Folding device

Abstract

To provide a hulling apparatus which can improve a hulling rate of unhulled rice.SOLUTION: A hulling apparatus includes a cam shaft 66 rotated accompanying deviation of a second link 65, and a cam 67 mounted on the cam shaft 66, and accordingly the cam 67 is rotated around the cam shaft 66 by power transmitted through the second link 65 from a movable roll 20b (swing arm 16). An angle of a chute 14 is adjusted so that the tip of the chute 14 is directed to hulling regions A and B by rotation of the cam 67 contacting a back face 14c of the chute 14. Thereby, the angle of the chute 14 can be finely adjusted by adjusting a mounting angle of the cam 67 to the cam shaft 66, and adjusting a shape of the cam 67. Namely, the chute 14 can be finely adjusted to such an angle that unhulled rice is likely to be supplied to the hulling regions A and B between a fixed roll 20a and a movable roll 20b, which can improve a hulling rate of the unhulled rice.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice hulling device, and more particularly to a rice hulling device capable of improving the husking rate of rice. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a known rice hulling device that hulls rice by passing it between a fixed roll and a movable roll. In this type of rice hulling device, there is a technique for adjusting the roll spacing by displacing the movable roll relative to the fixed roll. With this technique, for example, if the roll spacing becomes wider due to roll wear, the movable roll can be moved closer to the fixed roll, so that rice hulling can always be performed with an appropriate roll spacing.

[0003] The adjustment of the roll gap causes the hulling area between the rolls to move, causing a shift in the relative position between the chute that supplies rice grains between the rolls and the hulling area. This shift in relative position makes it difficult for rice grains to be properly supplied to the hulling area, resulting in a decrease in the hulling rate of rice grains.

[0004] In response to this, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which a support member (boss member 52) that displaceably supports the rotation axis of the movable roll and the rotation axis (pivot shaft 26) of the chute (paddy supply plate 27) are connected by a link (link rod 29). With this technique, the displacement of the movable roll (support member) and the rotation of the chute are linked via a link, and the tip of the chute is configured to always face the hulling area (pressure contact area A1) between the rolls. This makes it easier for paddy to be appropriately supplied to the hulling area between the rolls, thereby suppressing a decrease in the husking rate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-259924 A (for example, paragraph 0033, Figures 1 to 4) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, since the link is connected to the rotation axis of the chute, it is not easy to adjust the rotation amount of the chute in response to the displacement amount of the link. In other words, it is difficult to fine-tune the angle of the chute, and there is a problem that the husking rate of rice grains cannot be sufficiently improved.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a rice hulling device that can improve the husking rate of rice. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve this object, the rice hulling device of the present invention comprises a chute having a flow surface along which rice grains flow down, a fixed roll and a movable roll having a hulling area between them for hulling the rice grains that flow down from the chute, a support member that supports the rotation axis of the movable roll so that it can be displaced relative to the fixed roll, and a support member having one end connected to the support member. Rotatably connected The device is provided with a link that transmits power associated with the displacement of the support member to the chute, and by rotating the chute using the power transmitted from the link, the angle of the chute is adjusted to a predetermined angle so that the tip of the chute is directed toward the hulling area.The device is provided with a cam shaft that is connected to the other end of the link and rotates with the displacement of the link, and a cam attached to the cam shaft, and the cam contacts the back surface of the chute opposite the flow-down surface, and the angle of the chute is adjusted to the predetermined angle by the rotation of the cam around the cam shaft. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the rice hulling device of claim 1, the device is provided with a camshaft connected to the other end of the link and rotating with the displacement of the link, and a cam attached to the camshaft, so that the cam rotates around the camshaft by the power transmitted from the movable roll (support member) through the link. The angle of the chute is adjusted to a predetermined angle that directs the tip of the chute to the hulling area by the rotation of the cam that contacts the back surface opposite to the flow-down surface of the chute. This allows the angle of the chute to be finely adjusted by adjusting the attachment angle of the cam to the camshaft or by adjusting the shape of the cam. In other words, the chute can be finely adjusted to an angle that makes it easier for rice to be supplied to the hulling area between the fixed roll and the movable roll, which has the effect of improving the husking rate of rice.

