JP2010166863A - Vacuum thawing apparatus and vacuum thawing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum thawing apparatus having high productivity. <P>SOLUTION: The vacuum thawing apparatus includes: a first pressure adjusting chamber 6 which is formed with an input port 61 openable and closable with a first opening and closing door 62; a vacuum thawing chamber 7 which is formed with a first connection port 71 connected to the first pressure adjusting chamber 6, and has a second opening and closing door 72 opening and closing the first connection port 71; and a second pressure adjusting chamber 8 which is formed with a second connection port 81 connected to the vacuum thawing chamber 7, and a discharge port 83, and has a third opening and closing door 82 opening and closing the second connection port 81, and a fourth opening and closing door 84 opening and closing the discharge port 83. A first carrier part 2c is installed in the first pressure adjusting chamber 6; a second carrier part 2d is installed in the vacuum thawing chamber 7, and a third carrier part 2e is installed in the second pressure adjusting chamber 8. Frozen food F is carried by each of the carrier parts. Furthermore, a steam supplying part 9 supplying steam to the vacuum thawing chamber, and a vacuum pump 10 evacuating each of the chambers are also equipped. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum thawing apparatus and a vacuum thawing method for thawing an object to be thawed.

  As a thawing device for thawing an object to be thawed such as frozen food, a vacuum thawing device using latent heat of water vapor has been proposed. For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, this vacuum thawing apparatus has a thawing chamber that contains an object to be thawed and water is stored in an inner bottom portion thereof. A heater is installed. When thawing the object to be thawed, the thawing chamber is evacuated by a vacuum pump to form a vacuum, and water stored in the inner bottom portion is heated by a heater to form steam. The water vapor collects on the surface of the frozen food or the like and is condensed by the food. At that time, the latent heat of the water vapor is applied to the material to be thawed, so that the material to be thawed is thawed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-15358

  By the way, the conventional vacuum thawing apparatus puts the material to be thawed in the vacuum thawing chamber, and when the material to be thawed has been thawed, it is taken out from the vacuum thawing chamber, and then the next material to be thawed is again decompressed in the vacuum thawing chamber. It uses a thawing method such as putting in However, such a thawing method has a low productivity and a higher productivity so that the thawing of the next thawing material can be started only after the thawing of the first thawing material is completed. A vacuum thawing device has been desired.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly productive vacuum thawing apparatus and vacuum thawing method.

  The vacuum thawing device according to the present invention is made to solve the above-described problems, and is a vacuum thawing device for thawing the material to be thawed, wherein an inlet for feeding the material to be thawed is formed, and A first pressure adjusting chamber having a first open / close door that opens and closes a charging port; a first transfer unit that transfers a material to be thawed that has been charged from the charging port in the first pressure adjusting chamber; A first connection port that is connected to the first pressure regulation chamber is formed, and a vacuum thawing chamber having a second opening / closing door that opens and closes the first connection port; A second transport unit that transports the material to be thawed sent from the first transport unit through the connection port, a steam supply unit that supplies steam into the vacuum thawing chamber, and the vacuum thawing chamber. The second connection port to be discharged and the discharge port to discharge the object to be thawed to the outside A second pressure adjusting chamber having a third opening / closing door for opening / closing the second connection port and a fourth opening / closing door for opening / closing the discharge port, and the second pressure adjustment chamber, A third transport unit that transports an object to be thawed sent from the second transport unit through the second connection port, the first pressure adjusting chamber, the vacuum thawing chamber, and a second pressure; A vacuum pump for exhausting the adjustment chamber, and an air release means for opening the first and second pressure adjustment chambers to the atmosphere.

  According to the present invention, the vacuum thawing chamber is supplied with steam by the steam supply unit while being decompressed by the vacuum pump, and the second transport unit for transporting the object to be thawed is installed inside. . For this reason, when the second door is opened, the material to be thawed is put into the vacuum thawing chamber through the first connection port, and the material to be thawed is transported by the second transport unit, the transport is performed by the second transport unit. Steam is collected and condensed on the surface of the material to be thawed, and the material to be thawed is thawed by the latent heat generated during the condensation. And since the 2nd conveyance part can discharge the to-be-thawed material from the next to the next connection port, it can thaw the to-be-thawed material continuously. As a result, productivity can be improved. A first pressure adjusting chamber is connected to the first connection port for introducing the material to be thawed into the vacuum thawing chamber. Since this first pressure adjustment chamber can be depressurized by a vacuum pump, even if the second opening / closing door that opens and closes the first connection port when the material to be thawed is put into the vacuum thawing chamber, By reducing the pressure in the first pressure adjustment chamber, it is possible to suppress a sudden change in the pressure in the vacuum thawing chamber. Similarly, since the second pressure adjustment chamber is connected to the second connection port for discharging the material to be thawed from the vacuum thawing chamber, the third pressure is set when the material to be thawed is discharged from the vacuum thawing chamber. Even if the open / close door is opened, the pressure in the vacuum thawing chamber can be prevented from changing rapidly by reducing the pressure in the second pressure adjustment chamber.

