A value prepared in advance is used as the initial discharge speed. This value should just use the value estimated suitably from the actual results. Specifically, the total weight of the soybeans to be immersed in the soaking tank 11 is multiplied by the initial water absorption capacity, which is estimated from actual results, to calculate the total weight of the water-absorbing soybeans 10. The initial discharge rate is obtained by dividing the total weight of the set by the set time. According to this calculation procedure, since the water absorption factor estimated from actual results is used, the initial discharge speed of the water-absorbed soybeans 10 from the No. 1 soaking tank 11 from the weighing discharge means 13 is calculated without depending only on the operator's judgment. can be set appropriately.

In the present embodiment, the water absorption factor used to calculate the initial discharge rate was set to 2.00 based on past results. Multiplying this water absorption factor of 2.00 by the soybean weight of 25 tons, the estimated value of the water absorption soybean weight is 50 tons. Dividing this value by the set time of 150 minutes yields an initial discharge rate of 20 t/h.

The procedure for measuring the integrated weight and the integrated time is as described with reference to FIG. 3, and as shown in FIG. and measurement of the accumulated time is started. That is, the state of FIG. 3B is the discharge start time (time zero) of the water-absorbing soybeans 10, and the integrated weight at this time is zero.

When the discharge of the water-absorbing soybeans 10 to the designated soaking tank 11 is completed (step 101 in FIG. 4), a new discharge speed is calculated (step 102 in FIG. 4). There are a number of ways to calculate the new discharge rate, but a typical example will be explained here, and modified examples will be explained later. Hereinafter, the change of the discharge speed when the water-absorbed soybeans 10 from the No. 5 soaking tank 11 are in a state immediately before being discharged from the weighing discharge means 13 will be described. In this state, the designated immersion tank 11 from which the water-absorbed soybeans 10 have been discharged from the metering and discharge means 13 is the No. 4 immersion tank 11 which is the closest to the No.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which all the water-absorbed soybeans 10 in the No. 4 soaking tank 11 have been discharged into the stock tank 131 of the weighing discharge means 13 . This state is just before the water-absorbed soybeans 10 are discharged from the No. 5 soaking tank 11 . As shown in FIG. 5, the end 10b of the water-absorbing soybeans 10 in the No. 4 soaking tank 11 is located at the top inside the stock tank 131. As shown in FIG. Reaching this state is detected by the flow sensor provided at the exit of the belt conveyor 12, as described above. The control device 14 detects the weight (1 t) of the water-absorbing soybeans 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13 at this time. Simultaneously with the detection, the control device 14 issues a command to open the discharge damper 112 at the bottom of the No. 5 soaking tank 11, and the water-absorbed soybeans 10 are discharged from the No. 5 soaking tank 11. FIG.

In addition, the control device 14 adds the weight of 1 t of the water-absorbing soybeans 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13 at the time of detection of the residual weight to the sum of the water-absorbing soybeans discharged from the weighing and discharging means 13 until the time of detection of the residual weight. Add a weight of 18.5 tons. As a result, an accumulated weight of 19.5 tons of discharged water-absorbed soybeans from the No. 1 soaking tank 11 to the No. 4 soaking tank 11 is calculated. This calculation is performed while the water-absorbed soybeans from the No. 4 soaking tank 11 remain in the weighing and discharging means 13. based on the point in time.

The control device 14 divides the discharged water-absorbed soybean weight of 19.5t by the total weight of soybeans before water absorption put into the No. 1 soaking tank 11 to the No. 4 soaking tank 11 of 10t (2.5t x 4 units) to obtain a new value. A water absorption factor of 1.95 is obtained. Multiplying this water absorption ratio of 1.95 by the cumulative weight of soybeans before water absorption of 15 t (2.5 t x 6 units) in the remaining No. 5 to No. 10 immersion tanks 11 after No. 4 immersion tank 11, the remaining An estimated value of 29.25 t for the accumulated weight of water-absorbed soybeans in the soaking tank 11 is calculated.

