PURIFIER

Abstract

 A purifier (2) includes: a sieve box (4) configured to sift stock by using a sieve (9); a device body (3) including a first discharge passage (7a) configured to discharge, from the sieve box (4), an over material not passing through a mesh of the sieve (9); a suction tube (11) having one end connected to the sieve box (4); and a dust collector (12) attached to the device body (3) and connected to the other end connected of the suction tube (11). The dust collector (12) includes: a filter (12d) configured to separate stock included in air sucked out of the sieve box (4) via the suction tube (11); an exhaust pipe part (12i) configured to exhaust, to an atmosphere, the air purified by separating the stock by the filter (12d), and a communication pipe (12h) connected to first to third discharge passages (7a to 7c) and configured to merge the stock separated by the filter (12d) with an over material flowing through the first discharge passage (7a).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a purifier used in a wheat milling process.

Background Art

[0002] In a conventional wheat milling process, wheat is ground by a milling roller, and resulting stock is sifted by particle size by using a sieve machine called a shifter and is then fed into a purifier for each particle size. The sieve machine is configured to perform sifting on the basis of a difference in size of the stock. Here, once flakes of an outer layer called bran are mixed into wheat flour, the flakes can no longer be separated. Therefore, before the bran is mixed into the wheat flour, the stock is fed into the purifier to separate particles of endosperm called semolina from the bran. The purifier is configured to perform sorting based on differences in the particle size and the specific gravity of the stock. Thus, the stock is sorted into the semolina having a large specific gravity and the bran having a small specific gravity.

[0003] For example, JP 2010-253371 A discloses a purifier including a sieve and a suction tube disposed above of the sieve, wherein stock fed into a device body of the purifier is sifted by the sieve and is sucked by a dust collector connected to the suction tube, thereby removing bran from the stock to obtain pure semolina.

[0004] Incidentally, a plurality of purifiers as described above are installed in a general milling plant. To each of the plurality of purifiers, one end of a corresponding one of suction tubes is connected, while the other ends of the suction tubes are collectively connected to a large-size dust collector. The large-size dust collector includes an air blower such as a fan and a separator such as a filter, is configured to operate the air blower such that air is sucked out of an interior of the device body of each purifier via the corresponding one of the suction tubes and the separator separates and recovers bran included in the air thus sucked.

[0005] Incidentally, a recovered product such as the bran recovered by the dust collector includes materials which can be milled into wheat flour. Therefore, from the viewpoint of yield improvement, there is a demand for milling the recovered product thus collected from the purifier into wheat flour without the recovered product by the dust collector being discarded as it is. However, in a conventional milling plant, for example, bran in a plurality of purifiers is recovered by one large-size dust collector, and thus, the recovered product by the large-size dust collector is a mixture of bran in various particle sizes. Therefore, to mill such a recovered product into wheat flour, the recovered product has to be sorted by particle size by using a shifter again and has to then be fed to different purifiers for each particle size. This may result in a labyrinth of pipes and the like in the milling plant, leading to larger or increasingly complex facilities.

Summary of Invention

[0006] In view of the foregoing, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a purifier configured to increase a yield of wheat flour while facilities in a milling plant are neither increased in size nor complexed.

Solution to Problem

[0007] To achieve the object, the present disclosure is distinctive in that a dust collecting part configured to release purified air into an atmosphere is attached to a device body of a purifier, and bran (stock) separated in the dust collecting part is merged with an over material (leftovers which have not passed through a sieve) flowing through a discharge passage part.

[0008] Specifically, the present disclosure is directed to a purifier including: a device body including at least one screening part configured to sift stock by a sieve and a discharge passage part configured to discharge an over material failing to pass through a mesh of the sieve from the at least one screening part; and a suction tube having one end connected to the at least one screening part, wherein the following solutions are taken.

