JP2006129822A - Vacuum cooling machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum cooling machine for uniformly cooling rice balls formed in a warm condition in a short time with a simple construction. <P>SOLUTION: The vacuum cooling machine has the following construction and mechanism: Rice balls 3 as to-be-cooled objects are placed on a disc-shaped plate 4. Above the plate 4, a dome-shaped lid 7 opened downward is set. By vertically moving the plate 4 by a vertical movement apparatus 5, the lid 7 can be opened/closed for the plate 4. In the condition of the lid 7 being closed on the plate 4, an airtight cooling space 10 is formed inside and can be put to reduced pressure at a specified level by a vacuum unit 11. After pressure reduction, the pressure of the cooling space is returned to the atmospheric pressure through vacuum release by a pressure-restoring line 18. The pressure-restoring line 18 and a pressure-reducing line 17 are installed on the side of the lid 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum cooler used for cooling cooked rice (including rice balls) and side dishes. In particular, the present invention relates to a vacuum cooler suitable for cooling rice balls sold at convenience stores and the like after being molded while being warm.

  Regarding the method of making rice balls sold at convenience stores, etc., conventionally, the cooked rice was loosened, cooled sufficiently, and then molded into rice balls. However, in this case, since it is once cooled, it causes inconvenience in the subsequent molding into a rice ball, which is not preferable in terms of taste. For this reason, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below, it has been sought to effectively cool the cooked cooked rice while being cooked into a rice ball.

  That is, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, a cooling hood is arranged so as to cover a part in the circumferential direction of each cooling disk in order to gradually cool the formed rice balls while sequentially passing through the three cooling disks. It is a thing. The rice balls placed on the rotating cooling disk are cooled by the cooling air supplied from the upper part of the cooling hood when passing through the cooling hood, and the cooling air is sucked from below the rice balls.

In addition, the invention described in Patent Document 2 has a cold air nozzle above a predetermined position in the circumferential direction of each cooling disk in order to gradually cool the formed rice balls while sequentially passing over the two cooling disks. A rice-grid cover is provided so that it can be moved up and down. When the rice ball placed on the intermittently rotating cooling disk stops at a predetermined position where the rice-cooking cover is located, the rice-cooking cover is lowered and covered, and is cooled by the cooling air blown from the cold air nozzle in the rice-cooking cover. The cooling air is sucked from below the rice ball.
JP 2003-250472 A Japanese Patent No. 3458107

  However, the inventions described in any of the above patent documents do not cool the formed rice balls in a vacuum. That is, the inventions described in any of the above patent documents are merely intended to be cooled by an air flow. Therefore, a plurality of cooling disks are arranged adjacent to each other and must be gradually cooled when transported on each cooling disk in order, and cooling takes time. Furthermore, the whole cooling disk was used as a cooling space, and rice balls were placed on the entire cooling disk, so that it was not possible to cool at once.

  In addition, when cooling with an air flow, the air flow passing through the rice balls may not be uniformly cooled due to uneven flow due to differences in tightening at each part of the rice balls. In addition, since a plurality of cooling spaces are provided on a single cooling disk that performs a predetermined rotation, the cooling adjustment cannot be made individually for each cooling space according to the temperature of the rice balls. Further, as in the invention described in Patent Document 2, if the cold air nozzle is provided so as to be able to move up and down on the rice grind cover that moves up and down with respect to the cooling disk, the configuration becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object to provide a vacuum cooler for uniformly cooling various foods, particularly rice balls molded while being warm, with a simple configuration in a short time. To do.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the invention according to claim 1 is provided with a plate on which an object to be cooled is placed, and a plate that can be moved up and down relatively with respect to the plate. A vacuum cooler comprising: a lid body that is sealed in an airtight state; a decompression means in a space formed by the plate and the lid body; and a decompression means in the decompressed space. It is. According to the first aspect of the present invention, the entire plate is covered with the lid body, and the space formed by the plate and the lid body is decompressed by the decompression means and accommodated in the space. The cooled object can be cooled in vacuum. Vacuum cooling enables uniform cooling in a short time.

