JP2010273653A - Endless conveyor, and automatically molding apparatus for tofu using the endless conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detach at a time a load on a Tofu block off the whole top surface thereof while the line on the underside line of a conveyor is maintained at a straight line and a Tofu block is applied with an even load and/or minute load. <P>SOLUTION: An automatically molding apparatus for Tofu is provided, including: an endless conveyor C1 being driven on the lower side so as to go along a base platform 2; an endless conveyor C2 being driven on the upper side so as to go along a base platform 2; an endless filter cloth R1 on the upper side being driven so as to go along the endless conveyor C1 on the lower side; and an endless filter cloth R2 on the lower side being driven so as to go along the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side. In this apparatus, inside of the lower side of the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side, the slackened portion of the conveyor C2 is disposed with a load-supporting member 12, while the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side is attached with a hooking member 13 to be hooked and slide on the load-supporting member 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endless conveyor in which the conveyor is circulated in an endless manner, and an automatic tofu molding apparatus using the endless conveyor.

  Conventionally, in order to produce tofu by solidifying soy milk, a mold box is used for small-scale production. However, in mass production, soy milk is coagulated while being conveyed by a conveyor without using a mold box. Manufactured by continuous molding. The conveyor used for coagulation is usually configured separately from the conveyor that forms the block-shaped tofu. For example, when producing cotton tofu, the coagulated product is crushed. And mold again. After molding, it is cut into a predetermined size and stored in a pack. Various devices have already been provided as devices for molding this tofu block-like tofu (Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc.).

  Patent Document 1 is a device that performs pressure dehydration molding between a pressure conveyor and a transfer conveyor for pressure dehydration molding in which solidified tofu is placed in hot water in an up and down direction.

  As shown in FIG. 12, Patent Document 2 includes a lower endless conveyor driven along the base, an upper endless conveyor C <b> 2 driven along the base, and a lower end conveyor C <b> 2. Automatic molding of tofu with an endless filter cloth on the lower side driven along an endless conveyor and an endless filter cloth on the lower side driven along an endless conveyor on the upper side Device. In order to move the upper endless conveyor (pressure conveyor) C2 up and down, the elevator unit C11 is connected to the elevator unit C11 and the connecting member C13 is connected to the pressure conveyor C2. The pressurizing conveyor C2 is moved up and down.

JP-A-3-251151 JP 2005-261169 A

Not only the conventional continuous tofu molding apparatus described above, but also a conveyor for transportation has a problem that its lower center hangs downward (FIG. 12). In order to prevent this sagging, it is conceivable to arrange a rotating shaft (shaft roller) and load receiving means at the center of the lower side, but in the tofu production line, a shaft that receives a load only at a specific location. Roller may not be placed.
In the production of tofu, the lower side of the endless conveyor on the upper side (especially the center in the circumferential direction) is slackened to the lower side by its own weight, and there is a problem that an excessive load is applied to the block-shaped tofu. Was. If too much load is applied, in the case of silk tofu, there will be a problem of applying a texture, and water will be removed from the block-shaped tofu, resulting in a decrease in yield. If the water is removed excessively, it is necessary to squeeze a large block of tofu in anticipation of this, resulting in poor yield.
Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which an endless conveyor (pressure conveyor) on the upper side is moved up and down, but in that configuration, the rising distance could be increased so as not to apply too much load as described above. However, the problem that the apparatus becomes large, and even if the entire apparatus is moved up and down, the hanging line on the lower side of the conveyor cannot be maintained as a straight line. In addition, the load on the roll shafts at both ends and the connecting means of the conveyor is large, causing damage to the roll shaft and elongation of the chain of the connecting means. Therefore, it is necessary to design an apparatus that takes unnecessarily strong strength. It was.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an endless conveyor in which an endless conveyor (conveyor) does not hang downward without increasing the size of the conveyor device. Also, keep the lower line of the conveyor in a straight line so that a uniform load is applied to the block-shaped tofu, or the load on the block-shaped tofu is separated from the entire top surface at once. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic molding apparatus for tofu.

