JP4292129B2 - Popcorn production equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a popcorn manufacturing apparatus that can manufacture popcorn of stable quality in a short time.

Conventionally, as this kind of popcorn manufacturing apparatus, for example, those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known. The popcorn manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a frying pan whose upper surface is opened above the gas stove installed in the outer box, and the raw material of popcorn is charged into the frying pan from the charging port installed in the upper part of the outer box. It can be done.
In addition, a stirring brush that is rotated by a stirring motor is provided in the frying pan so that the ingredients of the popcorn in the frying pan can be stirred. After the popcorn that has shed in the frying pan hits the reflector, It is configured to fall on the chute and be collected in the tray by the chute.
In addition, the popcorn vending machine described in Patent Document 2 sticks out the popcorn-containing bags stored in the stocker in a stacked state one by one by a push-out device that is operated by the operation of a selection button. After being conveyed and heated in a microwave oven, it is configured to be pushed out of the vending machine by a bag pusher.
JP-A-10-313844 Utility Model Registration No. 3041407

However, as in the popcorn manufacturing apparatus described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, in the case where the raw material of popcorn is put into a frying pan heated by a gas stove to heat the raw material of popcorn, the heating temperature of the frying pan is controlled. Because it is difficult to obtain popcorn of uniform quality, the condition of the temperature of the popcorn is different depending on the type of ingredients used and the recipe of the production area, etc. There are problems such as difficult to set.
In addition, since fire is used, the fire must be constantly monitored during the production of popcorn, and there is a problem that it cannot be separated from the manufacturing apparatus.

On the other hand, the popcorn vending machine described in Patent Document 2 heats the pre-packed popcorn in a microwave oven, so it is not suitable for demonstration sales in places where people gather such as amusement parks and is packed in bags. Since the quality of the popcorn heated in a hot state cannot be confirmed unless the bag is opened, there is a problem that the poor quality popcorn containing unfoamed popcorn is delivered to consumers.
Further, since the apparatus is configured by combining many devices such as a stocker, a protruding device, and a conveying device, there are problems that the device is complicated and expensive, and that maintenance is troublesome.

  The present invention has been made to remedy such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a popcorn manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing popcorn having stable quality in a short time.

The popcorn manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a case having a manufacturing chamber provided with a transparent plate at least at a part of the periphery thereof, a substantially dish-shaped kettle having an upper surface that is rotatably installed in the manufacturing chamber, An electric heater that is provided on the bottom and that heats the element of popcorn placed in the kettle, and a lid that is provided to close the top opening of the kettle and that can be opened and closed vertically by a lid opening / closing handle. One end of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus is fixed to the side surface of the gear box provided substantially at the center of the bottom of the kettle, and the other end protruding to the outside of the case is attached with a rotating handle for rotating the kettle. Handlebar shaft, a rotating cylinder provided rotatably at the center of the kettle and having a stirring rod projecting radially so as to be close to the inner bottom surface of the kettle, and the center of the kettle A rotating shaft provided so as to penetrate in the vertical direction and connected via a rotating cylinder and an adapter, and provided between the rotating cylinder and the rotating shaft, and between the inner bottom surface of the kettle and the stirring rod is compressed when the foreign matter is bitten, a compression spring for releasing the rotary cylinder upward, one end is connected to the stirring motor installed on the side of the kettle, and the other end via the bevel gears in the gear box And a drive shaft connected to the rotary shaft.

With the above configuration, popcorn can be automatically manufactured simply by inserting popcorn into the kettle, and the lid can be opened and closed and the kettle can be rotated by operating the handle from outside the case. There is no fear, so that it is suitable for demonstration sales in places where people gather such as amusement parks, and there is no concern that the poor quality popcorn containing unfoamed popcorn will be delivered to consumers.
Moreover, since the inside of the kettle is stirred by the stirring means at the same time as the elements of the popcorn are heated by the kettle uniformly heated by a plurality of electric heaters, even those who are not skilled in the production of popcorn have a stable quality in a short time. Can be easily obtained.