  The vacuum thawing apparatus can take various configurations. For example, the fourth transport unit that transports the object to be thawed and the material to be thawed that is transported by the fourth transport unit are dielectrically heated by high frequency or microwave. A high-frequency or microwave heating unit, and a fifth transport unit that transports the material to be thawed that has been dielectrically heated by the high-frequency or microwave heating unit into the first pressure regulation chamber through the inlet. It is preferable. According to this configuration, for example, an object to be thawed at about −25 to −15 ° C. is dielectrically heated to around −5 to 0 ° C. by a high frequency or microwave heating unit, and the object to be thawed is defrosted to −5 to 0 ° Can be thawed in a vacuum thawing chamber to an appropriate temperature. In this way, the thawing time can be further shortened by performing thawing from about −25 to −15 ° C. to around −5 to 0 ° C. with a high frequency or microwave heating unit, and −5 to 0 ° C. By performing the thawing from the vicinity to the appropriate temperature by the latent heat in the vacuum thawing chamber, the material to be thawed can be thawed evenly. Note that the fourth transport unit and the fifth transport unit may be configured integrally or as separate bodies.

  In addition, at least one of the transport units may be a belt conveyor.

  Moreover, the said air release means can be comprised so that it may have the piping connected to each pressure regulation chamber, and the on-off valve provided in each piping.

  The vacuum thawing chamber is inclined so that the bottom portion becomes lower toward at least one side of the first and second pressure adjusting chambers, and the liquid accumulated in the bottom portion is allowed to flow in the first and second pressure adjusting chambers. It can also be set as the structure which further has the drain pipe discharged | emitted to at least one.

  The vacuum thawing method according to the present invention is a vacuum thawing method using any one of the above-described vacuum thawing apparatuses, the step of closing the first to fourth open / close doors, and the vacuum thawing chamber by the vacuum pump. A step of supplying steam into the vacuum thawing chamber by the steam supply unit, and opening the first open / close door to put a material to be thawed into the first pressure regulation chamber from the inlet. A step of transporting an object to be thawed by the first transport unit, a step of closing the first open / close door and exhausting the first pressure regulation chamber by the vacuum pump, and a step of opening the second open / close door. A step of opening and sending the material to be thawed into the vacuum thawing chamber, then closing the second opening / closing door and transporting the material to be thawed in the vacuum thawing chamber by the second transport unit; After the door is closed, the atmospheric release means A step of opening the pressure adjustment chamber of the first atmosphere to the atmosphere, a step of exhausting the second pressure adjustment chamber by the vacuum pump, and opening the third opening / closing door to place the object to be thawed into the second pressure adjustment chamber. And then, the step of closing the third opening / closing door and transferring the object to be thawed by the third transfer section; and the second pressure adjusting chamber by the air release means after closing the third opening / closing door. And the step of opening the fourth door and taking out the material to be thawed from the outlet.

  According to the vacuum thawing method, the vacuum thawing chamber is decompressed by the vacuum pump, and the steam is supplied into the vacuum thawing chamber by the steam supply unit. Then, the second opening / closing door is opened, the material to be thawed is put into the vacuum thawing chamber through the first connection port, and the material to be thawed is transported by the second transport unit and discharged from the second connection port. . In this way, while the object to be thawed is transported by the second transport unit, the vapor collects and condenses on the surface of the object to be thawed, and the material to be thawed is thawed by the latent heat of condensation generated at this time. And since the 2nd conveyance part can discharge the to-be-thawed material from the next to the next connection port, it can thaw the to-be-thawed material continuously. As a result, productivity can be improved. In addition, since the first pressure adjustment chamber communicating with the vacuum thawing chamber through the first connection port is decompressed before the second opening / closing door is opened in order to put the material to be thawed into the vacuum thawing chamber, Even if the second opening / closing door is opened, it is possible to suppress a sudden change in pressure in the vacuum thawing chamber. Similarly, since the second pressure adjustment chamber is decompressed before the third door is opened to discharge the object to be thawed from the vacuum thawing chamber, the vacuum thawing is performed even if the third door is opened. It is possible to suppress a sudden change in the indoor pressure.

