JP6086422B2 - Microwave decompression rocking dryer and method for producing dried food, etc. - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is a microwave decompression rocking dryer suitable for producing dried foods and the like using tea leaves as a main raw material, and by using the microwave vacuum rocking dryer, many dry foods can be efficiently produced at once. The present invention relates to a method for producing a dry food or the like that can be produced well.

When producing green tea, raw tea leaves are used as raw materials, and crude tea is produced by carrying out steaming, cooling, rough koji, spice / medium cocoon, refined koji, and drying on the fresh tea leaves. A rough tea production line is generally adopted.
In addition, when producing dried foods etc. using tea leaves as the main raw material, the crude tea that has been dried until the predetermined moisture content produced in the crude tea production line or the preliminary drying after the crude koji or twisting process is performed. The tea leaves are used as raw materials.
In the steaming process, steam at 100 ° C. is applied to fresh tea leaves for 1-2 minutes, steamed at high temperature and then cooled, and in the rough koji process, hot air near 100 ° C. is applied to the tea leaves and pressed with a spatula twister. However, it is dried with hot air for about 45 minutes.

On the other hand, in the field of cooking such as vegetables, various devices using low-temperature steaming that can be cooked deliciously without damaging ingredients such as flavor and nutrients by using low-temperature steam of 100 ° C or lower are listed below. It has been developed as shown in documents 1-3.
And in such a device, a steaming chamber for storing vegetables to be cooked, a decompression device for making the steaming chamber a decompressed atmosphere, a low-temperature steam supply device for supplying low-temperature steam into the steaming chamber, Is basically provided.

Also, in the field of drying scallops and the like, a vacuum drying apparatus using a microwave as disclosed in Patent Document 4 below is used to dry the material with the flavor and texture of the material as much as possible. Has been.
In this vacuum drying apparatus, the inside of the chamber containing scallops and the like is kept at a reduced pressure of 6.7 to 20.0 kPa to lower the water evaporation temperature, and the low temperature of about 40 ° C. does not impair the flavor of the scallops. And scallops etc. are dried by microwave irradiation.

JP-A-9-26103 JP-A-4-48102 JP 2007-135806 A Japanese Patent No. 4474506

However, in the steaming process and the rough koji process described above, the tea leaves are heated to about 100 ° C., so that the flavor, color, fragrance or ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, catechins, etc., that were present in the raw tea leaves are impaired. Had a problem.
In addition, if the low-temperature steam supply device as described above is used, steaming with the flavor of fresh tea leaves and the like becomes possible, but in order to produce dry tea leaves used for blending with drinks and various dry foods, etc. Needs to be further dried while mixing the steamed tea leaves.
And when the tea leaves are dried at a high temperature close to 100 ° C. in the drying step, the flavor and the like of the fresh tea leaves that can be maintained in the steaming step are greatly impaired.

  In addition, in the case of a vacuum drying apparatus using a microwave as shown in Patent Document 4 above, since the object to be dried is contained in a container such as a tray and dried, there is a limit to the amount of the object to be dried. There is a demand for the development of a drying apparatus that can efficiently dry a larger amount of the material to be dried at once.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of such points, and its purpose is to leave many flavors and active ingredients inherently possessed by the raw material, dry foods mainly made from tea leaves, etc. Of a microwave decompression rocking dryer suitable for efficiently producing foods, and production of dried foods and the like that can efficiently produce many flavored dry foods by using the microwave vacuum rocking dryer It is to provide a method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a microwave vacuum rocking dryer according to claim 1 of the present invention comprises a rocking drum provided with an inlet for feeding a material to be dried and a discharge port for discharging the material to be dried; A drying chamber main body having an opening for inserting and removing the moving drum, having a necessary pressure resistance, and an opening / closing door that is attached to the opening so as to be openable and closable and forms a shielding space in the drying chamber main body when closed. And a microwave irradiation device that is attached to the drying chamber body and that irradiates the object to be dried contained in the drying chamber body to dry the object to be dried, and closes the opening A pressure reducing device for making the inside of the drying chamber main body in a reduced pressure atmosphere, and a swing driving means for swinging the swing drum alternately in the forward rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction. To do.

  The microwave vacuum swing dryer according to claim 2 is the microwave vacuum swing dryer according to claim 1, wherein when the door is closed, the drying chamber body outside the opening is Provided on an intermediate path between the opening structure and the seal structure provided with a seal structure provided on a facing surface of the open / close door to seal the inside of the drying chamber main body, and positioned on the opening side A microwave leakage prevention mechanism of a double choke integrated structure continuously arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction so that the first choke and the second choke located on the seal structure side face each other. It is characterized by having.

  The microwave vacuum rocking dryer according to claim 3 is the microwave vacuum rocking dryer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rocking drum is located on the back side when housed in the drying chamber body. The rear side end plate, the front side end plate located on the near side when housed in the drying chamber main body, the back side end plate and the front side end plate are arranged separately in the axial direction and connected. A support member configured by including a plurality of connection rods arranged on the circumference, and between the back side end plate and the front side end plate surrounded by the plurality of connection rods. And a cylindrical drum body having a water passage structure provided in the inner space and provided with the window portion in a part of the peripheral body portion.

  The microwave vacuum swing dryer according to claim 4 is the microwave vacuum swing dryer according to claim 3, wherein the swing drum is swingable in the circumferential direction by a slide base slidable in the axial direction. The slide frame includes a plurality of support rollers that are in rolling contact with the outer peripheral surface of the back side end plate and the front side end plate, and swing drive means provided outside the drying chamber body. A drive shaft to which power is transmitted via a connecting portion; and a drive sprocket attached to a part of the drive shaft and swinging integrally with the drive shaft. By engaging with a driven chain arranged in a loop along one outer peripheral surface of the side end plate and the front side end plate, the swing drum can swing alternately in both forward and reverse directions. Is configured as It is characterized in.

  Further, the microwave vacuum rocking and oscillating dryer according to claim 5 is the microwave vacuum rocking and oscillating dryer according to claim 4, wherein the space between the slide frame and the drying chamber body is relative to the slide frame. A plurality of sets of first rollers attached at positions spaced apart in the axial direction and a plurality of sets of first rollers attached at positions spaced apart in the axial direction in the left and right side spaces across the opening of the drying chamber body. A slide mechanism is provided that includes two rollers, a first guide groove that engages with the first roller, and a second guide groove that engages with the second roller, and a slide guide that is slidable in the axial direction. It is characterized by that.

