JP3889998B2 - Food material leveling equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a leveling device for leveling the food material to a uniform thickness while the adhesive food material is being transported on a conveyor.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a confectionery in which a puffed confectionery such as corn flakes, nuts such as almonds, dried fruits such as dry orange, baked confectionery such as wafers and biscuits are coated with chocolate or candy dough is known. In particular, corn flakes coated with chocolate are commercially available under the names such as chocolate flakes, and are gaining popularity.
[0003]
However, since the chocolate flakes are flake-shaped, they are easily spilled, the hands are easily soiled, and there is a problem that they are difficult to eat. For this reason, the applicant of the present invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-45163 is a method and apparatus for forming a food that can be formed into a lump with many internal voids without breaking sticky food pieces such as chocolate flakes. Has proposed.
By the way, when food is molded by the above molding device, it is necessary to equalize the confectionery material having adhesive properties such as chocolate flakes to a uniform thickness while being transported on the conveyor and introduce it into the molding device. was there.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, these confectionery materials have sticky chocolate dough and candy dough, so even if you try to equalize the thickness of the dough on the conveyor, the chocolate dough and candy dough will adhere to the leveling device. Therefore, there is a problem that continuous operation is difficult.
[0005]
In addition, these confectionery materials have a light and crisp texture, but are easy to break, so if you try to force them with a roller or a leveling plate, the confectionery materials will break or be crushed. There was a problem.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a food material leveling apparatus that can evenly break a food material that is sticky like chocolate flakes and is easily broken on a conveyor. .
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the food material leveling apparatus according to the present invention is a leveling apparatus for leveling the food material to a uniform thickness in the course of transporting the sticky food material on the conveyor. in, so as to intersect the conveying direction of the conveyor, to place the screw ribbon stirring blade, through Rutotomoni, a rotary shaft parallel to the guide of the stirring blades provided rotating means for rotating the stirring blade A slider that can move in the direction of the axis of rotation of the stirring blade, a scraper that moves forward and backward from the slider toward the stirring blade, and the stirring blade rotates while the scraper is in contact with the stirring blade. Then, the slider is configured to move along the guide via the scraper .
[0007]
According to the apparatus of the present invention, the food material is stirred by the rotating screw ribbon-shaped stirring blades while being transported on the conveyor, and is dispersed in the width direction of the conveyor to be uniformed. . At this time, the screw ribbon-shaped stirring blades are scooped up and dispersed without forcibly pressing the food material, so even a fragile food material such as chocolate flakes is evenly distributed without breaking. I can do it. In addition, the screw ribbon shape makes it difficult to adhere even if it is a food material having adhesiveness, and even if it adheres, it is easy to scrape off.
[0009]
In addition, for example, in the case of a food material having adhesiveness with a chocolate dough or candy dough coated on the surface, the above-mentioned adhesive dough adheres to the stirring blade, and further, the food material itself adheres and leveles. Although the effect is reduced, in the above apparatus, the scraper is pushed out from the slider toward the stirring blade, the slider moves along the guide in contact with the stirring blade, and sticks along the spiral of the stirring blade. Can be scraped off. For this reason, even if it is a food material which has adhesiveness like chocolate flakes and is easy to break, it can be evenly and uniformly leveled on the conveyor for a long time.
[0010]
Moreover, in the leveling apparatus of this invention, it is preferable that the said stirring blade consists of what formed the round wire or the round pipe in the screw ribbon shape. According to this, even if sticky dough or the like adheres to the stirring blade, it is easy to scrape off with a scraper, and even a food material that is easily broken can easily slip on the surface of the stirring blade, so that it is dispersed without breaking. be able to.
[0011]
Further, the scraper is formed of a U-shaped member having an open end, and is configured to receive the ribbon-shaped portion of the stirring blade into the U-shaped portion when pushed out from the slider. preferable. According to this, when the scraper is extruded, the ribbon-like portion of the stirring blade enters the U-shaped portion of the scraper, and the sticky dough or the like attached to the outer periphery of the stirring blade is effectively scraped off by the scraper. . Further, since the scraper slides along the spiral by the rotation of the stirring blade, the slider can be reliably moved along the guide.