[0009] That is, a first aspect of the disclosure further includes at least one dust collecting part attached to the device body and connected to the other end of the suction tube, and the at least one dust collecting part includes: a separator configured to separate the stock included in air sucked out of an interior of the at least one screening part via the suction tube; an exhaust part configured to exhaust purified air, obtained by separating the stock by the separator, to an atmosphere; and a communication pipe part connected to the discharge passage part and configured to merge the stock separated by the separator with the over material flowing through the discharge passage part.

[0010] In a second aspect referring to the first aspect, the at least one dust collecting part is housed in the device body.

[0011] In a third aspect, the at least one screening part includes a plurality of screening parts disposed at prescribed intervals in a horizontal direction, and the at least one dust collecting part includes a plurality of dust collecting parts corresponding to the screening parts on one-to-one basis and is arranged between the plurality of screening parts.

[0012] In a fourth aspect referring to the third aspect, the plurality of dust collecting parts are aligned between the screening parts and along a horizontal direction intersecting a direction in which the plurality of screening parts are aligned side by side.

[0013] In a fifth aspect referring to the third or fourth aspect, each of the plurality of screening parts includes: a monitoring window part through which the interior of the screening part is externally visible; and a replacement port part through which the sieve is replaceable, the monitoring window part is disposed in a surface on a side opposite to a surface facing the plurality of dust collecting part in a direction in which the plurality of screening parts are aligned side by side, and the replacement port part is disposed in an end surface of each of the plurality of screening parts, the end surface being in a horizontal direction intersecting the direction in which the plurality of screening parts are aligned side by side.

[0014] In a sixth aspect, the at least one dust collecting part is a cyclone dust collector having: an upper portion to which the other end of the suction tube is connected; and a lower portion including a recovery part configured to recover the stock separated by the separator, the discharge passage part is configured to guide downward the over material discharged from the at least one screening part, and the communication pipe part connects the recovery part to the discharge passage part.

[0015] In a seventh aspect, the suction tube includes an elbow tube shorter than a height dimension of the device body, and one end of the elbow tube is connected to an upper part of the sieve in the at least one screening part.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0016] In the first aspect, the bran (stock) included in the air sucked out of the screening part by the dust collecting part is separated from the air sucked by the dust collecting part and is recovered, and therefore, bran particles having various particle sizes are prevented from being mixed in the recovered products unlike a large-size dust collector connected to a plurality of purifiers as in a conventional case. This enables the recovered products in the dust collecting part to be merged with the over material flowing through the discharge passage part without being sorted again by particle size with a shifter, and therefore, pipes and the like for transporting the recovered products again to the shifter and the purifier may be omitted. Moreover, the dust collecting part is attached to the device body of the purifier, and purified air is exhausted from the exhaust part of the dust collecting part is exhausted to the atmosphere, and therefore, a pipe and the like which connect a purifier to a large-size dust collector installed at a location remote from the purifier is no longer required unlike the conventional case. This prevents a labyrinth of pipes and the like from being formed in the milling plant and prevents the facility from being increased in size or complexed.

[0017] In the second aspect, the dust collecting part is located in the device body, and therefore, the facility is prevented from being increased in size due to the dust collecting part occupying a space outside the device body and the purifier thus having an outwardly protruding outer shape.

[0018] In the third aspect, the dust collecting part is located between both screening parts, and therefore, an operation sound of the dust collecting part is blocked by the screening parts. Thus, as compared with the dust collecting part disposed outside the screening part, the operation sound output from the dust collecting part is suppressed from leaking outside from the purifier, thereby reducing noise from the purifier.

[0019] In the fourth aspect, two dust collecting parts are arranged in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the direction in which both the screening parts are aligned side by side, and therefore, in a state where the two dust collecting parts are located between both the screening parts, both the screening parts are easily arranged close to each other, and the entirety of the purifier can be downsized in the direction in which both the screening parts are aligned side by side.

[0020] In the fifth aspect, the dust collecting parts are disposed at locations avoiding the monitoring window part and the replacement port part of each screening part, and therefore, for example, when a worker or the like carries out work of visually checking the interior of the screening part through the monitoring window part and/or work of replacing the sieve through the replacement port part, the dust collecting part is prevented from being an obstacle to such work.