  The microwave vacuum swing dryer according to claim 6 is the microwave vacuum swing dryer according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the connecting portion is connected to a tip portion on the back side of the drive shaft. A connecting shaft disposed through a wall surface on the back side of the extension of the driving shaft of the drying chamber main body, and a front end of the connecting shaft; A connecting chuck that is connected only by being inserted, and is configured such that a swing arm positioned at the output end of the swing driving means is attached to an end of the connecting shaft at the back side. It is characterized by.

  The microwave vacuum rocking dryer according to claim 7 is the microwave vacuum rocking dryer according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the rocking driving means is driven through the connecting portion. An oscillating arm connected to the shaft, a connecting rod whose one end is rotatably connected to the first connection point on the free end side of the oscillating arm, and whose working length can be changed in the longitudinal direction, and the linking rod A rotating plate having a rotation center at an eccentric position near the proximal end of the second connection point, and a rotation center of the rotation plate. And a motor to which the output shaft is attached.

  A microwave vacuum swing dryer according to claim 8 is the microwave vacuum swing dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the microwave vacuum swing dryer is connected to the drying chamber main body, A steam supply device is provided that supplies low-temperature steam of 100 ° C. or lower for a predetermined time toward the object to be dried and steam-heats the object to be dried.

  The microwave vacuum swing dryer according to claim 9 is the microwave vacuum swing dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pressure reducing device makes the inside of the drying chamber main body a vacuum atmosphere. A water-sealed vacuum pump and a circulating water supply / drainage device for supplying and draining water for driving the water-sealed vacuum pump are provided.

  Further, in the method for producing a dried food according to claim 10 of the present invention, the swing drum is pulled out to the outside of the main body of the drying chamber, the swing drum is rotated in the circumferential direction, and the window portion is turned up. Opening and closing the loading process for loading the material to be dried as the loading port and the swing drum loaded with the material to be dried inside the drying chamber body with the window facing up, and connecting the connection part A drying preparation step for closing the door and sealing the drying chamber main body, driving the decompression device to bring the atmosphere in the drying chamber main body into a predetermined decompression state, and driving the swing driving means to swing the swing drum Oscillating drying step of irradiating the object to be dried with microwaves for a predetermined time while oscillating the oscillating and oscillating until the predetermined moisture content is reached, and after completion of the drying, the pressure reducing device and the oscillating driving means. And stop the microwave irradiation device, open the door and open the drying chamber. And a discharging step of discharging the material to be dried onto a lower tray using the window portion as a discharge port by pulling out the swing drum to the portion, rotating the swing drum in the circumferential direction, and using the window portion as a discharge port. In performing each process, the microwave vacuum rocking dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is used.

  The method for producing a dried food according to claim 11 is the method for producing a dried food according to claim 10, wherein the material to be dried that is put into the rocking drum in the charging step uses low-temperature steam of 100 ° C. or lower. The tea leaves are steamed tea bathed in fresh tea leaves for a predetermined time.

  A method for producing a dried food according to claim 12 is the method for producing a dried food according to claim 10, wherein the material to be dried that is put into the rocking drum in the feeding step is a fresh tea leaf, and the drying preparation step Between the oscillating drying process and the oscillating drying process, there is provided a steaming process in which low temperature steam of 100 ° C. or less is bathed for a predetermined time on the fresh tea leaves in the oscillating drum.

  A method for producing a dried food according to claim 13 is the method for producing a dried food according to claim 11 or 12, wherein after the discharging step, the dried object is subjected to secondary processing to obtain a dried food. A secondary processing step is provided, and the dried product discharged through the discharging step is used as a raw material for extraction or edible tea leaf dried food using tea leaves as a main raw material. To do.

And the following effects are acquired by the said means. First, according to the microwave vacuum rocking dryer of the present invention, since a rocking drum that can accommodate and process many objects to be dried at one time is used, many objects to be dried can be efficiently and simultaneously removed. Can be dried.
In addition, since the object is dried by irradiating with microwaves in a reduced pressure atmosphere, the object to be dried can be dried at a low temperature without damaging the flavor or active ingredient of the material of the object to be dried.
Furthermore, since the drying is performed while swinging the object to be dried using the swing drum, the tea leaf lump is also loosened against the object to be dried that contains a lot of water and easily becomes a lump like tea leaves. Can be dried, and the dry state becomes uniform.

  Further, when a microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure is provided on an intermediate path between the opening and the seal structure, microwave leakage to the outside of the microwave leakage prevention mechanism is at a high level. This is prevented by high frequency circuits. Therefore, since the microwave exposure to the seal structure is prevented, the seal member is prevented from being deteriorated due to the microwave exposure, and the airtightness in the drying chamber body when the door is closed is maintained for a long time. Is done.

In addition, the swing drum includes a support member having a rear side end plate, a front side end plate, and a plurality of connecting rods for connecting them, and a window portion disposed in an inner space of the support member. In addition, the swing drum can be reduced in weight, and a part of the water that has oozed out from the material to be dried is part of the drum body having the water flow structure. Drying efficiency is improved because it is released to the outside.
In addition, the adoption of the swing drum enables the material to be dried to be put into the swing drum simply by turning the window portion upward. In addition, in the state where the window part is facing upward, even if the window part is not closed with a lid, the object to be dried during drying does not occur in principle, and after the drying is finished, the window part is simply turned downward. The object to be dried can be taken out from the swing drum, and the opening / closing operation of the lid at the time of loading, drying and discharging of the object to be dried becomes unnecessary.

In addition, when the swing drum is supported on the slide base so that it can be taken in and out of the drying chamber body, only the swing drum that requires cleaning after drying can be removed from the drying chamber body and cleaned. The cleaning work becomes easy.
Also, a swing drive means for swinging the swing drum is installed outside the drying chamber main body, and the power transmitted from the swing drive means is transmitted to the drive section via the connecting section, and further attached to the drive shaft. Since the drive sprocket and the driven chain meshing with the drive sprocket are transmitted to the swing drum, it is possible to connect and disconnect the power to the swing drum only by operating the connecting portion.
Therefore, it becomes possible to exclude the swing drive means from the target of the cleaning work that needs to be performed each time the drying operation is completed, thereby facilitating the cleaning work, extending the life of the swing drive means, and improving the maintainability. It becomes possible to make it. In addition, the space inside the drying chamber body can be widely used, so that the swing drum can be made somewhat larger or the size of the drying chamber body itself can be reduced.