FIG. 6 shows the moment when time has passed since FIG. In this state, the end 10b of the water-absorbing soybeans 10 in the No. 4 soaking tank 11 is located at the outlet of the belt scale 132, that is, where the water-absorbing soybeans 10 are discharged from the belt scale 132. At this point, the accumulated time until the completion of discharge of the water-absorbed soybeans 10 from the No. 1 soaking tank 11 to the No. 4 soaking tank 11 from the measuring and discharging means 13 is 59 minutes. The method of calculating the cumulative time of 59 minutes is as explained with reference to FIG. It's time.

By subtracting the cumulative time of 59 minutes from the set time of 150 minutes, the remaining required time of 91 minutes allocated to discharge the water-absorbing soybeans 10 in the remaining soaking tanks 11 is calculated. Calculate the discharge speed set value of 19.29 t/h by dividing the remaining water-absorbed soybean cumulative weight of the soaking tank 11, 29.25 t, by the remaining required time of 91 minutes, and change the discharge speed set value to the new discharge speed. (step 103 in FIG. 4). The control device 14 issues a command to the belt scale 132 so that the discharge speed of the water-absorbed soybeans 10 from the weighing discharge means 13 becomes the new discharge speed set value of 19.29 t/h, and the discharge from the No. 5 soaking tank 11 is The water-absorbed soybeans are discharged from the metering discharge means 13 at the new discharge rate set value of 19.29 t/h.

Thereafter, as long as the designated immersion tank 11 is updated from No. 4 immersion tank 11 to No. 5 immersion tank 11 and there is an immersion tank 11 to be discharged (step 104 in FIG. 4), steps 101 to 103 in FIG. is repeated. That is, in the present embodiment, each time one immersion tank 11 is discharged, the designated immersion tank 11 is updated, and the set value of the discharge speed is changed to a new discharge speed. Become.

That is, according to the present embodiment, the water absorption rate of the water-absorbing grain 10 that has been discharged from the soaking tank 11 is periodically obtained, and the set value of the discharge speed is changed periodically based on the newly obtained water absorption rate. Therefore, in addition to being able to continuously discharge all of the water-absorbing grains 10 to the next process within a set time, a series of these processes can be automated.

As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described with appropriate modifications, but the above embodiment is an example and may be further modified. The modified examples of the above embodiment will be supplemented below.

In FIG. 1, one belt conveyor 12 is used as the conveying means, but the number and configuration may be changed as appropriate as long as the water-absorbing grains can be conveyed from the soaking tank 11 to the stock tank 131. For example, considering the arrangement of the immersion tanks 11 and the stock tank 131, each of the immersion tanks 11 may be provided with a conveying conveyor, and downstream thereof, a collective conveyor may be provided. can be added and combined.

In addition, although the belt conveyor 12 is provided below the dipping tank 11 in FIG. 1, there is no particular limitation on the positional relationship between the two. Even if the soaking tank 11 and the belt conveyor 12 are separated from each other, the water-absorbing grain discharged from the soaking tank 11 can be transported to the belt conveyor 12 by pumping the mixed state with water. In this case, if a mesh belt is used as the belt of the belt conveyor 12, the water used for transportation can be separated.

In FIG. 1, the weighing and discharging means 13 is mainly composed of the stock tank 131 and the belt scale 132, but a conveying device such as a belt conveyor may be interposed between the stock tank 131 and the belt scale 132.

In the above embodiment, the stock tank 131 and the belt scale 132 are used as tare, and the load cell 133 measures the weight of the water-absorbing grains 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the stock tank 131 may be used as a tare, and the weight of the water-absorbing grains 10 remaining in the stock tank 131 may be measured by a weight sensor. In this case, as the weight of the water-absorbing grains 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13 other than the stock tank 131, an actual measured value prepared in advance may be used and added to the measured value to obtain the total weight.

As the weight of the water-absorbing grains 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13 as a whole, an actual measurement value prepared in advance may be used. Specifically, a quantitative level sensor is provided below the upper limit level sensor in the stock tank 131, and the weight of the absorbent grains 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13 when the absorbent grains 10 reach the position of the quantitative level sensor is determined in advance. It should be prepared by actual measurement. In this case, the measurement by the weight sensor becomes unnecessary.