[0021] In the sixth aspect, the suction tube and the connecting pipe part are separately connected to an upper part and a lower part of the dust collecting part, and therefore, the suction tube and the communication pipe part are suppressed from interfering with each other.

[0022] In the seventh aspect, a location above the sieve of the screening part and the upper portion of the dust collecting part are connected by an elbow tube shorter than the height dimension of the device body of the purifier, and therefore, the purifier can be downsized in the up/down direction as compared with a case where the location above the sieve of the screening part is connected to the lower part of the dust collecting part with an elbow tube longer than the height dimension of the device body of the purifier.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0023] 

FIG. 1 is a view of a milling process of wheat according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a purifier according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an interior configuration of the purifier according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the interior configuration of the purifier according to the embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a purifying step which is step S5 of FIG. 1.

Description of Embodiments

[0024] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The description of the following preferable embodiment is substantially a mere example.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a view of a milling process 1 of wheat according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wheat carried in a milling plant undergoes a milling process 1 including steps S1 to S5 shown in FIG. 1, thereby being milled into wheat flour.

[0026] In a selecting step which is step S1, impurities (stones, other cereal, and the like) other than the wheat are removed by using a sorter (not shown) from the wheat thus carried in the milling plant.

[0027] In a tempering step which is step S2, the wheat to which water is added is left for about 1 day to adjust the wheat flour to have a preferable moisture value and to facilitate grinding of the wheat.

[0028] In a grinding step which is step S3, the wheat is ground by using a flouring mill (not shown), thereby obtaining stock. The stock includes particles of endosperm called semolina and fractions of pericarp called bran.

[0029] In a sieving step which is step S4, the stock obtained in step S3 is put in a sieve machine called shifter, and thereby, the stock is sifted by particle size.

[0030] In a purifying step which is step S5, the stock sifted by particle size in step S4 is fed to different purifiers 2 (see FIG. 2) for each particle size, and thereby, the stock is sorted into semolina and bran. The semolina sorted by the purifiers 2 is further ground and sifted as necessary and is milled into wheat flour.

[0031] Then, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, the purifier 2 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0032] The purifier 2 is installed on a floor in the milling plant and includes a device body 3 substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. The device body 3 includes: sieve boxes 4 aligned in two rows between which a predetermined space is provided in the horizontal direction; and two dust collectors 12 of a cyclone type located between the plurality of sieve boxes 4 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Thus, the device body 3 has a duplex structure which enables two types of stock to be individually processed in the respective sieve boxes 4. Note that in the present embodiment, for the sake of convenience, a direction in which the plurality of sieve boxes 4 are aligned side by side is defined as a "device width direction", and a horizontal direction intersecting the direction in which the sieve boxes 4 are aligned side by side is defined as a "device longitudinal direction".

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the device body 3 includes a first cover 3a, a second cover 3b, a third cover 3c, a fourth cover 3d, and a fifth cover 3e, and on an inner side of the first cover 3a to the fifth cover 3e, the sieve boxes 4 are disposed. The first cover 3a constitutes an outer shell of a region on one side in the device longitudinal direction of the device body 3, the second cover 3b constitutes an outer shell of a region on the other side in the device longitudinal direction of the device body 3, the third cover 3c constitutes an outer shell of a region on one side in the device width direction of the device body 3, the fourth cover 3d constitutes an outer shell of a region on the other side in the device width direction of the device body 3, and the fifth cover 3e constitutes an outer shell of an upper region of the device body 3. Note that for the sake of convenience of explanation of an interior configuration of the purifier 2, the first cover 3a to the fifth cover 3e are omitted in FIG. 3, and the first cover 3a to the fourth cover 3d are omitted in FIG. 4.

[0034] An upper portion of the first cover 3a of the device body 3, that is, an upper portion of an end of the device body 3 on the one side in the device longitudinal direction has supply ports 5. To the supply ports 5, the shifter which executes the sieving step (step S4) is connected such that the stock sifted by particle size by using the shifter is to be fed to the supply ports 5.