A first roller attached to the slide frame; a second roller attached to the drying chamber body; and a guide groove engaged with the first roller between the slide frame and the drying chamber body. When a slide mechanism including a slide guide having an axially slidable guide having a guide groove that engages with the second roller is disposed, a slide base necessary for taking in and out the swing drum from the drying chamber body Can be realized by a slide mechanism having a relatively simple structure, a small number of parts, and a small installation space.

Further, the connecting portion is connected to the connecting convex portion attached to the distal end portion on the back side of the drive shaft, and the connecting portion disposed through the inner wall surface on the extension line of the drive shaft of the drying chamber body. In the case of comprising a shaft and a connecting chuck attached to the front end of the connecting shaft and connected by simply inserting the connecting convex portion, the structure is simple and the connection is released and released It is possible to provide a connecting portion that can be easily operated.
When the swing arm located at the output end of the swing driving means is attached to the back end of the connecting shaft, the power generated by the swing driving means is connected to the connected portion. Thus, it is converted into a swinging motion of the swinging drum and transmitted efficiently.

  Further, the swing drive means is connected to the swing arm connected to the drive shaft via the connecting portion, and one end is rotatably connected to the first connection point of the swing arm, in the longitudinal direction. A connecting rod capable of changing the working length, a rotating plate having the other end of the connecting rod rotatably connected at the second connection point, and having a rotation center at an eccentric position of the second connection point, and rotation of the rotating plate In the case where the motor is provided with a motor to which the output shaft is attached at the center, the rotation of the output shaft of the motor is converted into a swinging motion within a range of a predetermined angle of the drive shaft and smoothly transmitted.

  In addition to the above-described configuration, in the case where a steam supply device capable of supplying a low-temperature steam of 100 ° C. or lower for a predetermined time to the object to be dried by steam heating is provided in the drying chamber main body, In addition, it becomes possible to perform low-temperature steaming with low-temperature steam of 100 ° C. or less, and it becomes possible to select an optimum heating mode according to the type of the object to be dried for various objects to be dried. Applications of the swing dryer will be expanded.

In addition, when a pressure reducing device having a water-sealed vacuum pump and a circulation type water supply / drainage device is adopted as the pressure reducing device, it includes drain and moisture in the drying chamber body with a relatively simple configuration. The atmosphere in the drying chamber main body can be reduced in pressure while discharging unnecessary gas to the outside.
In addition, the adoption of the circulation type water supply / drainage device makes it possible to reduce the consumption of water for driving the water ring vacuum pump and to operate the decompression device efficiently.

In addition, according to the method for producing dried foods and the like of the present invention, a series of steps such as charging of an object to be dried, preparation for drying, rocking drying, and discharging are continuously performed using a single microwave vacuum rocking dryer. It becomes possible to execute. In addition, by separating the swing drum for storing the object to be dried and the drying chamber main body for performing the drying separately, only the swing drum that needs to be cleaned each time is dried. It can be taken out of the machine, cleaned, and maintained.
In addition, by using the above-described microwave vacuum swinging dryer of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently produce many dry foods in a short time without destroying the flavor or active ingredients of the material to be dried. Is possible.
The low temperature steam used in the present invention is 100 ° C. or lower, specifically, 20 ° C. to 100 ° C. is preferable, more preferably 30 ° C. to 90 ° C., and particularly preferably 40 ° C. to 70 ° C. is there.

  In addition, when the material to be dried put into the rocking drum is made into steamed tea leaves that have been steamed on fresh tea leaves for a predetermined time with a low temperature steam of 100 ° C. or less, after steaming, which contains a lot of water and tends to clump. It is possible to perform desired drying by uniformly irradiating microwaves while breaking the tea leaf lump without breaking the flavor or active ingredient of the tea leaf.

  In addition, when the material to be dried put into the rocking drum is fresh tea leaves and a steaming process is provided between the drying preparation process and the rocking drying process, a single microwave vacuum rocking rocking dryer is used. A series of processing and drying can be performed until the raw tea leaves are made into dry tea leaves with a predetermined moisture content using only the water, and the work to be taken out is replaced during the process or replaced with a tray or other container Becomes unnecessary, and more efficient production of dried foods and the like becomes possible.

  In addition, a secondary processing step is provided as a subsequent step of the discharging step, and the dried material discharged through the discharging step is used as a raw material for extraction or edible tea leaf dried products mainly made of tea leaves. If it is configured, the fresh aroma and color of tea leaves, natural sweetness, and production of unprecedented dry foods that contain many active ingredients that are good for health such as vitamins, minerals, and catechins Is possible.

It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a sectional side view which shows a microwave pressure reduction rocking | swiveling dryer. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is an end elevation of the back side which shows a microwave decompression rocking dryer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is an end elevation of the near side which shows a microwave decompression rocking dryer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a top view which shows a microwave pressure reduction rocking | swiveling dryer. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a sectional side view which shows the state which pulled the rocking drum out of the drying chamber main body. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a sectional side view which shows the state which accommodated the rocking | swiveling drum in the drying chamber main body. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a front end view which shows the support structure of a rocking | drum, a power transmission means, and a slide mechanism. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is AA sectional drawing in FIG. 7 which shows the support structure of a rocking | drum, a power transmission means, and a slide mechanism. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is BB sectional drawing in FIG. 7 which shows the support structure of a rocking | drum, a power transmission means, and a slide mechanism. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is a sectional side view which shows a connection part. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a rear view of the opening / closing door of the state seen from the arrow C in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is an enlarged view of the D section in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a perspective view which shows the opening-and-closing door of the state expanded. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is a front view which shows a rocking | swiveling drive means. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is a top view which shows a rocking | swiveling drive means. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the whole structure and piping path | route of a microwave pressure reduction rocking | swiveling dryer. It is a figure which shows the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the whole structure and piping path | route of a microwave pressure reduction rocking dryer. It is a figure which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and is explanatory drawing which shows each process of injection | throwing-in of a manufacturing method, such as dried food, a dry preparation, rocking | drying drying, and discharge | emission. It is a figure which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the manufacturing line in the case of manufacturing the dry tea leaf for extraction. It is a figure which shows the 5th Embodiment of this invention, and is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the manufacturing line in the case of manufacturing the dry tea leaf for extraction. It is a figure which shows the 6th Embodiment of this invention, and is explanatory drawing which shows the outline | summary of the manufacturing line in the case of manufacturing tea leaf dry food.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the three embodiments of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 15, the second embodiment shown in FIG. 16, and the third embodiment shown in FIG. The configuration of the microwave vacuum rocking dryer of the invention will be described. The fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 20, and the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. The configuration of the method for producing a dried food or the like according to the present invention, which is executed by using the microwave vacuum rocking and swinging dryer according to the present invention, will be described by taking the three embodiments of the present embodiment as an example.

