JP4663365B2 - Food freezing system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a food freezing system, and in particular, in a factory that manufactures frozen foods, a rack on which food to be frozen is loaded is loaded into a freezing device, and the rack after freezing is taken out from the freezing device and stored. The present invention relates to a food freezing system capable of easily performing a series of steps of transferring to a freezer for use.

For the production of frozen foods, products to be frozen are placed on a tray, this tray is stacked on a rack for a freezing device, this rack is loaded into the freezing device, and a cryogenic gas is introduced into the freezing device to be frozen. After the product is frozen, the rack is taken out of the cabinet. When carrying the rack into and out of the freezing device, there is a height difference of about 200 to 300 mm between the bottom surface of the warehouse and the floor surface, so it is necessary to move the rack using a dedicated cart (for example, Patent Document 1). reference.).
JP 2003-14356 A

  However, it is not easy to manually carry out the freezing rack from the warehouse, and if the caster is attached to the rack, the caster may freeze and stop moving. It was cumbersome to transfer to a freezer.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a food freezing system that can easily and reliably carry a rack into and out of a freezing device and can greatly improve workability.

  To achieve the above object, a food freezing system according to the present invention includes a rack for holding food to be frozen, a carriage for placing and transporting the rack, and a freezing apparatus for storing the rack and freezing the food. A food freezing system including a lift truck for carrying the rack into and out of the freezer, wherein the rack has a food placing unit for placing the food to be frozen, and the placing unit. And a fork insertion part into which the fork of the lift truck can be inserted between the lower surface of the mounting part and the upper surface of the carriage when the leg part is placed on the carriage. The cart has a rack mounting portion for mounting the leg portions of the rack at a fixed position, a caster for traveling, and a lower frame of the lift vehicle can be inserted below the cart in a grounded state of the caster. A frame insertion portion, and The apparatus includes: a freezing processing chamber that stores the rack; a door that opens and closes the freezing processing chamber; a cart entering portion that allows the cart to enter a lower portion of the freezing processing chamber; and an approach of the cart to the cart entering portion. A carriage entry position restricting portion for restricting a position; and a rack holding portion for holding a leg portion of the rack in a fixed position in the freezing processing chamber, wherein the lift vehicle includes a lower frame having traveling wheels; A fork support frame projecting upward from a base end portion of the lower frame, a fork supported by the fork support frame in a state in which the base end can be raised and lowered, and an elevating means for raising and lowering the fork within a preset range; And a carriage holding means for engaging and holding the carriage with respect to the lower frame, and a rack position restricting portion for restricting the placement position of the rack on the fork. Above When the food is to be frozen, the lower frame of the lift truck is inserted into the carriage frame while the legs of the rack on which the food to be frozen is placed on the food placement section are placed on the rack placement section of the carriage. After the fork inserted into the part and lowered to the lowest position is inserted into the fork insertion part, the rack position restricting part restricts the position of the rack with respect to the fork and the carriage holding means is engaged with the carriage. Until the fork is raised to the highest position by the elevating means and the lift car is moved in a state where the rack is placed on the fork, until the carriage is regulated by the carriage entry position regulating part at the carriage entry part of the freezing device. The rack is inserted into the freezing chamber and the fork is lowered to the extraction position between the bottom surface of the rack and the bottom surface of the freezing chamber and the cart is engaged by the cart holding means. After releasing, the lift truck is moved backward while leaving the carriage in the carriage entry section, and the rack for which the food has been frozen is unloaded from the freezing chamber. Insert between the lower surface and the bottom of the freezing chamber and insert the lower frame into the frame insertion portion of the carriage, engage the carriage holding means with the carriage and raise the fork to the highest position and rack it on the fork The lifted vehicle is moved backward while the rack is placed, the rack placed on the fork is removed from the freezing chamber, the carriage engaged with the lower frame is removed from the carriage entry portion, and then the fork is lowered to the lowest position. By lowering and placing the legs of the rack on the rack placing portion of the carriage, releasing the engagement of the carriage by the carriage holding means, and further moving the lift truck backward It is characterized in Ukoto.

  According to the food freezing system of the present invention, the rack can be carried in and out with a simple operation, and the operation of transferring the rack after the freezing process to the freezer can be easily performed. In addition, since the time for loading and unloading the rack can be shortened, the outflow of cold air from the interior can be suppressed, and the temperature rise in the interior can be suppressed to reduce the energy consumption.