[0012]
Further, sensors for detecting the slider are arranged at both ends of the guide, and when the sensor detects the slider, the scraper is moved forward and backward to be attached to and detached from the stirring blade. Preferably it is. According to this, when the slider comes to the end of the guide, the sensor detects the slider and moves the scraper forward / backward. Therefore, when the scraper moves in contact with the stirring blade, the scraper moves at the end of the guide. When the scraper is moved to the opposite end by the rotation of the stirring blade, the sensor detects the slide and pushes out the scraper. It can be made to contact.
[0013]
The guide is preferably provided with means for moving the slider along the guide in a state where the scraper is separated from the stirring blade. According to this, after the scraper comes into contact with the stirring blade and the slider moves from one end of the guide and arrives at the other end, the scraper is separated from the stirring blade and the slider is moved again by the moving means. Can be returned to the end.
[0014]
Moreover, it is preferable that the said stirring blade is arrange | positioned 15-45 degree | times with respect to the direction orthogonal to the conveyance path | route of the said conveyor. According to this, when the stirring blade scoops up and disperses the food material, it becomes easy to move the food material in the axial direction of the stirring blade, so that the food material can be dispersed in the width direction of the conveyor to enhance the leveling effect. it can.
[0015]
Furthermore, it is preferable that two stirring blades are disposed on the conveyor path with the inclination directions opposite to each other. According to this, the food material is dispersed while being moved in one direction in the width direction of the conveyor by the first stirring blade, and the food material is dispersed while being moved in the other direction in the width direction of the conveyor by the next stirring blade. Therefore, it is possible to evenly level the width of the conveyor.
[0016]
Furthermore, it is preferable that the food material is obtained by coating the surface of at least one confectionery selected from expanded confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, and baked confectionery with a chocolate or candy dough. Since these food materials are sticky and easily broken, the apparatus of the present invention is more preferably applied.
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, the food material having adhesiveness is not particularly limited. For example, the surface of at least one confectionery selected from expanded confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, and baked confectionery is coated with chocolate or candy dough. Those that have been used are preferably employed.
[0018]
Here, examples of puffed confectionery include puffs and corn flakes, and examples of nuts include roasted nuts, such as almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, and hazelnuts. Examples of dried fruits include dried oranges and dried grapes, and examples of baked confectionery include waffles, wafers, biscuit crumbs, and cookie crumbs. The shape of these expanded confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, and baked confectionery is not particularly limited, but shapes such as flakes, plates, rods, spheres, and irregular lumps are adopted, and flakes are particularly preferred. Is done.
[0019]
As a raw material of the chocolate dough, those conventionally used in general can be appropriately selected and used. For example, cacao mass, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, other vegetable oils and fats, whole milk powder, skim milk powder, whey powder, sugars such as sugar, maltose, and palatinose, emulsifiers such as lecithin, and fragrances are used. In addition, any kind of chocolate such as bitter chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, etc. may be used, pure chocolate, pure milk chocolate, semi-chocolate stipulated in the regulations, or fats and oils other than chocolates stipulated in the regulations. It may be a sex confectionery.
[0020]
On the other hand, when using a candy dough, it must be molded while maintaining a higher temperature than the chocolate dough due to its nature. As the candy dough, for example, soft candy such as caramel, hard candy, nougat, fudge, toffee, toffee, fondant, marshmallow dough is preferably used.
[0021]
As a method for coating chocolate dough or candy dough on at least one of the above-mentioned expanded confectionery, dried fruits, baked confectionery, or at least one kind of roasted nuts and nuts, for example, molten chocolate dough or candy dough And the above confectionery are mixed, and a method of coating the surface of the confectionery with a chocolate or candy dough is employed.
The leveling apparatus of the present invention is used, for example, to uniformly level food materials prepared as described above on a conveyor.