An endless conveyor according to the present invention is an endless conveyor that circulates between at least two rotating shafts supported by a base, and is located inside the endless conveyor and has two rotating shafts. A load support member disposed in a slack portion on the lower side between the load support member and a latch member that supports the load support member at a predetermined height, and includes a plurality of latch members attached to the inner peripheral surface of the endless conveyor. It is characterized by that. Here, as a kind of endless conveyor, it can be widely applied to a conveyor such as a cloth, a conveyor (also referred to as a caterpillar or a bar conveyor) in which many metal plates are connected, a timing belt, and the like. Moreover, in order to give water permeability to an endless conveyor, the form which provided the porous form and the said plate space | interval may be sufficient. Further, when viewed from the side of the base (when the circumferential surface is viewed from the side), the latch member is attached to the inner peripheral side of the upper endless conveyor, and the load support member is the inner peripheral side of the endless conveyor. However, it can be provided on the outer peripheral side.
According to the present invention, the conveyor is transported in a state in which the latching member is latched on the load supporting member, so that the lower side (particularly the center) is slacked downward like a conventional upper endless conveyor. No linear line can be maintained on the lower side of the endless conveyor (having linearity).

The endless conveyor according to the present invention preferably includes an elevating unit supported by the base and capable of moving up and down, and the load supporting member is moved up and down by the elevating unit.
According to the present invention, the load supporting member is moved up and down by the lifting unit, and the slack portion on the lower side of the endless conveyor is moved up and down. As the device is not moved up and down, the apparatus is not increased in size.
In addition, by arranging these endless conveyors in a tofu automatic molding apparatus, it is possible to produce block-like tofu without applying a partial load as in the prior art. Claim 7).

An automatic molding apparatus for tofu according to the present invention comprises a lower endless conveyor driven along a base, and an upper endless conveyor driven along the base, the base And an up-and-down movement unit that is movable up and down, and a hook member that is attached to the endless conveyor on the upper side and interlocks with the up-and-down movement unit. In the slack portion on the lower side between the two rotating shafts, the lifting and lowering unit is raised through the latching member.
The tofu automatic molding apparatus includes a lower endless conveyor driven along the base, an upper endless conveyor driven along the base, and a lower endless endless conveyor. Provided with lower endless filter cloth driven along the outer periphery of the conveyor and upper endless filter cloth driven along the outer periphery of the upper endless conveyor, between the upper and lower filter cloths In a tofu automatic molding device that continuously squeezes and molds into block-shaped tofu,
A lifting unit supported by the base and capable of moving up and down; and a hook member attached to the endless conveyor on the upper side and interlocking with the lifting unit, the upper endless conveyor comprising: In the slack portion on the lower side between the two rotating shafts that are stretched, the lifting and lowering unit is elevated through the retaining member. When viewed from the side of the base (when the circumferential surface is viewed from the side), the retaining member is attached to the inner peripheral side of the upper endless conveyor, and the load support member is the inner periphery of the upper endless conveyor. It can be provided on either the outer side or the outer side.

  According to these aspects of the invention, the endless conveyor circulates or transports with the latching member disposed on the inner peripheral side of the load supporting member, so that the lower side (like the conventional endless endless conveyor) In particular, the center) does not sag greatly downward, and a straight line can be maintained (given linearity) on the lower side of the endless conveyor.

According to the present invention, a plurality of the lifting / lowering units provided with the load supporting members are arranged in the circumferential direction inside the endless conveyor on the upper side, and each lifting / lowering unit or each load supporting member is provided It is preferable to provide a lifting unit that moves up and down.
According to the present invention, when the elevating unit is raised, the lower side of the upper endless conveyor via the load support member disposed in the inner peripheral elevating unit of the upper endless conveyor. When the elevating unit is lowered, the lower side of the upper endless conveyor is lowered. Therefore, unlike the conventional endless conveyor on the upper side, the lower center does not sag downward, and it is not necessary to raise and lower the entire upper conveyor. Can apply a uniform load, and can accurately apply stepwise pressing pressure according to low pressure to medium pressure to high pressure for each lifting unit. If pressing is unnecessary, it takes block tofu. The load can be separated from the upper surface (particularly the upper surface of the central portion in the circumferential direction) at a time. In particular, it has not been possible to apply a small squeezing pressure below the weight of the elevating unit and conveyor, but the present invention makes it possible to mold cotton tofu that is softer and softer to the skin, making it even more handmade. The mass production of near high-quality tofu has become possible.
Further, a long length (for example, 10 to 40 m) having a particularly high production capacity by arranging a plurality of the lifting / lowering units provided with the load supporting members in the circumferential direction of the endless conveyor on the upper side. It is effective in an endless conveyor. For example, the height of the lower end of the endless conveyor as a pressure conveyor can be maintained uniformly with respect to the block-shaped tofu on such a long molding machine, or it can be lifted and separated at once, For example, for block-shaped tofu in order from the circumferential direction, the pressing pressure (spring, air cylinder, etc.) provided on the base is gradually increased to increase the squeezing pressure, so that each lifting unit (or load support member) By providing a difference in height or inclination in the height, it is possible to set the height gradually lower.

