JP2004033165A - Method for supplying food material and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for supplying food materials in separated state while preventing the sagging of the material and the formation of horn-like protrusion of the material in the supplying process and provide an apparatus for the supply of the food materials. <P>SOLUTION: A prescribed amount of a food material G is extruded from a die 11 of a nozzle 1 and a valve 2 in the nozzle 1 is separated from the food material G with an air cylinder 26 before lifting the nozzle and, thereafter, the nozzle 1 is lifted to separate the die 11 from the food material G. Since the valve 2 is separated while the die 11 is brought into contact with the food material G, there is no sagging of the material on the valve 2. The sagging of the material on the die 11 is also prevented because the contact area of the die 11 with the material G is considerably decreased in the separation of the die 11 from the material. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a food supply method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a food supply method and apparatus capable of separately supplying various foods such as bean jam and cream.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in the food industry, when products are mass-produced automatically and mechanically, when ingredients are quantitatively supplied on other ingredients, or when quantitatively filled into cups or the like, they are pumped by a vane pump or a gear pump. It is common to use a supply device that discharges foodstuffs from a discharge port at the tip of a nozzle (see, for example, JP-A-2001-17148). However, since such a supply device opens and closes the discharge port by a valve member provided in the nozzle, when supplying viscous food material such as bean jam, cream, etc., when the discharge port is closed by the valve member, the valve is closed. The food material that is exposed from the discharge port and adhered to the valve member and the discharge port is in a state. When the nozzle is separated from the food in this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the food 101 attached to the nozzle is pulled backward and hangs down, and the separated food 102 is also stretched to form a corner. State. If the dripping of the food material adhering to the nozzle side is left as it is, it may fall to the surroundings when the nozzle moves forward and backward, and may contaminate the machine, or may adhere to the product and cause a defective product. Also, if the corner on the food side is left standing, there is a risk that another machine touches and the food adheres, or the corner falls and the food protrudes outside, resulting in a defective product.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described difficulties in the conventional food supply apparatus, and has an object to provide a food supply method and a food supply method that suppress the occurrence of sagging and corners of food. And
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The food supply method according to the present invention supplies food into a nozzle, discharges the food from a discharge port provided at the tip of the nozzle, and closes the discharge port by a valve member provided in the nozzle. In a food material supply method in which a fixed amount of food material is separately supplied, the valve member is separated from the separately supplied food material before the discharge port. Further, when separating the valve member, the food material in the nozzle is moved in a direction opposite to the supply direction. Furthermore, when separating the valve member, the valve member is rotated.
[0005]
The food supply device according to the present invention includes a nozzle having a discharge port at a tip end, supply means for supplying food to the nozzle, nozzle operation means for moving the nozzle forward and backward, and a valve member provided in the nozzle. A food supply device comprising a valve operating means for opening and closing a discharge port by operating the nozzle operating means to perform a retreat operation of the nozzle after controlling the valve operating means to open a valve member having a closed discharge port. It is characterized by comprising control means for controlling. Further, a food moving means for moving the food in the nozzle in a direction opposite to the supply direction is provided. Further, the valve operating means rotates the valve member.
[0006]
Since the present invention has the above configuration, the valve member is separated from the food material before the discharge port provided in the nozzle, so that the generation of the dripping of the food material attached to the valve member and the corner standing on the food material is suppressed. Can be. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when the valve member 105 is separated in a state where the discharge port 103 is in close contact with the separately supplied food material 104, the food material 104 is pressed around the discharge member 103. The pulling of the food material 104 during the separating operation is suppressed, the dripping of the food material on the valve member 105 is suppressed, and the generation of corners on the food material 104 side is also suppressed (FIG. 6B). When the ejection port 103 is separated from the food material 104, the contact area with the food material 104 is significantly reduced, so that the food material 104 is less attached to the ejection port 103 and the dripping of the food material is suppressed. Then, it is possible to prevent the corners from standing also on the side of the food material 104 (FIG. 6C). Therefore, the sagging of the food and the corners of the food at the nozzle side are eliminated or reduced to such an extent that they do not cause any trouble, and the subsequent processes are not affected, and the food falls to the surrounding machines. Nothing to do.