[0035] The device body 3 has a lower portion provided with a first drop passage 6a and a second drop passage 6b sequentially from the one side in the device longitudinal direction. Via the first drop passage 6a and the second drop passage 6b, the semolina sorted out in the sieve boxes 4 is discharged from the purifier 2 and is transported to the next step.

[0036] A lower portion of the second cover 3b of the device body 3, that is, a lower portion of an end of the device body 3 on the other side in the device longitudinal direction has a first discharge passage 7a, the second discharge passage 7b, and the third discharge passage 7c sequentially disposed from the one side in the device width direction. The first discharge passage 7a to the third discharge passage 7c discharge products which have not been sorted in the sieve boxes 4, that is, an over material which has not been discharged from the first drop passage 6a and the second drop passage 6b.

[0037] Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the interior configuration of the device body 3 will be described in detail.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the device body 3 includes a base frame 8 having a rectangular frame shape in plan view. The base frame 8 is installed on the floor in the milling plant and has an upper surface provided with two sieve boxes 4.

[0039] Each of the sieve boxes 4 has: an end surface on the one side in the device longitudinal direction and having a first opening 4a and a replacement port 4b; a surface on the one side in the device width direction, directed obliquely upward, and having a monitoring window 4c; an upper surface having a second opening 4d; and a lower surface to which a sorted product discharging gutter 4e is attached. In each of the sieve boxes 4, a plurality of sieves 9 (e.g., formed from sieve nets made of metal) are set.

[0040] The first opening 4a is a hole which is formed in an upper portion of a wall constituting the end surface of each sieve box 4 on the one side in the device longitudinal direction and which extends through the wall in the device longitudinal direction. The first opening 4a is configured to introduce the stock fed to the supply port 5 into the sieve box 4.

[0041] The replacement port 4b is a hole which is formed in a region extending from an intermediate part to a lower portion of the wall constituting the surface of each sieve box 4 on the one side in the horizontal direction intersecting the direction in which the plurality of sieve boxes 4 are aligned side by side, that is, in the device longitudinal direction. The replacement port 4b extends through each of the sieve boxes 4 in the device longitudinal direction. The replacement port 4b is configured to allow the sieves 9 set in the sieve box 4 to be taken out of the sieve box 4 by a worker or the like sliding the sieves 9 to the one side in device longitudinal direction. Then, for example, the worker or the like slides a sieve 9 having a different mesh from the replacement port 4b to the other side in the device longitudinal direction and sets the sieve 9 in the sieve box 4, thereby replacing the sieves 9.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the monitoring window 4c is a hole extending through a wall which is a surface on an opposite side of a surface facing the dust collector 12 in the direction in which the plurality of sieve boxes 4 are aligned side by side. The monitoring window 4c includes, for example, a glass pane attached to cover an opening region such that the interior of the sieve box 4 is visually perceivable through the monitoring window 4c to allow the worker or the like to externally check a state in the sieve box 4.

[0043] The second opening 4d is a hole which extends through a wall constituting the upper surface of the sieve box 4 in the up/down direction and which has a shape elongated along the device longitudinal direction.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of sieves 9 are aligned in the sieve box 4 along the device longitudinal direction and are in an inclined arrangement to be located lower toward the other side in the device longitudinal direction. In the present embodiment, the plurality of sieves 9 are spaced from each other in the up/down direction and are arranged in three tiers in the up/down direction. Each tier includes four sieves 9, and upper portions of the sieves 9 set in the upper most tier correspond to the second opening 4d.

[0045] The sieve boxes 4 have upper surfaces to which respective hoods 10 are attached to cover the second openings 4d from above. Each hood 10 has a substantially triangular shape when viewed in the device width direction and has a hollow structure.

