Tea leaf heat treatment equipment

Abstract

To provide a green tea leaf heat treatment apparatus with which a large amount of green tea leaves can be put in without being scattered in a short period of time, and uneven heating of the green tea leaves can be eliminated to achieve product improvement.SOLUTION: A green tea leaf heat treatment apparatus is constituted by: a rotary barrel 1 having one end closed by a sidewall 4 and the other end provided with a tapered sidewall 3 in which a part of a midportion is opened; driving means 11 for rotating the rotary barrel; and heating means for heating the rotary barrel. The apparatus includes an inclination mechanism for causing the rotary barrel to be inclined so that an opening of the rotary barrel is directed upward when putting in green tea leaves.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for heating and killing green tea leaves. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, devices for roasting and heat-treating fresh tea leaves are classified into continuous and batch types. Continuous fresh tea leaf heat-treating devices are equipped with a stirrer inside a semi-cylindrical treatment drum, and many of them involve placing tea leaves into one end of the treatment drum and transferring the tea leaves to the other end of the treatment drum while stirring them with the stirrer, with the tea leaves being heat-treated during this transfer. Many of the batch type fresh tea leaf heat-treating devices contain fresh tea leaves in a cylindrical rotating drum and heat-treat them while stirring them by rotation (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] A tea leaf heat treatment device (fired machine) with a similar structure to the fresh tea leaf heat treatment device is described in Patent Document 2, but this tea leaf heat treatment device is a device that finishes drying and flavors tea leaves that have almost finished drying. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-81168 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-318861 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The tea leaf heat treatment devices in Patent Documents 1 and 2 use an actuator to add and remove tea leaves, resulting in a complex structure. In either case, when removing tea leaves, the rotating drum is tilted and rotated to remove the tea leaves, but when adding tea leaves, the rotating drum is rotated in a horizontal position while the tea leaves are added.

[0006] When heat-treating fresh tea leaves, the first fresh tea leaves (including wilted leaves) added have a grassy smell, so it is necessary to speed up the rotation of the rotating drum in order to remove the grassy smell. However, if a large amount of fresh tea leaves are added at once, they end up spilling out of the opening. Also, if the leaves are added little by little over time to avoid spilling, it takes a long time to add them, and the heating time differs between the first and last fresh tea leaves added, resulting in uneven heating and quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first means of the present invention is a tea leaf heat treatment device. a rotating drum having one end closed by a side wall and the other end provided with a tapered side wall and a partially open center; a driving means for rotating the rotary drum; a heating means for heating the rotary drum; After setting the driving means and the heating means to predetermined conditions, A tilting mechanism that tilts the rotating drum so that the opening faces upward when raw tea leaves are added. and, a rear stopper that stops the rotary drum at a position inclined by 5 to 15 degrees so that the opening of the rotary drum faces upward; The measure is to set up a The second means is the first means, The tilting mechanism tilts the rotary drum so that the opening faces downward when the tea leaves are taken out, A front stopper is provided to stop the rotary drum at a position where the rotary drum is inclined by 40 degrees or more so that the opening of the rotary drum faces downward. The following measures are taken. The third means is the first or second means, in which comb-shaped crosspieces are provided inside the rotating shell. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] As in the present invention, by tilting the rotating drum when adding fresh tea leaves, even if a large amount of fresh tea leaves are added, the tea leaves do not spill, making the machine clean. Furthermore, because the tea leaves can be added in a short time, uneven heating of the tea leaves is eliminated, leading to improved product quality. The third means of the present invention improves the agitation of the fresh tea leaves inside the rotating drum, eliminating uneven heating of the tea leaves and leading to improved product quality. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a normal operation of the heat treatment device for fresh tea leaves. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a normal operation of the fresh tea leaf heat treatment device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view illustrating the operation of the heat treatment device for fresh tea leaves at the time of loading. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating the operation of the heat treatment device for fresh tea leaves at the time of input. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating the method of carrying out the heat treatment device for fresh tea leaves when they are taken out. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory side view showing the method of carrying out the heat treatment device for fresh tea leaves when they are taken out. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the inside of the rotating drum of a fresh tea leaf heat treatment device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a rail of a rotary drum of a fresh tea leaf heat treatment device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a rail of a rotary drum of a fresh tea leaf heat treatment device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a rotating drum that contains tea leaves. This rotating drum 1 is composed of a peripheral wall 2, a tapered side wall 3, and a side wall 4. The end of the tapered side wall 3 forms an opening 5, which serves to insert and remove raw tea leaves and also allows for exhaust. A breathable lid 6 may be attached as needed. Reference numeral 7 denotes a cover that covers the entire rotating drum 1 and serves to keep the interior warm. An exhaust port 8 is provided at the top of this cover 7, allowing exhaust from within the cover 7. Reference numeral 10 denotes a gas burner, which is a heating means for heating the rotating drum 1 from below. This heating means does not have to be a gas burner 10; any other heating means capable of heating the rotating drum 1 from below, such as an electric heater, may be used. If an electric heater is used as the heating means, the exhaust port 8 need not be provided. Reference numeral 11 denotes a driving means that rotates the rotating drum 1. Reference numeral 13 denotes a blower fan, and 14 denotes a blower duct, which is connected to side wall 4 and blows air into rotating drum 1. Reference numeral 21 denotes a thermometer, which measures the temperature of rotating drum 1 in a non-contact manner by opening a hole in part of cover 7. The temperature of rotating drum 1 is set in advance on control panel 22, and the current temperature measured by thermometer 21 is compared with the set temperature, and gas burner 10 and blower fan 13 are adjusted so that the current temperature becomes the set temperature.