[0010] Also, One end of the link is rotatably connected to the support member, so that even if vibration caused by the rotation of the movable roll during husking (around the rotation axis) is transmitted to the link via the support member, the relative position of the link to the support member can be kept constant. This has the effect of preventing the angle of the chute from changing from a predetermined angle due to the vibration of the movable roll (link), thereby improving the husking rate of rice.

[0011] Claim 2 According to the rice hulling device described in claim 1 In addition to the effects of the described rice hulling device, the present invention has the following effects. The fixed roll and the movable roll are arranged so that an imaginary plane including their respective rotation axes is at an angle of 20° to 40° with respect to the horizontal direction, and the angle of the chute is adjusted to a predetermined angle at which the flow-down surface of the chute is approximately perpendicular to the imaginary plane, and the hulling area between the fixed roll and the movable roll is located on an extension of the flow-down surface of the chute. This makes it easier for rice grains that have been aligned by flowing down on the flow-down surface of the chute to be directly supplied to the hulling area while maintaining that aligned state. This has the effect of improving the husking rate of rice grains.

[0012] Claim 3 According to the rice hulling device described in claim 2In addition to the effects of the rice hulling device described above, the present invention has the following effects. Since the movable roll is disposed above the fixed roll and the camshaft is disposed below the upper end of the movable roll, the camshaft and the support member supporting the rotating shaft of the movable roll can be disposed at approximately the same height. As a result, the length of the link connecting the camshaft and the support member can be made relatively short compared to when the camshaft is disposed above the movable roll, so that the space required for arranging the link can be reduced.

[0013] Claim 4 According to the rice hulling device described in the present invention, 3 In addition to the effects of the hulling device described in any one of the above, the present invention has the following effect. The movable roll is displaced in a direction approaching the fixed roll by a driving force applied from a displacement motor to a support member, and it is determined whether the displaced movable roll has come into contact with the fixed roll. If it is determined that such contact has occurred, the movable roll is moved away from the fixed roll by a predetermined distance to set an initial interval between the rolls, so that hulling can always be started at an appropriate initial interval even if the hulling roll is worn.

[0014] When the initial interval between the rolls is set, the tip of the chute is directed to the hulling area by the rotation of the chute following the displacement of the movable roll (support member), and the angle of the chute can be finely adjusted by the configuration of claim 1. Therefore, hulling can be started with the initial interval between the rolls always set appropriately, and it becomes easier for the rice to be directly supplied to the hulling area, which has the effect of improving the husking rate of the rice.

[0015] Claim 5 According to the rice hulling device described in claim 4In addition to the effects of the described rice hulling device, the present invention has the following effects. The amount of rice processed by the fixed roll and the movable roll after the initial interval between the rolls is set is estimated, and the amount of wear of the fixed roll and the movable roll is estimated from the estimated amount of processing. The roll interval during hulling is adjusted by displacing the movable roll in a direction approaching the fixed roll according to the amount of wear, so that hulling can always be performed at an appropriate interval even if the fixed roll and the movable roll wear during hulling.

[0016] When the roll interval during hulling is adjusted, the tip of the chute is directed to the hulling area by the rotation of the chute following the displacement of the movable roll (support member), and the angle of the chute can be finely adjusted by the configuration of claim 1. Therefore, hulling can be performed with the roll interval during hulling always set appropriately, and since it becomes easier for rice grains to be directly supplied to the hulling area, there is an effect of improving the husking rate of rice grains. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cross section of a rice hulling device in one embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the rice hulling device taken along line Ib-Ib in FIG. 1(a). [Diagram 2] 13 is a flowchart of an initial interval setting process. [Diagram 3] 13 is a flowchart of a hulling process. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the rice hulling device taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1(b). [Diagram 5] 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the rice huller showing a state in which the angle of the chute has changed following the displacement of the movable roll from the state shown in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the overall configuration of a rice hulling device 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the rice hulling device 1 in one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 1(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the rice hulling device 1 taken along line Ib-Ib in Fig. 1(a). Note that Fig. 1(b) omits the illustration of a chute 14 (see Fig. 1(a)).

