JPH0522857Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] [Industrial application field] The present invention relates to an aroma measuring device.

[Conventional technology and its problems] Freshness evaluation during shipping of fresh foods, food manufacturing field,
In particular, aroma plays an important role in controlling the degree of fermentation by measuring aroma when fermentation technology is used, and in quality inspection in fields that require grading based on aroma concentration, such as in seaweed, coffee, and alcoholic beverages. occupies . When performing this quality inspection, it is not so necessary to measure each component that makes up the aroma, and it is required to immediately determine the total amount of aroma.

In this quality inspection, a sensory test using the human sense of smell has conventionally been performed. This test is carried out by trained and selected people with excellent sense of taste and smell, and cannot be performed by just anyone. Also, training experts takes time. Furthermore, test results may vary depending on the physical condition of the examiner at the time of the test.

Because aroma is not objective, it has been thought that it is difficult to establish methods for measuring it or automatic monitoring technology.

Further, in the field of manufacturing cosmetics or alcoholic beverages, aroma components play an important role in quality, and therefore quality inspection by analysis and measurement of aroma components is necessary. Conventionally, gas chromatographs have been mainly used to analyze aroma components, and are used to separate and measure aroma components. However, this includes variations in measurement results due to the sampling method. Analysis requires a person with some level of skill. The equipment itself is expensive. What is more important is that it takes a considerable amount of time to obtain analysis results, and in this respect, it is not suitable for use in the field where real-time measurement of aroma concentration is required.

JP-A-60-194344 proposes a method and device for measuring fragrance concentration that solves these problems, but it is not sufficient for practical use.

[Means for solving problems] The present invention solves the above problems.

That is, the present invention comprises: a measurement box body provided with an accommodation door and a measurement chamber inside; an inlet for introducing inert gas provided at the lower side wall of the measurement chamber; and an inlet for introducing an inert gas into the measurement chamber. an aroma measurement sensor provided in the upper part to measure the aroma in the measurement chamber; a sealing device for sealing the inside of the sample container by covering the opening of the sample container containing the object to be measured housed in the measurement chamber; An aroma discharge part communicating with the measurement chamber is provided in the upper part of the measurement box main body, and a sealing body provided with an aroma discharge hole is provided in the aroma discharge part, and the sealing body has is equipped with a pressure-sensitive sealing plate that closes the aroma exhaust hole under its own weight under normal conditions, and floats up to open the aroma exhaust hole when the internal pressure of the measurement chamber increases when inert gas is introduced during measurement. This is an aroma measuring device.

The aroma measurement sensor used in this invention is:
Examples include a combination of a plurality of gas sensors or a single sensor. A single sensor uses an n-type semiconductor such as tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) or zinc oxide (ZnO) as a sensitive part, and is equipped with a heater to heat it, so that the electrical resistance of the semiconductor changes as gas molecules are adsorbed and desorbed. Among them, the sensitive part may be made of a simple n-type semiconductor such as tin oxide (SnO ₂ ) or zinc oxide (ZnO). By providing these aroma measurement sensors with the characteristics necessary for measurement, it is possible to detect the strength or weakness of the aroma concentration in the same sample, and it is also possible to separate and analyze aromas.

The structure of the sealing device is not particularly limited, but examples include one that uses a gear motor to raise and lower the sealing plate to seal the opening of the sample container, or one that uses a manual lever to raise and lower the sealing plate. It will be done.

[Example] The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of essential parts showing the internal structure.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a measurement box main body, which is provided with an accommodation door 2 on its side, a measurement chamber 3 formed inside, and an aroma discharge section 4 communicating with the measurement chamber 3 formed in its upper part.

The upper part of the measurement chamber 3 is equipped with an aroma measurement sensor 5, and the aroma discharge part 4 above the aroma measurement sensor 5 is provided with an aroma discharge hole 7, and a sealing base plate 6 is a sealing body.
is formed, and the sealing base plate 6 has an aroma discharge hole 7.
A pressure-sensitive sealing plate 8 is placed to seal the area.

A ventilation hole 9 is provided in a portion of the pressure-sensitive sealing plate 8 that contacts the upper surface of the sealing base plate 6, and the aroma discharge hole 7 is sealed in the mounted state.

As will be described later, when the internal pressure of the measurement chamber 3 increases when inert gas is introduced during measurement, the pressure-sensitive sealing plate 8 rises, and unnecessary gases, aromas, etc. in the measurement chamber 3 are discharged from the aroma exhaust hole 7 to the ventilation hole 9. and is discharged to the outside from an outlet 10 formed in the ceiling.

The side walls 11, 11a at the bottom of the measurement chamber 3 are provided with inlet ports 30, 30a for introducing inert gas.