  FIGS. 1 to 6 show an example of a food freezing system according to the present invention, and show a procedure for carrying a rack into a freezing processing chamber of a freezing apparatus. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the relationship between the lift truck and the carriage.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the food freezing system shown in this embodiment includes a rack 11 that holds food to be frozen, a carriage 21 that carries the rack 11 mounted thereon, transports and conveys the rack 11, and the rack 11. A freezing device 31 for storing and freezing the food, and a lift vehicle 41 for carrying the rack 11 into and out of the freezing processing chamber 32 of the freezing device 31 are configured.

  The rack 11 is formed by combining a vertical metal member 12 and a horizontal member 13, and a food placing part 15 for placing food to be frozen via a tray 14 is formed on the upper part, Four leg portions 16 protrude below the food placement portion 15. And when this leg part 16 is mounted on the said trolley | bogie 21, the fork insertion part 17 which can insert the fork 42 of the said lift truck 41 between the lower surface of the said food mounting part 15 and the said trolley | bogie 21 upper surface. Is formed.

  The carriage 21 is a four-sided assembly of metal profiles 22 and is a concave portion serving as a rack mounting portion 23 for mounting the leg portions 16 of the rack 11 at fixed positions at the four corners of the upper surface. Are provided, and traveling casters 24 are provided at the four corners of the bottom surface. A frame insertion portion 25 into which the lower frame 43 of the lift vehicle 41 can be inserted is formed below the carriage 21 with the caster 24 grounded.

  The freezing device 31 includes a freezing processing chamber 32 that stores the rack 11 and performs freezing processing of food. An open / close door 33 is provided at the front opening of the freezing processing chamber, and a lower portion of the freezing processing chamber 32 is provided. Are provided with four leg portions 35 for forming a carriage entry portion 34 into which the carriage 21 can enter. Further, on the lower surface of the freezing processing chamber 32, a cart entry position restricting portion 36 for restricting the entry position of the cart 21 into the cart entering portion 34 is projected, and on the bottom surface of the freezing processing chamber 32, the rack 11 is provided. A rack holding portion 37 is provided to hold the leg portion 16 at a fixed position.

  The lift wheel 41 has a substantially U-shape having four traveling wheels 44, and projects upward from a lower frame 43 that is narrower than the frame insertion portion 25 of the carriage 21 and a base end portion of the lower frame 43. A fork support frame 45, a fork 42 that is supported by the fork support frame 45 in a state where the base end portion can be moved up and down, and narrower than the fork insertion portion 17 of the rack 11, and the fork 42 are set in advance. Lifting means 46 that lifts and lowers within a range, carriage holding means 47 that engages and holds the carriage 21 with respect to the lower frame 43, and a rack position that regulates the placement position of the rack 11 on the fork 42 It has a regulating part 48 and a handle part 49 used when the lift truck 41 is moved.

  The elevating means 46 rotates the handle 46a in one direction and winds the chain connected to the base of the fork 42 around the drum to raise the fork 42, and rotates the handle 46a in the other direction to feed the chain from the drum. Has a mechanism for lowering the fork 42. In addition, the ascending / descending range of the fork 42 is set in advance by a restricting member provided on the ascending / descending means 46 or the fork support frame 45.

  The carriage holding means 47 is provided with an operation pedal 47a at a base end portion of a rotation member provided rotatably on the lower frame 43 and an engagement member 47b at a distal end portion of the rotation member. When the operation pedal 47a is depressed, the engagement member 47b is raised to the engagement position with the carriage 21, and the engagement member 47b is lowered to the non-engagement position by operating a release lever (not shown).

  The rack position restricting portion 48 is formed by a small protrusion protruding from the upper surface of the fork 42, and the rack position restricting portion 48 abuts against the cross member 13 of the rack 11, so that the rack 11 is placed at a predetermined position of the fork 42. It can be placed. The carriage holding means 47 is formed so that the carriage 21 can be fixed to the lower frame 43 when the rack 11 is at a predetermined position of the fork 42.

  The lifting / lowering means 46 and the carriage holding means 47 can be formed by an arbitrary mechanism and structure. For example, when the lift truck 41 is formed to travel electrically, the lifting / lowering means 46 or the carriage is used. The holding means 47 can also be formed so as to be electrically operated by a switch operation.

  Next, a procedure for carrying the rack into the freezing processing chamber of the freezing apparatus will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the leg portion 16 of the rack 11 in which the food to be frozen is placed on the food placing portion 15 via the tray 14 is placed on the rack placing portion 23 of the carriage 21, so While being held in the positional relationship, the lift wheel 41 with the fork 42 lowered to the lowest lowered position is directly opposed to the rack 11.

