Agricultural product drying system and agricultural product drying method

Abstract

To prevent the deviation of air to be supplied to a plurality of containers stacked in the vertical direction to store an agricultural product.SOLUTION: An agricultural product drying system 1 comprises a plurality of containers 3 stacked in the vertical direction to store an agricultural product 24, a fan 5 ejecting air in the downward direction to dry the agricultural product 24, a first chamber 7 with the fan 5 disposed on the upper part thereof to guide the air ejected from the fan 5 to the lower part thereof, and a second chamber 9 which is disposed between the first chamber 7 and the plurality of containers 3, and comprises a plurality of ejection ports 11 each disposed on a position corresponding to each of the plurality of containers 3 to communicate with the lower part of the first chamber 7 to eject air inflowing from the first chamber 7 approximately in the horizontal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a produce drying system and method for drying produce. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a known system in which harvested agricultural products are stored in containers and dried before shipping. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a system that includes a container that stores bulbs, a pallet on which the container is placed and that has a ventilation space, and a ventilation duct that has a ventilation fan for ventilating the inside of the pallet, in which the containers and pallets are stacked one above the other, and the ventilation duct ventilates the ventilation space of each pallet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-140649 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned conventional structure, the wind at the upper pallet close to the ventilation fan passes downwards at a high speed, which draws air out of the ventilation space, creating a vortex in the ventilation duct, which may result in poor wind supply. In this case, more wind is supplied to the lower pallet farther from the ventilation fan. As a result, there is a problem that the crops in each container cannot be dried evenly because of the uneven supply of wind.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an agricultural produce drying system and an agricultural produce drying method that can dry agricultural produce stored in each container approximately evenly by suppressing bias in the air supplied to multiple containers stacked vertically. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the agricultural produce drying system of the present invention comprises a number of containers for storing agricultural produce stacked vertically, a fan that expels air downward to dry the agricultural produce, a first chamber in which the fan is installed at the upper part and which directs the air expelled from the fan to the lower part, and a second chamber that is positioned between the first chamber and the multiple containers, communicates with the lower part of the first chamber, and has an outlet at a position corresponding to each of the multiple containers for expelling the air flowing in from the first chamber in a substantially horizontal direction.

[0007] In the agricultural produce system of the present invention, air discharged from a fan mounted on the upper part of the first chamber is guided to the lower part, flows into the second chamber from the lower part of the first chamber, and is discharged in a substantially horizontal direction from outlets arranged at positions corresponding to each of the multiple containers and supplied to each of the multiple containers. This dries the agricultural produce stored in the containers. According to the present invention, the first chamber that flows the air discharged from the fan downward and the second chamber that discharges the air horizontally and supplies it to each container are configured as separate chambers. This allows the momentum of the air discharged from the fan in the second chamber to be buffered before being supplied to each outlet, thereby suppressing the generation of vortexes near the outlets. As a result, it is possible to suppress bias in the air supplied to the multiple containers stacked vertically, so that the agricultural produce stored in the containers can be dried substantially uniformly.

[0008] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the agricultural produce drying method of the present invention involves flowing air discharged from a fan downward in a first chamber, and in a second chamber which is positioned between the first chamber and a number of containers which are stacked vertically and hold agricultural produce and which is connected to the lower part of the first chamber, discharging the air flowing in from the first chamber in an approximately horizontal direction from outlets provided at positions corresponding to each of the multiple containers, and supplying the air discharged from the outlets to each of the multiple containers. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, by preventing uneven distribution of air among multiple containers stacked vertically, the agricultural products stored in each container can be dried approximately uniformly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of an agricultural product drying system according to an embodiment, the cross-sectional view corresponding to cross section II in FIG. [Diagram 2] A front view showing an example of the configuration of an agricultural produce drying system when no container is placed. [Diagram 3] A front view showing an example of the configuration of an agricultural produce drying system with containers arranged. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a structure of a container. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of air flow when multiple containers are stacked. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] <Configuration of agricultural produce drying system> First, the configuration of an agricultural produce drying system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to cross section II in Fig. 3, showing an example of the configuration of an agricultural produce drying system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view from the front, showing an example of the configuration of an agricultural produce drying system in a state where a container is not arranged. Fig. 3 is a front view from the front, showing an example of the configuration of an agricultural produce drying system in a state where a container is arranged. In the following description, the up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions correspond to the directions of the arrows shown in each of Figs. 1 to 3. These directions are used for convenience of description, and do not limit the orientation or arrangement of each member in the agricultural produce drying system.