  In the invention according to claim 2, in addition to the constituent elements according to claim 1, either one of the plate and the lid is fixed so as not to move up and down, and the other member is fixed to the other member. The vacuum cooler is characterized in that the member is provided so as to be movable up and down, and the pressure reducing means is connected to the one member. According to the second aspect of the present invention, one member of the plate and the lid is fixed, and the pressure reducing line of the pressure reducing means is provided on the fixed member. Thereby, not only can the configuration be simple, but the pressure reducing line can be maintained in an optimum state at all times, so that the pressure in the space can be effectively reduced.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the constituent elements of the first or second aspect, the lid body is formed in a dome shape that opens downward, and the pressure reducing means and the lid are formed on the upper portion thereof. A return pressure means is connected, and a baffle plate is provided in the lid body so as to block air flowing in from the return pressure means, and a filter for filtering the gas flowing out toward the pressure reduction means is provided. This is a vacuum cooler characterized by that. According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the pressure in the space formed by the plate and the lid is reduced, the filter prevents the rice grains and the like from being sucked into the pressure reduction line. On the other hand, when returning to pressure, air flows into the space at once, but the baffle plate prevents the air flow from directly hitting the object to be cooled and prevents the object to be cooled from blowing off.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the constituent elements according to any one of the first to third aspects, a concave groove or a groove that floats the lower surface of the object to be cooled placed on the upper surface of the plate. The vacuum cooler is characterized in that irregularities are formed. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, vacuum cooling can be performed uniformly from the entire front and back of the object to be cooled by the action of the concave grooves or irregularities.

  The invention according to claim 5 further includes a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the object to be cooled accommodated in the space, in addition to the constituent elements according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The vacuum cooler is characterized in that the decompression time of the space by the decompression means is adjusted based on the output of the temperature sensor. According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the degree of vacuum cooling can be changed according to the temperature of the object to be cooled. Here, the temperature of the object to be cooled refers to one or both of the temperatures before and after the vacuum cooling.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the constituent elements according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, based on the amount of the object to be cooled that is accommodated in the space, The vacuum cooler is characterized in that the decompression time is adjusted. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to perform vacuum cooling corresponding to a change in the amount of the object to be cooled.

  Furthermore, the invention according to claim 7 includes at least three plates in addition to the constituent elements according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and each of these plates is placed on an operable table. The object to be cooled is carried into one plate, and the object to be cooled is carried out from the other plate, while the lid is provided on another plate so that the object to be cooled is provided. Can be vacuum-cooled, and the steps of loading, vacuum-cooling, or carrying-out of each plate are sequentially performed while operating the table and sequentially moving each plate to a position where the lid is located. This is a vacuum cooler characterized by that. According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the object to be cooled is carried on the plate, the vacuum cooling on the plate, and the object to be cooled after the vacuum cooling are carried out from the plate in parallel on each plate. Since it can be performed sequentially on each plate, work efficiency can be improved.

  According to the present invention, various foods, particularly rice balls molded while being warm, can be uniformly cooled in a short time with a simple configuration.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The vacuum cooler of the present embodiment has a plate on which an object to be cooled is placed, a lid of the plate, a decompression unit in a space formed by covering the plate with the lid, and decompressed Pressure return means for returning the pressure in the space to atmospheric pressure. The space formed by covering the plate with the lid functions as a region for vacuum-cooling the object to be cooled contained in the decompression means. I will call it.

  The plate may have a rectangular shape or the like, but is formed in a disk shape in the present embodiment and is disposed horizontally. On the other hand, the lid is formed in a dome shape opened downward. The lid has a substantially hemispherical shape covering almost the entire plate or a dome shape formed flatter than that. If the lid is formed in a spherical shape, the pressure resistance is improved, and a shape in which no extra space (air) remains in the cooling space that accommodates the object to be cooled is preferable for reducing the pressure in the cooling space. The plate and the lid are configured to be able to move relative to each other in the approaching / separating direction, and the lid can be attached to and detached from the plate.

  At that time, the position of the plate may be fixed and the lid body may be moved up and down with respect to the plate. Conversely, the position of the lid body may be fixed and the plate relative to the lid body. May be configured to move up and down. In any case, the lid can cover the plate, and in the state where the lid is placed, the plate and the lid are brought into an airtight state by packing disposed between the two members. The cooling space is sealed. The packing can be provided on either side of the plate or the lid.

  The plate or the lid is connected to a decompression line of the decompression means or a return pressure line of the decompression means. In that case, it is preferable that these decompression lines and return pressure lines are provided on the fixed member of the plate or the lid. That is, when the position of the plate is fixed and the lid is moved up and down with respect to the plate, the decompression line and the return pressure line are preferably connected to the plate side. Conversely, when the position of the lid is fixed and the plate is moved up and down with respect to the lid, the decompression line and the return pressure line are preferably connected to the lid. . In this way, by connecting the decompression line and the return pressure line to the fixed member, not only can the structure be simplified, but in particular, the decompression line can always be maintained in an optimum state. Can be done effectively.