[0019] The rice hulling device 1 is equipped with a fixed roll 20a and a movable roll 20b housed in a housing 10, and is a device that performs hulling (dehulling) by passing rice grains through a hulling area A between the fixed roll 20a and the movable roll 20b. In the following description, when the fixed roll 20a and the movable roll 20b are described collectively, they will be described as rolls 20a and 20b.

[0020] At the top end of the housing 10 (upper side in FIG. 1(a)), a receiving port 11 is formed to receive rice supplied from a feeding hopper (not shown). An inclined plate 12 extends downward from the edge of the receiving port 11 (the end on the left side in FIG. 1(a)). A delivery roller 30 is disposed in a position adjacent to the bottom end of the inclined plate 12.

[0021] The delivery roller 30 is a rotary valve having a plurality of blades 32 arranged around (in the circumferential direction) a rotation axis 31. Since a known configuration can be adopted for this delivery roller 30, detailed configuration illustration is omitted. An example of a known configuration is the rotary valve 130 disclosed in JP 2017-064660 A.

[0022] The delivery roller 30 is provided with a plurality of disk-shaped partition plates 33 arranged in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 31 (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1(a)). The partition plates 33 and the blades 32 define a space 34 for delivering a fixed amount of rice at a time.

[0023] Approximately half of the outer periphery of the outer periphery of the feed roller 30 on the side where rice grains are supplied from the inclined plate 12 (the right side of Fig. 1(a)) is covered by a cover 13. The cover 13 extends downward from the receiving port 11 so as to form a flow path for rice grains between the outer periphery of the feed roller 30 and the tip (lower end) of the cover 13 is disposed close to the lower end of the feed roller 30. Thus, the rice grains supplied from the inclined plate 12 to the flow path between the feed roller 30 and the cover 13 are contained in the space 34 of the feed roller 30, and the rice grains contained in the space 34 are fed out in fixed amounts by the multiple blades 32 and unwound from the tip of the cover 13 as the feed roller 30 rotates in one direction (the clockwise direction in Fig. 1(a)).

[0024] Below the unhulled rice delivery section, a plate-shaped chute 14 is provided that slopes downward toward each of the rolls 20a, 20b. Thus, unhulled rice delivered from between the cover 13 and the delivery roller 30 flows down along the flow surface 14a of the chute 14 and is supplied to each of the rolls 20a, 20b. The chute 14 is rotatably supported on the housing 10 by a rotating shaft 14b, and the angle of the chute 14 caused by this rotation is adjusted by a cam 67, which will be described later.

[0025] In addition, a capacitance sensor S is provided on the chute 14 to detect the presence or absence of rice grains flowing down on the flow down surface 14a of the chute 14. The detection of the presence or absence of rice grains by the capacitance sensor S is intended to adjust the roll spacing between the rolls 20a, 20b according to the amount of rice to be processed, and the adjustment of this roll spacing will be described later.

[0026] Belt pulleys P1 and P2 having different outer diameters are fixed to the rotating shafts 21a and 21b of each roll 20a and 20b, respectively, and a drive belt (not shown) is passed around the belt pulleys P1 and P2, which are in turn passed around a belt pulley (not shown) fixed to the drive shaft of the rotation motor 40 and a belt pulley P3 journaled on the housing 10.

[0027] The driving force of the rotation motor 40 is transmitted via a drive belt, so that the rotating shafts 21a, 21b of the rolls 20a, 20b rotate in opposite directions at different rotation speeds. Rims 22a, 22b formed in a cylindrical shape using a metal material (steel) are fixed to the rotating shafts 21a, 21b, and the outer circumferential surfaces of the rims 22a, 22b are covered by elastic rolls 23a, 23b made of an elastic material (rubber-like elastic body).

[0028] As the rice grains pass through the hulling area A between the rotating elastic rolls 23a, 23b, the rice grains are husked and become brown rice. The husks and brown rice separated by passing through the hulling area A are discharged to the outside of the housing 10 from a discharge outlet 15 formed at the bottom end of the housing 10 (the bottom side of FIG. 1(a)).

[0029] When the elastic rolls 23a, 23b wear down due to this hulling, the roll gap between the rolls 20a, 20b widens. This widening of the gap reduces the husking rate of the rice (the rate of brown rice obtained from the rice), so the huller 1 of this embodiment is configured to constantly adjust the gap to an appropriate state. This configuration will be described below.