[0022]
1 to 10 show an embodiment of a leveling device according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of the leveling device, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the leveling device, FIG. 3 is a side view of the main part of the leveling device, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the leveling operation by the leveling device. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the scraper starts from one end of the guide in the leveling device, FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which the scraper moves along the stirring spring in the leveling device, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state immediately before the scraper arrives at the other end of the guide in the leveling device, FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state where the scraper has arrived at the other end of the guide in the leveling device, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state where the scraper is separated from the stirring blade at the other end of the guide in the leveling device, and FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state where the scraper is returned to one end of the guide in the leveling device.
[0023]
The leveling device 10 includes two stirring blade rotating devices 20 a and 20 b arranged on the conveyor 11. Since each rotating device has substantially the same structure, in the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and described as a common structure.
[0024]
Each stirring blade rotating device 20a, 20b has a long and narrow guide 21 disposed at a slight angle with respect to the conveyor 11, and a pair of opposing arms 22, 23 extending in an L shape are provided at both ends of the guide 21. Is provided. A rotation shaft 24 is rotatably supported between the arms 22 and 23 in parallel with the guide 21. The rotating shaft 24 is rotated by a motor 25 attached to one arm 23. 3 and 4, the arms 22 and 23 and the motor 25 are omitted for convenience.
[0025]
A stirring blade 30 formed by forming a round line in a screw ribbon shape (spiral shape having an open pitch) is attached to the rotating shaft 24 via a spoke 31. 2 and 5 to 10, the spoke 31 is omitted for convenience. In addition, as the stirring blade 30, a square ribbon or a flat wire formed in the shape of a screw ribbon can be adopted. However, a sticky dough adhered to the surface by preventing the food material from being damaged by making it a slippery surface. It is preferable to use a round wire or a round pipe to make it easier to scrape off.
[0026]
The two stirring blade rotating devices 20a and 20b are arranged such that the rotating shaft 24 is inclined at an inclination angle of an angle θ with respect to the direction orthogonal to the conveyor 11 and in opposite directions. The inclination angle θ is not particularly limited, but is preferably 15 to 45 degrees. When the inclination angle θ is smaller than the above, the action of dispersing in the width direction of the conveyor 11 is reduced, and when the inclination angle θ is larger than the above, a long stirring blade is required in the conveyor moving direction, so the installation place is taken. The inconvenience arises.
[0027]
The helical pitch of the stirring blade 30 is preferably 20 to 100 mm, the outer diameter of the stirring blade 30 is preferably 75 to 700 mm, and the rotation speed is preferably 20 to 50 Hz. The thickness of the wire rod of the stirring blade 30 is preferably 3 to 10 mm. The distance between the stirring blade 30 and the upper surface of the conveyor 11 is preferably 3 to 25 mm. Furthermore, the speed of the conveyor 11 is preferably 1 to 8 m / min.
[0028]
Referring also to FIG. 3, a pair of guide bars 33 and 34 are attached to the guide 21 in parallel. The guide rods 33 and 34 are inserted into the leg portions 35 and 36, and a slider 37 slidable along the guide rods 33 and 34 is attached. A scraper 40 is attached to the slider 37 through a pair of guide shafts 38 so as to be able to advance and retreat toward the stirring blade 30. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the scraper 40 has a pair of finger-like protrusions 41, 42 extending in a U shape toward the stirring blade 30 and is pushed out by the stirring blade 30. The ribbon-like wire rod of the stirring blade 30 is inserted between the finger-like protrusions 41 and 42.
[0029]
Referring again to FIG. 3, a boss 43 is attached to the upper surface of the scraper 40. In this connection, an air cylinder 45 is attached to the support plate 44 extending from the guide 21, and a holder 46 having a groove 47 for receiving the boss 43 is attached to the operating rod of the air cylinder 45. Yes. When the scraper 40 moves together with the slider 37, the boss 43 is inserted into the groove 47 of the holder 46 at both ends of the guide 21. In addition, when the air cylinder 45 operates in this state and the holder 46 moves forward and backward with respect to the stirring blade 30, the scraper 40 moves forward and backward through the boss 43 inserted into the groove 46. Yes.
[0030]
A projecting piece 39 is attached to the lower surface of the slider 37. Correspondingly, an air cylinder (not shown) is built in the guide 21, and a pusher 49 that is moved by the air cylinder is provided. The pusher 49 can engage the protrusion 39 to move the slider 37 along the guide rods 33 and 34.