  The decompression means is means for decompressing the inside of the cooling space, and includes a vacuum pump or an ejector. These can be used as the pressure reducing means by combining a plurality of types. The pressure reducing line of the pressure reducing means is connected to the cooling space via a first valve, and the base end side (the side of the vacuum pump or the like) from the first valve is always maintained under a predetermined pressure reduction. Therefore, the presence or absence of decompression of the cooling space can be switched by opening and closing the first valve.

  On the other hand, the return pressure means is means for introducing outside air into the decompressed cooling space to release the vacuum state and return the pressure. By this return pressure means, the cooling space can be released under atmospheric pressure. At that time, in consideration of hygiene, it is preferable to introduce the outside air through a filter (second filter). The return pressure line of the return pressure means is connected to the cooling space via a second valve. By opening and closing the second valve, the presence or absence of communication between the cooling space and the outside is switched.

  By the way, it is preferable to provide a filter (first filter) in the cooling space so that an object to be cooled or a part thereof in the cooling space is not sucked into the pressure reducing line when the pressure is reduced by the pressure reducing means. In addition, air flows into the cooling space at the time of return pressure by the return pressure means, but a baffle plate (baffle plate) is provided near the outlet of the return pressure line so that an object to be cooled is not blown off by the air flow. Is preferably provided. For example, when the decompression line and the return pressure line are connected to the upper center of the dome-shaped lid that opens downward, the baffle plate and the first filter are provided in the lid. That is, in the lid body, the baffle plate is provided at a position below the center of the upper portion, and a filter is provided between the baffle plate and the inner surface of the lid body.

  The upper surface of the plate may have a flat plate shape, but an appropriate uneven portion for positioning the object to be cooled may be provided. Further, a concave groove may be formed on the upper surface of the plate so as to extend outward from the lower surface of the object to be cooled placed on the plate. If this concave groove is formed, the pressure reduction from the back surface of the object to be cooled becomes easy and reliable, and efficient and uniform vacuum cooling becomes possible. Further, instead of or in addition to the concave groove, appropriate irregularities may be formed on the upper surface of the plate to float and hold the object to be cooled.

  Further, the object to be cooled is carried into the plate and the object to be cooled from the plate is carried out by appropriate means such as a robot arm. The object to be cooled can be carried in or out by sliding the object to be cooled between a conveyor belt arranged in parallel and adjacent to the plate. In that case, a concave groove or an unevenness formed on the plate can be used as a guide at the time of sliding. Furthermore, in order to easily carry in or carry out the object to be cooled on the plate, the plate may be rotatable.

  In the above configuration, the step of bringing the object to be cooled into the plate, the step of closing the plate with the lid, and the vacuum for reducing the pressure in the cooling space by opening the first valve with the second valve closed. A cooling step, a step of closing the first valve while opening the second valve to return the cooling space to atmospheric pressure, a step of opening the lid with respect to the plate, and an object to be cooled after vacuum cooling to the plate The process of carrying out from is sequentially performed. At this time, opening / closing operations of the plate and the lid, opening / closing operations of the first valve and the second valve are performed by a control unit connected to these driving units. In the control unit, the respective steps are sequentially executed in accordance with a program registered in advance to perform a vacuum cooling process on the object to be cooled.

  Further, at that time, if a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the object to be cooled accommodated in the cooling space is provided, an optimum target can be obtained by adjusting the operation time of the decompression means based on the output of the temperature sensor. Vacuum cooling can be reliably performed to the temperature. This temperature sensor may be provided at a position where it can be measured immediately before the object to be cooled is placed on the plate. Further, the temperature sensor may be provided in the cooling space, and in that case, the vacuum cooling process can be performed based on the output from the temperature sensor. Furthermore, the operating time of the decompression means may be adjusted by measuring the temperature of the object to be cooled after vacuum cooling.

  In addition, a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure in the cooling space may be provided. In this case, not only can the vacuum cooling process be performed using the output of the pressure sensor, but also the output from the pressure sensor is used. Thus, it can be confirmed whether or not the inside of the cooling space is completely returned to the atmospheric pressure by the return pressure means.

  Furthermore, the adjustment of the operating time of the decompression means may be performed based on the amount of the object to be cooled as well as the case of the object to be cooled as described above. For example, when the object to be cooled is a rice ball, the operation time of the decompression means is adjusted according to the number of rice balls accommodated in the cooling space. At this time, the operation time of the decompression means may be adjusted in consideration of not only the number of rice balls but also the temperature of the rice balls detected by the temperature sensor.