  In the vacuum thawing method, in the step of exhausting the first pressure adjustment chamber, it is preferable to exhaust the first pressure adjustment chamber so that the degree of vacuum is higher than that of the vacuum defrost chamber. Similarly, in the step of exhausting the second pressure adjustment chamber, it is preferable to exhaust the second pressure adjustment chamber so that the degree of vacuum is higher than that of the vacuum thawing chamber.

  According to the present invention, a highly productive vacuum thawing apparatus and vacuum thawing method can be provided.

It is a schematic side view which shows embodiment of the vacuum thawing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows embodiment of the vacuum thawing method which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows embodiment of the vacuum thawing method which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows embodiment of the vacuum thawing method which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows embodiment of the vacuum thawing method which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows embodiment of the vacuum thawing method which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows embodiment of the vacuum thawing method which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows embodiment of the vacuum thawing method which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows embodiment of the vacuum thawing method which concerns on this invention. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of a vacuum thawing device according to the present invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows other embodiment of the vacuum thawing apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a vacuum thawing apparatus and a vacuum thawing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of a vacuum thawing apparatus. In the following description, the left side of FIG. 1 is referred to as “upstream” and the right side is referred to as “downstream”.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a vacuum thawing apparatus 1 includes a high-frequency thawing unit A that thaws frozen food (a product to be thawed) F by dielectric heating using high frequency, and a vacuum thawing unit B that thaws frozen food F by the latent heat of water vapor. Consists mainly of.

  The high-frequency thawing unit A includes a fourth transport unit 2a that transports the frozen food F, and a high-frequency heating unit 3 that performs dielectric heating on the frozen food F transported on the fourth transport unit 2a. Although the 4th conveyance part 2a will not be specifically limited if it conveys frozen food F downstream, Preferably a belt conveyor can be used. In addition, although the conveyance time of the frozen food F by this 4th conveyance part 2a changes also with the temperature, the kind, and mass of the frozen food F, and the performance of the high frequency heating part 3, generally 5 minutes- 60 minutes is preferable.

  The high-frequency heating unit 3 is installed so as to be paired with a plurality of upper electrodes 31a installed above the frozen food F conveyed by the fourth conveying unit 2a and the upper electrode 31a below the frozen food F being conveyed. A plurality of lower electrodes 31b, and a high-frequency generator 32 connected to the electrodes 31a and 31b. The high-frequency generator 32 supplies a high-frequency voltage between the upper electrode 31a and the lower electrode 31b, and generates a high-frequency electric field between both electrodes, thereby performing dielectric heating on the frozen food F. In addition, each electrode is installed movably up and down so that the distance between the upper electrode 31a installed above and the lower electrode 31b installed below can respond | correspond to the magnitude | size of various frozen food F. . Moreover, although the operation pattern which preset the high frequency output, the electrode interval, the conveyance time, etc. according to the conditions of the frozen food F is selected and defrosted to the target temperature, the temperature of the frozen food F heated by the high frequency heating unit 3 can be measured. The temperature sensor 4 is preferably installed and feedback controlled. The temperature sensor 4 is preferably a non-contact type temperature sensor. Moreover, the 5th conveyance part 2b for supplying the frozen food F thawed | decompressed with the high frequency heating part 3 to the vacuum thawing | decompression unit B mentioned later is installed. The fifth transport unit 2b may be configured integrally with the fourth transport unit 2a.

  The vacuum thawing unit B includes a first pressure adjusting chamber 6, a vacuum thawing chamber 7, and a second pressure adjusting chamber 8 in order from the upstream. The first pressure adjusting chamber 6 has a first transfer unit 2c, the vacuum thawing chamber 7 has a second transfer unit 2d, and the second pressure adjustment chamber 8 has a third transfer unit. 2e is installed. The vacuum thawing chamber 7 is provided with a steam supply unit 9 for supplying steam into the vacuum thawing chamber 7. Each chamber 6, 7, 8 is connected to a vacuum pump 10 for exhausting the inside of each chamber 6, 7, 8 via a pipe.