[0031]
Although not shown, a slider detection sensor that detects the position of the slider 37 and a rotation angle detection sensor that detects the rotation angle of the stirring blade 30 are provided at both ends of the guide 21. When the slider detection sensor detects that the slider 37 is disposed at a predetermined position at the end of the guide 21 and the rotation angle detection sensor detects that the stirring blade 30 is at the predetermined rotation position, The holder 46 is operated by the air cylinder 45 so that the scraper 40 is pushed out or retracted toward the stirring blade 30.
1, 2, and 4 are food molding apparatuses, and 51 in FIG. 4 is a food material.
[0032]
Next, the operation of the leveling device 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, for example, at least one of expanded confectionery, dried fruits, baked confectionery, or at least one of roasted nuts and nuts, as described above, is coated with chocolate or candy dough. The food material 51 is conveyed in a state of being deposited on the conveyor 11. The food material 51 is uniformly leveled by the two stirring blade rotating devices 20 a and 20 b arranged on the conveyor 11 and supplied to the food molding device 50.
[0033]
Each stirring blade rotating device 20a, 20b rotates the stirring blade 30 by a motor 25. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotation direction A of one stirring blade rotating device 20a is opposite to the rotation direction B of the other stirring blade rotating device 20a, and the rotation of each stirring blade 30 is It is set as the direction which acts so that food material may move to the arrow C and D direction (namely, diagonally toward the conveyance direction E of the conveyor 11). However, the rotating direction A of one stirring blade rotating device 20a and the spiral direction of the stirring blade 30 of the other stirring blade rotating device 20b may be reversed so that both rotate in the same direction.
[0034]
The food material 51 is dispersed so as to be scooped up by the rotating stirring blade 30. In that case, by the movement of the conveyor 11 and the oblique arrangement of the stirring blade 30 with respect to the conveyor 11, the action of moving the food material in the direction of arrow C in FIG. In the blade | wing rotation apparatus 20b, the effect | action which moves food material to the arrow D direction in FIG. 2 is added. As a result, the food material 51 spreads and spreads in the width direction of the conveyor 11, and is equalized to a uniform thickness.
[0035]
As described above, the stirring blade 30 is formed by forming a round wire in a screw ribbon shape (spiral shape with an open pitch), so that the food material 51 slides on the surface of the stirring blade 30 and an unreasonable force acts. Even confectionery pieces that are dispersed without being easily broken, such as chocolate flakes, can be dispersed without breakage.
By the way, sticky dough such as chocolate dough or candy dough adheres to the surface of the stirring blade 30, and the food material 51 itself adheres to the stirring blade 30 when the amount of adhesion gradually increases. The food material 51 cannot be leveled without being damaged.
[0036]
Therefore, in the leveling device 10, the sticky fabric adhered to the stirring blade 30 is scraped off according to the procedure shown in FIGS.
That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the scraper 40 is pushed out with the slider 37 disposed at one end of the guide 21, and the wire rod of the stirring blade 30 enters between the finger-like protrusions 41 and 42. The scraper 40 comes into contact with the stirring blade 30.
As shown in FIG. 6, since the stirring blade 30 is rotated by the operation of the motor 25, the scraper 40 receives a feeding action by the stirring blade 30 and moves together with the slider 37 along the guide 21. . As a result, the ribbon-like wire rod of the stirring blade 30 is rubbed by the finger-like projections 41 and 42 of the scraper 40, and the sticky cloth adhered to the surface is scraped off.
[0037]
FIG. 7 shows a state in which the slider 37 moving in this way is close to the end portion on the opposite side of the guide 21. At the end of the guide 21, the holder 46 is pushed in the direction of the stirring blade 30 by the operation of the air cylinder 45 and is on standby.
When the slider 37 reaches the opposite end of the guide 21, a boss 43 projecting from the upper surface of the scraper 40 is introduced into the groove 47 of the holder 46 as shown in FIG. 8.
