JP3054973B2 - Food processing equipment with gas composition adjustment mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[Object of the invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a food processing apparatus such as a food processor, a slicer, and a mixer.
In particular, the present invention relates to a food processing device provided with a gas composition adjusting mechanism for maintaining the taste of food during processing and preventing oxidation of a cutter.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Prior to cooking various foods such as vegetables, meat, fruits, etc., recently, it is necessary to cut these foods into appropriate sizes and thicknesses, knead several kinds of foods, and stir. Food processing equipment is widely used. These food processing tools have a basic configuration in which a cutter is rotated by a motor and the cutter processes food placed in a container. The direction of development seen in this type of food processing equipment focuses on increasing the types of food that can be processed and providing versatile equipment. Attempts have been made to adopt a configuration in which one is selected and replaced, or to be able to adjust the rotation speed of a motor.

[0003] On the other hand, it is premised that the cutter is replaced when the cutter becomes unsatisfactory, and the cutter, which has become unsatisfactory during the processing of food and is rusting due to oxidation, becomes unsatisfactory. No food processing equipment specifically considers the adverse effects. Also, little effort has been made to maintain the sharpness of the cutter itself and extend its life.

[0004]

[Technical matters attempted to be developed] The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and a gas composition adjusting mechanism is provided inside a food processing appliance, and the composition gas generated thereby is used to process at the time of processing. The purpose of this study was to develop a new food processing device that maintained the taste of the food and prevented oxidation of the cutter.

[0005]

Configuration of the Invention

A food processing device provided with a gas composition adjusting mechanism according to the first invention of the present application comprises a compressor,
A gas separation membrane module for separating the gas compressed by the compressor into gases having different compositions, and a supply pipe for supplying the gas separated by the gas separation membrane module to a predetermined portion in the food processing appliance. And an exhaust pipe for exhausting the gas separated by the gas separation membrane module to the outside of the food processing equipment.

Further, a food processing appliance having a gas composition adjusting mechanism according to the second invention of the present application, in addition to the above-mentioned requirements, further comprises a gas separation membrane module in the supply pipe and the exhaust pipe. The direction of the supplied gas as appropriate,
It is characterized in that a valve mechanism for switching the connection / disconnection of the pipeline is provided.

Further, a food processing device provided with a gas composition adjusting mechanism according to a third invention of the present application, in addition to the above requirements,
The supply line is directly extended near a cutter for processing food, and the extended supply line is supplied with carbon dioxide gas, nitrogen gas, or oxygen-poor gas separated by the gas separation membrane module. It is a feature. The above-mentioned objects are to be achieved by these means.

[0008]

The gas compressed by the compressor is supplied to the gas separation membrane module, and is separated into a permeated gas and a non-permeated gas according to the pressure. Then, the separated gas is supplied to an appropriate supply or exhaust pipe by a valve mechanism,
It reaches the outlet at the tip of the supply pipe or the outlet at the tip of the exhaust pipe, and replaces the internal atmosphere of the food processing appliance or exhausts unnecessary gas.

When the supply line is extended to the vicinity of the cutter and carbon dioxide gas, nitrogen gas or oxygen-poor gas is supplied to the supply line, it is useful for preventing oxidation of food and mitigating adverse effects on taste. In addition, it maintains the sharpness of the cutter and prolongs the life of the cutter.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food processing apparatus provided with a gas composition adjusting mechanism according to the present invention. In the description, first, the structure of the food processing device of the present invention will be described focusing on the gas composition adjusting mechanism which is one of the characteristic constitutions of the present invention, and then various processes of food processing by the food processing device of the present invention will be described. This will be described together with the gas flow. A food processing apparatus provided with a gas composition adjusting mechanism according to the present invention is indicated by reference numeral 1 in the drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a food processor is taken as an example, and in FIG. 3, a mixer is taken as an example.

First, the structure of an embodiment in which a food processor is used as the food processing apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. The food processor, which is the food processing device 1 of the present invention, stores a food F in the center, provides a storage container 2 serving as a food processing room, and provides an upper lid 3 above the food container to prevent the food from scattering during processing. A main body 6 having a drive mechanism 5 for transmitting rotation to the cutter S is provided below the storage container 2.

