Abstract: An apparatus for compressing and heating a material to be treated, i.e., fibrous materials of plants such as true grasses or the like, changing the quality of the material, and solidifying the same. The material to be treated is delivered by a rotatable screw into and through a quality-changing chamber. During the passage of the material through the quality-changing chamber, the material is heated by a heating device. During the passage of the material through the quality-changing chamber, the material has its tissues destroyed, is softened, is compacted, and is solidified due to the compression by the screw and the heating by the heating device. A sensor senses a load applied to a motor and/or the temperature of the material being treated within the quality-changing chamber. A control system responds to a signal or signals from the sensor to control the load and/or the temperature.

Abstract: A sealing apparatus wherein the nozzle on the forward end portion of a sealing gun on a programmable industrial robot includes a nozzle holder and a nozzle body made of a flexible material. The forward inner end of the nozzle body can gradually diverge and a reinforcement pipe can be provided in the nozzle holder. The nozzle body can be in the form of a tubular brush made of nylon bristles, a solid tubular body of polyurethane foam or a solid tubular body of silicone rubber.

Abstract: A vertical type screening machine for granular material comprises a housing. A rotary drum assembly is rotatably mounted within the housing and comprises a drum having a substantially vertical rotary axis and a helical blade helically wound around a circumferential surface of the drum. A cylindrical screen member disposed between the drum assembly and the housing cooperates with a peripheral wall of the housing to define therebetween a first chamber and cooperates with the circumferential surface of the drum to define therebetween a second chamber. The granular material to be screened is introduced into the top of the second chamber. Upon the rotation of the drum assemby, the granular material introduced into the top of the second chamber is moved toward the bottom of the second chamber by the helical blade and due to gravity.

Abstract: A belt connector device for connecting opposite end portions of a belt to each other to form an endless belt assembly for use in belt type delivery apparatus comprises a mounting assembly which includes a pair of opposed, but spaced side wall members. First and second rollers are rotatably supported by the side wall members and cooperate with each other to define therebetween a gap in substantially parallel to respective axes of the first and second rollers. A drive device is operative to drivingly rotate the first roller to forcibly move, through the gap, the belt opposite end portions received in the gap with the belt opposite end portions being contact with each other in face to face relation, while clamping the belt opposite end portions between the first and second rollers, until the tension applied to the belt reaches a desired value.

Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic background brightness control device for color sorting apparatus having a plurality of sorting channels (Q1-Qn), each including a sensor (S1-Sn) to detect the amount of reflected and/or transmitted light from objects to be sorted and the amount of reflected and/or transmitted light from a background provided at the sorting channel. A scanner circuit (12, 14, 16) selects from the sorting channels one sorting channel of which the background brightness is to be controlled. A process control circuit (11) is provided to compare the output from the sensor against predetermined reference voltages and to produce a signal for controlling the background brightness only when the output from the sensor deviates from the reference voltages. A light control circuit (P1-Pn) controls the background brightness within the selected sorting channel according to the signal for controlling the background brightness.

Abstract: The invention relates to a color sorting apparatus for granular objects in which detecting members (11, 11') for detecting acceptable objects and unacceptable objects respectively include light emitting members (9, 9; 9', 9') to send light to a sorting path (A), background light members (10; 10') to provide a reference amount of light, and light receiving members (8; 8') for receiving light coming from the objects in the sorting path and from the background light members; a valve actuating member (40) is responsive to the light receiving members for producing an ejection signal for unacceptable objects; ejection members (12, 13) are responsive to the valve actuating members for ejecting unacceptable objects; and adjusting members (19, 19) are responsive to the light receiving members for automatically adjusting the amount of light emitted from the background light members.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting cracked rice grains. The apparatus has conveyor means by which the rice grains to be examined are moved in at least one row extending in the direction of movement, a light-transmitting window formed in the conveyor means and adapted to pass a coherent light beam of a width smaller than the diameter of the rice grain, a light source means adapted to apply the coherent light, light-receiving means including light-receiving elements adapted to detect the quantities of lights transmitted through the leading half part and trailing half part of the rice grain when the latter passes over the light-transmitting window, and a circuit means adapted to measure and compare the quantities of light received by the light-receiving means in comparison with predetermined reference threshold values.

Abstract: Disclosed is a diagnostic device for use in a color sorting apparatus. A scanner circuit (1-6) successively selects one of a plurality of sorting channels (Q1-Qn) each having a plurality of measuring points (a1-an, b1-bn, c1-cn, d1-dn). A comparator circuit (Ma-Md, Wa-Wd, W'a-W'd, Ha-Hd, G) compares output signals measured at the measuring points and reference signals preset for the respective measuring points. An alarm (8, 9) is provided to indicate a malfunctioning sorting channel and a malfunctioning portion therein. A feeder control (7) may also be provided to interrupt the feeding of grains to a malfunctioning sorting channel.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously measuring the degree of milling of rice grains wherein there is provided a grain passage unit, one wall of which is positioned angularly so that the grains in contact therewith slide down with their lengthwise axes generally parallel to this wall and another wall of which is positioned so that the grains introduced in the grain passage unit flow without a gap between this wall and the grains, and wherein there are provided integrated data take-up units, the inputs of which are connected to amplifiers and the outputs of which are coupled to a degree of milling meter through an arithmetic unit so that the integrated data obtained in a given period divided into a number of divisions is averaged to calculate the degree of milling sought.