A support beam 12 is installed slightly above the inlets 30, 30a of the side walls 11, 11a, and a lift gear box 13 is provided at the approximate center of the support beam 12. A gear motor 14 is provided on the side wall 11a, and a rotating shaft 15 passes through the lift gear box 13 and is supported by a bearing 16 provided on the side wall 11. The tip of the rotating shaft 15 passes through the side wall 11 and is connected to a control disk 17.
The control disk 17 has a projection 18.
By the rotation of the rotary shaft 15, limit switches 19, 19a provided above and below are turned on and off.

A pinion gear 20 is attached to the elevating gear box 13 portion of the rotating shaft 15, and a rack gear 21 is attached so as to be movable up and down so as to mesh with the pinion gear 20. A sealing plate 22 is attached to the lower part of the rack gear 21, and a rubber plate 23 is provided on the bottom surface of the sealing plate 22. Further, the sealing plate 22 is urged downward by a spring 24, and is brought into close contact with the opening of the sample container 25, so that the inside of the sample container 25 can be sealed.

Operation The sample container 25 containing the object to be measured is accommodated at a predetermined position in the measurement chamber 3.

The gear motor 14 is operated and the sealing plate 22 is lowered to seal the inside of the sample container 25.

Nitrogen gas, which is an inert gas, is introduced through the inlet ports 30 and 30a, and thereby unnecessary gas and noise gas in the measurement chamber 3 are discharged through the exhaust port 10.

When the measurement chamber 3 is completely filled with nitrogen gas, the introduction of nitrogen gas is stopped, and the sealing plate 22 is raised to release the sealing of the sample container 25.

Note that the upper and lower stopping positions of the sealing plate 22 are at the rotation axis 1.
It is controlled by a protrusion 18 of a control disk 17 provided at 5 and limit switches 19, 19a.

The measurement chamber 3 is filled with the aroma of the object to be measured in the sample container 25, the aroma is detected by the aroma measurement sensor 5, and the signal is sent to an aroma measurement device (not shown), which is connected to a digital or It is expressed quantitatively by an analog meter.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and many modifications can be made within the scope of the utility model registration claims.

[Effect of the idea] The present invention has the above configuration and has the following effects.

(a) Aroma concentration can be measured non-contact and in real time without damaging the object to be measured. Therefore, it is now possible to quantitatively evaluate aspects such as freshness and ripeness, which until now have been rather dependent on sensory perception.

(b) Instantly analyze and measure the aroma components of the object to be measured;
By comparing with previously measured data, it is possible to identify the sample to be measured or to identify whether it is a product of a certain quality without damaging the sample, without damaging it, without contacting it, and Possible in real time. Therefore, analysis does not take much time and can be used in the field.

(c) The device itself is inexpensive and simple, and in particular can perform measurements in real time, so it can be applied to simple freshness measurements of fresh foods in general, and can also be widely used for quality monitoring in food manufacturing processes. As a shipping standard that evaluates shipping standards based on aroma concentration, it can be widely applied to research on fermentation technology.

(d) the measurement room or laboratory is full before the measurement;
Gases unnecessary for measurement are replaced with odorless inert gas, so the sensor does not detect noise such as the scent of the object to be measured or other scents, and can easily detect scents even in rooms with various scents such as laboratories. Can be measured.

(e) It is possible to measure not only the concentration and components of aromas but also the diffusion rate.

(f) An inlet for introducing inert gas is provided at the bottom of the side wall of the measurement chamber, an aroma measurement sensor is provided at the top of the measurement chamber, and an aroma discharge section communicating with the measurement chamber is provided at the top of the box body. There is.

Therefore, the inert gas is discharged through the entire measurement chamber, and unnecessary gases, fragrances, etc. in the measurement chamber are efficiently discharged.

(g) The aroma exhaust section is equipped with a sealing body with an aroma exhaust hole, and this sealing body closes the aroma exhaust hole with its own weight under normal conditions and prevents inert gas from being introduced during measurement. A pressure-sensitive sealing plate is mounted that floats up and opens the aroma exhaust hole when the internal pressure of the measurement chamber increases.

Therefore, the fragrance exhaust hole can be opened and closed with a simple structure.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of essential parts showing the internal structure. 1...Measurement box body, 3...Measurement chamber, 3
0,30a...Inlet, 5...Fragrance measurement sensor,
14... Gear motor, 22... Sealing plate.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A measuring box body with a housing door and a measuring chamber inside; An inlet for introducing inert gas provided at the lower part of the side wall of the measuring chamber; and the above. An aroma measurement sensor that is installed at the top of the measurement chamber and measures the aroma in the measurement chamber, and a seal that seals the inside of the sample container by covering the opening of the sample container containing the object to be measured housed in the measurement chamber. An aroma discharge part communicating with the measurement chamber is provided in the upper part of the measurement box main body, and a sealing body provided with an aroma discharge hole is provided in this aroma discharge part, and this The sealing body includes a pressure-sensitive sealing plate that seals the aroma exhaust hole under its own weight under normal conditions, and floats up to open the aroma exhaust hole when the internal pressure of the measurement chamber increases when inert gas is introduced during measurement. An aroma measuring device on which is installed.