[0007]
In addition, when the food material in the nozzle is moved in a direction opposite to the supply direction when the valve member is separated, it is possible to prevent the food material from accidentally leaking from the discharge port. Furthermore, by rotating the valve member when separating the valve member, the cut of the food material is improved, and the adhesion of the food material to the valve member can be reduced.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall front view of a food forming apparatus to which the food discharging device of the present embodiment is applied, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are explanatory views of a discharging process by the food discharging device of the present embodiment.
[0009]
In the figure, what is indicated by reference numeral 1 is a cylindrical nozzle fixed to the support frame 10 and having a discharge port 11 for discharging foodstuff at the tip thereof, and a discharge port 11 at the base end side of the nozzle 1. An inflow port 12 for guiding foodstuffs to be introduced into the nozzle 1 and an advancing / retreating hole 13 in which a suction member 3 described later advances / retreats are provided. In the present embodiment, an advancing / retreating hole 13 is provided at the rear end of the cylindrical nozzle 1, and an inflow port 12 is provided laterally between the advancing / retreating hole 13 and the discharge hole 11. The support frame 10 for fixing the nozzle 1 is configured to be vertically movable by a vertical mechanism (not shown), and the entire nozzle 1 moves up and down.
[0010]
In the figure, what is indicated by reference numeral 2 is a valve that can be fitted to the discharge port 11 of the nozzle 1, and moves forward and backward within the nozzle 1 to open and close the discharge port 11. The valve 2 is joined to a rotary shaft 24 of a rotary actuator 23 via a support rod 21, and the rotary actuator 23 is fixed to a support member 25 which moves up and down by an air cylinder 26 fixed to the support frame 10. I have. Thus, the valve 2 performs the reciprocating operation in the nozzle 1 by the air cylinder 26, and rotates by the rotary actuator 23 about the axis in the same direction as the reciprocating direction. In this embodiment, a rotary actuator and an air cylinder are used as the valve operating means. However, instead of the air cylinder, other driving means such as a pinion-rack mechanism and a feed screw mechanism may be used. Of course it is good.
[0011]
In the drawing, what is indicated by reference numeral 3 is a suction member which is slidably inserted into the advance / retreat hole 13 of the nozzle 1 so as to be able to advance and retreat. The suction member 3 is fitted on the support rod 21 of the valve 2, and the vertical position thereof is fixed by the step 22 of the support rod 21 and the fixing member 31. Thus, the suction member 3 moves forward and backward in the sliding state in the advance / retreat hole 13 with the vertical movement of the support rod 21, and the suction member 3 does not rotate with respect to the rotation operation of the support rod 21. It has become. By retracting the suction member 3 with respect to the discharge port 11, the food in the nozzle 1 is sucked, and the food in the discharge port 11 is moved in a direction opposite to the supply direction. In the present embodiment, the suction member 3 is moved forward and backward using the vertical movement of the support rod 21, but the suction member 3 is moved forward and backward independently of the support rod 21 by a separate lifting mechanism. May be.
[0012]
The above-mentioned nozzle operating means, ie, the up-and-down mechanism of the nozzle 1, the valve operating means, the rotary actuator and the air cylinder, are driven and controlled at a predetermined timing by a control unit (not shown).
[0013]
In the figure, what is indicated by reference numeral 4 is a piston pump for feeding and supplying foodstuffs into the nozzle 1. The piston pump 4 is composed of a cylinder 41 for accommodating foodstuffs, and a piston 42 reciprocating in the cylinder 41 by a driving means (not shown). Is fed into the nozzle 1 through a rotary valve 5, a supply pipe 53, and a flexible hose 54 provided in the nozzle 1.