  The first pressure regulation chamber 6 is formed with a loading port 61 for loading the frozen food F. The loading port 61 is opened and closed by a first opening / closing door 62. In the state where the first opening / closing door 62 is closed, the inside of the first pressure adjustment chamber 6 is kept in a sealed state. The first pressure adjusting chamber 6 is connected to a first pipe 11a connected to the vacuum pump 10, and the first pipe 11a is provided with a first on-off valve 12a. A first branch pipe 13a is branched from the first pipe 11a. The first branch pipe 13a is provided with a second on-off valve 12b, and its tip is open to the atmosphere. . A first drain pipe 14a having a third on-off valve 12c for draining water accumulated at the bottom of the first pressure regulation chamber 6 to the outside is provided at the lower portion of the first pressure regulation chamber 6. is set up.

  The 1st conveyance part 2c conveys the frozen food F thrown in from the insertion port 61 into the vacuum thawing chamber 7, For example, a belt conveyor etc. can be used. The transfer time of the first transfer unit 2c is not particularly limited. However, the first open / close door 62 is closed, the first pressure adjusting chamber 6 is decompressed, and the second open / close door 72 is opened. It may be longer than the time required, for example, 5 to 10 minutes is preferable.

  The vacuum thawing chamber 7 is configured so that the inside can be maintained in a sealed state. The vacuum thawing chamber 7 is formed with a first connection port 71 communicating with the first pressure adjusting chamber 6 described above, and the first connection port 71 is opened and closed by a second opening / closing door 72. The bottom of the vacuum thawing chamber 7 is highest at the center and is inclined so as to become lower toward the upstream and downstream. And the 2nd and 3rd drain pipes 14b and 14c for discharging the water collected on the bottom face to the 1st pressure regulation room 6 or the 2nd pressure regulation room 8 are installed. The second and third drain pipes 14b and 14c have fourth and fifth on-off valves 12d and 12e. The vacuum thawing chamber 7 is connected to a second pipe 11b connected to the vacuum pump 10, and the second pipe 11b is provided with a sixth on-off valve 12f.

  The second transport unit 2 d installed in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 receives the frozen food F sent from the first transport unit 2 c through the first connection port 71 and transports it in the vacuum thawing chamber 7. . As the second transport unit 2d, for example, a belt conveyor can be used in the same manner as the first transport unit 2c described above. The transport time of the second transport unit 2d is not particularly limited, but is preferably 60 to 120 minutes, for example.

  A steam supply unit 9 for supplying steam into the vacuum thawing chamber 7 includes a steam generator 91 installed outside the vacuum thawing chamber 7 and the steam generated by the steam generator 91 into the vacuum thawing chamber 7. It has a steam spray pipe 92 installed at the upper part in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 for spraying, and a third pipe 11c for sending the steam generated by the steam generator 91 to the steam spray pipe 92. The third pipe 11c is provided with a seventh on-off valve 12g, and the supply of steam into the vacuum thawing chamber 7 can be stopped by closing the seventh on-off valve 12g.

  The second pressure regulating chamber 8 can maintain the inside in a sealed state, and is formed with a second connection port 81 communicating with the vacuum thawing chamber 7 described above. The second connection port 81 is opened and closed by a third opening / closing door 82. In addition, the second pressure regulation chamber 8 is formed with a discharge port 83 for discharging the frozen food F to the outside. The discharge port 83 is opened and closed by a fourth opening / closing door 84. The second pressure regulating chamber 8 configured as described above is connected to the vacuum pump 10 via the fourth pipe 11d having the eighth on-off valve 12h, like the first pressure regulating chamber 6. . A second branch pipe 13b branches off from the fourth pipe 11d. The second branch pipe 13b is provided with a ninth on-off valve 12i, and its tip is open to the atmosphere. In addition, a fourth drain pipe 14d for draining the water accumulated at the bottom to the outside is also installed at the lower part of the second pressure regulating chamber 8, and the fourth drain pipe 14d has a tenth open / close state. It has a valve 12j.