[0030] The rotating shaft 21a of the fixed roll 20a is rotatably supported by the housing 10, while the rotating shaft 21b of the movable roll 20b is rotatably supported by the swing arm 16. The shaft 16a of the swing arm 16 is rotatably supported by the housing 10, and a driving force for swinging (rotating) the swing arm 16 about this shaft 16a is applied from the gap adjustment mechanism 50.

[0031] The gap adjustment mechanism 50 includes a displacement motor 51, a rotating shaft 52 rotatably supported by the housing 10, and a connecting body 53 which constitutes a ball screw mechanism together with the rotating shaft 52 and is connected to the swing arm 16. A chain (not shown) is wound between a gear 51a fixed to the drive shaft of the displacement motor 51 and a gear 52a fixed to the rotating shaft 52.

[0032] The driving force of the displacement motor 51 rotates the rotating shaft 52 in the forward or reverse direction, and the connecting body 53 moves linearly in the extending or retracting direction relative to the rotating shaft 52, thereby pushing or pulling the swinging arm 16 by the connecting body 53. This causes the swinging arm 16 to swing (rotate) about the shaft 16a, and the opposing distance between the rolls 20a, 20b increases or decreases.

[0033] The displacement motor 51 is provided with a torque sensor (not shown), and the load torque generated in the displacement motor 51 is detected by the torque sensor. In this embodiment, the load torque detected by this torque sensor is used to set an initial value of the roll gap (hereinafter referred to as the "initial gap"). The process of setting this initial gap will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the initial gap setting process. The initial gap setting process is executed by a control device (CPU) of the rice huller 1 when power is applied to the rice huller 1.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 2, the initial interval setting process first displaces the movable roll 20b from the retreated position toward the fixed roll 20a (S1). Note that the retreated position is a position where the movable roll 20b is separated a predetermined amount from the fixed roll 20a after an instruction to stop hulling is given in the process of S18 (see Fig. 2) of the hulling process described later.

[0035] After the process of S1, it is confirmed whether or not the load torque value of the displacement motor 51 detected by the torque sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value (S2). If the detected value of the torque sensor does not exceed the predetermined threshold value (S2: No), the movable roll 20b is displaced while separated from the fixed roll 20a (or the rolls 20a, 20b are slightly in contact with each other), so the process of S2 is repeated.

[0036] On the other hand, if the detection value of the torque sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, i.e., if the load torque generated in the displacement motor 51 is greater than a predetermined value (S2: Yes), the movable roll 20b is in contact with the fixed roll 20a, so the movable roll 20b is displaced in a direction away from the fixed roll 20a (S3).

[0037] After the process of S3, it is confirmed whether the amount of displacement of the movable roll 20b in the direction away from the fixed roll 20a exceeds a predetermined threshold (S4). The threshold of S4 may be changed appropriately according to the initial interval to be set. If the amount of displacement of the movable roll 20b in the direction away from the fixed roll 20a does not exceed the predetermined threshold (S4: No), the desired initial interval has not been reached, so the process of S4 is repeated.

[0038] On the other hand, if the displacement amount of the movable roll 20b exceeds a predetermined threshold value (S4: Yes), the roll spacing has reached the desired initial spacing, so the displacement of the movable roll 20b is stopped (S5) and the initial spacing setting process is terminated.

[0039] In this way, the position where the rolls 20a, 20b come into contact is set as a reference point, and the rolls are separated from each other by a predetermined amount from the reference point to set the initial interval, so that hulling can always be started at an appropriate initial interval even if the rolls 20a, 20b are worn. In this embodiment, when the load torque of the displacement motor 51 detected by the torque sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the rolls 20a, 20b come into contact. This makes it unnecessary to rotate the rolls 20a, 20b by the rotation motor 40 when determining whether the rolls 20a, 20b come into contact, as in the conventional technology (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 09-239282). Therefore, even if the initial interval between the rolls is repeatedly set, wear of the rolls 20a, 20b can be suppressed.