In the present invention, it is preferable that a rotating roller that moves while rotating is provided on either the load support member or the latching member.
According to the present invention, a plurality of the hooking members are attached to the entire inner circumference of the endless conveyor at a predetermined interval, and are arranged on the inner peripheral side (or outer peripheral side) on the lower side of the endless conveyor. For example, since the rotating roller rotates while contacting the load supporting member, the conveying of the endless conveyor is not hindered. On the contrary, the load support member may include a rotating roller, and the retaining member may be a fixed member for rotation (sliding). Further, both the load supporting member and the latching member may be slid (slid) as a fixed member having a low frictional resistance (for example, the sliding surface is made of a fluororesin or the like).

According to the endless conveyer of the present invention, the interval between the rotating shafts does not loosen downward as in the conventional endless conveyer on the upper side. In addition, only the slack portion on the lower side of the endless conveyor is moved up and down, and the entire endless conveyor on the upper side is raised high, so that it is not necessary to increase the size of the apparatus or secure a wide upper space.
In addition, according to the automatic tofu molding apparatus of the present invention, the lower line of the conveyor can be maintained in a straight line and can be moved up and down with high accuracy, so that a partial load as in the prior art is applied. Block-like tofu can be produced without passing, and in the case of a cotton tofu / silk tofu combined molding machine, silk tofu can be transported while maturing without being textured. Moreover, at the time of compression molding of cotton tofu, it can be adjusted to the minimum necessary load without applying an extra load on the upper conveyor, and the height of the product can be stabilized. It can also produce soft and high-quality cotton tofu. That is, hitherto, it was impossible to apply a small squeezing pressure below the lifting and lowering unit and the conveyor's own weight, but according to the present invention, it becomes possible to mold cotton tofu that is softer and has a softer skin, and is closer to handmade. Mass production of high-quality tofu has become possible.

It is a side view which shows the automatic molding apparatus of the tofu of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the automatic molding apparatus of the tofu of the said 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the raising / lowering unit of the said 1st Embodiment, a latching member, and the endless conveyor of an upper side, FIG. 3 (a) is the side view, (b) is the front view. . It is a figure explaining the state which shape | molds tofu by the said 1st Embodiment, FIG. 4 (a) is the side view, (b) is the front view. It is a side view explaining the usage example of the automatic molding apparatus of the tofu of the said 1st Embodiment. FIG. 5A is a diagram for explaining an example of individually driving the lifting unit, and FIG. 5B is a diagram for explaining an example of tilting the lifting unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the apparatus of the said 1st Embodiment, and the automatic coagulator used in the front process. It is a perspective view which shows the endless conveyor of the said 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the other example of the said 12th Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the automatic molding apparatus of the tofu of the said 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the relationship between the rotating shaft of each said embodiment, and a latching member. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of the said 1st Embodiment. It is a side view which shows the conventional automatic molding apparatus of tofu.

  Hereinafter, a tofu automatic molding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

(First embodiment)
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a lower endless conveyor C1 and an upper endless conveyor C2 that are driven along the longitudinal direction of the base 2, This is a tofu automatic molding apparatus 1 including a lower-side filter cloth R1 and an upper-side filter cloth R2 that are driven along the longitudinal direction of the base 2. The upper and lower filter cloths R2 and R1 are pulled out slightly longer than the upper and lower conveyors C2 and C1 on the front side. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, a continuous coagulation device 21 is arranged in the pre-process of the automatic tofu molding apparatus 1, and in the case of silken tofu or soft tofu, the coagulated tofu is not broken, and the cotton tofu or fried In the case of dough or the like, it is broken by the breaking device Mi and conveyed to the next automatic molding device 1 for tofu.