Also, since the kettle can be rotated from the outside of the case, there is no risk of accidentally touching the hot kettle, which is suitable for demonstration sales in places where people gather, such as amusement parks, and pebbles mixed in popcorn Even if foreign matter such as foreign matter is caught between the inner bottom surface of the kettle and the stirring rod, the compression spring is compressed and the rotating cylinder is released upward, so that the stirring rod is prevented from being damaged. I get out.

According to the popcorn manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the popcorn can be automatically manufactured just by inserting the popcorn element into the kettle, and the lid can be opened and closed and the kettle can be rotated by operating the handle from the outside of the case. This is suitable for demonstration sales in places where people gather, such as amusement parks , and foreign objects such as pebbles mixed in the popcorn can be removed from the inner bottom of the kettle and the stirring rod. Even if a foreign object is bitten in between, the compression spring is compressed and the rotating cylinder is allowed to escape upward, so that the stirring rod can be prevented from being damaged.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 is a front view of a popcorn manufacturing apparatus, FIG. 2 is a side view thereof, FIG. 3 is a rear view thereof, FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view of manufacturing means, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the manufacturing means, FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the kettle, and FIG.

The main body 1 of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus has a square box-like case 2 so that demonstration sales can be performed at a place where people gather such as an amusement park.
The entire case 2 is formed of a metal plate that is not easily corroded, such as stainless steel. The upper stage is the machine room 3, the middle stage is the manufacturing room 4, and the lower stage is the tongue chamber 5. 4 and 5 are unitized, and an openable / closable door 3a that is opened during maintenance is provided on the entire surface of the machine room 3, and a sub operation panel 9 is provided on the rear surface.
In the middle manufacturing chamber 4, transparent plates 4a formed of heat-resistant glass are fitted on the front and left and right side surfaces, and a slide door 4b made of polycarbonate resin is provided on the rear surface so as to be opened and closed in the vertical direction. An open / close handle 4c is attached to the lower part of the slide door 4b.
The machine room 3 and the manufacturing room 4 are divided by a partition 3b made of a metal plate, and the upper end of a column 6a for supporting the manufacturing means 6 provided in the manufacturing room 4 is fixed to the lower surface of the partition 3b. ing.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the manufacturing means 6 has a substantially dish-shaped kettle 6b whose upper surface is open.
The kettle 6b is entirely die-cast with a metal having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and at least the inner surface is treated with a metal coat (a silver-impregnated oxide film or a silver-impregnated anodized film).
A plurality of, for example, six electric heaters 8 are attached to the bottom surface of the kettle 6b as shown in FIG. 7, and four of these electric heaters 8 are provided so that the bottom surface of the kettle 6b can be heated uniformly. 6b is arranged in a substantially square shape on the peripheral side of the bottom surface, the remaining two are arranged in parallel on the diagonal lines of the four electric heaters 8, and the electric heaters 8 are connected in parallel. The temperature can be controlled by temperature adjusting means (not shown) provided on the operation panel 10.

The heating state of the kettle 6b by the electric heater 8 is sequentially detected by a plurality of temperature detection means 11 provided on the bottom surface of the kettle 6b.
For example, a K thermocouple with high detection accuracy is used for the temperature detection means 11, and temperature information on the bottom surface of the kettle 6 b detected by the temperature detection means 11 is sent to the main operation panel 10.
The temperature adjusting means provided in the main operation panel 10 compares the temperature set in advance with the detected temperature information sent from the temperature detecting means 11 so that the temperature on the bottom surface of the kettle 6b becomes the set temperature. The temperature of the kettle 6b is controlled by turning on and off the power supplied to the heater 8.

On the other hand, a gear box 6d is fixed to a mounting seat 6c provided at the center of the bottom of the kettle 6b, and the lower end of the rotary shaft 12a passing through the center of the kettle 6b in the vertical direction is provided in the gear box 6d. It protrudes.
The rotating shaft 12a constitutes the stirring means 12 provided at the center of the kettle 6b, and the adapter 12b is fixed to the upper end.
The adapter 12b connects the rotary cylinder 12c and the rotary shaft 12a provided at the center of the kettle 6b, and the radial direction is such that a plurality of stirring rods 12d are close to the inner bottom surface of the kettle 6b at the lower end of the rotary cylinder 12c. The element of popcorn in the kettle 6b is stirred by these stirring rods 12d.
The rotary cylinder 12c is urged downward by a compression spring 12e provided therein, and the compression spring 12e is compressed and rotated only when a foreign object is bitten between the inner bottom surface of the kettle 6b and the stirring rod 12d. As the cylinder 12c escapes upward, the stirring means 12 is prevented from being damaged by foreign matter.