[0014]
The rotary valve 5 includes a housing 51 and a switching valve 52 that rotates in the housing 51 by driving means (not shown). The switching valve 52 connects the cylinder 41 of the piston pump 4 to the supply pipe 53. The state of communication (see FIG. 2) and the state of communication between the cylinder 41 and the introduction pipe 61 of the vane pump 6 described later (see FIG. 4) are switched as appropriate.
[0015]
In the figure, what is indicated by reference numeral 6 is a vane pump for feeding food into the cylinder 41 of the piston pump 4. The vane pump 6 feeds the food material put into the hopper 62 into the cylinder 41 of the piston pump 4 through the introduction pipe 61 and the rotary valve 5.
[0016]
In the figure, what is indicated by the reference numeral 7 is a food molding apparatus provided with a first shutter 71 and a second shutter 72 which can be opened and closed by a plurality of shutter pieces in two upper and lower stages. , A vertically movable receiving member 73 for supporting the molded food is provided. The food discharging apparatus according to the present embodiment supplies a fixed amount of food onto a sheet-like outer material F placed on the second shutter 72 as shown in FIG.
[0017]
Hereinafter, the steps performed by the foodstuff supply device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which a fixed amount of bean jam is supplied as a discharge food material G onto a skin material F made of a sheet-like bread dough.
[0018]
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit (not shown) lowers the entire nozzle 1, retreats the valve 2 in the nozzle 1 to open the discharge port 11, and switches the rotary valve 5 to change the cylinder of the piston pump 4. The piston 42 of the piston pump 4 is lowered with the communication between the supply pipe 53 and the supply pipe 53. In this way, the food is pressure-fed into the nozzle 1 through the supply pipe 53, the flexible hose 54, and the inflow port 12, and is discharged from the discharge port 11. In the present embodiment, the second shutter 72 of the food molding apparatus 7 is opened, and the food G is discharged onto the outer skin F in a state where the outer skin F is supported by the receiving member 73, thereby utilizing the discharge force of the food G. The outer shell material F is simultaneously formed in a bowl shape.
[0019]
Next, when a predetermined amount of the food material G is discharged from the discharge port 11 of the nozzle 1, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit (not shown) advances the valve 2 in the nozzle 1 to close the discharge port 11. Then, the discharge of the ingredients is stopped. In this way, a desired amount of the food material G is separately supplied to the outer skin material F. At this time, the valve 2 comes into close contact with the food material G which is exposed from the discharge port 11 and separately supplied.
[0020]
Then, as shown in FIG. 4, before the nozzle 1 is lifted and separated from the separately supplied food material G by the control unit (not shown), the valve 2 in the nozzle 1 is retracted while being rotated by the rotary actuator 23 and the air cylinder 25. And separate from food G. Since the discharge port 11 is in close contact with the food material G, the food material G does not hang down on the valve 2 and the food material G does not have any corners. By retracting the suction member 3 together with the retreating operation of the valve 2, the food material in the nozzle 1 is drawn in, and the leakage of the food material from the discharge port 11 is prevented. Then, the nozzle 1 is raised to separate the discharge port 11 from the food material G. At this time, the contact area of the discharge port 11 with the food material G is small, so that the food material on the nozzle 1 side can be prevented from dripping and the corner of the food material G can be prevented from standing up. At this time, in a state where the rotary valve 5 is switched and the cylinder 41 of the piston pump 4 and the introduction pipe 61 of the vane pump 6 are in communication with each other, the vane pump 6 is operated and the piston 42 of the piston pump 4 is slowly raised to thereby increase the hopper 62. Is sent to the cylinder 41. During this time, the supply of the food material to the inside of the nozzle 1 is stopped, so that the suction operation of the suction member 3 can be performed efficiently. By repeating the above steps, the food material G is intermittently supplied to the skin material F intermittently.