  The base 2 is made of steel or stainless steel for fixing the upper and lower conveyors C2 and C1, the upper and lower filter cloths R2 and R1, the elevating unit U, and the like. The endless conveyor C2 on the side is arranged. The endless conveyor C2 on the upper side is driven below the center of the base 2 on the feed side, and is driven on the upper side of the base 2 on the return side (FIG. 3B). The upper and lower endless conveyors C2 and C1 are respectively wound around the rear driving rollers K2 and K4 and the front driven rollers K1 and K3, and when one of the rotary shafts K2 and K4 is driven to rotate through the driving means. 1 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. The upper and lower filter cloths R2 and R1 are respectively wound around the rear drive shaft Kb and the front driven shaft Ka, and when one of the rotation shafts Ka and Kb is driven to rotate through the drive means, FIG. It is conveyed in the direction of the arrow. The upper and lower filter cloths R2 and R1 have larger diameters than the upper and lower endless conveyors C2 and C1, and the lower surface of the upper filter cloth R2 and the upper part of the lower filter cloth R1 are synchronized in close proximity. Transport the product.

  2 and 3 are enlarged views of the main part of the present embodiment in which the upper and lower filter cloths R2 and R1 are omitted. The endless conveyor C2 on the upper side and the endless conveyor C1 on the lower side are connected to a plate p made of metal or resin such as steel, stainless steel, or titanium on which plate plates are arranged at a predetermined interval. Plate conveyor (also called bar conveyor, caterpillar).

  Here, as the upper and lower conveyors C2 and C1, it is also possible to use a mesh-like wire mesh belt or a punching belt in which a large number of small holes / pores and a large number of grooves are formed. It is also possible to form a wire mesh, a large number of small holes / pores, and a large number of grooves on the plate C according to the implementation. In any case, excess water can be discharged from the predetermined gap through the upper and lower filter cloths R2, R1.

The endless conveyor C2 on the upper side is a plate conveyor C2 in which plate plates p are arranged at a predetermined interval and are connected by a connecting means 17. A latch member 13 is attached to the inner side of the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side. The latch member 13 is latched on a load support member 12 to be described later and slides, and the one facing the center of the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side is the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side. It is provided at predetermined intervals on the entire inner periphery. A rotating roller 13r is attached to the tips of the pair of left and right latch members 13 so as to face each other. The rotary shafts Ka and Kb have a structure in which the diameters of the left and right side portions are large so that there is no hindrance to the circumferential driving of the latching member 13, and the side portions are connected to a thin connecting shaft. That is, the latching member 13 passes through the rotation axes Ka and Kb so that the rotation of the rotation axes Ka and Kb is not hindered. For example, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the height H1 of the latching member 13 is set to be smaller than the radius H2 of the sprocket Kp at both ends of the rotation axes Ka and Kb. The rotation of the shafts Ka and Kb is not hindered (reference numeral 19 in FIG. 10B is a hooked member which is a hooking member disposed on the endless conveyor C2 side. .) Further, the position of the load supporting member 12 that is hooked or slid / slid with the hooking member 13 is on the lower side of the endless conveyor, and from the line V1 connecting the centers of the front and rear rotation axes Ka and Kb. Must also be lower (FIG. 1 (a)). This is because it is arranged in the lower slack portion between the two rotation axes Ka and Kb. Further, FIG. 8B shows a latch provided with a load support member 12 at a position below the endless conveyor C2 and having a rotating roller 18r for connecting the load support member 12 and the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side. This is because the load supporting member 12 is also provided on the outer peripheral side of the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side as described above. In FIG. 8A, the load support member 12 is attached to the suspension member 11a, and the load support member 12 attached to the suspension member 11a has a rotating roller 13r attached to the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side. This is an example of connection with the member 13.
Two or more load support members 12 may be arranged in parallel in the conveying direction, or may be arranged in series in the conveying direction. Further, the hooking member 13 may not be a pair with respect to the load supporting member 12, but may be only on one side. Further, the latch member 13 is not a rotating roller, but may be a fixed member that slides with the load support member (not shown), and at least the sliding surfaces of the load support member 12 and the latch member 13 have little friction. It is preferably made of resin (for example, made of fluororesin).