[0013] The agricultural product drying system according to the embodiment is a system for drying and storing a wide variety of agricultural products. The type of agricultural product to be dried is not particularly limited, but the system is particularly suitable for drying agricultural products with fine particles (e.g., grains such as wheat and rice, and beans such as soybeans and red beans) and agricultural products that are frequently received and removed from storage and that are not to be packaged before shipping.

[0014] As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the agricultural produce drying system 1 has a plurality of containers 3 for storing agricultural products, a fan 5, a first chamber 7, and a second chamber 9. The containers 3 are stacked in a plurality of tiers (four tiers in the example shown in Figs. 1 and 3) in the vertical direction. The containers 3 are arranged in a plurality of adjacent rows in the front-rear direction (four rows in the example shown in Fig. 1), and in a plurality of adjacent rows in the left-right direction (four rows in the example shown in Fig. 3). Note that the above numbers of tiers and rows are merely examples, and may be other than four tiers or four rows. However, it is preferable that the number of rows in the front-rear direction is up to about 10 rows. The containers 3 do not necessarily have to be arranged in a plurality of rows in the left-right or front-rear direction, and may be arranged in only one row.

[0015] The fan 5 is installed at the top of the first chamber 7. The fan 5 draws in air for drying the agricultural products stored in the container 3 from above and expels it downward within the first chamber 7. Note that multiple fans 5 may be installed in the left and right directions depending on the required air volume, etc.

[0016] The first chamber 7 is a space that guides the air discharged from the fan 5 to the lower part. The first chamber 7 is erected along the vertical direction. The second chamber 9 is a space that supplies the air discharged from the fan 5 and guided to the lower part by the first chamber 7 to the multiple containers 3. The second chamber 9 is disposed between the first chamber 7 and the multiple containers 3 stacked in the vertical direction, and is erected along the vertical direction. The lower part of the second chamber 9 is connected to the lower part of the first chamber 7. The second chamber 9 has an outlet 11 that discharges the air that has flowed in from the first chamber 7 in a substantially horizontal direction at a position corresponding to each of the multiple containers 3. In addition, the second chamber 9 is configured so that the air flow path becomes narrower as it moves upward away from the communication part 12 that communicates with the lower part of the first chamber 7.

[0017] Specifically, the second chamber 9 has a wall portion 13 having a plurality of discharge ports 11 formed therein and standing substantially parallel to the vertical direction, and a wall portion 15 inclined at a predetermined angle to the vertical direction behind the wall portion 13. The lower end of the wall portion 15 is open, and the opening forms a communication portion 12 that communicates the first chamber 7 and the second chamber 9. The space between the wall portion 13 and the wall portion 15, and the space between the wall portion 13 and the communication portion 12 constitute the second chamber 9. The wall portion 15 is inclined so that the distance between the wall portion 15 and the wall portion 13 becomes narrower toward the upper side. As a result, the second chamber 9 is configured so that the air flow path becomes narrower as it moves away from the communication portion 12 upward.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the wall 13 has discharge ports 11 formed at positions corresponding to the slots 27 (see FIGS. 3, 4, and 5) of the multiple containers 3. The discharge ports 11 are holes formed to penetrate the wall 13 in a substantially horizontal direction. The shape and size of the discharge ports 11 are not particularly limited, and may be formed to have substantially the same shape (e.g., rectangular) and size as the slots 27 of the containers 3. The containers 3 stacked in the first row from the wall 13 in the front-rear direction are arranged in contact with the wall surface of the wall 13 so that the slots 27 communicate with the discharge ports 11 of the wall 13. The containers 3 in the second row are arranged in contact with the wall surface of the containers 3 in the first row so that the slots 27 communicate with the slots 27 of the containers 3 in the first row. The third row and subsequent rows are arranged in the same manner. The order of arrangement of the containers 3 is as follows: first, the first row of containers 3 is arranged in four rows in the left-right direction at the position of the first row from the wall 13 in the front-rear direction, and the second, third, and fourth rows are stacked upward in this order. When the first row in the front-to-back direction is completed, the second row is arranged in the same order in the front-to-back direction. The third row and onwards are arranged in the same order.