In the container 2, a cutter S that acts on the food F directly and processes the food F is provided with respect to a rotation shaft 45 extending vertically to the center of the container. The rotating shaft 45 is a tubular member having a hollow cylindrical shape, and its upper end is open. The gas separated by the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10 described later passes through this open portion, but the storage container 2
A moisture-impermeable filter 46 that does not allow the passage of moisture therein is provided so as to cover the opening. Further, a filter cap 47 covers the moisture-impermeable filter 46 from above, and a number of outlets 38 for injecting the separated gas passing through the internal space of the rotating shaft 45 and passing through the moisture-impermeable filter 46 are provided therearound. It is made up.

Below these members, adjustment of torque transmitted to the rotary shaft 45 by the drive mechanism 5, selection of a torque connector 48 for controlling transmission, and selection of a gas passage,
A passage connector 49 for communication is provided for the rotary shaft 45 in the same manner as the above members. The torque connector 48 and the passage connector 49 may be formed separately as in this embodiment, or may be formed integrally.

On the other hand, the food F
Is provided with an auxiliary intake 3a so that the fuel can be additionally supplied. A pressing rod 4 is fitted into the auxiliary intake 3a,
The food F replenished from the auxiliary inlet 3a by the pressing rod 4 is sent into the storage container 2, and the food F is sandwiched between the bottom surface of the storage container 2 and the pressing rod 4 to support the food F during processing. The pressing rod 4 also plays the role of performing.

Further, the main unit 6 is provided with a driving device 5. The driving device 5 includes a driving motor M, a driving pulley 51 provided on an output shaft of the driving motor M, and a lower portion of the passage connector 49. , And a belt 53 suspended between the driving pulley 51 and the driven pulley 52. The main body 6 is provided with a gas composition adjusting mechanism 10 described below. The driving device 5 and the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10 are operated by operating an operation switch 8 provided on the front panel 7 of the main body 6. It is configured to operate.

The gas composition adjusting mechanism 10 has a characteristic configuration of the present invention, and takes in air A from the outside of the food processing apparatus 1, compresses the air A, and sends the compressed air A to the next process, and the compressor 11 A gas separation membrane module 12 for taking in the air A pumped by 11, adjusting the air A to another gas having a different composition, and separating the same.

The gas separation membrane module 12 is roughly classified into a flat membrane module 12a as shown in FIG. 4 and a tube type module 12b as shown in FIG. The gas separation membrane module 12 is configured by laminating a plurality of sheet materials 16 formed by laminating a gas separation membrane 13, a porous support membrane 14, and a membrane-reinforced nonwoven fabric 15, as shown in FIG. For example, in the case of the flat membrane module 12a shown in FIG. 4, the sheet material 16 is formed in a planar shape, and for example, a plurality of the sheet materials 16 are alternately arranged vertically. When the air A compressed by the compressor 11 is supplied to the flat membrane module 12a configured as described above, the permeated gas B permeating the gas separation membrane 13 and the non-permeated gas C not permeated as shown in FIG. It is separated vertically.

In the case of the tube type module 12b, the flat sheet material 16 used in the flat membrane module 12a shown in FIG. 4 is spirally wound and stored in a tube. As shown in FIG. 2, there is a sheet material 16 formed in a hollow fiber shape, and a large number of such materials are housed in a tube. Among them, the spirally wound tube type module 12b has substantially the same principle as the flat membrane module 12a shown in FIG. 4, and therefore details are omitted, but the sheet material 16 is formed into a hollow fiber shape shown in FIG. Tube type module 12 formed by forming
In the case of b, the air A taken into the tube is separated into a permeated gas B entering from the side peripheral surface of the hollow fiber sheet material 16 and a non-permeated gas C not permeating. In selecting the flat membrane module 12a and the tube type module 12b, the size, shape, internal space, and the like of the food processing device 1 are taken into consideration. In the present embodiment and the embodiment shown in FIG. As an example, the tube type module 12b was used.