(1) 1st Embodiment (refer FIGS. 1-15)
The microwave decompression rocking dryer 1 of the present invention includes a rocking drum 7 having a window 6 serving as an inlet 3 for feeding an object A to be dried and an outlet 5 for discharging the object A to be dried. A drying chamber main body 11 having an opening 9 through which the swing drum 7 is taken in and out and having a necessary pressure resistance, and is attached to the opening 9 so as to be openable and closable. The opening / closing door 13 that forms a shielded space and the drying chamber main body 11 are attached to the drying chamber main body 11, and microwaves are irradiated toward the drying target A that is accommodated in the drying chamber main body 11. A microwave irradiation device 15 for drying, a decompression device 17 for making the inside of the drying chamber main body 11 in a decompressed atmosphere while the opening 9 is closed, and the swing drum 7 in the normal rotation direction P and the reverse rotation direction Q. Swing drive means 19 for swinging alternately, and the drying chamber body Is basically formed by comprising temperature in 1 and a control unit 21 for controlling the microwave output of the microwave irradiation device 15 to a predetermined temperature, the.

In the microwave vacuum swing dryer 1A of the present embodiment, an open window portion 6 having a large diameter is formed in a part of the peripheral body portion of the drum body 103 of the swing drum 7. When the rocking drum 7 is rotated in the circumferential direction and the window portion 6 is moved upward, the window portion 6 becomes the insertion port 3, while when the window portion 6 is moved downward, the window portion 6 is configured to function as the discharge port 5.
Further, in the present embodiment, the introduction pipe line 27 for introducing the gas into the drying chamber body 11 through the suction valve 25 with respect to the drying chamber body 11 is provided at the lower part of the left and right side plates as an example of the drying chamber body 11. One is connected to the center.

  The swing drum 7 includes a back end plate 35A located on the back side when housed in the drying chamber body 11, a front end plate 35B located on the near side when housed in the drying chamber body 11, A support member 101 configured by including a plurality of connecting rods 36 arranged on the circumference, which connects the back side end plate 35A and the front side end plate 35B so as to be spaced apart from each other in the axial direction Y. And the above-described window portion 6 is provided in a part of the peripheral body portion, which is disposed in an inner space between the back side end plate 35A and the front side end plate 35B surrounded by the plurality of connecting rods 36. And a cylindrical drum body 103 having a water flow structure.

The rear side end plate 35A is a disk-shaped member as shown in the figure, and a guide groove 109 having a predetermined depth is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof to be supported by rolling contact with a support roller 105 described later.
The front side end plate 35B is also a disk-like member similar to the back side end plate 35A, and a protruding portion 107 that protrudes somewhat toward the back side end plate 35A is formed on the outer periphery thereof.

And the outer peripheral surface of the front side end plate 35B is formed wider than the back side end plate 35A by the amount provided with the overhanging portion 107, and the outer peripheral surface formed wide is A guide groove 111 having a predetermined depth is formed near the support roller 105, which will be described later.
Further, a driven chain 115 that meshes with a drive sprocket 113 (described later) is wound around the outer peripheral surface and wound in a loop shape on the inner side of the outer peripheral surface that is formed wide.
Further, the connecting rods 36 are made of a metal round bar-like member as an example, and six connecting rods 36 are arranged as an example at equal intervals on the circumference around the rotation axis of the swing drum 7.

The drum main body 103 is a cylindrical member having a water flow structure constituted by a punching metal, a resin or a metal mesh net.
Further, as described above, the window 6 having the functions as the inlet 3 and the outlet 5 is formed in a part of the peripheral body of the drum body 103.

The drying chamber main body 11 is a cube or rectangular parallelepiped member constructed by assembling an angle member or the like into a rectangular frame shape, and an example used when the swing drum 7 is taken in and out at one end surface thereof. The opening part 9 obstruct | occluded by the above-mentioned opening / closing door 13 of rectangular flat plate shape is formed.
The drying chamber main body 11 and the open / close door 13 have necessary pressure resistance and hermeticity that can withstand use in a reduced pressure state.

The front surface outside the periphery of the opening 9 is a seal surface 61 that faces a seal structure 63 provided on the back surface of the opening / closing door 13 described below.
The open / close door 13 is a rectangular plate-like member that is slightly larger than the opening 9, and a ring as an example that comes into contact with the seal surface 61 when the open / close door 13 is closed near the rear surface of the open / close door 13. A seal structure 63 having a rubber packing 13a is provided.
A microwave leakage prevention mechanism 71, which will be described in detail below, is provided on the back surface of the door 13 inside the seal structure 63.

The microwave leakage prevention mechanism 71 is provided on an intermediate path 73 between the opening 9 and the seal structure 63, and includes a first choke 67 positioned on the opening 9 side and a position on the seal structure 63 side. The double choke integral structure is arranged continuously at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction so as to face the second choke 69.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, a cross section in which a distal end portion 77 is bent 90 ° with respect to a base end portion 79 at an upper end edge of a long shielding plate 75 raised vertically from the rear surface of the door 13. An L-shaped first choke 67 is provided, and a second choke 69 having the same shape and the same size as the first choke 67 is disposed at the lower end edge of the shielding plate 75 at a position facing the first choke 67. A microwave leakage prevention mechanism 71 is configured.

