Abstract: A chute for an optical sorting machine allows objects to be sorted to drop under gravity from the lower end of the chute, thereby supplying the objects to an optical detection section. The chute is provided with: a first portion which includes a portion for receiving the objects to be sorted which are supplied from a supply section; and a second portion which continues from the first portion. The first portion is composed of a single part and has: flat surfaces along which the objects to be sorted flow down; and connection surfaces. The flat surfaces located upstream are bent downward and the connection surfaces located downstream are bent upward to form a smooth undulation in the surface along which the objects to be sorted flow down.

Abstract: An ejector system for a color sorter, eliminates particulate matter by air by detection of the particulate matter falling from an end of a transfer device at a predetermined position, and has a nozzle part in which a plurality of air flow paths that communicate with a plurality of nozzle holes are formed. A manifold part is provided with a plurality of electromagnetic valves that communicate with an air space communicating with a compressed air source and in which a plurality of air flow paths for supplying compressed air to the corresponding air flow paths in the nozzle part by the operation of the respective electromagnetic valves are formed. The nozzle part and the manifold part are separably integrated while open surfaces of the air flow paths in the nozzle part and open surfaces of the air flow paths in the manifold part are brought into contact with each other.

Abstract: To provide a method for producing alpharized rice in which a soaking process does not need to be provided and a shape of rice grains is maintained. Means of Solution Such technical measure is taken that pressurized steam-boiling step in which raw material rice grains are steam-boiled with pressurized steam, a cooking step in which the rice grains after the pressurized steam-boiling step is alpharized, a high temperature drying step in which the rice grains after the alpharizing step are dried at high temperature, and a low temperature drying step in which the drying is performed at temperature lower than the high temperature drying step are sequentially provided without providing a soaking step, and an alpharized layer is formed on a surface of the rice grains by pressurized steam-boiling before the cooking step.

Abstract: An optical granular material-sorting apparatus includes: a transfer means for transferring objects being sorted; an optical detection means for detecting, at a detection position, objects being sorted as they drop from an end of the transfer means; and a blasting means provided below the optical detection means and designed to blow away objects being sorted through blasting of air based on the result of detection by the optical detection means. The blasting means has a piezoelectric valve which is driven by a driving means to blast air based on the result of detection by the optical detection means. The driving means applies voltage to a piezoelectric element in multiple stages so as to suppress fluctuation in the amount of gas ejected from a gas release channel when the valve opens.

Abstract: The present invention provides grain-drying facilities which can effectively use the heat energy of biomass combustion hot-air that has been generated in a biomass combustion furnace. The grain-drying facilities 1 include: a biomass combustion furnace 3 provided with a heat exchanger 24 for generating a hot air from a combustion heat of a biomass fuel and an outside air which has been taken in from the outside; and a circulation type grain-drying apparatus 2 provided with a grain-drying portion 7 to which the hot air that has been generated in the biomass combustion furnace 3 is supplied through a pipe 15 for supplying a hot air, wherein the circulation type grain-drying apparatus 2 has a plurality of warming pipes 6a in the grain-drying portion 7, and an exhaust hot-air is supplied to the warming pipes 6a from the biomass combustion furnace 3 through a pipe 11 for supplying the exhaust hot-air.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to provide a parboiled rice manufacturing apparatus capable of efficiently manufacturing good-quality parboiled rice without increasing the overall size of the apparatus.

Abstract: A bran removing wire-mesh tube includes: bran removing wire-mesh tube parts 28 divided in more than one in a circumferential direction in planar view; and a plurality of support pillars 33 erected at intervals in the circumferential direction to respectively fix both side edges of the divided bran removing wire-mesh tube parts 28. Each of the support pillars 33 is provided with an elongated resistor 34 that suppresses grains from moving in the circumferential direction along with rotation of grinding type grain cleaning rolls 26. The resistor 34 is urged by an elastic member 37 to a position at which the resistor 34 protrudes toward the inside of a grain cleaning chamber 30. Further, the resistor 34 is provided so as to be movable in a radial direction to a position farther from the grain cleaning chamber 30 due to resistance from the grains.

Abstract: A chute for an optical sorter sorting machine allows objects to be sorted to drop under gravity from the lower end of the chute, thereby supplying the objects to an optical detection section. The chute is provided with: a first portion which includes a portion for receiving the objects to be sorted which are supplied from a supply section; and a second portion which continues from the first portion The first portion is composed of a single part and has: flat surfaces along which the objects to be sorted flow down; and connection surfaces. The flat surfaces located upstream are bent downward, and the connection surfaces located downstream are is bent upward to form a smooth undulation in the surface along which the objects to be sorted flow down.

Abstract: A retort rice meal producing system is provided capable of total production from raw rice up to a retort rice meal excellent in outer appearance by using a simple production process.

Abstract: The present invention intends to provide an optical sorting machine which can improve the collection rate of non-defective products without increasing the size of the machine.