N lifting units U (U1, U2, U3,..., Un) in which the load supporting member 12 is supported by the base 2 are arranged inside the lower end of the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side. Yes. Each of the elevating units U <b> 1 to Un extends to the load supporting member 12, the engaging member 13 that is engaged with the load supporting member 12, the elevating / lowering means 11 such as a hydraulic cylinder, and the left / right elevating / lowering means 11. It is comprised from the suspension member 11a distribute | arranged to and the to-be-latched member 11b connected with the said latching member 13. As shown in FIG. Further, each lifting unit U1 to Un has a configuration in which two suspension members 11a are connected to each other, and four lifting and lowering means 11 and two suspension members 11a are provided on the left and right sides (see FIGS. 2 and 5). ).
The load support member 12 prevents the lower side of the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side from drooping downward. The load supporting member 12 is formed of a rigid member and is located on the lower side of the upper endless conveyor C2 (conveyor). It is arranged at a portion where the belt is loosened and is arranged so as to be hooked between a pair of opposing hooking members 13 and 13. That is, the rotation roller 13r of the latch member 13 is provided so as to face the load support member 12 from both sides so as not to be detached from the load support member 12. Thereby, the latching member 13 is also difficult to come off (see FIGS. 2 to 4).
The load support member 12 is made of steel corresponding to the fact that the conveyor (plate p) C2 is made of steel, but may be made of a stainless steel plate, a synthetic resin, a resin-coated metal, or the like. The load supporting member 12 is formed so that the latching member 13 can be easily latched by forming a thick flat plate (may be a square bar, a round bar, etc.) or a concave groove in the longitudinal direction of the flat plate, A combination of a number of square pipes having a predetermined plate shape can be used. As shown in FIG. 5, for example, n such load supporting members 12 are continuously provided inside the lower side of the endless conveyor C <b> 2 on the upper side together with the lifting units U <b> 1 to Un. Each load support member 12 can be moved independently by each elevating unit U, and the front side of the load support member 12 is used to prevent catching when the latch member 13 is received from the front. It is preferable to bend downward or to provide an inclination on the upper surface of the front side obliquely downward (FIG. 2). At the same time, in the case of the fixed latching member 13, it is preferable that the rear side is bent upward or the lower surface of the rear side is inclined obliquely upward (FIG. 5B).

  The raising / lowering unit U moves up and down the endless conveyor C2, and is composed of a hydraulic cylinder, an air cylinder, an electric cylinder, and the like. Hydraulic jacks, screw jacks, rack and pinion types, worm gear types, etc. can be used either automatically or manually (Fig. 2). One load support member 12 is moved up and down by four lifting units U. A suspension member 11a is stretched across the width direction of the plate p over a pair of left and right lifting units U (the lifting unit U1 includes four lifting units U including the front and back). The load support member 12 is attached via the latch member 11b. One lifting / lowering unit U1 is provided with one load support member 12 and two hooked members 11b before and after the endless conveyor in the circumferential direction. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the load supporting member 12 is arranged with each of the three lifting units U <b> 1 to U <b> 3 together with the lifting unit U, but one lifting unit U may be inclined in the front-rear direction ( 5 (b)), the height position of another unit adjacent to one lifting unit U can be changed (FIG. 5 (a)), or arbitrarily changed. In addition to the hooked member 11b, the pressurizing suspension member 14a and the pressurizing member 14 connected thereto pressurize the endless conveyor C2 configured by connecting the conveyor plate p by the connecting means 17. Of the endless conveyor C2 and the total weight of the squeezing load due to the lifting / lowering unit U or the total weight of the squeezing load due to the lifting / lowering movement. ing. Along with the pressurizing member 14 a and the pressurizing member 14, the second support member 16 connected to the lifting and lowering unit U is directed to the recess of the chain 17 so as not to meander the chain as the connecting means 17. It is provided as follows. Therefore, when the elevating unit U is raised, the load support member 12 is pulled upward, and thereby the position of the lower side C2a of the upper endless conveyor is pulled upward. Further, when the elevating unit U is lowered, the load support member 12 is lowered downward, is separated from the load support member 12 from the hooking member 13 and becomes free, and the weight of the endless conveyor C2 is applied. When the moving unit U is lowered, the pressurizing member 14 comes into contact with the conveyor plate p, and the support member 16 is directed to the concave portion of the chain 17 so that the weight of the elevating unit U and the endless conveyor C2 is applied. The meandering of the conveyor C2 can be suppressed. Thereby, the position of the lower side C2a of the endless conveyor on the upper side becomes a position where a load is applied to the product.