As described above, when the measured weight of the water-absorbing grains 10 is prepared in advance, first, the water-absorbing grains 10 are allowed to remain in the target range within the weighing and discharging means 13 under the same conditions as during operation. In this state, the height of the water-absorbent grains 10 on the belt scale 132 is the same height as during gate-limited operation. That is, the volume of the water-absorbing grains 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13 during actual measurement is the same as during operation. When the water-absorbing grains 10 having different water-absorbing ratios are filled in containers having the same volume, the weights of the containers are almost the same. Therefore, as described above, if the volume of the water-absorbing grains 10 remaining in the weighing and discharging means 13 at the time of actual measurement is the same as that during operation, the measured weight value will be the same as the weight during operation, regardless of the water absorption capacity. be the same. The actual weight may be measured using the stock tank 131 and the belt scale 132 as tare. The weight of the water-absorbing grain 10 may be measured directly.

In the above embodiment, all the soaking tanks 11 from the No. 1 soaking tank 11 to the designated soaking tank 11 are subject to acquisition of data for obtaining the water absorption capacity, but the soaking tanks from which the water-absorbing grains 10 have been discharged. 11 may be one or more immersion tanks 11 arbitrarily selected from 11 . For example, only the designated immersion tank 11 that is the nearest immersion tank 11 to the immersion tank 11 immediately before discharge may be selected, and the designated immersion tank 11 and the immersion tanks 11 (total of 2 , about 3) may be selected. These selection guidelines are also effective when the temperature of the immersion water, which affects the water absorption capacity, changes from moment to moment when immersion is performed sequentially from the No. 1 immersion tank 11 .

When the specifications of the soaking tank 11 and the weight of the grains supplied to the soaking tank 11 are different, the soaking tank 11 to be selected depends on the state of the water-absorbing grain 10 in the soaking tank 11 immediately before discharge (the soaking tank 11 to be discharged next). You may select the immersion tank 11 with a track record close to . In this case, the procedure for selecting the immersion tank 11 may be set in the control device 14 in advance.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to Examples 1 and 2. Since the apparatus configuration of Example 1 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment described using FIG. 1, description of various operations will be omitted. Also, since the procedure for calculating the integrated weight and the integrated time is the same as in the above-described embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. Table 1 shows the initial values of Example 1 that are set or calculated before the weighing discharge mechanism 1 is operated.

In Example 1, 25 tons of grains were divided into 10 soaking tanks 11 and soaked, and all the water-absorbing grains were continuously discharged to the next step in 2 hours and 30 minutes. Adopting 1.750 as the initial water absorption factor estimated from past results, the discharge speed for discharging the water-absorbed grain from the No. 1 soaking tank 11 from the weighing and discharging means 13 was calculated according to the calculation procedure in Table 1. .

In the first embodiment, every time the water-absorbing grains from one soaking tank 11 are discharged from the weighing and discharging means 13, all the soaking tanks 11 that have finished discharging the water-absorbing grains from the weighing and discharging means 13 are selected and water-absorbed. The multiplying factor was obtained, the remaining water-absorbing grain integrated weight and the remaining required time were calculated, and the discharging speed of the water-absorbing grain discharged from the weighing and discharging means 13 was calculated to change the discharge speed set value. First, Table 2 shows the results of the operation of Example 1.

In Example 1, grains were sequentially supplied from the No. 1 soaking tank 11 to the No. 9 soaking tank 11 with a weight setting of 2500 kg, and then the rest of the grains were supplied to the No. 10 soaking tank 11 . The weight supplied to each immersion tank 11 has a slight variation, but the total value is 25000 kg. In Table 2, the weight of grains before water absorption, the weight of water-absorbed grains and discharge time are measured values, and the past integrated water absorption capacity and discharge rate are calculated values based on the measured values. The meaning of the past accumulation of the past accumulated water absorption capacity means everything before the No. n immersion tank 11 . For example, the past cumulative water absorption capacity of No. 5 immersion tank 11 in Table 2 is a value obtained from the values of No. 1 to 4 immersion tanks 11 before No. 5 immersion tank 11 (see Table 3 for details). ).

Regarding the calculation procedure for the No. 2 soaking tank 11 and subsequent ones in Example 1, the time point at which the water-absorbing grain up to the No. 4 soaking tank 11 was discharged from the weighing and discharging means 13 was used as a reference, and the water-absorbing grain from the No. 5 soaking tank 11 Numerical values are shown in Table 3 below as a specific example of calculation procedures related to emissions of .