[0011] Next, the tilting mechanism will be described. Reference numeral 31 denotes a support shaft that connects the outer machine frame 12 and the inner machine frame 9 (including the cover 7, rotating drum 1, etc.). Normally, a handle 32 attached to the inner machine frame 9 is fixed to a handle receiver 33 attached to the outer machine frame 12. When tilting, the handle 32 is released from the handle receiver 33, the lock is released, and the rotating drum 1 is tilted together with the inner machine frame 9, using the support shaft 31 as an axis. When returning to the original position, the tilt of the rotating drum 1 together with the inner machine frame 9 is returned to its original position using the support shaft 31 as an axis, and the handle 32 is fixed to the handle receiver 33 and locked. Furthermore, when loading, in which the opening 5 is tilted upward, a rear stopper 35 is provided at a position where the tilt is approximately 5 to 15 degrees, and the inner machine frame 9 is stopped by the rear stopper 35. When removing, in which the opening 5 is tilted downward, a front stopper 34 is provided at a position where the tilt is 40 degrees or more, and the inner machine frame 9 is stopped by the front stopper 34.

[0012] As another means of tilting mechanism, a support shaft 31 and an actuator (not shown) may be provided, and the actuator may be driven to tilt the rotating drum 1. For automatic tilting, it is better to use an actuator. In this case, a limit switch or the like is used to determine the tilt angle.

[0013] Inside the rotating drum 1, crosspieces 41 and 42 are provided as shown in Figure 7. In this embodiment, a total of five crosspieces are provided, including three flat crosspieces 41 as shown in Figure 8 and two comb-shaped crosspieces 42 as shown in Figure 9, but the number of crosspieces is not limited to this.

[0014] Next, we will explain how this fresh tea leaf heating treatment device works. First, in the state shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outer peripheral temperature, rotation speed, and heating time of the rotating drum 1 are set to the desired values ​​using the control panel 22. The outer peripheral surface temperature of the rotating drum 1 is measured with a thermometer 21 and controlled to maintain the set temperature. The rotation speed of the rotating drum 1 is controlled by an inverter, so it can be changed as needed even during operation. After adjusting each condition, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the handle 32 is released, the opening 5 of the rotating drum 1 is tilted upward, the inner machine frame 9 is stopped by the rear stopper 35, and fresh tea leaves are thrown into the rotating drum 1 through the opening 5. A tilt angle of approximately 5 to 15 degrees is recommended.

[0015] After the raw tea leaves are added, the rotating drum 1 is returned to a horizontal position as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the handle 32 is fixed and locked in the handle holder 33. In this atmosphere, the raw tea leaves are stirred by the bars 41 and 42 and heated as they move through the rotating drum 1. When the heating time set on the control panel 21 has elapsed, a buzzer will sound, operation will stop, or automatic removal will begin.

[0016] When the buzzer sounds or the machine stops, the handle 32 is released, the opening 5 of the rotating drum 1 is tilted downward, the inner machine frame 9 is stopped by the front stopper 34, the rotating drum 1 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the tea leaves are removed from the opening 5. A tilt angle of 40 degrees or more is preferable, as this allows for quick removal. In this embodiment, the tea leaves are removed onto a conveyor, but a collection box or basket may also be used.

[0017] In the above embodiment, an operator operates the handle 32. In the case of automatic control, the timing of loading and unloading and the operation of the tilting mechanism are controlled by the control panel 22. [Explanation of symbols]

[0018] 1 Rotating body 2 Surrounding wall 3 Tapered sidewalls 4 side wall 5 aperture 6 Lid 7 Cover 8 exhaust port 9 Inner machine frame 10 Gas burner 11 Driving means 12 Outer engine frame 13 Blower fan 14 Air duct 16. Conveying equipment 17. Conveying equipment 21 Thermometer 22 Control Panel 31 Spindle 32 Handle 33 Handle holder 34 Front stopper 35 Rear stopper 41 (flat) crosspiece 42 (Comb-shaped) crosspiece

Claims

1. a rotating drum having one end closed by a side wall and the other end provided with a tapered side wall and a partially open center; a driving means for rotating the rotary drum; a heating means for heating the rotary drum; a tilting mechanism that tilts the rotating drum so that the opening faces upward when the raw tea leaves are added after the driving means and the heating means are set to predetermined conditions; and a rear stopper that stops the rotating drum at a position where the rotating drum is inclined by 5 to 15 degrees so that the opening of the rotating drum faces upward.

2. The tilting mechanism tilts the rotating drum so that the opening faces downward when removing tea leaves, 2. The tea leaf heat treatment device according to claim 1, further comprising a front stopper for stopping the rotating drum at a position where the rotating drum is tilted at an angle of 40 degrees or more so that the opening of the rotating drum faces downward.

3. 3. The apparatus for heat-treating fresh tea leaves according to claim 1, wherein comb-shaped bars are provided inside the rotary drum.

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