  The 3rd conveyance part 2e installed in the 2nd pressure regulation chamber 8 discharge | releases the frozen food F sent from the vacuum thawing chamber 7 through the 2nd connection port 81 to the exterior from the discharge port 83. It conveys so that it may do. The third transport unit 2e can also preferably use a belt conveyor or the like. The transfer time of the third transfer unit 2e is not particularly limited, but the third open / close door 82 is closed to return the second pressure adjustment chamber 8 to atmospheric pressure, and the fourth open / close door. It may be longer than the time required to open 84, and is preferably 5 to 10 minutes.

  Next, a thawing method using the above-described vacuum thawing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, a white on-off valve shows an open state, and a black on-off valve shows a closed state.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2, the first to fourth on-off doors 62, 72, 82, 84 are all closed, and all the on-off valves except the sixth and seventh on-off valves 12f, 12g are closed. And the vacuum pump 10 is operated and the inside of the vacuum thawing chamber 7 is decompressed. The pressure in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 at this time is preferably about 0.9 to 1.2 kPa (saturated vapor temperature of about 5 to 10 ° C.). The insides of the first and second pressure regulating chambers 6 and 8 are not depressurized and are in an atmospheric pressure state. Further, steam is generated by the steam generator 91, and this steam is sprayed into the vacuum thawing chamber 7 by the steam spray pipe 92. At this time, although the pressure in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 is increased by spraying the steam, the pressure in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 is adjusted to 2.3 to 4. by adjusting the amount of steam supplied from the steam generator 91. It adjusts so that it may be set to about 2 kPa (saturated steam temperature about 20-30 degreeC).

Next, the frozen food F ₁ having a temperature of about −25 to −15 ° C. is placed on the fourth transport unit 2 a and transported downstream. While it is transported by the fourth transport portion 2a, by actuating the high-frequency heating section 3 the frozen food F ₁ and dielectric heating thawing to about -5 to 0 ° C.. The frozen food F ₁ thawed to about −5 to 0 ° C. is sent to the vacuum thawing unit B by the fifth transport unit 2b. When the frozen food F ₁ is transported to the inlet 61 of the first pressure regulating chamber 6, the first opening / closing door 62 is opened and the frozen food F ₁ is thrown into the first pressure regulating chamber 6 from the inlet 61. Is done.

When the frozen food F ₁ is thrown into the first pressure regulation chamber 6, the first door 62 is closed as shown in FIG. 3, and the frozen food fed into the first pressure regulation chamber 6 is closed. F ₁ is transported downstream by the first transport unit 2c. Thus, while the inside of the 1st pressure regulation chamber 6 is conveyed by the 1st conveyance part 2c, the 1st on-off valve 12a opens and the inside of the 1st pressure adjustment chamber 6 is exhausted by the vacuum pump 10. Depressurized. The inside of the first pressure adjusting chamber 6 at this time is depressurized more than the inside of the vacuum thawing chamber 7, and is preferably depressurized to about 0.9 to 1.2 kPa (saturated vapor temperature of about 5 to 10 ° C.). Note that the sixth on-off valve 12f is closed when the pressure in the first pressure regulating chamber 6 is reduced.

When the frozen food F ₁ is conveyed to the first connection port 71, the second opening / closing door 72 is opened and the frozen food F ₁ is conveyed into the vacuum thawing chamber 7 as shown in FIG. At this time, the fourth on-off valve 12d is opened, and the water accumulated at the bottom of the vacuum thawing chamber 7 is drained into the first pressure regulating chamber 6 by the second drain pipe 14b.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the frozen food F ₁ is sent to a vacuum decompression chamber 7, closing the second door 72, also in the closed state the fourth on-off valve 12d. Further, the first on-off valve 12a is closed, the sixth on-off valve 12f is opened, and the exhaust in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 is resumed. The vacuum decompression chamber 7, frozen food F ₁ is conveyed toward the downstream vacuum decompression chamber 7 by the second transfer portion 2d. While being conveyed through the vacuum decompression chamber 7, it condenses gather steam on the surface of the frozen food F ₁ is a low temperature. This condensation water vapor given latent heat of condensation against frozen food F _1, frozen food F ₁ is gradually heated from the surface by the latent heat from water vapor, the inside gradually thawed is heated by heat conduction, final It is thawed to an appropriate temperature. At this time, since there is no air molecule and it is in a vacuum state of only water vapor, the heat transfer of the water vapor to the frozen food F ₁ is performed smoothly and can be thawed efficiently. Further, the water vapor that has given the latent heat of condensation to the frozen food F ₁ becomes water and drops to the bottom of the vacuum thawing chamber 7, and water stays at the bottom of the vacuum thawing chamber 7.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the frozen food F ₁ approaches the second connection port 81, the eighth on-off valve 12 h is opened, and the inside of the second pressure adjustment chamber 8 is exhausted and reduced in pressure by the vacuum pump 10. . At this time, the inside of the second pressure adjusting chamber 8 is depressurized more than the inside of the vacuum thawing chamber 7, and is preferably depressurized to about 0.9 to 1.2 kPa (saturated vapor temperature of about 5 to 10 ° C.). Note that the sixth open / close valve 12f is closed when the second pressure regulating chamber 8 is depressurized.