Table 3 shows the calculation procedure for the No. 5 immersion tank 11, but the same applies to the other immersion tanks 11 as well. Further, as a premise of Table 3, the calculation of the discharging speed and the like of the No. 1 to No. 4 immersion tanks 11 has been completed and they are already in operation. As mentioned above, the designated immersion tank 11 is the immersion tank 11 immediately adjacent to the immersion tank 11 immediately prior to discharge. In Table 3, the No. 5 immersion tank 11 is in a state just before discharging, and the No. 4 immersion tank 11 is the designated immersion tank 11 .

In Example 1, as shown in Table 3, all of No. 1 immersion tank 11 to No. 4 immersion tank 11 are subject to the integrated weight (sw14, aw14) for obtaining the water absorption capacity. As shown in Table 3, the water absorption capacity WA14 is obtained from the values of sw14 and aw14. This value is 1.749 of the past integrated water absorption capacity in the No. 5 immersion tank 11 in Table 2.

When the water absorption ratio WA14 is obtained, as shown in Table 3, by multiplying the grain integrated weight sw510 before water absorption of the No. 5 to No. 10 soaking tanks 11 by the water absorption ratio WA14, the No. 5 to No. 10 soaking tanks 11 , the water-absorbing grain integrated weight aw510 can be calculated. The cumulative discharge time t14 of the No. 1 to No. 4 immersion tanks 11 in Table 3 is the total discharge time for the No. 1 to No. 4 immersion tanks 11 in Table 2. As shown in Table 3, by subtracting t14 from the set time T (150 minutes: see Table 1), the remaining required time t510 for discharging the water-absorbing grains in the No. 5 to No. 10 soaking tanks 11 is obtained. sought. From aw510 and t510, the discharge speed S5 from the weighing discharge means 13 for the No. 5 immersion tank 11 can be calculated.

According to Table 2, in Example 1, it can be seen that the discharge speed from the metering discharge means 13 is gradually changed in accordance with the change in the past integrated water absorption factor. As a result, the accumulated time required for discharging the water-absorbing grains from the No. 1 to No. 10 soaking tanks 11 through the weighing and discharging means 13 was 150.17 minutes. This value exceeds the set value of 150 minutes (see Table 1) by 0.17 minutes, but this difference is slight and within the allowable range.

In Example 1, as shown in Table 2, the default discharge rate is 292 kg/min. In the comparative example in which this value was maintained from beginning to end, the accumulated time required for discharging the water-absorbing grains from the soaking tanks 11 of No. 1 to No. 10 from the weighing discharge means 13 was 44,430 kg (total weight of water-absorbing grains in Table 2). is divided by 292 kg/min, which is 152.16 minutes. This value exceeds the set value of 150 minutes by 2.16 minutes, and this difference is not a very small difference and is outside the allowable range.

More specifically, as described with reference to FIG. 2, when using the koji-making apparatus 2 equipped with the circular culture bed 21, the filling is completed when the circular culture bed 21 circulates an integral number of times. Otherwise, there will be a difference in the number of deposited layers in the circumferential direction, and there will be a problem that uniform aeration to the koji substrate 20 will not be possible. When the rotation speed of the circular culture bed 21 shown in FIG. 2 is 25 minutes/1 rotation, the rotation angle per minute is 14.4 degrees (360 degrees/25 minutes). The difference of 2.16 minutes in the comparative example is 31.1 degrees (14.4 degrees/minute x 2.16 minutes) when converted to a rotation angle, whereas the difference of 0.17 minutes in Example 1 is equivalent to the rotation angle. When converted to an angle, the difference is 2.4 degrees (14.4 degrees/minute×0.17 minutes), which is a slight difference, and the effect of the first embodiment can be understood.

A second embodiment will be described below. In Example 1, all the soaking tanks 11 from which the water-absorbing grains have been discharged from the weighing and discharging means 13 are selected to obtain the water absorption ratio, but in Example 2, only the nearest soaking tank 11 is selected to obtain water absorption I asked for magnification. In Example 1, as shown in Table 2, the weight (kg) of the grain before water absorption and the weight (kg) of the water absorption grain in each soaking tank 11 have already been measured. was used for the simulation. First, Table 4 shows the result of simulation as Example 2.