  The vacuum cooler of the said embodiment does not ask | require the object to be cooled in particular. For example, it can be used for vacuum cooling of various prepared foods and lunch boxes (such as cooked rice on a tray), but it is preferably used for cooling rice balls formed from warm cooked rice. This rice ball is a rice ball for sale at convenience stores. When putting on rice balls, the filling can be done either before or after the vacuum cooling treatment.

  By the way, in the vacuum cooler having only one plate, each process is batch processing. However, by providing at least three plates, continuous vacuum cooling processing is possible. That is, among the three plates, the first plate performs the loading process, the second plate performs the vacuum cooling process, and the third plate performs the unloading process, while shifting the execution process in each plate, What is necessary is just to comprise so that each process of the said carrying in, vacuum cooling, and carrying out may be performed in order in each plate.

  Specifically, in the second plate, the first plate is prepared for the next vacuum cooling process while the object to be cooled placed on the second plate is covered with a lid and the vacuum cooling process is performed. Then, the object to be cooled is carried in, and the third plate carries out the object to be cooled after the vacuum cooling process. In this case, if each plate is placed on a disk-shaped table, and the table is operated as appropriate, such as rotating, and each plate is sequentially moved to a position where the lid is located, the plate is individually placed on each plate. It is also possible not to install the lid.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The vacuum cooler of the present embodiment is used for cooling after adding rice balls formed with hot cooked rice in a rice ball production line for sale at a convenience store or the like. Such a rice ball manufacturing system includes a rice cooker that cooks cooked rice, a loosening machine that takes the heat from the cooked cooked rice, a weighing molding machine that obtains a predetermined amount from the cooked cooked rice and shapes it into a rice ball shape, In addition, a wrapping machine that prepares the rice balls and shapes them, a vacuum cooler that cools the rice balls obtained from this wrapping machine, and salted on the rice balls cooled by this vacuum cooler. A salt shaker and a packaging machine for packaging;

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a vacuum cooler according to the present invention, which is partially shown in cross section. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which an object to be cooled is carried into and out of the vacuum cooler. The vacuum cooler of a present Example is used as a vacuum cooler in the said rice ball manufacturing system. A substantially triangular rice ball 3 is delivered to the vacuum cooler and the adjacent devices (wrapping machine, salt shaker) via the first conveyor belt 1 and the second conveyor belt 2.

  A plate 4 is provided adjacent to each of the conveyor belts 1 and 2 so that the rice ball 3 can be transferred between the conveyor belts 1 and 2. The plate 4 of the present embodiment is a plate member having a circular shape in plan view as shown in FIG. 2, and its upper surface is formed flat, and is held horizontally as shown in FIG. The plate 4 can be moved up and down by a vertical movement device 5 arranged at the lower part thereof. The vertical movement device 5 is configured using a cam, a solenoid, an air cylinder, or the like. With this vertical movement device 5, the plate 4 can be stopped at either the lower stop position 4D or the upper stop position 4U. When the plate 4 is at the lower stop position 4D, the upper surface of the plate 4 is arranged in the same plane as the rice ball conveying surface of each of the conveyor belts 1 and 2. Incidentally, in this embodiment, a temperature sensor 6 for measuring the temperature of the rice ball 3 placed on the plate 4 from the first conveyor belt 1 is provided.

  A lid 7 is disposed directly above the plate 4. The position of the lid 7 is always fixed, and the plate 4 is opened and closed by the lid 7 when the plate 4 moves up and down with respect to the lid 7. That is, when the plate 4 is at the lower stop position 4D, the lid 7 is relatively spaced upward with respect to the plate 4, and the rice ball 3 can be carried into or out of the plate 4. On the other hand, when the plate 4 is at the upper stop position 4U, the lid 7 is lowered relative to the plate 4 and the plate 4 is covered with the lid 7.

  The lid body 7 of the present embodiment is formed in a circular dome shape in plan view, and the upper portion is formed flat and opened downward. A short cylindrical stopper 8 is fixed to the lower part of the inner surface of the lid 7 along the inner periphery. The stopper 8 has a lower end extending downward from the lid 7 and an upper end fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the lid 7. A packing 9 is attached to the stopper 8 on the outer peripheral portion of the downward extending portion. At that time, the upper end portion of the packing 9 is positioned in contact with the lower end edge of the lid body 7. Further, the packing 9 has such a size that its lower end extends downward from the stopper 8. Further, the lower end portion of the packing 9 has a shape that curves outward in the radial direction of the lid body 7.