And such a gas separation membrane module 1
The gas separation membrane 13 used in 2 is a membrane for separating and concentrating or removing specific molecules in a gas by utilizing a difference in permeability of molecules passing through a polymer thin film. Various composition gases are adjusted according to changes in the pressure of the air A as the processing gas. Specifically, the gas separation membrane 13 is a membrane having a property that a specific gas can be separated by providing a pressure difference between the gases sandwiching the membrane and utilizing the fact that the membrane permeation speed varies depending on the type of gas. This is generally known as an oxygen-enriched film for enriching oxygen molecules in air.

The gas separation membrane 13 used in the present embodiment has a characteristic that the permeation rate is H ₂ O> CO ₂ > O ₂ > CO ≧ N ₂ .
One example is "Hisep" (registered trademark) manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. By the way, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), when a relatively high pressure is applied to the gas separation membrane 13 having such characteristics, the air A can be separated into oxygen gas and nitrogen gas. It is. Also, as shown in FIG. 6B, at a moderate pressure, the air A is converted into steam and carbon dioxide gas.
The air A can be separated into oxygen gas and nitrogen gas, and the air A can be separated into water vapor and other gas components at a low pressure as shown in FIG. The permeated gas B separated by the gas separation membrane 13
When the non-permeate gas C is introduced into the supply pipe 20 and the exhaust pipe 21, for example, a fan, a pump, or the like may be separately provided as a transfer unit that performs a suction or feeding operation at a mounting portion of the pipe.

A supply line 20 and an exhaust line 21 are provided for the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10 constructed as described above. It is also possible to provide a valve mechanism 30 in the middle of the supply pipe 20 and the exhaust pipe 21. As an example of such a valve mechanism 30 provided in the middle of the pipe, as shown in FIG. A mechanism can be adopted. That is, the valve mechanism 30 shown in FIG. 7 is composed of a total of four valves, ie, control valves 31 and 32 and exhaust valves 33 and 34.
And a supply line 20 extending from the bypass line 22 and an exhaust line 21 branched off from these lines. Incidentally, the exhaust pipe 21 is connected to the gas separation membrane 13.
This is for exhausting unnecessary gas from the gas separated by the above.

The bypass line 22 has a low gas permeation rate through the gas separation membrane 13 and guides the gas remaining upstream of the gas separation membrane 13 to the supply line 20. The supply pipe 20 is provided with a control valve 31 downstream of the connection with the exhaust pipe 21, and the bypass pipe 22 is provided with a control valve 32 downstream of the connection with the exhaust pipe 21. The exhaust pipe 21 is provided with exhaust valves 33 and 34.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control valve 31 and the exhaust valve 34 are opened when the gas separated by the gas separation membrane 13 is supplied on the downstream side of the gas separation membrane 13 and the gas is opened. When the gas on the upstream side of the separation membrane 13 is supplied, the valve is closed. Further, the control valve 32 and the exhaust valve 3
3 is a valve closed state when supplying a gas downstream of the gas separation membrane 13 among the gases separated by the gas separation membrane 13, and an valve open state when supplying a gas upstream of the gas separation membrane 13. Becomes

The configuration of the valve mechanism 30 and each of the pipes is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the bypass pipe 22 is omitted, and the supply pipe 20 is directly connected to the gas separation membrane module 12. The exhaust pipe 21 and the exhaust pipe 21 may be drawn out.

In the case of such a configuration, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the supply line 20 drawn from the gas separation membrane module 12 includes the driven pulley 52 and the cutter S in the driving mechanism 5 first. On the other hand, the exhaust pipe 21 is guided to an exhaust port 39 provided on the bottom surface as an example of the main body 6. Note that the supply line 20 is
The connection and disconnection of the supply pipe 20 is achieved by detaching and attaching the connector 27.

When using the food processing apparatus 1 provided with the gas composition adjusting mechanism of the present invention thus constructed, the upper lid 3 is first removed and a predetermined amount of food to be processed is processed, as in a normal food processor. F is put in the storage container 2, and various seasonings, water, etc. are put in if necessary, the upper cover 3 is closed, and the operation switch 8 provided on the main body 6 is turned on.