The initial values of Example 2 are the same as Table 1 of Example 1. As for the weight of grains before water absorption and the weight of water-absorbed grains in each soaking tank 11 in Table 4, the values in Table 2 of Example 1 were used as they were. In Table 4, the most recent past water absorption capacity and discharge rate are calculated values based on the adopted values. The most recent past meaning of the past most recent water absorption ratio means one unit before the No. n immersion tank 11 . For example, the latest past water absorption capacity of No. 5 immersion tank 11 in Table 4 is a value obtained from the numerical value of one No. 4 immersion tank 11 before No. 5 immersion tank 11 (details are in Table 5). The discharge time in each soaking tank 11 was obtained by dividing the weight of the water-absorbing grain by the discharge speed.

Regarding the calculation procedure for the No. 2 soaking tank 11 and later in Example 2, the time point at which the water-absorbing grain up to the No. 4 soaking tank 11 was discharged from the weighing and discharging means 13 was used as the reference, and the water-absorbing grain from the No. 5 soaking tank 11 Numerical values are shown in Table 5 below as a specific example of the calculation procedure related to the emission of .

Table 5 shows the calculation procedure for the No. 5 immersion tank 11, but the same applies to the other immersion tanks 11 as well. Further, as a premise of Table 5, it is assumed that the calculation of the discharging speed and the like of the No. 1 to No. 4 immersion tanks 11 has been completed and the tanks 11 have already been operated. As mentioned above, the designated immersion tank 11 is the immersion tank 11 immediately adjacent to the immersion tank 11 immediately prior to discharge. In Table 5, the No. 5 immersion tank 11 is in a state just before discharging, and the No. 4 immersion tank 11 is the designated immersion tank 11 .

In Example 1, as shown in Table 3, the target of the integrated weight used for calculating the water absorption capacity was all of No. 1 immersion tank 11 to No. 4 immersion tank 11, but in Example 2, This is for one No. 4 immersion tank 11, which is the designated immersion tank 11. This point is the difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment. Except for this point, the calculation procedure of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

In Example 2, according to Table 4, it can be seen that the discharging speed from the metering discharging means 13 is changed each time according to the fluctuation of the water absorption ratio of the most recent history. As a result, the accumulated time required for discharging the water-absorbing grains from the No. 1 to No. 10 soaking tanks 11 through the weighing and discharging means 13 was 150.01 minutes. This value exceeds the set value of 150 minutes (see Table 1) by 0.01 minutes, but this difference is small and within the allowable range.

Further, as described above, the difference of 2.16 minutes in the comparative example is 31.1 degrees (14.4 degrees/minute x 2.16 minutes) when converted to the rotation angle of the circular culture bed 21, whereas the difference in the example is 2.16 minutes. The difference of 0.01 minutes in 2 is a very small difference of 0.1 degrees (14.4 degrees/minute×0.01 minutes) when converted to a rotation angle, and the effect of the second embodiment can be understood.

Comparing the results of Example 1 and Example 2, Example 2 is superior when judged only by the difference in discharge time, but the effect may be reversed if the degree of change in water absorption capacity is different. That is, as in Example 1, the water absorption capacity is calculated for a plurality of immersion tanks 11 including the designated immersion tank 11, and as in Example 2, for one designated immersion tank 11 There is no superiority or inferiority between certain cases, and the calculation procedure may be appropriately selected while considering environmental changes that affect the water absorption capacity. For example, when the temperature of the immersion water, which affects the water absorption capacity, changes from moment to moment, as in Example 2, a calculation procedure in which the water absorption capacity is calculated for one designated immersion tank 11 is suitable. ing.

The embodiments and examples of the present invention have been described above, but in the present invention, in order to calculate the remaining water-absorbing grain integrated weight, the water absorption ratio is obtained by dividing the discharged water-absorbing grain integrated weight by the water-absorbing grain integrated weight. Then, the remaining integrated weight of the grain before water absorption was multiplied by the water absorption ratio. However, even if the derivation process of the water absorption capacity is different from the present invention, if it can be converted into the formula of the present invention, the derivation process is substantially the same as the formula of the present invention, and the effect is the same. It can be said that the derivation process is included in the present invention.