Further, a gap G is formed between the leading end 77 of the first choke 67 and the leading end 77 of the second choke 69, and the first choke 67 and the second choke from the midpoint O of the gap G. The distance L1 from the front end 77 of each 69 to the connection point B of the base end 79 is the distance L2 from the middle point O to the contact C between the perpendicular line lowered to the shielding plate 75 and the opposing surface of the shielding plate 75. It is set to be approximately equal to ¼ of the wavelength λ of the microwave used together.
Incidentally, by adopting such a dimension setting, a detour having a length of ¼ of the wavelength λ is formed in the intermediate path 73, and the reflected wave at the detour and the connection point B to the middle The phase difference from the wave toward the point O becomes half of the wavelength λ and cancels each other, and the leakage of the microwave to the outside of the drying chamber body 11 is prevented.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a hinge portion 45 serving as a rotation center when opening and closing the opening / closing door 13 is provided at one end edge extending in the vertical direction of the opening / closing door 13. The other end edge of the door 13 extending in the vertical direction is provided with a handle 47 as a clue when opening and closing the door 13 as shown in FIGS.
An example of the opening / closing door 13 is provided with an inspection window 39 at the center thereof for checking the inside of the drying chamber body 11 during drying.

A locking device 48 for locking the closed state of the door 13 is provided between the front plate of the drying chamber body 11 in which the opening 9 is formed and the upper and lower edges of the door 13. ing.

The lock device 48 is provided on a rotary lock handle 48a provided at two locations on the upper and lower edges of the front surface of the open / close door 13, for example, and on the front plate of the drying chamber body 11, and the lock device 48 A locking hook 48c locked to the locking claw 48b at the tip of the handle 48a is provided as an example.

The swing drum 7 is rotatably supported in the circumferential direction by a slide base 125 that is slidable in the axial direction Y and provided between the drying chamber body 11.
The slide pedestal 125 is a machine frame assembled in a rectangular frame shape using a metal flat plate material or a shape steel material, and is supported in a state slidable in the axial direction Y by a slide mechanism 135 described below. .
The slide mechanism 135 includes two sets of first rollers 127 that are attached to the slide base 125 and are spaced apart in the axial direction Y, and the left and right sides of the opening 9 of the drying chamber body 11. Two sets of second rollers 129 supported by the support bracket 133 and spaced apart in the axial direction Y, and guide grooves that engage with the first rollers 127 at the lower part of the space. It comprises as an example by providing the slide guide 131 comprised by arrange | positioning the grooved steel back to back which has the guide groove which engages with the said 2nd roller 129 outside.
Further, a handle 126 used as a clue when the slide mount 125 is pulled out of the drying chamber body 11 or stored in the drying chamber body 11 is provided at the center of the front surface of the slide mount 125.

5 and 6, a member denoted by reference numeral 137 is a first stopper that determines a drawing end of the swing drum 7 by abutting against a first convex portion 131 a provided at a lower end position of the slide guide 131. 5 and 6, the member denoted by reference numeral 139 is a second member that determines the accommodation end of the swing drum 7 by abutting against a second convex portion 131 b provided at an intermediate position below the slide guide 131. It is a stopper.
In addition, on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the slide frame 125, brackets 141 having bearings raised upward in a partition shape are provided, and these brackets 141 are used to make two left and right shown in FIGS. The shaft portion 143 is pivotally supported in parallel along the axial direction Y.

The above-mentioned two support rollers 105 are attached to the two shaft portions 143 one by one on the front and rear sides, and these support rollers 105 engage with the guide grooves 109 and 111 described above. Thus, the swing drum 7 can be supported while being rotatable in the circumferential direction.
One of the shaft portions 143 is a drive shaft 147 to which power is transmitted from a swing drive means 19 provided outside the drying chamber body 11 via a connecting portion 145. In part, the above-described drive sprocket 113 that rotates integrally with the drive shaft 147 is attached.
Then, the rocking drum 7 can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions by engaging the drive sprocket 113 with the driven chain 115.

Further, the connecting portion 145 for transmitting the power of the swing driving means 19 to the drive shaft 147 to which the drive sprocket 113 is attached is configured as shown in FIG. Specifically, the mounting base 151 and the mounting plate 153 are attached to the connection convex portion 149 provided at the tip of the drive shaft 147 and the back plate of the drying chamber body 11. The connecting portion 145 is configured as an example by including a connecting shaft 155 and a connecting chuck 157 that is attached to the tip of the connecting shaft 155 located inside the drying chamber body 11 and is directly connected to the connecting convex portion 149. Has been.
The drive shaft 147 and the connecting shaft 155 are arranged coaxially along the axial direction Y, and according to the movement of the swing drum 7 mounted on the slide base 125 and sliding in the axial direction Y, The connection projection 149 and the connection chuck 157 are automatically connected and disconnected.

Also, a swing arm 158 positioned at the output end of the swing drive means 19 described below is attached to the inner end of the connecting shaft 155.
The swing drive means 19 is connected to the swing arm 158 connected to the drive shaft 147 via the connecting portion 145 and the first connection point 158a on the free end side of the swing arm 158 at one end. Is connected to the connecting rod 159 that can be rotated in the longitudinal direction and the other end of the connecting rod 159 is rotatably connected at the second connection point 159a provided near the free end. The rotation plate 162 having a rotation center 162a at an eccentric position near the base end of the point 159a and a motor 163 having an output shaft attached to the rotation center 162a of the rotation plate 162 are configured as an example.

Of these, the swing arm 158 is a rectangular flat plate member as an example, and its base end is attached to the drive shaft 147 via a collar 148. Further, an elongated hole 158b extending along the longitudinal direction is formed at the center of the swing arm 158 in the width direction, and the position of the first connection point 158a described above can be varied within the range of the length of the elongated hole 158b. It is configured to be able to.
The connecting rod 159 is configured by connecting the first rod 160 disposed on the distal end side and the second rod 161 disposed on the proximal end side so as to expand and contract in the longitudinal direction.

Specifically, at the center of the first rod 160 in the width direction, two long holes 160a extending along the longitudinal direction are spaced apart on the same axis, and are closer to the free end of the second rod 161. At the center in the width direction, two engagement pins 161a that engage with the elongated hole 160a are projected.
Therefore, the connecting rod 159 is configured such that its working length can be varied within the range of the length of the elongated hole 160a.
In addition, the rotating plate 162 is configured by a rectangular flat plate member as an example, and a bearing 164 that smoothens the swinging motion of the connecting rod 159 at the second connecting point 159 a connected to the connecting rod 159. The rotation center 162a is provided with a mounting hole portion 165 that fits around the output shaft of the motor 163 in a penetrating state.