[0046] Moreover, each hood 10 has an upper end connected to one end of a suction tube 11 exposed outside the device body 3. Each suction tube 11 includes an elbow tube having a tube length shorter than the height dimension of the device body 3. The other end of each suction tube 11 is connected to a corresponding one of the dust collectors 12.

[0047] The dust collectors 12 are aligned, between the sieve boxes 4, along the horizontal direction intersecting the direction in which the plurality of sieve boxes 4 are aligned side by side, that is, along the device longitudinal direction. The dust collectors 12 correspond to the respective sieve boxes 4, that is, each dust collector 12 is connected to a corresponding one of the sieve boxes 4.

[0048] Each dust collector 12 includes: an upper body portion 12a in the form of a tube extending up/down direction and having, for example, a circular tube or polygonal tube shape; a lower body portion 12b disposed under, and continuous with, the upper body portion 12a and having a substantially circular cone shape whose diameter gradually decreases downward; and an air blower 12c disposed above, and continuous with, the upper body portion 12a and having a substantially disk shape. Each dust collector 12 is attached to the base frame 8 or the like of the device body 3 via a bracket (not shown). Note that in the present embodiment, each dust collector 12 is set to a function (e.g., output, voltage, air volume) corresponding to one sieve box 4. Therefore, as compared with a conventional large-size dust collector which collectively recovers recovered products from a plurality of purifiers, each dust collector 12 is thus downsized to such an extent that each dust collector 12 can be housed in the device body 3 of the purifier 2.

[0049] The upper body portion 12a has an outer surface from which a suction pipe part 12e protrudes radially outward, and the suction pipe part 12e is to be connected to the other end of the suction tube 11. Moreover, in, and at the center of, the upper body portion 12a, a filter 12d having a cylindrical bag shape and made of filter fabric is suspended (see FIG. 5).

[0050] On an inner side of the lower body portion 12b, a recovery part 12f configured to recover bran is disposed. The recovery part 12f has a lower portion provided with a rotary valve 12g. Moreover, the rotary valve 12g is connected via a communication pipe 12h to the first discharge passage 7a. Alternatively, the rotary valve 12g may be connected via the communication pipe 12h to the second discharge passage 7b or the second discharge passage 7c.

[0051] The air blower 12c houses a fan (not shown) therein and has an outer surface from which an exhaust pipe part 12i protrudes radially outward. When the fan is rotated by being driven by an electric motor or the like, negative pressure is generated in the dust collector 12, and the negative pressure enables air including bran (stock) to be sucked out of the sieve box 4 connected via the suction tube 11 to the dust collector 12.

[0052] Then, with reference to FIG. 5, the effect of the purifier 2 will be described.

[0053] When the stock is fed from the supply port 5 to the device body 3, the stock is introduced through the first opening 4a into the sieve box 4 and is placed on the sieve 9 arranged on the uppermost tier and at the end on the one side in the device longitudinal direction, that is, located most upstream. Then, the sieve 9 is vibrated by using an electric motor (not shown), and thereby, the purifier 2 performs four functions, namely, a transport function, a layer formation function, a classification function, and a sifting function, to sort out semolina from the stock thus fed.

[0054] The transport function is a function of vibrating the sieve 9 in the device longitudinal direction to transport the stock on the sieve 9 from the end on the one side in the device longitudinal direction to the other side in the device longitudinal direction, that is, toward downstream. Moreover, the layer formation function is that the sieve 9 vibrates and the stock is rocked on the sieve 9, and thereby, relatively heavy particles of the stock move downward and relatively light particles move upward such that the stock is divided into two, upper and lower layers, namely, an upper layer of the relatively light particles and a lower layer of the relatively heavy particles. Further, the classification function is that a rising current generated by operating the air blower 12c of the dust collector 12 and passing through a sieve surface of the sieve 9 from below to above lifts the relatively light particles (bran) from the sieve 9 upward while the relatively heavy particles (semolina) remain on the sieve 9. Furthermore, the sifting function is that the semolina in the stock is made pass through the mesh of the sieve 9 and fall under the sieve 9, thereby sieving out the semolina.