1 Weighing Discharge Mechanism 11 Immersion Tank 111 Immersion Tank Body 112 Discharge Damper 12 Belt Conveyor (Conveying Means)
13 Weighing and discharging means 131 Stock tank 132 Belt scale 133 Load cell 14 Control device 10 Water-absorbing grains, water-absorbing soybeans 20 Koji substrate

Claims (2)

A method for weighing and discharging water-absorbing grains, wherein the water-absorbing grains obtained by soaking a predetermined weight of grains in a plurality of soaking tanks by each set weight are continuously discharged to the next step in a set time,
The water-absorbing grains discharged from each soaking tank are conveyed to weighing and discharging means, and discharged to the next step via the weighing and discharging means,
By the weighing and discharging means, the water-absorbing grains can be discharged at a set discharge rate, and the integrated weight of the water-absorbing grains discharged from each of the soaking tanks and the weight of the water-absorbing grains discharged from the weighing and discharging means are calculated from the start of discharge of the water-absorbing grains by the water-absorbing grains. It is possible to measure the cumulative time required for the water-absorbing grains from the tank to finish discharging from the weighing discharge means,
starting to discharge the water-absorbing grain at an initial discharge speed prepared in advance;
Based on the point in time when the water-absorbing grains up to the designated soaking tank are discharged from the weighing discharge means,
arbitrarily selecting one or more soaking tanks from the soaking tanks from which the water-absorbing grains have been discharged, and adding the discharged water-absorbing grain integrated weight from the selected soaking tanks to the water-absorbing grain integrated weight of the selected soaking tanks; Dividing by the weight to obtain the water absorption ratio, and multiplying the water absorption ratio by the water absorption ratio by the grain integrated weight before water absorption in the remaining soaking tank after the designated soaking tank to calculate the water absorption grain integrated weight in the remaining soaking tank,
The total time required from the start of discharging the water-absorbing grains to the end of discharging the designated soaking tank is subtracted from the set time for discharging all the water-absorbing grains to the next process, and the remaining water-absorbing grains in the soaking tank Calculate the remaining required time for discharge,
Measured discharge of water-absorbing grains characterized in that the discharge speed of the water-absorbing grains is calculated by dividing the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tank by the remaining required time, and the set value of the discharge speed is changed. Method. A weighing and discharging mechanism for water-absorbing grains, which is obtained by soaking a predetermined weight of grains in a plurality of soaking tanks by dividing each set weight, and discharging all of the water-absorbing grains continuously to the next process at a set time while being controlled by a control device. and
The water-absorbing grains discharged from each soaking tank are conveyed by the conveying means to the weighing and discharging means, and discharged to the next process via the weighing and discharging means,
By the weighing and discharging means, the water-absorbing grains can be discharged at a set discharge rate, and the integrated weight of the water-absorbing grains discharged from each of the soaking tanks and the weight of the water-absorbing grains discharged from the weighing and discharging means are calculated from the start of discharge of the water-absorbing grains from the weighing and discharging means. For the water-absorbing grains from the tank, it is possible to measure the cumulative time required until the completion of discharge from the weighing discharge means,
The control device is
starting to discharge the water-absorbing grains at an initial discharge speed prepared in advance;
Based on the point in time when the water-absorbing grains up to the designated soaking tank are discharged from the weighing discharge means,
arbitrarily selecting one or a plurality of soaking tanks from the soaking tanks from which the water-absorbing grains have been discharged, and adding the discharged water-absorbing grain integrated weight from the selected soaking tanks to the water-absorbing grain integrated weight of the selected soaking tanks; Dividing by the weight to obtain the water absorption ratio, and multiplying the water absorption ratio by the water absorption ratio by the grain integrated weight before water absorption in the remaining soaking tank after the designated soaking tank to calculate the water absorption grain integrated weight in the remaining soaking tank,
The total time required from the start of discharging the water-absorbing grains to the end of discharging the designated soaking tank is subtracted from the set time for discharging all the water-absorbing grains to the next process, and the remaining water-absorbing grains in the soaking tank Calculate the remaining required time for discharge,
The metered discharge of the water-absorbing grains, wherein the discharge speed of the water-absorbing grains is calculated by dividing the accumulated weight of the water-absorbing grains in the remaining soaking tank by the remaining required time, and the set value of the discharge speed is changed. mechanism.

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