When using the tofu automatic molding apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, when it is lifted by the lifting unit U, an endless shape on the upper side is provided via the load support member 12. The height of the lowermost end C2a on the lower side of the conveyor C2 can be adjusted upward. At this time, the center on the lower side of the upper endless conveyor C2 does not sag droopingly and hangs down, and it is uniform, so that it is raised to the necessary minimum height without being greatly raised. Just do it.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the form which provided the spring Ub which urges | biases so that the raising / lowering unit U and the to-be-latched member 11b may pressurize may be sufficient.

Then, when the block-shaped tofu T is molded using the tofu automatic molding apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the lifting unit U is lowered and the load supporting member 12 is lowered. Thus, while maintaining the straight line on the lower side C2a of the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side, the block-like tofu T that is sent onto the endless conveyor C1 on the lower side is lowered. The upper endless conveyor C2 is lowered so as to cover from above, and the upper filter cloth R2 is lowered to apply predetermined pressure to the block-shaped tofu T. Since the block-like tofu T does not drastically droop down at the lower end C2a in the vicinity of the lower center of the endless conveyor C2 on the upper side at the time of compression molding, the block-like tofu is extraneous to the block-like tofu. Therefore, it is possible to produce high-quality tofu (block-shaped tofu) with a soft feeling.
For example, in the case of a cotton tofu / silk tofu combined molding machine, during the production of silk tofu, the load applied to the lower side of the above endless endless conveyor is aged without adding a texture to the block-shaped tofu T It can be transported and molded. Tofu production will be described as an example. Tofu, for example, silk fried dough, raw fried (cotton tofu fried) dough, thick fried dough, fried dough, cancer dough, cotton tofu, soft cotton tofu, soft tofu The present invention can also be applied to the production of (a product having a light texture on silk tofu).
After the block-shaped tofu T is molded using the automatic tofu molding apparatus 1, it is cut into a predetermined size and conveyed to the automatic packing apparatus by a conveyor or the like, although not shown.

  Here, for example, three load support members are connected to the tofu automatic molding apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, and the suspension members 11a ( And the lifting and lowering units U1 to U3) are respectively provided with the lifting and lowering units U that move up and down (since the lifting and lowering units U1 to U3 are provided), as shown in FIG. Set to gradually lower the height of the tofu T, and gradually increase the pressure, or, as shown in FIG. The height is gradually lowered with respect to T so as to be inclined, and the applied pressure is gradually increased, or the applied pressure is different by using the three lifting units U1 to U3. Mold three types of block-shaped tofu T Door can be.

(Second Embodiment)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a hanging member 22 having a rotating roller 22r is attached to the suspension member 11a of the lifting unit U, and this hanging member 22 is an endless conveyor C2 on the upper side. It is latched via the rotating roller 22r by L-shaped flange portions 24 formed on both left and right sides. In this structure, a thicker conveyor C2 is prepared and corresponds to the above structure. In addition, even if the latching member 22 does not exist in the whole inner periphery of the conveyor C2, the lower side of the conveyor C2 should just be lifted.

In the first and second embodiments, the upper and lower filter cloths R2 and R1 have been described. However, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, only the upper and lower endless conveyors C2 and C1 are used. It can also be applied to a tofu automatic molding apparatus comprising That is, in addition to synthetic resin, it is also possible to mold block-shaped tofu having a predetermined size by sandwiching it from above and below with a conveyor made of cloth having a predetermined thickness. Moreover, although demonstrated using the automatic molding apparatus of tofu, this invention is applicable also to a general endless conveyor (FIG. 7 (a) (b) (c)). That is, inside the endless conveyor, a load support member 12 disposed in a slack portion on the lower side between two rotating shafts, and a plurality of hooks attached to the entire inner peripheral surface of the endless conveyor By providing the member 13, the slack portion on the lower side between the two rotating shafts can be raised.
In addition, although an example in which an endless conveyor is stretched between a driving shaft (rotating shaft) and a driven shaft (rotating shaft) has been described, the present invention is a slack portion on the lower side between two rotating shafts. Applicable.