Abstract: A piezoelectric valve comprising: a valve main body formed in which are a gas pressure chamber that takes in compressed gas supplied from the outside as well as a gas release channel through which the compressed gas is released from the gas pressure chamber; a valve body placed in the gas pressure chamber to open and close the gas release channel; a piezoelectric element that generates, in the form of displacement, a driving force needed to operate the valve body; at least one displacement amplification mechanism that amplifies a displacement of the piezoelectric element and causes it to act upon the valve body; and a driving means for applying voltage to the piezoelectric element in order to drive the valve body to open the valve and thereby open the gas release channel; wherein such piezoelectric valve is characterized in that the driving means applies voltage to the piezoelectric element in multiple stages so as to suppress fluctuation in the amount of gas ejected from the gas release channel when the valv

Abstract: A kernel component analysis device quantitatively analyzing a specific component contained in each of kernels on a kernel-by-kernel basis by spectroscopy includes: a light emitter configured to irradiate a kernel to be analyzed with light; a spectrum detector configured to detect a spectrum of light transmitted through and/or reflected from the kernel irradiated with the light; and a computing unit configured to calculate, on a kernel-by-kernel basis, a content of the specific component in the kernel to be analyzed, based on a spectrum value detected from an effective portion, which is suitable for quantitative analysis, of an image of the kernel by using a calibration curve indicating a relationship between a spectrum value at a specific wavelength and a content of the specific component.

Abstract: A tray used to place granular materials on a reading surface of an image reading device has provided thereto a transparent bottom plate, a background vertically upstanding relative to the bottom plate, and reflective elements arranged at predetermined intervals parallel to the background. In order to enable an imaging means of the image reading device to receive a side view image of the granular materials in the thickness direction thereof with the granular materials placed on the bottom plate of the tray, the tray is provided with a technical means for bending and guiding, by the reflective elements, light from the granular materials in the thickness direction thereof to the direction of the optical axis of the imaging means.

Abstract: A coating film peeling apparatus for resin material includes: a peeling cylinder, a peeling roll installed therein with a space for a peeling process along an inner wall of the peeling cylinder, a resistance lid disposed to block a discharge port of the peeling cylinder, and a pressure adjustment part for adjusting an outflow rate and internal pressure of the peeling cylinder. The peeling cylinder is constituted by a polygonal-shaped angular columnar body having, as coating film pass-through holes, rows K of small holes and rows L of small holes and projection rings (angular embossments) provided alternately in multiple rows along a direction perpendicular to a rotating direction of the peeling roll.

Abstract: An ejector system for a color sorter, eliminates particulate matter by air by detection of the particulate matter falling from an end of a transfer device at a predetermined position, and has a nozzle part in which a plurality of air flow paths that communicate with a plurality of nozzle holes are formed. A manifold part is provided with a plurality of electromagnetic valves that communicate with an air space communicating with a compressed air source and in which a plurality of air flow paths for supplying compressed air to the corresponding air flow paths in the nozzle part by the operation of the respective electromagnetic valves are formed. The nozzle part and the manifold part are separably integrated while open surfaces of the air flow paths in the nozzle part and open surfaces of the air flow paths in the manifold part are brought into contact with each other.

Abstract: Provided is a color sorting machine in which decreases in yield resulting from the erroneous inclusion of good granules can be prevented by using different selection algorithms and operation ejector nozzle operations resulting therefrom in a first sorting part and a second sorting part. The machine is provided with: a binarization means for binarizing images of granular objects, a flaw-detecting means for extracting flawed parts of granular objects, a reducing means for reducing images of the external contour parts of granular objects, an enlarging means for enlarging images of the flawed parts of granular objects, and a synthesis means for synthesizing the reduced images of the external contours and the enlarged images of the flawed parts; wherein on the basis of an image obtained by this synthesis means, different air-jetting operations are established for the ejection means of a first sorting part and the ejection means of a second sorting part.

Abstract: Grain or legume having an increased content of a functional component (?-aminobutyric acid) is obtained by humidifying grain (such as rice, wheat or corn) or legume (such as soybean and adzuki bean) by forcing the grain into an air having a temperature of 50° C. or more and a relative humidity of 90% or more such that a moisture content thereof rises within the range of 16.0% to 18.5%, and thereafter, drying the grain or legume.

Abstract: A method is provided for calculating a weight ratio by quality grade using a grain appearance quality grade discrimination device. The method involves the steps of imaging a plurality of grains; discriminating the quality grade of the grains on the basis of data of the imaged grains; tallying, by quality grade, the number of pixels in said data of the imaged grains with regards to the grains whose quality grade has been discriminated; multiplying the number of pixels tallied by quality grade by a weight conversion coefficient per pixel predetermined by quality grade, and thereby converting said number of pixels into a weight by quality grade; and calculating the weight ratio by quality grade of the grains on the basis of the weight by quality grade.