When the operation switch 8 is turned on, the driving device 5 starts operating, and the rotation of the driving motor M is transmitted to the rotating shaft 45 via the belt 53, and the cutter S provided on the rotating shaft 45 It acts on food processing. At the same time, the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10
, The compressor 11 also starts to operate, and the compressed air A is supplied to the gas separation membrane module 12.

The air A supplied to the gas separation membrane module 12 is separated by the gas separation membrane 13 into a permeated gas B and a non-permeated gas C. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, if a gas obtained by applying a relatively high pressure to the gas separation membrane 13 is employed, the oxygen gas separated as the permeated gas B is led to the exhaust pipe 21 and the exhaust port 39 is provided. Gas is exhausted to the outside and is separated as a non-permeate gas C.
The liquid is guided to zero, passes through the internal space of the rotating shaft 45, and reaches the outlet 38 of the filter cap 47 attached to the tip thereof.

Similarly, when water vapor and carbon dioxide gas are to be supplied into the storage container 2, gas separation is performed according to FIG. 6 (b), and when only water vapor is to be supplied into the storage container 2, gas separation is performed according to FIG. 6 (c). The pressure applied to the membrane 13 is adjusted. In this case, if a gas having another composition separated at the same time is unnecessary, the valve mechanism 30 is appropriately operated, and the exhaust port 39 is passed through the exhaust pipe 21.
It may be exhausted from outside.

Further, once the processing has begun, if it is desired to replenish the food F in the middle, as described above, the pressing rod 4 is pulled out from the auxiliary intake 3a, and the food F is further added to the auxiliary intake 3a. And push the rod 4 again to the auxiliary intake 3a.
And the food F replenished in the storage container 2 is dropped. Then, when a predetermined processing time has elapsed, the driving of the driving device 5 is stopped automatically or by operating the operation switch 8, and a series of processing is completed.

Next, another embodiment of the food processing device 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. That is, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 takes a mixer as an example of the food processing appliance 1. The basic configuration of the mixer is the same as that of a general mixer that stirs food, so that the description thereof will be omitted here, and the description will focus on the pipe configuration required when the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10 is provided.

One of the gases separated by the gas separation membrane module 12 is supplied to a communication port 40 provided at a base portion above a handle 55 of a mixer, which is the food processing equipment 1, and a main body section for housing the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10. 6 through a relay hose 57 connected to a connector 56 provided on the upper surface of the mixer 6, through a communication path 58 formed by hollowing out the inside of a handle 55 of the mixer, and from the outlet 38 at the end thereof. The structure leading to the inside of the container 2 is taken.

When using such a food processing equipment 1 as a mixer, first remove the top cover 3 and
The food F, water and various seasonings are placed in the storage container 2 as needed. Then, the upper cover 3 is again put on, the relay hose 57 is connected between the communication port 40 and the connector 56, and the operation switch 8 provided on the front panel 7 of the main body 6 is turned on.

When the operation switch 8 is turned on, the drive mechanism 5 in the main body 6 (not shown) starts to operate, and the stirring blade 59 facing the lower part of the storage container 2 is rotated.
The food F inside is stirred. At the same time, the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10 also starts to operate. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), if a relatively high pressure is applied to the gas separation membrane 13, the gas separation membrane 13 is separated as the permeated gas B. The oxygen gas is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 39, while the nitrogen gas separated as the non-permeate gas C reaches the communication path 58 through the supply pipe 20 and the relay hose 57 connected thereto, and It is sent from 38 into the storage container 2.

After the predetermined processing is completed, the operation switch 8 is automatically turned off, and the operation of the driving device 5 and the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10 is stopped by manually turning off the operation switch 8. , And remove the storage container 2 from the main body 6 with a handle,
The processed food F is used separately for cooking.