1 Automatic tofu molding equipment,
2 base, 2a middle frame of base,
U, Un, U1-U3 lifting unit,
11 Lifting means, 11a Suspension member, 11b Hook member,
12 load support members,
13, 23, 33 latching member, 13r, 23r, 33r rotating roller,
14 member for pressurization, 14a suspension member for pressurization member,
16 Support member (restraining rail for chain),
17 Connecting means (chain),
21 Automatic coagulator,
19, 22 Covered member,
p plate plate,
C1 Endless conveyor on the lower side,
C1a The height of the lowermost surface of the upper endless conveyor hanging down,
C2 Endless conveyor on the upper side,
Kb, K2, K4 drive shaft, Ka, K1, K3 driven shaft,
R2 Upper filter cloth,
R1 Lower side filter cloth,

Claims (8)

In an endless conveyor that is looped around at least two rotating shafts supported by a base,
A load support member that is disposed inside the endless conveyor and is positioned at a slack portion on the lower side between the two rotating shafts, and a latch member that supports the load support member at a predetermined height. An endless conveyor comprising a plurality of hooking members attached to the inner peripheral surface of the conveyor.   The endless conveyor according to claim 1, further comprising an elevating unit supported by the base and capable of moving up and down, wherein the load supporting member is moved up and down by the elevating unit.   The endless conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rotating roller that moves while rotating is provided on either the load support member or the latching member. A tofu comprising a lower endless conveyor driven along the base and an upper endless conveyor driven along the base, and formed into block-shaped tofu between the upper and lower conveyors In the kind of automatic molding equipment,
A lifting unit supported by the base and capable of moving up and down; and a hook member attached to the endless conveyor on the upper side and interlocking with the lifting unit, the upper endless conveyor comprising: An automatic tofu molding apparatus characterized in that a slack portion on the lower side between two rotating shafts that are stretched is raised by a lifting / lowering unit via a latching member. Lower endless conveyor driven along the base, upper endless conveyor driven along the base, and lower end driven along the outer periphery of the lower endless conveyor The endless filter cloth on the side and the endless filter cloth on the upper side that drives along the outer periphery of the upper endless conveyor, are continuously squeezed between the upper and lower filter cloths, In automatic tofu molding equipment that molds tofu,
A lifting unit supported by the base and capable of moving up and down; and a hook member attached to the endless conveyor on the upper side and interlocking with the lifting unit, the upper endless conveyor comprising: An automatic tofu molding apparatus characterized in that a slack portion on the lower side between two rotating shafts that are stretched is raised by a lifting / lowering unit via a latching member. A tofu comprising a lower endless conveyor driven along the base and an upper endless conveyor driven along the base, and formed into block-shaped tofu between the upper and lower conveyors In the kind of automatic molding equipment,
A lifting and lowering unit supported by the base and capable of moving up and down, and a load supporting member disposed in a slack portion on the lower side between the two rotating shafts inside the upper endless conveyor. And a latch member that moves the load support member up and down to a predetermined height via the elevating unit, and includes a plurality of latch members attached to the inner peripheral surface of the upper endless conveyor, An automatic tofu molding apparatus characterized in that a slack portion on the lower side between two rotating shafts on which an endless conveyor is stretched is raised by a lifting / lowering unit through a hooking member. Lower endless conveyor driven along the base, upper endless conveyor driven along the base, and lower end driven along the outer periphery of the lower endless conveyor The endless filter cloth on the side and the endless filter cloth on the upper side that drives along the outer periphery of the upper endless conveyor, are continuously squeezed between the upper and lower filter cloths, In automatic tofu molding equipment that molds tofu,
A lifting and lowering unit supported by the base and capable of moving up and down, and a load supporting member disposed in a slack portion on the lower side between the two rotating shafts inside the upper endless conveyor. And a latch member that moves the load support member up and down to a predetermined height via the elevating unit, and includes a plurality of latch members attached to the inner peripheral surface of the upper endless conveyor, An automatic tofu molding apparatus characterized in that a slack portion on the lower side between two rotating shafts on which an endless conveyor is stretched is raised by a lifting / lowering unit through a hooking member. 8. The automatic tofu molding apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein a rotating roller that moves while rotating is provided on either the load support member or the latching member.

Images