Abstract: A rice polishing machine comprises a rotatable shaft, a polishing roll mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith, and a perforated cylindrical polishing assembly disposed in substantially concentric relation to the shaft. The cylindrical polishing assembly has its inner circumferential surface which cooperates with an outer circumferential surface of the polishing roll to define therebetween a polishing chamber. Partition wall members engage with an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical polishing assembly at a location below an axis of the shaft for dividing the outer circumferential surface into an arcuate bottom surface section and the remaining arcuate surface section and for defining an upper space to which the bottom surface section is exposed and a lower space to which the remaining surface section is exposed.

Abstract: A sorter for grains, pulses and the like having a perforated sorting plate mounted on a frame and both longitudinally and laterally inclined with respect to the horizontal plane and adapted to be vibrated in the longitudinal direction while being intermittently lifted toward the upper side. The perforated sorting plate overlies an air chamber into which pressurized air is introduced by a blower through an air duct. The perforated sorting plate is provided with a corrugated upper surface to define a multiplicity of ribs oriented in the direction perpendicular to the direction of vibration of the sorting plate and in parallel rows at a pitch not less than the size of the material to be sorted. A set of discharge openings for receiving the sorted material is provided at the lower end of the perforated sorting plate where the ribs terminate.

Abstract: A method of producing rice of superhigh gloss wherein rice grains which have been polished to a yield of below 96% with respect to brown rice are cooled below 25.degree. C. by supplying to the rice grains a current of cooling and humidifying air of a humidity capable of maintaining the rice grains at an equilibrium moisture content, and then the rice grains are polished while being humidified and exposed to an air current. An apparatus for producing rice of superhigh gloss comprising rice grain cooling and humidifying means, and rice polishing means connected to the rice grain cooling and humidifying means for polishing the rice grains by rubbing while humidifying and applying air current to the rice grains.

Abstract: A color sorting apparatus has a chute from which grains come out in the form of a linear flux, a photoelectric detection device surrounding the flux and including light sources, light-receiving units each having a lens barrel having a filter unit and adapted to receive the light reflected by or transmitted through the flux of grains, and a jet nozzle which provides a jet of air in accordance with the signal from the light receiving units thereby to blow unwanted grains of different colors away from the flux, so that the desired grains and unwanted grains are separated from each other according to their colors. The filter unit consists of a plurality of filters carried by a plate member which is movably mounted on the lens barrel.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improvement in a pressure plate adjusting device for grain whitening apparatus which is capable of automatically and precisely adjusting the pressure of a pressure plate disposed at a rice outlet of a whitening chamber. The automatic adjustment has been made possible by the provision of reversible electric motor mounted on one end wall of a casing enclosing a pressure control screw shaft, a weight mounted on said screw shaft and a guide rod for guiding the movement of said weight, and a control unit producing a control signal having relation to the conditions of whitening action of grains within the whitening chamber and controlling the direction and the amount of rotation of said motor.

Abstract: A method of humidifying polished rice wherein moisture is added continuously to the same polished rice and caused to be absorbed thereby by adding moisture proportionally in the amount of moisture with respect to time such that the amount does not exceed 0.3% by weight of the polished rice treated per one hour.

Abstract: A particle scattering prevention device for use in a color sorting apparatus for sorting particles according to their colors, the apparatus being of the type having a photoelectric sorting chamber accommodating a photoelectric detectors; and a blowing nozzle device adapted to operate in response to the detection output from the photoelectric detector to selectively blow air to the flow of particles to sort out the particles of the different color. The device has a scattering prevention wall disposed between the photoelectric detector and the blowing nozzle device and having a passage bore to permit the flowing particles to pass therethrough, thereby to divide the space in the photoelectric sorting chamber into a light detecting section and a blowing sorting section.

Abstract: A cereal grain moisture content measuring apparatus including a vessel for containing a sample of cereal grains to be measured for its moisture content formed with a discharge valve at its bottom, an electrostatic capacity sensor mounted on an inner wall surface of the vessel, a weighing device connected to the vessel and a grain feeding device mounted above the vessel. Electric circuits of the weighing device and the grain feeding device are operatively connected to an electric circuit of the sensor through a control circuit. The weighing device is adapted either to measure the weight of a predetermined volume of cereal grains, or to measure the weight of a predetermined weight of cereal grains and produce a signal to actuate a volume measuring section provided to said vessel to determine the volume of the cereal grains of the predetermined weight.

Abstract: A husk burning furnace having a husk smoke-burning chamber formed by an inner peripheral perforated wall defining a pot-shaped primary gas burning chamber and an outer peripheral perforated wall surrounding the inner peripheral perforated wall. Means are provided to feed the husk particles into the smoke-burning chamber from the lower side of the latter in a floating manner where they are smoke-burnt to become smoke-carbonized husk particles, while generating unburnt gas. The smoke-carbonized husk particles are taken out of the furnace while the unburnt gas is introduced into the primary gas burning chamber so as to be burnt in the primary gas burning chamber. The gas together with flame is introduced further into a secondary gas burning chamber connected to the upper end of the inner peripheral perforated wall to generate colorless hot gas containing no substantial quantities of dust particles. Meanwhile, the smoke-carbonized husk particles are suitably discharged to the desired place.

Abstract: A photoelectric sorting device of a color sorting apparatus adapted to sort grains according to their colors. The photoelectric sorting device includes a pair of photoelectric chambers 9, 10 disposed within a grain sorting chamber 12 located under a grain chute 3 of the sorting apparatus, in such a manner that the photoelectric chambers 9, 10 opposes to each other across the flux 4 of flow of the grains coming down from the chute. Each of the photoelectric chambers 9, 10 is shielded from the grain sorting chamber by means of a transparent window plate 11 and accommodates a photoelectric detector 5, 6, 15, 17; 7, 8, 16, 18. At least one of the photoelectric chambers 9, 10 is rotatably mounted on the frame of the particle sorting chamber 12 to facilitate the cleaning of the transparent window plates 11.