[0040] By setting the initial interval in this way, hulling can be started with an appropriate roll spacing, but if hulling is continued, the roll spacing will increase due to wear of the rolls 20a, 20b. Therefore, in this embodiment, a process is performed to adjust the roll spacing even during hulling after the initial spacing is set. This process will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the hulling process. The hulling process is executed when an instruction to start hulling is input (for example, when the switch to start rotation of the rolls 20a, 20b is pressed).

[0041] 3, in the hulling process, first, the delivery roller 30 is driven (S10) to deliver a fixed amount of rice grains toward the chute 14. After the process of S10, it is confirmed whether the rice grains are flowing down the flow surface 14a of the chute 14, i.e., whether the capacitance sensor S is ON (S11).

[0042] If the capacitance sensor S is ON (S11: Yes), rice is being supplied to each of the rolls 20a, 20b via the chute 14, so the number of rotations of the send-off roller 30 is calculated from the time that the capacitance sensor S is ON and the rotation speed of the send-off roller 30 (S12). In other words, the integrated number of rotations of the send-off roller 30 during the period when the capacitance sensor S is ON is calculated.

[0043] After the process of S12, the processing amount of rice is estimated (S13) from the calculated rotation speed of the delivery roller 30. This processing amount is estimated by referring to processing amount data stored in the rice huller 1, which is a relationship between the rotation speed of the delivery roller 30 and the amount of rice delivered from the delivery roller 30 at that rotation speed, which is previously measured.

[0044] After processing in S13, pre-programmed data showing the correlation between the amount of rice grains processed and the amount of wear on each roll 20a, 20b is referenced, and the amount of wear on each roll 20a, 20b is estimated from the amount of rice grains processed estimated in S13 (S14).

[0045] After estimating the amount of wear of each of the rolls 20a, 20b in the process of S14, the movable roll 20b is displaced in a direction approaching the fixed roll 20a by the amount of the estimated amount of wear (S15). As a result, even if each of the rolls 20a, 20b wears during hulling after the initial interval is set, hulling can always be performed at an appropriate interval, thereby improving the husking rate of rice.

[0046] Furthermore, the amount of rice processed in S14 is estimated based on the period (ON time) during which the capacitance sensor S detects the flow of rice. In other words, the amount of rice supplied to each roll 20a, 20b is estimated based on the period during which rice actually flows down to each roll 20a, 20b via the chute 14, so the amount of rice processed by each roll 20a, 20b can be estimated with high accuracy. This allows the amount of wear of each roll 20a, 20b to be estimated with high accuracy, so that the roll interval during hulling can be set to a more appropriate interval.

[0047] Here, for example, it is possible to omit the capacitance sensor S and estimate the amount of rice processed only from the number of rotations of the delivery roller 30. However, in such a configuration, for example, when the delivery roller 30 is rotating idly, the amount of rice processed (the amount of wear of each of the rolls 20a, 20b) is estimated by adding up the period during which no rice is actually supplied to each of the rolls 20a, 20b.

[0048] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, the amount of rice processed is estimated from the period during which the send-out roller 30 is rotating and the capacitance sensor S detects the flow of rice down (the number of rotations of the send-out roller 30 during that period). This makes it possible to estimate the amount of rice processed by each of the rolls 20a, 20b with higher accuracy than when the amount of rice processed is estimated only from the number of rotations of the send-out roller 30. Therefore, the amount of wear of each of the rolls 20a, 20b can also be estimated with higher accuracy, and the roll interval during hulling can be set to an appropriate interval.

[0049] Furthermore, by estimating the processing amount of unhulled rice from the rotation speed of the delivery roller 30 that supplies a fixed amount of unhulled rice to the chute 14, the delivery roller 30 can be endowed with a function for estimating the processing amount and a function for supplying a fixed amount of unhulled rice to the chute 14. This makes it unnecessary to provide a separate rotating body for estimating the processing amount of unhulled rice in addition to the delivery roller 30, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the rice hulling device 1.

[0050] After the process of S15, or if the capacitance sensor S is not ON in the process of S11 (S11: No), it is confirmed whether or not there is an instruction to stop the hulling process (for example, whether the end or pause switch has been pressed) (S16). If there is no instruction to stop the hulling process (S16: No), the process returns to S11.