The microwave irradiation device 15 is provided above the top plate of the drying chamber main body 11 described above, and an opening (not shown) for guiding the microwave irradiated from the microwave irradiation device 15 into the drying chamber main body 11. Is formed on the top plate of the drying chamber body 11.
As the microwave irradiating device 15, two units having a maximum microwave variable output of about 3000 w are provided as an example.

As shown in FIG. 4, the decompression device 17 </ b> A communicates with the drying chamber body 11 and the vacuum pump 55 via a vacuum pump 55 and an open / close valve 57 disposed outside the drying chamber body 11. It is comprised by providing the connecting pipeline 59 branched to the book.
Further, as an example of the drying chamber main body 11, two introduction pipe lines 27 are directed inwardly at the lower center of the left and right side plates, one on each side as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. The above-described suction valve 25 that switches between suction of air and stop of suction is disposed at the distal end portion of each introduction pipe 27 that is located outside the drying chamber main body 11.

Further, the drying chamber body 11 is provided with a pressure sensor 167 and a temperature sensor 169, and the vacuum pump in the control device 21 based on the pressure information and temperature information detected by the pressure sensor 167 and the temperature sensor 169. 55, the microwave irradiation device 15 and the suction valve 25 are controlled to set the pressure and temperature of the drying chamber body 11 during drying to predetermined values and hold them.
In addition, when the drying object A in the swing drum 7 is discharged to the outside after the drying is completed, a virtual position in FIG. 1 is placed below the swing drum 7 pulled out of the drying chamber body 11. A tray 49 or the like as shown by a line is installed, and the dried object A discharged from the window 6 is received using the window 6 directed downward as the discharge port 5.

  According to the microwave vacuum swing dryer 1A of the present embodiment configured as described above, since it can be gently heated from the center to the surface of the object to be dried A while swinging at a low temperature, the object to be dried It is possible to efficiently dry many to-be-dried objects A uniformly in a short time without destroying the flavor or active ingredient of the material of A.

(2) Second embodiment (see FIG. 16)
In addition to the configuration of the microwave vacuum swinging dryer 1A of the first embodiment, the microwave vacuum swinging dryer 1B of the second embodiment has a low temperature steam of 100 ° C. or less in the drying chamber body 11. It differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a steam supply device 201 that supplies and heats and supplies a decompression device 301 that uses a water-sealed vacuum pump 305 as the decompression device 17B. .
Therefore, here, the configuration of the steam supply device 201 and the configuration of the decompression device 301 which are different from those of the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  The steam supply device 201 includes a boiler facility 203 serving as a steam generation unit, a low-temperature steam generation unit 202 that converts the high-temperature steam supplied from the boiler facility 203 to a low-temperature steam having a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the material A to be dried, A steam supply path 207, a steam circulation path 209, and a steam adjustment path 213 that connect the boiler equipment 203 and the steam generation unit 202 and the jacket 81 are provided as an example.

As the boiler equipment 203, for example, a boiler 215 having a maximum output of about 0.68 MPa using liquefied petroleum gas as fuel can be applied, and a working pressure range of the boiler 215 is adjusted to a steam supply path 207 extending from the boiler 215. A pressure gauge 233, a pressure reducing valve 237, a bypass valve 245, and the like are appropriately disposed.
The low-temperature steam generation unit 202 controls the temperature of the steam supplied from the boiler equipment 203 to make the low-temperature steam at the above-described predetermined temperature, and the steam adjustment path 213 by setting the steam adjustment path 213 to a high vacuum and the steam supply path An ejector 211 that sucks in non-condensable gas and drain in 207, a tank 217 that stores driving water for the ejector 211, a line pump 219 that pressurizes driving water in the tank 217, and a drain in the steam adjustment path 213 It is basically configured by providing a steam trap 221 that eliminates and enables a stable supply of steam.

In addition, the tank 217 is provided with a level sensor 223 and a motor-driven two-way valve 225 used when water is supplied into the tank 217. Further, an overheat prevention valve 227 that also serves as a cold water replenishing port is provided at a connection portion between the steam supply path 207 and the steam adjustment path 213 downstream of the vacuum pressure reducing valve 205. A pressure gauge 233 is arranged.
The steam supply path 207 further extends toward the jacket 81 via a connection point with the steam adjustment path 213. A temperature sensor 229 for measuring the temperature of the low-temperature steam flowing in the steam supply path 207 is arranged downstream of the above-described overheat prevention valve 227, and the pressure of the low-temperature steam is detected downstream of the temperature sensor 229. A pressure sensor 231 is disposed. Further, a two-way valve 225 is disposed downstream of the pressure sensor 231, and the pressure sensor 231 is also disposed in the vicinity of the connection portion with the jacket 81.

The steam circulation path 209 is formed from the lower portion of the jacket 81 toward the steam supply path 207 and the steam adjustment path 213 described above.
A two-way valve 225 and a check valve 239 are arranged on the upstream side of the steam circulation path 209, and the branch 241 is divided into two paths, a steam supply path 207 side and a steam adjustment path 213 side. Of these paths, the path extending toward the steam supply path 207 joins the connection point where the temperature sensor 229 is disposed, and the steam trap 221 and the bypass valve 245 are disposed in the middle of the path. On the other hand, the path extending toward the steam adjustment path 213 joins the connection point at the downstream position of the steam trap 221 disposed in the steam adjustment path 213.

The decompression device 301 is basically configured by including a water-sealed vacuum pump 305 and a circulation type water supply / drainage device 307, and a water supply path 309 and a drainage path 311 are further provided therebetween.
The water-sealed vacuum pump 305 is a pump used for exhausting gas containing water vapor or water droplets, and forms a water-sealing ring on the inner wall of the cylinder using the rotation of an impeller attached eccentrically to the cylinder. The pumping action is performed by utilizing the volume change of the space surrounded by the sealing ring and the impeller blades.

The circulation type water supply / drainage device 307 is configured as an example by including an upper tank 313 and a lower tank 315 inside the support frame 303, and a water supply nozzle 317 for supplying water from the outside to the upper tank 313, A ball tap 319 for measuring the water level in the upper tank 313 and a temperature sensor 321 for measuring the water temperature in the upper tank 313 are arranged.
On the other hand, a submersible pump 323 is disposed in the lower tank 315, and the upper tank is pumped up the water discharged from the water-sealed vacuum pump 305 and stored in the lower tank 315 through the drainage path 311. It can be supplied to 313.