When the frozen food F ₁ is conveyed to the second connection port 81, as shown in FIG. 7, the third opening / closing door 82 is opened, and the frozen food F ₁ is conveyed into the second pressure regulation chamber 8. The At this time, the fifth on-off valve 12e is opened, and the water stored at the bottom of the vacuum thawing chamber 7 is drained from the third drain pipe 14c to the second pressure regulating chamber 8. At this time, the second on-off valve 12b is opened, and the inside of the first pressure regulating chamber 6 is returned to the atmospheric pressure. Note that the timing for returning the inside of the first pressure adjustment chamber 6 to the atmospheric pressure may not be at this time. For example, the frozen food F1 is sent into the vacuum thawing chamber 7 and the second opening / closing door 72 is closed to perform vacuum thawing. When the exhaust in the chamber 7 is resumed, the inside of the first pressure adjustment chamber 6 may be returned to the atmospheric pressure.

When frozen food F ₁ is transported to the second pressure regulating chambers 8, as shown in FIG. 8, third door 82 is closed. Then, the sixth on-off valve 12f is opened and the decompression in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 is resumed, and the eighth on-off valve 12h is closed and the ninth on-off valve 12i is opened, whereby the second pressure adjusting chamber 8 is opened. The inside returns to atmospheric pressure. At this time, the tenth on-off valve 12j is opened, and the water stored at the bottom of the second pressure regulating chamber 8 is drained to the outside by the fourth drain pipe 14d. When the frozen food F ₁ which is conveyed by the fourth conveyance unit 2e approaches the discharge port 83, as shown in FIG. 9, the frozen food F ₁ fourth door 84 is opened is discharged to the outside The

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the frozen food F ₁ can be continuously flowed in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 and can be thawed in vacuum, so that productivity can be improved. Further, since the inside of the first pressure adjusting chamber 6 is decompressed before the second open / close door 72 is opened and the frozen food F ₁ is fed into the vacuum thawing chamber 7, the second open / close door 72 is opened. The pressure in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 does not change rapidly, and the vacuum thawing can be performed stably in the vacuum thawing chamber 7. Similarly, since the second pressure regulating chamber 8 is decompressed before the third door 82 is opened and the frozen food F ₁ is discharged from the vacuum thawing chamber 7, the third door 82 is opened. Even if is opened, the pressure in the vacuum thawing chamber 7 does not change suddenly, and the vacuum thawing can be stably performed in the vacuum thawing chamber 7.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning of this invention.

  For example, in the said embodiment, although the belt conveyor is employ | adopted as a conveyance means, it is not limited to this in particular, For example, frozen food F is conveyed, such as conveying frozen food F with the conveyance robot which grips frozen food F, etc. Various methods for conveying F can be employed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the high frequency thawing | decompression unit A is installed, a microwave thawing | decompression unit may be sufficient. The microwave thawing unit includes a microwave heating unit having a microwave generation unit instead of the high-frequency heating unit 3.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the steam supply part 9 was comprised by the steam generator 91 and the vapor | steam spreading pipe 92 which were installed in the exterior of the vacuum thawing chamber 7, the steam supply part 9 is in the vacuum thawing chamber 7. The structure is not particularly limited as long as it can supply steam. For example, a storage container for storing water or the like is installed in the vacuum thawing chamber 7, and a heating means (for example, an electric heater or the like) for heating the water or the like in the storage container is installed in the storage container. You can also.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, frozen food F may be conveyed by one line in both the high-frequency thawing unit A and the vacuum thawing unit B, and as shown in FIG. The high-frequency thawing unit A may be conveyed by one line, and the vacuum thawing unit B may be conveyed by a plurality of lines such as three. As shown in FIG. 11, when the frozen food F is transported by a plurality of lines in the vacuum thawing unit B, each frozen food is placed between the line of the high-frequency thawing unit A and the line of the vacuum thawing unit B. It is preferable to provide a distribution device 15 for distributing to the line. Moreover, it is preferable that the conveyance speed of the frozen food F in the vacuum thawing unit B is set to one third of the conveyance speed in the high-frequency thawing unit A.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum thawing apparatus 2 Conveyance part 3 High frequency heating part 6 1st pressure adjustment room 7 Vacuum thawing room 8 2nd pressure adjustment room 9 Steam supply part 10 Vacuum pump