[0051] On the other hand, if there is an instruction to stop the hulling process (S16: Yes), the delivery roller 30 is stopped (S17), the movable roll 20b is displaced to the retracted position (S18), and the series of processes is terminated.

[0052] Next, a configuration for making the chute 14 follow the displacement of the movable roll 20b will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the rice hulling device 1 taken along line IV-IV in Figure 1(b), and Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the rice hulling device 1 showing a state in which the angle of the chute 14 has changed following the displacement of the movable roll 20b from the state shown in Figure 4. In Figures 4 and 5, the parts hidden by the partition wall 17 (see Figure 1) that separates the housing 10 are shown by dashed lines.

[0053] 4 and 5, when the movable roll 20b is displaced closer to the fixed roll 20a in accordance with wear of the rolls 20a, 20b, the hulling area A (see FIG. 4) between the rolls moves closer to the fixed roll 20a as wear of the rolls 20a, 20b progresses (see hulling area B in FIG. 5). The hulling device 1 is provided with a link mechanism 60 for making the chute 14 follow the movement of the hulling area A.

[0054] The link mechanism 60 includes a boss fitting 61 fixed to the swing arm 16. The boss fitting 61 is fixed to the side opposite the shaft 16a of the swing arm 16 (the upper end of the swing arm 16) across the rotation shaft 21b of the movable roll 20b.

[0055] A first shaft 62 extending in the same direction as the shaft 16a of the swing arm 16 (perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 4) is fixed to the boss fitting 61, and one end of a first link 63 is rotatably supported on this first shaft 62.

[0056] The first link 63 extends approximately horizontally from the connection portion with the first shaft 62 toward the upward side of the rotating shaft 21a of the fixed roll 20a, and the other end of the first link 63 is rotatably supported on a second shaft 64 extending in the same direction as the first shaft 62.

[0057] One end (upper end) of the second shaft 64 is fixed to a second link 65, and the second link 65 extends downward (toward the rotary shaft 21a of the fixed roll 20a) from a connection portion with the first link 63. A cam shaft 66 is fixed to the other end (lower end) of the second link 65, and the cam shaft 66 is rotatably supported by the partition wall 17 of the housing 10 (see FIG. 1).

[0058] A cam 67 is attached to the camshaft 66 at a position opposite the second link 65 across the partition wall 17 (see FIG. 1). The cam 67 is a plate cam that is eccentric upward from the camshaft 66, and the eccentric portion of the cam 67 contacts the back surface 14c opposite the flow-down surface 14a of the chute 14. In other words, the rotation of the chute 14 due to its own weight about the above-mentioned rotation shaft 14b (see FIG. 1(a)) is supported by the cam 67.

[0059] When the rolls 20a, 20b are worn, the movable roll 20b is brought closer to the fixed roll 20a by the swing (rotation) of the swing arm 16 about the shaft 16a. This swing of the swing arm 16 also rotates the boss metal fitting 61 fixed to the swing arm 16 in a direction approaching the fixed roll 20a.

[0060] Rotation of the boss metal fitting 61 causes the first link 63 to rotate around the first shaft 62 and the second shaft 64 while pushing the second link 65, causing the cam shaft 66 fixed to the second link 65 to rotate integrally with the second link 65. As the cam shaft 66 rotates, the cam 67 rotates in a direction away from the back surface 14c of the chute 14, causing the chute 14 to rotate around the rotation shaft 14b (see FIG. 1(a)) due to its own weight. This rotation of the chute 14 causes the tip of the chute 14 to be directed toward the hulling area B after the wear of each of the rolls 20a, 20b.

[0061] In this manner, in this embodiment, the angle of the chute 14 is adjusted by the cam shaft 66 that rotates with the displacement of the first link 63 and the second link 65, and the cam 67 attached to the cam shaft 66. This allows the angle of the chute 14 to be finely adjusted by adjusting the attachment angle of the cam 67 relative to the cam shaft 66 or by adjusting the shape of the cam 67. In other words, the chute 14 can be finely adjusted to an angle that makes it easier for rice grains to be supplied to the hulling areas A and B, thereby improving the husking rate of rice grains.