A three-way valve 327 driven by a motor is disposed as an example in the middle of a circulation path 325 connecting the submersible pump 323 and the upper tank 313. By switching the three-way valve 327 as appropriate, The water pumped up by the pump 323 is supplied into the upper tank 313 or drained to the outside.
Further, the above-described water supply path 309 extends from the bottom of the upper tank 313, and the other end of the water supply path 309 is connected to the above-described water-sealed vacuum pump 305. Further, a needle valve 247 for taking in air from the outside and adjusting the pressure in the path is disposed in the middle of the discharge path 235 connecting the drying chamber body 11 and the water-sealed vacuum pump 305.

Also, the microwave vacuum swinging dryer 1B of the present embodiment including the steam supply device 201 and the pressure reducing device 301 configured as described above has the same functions and effects as those of the first embodiment. It becomes possible to dry many to-be-dried objects A uniformly in a short time without destroying the flavor, active ingredients, etc. of the material to be dried A.
Further, in the present embodiment, the use of the microwave vacuum swing dryer 1B is expanded, and the tea making process until the raw tea leaf A0 is processed into the steamed tea leaf A1 and further processed into the dried tea leaf A2 is made single. It becomes possible to carry out using the microphone wave pressure reduction rocking dryer 1B. Further, by adopting the decompression device 301 using the water ring vacuum pump 305, unnecessary gas containing drain and moisture in the drying chamber body 11 is discharged to the outside.

(3) Third embodiment (see FIG. 17)
The microwave decompression rocking dryer 1C according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the microwave decompression rocking dryer 1B according to the second embodiment. Only the configuration is different from the steam supply apparatus 201 of the second embodiment.
Therefore, here, the configuration of the steam supply apparatus 501 different from the second embodiment will be mainly described.
That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, a steam supply device 501 having a configuration including a boiler facility 503, a cooler 505, and a steam supply path 507 is employed.

The steam supply device 501 shown in FIG. 17 is provided with a boiler facility 503 similar to the boiler facility 203 of the steam supply device 201 shown in FIG. 16 described in the second embodiment. Is provided with a boiler 509, a pressure gauge 511, a pressure reducing valve 513, and a bypass valve 515. A steam supply path 507 extends from the boiler equipment 503 toward the jacket 81, and a cooler 505 is disposed upstream of the steam supply path 507 via a two-way valve 517.
As the cooler 505, a blower-type cooling device including a cooling fan 519 and a cooling pipe line 521 can be applied as an example, and a downstream of the cooler 505 extends from a water supply tank 525 via a temperature sensor 523. It is configured to reach a mist nozzle 529 provided at a junction with the water supply path 527. Note that the air volume by the cooling fan 519 is controlled so as to be appropriately increased or decreased based on the level of the steam temperature detected by the temperature sensor 523.

  When the temperature of the steam cooled by the cooler 505 is high, water for reducing the temperature of the steam is stored in the water supply tank 525, and further, a ball tap 531 for detecting the water level, And a nozzle 533 for replenishing water when the temperature becomes low. A two-way valve 535 is provided on the water supply path 527 downstream of the water supply tank 525.

  The water supplied to the mist nozzle 529 is made into mist, and together with the low-temperature steam supplied from the cooler 505, passes through the steam supply path 507 on the downstream side, and passes through the two-way valve 535 to the jacket. 81 is led into. In addition, a pressure sensor 537 is provided at the downstream end of the steam supply path 507, and the upstream position of the cooler 505 described above based on the pressure level of the mist mixed steam detected by the pressure sensor 537. Opening and closing of the two-way valve 517 is appropriately controlled.

Also, the microwave decompression rocking dryer 1C of the present embodiment provided with the steam supply device 501 configured in this manner also exhibits the same functions and effects as those of the second embodiment described above, and is covered. It is possible to efficiently dry many to-be-dried objects A uniformly in a short time without destroying the flavor or active ingredients of the material of the dried object A.
Also in this embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, the microwave vacuum swinging dryer 1C can be used for the tea making process, and it is unnecessary to include drain or moisture in the drying chamber body 11. Gas can be discharged to the outside.

(4) Fourth embodiment (see FIGS. 18 and 19)
In the method for producing a dried food or the like according to the present invention, the swing drum 7 is pulled out of the drying chamber body 11 and the material to be dried A is loaded with the window portion 6 up, and the swing drum 7 is dried. The inside of the chamber main body 11 is connected to the connecting portion 145, the drying preparation step S2 for sealing the drying chamber main body 11, and the atmosphere in the drying chamber main body 11 is depressurized, and microwaves are applied for a predetermined time. An oscillating drying step S3 for irradiating and oscillating the dried material A, and after drying, the oscillating drum 7 is pulled out of the drying chamber body 11, and the window 6 serves as the outlet 5 to be dried. A discharge step S4 for discharging A is basically provided.

And in performing each said process, it is comprised so that the microwave decompression rocking dryer 1 mentioned above may be used.
Hereinafter, taking as an example the case where the object to be dried A is dried using the microwave vacuum swinging dryer 1A according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Each of the above steps in combination with the operation mode of the microwave vacuum swinging dryer 1 </ b> A, divided into charging), (B) preparing for drying, (C) swinging drying, and (D) discharging. Will be explained.
In addition, after the above description, the manufacturing flow when manufacturing dry tea leaves for extraction using the above-described microwave vacuum swinging dryer 1A will be described with reference to FIG. 19 as (E).

(A) At the time of input (see FIG. 18 (a))
In the charging step S 1, the swing drum 7 is pulled out of the drying chamber body 11, the swing drum 7 is rotated in the circumferential direction, the window portion 6 is turned upward, and the window portion 6 is used as the input port 3 to be dried. This is the step of introducing A.
In this process, the opening / closing door 13 is opened by holding the handle 47 of the opening / closing door 13, and the opening 9 of the drying chamber body 11 is opened. Next, the handle 126 provided on the front surface of the slide base 125a is put on the hand and the slide base 125 is pulled out to the front, and the first convex portion 131a comes into contact with the first stopper 137 that determines the drawing end of the swing drum 7. To move.

Next, the swing drum 7 is turned in the circumferential direction so that the window portion 6 is turned up, and a predetermined amount of the material A to be dried is put into the swing drum 7 from the window portion 6.
In the state shown in FIG. 18A in which the swing drum 7 is pulled out, the connection state of the connecting portion 145 is released, so that the drive shaft 147 can freely rotate. Therefore, the oscillating drum 7 can be easily rotated in the circumferential direction even manually without receiving a large resistance from the drive shaft 147 side.