Claims (9)

A vacuum thawing device for thawing an object to be thawed,
A first pressure adjusting chamber having a first opening / closing door for opening and closing the charging port, wherein a charging port for charging the material to be thawed is formed;
A first transport unit that transports the object to be thawed that is input from the input port in the first pressure adjustment chamber;
A first thawing port connected to the first pressure regulation chamber is formed, and a vacuum thawing chamber having a second opening / closing door for opening and closing the first connection port;
In the vacuum thawing chamber, a second transport unit that transports the object to be thawed sent from the first transport unit through the first connection port;
A steam supply section for supplying steam into the vacuum thawing chamber;
A second connection port connected to the vacuum thawing chamber and a discharge port for discharging the object to be thawed are formed, and a third opening / closing door for opening and closing the second connection port and the discharge port are opened and closed. A second pressure regulating chamber having a fourth open / close door;
In the second pressure adjustment chamber, a third transport unit that transports an object to be thawed sent from the second transport unit through the second connection port;
A vacuum pump for exhausting the first pressure regulating chamber, the vacuum thawing chamber, and the second pressure regulating chamber;
Air release means for opening the first and second pressure regulation chambers to the atmosphere;
A vacuum thawing apparatus. A fourth transport unit for transporting an object to be thawed;
A high-frequency or microwave heating unit that dielectrically heats an object to be thawed conveyed by the fourth conveyance unit by high-frequency or microwave;
A fifth transport section for transporting the object to be thawed that has been dielectrically heated by the high-frequency or microwave heating section from the inlet into the first pressure regulation chamber;
The vacuum thawing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The vacuum thawing device according to claim 2, wherein the fourth transport unit and the fifth transport unit are integrally configured.   The vacuum thawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the transport units is a belt conveyor.   The vacuum thawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air release means includes a pipe connected to each pressure adjustment chamber and an on-off valve provided in each pipe.   The vacuum thawing chamber is inclined so that the bottom portion becomes lower toward at least one side of the first and second pressure regulation chambers, and the liquid accumulated in the bottom portion is removed from the first and second pressure regulation chambers. The vacuum thawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a drain pipe for discharging to at least one side. A vacuum thawing method using the vacuum thawing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Closing the first to fourth doors;
Evacuating the vacuum thawing chamber with the vacuum pump;
Supplying steam into the vacuum thawing chamber by the steam supply unit;
Opening the first open / close door, charging the material to be thawed from the charging port into the first pressure adjustment chamber, and transporting the material to be thawed by the first transport unit;
Closing the first door and evacuating the first pressure regulation chamber by the vacuum pump;
The step of opening the second door and sending the material to be thawed into the vacuum thawing chamber, then closing the second door and transporting the material to be thawed in the vacuum thawing chamber by the second transport unit. When,
Opening the first pressure regulation chamber to the atmosphere by the atmosphere opening means after closing the second door;
Evacuating the second pressure regulation chamber with the vacuum pump;
Opening the third open / close door and sending the object to be thawed into the second pressure regulation chamber, then closing the third door and transporting the object to be thawed by the third transport unit;
Opening the second pressure regulation chamber to the atmosphere by an air release means after closing the third door;
Opening the fourth open / close door and removing the object to be thawed from the outlet;
A vacuum thawing method.   The vacuum thawing method according to claim 7, wherein in the step of evacuating the first pressure regulation chamber, the first pressure regulation chamber is evacuated so that the degree of vacuum is higher than that of the vacuum thawing chamber. The vacuum thawing method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, in the step of evacuating the second pressure regulation chamber, the second pressure regulation chamber is evacuated so that the degree of vacuum is higher than that of the vacuum thawing chamber.

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