[0062] Here, in a conventional rice huller (for example, JP 2008-259924 A), one end of the link rod 29 is simply inserted into the engagement opening 281 of the regulating member 28. In the case of such a configuration, when vibration caused by the rotation of the movable roller 24 around the movable shaft 23 is transmitted to the link rod 29, the link rod 29 rattles in the engagement opening 281, causing the rice supply plate 27 (chute) to swing. When such swinging occurs, the rice grains flowing down from the rice supply plate 27 fall onto the fixed roller 22 or the movable roller 24 at a position shifted from the rice hulling area. As a result, the rice grains become violent (jump) when they come into contact with the rotating rollers, and the husking rate of the rice grains tends to decrease.

[0063] In contrast, in this embodiment, one end of the first link 63 (the end on the left side in Figs. 4 and 5) is rotatably connected to the swing arm 16 (boss metal fitting 61), so that even if vibrations caused by the rotation of the movable roll 20b around the rotation shaft 21b are transmitted to the first link 63 and the second link 65 via the swing arm 16, the relative positions of the first link 63 and the second link 65 with respect to the swing arm 16 can be kept unchanged. In other words, since the rattling of the links as in the conventional case described above can be suppressed, swinging that changes the chute 14 from the desired angle (the angle at which the tip faces the hulling areas A and B) can be suppressed. Therefore, the rice grains flowing down from the chute 14 are more easily supplied directly toward the hulling areas A and B, improving the husking rate of the rice grains.

[0064] In this embodiment, when a plane including the axis of each of the rotation shafts 21a, 21b of the rolls 20a, 20b is defined as a virtual plane V, the rolls 20a, 20b are arranged so that the virtual plane V is at an angle of 20° to 40° with respect to the horizontal direction. This is to make the flow surface 14a of the chute 14, which is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, substantially perpendicular to the virtual plane V, and to position the hulling areas A, B on an extension of the flow surface 14a of the chute 14. This makes it easier for the rice grains aligned by flowing down on the flow surface 14a of the chute 14 to be directly supplied to the hulling areas A, B while maintaining that aligned state, thereby improving the husking rate of the rice grains.

[0065] In addition, since the movable roll 20b is disposed above the fixed roll 20a and the camshaft 66 is located below the upper end of the movable roll 20b, the camshaft 66 and the swing arm 16 supporting the rotation shaft 21b of the movable roll 20b can be disposed at approximately the same height. This allows the lengths of the first link 63 and the second link 65 connecting the camshaft 66 and the swing arm 16 to be relatively short, thereby reducing the arrangement space for the first link 63 and the second link 65.

[0066] In this manner, in this embodiment, the chute 14 rotates following the displacement of the movable roll 20b, so that when the initial interval between the rolls is set or the roll interval during hulling is adjusted, the chute 14 can be rotated so that the tip of the chute 14 faces the hulling areas A and B between the rolls. Furthermore, the angle of the chute 14 can be fine-tuned by adjusting the mounting angle and shape of the cam 67 described above. Therefore, the roll interval at the start of hulling and during hulling can always be set appropriately, and the rice grains can be easily supplied directly toward the hulling areas A and B between the rolls, improving the husking rate of the rice grains.

[0067] The present invention has been described above based on an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it can be easily inferred that various improvements and modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the amount of wear of each roll 20a, 20b is estimated from the amount of rice processed, but the amount of wear may be estimated from the number of rotations (accumulated time of rotation) of each roll 20a, 20b. In this case, the amount of wear may be estimated based on the number of rotations of each roll 20a, 20b during the period when the delivery roller 30 is rotating or the capacitance sensor S is ON.

[0069] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the processing amount of rice is estimated from the number of rotations of the send-out roller 30 during a period during which the send-out roller 30 rotates and the capacitance sensor S detects the flow of rice down, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the processing amount of rice may be estimated only from the ON time of the capacitance sensor S without calculating the number of rotations of the send-out roller 30, or the capacitance sensor S may be omitted and the processing amount of rice may be estimated only from the number of rotations of the send-out roller 30. Also, for example, a rotating body that is rotated by the rice supplied to the chute 14 (or the rice flowing down the chute 14) may be provided separately in addition to the send-out roller 30, and the processing amount of rice may be estimated from the number of rotations of the rotating body.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the capacitance sensor S is given as an example of the detection means for detecting the presence or absence of rice flowing down the chute 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the detection means may be a known configuration such as a laser sensor or an infrared sensor.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the case was described in which the imaginary plane V including the axis of each of the rotation shafts 21a, 21b of the rolls 20a, 20b is at an angle of 20° to 40° with respect to the horizontal direction. However, for example, the imaginary plane V may be configured to be aligned along the horizontal direction, or the angle of the imaginary plane V may be less than 20° or more than 40° with respect to the horizontal direction.