[0055] In the present embodiment, in the sieve box 4, the mesh opening size of each sieve 9 is set such that the mesh opening size gradually increases from the one side toward the other side in the device longitudinal direction and the mesh opening size gradually decreases from the upper tier toward the lower tier. Therefore, semolina having a smaller particle size passes through the sieves 9 arranged in three tiers in up/down direction and located on the one side in the device longitudinal direction, that is, located upstream and falls onto the sorted product discharging gutter 4e. The semolina on the sorted product discharging gutter 4e, that is, the semolina thus sorted out is transported through the first drop passage 6a or the second drop passage 6b to a next step, and is further ground and/or sifted as necessary into wheat flour.

[0056] On the other hand, an over material which is larger than the mesh opening size of the sieve 9, that is, which fails to pass through the mesh of the sieve 9 is discharged to the first discharge passage 7a to the third discharge passage 7c arranged for the sieves 9 in corresponding tiers. The over material thus discharged is guided downward in each discharge passage extending in the up/down direction and is then sent to a flouring mill and a shifter in a step other than a step to which the semolina thus sorted out is sent, that is, a step to which the semolina thus sorted out is sent via the first drop passage 6a or the second drop passage 6b, and the over material is thus produced into wheat flour.

[0057] Moreover, in addition to vibrating the sieve 9, operating the air blower 12c of the dust collector 12 generates a rising current passing, from below to above, through the sieve surface of the sieve 9 in the sieve box 4, and thus, air including bran (stock) is sucked out of the sieve box 4. The air thus sucked sequentially passes through the hood 10, the suction tube 11, and the suction pipe part 12e, is introduced into the upper body portion 12a of the dust collector 12, and becomes a swirl flow flowing along an inner surface of the upper body portion 12a. Then, due to the centrifugal force of the swirl flow, some particles of the bran collide with the inner surface of the upper body portion 12a, fall downward, and are recovered by the recovery part 12f of the lower body portion 12b. The remaining bran adheres to the filter 12d when passing through the filter 12d and is thus separated from the air. Then, the bran adhering to the filter 12d is caused to fall by, for example, compressed air fed to the filter 12d and is thus recovered by the recovery part 12f. The bran (stock) recovered by the recovery part 12f is sent via the rotary valve 12g and the communication pipe 12h to the first discharge passage 7a, is merged with the over material flowing through the first discharge passage 7a, and is processed in the same step as the over material, and thereby, the bran is produced into wheat flour. On the other hand, air which has passed through the filter 12d and has been purified is exhaust to the atmosphere from the exhaust pipe part 12i disposed at an upper end of the device body 3 of the purifier 2.

[0058] As explained above, according to the present embodiment, the bran (stock) included in the air sucked out of the sieve box 4 by the dust collector 12 is separated from the air sucked by the dust collector 12 and is recovered, and therefore, bran particles having various particle sizes are prevented from being mixed in the recovered products unlike a large-size dust collector connected to a plurality of purifiers as in a conventional case. This enables the recovered products in the dust collector 12 to be merged with the over material flowing through the first discharge passage 7a without being sorted again by particle size with a shifter, and therefore, pipes and the like for transporting the recovered products again to the shifter and the purifier may be omitted. Moreover, the dust collector 12 is attached to the device body 3 of the purifier 2, and purified air is exhausted from the exhaust pipe part 12i of the dust collector 12 is exhausted to the atmosphere, and therefore, a pipe and the like which connect a purifier to a large-size dust collector installed at a location remote from the purifier is no longer required unlike the conventional case. This prevents a labyrinth of pipes and the like from being formed in the milling plant and prevents the facility from being increased in size or complexed.

[0059] Moreover, the dust collector 12 is in the device body 3, and therefore, the facility is prevented from being increased in size due to the dust collector 12 occupying a space outside the device body 3 and the purifier 2 thus having an outwardly protruding outer shape.