  Next, the lift vehicle 41 is advanced, and the lower frame 43 is inserted into the frame insertion portion 25 of the carriage 21 and the fork 42 is inserted into the fork insertion portion 17 at the lower portion of the rack 11 as shown in FIG. In the lower frame 43 and the fork 42, the rack position restricting portion 48 abuts on the outer surface of the lower cross member 13 of the rack 11, and the amount of insertion into each of the inserting portions 25 and 17 is restricted. The positional relationship of the lift vehicle 41 is always constant.

  In the state shown in FIG. 2, the operation pedal 47a of the carriage holding means 47 is depressed to raise the engagement member 47b from the non-engagement position, and the engagement member 47b is engaged with the lower part of the carriage 21 so that the carriage 21 is lifted. 41 is fixed. Next, the handle 46a of the elevating means 46 is rotated in one direction to raise the fork 42. As shown in FIG. 3, the rack 11 is placed on the fork 42, and the fork 42 is raised to the highest position. .

  In the state of FIG. 3, the lift truck 41 is advanced toward the freezing device 31, and as shown in FIG. 4, the lower frame 43 is entered together with the cart 21 into the cart entry portion 34 below the freezing device 31 and the rack 11. Is inserted into the freezer 32. The forward position of the lift wheel 41 at this time is regulated by the front surface of the fork support frame 45 coming into contact with the front surface of the freezing processing chamber 32. As a result, the tip of the carriage 21 comes into contact with the carriage entry position restricting portion 36, and the leg portion 16 of the rack 11 is located above the rack holding portion 37 on the bottom surface of the freezing treatment store 32.

  In the state of FIG. 4, the handle 46a is rotated by a predetermined amount in the other direction, and as shown in FIG. 5, the fork 42 is lowered to the extraction position between the bottom surface of the rack 11 and the bottom surface of the freezing processing chamber 32, It is held by the holding unit 37. Then, after returning the engagement member 47b to the non-engagement position and releasing the engagement with the carriage 21, the lift wheel 41 is moved backward.

  When the lift vehicle 41 is moved backward, as shown in FIG. 6, the rack 11 is in a state where the leg portion 16 is held by the rack holding portion 37 and is placed in a predetermined position in the freezing processing chamber 32, and the carriage holding means 47 and The carriage 21 released from the engagement is placed in a predetermined position below the freezing device 31. In this state, the open / close door 33 is closed, and a low temperature gas is introduced into the freezing chamber 32 to freeze the food held in the rack 11.

  When the freezing process of the food is finished, the lift wheel 41 with the fork 42 raised to the extraction position is advanced toward the freezing device 31 with the open / close door 33 open (state of FIG. 6), and the fork 42 is moved to the bottom of the rack 11 5 and the bottom surface of the freezing chamber 32, the lower frame 43 is inserted into the frame insertion portion 25 of the carriage 21, and the front surface of the fork support frame 45 is brought into contact with the front surface of the freezing chamber 32 (FIG. 5). Status). At this time, the leg 11 of the rack 11 is held by the rack holding portion 37, and the tip of the carriage 21 is in contact with the carriage entry position restricting portion 36, so that the rack 11 and the carriage 21 hold the rack 11. The positional relationship when it is carried into the freezing processing chamber 32 is maintained.

  Next, the operation pedal 47 a is depressed to engage the engagement member 47 b with the carriage 21, and the carriage 21 is fixed to the lift truck 41. Subsequently, the handle 46a is rotated in one direction to raise the fork 42 to the highest position, and the rack 11 is placed on the fork 42 (state shown in FIG. 4). By retracting the lift truck 41 in this state, the rack 11 is taken out of the freezer 32 and the carriage 21 is pulled out from the carriage entry section 34 together with the lower frame 43 (state shown in FIG. 3).

  Then, the handle 46a is rotated in the other direction to lower the fork 42 to the lowest position. Thereby, the leg part 16 of the rack 11 will be in the state mounted in the rack mounting part 23 of the trolley | bogie 21 (state of FIG. 2). Subsequently, after the engagement member 47b is returned to the non-engagement position and the engagement with the carriage 21 is released, the lift wheel 41 is moved backward (state of FIG. 1).

  As a result, the rack 11 holding the frozen food is placed at a predetermined position of the carriage 21, so that the rack 11 can be stored with a light force by using the casters 24 of the carriage 21. Can be transferred to a freezer. Since the cart 21 is placed outside the freezing chamber 32 when the food is frozen, the casters 24 are not frozen and can be easily transferred to the freezer. Note that the rack 11 and the carriage 21 can also be transferred to the freezer by the lift truck 41 in a state where the carriage 21 is engaged with the lift truck 41 (state of FIG. 2).