  With such a configuration, when the plate 4 is moved up to the upper stop position 4U, the lower end portion of the stopper 8 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion of the plate 4 for positioning. In this manner, when the lid 7 is put on the plate 4, the lower end of the packing 9 is in close contact with the upper surface of the outer periphery of the plate 4 at the outer periphery of the stopper 8, and the lid 7 is airtight on the plate 4. Provided in the state. In this state, the outer peripheral edge of the lower end portion of the packing 9 is disposed substantially corresponding to the outer peripheral edge of the plate 4. Thereby, the cooling space 10 of the rice ball 3 is formed as a sealed space between the plate 4 and the lid 7. By positioning the lower end portion of the stopper 8 in contact with the upper surface of the plate 4, not only the packing 9 is properly adhered to the plate 4, but also damage to the packing 9 can be prevented.

  The upper center of the lid 7 is connected to the decompression means 11 and the decompression means 12. Specifically, the decompression means 11 and the decompression means 12 are connected to the lid body 7 via a conduit 13 connected to the upper center of the lid body 7. In the illustrated example, one end portion 14 of the T-shaped tube 13 is connected to the upper center of the lid body 7, the other end portion 15 is connected to the decompression means 11, and the return pressure means 12 is connected to the branch portion 16. Therefore, in this embodiment, the decompression line 17 of the decompression means 11 and the decompression line 18 of the decompression means 12 are a common conduit at the end on the lid 7 side.

  The decompression means 11 is composed of a vacuum unit, and the vacuum unit 11 is connected to the lid body 7 through a decompression line 17. The vacuum unit 11 is typically configured with a vacuum pump. A first valve 19 that switches the presence / absence of communication between the vacuum unit 11 and the cooling space 10 is provided in the middle of the decompression line 17. The first valve 19 of this embodiment is a ball valve. That is, the opening / closing of the decompression line 17 depends on whether the direction of the through-hole 21 formed in the spherical ball 20 is arranged along the pipe line of the decompression line 17 or perpendicular to it (state of FIG. 1). Is possible.

  The opening / closing operation of the first valve 19 is performed by a first valve driving device 23 connected to the ball 20 via a joint 22. In the present embodiment, the first valve drive device 23 uses an air drive valve in order to quickly open and close the first valve 19. By the way, the vacuum unit 11 of the decompression line 17 is always maintained at a predetermined decompression in the vacuum unit 11 from the first valve 19. Accordingly, if the first valve 19 is opened by the first valve driving device 23 with the lid 4 on the plate 4, the inside of the cooling space 10 formed by the plate 4 and the lid 7 is reduced under a predetermined pressure. can do.

  On the other hand, the return pressure means 12 is means for introducing outside air into the decompressed cooling space 10 to release the vacuum state and return the pressure. Specifically, the outside air is taken in via the filter (second filter) 24 and can be supplied into the cooling space 10 via the return pressure line 18. In the middle of the return pressure line 18, a second valve 25 is provided as an on-off valve that switches the presence / absence of communication between the outside air and the cooling space 10. The opening / closing operation of the second valve 25 is performed by the second valve driving device 26. Therefore, if the second valve 25 is opened while the second valve 25 is closed and the inside of the cooling space 10 is decompressed by the decompression means 11, the vacuum state in the cooling space 10 can be released and returned to atmospheric pressure. it can.

  Further, a pressure sensor 27 is provided in the return pressure line 18 of the present embodiment on the terminal side (cooling space 10 side) from the second valve 25. Accordingly, the pressure in the cooling space 10 can be detected by the pressure sensor 27.

  As described above, the common conduit 14 on each end side of the decompression line 17 and the decompression line 18 is connected to the upper center of the lid body 7 and opens to the inner surface. A baffle plate (baffle plate) 28 is provided in the lid 7 at a lower position away from the opening. The outer diameter of the baffle plate 28 is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the upper opening of the lid body 7. A filter (first filter) 29 is replaceably provided between the outer peripheral portion of the baffle plate 28 and the inner surface of the lid body 7.

  With this configuration, when the cooling space 10 is depressurized, the air in the cooling space 10 is sucked to the vacuum unit 11 side through the filter 29. Therefore, the first filter 29 prevents the rice grains of the rice balls 3 from being sucked when the pressure in the cooling space 10 is reduced. On the contrary, at the time of return pressure, air flows into the cooling space 10 at once, but this air flow is prevented from directly hitting the rice ball 3 by the baffle plate 28, and the rice ball 3 is prevented from being blown off by the air flow. .