[0019] Each outlet 11 of the wall 13 is provided with a shutter (not shown) that opens and closes vertically, making it possible to adjust the area of ​​the opening. This allows fine adjustment of the opening area for each outlet 11, making it possible to supply a more uniform amount of air to each container 3. For example, when the topmost container 3 is not covered, the topmost container 3 has less resistance than the other containers 3, so the opening area of ​​the outlet 11 corresponding to the topmost container 3 may be adjusted to be narrower than the other outlets 11.

[0020] 1, the second chamber 9 has a throttle member 17 that acts as a resistance to the air flow to the lowermost discharge port 11. The throttle member 17 protrudes upward from the bottom 19 by a predetermined height between the communication part 12 and the lowermost discharge port 11 of the wall part 13.

[0021] An opening / closing lid 21 is provided on the top of the fan 5. When the opening / closing lid 21 is closed, the fan 5 sucks in air in front of the wall 23 (e.g., indoor air) and discharges it, and when the opening / closing lid 21 is opened, the fan 5 sucks in air behind the wall 23 (e.g., outdoor air) in addition to the air in front of it and discharges it. If the opening / closing lid 21 is in an intermediate position, it is possible to suck in both air from outside and air from inside the room, and adjust the opening degree according to the opening degree, the temperature and humidity of the outside air, and the temperature and humidity of the circulating indoor air, so that the air can be supplied to the crops with an appropriate temperature and humidity. When air is supplied from outside to the room, it is necessary to discharge the amount of air that flows in from the room. For example, an opening with an opening / closing lid is provided on the opposite side of the chamber, and it is linked to open at an opening degree proportional to the opening degree of the air inlet that lets in the outside air, so that the pressure inside the chamber is stabilized.

[0022] <Container structure> Next, the structure of the container 3 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of the container 3, and Figure 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the air flow when a plurality of containers 3 are stacked. In the following description, the up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions correspond to the directions of the arrows shown in each of Figures 4 and 5. These directions are used for convenience of description, and do not limit the orientation or arrangement of each member in the container. The arrows shown in Figures 4 and 5 correspond to the arrows shown in Figures 1 to 3.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 4, the container 3 has a storage section 25 for storing agricultural produce 24 (see Fig. 5), a slot section 27, a bottom section 29, and a bottom plate section 31. Storage section 25 is formed into a generally box-like shape with an open upper side by four walls 33A, 33B, 33C, 33D and bottom section 29. Of the walls 33A, 33B, 33C, 33D constituting storage section 25, a pair of walls 33C, 33D facing each other in the left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction in which slot section 27 opens are each formed with an air vent 35 at their upper ends. Air vent 35 is formed by cutting out a part of the upper end of wall section 33C, 33D.

[0024] The slot portion 27 is a hole into which the forks of a forklift are inserted, and is disposed at the bottom of the storage portion 25. In the example shown in Figs. 4 and 5, two slot portions 27 are disposed side by side in the left-right direction, and each slot portion 27 penetrates in the front-rear direction. The slot portions 27 enable the container 3 to be transported using a forklift. The slot portions 27 also function as a flow path for the air discharged from the discharge port 11 of the second chamber 9.

[0025] Bottom 29 is disposed between storage section 25 and two slot sections 27. Bottom 29 is configured to support agricultural produce 24 while allowing air supplied to slot sections 27 to be ventilated to storage section 25. Bottom 29 is configured, for example, by laying a mesh sheet on a lattice-shaped board made of multiple pieces of wood arranged at regular intervals. The fineness of the mesh sheet is selected depending on the type of agricultural produce 24.

[0026] The bottom plate portion 31 is disposed below the two slot portions 27. That is, the two slot portions 27 are not open at the bottom, and both are closed at the bottom by the bottom plate portion 31. As shown in FIG. 5, when the containers 3 are stacked vertically, the bottom plate portion 31 of the upper container 3 closes the storage portion 25 of the lower container 3. As shown in FIG. 5, the air discharged from the discharge port 11 of the wall portion 13 flows into the slot portion 27 of the container 3 and flows forward (arrow 37), flows from the slot portion 27 through the bottom portion 29 into the storage portion 25, and flows upward through the gaps between the agricultural produce 24 stored in the storage portion 25 to dry the agricultural produce 24. In the container 3 disposed at the top, the air that flows through the gaps between the agricultural produce 24 flows out to the top (arrow 39), and in the containers 3 other than the top, the air that flows through the gaps between the agricultural produce 24 flows out to both the left and right sides from the left and right vent holes 35 (arrow 41). The resistance of each container 3 may be made uniform by, for example, placing an empty container 3 on top of the container 3 placed at the top and covering it with a lid.