The above is the basic embodiment of the food processing appliance 1 provided with the gas composition adjusting mechanism of the present invention, but the food processing appliance 1 of the present invention can have the following functions. is there. For example, when it is desired to increase the gas concentration of the composition gas separated by the gas separation membrane 13, the gas separation membrane module is provided by using a separately provided circulation pipe without causing all the gas to flow out from the outlet 38. It is also possible to connect this pipe line to the input side of 12 so as to increase the gas concentration by using the remaining gas that does not flow out. Also outlet 3
The composition gas flowing out of the container 8 into the storage container 2 may be sucked and sent to the charging side of the gas separation membrane module 12 to be circulated and concentrated.

Further, the pressure applied to the gas separation membrane 13 can be appropriately changed according to the processing stage or the state of the food being processed, so that the type of gas supplied to the supply pipe 20 can be made different. In addition, the valve mechanism 30 is removed, the pressure of the compressor 11 is kept constant, the supply path 20 and the exhaust path 21 are fixed, and a single-function type food that performs only one kind of preset gas separation is used. The processing tool 1 can also be used.

In the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10, an appropriate filter is provided before the suction port 36 of the compressor 11 and the supply port 37 of the gas separation membrane module 12. It is also possible to prevent invasion of foreign substances in advance.

[0039]

The present invention has the above-described configuration and exhibits the following effects. That is, in the food processing device 1 of the present invention, since the gas composition adjusting mechanism 10 having the gas separation membrane 13 as a main member is provided, the gas composition is different using the air A outside the food processing device 1. The gas can be separated into a plurality of gases, whereby the atmosphere in the storage container 2 can be replaced. Unnecessary gas is exhausted to the outside to prevent the food from being oxidized by the processing and to adversely affect the taste of the food by the processing. It can be prevented as much as possible. Further, the life of the cutter S can be extended by preventing the oxidation of the cutter S.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a food processing device 1 provided with a gas composition adjusting mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a stacked state of a flat membrane module.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged longitudinal sectional side view showing the structure of a tube-type module.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing that the composition of a separated gas changes depending on the magnitude of the gas pressure applied to the gas separation membrane.

FIG. 7 is a skeletal explanatory view showing a state in which the flow of the separated composition gas changes by the operation of the valve mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Food processing equipment 2 Storage container 3 Upper lid 3a Auxiliary intake 4 Pressing rod 5 Drive mechanism 6 Main body 7 Front panel 8 Operation switch 10 Gas composition adjustment mechanism 11 Compressor 12 Gas separation membrane module 12a Flat membrane module 12b Tube module 13 Gas Separation membrane 14 Porous support membrane 15 Membrane-reinforced nonwoven fabric 16 Sheet material 20 Supply pipeline 21 Exhaust pipeline 22 Bypass pipeline 27 Connector 30 Valve mechanism 31 Control valve 32 Control valve 33 Exhaust valve 34 Exhaust valve 36 Suction port 37 Supply port 38 Outlet 39 Exhaust port 40 Communication port 45 Rotating shaft 46 Moisture permeable filter 47 Filter cap 48 Torque connector 49 Passage connector 51 Drive pulley 52 Follower pulley 53 Belt 55 Handle 56 Connector 57 Relay hose 58 Communication path 59 Stirrer blade A Air B transmission Scan C non-permeate gas F Food M drive motor S cutter

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A compressor, a gas separation membrane module for separating gas compressed by the compressor into gases having different compositions, and a gas separated by the gas separation membrane module is supplied to a predetermined portion in a food processing appliance. A food processing apparatus provided with a gas composition adjusting mechanism, comprising: a supply pipe for exhausting the gas separated by the gas separation membrane module to the outside of the food processing apparatus. 2. A valve mechanism for appropriately selecting the supply direction of the gas separated by the gas separation membrane module and switching the connection / disconnection of the pipeline is provided in the middle of the supply pipeline and the exhaust pipeline. A food processing appliance comprising the gas composition adjusting mechanism according to claim 1. 3. The supply line is extended near a cutter for directly processing food, and the extended supply line is provided with carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas or oxygen-poor gas separated by a gas separation membrane module. Food processing equipment provided with a gas composition adjusting mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, which is supplied.