  Furthermore, the vacuum cooler of the present embodiment is provided with a controller (control means) 30 for controlling the decompression means 11, the decompression means 12, and the like. In this embodiment, the vertical movement device 5, the vacuum unit 11, the temperature sensor 6, the pressure sensor 27, the first valve 19 (first valve driving device 23), the second valve 25 (second valve driving device 26), etc. It is connected to the controller 30, and various controls can be performed by the controller 30. Specifically, the controller 30 adjusts the pressure reducing time of the cooling space 10 by the vacuum unit 11 based on the detection signal from the temperature sensor 6 (that is, the first valve 19 is controlled by controlling the first valve driving device 23). Adjusting the opening time) or confirming the completion of the return pressure of the cooling space 10 by the second valve 25 based on the detection signal from the pressure sensor 27. As described above, the controller controls the opening and closing of the first valve 19 and the second valve 25 and the vertical movement device 5 and the vacuum unit 11 according to a predetermined program.

  Next, the use of the vacuum cooler of the present embodiment will be described. First, the first valve 19 and the second valve 25 are closed, the plate 4 is in the lower stop position 4D, and the lid body 7 is opened. In this state, a process for carrying the rice ball 3 onto the plate 4 is performed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the rice balls 3 conveyed on the first conveyor belt 1 at a predetermined interval from a wrapping machine (not shown) are transferred onto the plate 4 by the first robot arm 31. .

  The first robot arm 31 of the present embodiment is configured to be able to swing around the proximal end portion 32 and to hold the rice ball 3 at the distal end portion 33. Therefore, the rice ball 3 is moved from the first conveyor belt 1 to the plate 4 by swinging the first robot arm 31 so that the tip 33 reciprocates between the first conveyor belt 1 and the plate 4. be able to. At that time, by rotating the plate 4, a predetermined number (for example, 16 pieces) of rice balls 3 are placed on the plate 4 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  After such a carrying-in process, the plate 4 on which the rice balls 3, 3... Are placed is closed by the lid body 7. That is, the vertical movement device 5 raises the plate 4 to the upper stop position 4U. In the subsequent vacuum cooling process, the inside of the cooling space 10 is decompressed by opening the first valve 19 for a predetermined time, and the rice ball 3 is cooled. The predetermined time may be adjusted according to the temperature of the rice ball 3 carried into the cooling space 10. The temperature of the rice ball 3 at this time is detected by the temperature sensor 6 described above. The predetermined time may be adjusted according to the number of rice balls 3 placed on the plate 4.

  After the vacuum cooling process, the first valve 19 is closed, while the second valve 25 is opened, and a return pressure process for returning the pressure in the cooling space 10 to the atmospheric pressure is performed. It is grasped by the pressure sensor 27 whether or not the inside of the cooling space 10 is returned to the atmospheric pressure by this return pressure process. After the pressure-recovery process is completed, the lid body 7 is opened from the plate 4 on which the rice ball 3 is placed. In other words, after the plate 4 is lowered to the lower stop position 4D by the vertical movement device 5, a process of carrying out the onigiri from the plate 4 is performed.

  In the carrying-out process, as shown in FIG. 2, the rice balls 3 on the plate 4 are carried out onto the second conveyor belt 2 at predetermined intervals. The onigiri 3 is moved from the plate 4 to the second conveyor belt 2 by the second robot arm 34. The second robot arm 34 has the same configuration as the first robot arm 31, can swing around the base end portion 35, and can hold the rice ball 3 at the distal end portion 36. By driving the second robot arm 34 while rotating the plate 4, rice balls 3 are placed at predetermined intervals on the second conveyor belt 2 that operates at a predetermined speed, and conveyed toward a salt shaker (not shown). Is done.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing Example 2 of the vacuum cooler of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a state where the rice ball 3 is carried into the vacuum cooler. Since the second embodiment basically has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, the following description will focus on differences between the two. Moreover, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated to an equivalent location in both Examples.

  Also in the second embodiment, the lid body 7 is fixed so as not to move up and down, and the plate 4 moves up and down with respect to the lid body 7. The lid 7 is connected with a decompression means 11 and a decompression means 12. The vacuum unit 11 of the decompression means and the second filter 24 (not shown in FIG. 3) of the decompression means can be accommodated in a box 37 that holds the plate 4 so as to be movable up and down and rotatable. The lid 7 is held by an inverted L-shaped attachment arm 38 fixed on the box 37.