[0027] <Air flow> Next, the air flow in the agricultural produce drying system 1 will be described with reference to the above-mentioned Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, in the agricultural produce drying system 1, the air discharged from the fan 5 flows downward through the first chamber 7, turns forward at the bottom of the first chamber 7, and flows into the second chamber 9. In the second chamber 9, the throttle member 17 provides a certain resistance to the air flowing toward the outlet 11 at the bottom, and the inclination of the wall 15 also provides a certain resistance to the air flowing upward, and guides the air to flow forward. As a result, the air that has flowed into the second chamber 9 is discharged forward from the multiple outlets 11 in the wall 13 at a substantially uniform flow rate.

[0028] The air discharged from the outlet 11 flows into the slot 27 of the container 3. When the containers 3 are arranged in a row in the front-rear direction, the air flows forward through the slot 27 of each connected container. As shown in FIG. 1, in the container 3 arranged at the position farthest from the wall 13 in the front-rear direction, a plug member 43 is inserted into the front end of the slot 27 to close it. The material of the plug member 43 is not particularly limited, but it is, for example, a sponge. As a result, in each container 3, the air supplied to the slot 27 flows into the storage section 25 through the bottom 29, and flows upward through the gaps between the agricultural products 24 stored in the storage section 25 to dry the agricultural products 24. In the container 3 arranged at the top, the air that flows through the gaps between the agricultural products 24 flows out to the top, and in the containers 3 other than the top, the air that flows through the gaps between the agricultural products 24 flows out to the left and right sides from the left and right vents 35. The air that flows out of the container 3 returns to the suction side of the fan 5 and is circulated.

[0029] The humidity and temperature of the air circulated by fan 5 may be adjusted by an air conditioner (not shown). For example, adjusting the air humidity to a low level can promote drying of agricultural produce 24, adjusting the air temperature to a low level can cool agricultural produce 24, and adjusting the air temperature to a high level can warm agricultural produce 24.

[0030] <Effects of the embodiment> In the agricultural produce drying system 1 described above, air discharged from the fan 5 mounted on the upper part of the first chamber 7 is guided downward, flows into the second chamber 9 from the lower part of the first chamber 7, and is discharged in a substantially horizontal direction from the discharge outlets 11 arranged at positions corresponding to each of the multiple containers 3, and is supplied to each of the multiple containers 3. In this way, the agricultural products stored in the containers 3 are dried.

[0031] In this case, the agricultural produce drying system 1 is configured as separate chambers, the first chamber 7 which flows the air discharged from the fan 5 downward, and the second chamber 9 which discharges the air horizontally and supplies it to each container 3. If a single chamber is configured to flow the air discharged from the fan 5 downward, the air with a high flow rate passes downward in front of the upper outlet 11 close to the fan 5, and the force of sucking the air from the outlet 11 generates a vortex in the chamber, which may prevent air from being properly supplied to the upper outlet 11. In this case, more wind is supplied to the lower outlet 11 away from the fan 5, resulting in a bias in the amount of air supplied. In contrast, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned two-chamber configuration allows the force of the air discharged from the fan 5 to be buffered in the second chamber 9 before being supplied to each outlet 11, thereby suppressing the generation of a vortex near the outlet 11. As a result, it is possible to suppress the bias in the air supplied to the multiple containers 3 stacked vertically, so that the agricultural products 24 stored in the containers 3 can be dried approximately uniformly. Furthermore, simply stacking the containers 3 along the wall 13 of the second chamber 9 can accelerate drying, which is particularly suitable for short-term conditioning of agricultural produce prior to shipping or packaging, for example.

[0032] Particularly in this embodiment, the second chamber 9 is configured so that the air flow path narrows as it moves upward away from the communication portion 12 that communicates with the lower portion of the first chamber 7. This provides a certain resistance to the air flowing upward through the second chamber 9, so that the air can be discharged approximately evenly from the multiple outlets 11. In addition, a forward horizontal flow can be generated for the air flowing upward through the second chamber 9, so that the generation of vortexes can be more effectively suppressed.