A bell-bell gear 6e is fixed to the lower end of the rotating shaft 12a protruding in the gear box 6d, and the bell-bell gear 6g fixed to one end of the drive shaft 6f is meshed with the bell-bell gear 6e.
The drive shaft 6f is horizontally supported in a hollow shaft 6h fixed to one side of the gear gear box 6d, and the other end is freely connected to the rotating shaft 13a of the agitating motor 13 installed in the lower end of the column 6a. The stirrer 12 of the agitating means 12 is rotated at, for example, 50 rpm by the agitating electric motor 13 connected via a joint 6j.
The other end of the hollow shaft 6h whose one end is fixed to the side surface of the gear box 6d is rotatably supported by a bush 6i protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the support 6a. A detent 14 is provided for locking the hollow shaft 6h when 6b is in the horizontal position.

A stopper pin 6m protrudes in the direction of the bush 6i from the end surface of the flange 6k protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the hollow shaft 6h. When the kettle 6b is rotated from the horizontal position by approximately 120 degrees, the kettle 6b The rotation is stopped, and one end of the handle shaft 6n is fixed to the other side surface of the gear box 6d so as to be coaxial with the center of the hollow shaft 6h.
An intermediate portion of the handle shaft 6n is rotatably supported by a bush 6q supported on the inside of the case 2 via a bracket 6p, and the kettle 6b is rotatable by the bush 6i supporting the bush 6q and the hollow shaft 6h. The other end of the handle shaft 6n protrudes outward from the rear surface of the case 2, and a kettle rotating handle 6r for rotating the kettle 6b is attached to the tip, and the bottom of the kettle 6b is the bottom. Covered by the cover 6x, the electric heater 8 and the gear box 6d are not exposed.

On the other hand, a lid 15 that closes the opening of the kettle 6b is provided above the kettle 6b.
The lid 15 is formed in a taper shape with a metal plate such as stainless steel, and the lower end of the elevating rod 16a is fixed to the center.
The lifting / lowering rod 16a constitutes the lid opening / closing means 16 provided in the machine room 3, and the upper end side thereof protrudes into the machine room 3 through the partition wall 3b.
The lid opening / closing means 16 provided in the machine chamber 3 has a handle shaft 16b whose one end protrudes outward from the side surface of the machine chamber 3, and a lid that opens and closes the lid 15 at the outer end of the handle shaft 16b. A body opening / closing handle 16c is provided.
The handle shaft 16b is horizontally supported by a bearing 16d provided in the machine chamber 3 and a bearing 16e provided on a side surface of the machine chamber 3, and one end of a lever 16f is fixed to the other end side of the handle shaft 16b. Has been.
The other end of the lever 16f is coupled to a collar 16g attached to the upper end of the lifting / lowering rod 16a via a pin 16h. By rotating the lid rotating handle 16c, the lid 15 is shown by a solid line in FIG. It can be opened from the position to the position indicated by the virtual line.

In the tank chamber 4 provided at the lower portion of the race 2, a unitized main operation panel 10, an oil tank 17 and a waste case 18 for accommodating the remaining waste are provided.
The oil tank 17 stores oil to be sprayed on the inner surface of the kettle 6b when the popcorn is heated, and the oil in the oil tank 17 is an oil composed of nozzles provided in the manufacturing chamber 3 by an oil pump (not shown). Connected to the spraying means 20.
The oil nozzle 20 protrudes toward the opening of the kettle 6b. When the oil pump switch 9a provided on the sub operation panel 9 is pressed with the lid 15 opened, a certain amount is provided on the inner surface of the kettle 6b. The oil can be sprayed.
The waste bin 18 is located below the waste drop opening 4b of the tray 4a provided at the bottom of the manufacturing chamber 3, and the waste selected from the popcorn dropped on the tray 4a falls into the waste drop opening 4b waste bin 18. The waste case 18 can be pulled out from the rear side of the case 2, and a net body 4 c for preventing the popcorn from falling is provided at the residue dropping port 4 b.
The main operation panel 10 is provided with an alarm (not shown) that issues an alarm when the temperature of the kettle 6b rises abnormally or the electric heater is disconnected.