  The plate 4 according to the second embodiment is provided with mounting portions 39, 39,... For positioning and placing the rice balls 3 at predetermined intervals on the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion. Each mounting portion 39 in the illustrated example is formed with a substantially V-shaped recess in plan view facing outward in the radial direction. Furthermore, a plurality of concave grooves 40 are formed in parallel on the mounting portion 39 toward the outside of the plate 4.

  In the second embodiment, the rice ball 3 is transferred from the first conveyor belt 1 to the plate 4 by sliding the rice ball 3 from the first conveyor belt 1 to the plate 4 with a block-shaped take-in hand 41. When the plate 4 is in the lower stop position 4D, the upper surfaces of the first conveyor belt 1 and the plate 4 are arranged on the same plane. Further, a bridge member 42 is disposed between the first conveyor belt 1 and the plate 4, and the upper surface thereof is also disposed in the same plane as the members 1 and 4. Thereby, the conveyance surface of the first conveyor belt 1 is continuously arranged on the same plane as the upper surface of the plate 4 via the upper surface of the bridge member 42. Therefore, the rice ball 3 on the first conveyor belt 1 can be moved to the placement portion 39 on the plate 4 by moving the take-in hand 41 toward the plate 4 side.

  The take-in hand 41 of this embodiment is configured to take two rice balls 3 into the plate 4. For this purpose, the intake hand 41 is formed with two substantially U-shaped grooves 43 adjacent to each other. Each substantially U-shaped groove 43 has a width dimension that can receive the rice ball 3, and the interval between the adjacent approximately U-shaped grooves 43, 43 corresponds to the interval between the rice balls 3, 3 on the first conveyor belt 1. ing.

  Since it is such a structure, when the two rice balls 3 and 3 are arrange | positioned in the position corresponding to the bridge | bridging material 42 of the 1st conveyor belt 1, the taking-in hand 41 will be moved to the plate 4 side, 3 can be moved to adjacent mounting portions 39 on the plate 4. Thereafter, the plate 4 is rotated by one pitch (two rice ball mounting portions 39), and the first conveyor belt 1 is also driven by two rice balls 3 to remove the two rice balls 3,3. It is moved to the plate 4 by the loading hand 41. Similarly, the rice balls 4 may be accommodated in all the placement portions 39 of the plate 4.

  If the concave grooves 40 and 44 along the sliding direction of the rice ball 3 are formed in the upper part of the plate 4 and the bridge member 42, the rice ball 3 can be easily slid. Further, the concave groove 40 of the plate 4 is effective in cooling the rice ball 3 effectively and uniformly in the vacuum cooling process. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the concave groove 40 of each placement portion 39 is formed to extend outward from the rice ball 3 placed thereon. Thereby, the pressure reduction at the time of vacuum cooling is made effective from below the rice ball 3 through the concave groove 40.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing Example 3 of the vacuum cooler of the present invention. Since the third embodiment basically has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, the following description will focus on differences between the two. Moreover, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated to an equivalent location in both Examples.

  In the present embodiment, three plates 4 (first plate 4A, second plate 4B, and third plate 4C) are provided. Each plate 4 has the same shape and has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. Furthermore, each plate 4 is provided on the one circular table 45 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and by rotating this table 45, each plate 4 can rotate on the same circle.

  In the state of FIG. 7, the carry-in process is performed on the first plate 4A, the vacuum cooling process is performed on the second plate 4B, and the carry-out process is performed on the third plate 4C. That is, the rice ball 3 is carried from the first conveyor belt 1 to the first plate 4 </ b> A by the first robot arm 31. Further, in the second plate 4B, after the rice ball 3 is placed, the lid body 7 is closed, and after the vacuum pressure is reduced by the decompression means 11 (not shown in FIG. 7), the decompression means 12 (in FIG. 7). The decompression process is performed by (not shown). Further, on the third plate 4 </ b> C, the rice ball 3 after vacuum cooling is carried out to the second conveyor belt 2 by the second robot arm 34.

  Such processing in each plate 4 is performed in parallel. That is, while the second plate 4B is being subjected to the vacuum cooling process, the first plate 4A is carrying in the next vacuum cooling rice balls 3 and the third plate 4C is subjected to the vacuum cooling process. The process of carrying out the later rice ball 4 is performed. And after completion | finish of each process, the table 45 is rotated and the 1st plate 4A is arrange | positioned in the position with the cover body 7, and the vacuum cooling of the rice ball 3 mounted on said 1st plate 4A is enabled. The At that time, the rice ball 3 after the vacuum cooling is carried out on the second plate 4B, and the rice ball 3 is newly carried on the third plate 4C. In this way, the loading, vacuum cooling, and unloading steps are sequentially performed on each plate 4 while shifting the execution steps on each plate 4.