[0072] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the movable roll 20b is positioned above the fixed roll 20a and the cam shaft 66 is positioned below the upper end of the movable roll 20b. However, for example, a configuration in which the fixed roll 20a is positioned above the movable roll 20b, or a configuration in which the cam shaft 66 is positioned above the movable roll 20b, may also be used.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the angle of the chute 14 is finely adjusted by adjusting the attachment angle of the cam 67 with respect to the cam shaft 66 or by adjusting the shape of the cam 67, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the first link 63 may be formed from a known expandable member such as a ball screw, and the angle of the chute 14 may be finely adjusted by extending or shortening the first link 63.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the description of the method for fixing the cam 67 to the camshaft 66 is omitted, but an example of the fixing method is a configuration in which the camshaft 66 is inserted into a through hole formed in the cam 67, and a set screw is screwed from the outer surface of the cam 67 toward the camshaft 66. However, other fixing methods may be used as long as the configuration allows the cam 67 to be detachably attached to the camshaft 66. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1 Husking device 14 SHOTS 14a Downstream surface 14c back 16 Swing arm 16 (support member) 20a fixed roll 20b Movable roll 21b Rotation axis 51 Displacement motor 63 1st link(link) 65 Second Link (Link) 66 Camshaft 67 Cam A,B Hulling area S1 Displacement means S2 Judgment means S3~S5 setting method S11 to S13 Processing amount estimation means S14 Wear amount estimation means S15 Adjustment means V Virtual plane

Claims

1. A rice hulling device comprising: a chute having a flow surface along which rice grains flow; a fixed roll and a movable roll having a hulling area between them for hulling the rice grains flowing down from the chute; a support member supporting the rotation axis of the movable roll so as to be displaceable relative to the fixed roll; and a link having one end rotatably connected to the support member and transmitting power accompanying the displacement of the support member to the chute, the chute being rotated by the power transmitted from the link, thereby adjusting the angle of the chute to a predetermined angle so as to direct the tip of the chute toward the hulling area, a cam shaft connected to the other end of the link and rotating in accordance with the displacement of the link; a cam attached to the camshaft, The cam contacts a back surface of the chute opposite to the flow-down surface, A rice hulling device characterized in that the angle of the chute is adjusted to the specified angle by rotation of the cam around the cam shaft.

2. The fixed roll and the movable roll are arranged such that a virtual plane including each of the rotation axes is at an angle of 20° to 40° with respect to a horizontal direction, The rice hulling device as described in claim 1, characterized in that the specified angle is an angle at which the flow surface of the chute is approximately perpendicular to the imaginary plane, and the hulling area between the fixed roll and the movable roll is located on an extension of the flow surface.

3. The movable roll is disposed above the fixed roll, 3. The rice hulling device according to claim 2, wherein the cam shaft is positioned below the upper end of the movable roll.

4. a displacement motor that applies a driving force to the support member; a displacement means for displacing the movable roll in a direction approaching the fixed roll by a driving force applied from the displacement motor to the support member; a determination unit that determines whether the movable roll displaced by the displacement unit has come into contact with the fixed roll; A rice hulling device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is equipped with a setting means for separating the movable roll from the fixed roll by a predetermined amount when the determination means determines that contact has occurred, thereby setting an initial distance between the rolls.

5. a processing amount estimating means for estimating a processing amount of rice by the fixed roll and the movable roll after the initial interval is set by the setting means; a wear amount estimating means for estimating wear amounts of the fixed roll and the movable roll from the throughput estimated by the throughput estimating means; The hulling device as described in claim 4, characterized in that it is equipped with an adjustment means for adjusting the roll spacing during hulling by displacing the movable roll in a direction approaching the fixed roll in accordance with the amount of wear estimated by the wear amount estimation means.

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