[0060] Moreover, the dust collector 12 is located between both sieve boxes 4, and therefore, an operation sound of the dust collector 12 is blocked by the sieve boxes 4. Thus, the operation sound output from the dust collector 12 is suppressed from leaking outside from the purifier 2, thereby reducing noise from the purifier 2.

[0061] Moreover, two dust collectors 12 are arranged in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the device width direction of the sieve boxes 4, and therefore, in a state where the two dust collectors 12 are located between both sieve boxes 4, both the sieve boxes 4 are easily arranged close to each other, and the entirety of the purifier 2 can be downsized in the device width direction of the sieve boxes 4.

[0062] Moreover, the dust collectors 12 are disposed at locations avoiding the monitoring window 4c and the replacement port 4b of each sieve box 4, and therefore, for example, when a worker or the like carries out work of visually checking the interior of the sieve box 4 through the monitoring window 4c and/or work of replacing the sieve 9 through the replacement port 4b, the dust collector 12 is prevented from being an obstacle to such work.

[0063] Moreover, the suction tube 11 and the communication pipe 12h are separately connected to an upper part and a lower part of the dust collector 12, and therefore, the suction tube 11 and the communication pipe 12h are suppressed from interfering with each other.

[0064] Moreover, a location above the sieve 9 of the dust collector 12 and the upper portion of the dust collector 12 are connected by an elbow tube shorter than the height dimension of the device body 3 of the purifier 2, and therefore, the purifier 2 can be downsized in the up/down direction as compared with a case where the location above the sieve 9 is connected to the lower part of the dust collector 12 with an elbow tube longer than the height dimension of the device body 3 of the purifier 2.

[0065] Note that in the present embodiment, the purifier 2 has a duplex structure including two sieve boxes 4 but may have a single structure including one sieve box 4 or may have a structure including purifiers stacked one on top of another in two tiers in the up/down direction.

[0066] Moreover, in the present embodiment, each sieve box 4 includes the sieves 9 arranged in three tiers in the up/down direction, but the sieves 9 may be arranged in less than, or greater than, three tiers in the up/down direction.

[0067] Further, in the present embodiment, each sieve box 4 includes the four sieves 9 in each tier but may include less than four, or five or more, sieves 9 in each tier.

[0068] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the suction tube 11 includes an elbow tube but may include a tube (e.g., a bent tube or a metal tube) other than the elbow tube.

[0069] Moreover, in the present embodiment, each dust collector 12 is of a cyclone type but may be a dust collector of another type other than the cyclone type.

[0070] Further, in the present embodiment, each dust collector 12 is housed in the device body 3, but may be configured to be attached to an outer surface (e.g., the first cover 3a to the fifth cover 3e) of the device body 3.

[0071] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the dust collectors 12 are aligned along the device longitudinal direction but may be aligned along the device width direction.

[0072] Moreover, in the present embodiment, the dust collector 12 is disposed for each sieve box 4, but the number of dust collectors may be less than, or greater than, the number of sieve boxes 4. When two dust collectors are disposed for each sieve box 4, that is, a hood is disposed in each of an upstream region (region on the one side in the device longitudinal direction) and a downstream region (region on the other side in the device longitudinal direction) of each sieve box 4, a recovered product of a dust collector connected to the hood in the upstream region may be sent to the first discharge passage 7a, and a recovered product of a dust collector connected to the hood in the downstream region may be sent to the second discharge passage 7b or the third discharge passage 7c.

[0073] Moreover, in the present embodiment, the communication pipe 12h is connected to the first discharge passage 7a but may be connected to the second discharge passage 7b or the third discharge passage 7c. Alternatively, communication pipes may be connected to the first discharge passage 7a to the third discharge passage 7c, and the communication pipes may be equipped with a switching mechanism configured to switch, depending on the property, such as the particle size and the specific gravity, of the recovered product of the dust collector 12, a destination to which the recovered product is to be sent between the first discharge passage 7a to the third discharge passage 7c.