The vacuum cooler of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of each of the above embodiments, and can be changed as appropriate.
In each of the above embodiments, the lid body 7 is fixed so as not to move up and down, and the plate 4 can be moved up and down with respect to the lid body 7. On the contrary, the plate 4 is fixed and attached to the plate 4. On the other hand, the lid 7 may be moved up and down. The lid body 7 can be moved up and down by moving the mounting arm 38 up and down with an air cylinder or the like in FIG. In this case, the decompression line 17 of the decompression means 11 and the decompression line 18 of the decompression means 12 may be connected to the lid 7 as in the above embodiments, but are connected to the plate 4 side that does not move up and down. May be.

  In the first embodiment, the robot arms 31 and 34 are swung while the plate 4 is rotated, and the rice balls 3 are transported or carried out from the plate 4. However, the configuration of the robot arms 31 and 34 is changed. The rice ball 3 may be transported or carried out while the plate 4 is fixed.

  Furthermore, in each said Example, although used to cool the rice ball 3 shape | molded with warm cooked rice, the vacuum cooler of this invention is utilized not only for the rice ball 3, but for cooling of side dishes, lunch boxes, etc. be able to.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows Example 1 of the vacuum cooler of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the carrying-in and carrying-out state of the to-be-cooled object to the vacuum cooler of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows Example 2 of the vacuum cooler of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the carrying-in state of the to-be-cooled object to the vacuum cooler of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a part of vacuum cooler of FIG. 3, and has shown the carrying-in of a to-be-cooled object and a subsequent vacuum cooling state. It is a figure which shows the state in which the rice ball was mounted on the plate of the vacuum cooler of FIG. It is a schematic plan view which shows Example 3 of the vacuum cooler of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 First conveyor belt 2 Second conveyor belt 3 Object to be cooled (rice ball)
4 plates 4A 1st plate (one plate)
4B Second plate (another plate)
4C 3rd plate (other plates)
5 Vertical movement device 6 Temperature sensor 7 Lid 10 Cooling space 11 Pressure reducing means (vacuum unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Pressure recovery means 17 Pressure reduction line 18 Pressure recovery line 19 1st valve 25 2nd valve 27 Pressure sensor 28 Baffle plate 29 1st filter 30 Control means (controller)
39 Placement part 40 Concave groove 45 Table

Claims (7)

A plate (4) on which an object (3) to be cooled is placed;
A lid (7) provided so as to be movable up and down relatively with respect to the plate (4), and covering the plate (4) in an airtight state;
Decompression means (11) in a space (10) formed by the plate (4) and the lid (7);
And a decompression means (12) in the decompressed space (10). Of the plate (4) and the lid (7), one of the members (7) is fixed so as not to move up and down, and the other member (4) can move up and down relative to the one member (7). Provided in
The vacuum cooler according to claim 1, wherein the decompression means (11) is connected to the one member (7). The lid (7) is formed in a dome shape that opens downward, and the pressure reducing means (11) and the pressure-reducing means (12) are connected to the upper part of the lid (7),
A baffle plate (28) is provided in the lid (7) so as to block air flowing in from the return pressure means (12), and gas flowing out toward the pressure reduction means (11) is filtered. A vacuum cooler according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a filter (29) is provided. A concave groove or an unevenness (40) is formed on the upper surface of the plate (4) to float the lower surface of the object to be cooled (3) placed on the plate (4). The vacuum cooler in any one. A temperature sensor (6) for detecting the temperature of the object to be cooled (3) accommodated in the space (10);
The vacuum according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pressure reducing time of the space (10) by the pressure reducing means (11) is adjusted based on the output of the temperature sensor (6). Cooling machine. The decompression time of the space (10) by the decompression means (11) is adjusted based on the amount of the object to be cooled (3) accommodated in the space (10). The vacuum cooler according to any one of 5 to 5. Comprising at least three (4A, 4B.4C) the plate (4);
Each of these plates (4A, 4B.4C) is provided on an operable table (45),
While the object to be cooled (3) is carried into one plate (4A) and the object to be cooled (3) is carried out from the other plate (4C), the lid is placed on another plate (4B). The object to be cooled (3) can be vacuum-cooled by being provided with (7),
The table (45) is operated, and the plates (4A, 4B.4C) are sequentially moved to a position where the lid (7) is located, and the loading and vacuum in each plate (4A, 4B.4C) is performed. Each process of cooling or carrying out is performed sequentially. The vacuum cooler according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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