[0038]
In this state, when a slider detection sensor (not shown) detects that the slider 37 is disposed at a predetermined position at the end of the guide 21, the holder 46 is moved backward by the air cylinder 45 as shown in FIG. The scraper 40 is detached from the stirring blade 30 through the boss 43 inserted into the 47.
Then, the pusher 49 shown in FIG. 3 moves while pushing the projecting piece 39 by the action of an air cylinder (not shown) arranged in the guide 21, and the slider 37 is moved to the opposite side of the guide 21 as shown in FIG. 10. Return to end.
[0039]
Further, when the slider 37 reaches the opposite end of the guide 21, a slider detection sensor (not shown) arranged at the end of the guide 21 detects the slider 37, and the rotation angle detection sensor detects the rotational position of the stirring blade 30. Then, the holder 46 is operated by the air cylinder 45, the scraper 40 is pushed out again toward the stirring blade 30, and the steps from FIG. 5 are repeated again. The scraping operation by the scraper 40 may be performed every predetermined time by a timer or the like.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since the screw ribbon-shaped stirring blades are scooped up and dispersed without forcibly pressing the food material, for example, a fragile food material such as chocolate flakes. Even so, it can be leveled without breaking. In addition, the scraper is pushed out from the slider toward the stirring blade, and the slider moves along the guide while being in contact with the stirring blade, and scrapes off the sticky dough that sticks along the spiral of the stirring blade. be able to. Therefore, even a food material that has adhesiveness such as chocolate flakes and is easy to break can be uniformly leveled on the conveyor stably for a long time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a leveling device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the leveling device.
FIG. 3 is a side view of an essential part of the equalizing device.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a leveling operation by the leveling device.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the scraper starts from one end of the guide in the leveling device.
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which the scraper moves along the stirring blade in the leveling device.
FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state immediately before the scraper arrives at the other end of the guide in the leveling device.
FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state in which the scraper has arrived at the other end of the guide in the leveling device.
FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state in which the scraper is separated from the stirring blade at the other end of the guide in the leveling device.
FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state in which the scraper is returned to one end of the guide in the leveling device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Leveling device 11 Conveyor 20a, 20b Stirring blade rotating device 21 Guide 24 Rotating shaft 25 Motor 30 Stirring blade 37 Slider 40 Scraper 41, 42 Finger projection 51 Food material

Claims (8)

In the course of transporting sticky food material on a conveyor, in a leveling device for leveling the food material to a uniform thickness, a screw ribbon shape intersects the transport direction of the conveyor the stirring blades are arranged, Rutotomoni provided rotating means for rotating the stirring blade, via a rotary shaft parallel to the guide of the stirring blade was placed a slider movable in a direction of a rotation axis of the stirring blade, the A scraper that moves forward and backward from the slider toward the stirring blade is provided, and when the stirring blade rotates while the scraper is in contact with the stirring blade, the slider moves along the guide via the scraper. leveling device for food material characterized by being configured to. The stirring blade is round wire or round pipe a leveling device for food material according to claim 1 Symbol placement consisting of those formed in the screw ribbon. The scraper is, the tip is made of U-shaped member having an opening, when it is extruded from the slider, the ribbon-like portion of the stirring blade the U-shaped portion according to claim 1 or is adapted to receive the 2. The food material leveling apparatus according to 2. Sensors for detecting the slider are arranged at both ends of the guide, and when the sensor detects the slider, the scraper is moved forward and backward to be attached to and detached from the stirring blade. Item 5. The food material leveling apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 3 . The food material leveling unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the guide is provided with means for moving the slider along the guide in a state where the scraper is separated from the stirring blade. Equipment. The stirring blade, leveling device for food material according to any one of claims 1 to 5 which is disposed inclined 15-45 degrees relative to a direction perpendicular to the transport path of the conveyor. The said stirring blade is a food material leveling apparatus of Claim 6 arrange | positioned on the path | route of the said conveyor so that the said inclination direction may be reversed. Said food material is expanded confectionery, nuts, dried fruits, on the surface of at least one confectionery selected from baked goods, any one of claims 1-7 is obtained by coating the chocolate or candy dough The food material leveling apparatus described in 1.

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