[0074] Moreover, in the present embodiment, an example in which the purifier 2 is used in the milling process 1 of wheat has been explained, but the purifier 2 may be used in milling process of any cereal (e.g., buckwheat, soy beans, and red beans) other than the wheat.

Industrial Applicability

[0075] The present disclosure relates to a purifier applied to a wheat milling process.

Reference Signs List

[0076] 

2

Purifier

3

Device Body

4

Sieve Box (Screening Part)

4b

Replacement Port (Replacement Port Part)

4c

Monitoring Window (Monitoring Window Part)

7a

First Discharge Passage (Discharge Passage Part)

7b

Second Discharge Passage (Discharge Passage Part)

7c

Third Discharge Passage (Discharge Passage Part)

11

Suction Tube

12

Dust Collector (Dust Collecting Part, Cyclone Dust Collector)

12a

Upper Body Portion (Separator)

12d

Filter (Separator)

12f

Recovery Part

12h

Connecting Pipe (Communication Pipe Part)

12i

Exhaust Pipe Part (Exhaust Part)

Claims

1. A purifier (2) comprising:

a device body (3) including at least one screening part (4) configured to sift stock by a sieve (9) and a discharge passage part (7a; 7b; 7c) configured to discharge an over material failing to pass through a mesh of the sieve (9) from the at least one screening part (4); and

a suction tube (11) having one end connected to the at least one screening part (4),

the purifier (2) further including at least one dust collecting part (12) attached to the device body (3) and connected to the other end of the suction tube (11),

the at least one dust collecting part (12) including

a separator (12d) configured to separate the stock included in air sucked out of an interior of the at least one screening part (4) via the suction tube (11),

an exhaust part (12i) configured to exhaust purified air, obtained by separating the stock by the separator (12d), to an atmosphere, and

a communication pipe part (12h) connected to the discharge passage part (7a; 7b; 7c) and configured to merge the stock separated by the separator (12d) with the over material flowing through the discharge passage part (7a; 7b; 7c).

2. The purifier (2) of claim 1, wherein
the at least one dust collecting part (12) is housed in the device body (3).

3. The purifier (2) of anyone of the preceeding claims, wherein

the at least one screening part (4) includes a plurality of screening parts (4) disposed at prescribed intervals in a horizontal direction, and

the at least one dust collecting part (12) includes a plurality of dust collecting parts (12) corresponding to the screening parts (4) on one-to-one basis and is arranged between the plurality of screening parts (4).

4. The purifier (2) of claim 3, wherein
the plurality of dust collecting parts (12) are aligned between the screening parts (4) and along a horizontal direction intersecting a direction in which the plurality of screening parts (4) are aligned side by side.

5. The purifier (2) of claim 3 or 4, wherein

each of the plurality of screening parts (4) includes

a monitoring window part (4c) through which the interior of the screening part (4) is externally visible and

a replacement port part (4b) through which the sieve (9) is replaceable,

the monitoring window part (4c) is disposed in a surface on a side opposite to a surface facing the plurality of dust collecting part (12) in a direction in which the plurality of screening parts (4) are aligned side by side, and

the replacement port part (4b) is disposed in an end surface of each of the plurality of screening parts (4), the end surface being in a horizontal direction intersecting the direction in which the plurality of screening parts (4) are aligned side by side.

6. The purifier (2) of anyone of the preceeding claims, wherein

the at least one dust collecting part (12) is a cyclone dust collector having

an upper portion to which the other end of the suction tube (11) is connected and

a lower portion including a recovery part (12f) configured to recover the stock separated by the separator (12d),

the discharge passage part (7a; 7b; 7c) is configured to guide downward the over material discharged from the at least one screening part (4), and

the communication pipe part (12h) connects the recovery part (12f) to the discharge passage part (7a; 7b; 7c).

7. The purifier (2) of anyone of the preceeding claims, wherein
the suction tube (11) includes an elbow tube shorter than a height dimension of the device body (3), and one end of the elbow tube is connected to an upper part of the sieve (9) in the at least one screening part (4).

Drawing