[0021]
Thereafter, the first shutter 71 and the second shutter 72 of the food molding apparatus 7 cooperate to collect and seal the periphery of the outer skin material F so as to wrap the food material G, thereby wrapping the food material G with the outer skin material F. The food is molded.
[0022]
In addition, the timing of the raising operation of the nozzle 1 may be performed after the retreating operation of the valve 2 is completed, but may be performed during the retreating operation at the timing when the food material G is separated from the valve 2. The start timing of the retreat operation of the valve 2 and the start timing of the rotation operation can be variously set in consideration of the properties of the food material to be discharged and the like. For example, the retreat operation is performed immediately after the valve 2 is rotated. Alternatively, the rotating operation may be performed immediately after the retreat.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, since the valve member is separated from the food material before the discharge port provided in the nozzle, it is possible to suppress the dripping of the food material attached to the valve member and the occurrence of corners standing on the food material. In other words, when the valve member is separated in a state where the discharge port is in close contact with the separately supplied food material, since the food material is pressed around by the discharge port, the food material is suppressed from being pulled by the separating operation of the valve member. In addition, the sagging of the food material on the valve member is suppressed, and the generation of the corner on the food material side is also suppressed. When the discharge port is separated from the food material, the contact area with the food material is remarkably reduced, so that the food material is less attached to the discharge port and dripping of the food material is suppressed. Also, it is possible to prevent the corners from standing on the foodstuff 104 side. Therefore, the dripping of the food and the corners of the food on the nozzle side disappear or become small enough to cause no problem even if they occur, so that the subsequent processes are not affected, and the food falls to the surrounding machines. Nothing to do.
[0024]
In addition, when the food material in the nozzle is moved in the direction opposite to the supply direction when the valve member is separated, it is possible to prevent the food material from accidentally leaking from the discharge port. Furthermore, by rotating the valve member when separating the valve member, the cut of the food material is improved, and the adhesion of the food material to the valve member can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall front view of a foodstuff forming apparatus to which a foodstuff supply device of the present embodiment is applied.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a process performed by the food supply device of the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a process performed by the food supply device of the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a process performed by the food supply device of the present embodiment.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a conventional food supply device after discharging food.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the foodstuff supply device according to the present invention after discharging foodstuffs.
[Explanation of symbols]
F Food material G Skin material 1 Nozzle 10 Support frame 11 Discharge port 12 Inflow port 13 Reciprocating hole 2 Valve 21 Support rod 22 Step 23 Rotary actuator 24 Rotary shaft 25 Support member 26 Air cylinder 3 Suction member 31 Fixed member 4 Piston pump 41 Cylinder 42 piston 5 rotary valve 51 housing 52 switching valve 53 supply pipe 54 hose 6 vane pump 61 introduction pipe 62 hopper 7 food molding device 71 first shutter 72 second shutter 73 receiving member

Claims (6)

A food material is supplied into the nozzle to discharge the food material from a discharge port provided at the tip of the nozzle, and the discharge port is closed by a valve member provided in the nozzle to separate a predetermined amount of the food material. In the method of supplying a food material to be supplied, the valve member is separated from the separately supplied food material before the discharge port. The foodstuff supply method according to claim 1, wherein the foodstuff in the nozzle is moved in a direction opposite to a supply direction when the valve member is separated. The foodstuff supply method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the valve member is rotated when the valve member is separated. A nozzle having a discharge port at the tip, a supply unit for supplying food to the nozzle, a nozzle operation unit for moving the nozzle forward and backward, and a valve member provided in the nozzle to operate the discharge port. A food supply device having a valve operating means for opening and closing, wherein the valve operating means is controlled to open the valve member having the discharge port closed, and then the nozzle operating means is controlled to perform a retreat operation of the nozzle. A food supply apparatus, comprising: The food supply device according to claim 4, further comprising a foodstuff moving unit that moves the foodstuff in the nozzle in a direction opposite to a supply direction. The food supply device according to claim 4, wherein the valve operating unit rotates the valve member.

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