It is explanatory drawing which shows the state before carrying a rack into a freezing apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which advanced the lift vehicle toward the rack and the trolley | bogie. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which mounted the rack on the fork. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which inserted the rack in the freezing processing store | warehouse | chamber. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state hold | maintained at the rack holding | maintenance part of the freezing processing store | warehouse | chamber. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state after carrying a rack into a freezing apparatus. It is a top view which shows the relationship between a lift vehicle and a trolley | bogie.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Rack, 12 ... Vertical material, 13 ... Horizontal material, 14 ... Tray, 15 ... Food placement part, 16 ... Leg part, 17 ... Fork insertion part, 21 ... Dolly, 22 ... Shape, 23 ... Rack placement , 24 ... Caster, 25 ... Frame insertion part, 31 ... Freezing device, 32 ... Freezing processing box, 33 ... Opening / closing door, 34 ... Dolly entry part, 35 ... Leg part, 36 ... Dolly entry position restriction part, 37 ... Rack Holding part, 41 ... lift car, 42 ... fork, 43 ... lower frame, 44 ... traveling wheel, 45 ... fork support frame, 46 ... lifting / lowering means, 46a ... handle, 47 ... carriage holding means, 47a ... operating pedal, 47b ... Engagement member 48 ... rack position restricting part 49 ... grip part

Claims (1)

A rack that holds food to be frozen, a carriage that mounts and transports the rack, a freezing device that houses the rack and freezes the food, and carries the rack into and out of the freezer A food freezing system including a lift car for
The rack includes a food placing portion for placing food to be frozen, a leg portion protruding below the placing portion, and a lower surface of the placing portion when the leg portion is placed on the carriage. A fork insertion part capable of inserting a fork of the lift truck between the upper surface of the carriage,
The carriage includes a rack placement portion for placing the leg portions of the rack at a fixed position, a caster for traveling, and a frame insertion that allows the lower frame of the lift vehicle to be inserted below the carriage in a grounded state of the caster. And
The freezing apparatus includes: a freezing processing chamber that houses the rack; a door that opens and closes the freezing processing chamber; a cart entering portion that allows the cart to enter a lower portion of the freezing processing chamber; and a cart to the cart entering portion. A carriage entry position restriction part for restricting the entry position of the rack, and a rack holding part for holding the leg part of the rack in a fixed position in the freezing processing chamber,
The lift vehicle includes a lower frame having traveling wheels, a fork support frame protruding upward from a base end portion of the lower frame, a fork supported by the fork support frame in a state where the base end can be raised and lowered, Lifting means for raising and lowering the fork within a preset range, carriage holding means for engaging and holding the carriage with respect to the lower frame, and rack position for regulating the position of the rack on the fork And a regulation section,
The loading of the rack into the freezer is performed by placing a leg portion of the rack on which the food to be frozen is placed on the food placing portion on the rack placing portion of the carriage. The frame is inserted into the frame insertion portion of the carriage and the fork lowered to the lowest position is inserted into the fork insertion portion. The rack position restriction portion regulates the position of the rack with respect to the fork and the carriage holding means After engaging the carriage, the fork is raised to the highest position by the elevating means, and the lift truck is moved with the rack placed on the fork, and the carriage is moved to the carriage entry portion of the freezing device. Enter the rack until it is regulated by the regulation section, insert the rack into the freezing chamber, lower the fork to the extraction position between the bottom of the rack and the bottom of the freezing chamber, and the carriage After releasing the engagement of the carriage by lifting means, carried by retracting the lift car, leaving the carriage to carriage entrance portion,
When the rack that has finished the freezing process of the food is taken out from the freezing chamber, the fork at the extraction position is inserted between the bottom surface of the rack and the bottom surface of the freezing chamber, and the lower frame is inserted into the frame insertion portion of the cart. Insert and engage the carriage holding means with the carriage, raise the fork to the highest position, and with the rack placed on the fork, retract the lift truck and freeze the rack placed on the fork The cart that is taken out from the warehouse and engaged with the lower frame is removed from the cart entry portion, then the fork is lowered to the lowest lowered position, and the rack leg is placed on the rack placement portion of the cart. After releasing the engagement of the carriage, it is done by further retracting the lift truck.
A food freezing system characterized by that.

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