[0033] Furthermore, in the agricultural produce drying system 1, the air discharged from the fan 5 flows downward in the first chamber 7 and flows into the second chamber 9 from the lower part of the first chamber 7. Therefore, air tends to concentrate at the outlet 11 located at the lowest position in the second chamber 9. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second chamber 9 has a throttle member 17 that acts as a resistance to the flow of air to the outlet 11 located at the lowest position. This makes it possible to prevent the air from concentrating at the outlet 11 and disperse the air to other outlets 11 above. Therefore, air can be discharged approximately evenly from the multiple outlets 11.

[0034] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, air discharged from outlet 11 of second chamber 9 is supplied to slot 27 of container 3, flows from slot 27 through bottom 29 into storage section 25 in container 3, and dries agricultural produce 24 stored in storage section 25. At this time, air can be discharged approximately evenly from multiple outlets 11, so agricultural produce 24 in multiple containers 3 stacked vertically can be dried approximately evenly. Also, because bottom plate 31 of the upper container 3 functions as a lid for storage section 25 of the lower container 3 when stacked, there is no need for a lid member separate from the container or a different type of container with a closed bottom 29, and drying can be performed using only one type of container 3.

[0035] In particular, in this embodiment, the container 3 has an air vent 35 formed at the upper end of each of a pair of walls 33C, 33D that face each other in the left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction in which the slot portion 27 opens, among the walls 33A to 33D that constitute the storage section 25. This allows air to flow out from both sides in the left-right direction perpendicular to the ventilation direction of the slot portion 27 at the upper end of each of the containers 3 stacked vertically. If the air vent 35 is formed in the walls 33A, 33B in the same direction as the front-rear direction in which the slot portion 27 opens, the air flowing out of the container 3 is merged with the entire plurality of containers 3 arranged in the front-rear direction and flows out from the foremost container 3, which increases resistance. In contrast, in this embodiment, air flows out in the left-right direction perpendicular to the ventilation direction of the slot portion 27, so that the air flowing out of the container 3 can flow out without merging with other containers 3. This reduces resistance, and increases the amount of ventilation to the container 3.

[0036] In addition to the above, the methods according to the above embodiments and their modifications may be used in appropriate combination.

[0037] Although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 1. Agricultural product drying system 3 containers 5 Fan 7. First Chamber 9. Second Chamber 11 Discharge port 12 Communication section 17. Squeezing member 24 Agricultural Products 25 Storage unit 27 Slot section 29 Bottom 31 Bottom plate part 33A Wall section 33B Wall section 33C wall 33D wall 35 Vent

Claims

1. A plurality of containers for containing agricultural produce, stacked vertically; A fan that blows air downward for drying the agricultural produce; a first chamber in which the fan is installed at an upper portion and which guides the air discharged from the fan to a lower portion; a second chamber disposed between the first chamber and the plurality of containers, communicating with the lower portion of the first chamber, and including an outlet port at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of containers, the outlet port discharging the air flowing in from the first chamber in a substantially horizontal direction; An agricultural product drying system comprising:

2. The second chamber is The air flow path is configured to become narrower as it moves upward away from the communication portion that communicates with the lower portion of the first chamber.

2. The produce drying system of claim 1.

3. The second chamber is A throttle member that acts as a resistance to the air flow to the outlet port that is located at the bottom 3. The produce drying system of claim 2.

4. The container comprises: A substantially box-shaped storage section in which the agricultural products are stored; a slot portion disposed at a lower portion of the storage portion and into which the forks of a forklift are inserted; a bottom portion disposed between the storage portion and the slot portion, the bottom portion supporting the agricultural product and allowing the air supplied to the slot portion to be ventilated to the storage portion; a bottom plate portion disposed at a lower portion of the slot portion and closing the storage portion of the container disposed below, Each of the plurality of containers comprises: The slot is disposed so as to communicate with the outlet of the second chamber.

4. A produce drying system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The container comprises: A pair of walls that constitute the storage section and face each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the slot section opens have vents formed at their upper ends.

5. The produce drying system of claim 4.

6. In the first chamber, air discharged from the fan is caused to flow downward; a second chamber that is disposed between the first chamber and a plurality of containers that are stacked vertically and contain agricultural products and communicates with a lower portion of the first chamber, the air that has flowed in from the first chamber is discharged in a substantially horizontal direction from discharge ports provided at positions corresponding to each of the plurality of containers; The air discharged from the discharge port is supplied to each of the plurality of containers. A method for drying agricultural products.

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