Next, the operation of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus constructed as described above will be described.
In manufacturing popcorn, first, the kettle heater switch 6a provided on the sub operation panel 9 is operated to energize the electric heater 8 provided on the bottom of the kettle 6b, thereby heating the kettle 6b from the bottom side.
Thereafter, when it is confirmed that the temperature of the kettle 6b has reached the set value, the motor 13 for driving the stirring means 12 is rotated by operating the stirrer switch 9b, and at the same time, the oil pump switch 9c is pressed once to After the oil is sprayed on the inner surface of the kettle 6b, the lid opening / closing handle 16c is operated after the popcorn element is put into the kettle 6b, and the opening of the kettle 6b is closed with the lid 15.
Thereafter, the sliding door 4b on the rear surface of the case 2 is closed, and when a predetermined time, for example, 3 minutes elapses, popcorn popped inside the kettle 6b pushes up the lid 15 and naturally falls onto the tray 4a from inside the kettle 6b.

When the popcorn is no longer repelled, the lid 15 is opened by the lid opening / closing handle 16c, and then the kettle rotation handle 6r is rotated with the slide door 4b closed to bring the kettle 6b from the horizontal position to approximately 110. The popcorn in the kettle 6b is forcibly dropped onto the tray 4a.
After confirming that all the popcorn in the kettle 6b has fallen on the tray 4a, the kettle 6b is returned to the original horizontal position, then the slide door 4b is opened upward, and the popcorn is taken out from the case 2. Since the plurality of electric heaters 8 uniformly heat the bottom surface of the kettle 6b formed of aluminum having high thermal conductivity, a popcorn having a stable quality can be obtained in a short time.

  Further, since the temperature of the kettle 6b is detected by the temperature detecting means 9 made of a highly accurate K thermocouple and the electric heater 8 is controlled based on the detected value, stable temperature control is possible. Even if the heating temperature varies depending on the recipe of the ingredients used, even those who are not skilled in popcorn production can adjust the heating temperature by adjusting the heating temperature only by the temperature adjusting means provided on the main operation panel 10. As a result, popcorn with always good quality can be easily manufactured.

It is a front view of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus which becomes embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus which becomes embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus which becomes embodiment of this invention. It is a partially cutaway side view which shows the manufacturing means of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus which becomes embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the manufacturing means of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus which becomes embodiment of this invention. It is a bottom view of the kettle which comprises the manufacturing means of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus which becomes embodiment of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the popcorn manufacturing apparatus which becomes embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

2 Case 3 Machine room 4 Manufacturing room 6b Kettle 8 Electric heater 11 Temperature detection means 12 Stirring means 13 Electric motor 15 Lid 17 Oil tank 20 Oil spraying means

Claims (1)

A case having a manufacturing chamber provided with a transparent plate in at least a part of the periphery thereof, a substantially dish-shaped kettle having an upper surface that is rotatably installed in the manufacturing chamber, and a bottom surface of the kettle; and An apparatus for manufacturing popcorn, comprising: an electric heater that heats an element of popcorn charged into the kettle; and a lid that is provided so as to close an upper surface opening of the kettle and that can be opened and closed vertically by a lid opening / closing handle. The one end is fixed to the side surface of the gear box provided substantially at the center of the bottom surface of the kettle, and the other end protruding to the outside of the case is attached with a rotating handle for rotating the kettle. A handle shaft, a rotary cylinder that is rotatably provided at a central portion in the kettle, and in which a stirring bar protrudes radially so as to be close to the inner bottom surface of the kettle; and the kettle A rotary shaft provided so as to penetrate the center portion in the vertical direction and connected to the rotary cylinder via an adapter; an inner bottom surface of the kettle provided between the rotary cylinder and the rotary shaft; One end is connected to a compression spring which is compressed when a foreign object is bitten between the stirring rod and escapes the rotating cylinder upward, and an electric motor for stirring installed on the side of the kettle, and the other popcorn manufacturing apparatus characterized by end has and a drive shaft connected to the rotary shaft via a bevel gear in the gear box.

Images