(B) During drying preparation (see FIG. 18B)
In the drying preparation step S2, the swing drum 7 into which the material to be dried A is put is housed in the drying chamber body 11 with the window portion 6 facing upward, the connecting portion 145 is connected, and the door 13 is opened. This is a step of closing the drying chamber main body 11 in a closed state.
In this process, the handle 126 provided on the front surface of the slide base 125 is held, the slide base 125 is pushed toward the back, and the second protrusion 131b is formed on the second stopper 139 that determines the accommodation end of the swing drum 7. Move until it touches.

Note that, at the position where the second convex portion 131b contacts the second stopper 139, the connecting convex portion 149 is engaged with the connecting chuck 157, and the connecting portion 145 is in a connected state.
Next, the door 13 is closed with the handle 27 of the door 13 and the lock handle 48a is further rotated in a predetermined direction so that all the locking devices 48 are locked.
In this state, the airtightness in the drying chamber body 11 is maintained by the seal structure 63 described above, and microwave leakage is prevented in a high frequency circuit by the action of the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 71 described above.

(C) During swing drying (see FIG. 18C)
In the swing drying step S3, the decompression device 17 is driven to bring the atmosphere in the drying chamber body 11 into a predetermined reduced pressure state, and the swing drive means 19 is driven to swing the swing drum 7. This is a step of irradiating the object to be dried A with microwaves for a predetermined time and drying while swinging until a predetermined moisture content is reached.
In this step, the on-off valve 57 is opened and the vacuum pump 55 is driven to bring the atmosphere in the drying chamber body 11 into a reduced pressure state suitable for drying the dry matter A. At the same time, the microwave irradiation device 15 is operated to adjust to a predetermined microwave output suitable for drying the object to be dried A, and the microwave is irradiated toward the object A to be dried.

Note that the pressure and temperature in the drying chamber body 11 during drying are monitored by the pressure sensor 167 and the temperature sensor 169 described above, and pressure information and temperature information sent from the pressure sensor 167 and the temperature sensor 169. Based on the above, the control device 21 controls the vacuum pump 55, the microwave irradiation device 15, and the suction valve 25, and the atmosphere in the drying chamber body 11 is set and maintained at the optimum pressure and temperature for the drying.
In addition, the motor 163 of the swing driving means 19 is driven, and the rotation of the output shaft of the motor 163 is transmitted to the rotating plate 162, the connecting rod 159, and the swing arm 158, and the predetermined swing of the drive shaft 147 is performed. It is converted into a rocking motion with a moving angle.
Further, the swinging motion of the drive shaft 147 is transmitted to the swinging drum 7 via the drive sprocket 113 and the driven chain 115, and the swinging drum 7 is alternately directed in the forward direction P and the reverse direction Q. Change and come to swing.

(D) During discharge (see FIG. 18 (d))
In the discharging step S4, after the drying is finished, the driving of the decompression device 17, the swing driving means 19 and the microwave irradiation device 15 is stopped, the door 13 is opened, and the swing drum 7 is pulled out of the drying chamber body 11, In this step, the rocking drum 7 is rotated in the circumferential direction so that the window portion 6 is turned down, and the dried material A is discharged onto the receiving tray 49 below using the window portion 6 as the discharge port 5.
In this step, the driving of the vacuum pump 55 and the microwave irradiation device 15 is stopped, the suction valve 25 is opened, and the pressure in the drying chamber body 11 is returned to atmospheric pressure. Further, the driving of the motor 163 is stopped and the swing of the swing drum 7 is stopped.

Next, the lock handle 48a of the open / close door 13 is turned in a predetermined direction to release the lock state of all the lock devices 48, and the open / close door 13 is opened by holding the handle 47 of the open / close door 13.
Further, when the handle 126 provided on the front surface of the slide base 125 is put on the hand and the slide base 125 is pulled forward, the connection state of the connecting portion 145 is automatically released, and the drawer end of the swing drum 7 is moved. The swing drum 7 is pulled out to a position where the determined first stopper 137 contacts the first convex portion 131a and stops moving.
Then, the rocking drum 7 is turned in the circumferential direction so that the window portion 6 is lowered, and the dried material A to be dried in the rocking drum 7 is discharged from the window portion 6 onto the tray 49 installed below. To do.

(E) Manufacturing flow when manufacturing dry tea leaves for extraction (see FIG. 19)
When manufacturing the dry tea leaves A3 for extraction using the manufacturing direction of the dried food or the like of the present embodiment, it is manufactured, for example, according to the flow of the manufacturing line LD shown in FIG.
First, in the steaming step S0, the harvested fresh tea leaves A0 are heated with low-temperature steam of 100 ° C. or lower for a predetermined time to obtain steamed tea leaves A1. It is to be noted that the steamer or the dryer 41 using steam used here is required to have a structure capable of low-temperature steaming as described above.
In addition, as conditions for the low temperature steaming performed here, it is possible to employ, as an example, conditions in which the temperature of the low temperature steam is about 40 ° C. to 70 ° C. and the steaming time is about 10 minutes to 30 minutes.

Next, the steamed tea leaves A1 obtained in the steaming step S0 are supplied to the microwave vacuum swing dryer 1A of the first embodiment described above, and the above-described charging step S1, drying preparation step S2, shaking The dynamic drying step S3 and the discharging step S4 are sequentially executed and dried until a predetermined target moisture content is obtained, thereby obtaining a dried tea leaf A2.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 19 (a), dry tea leaves A2 can be obtained by drying all at once at the same drying temperature (for example, 35 ° C. to 45 ° C.) until the target moisture content (for example, 4% to 5%) is reached. As shown in FIG. 19B, the oscillating drying step S3 is further divided into a plurality of steps so as to approach the target moisture content stepwise by changing the drying temperature and the like on the way. It is also possible to implement.

The dried tea leaves A2 produced in this way can be directly extracted and drunk with hot water as the dried tea leaves A3 for extraction. Further, the dried tea leaves A2 can be dried for finishing to obtain a uniform dry state, or dried. It is possible to obtain a dry tea leaf A3 for extraction by performing a heating treatment for making the scent of the tea leaf A2 stand out.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 19 (a) and 19 (b), a predetermined amount of flavor F made of dried or undried fruits, vegetables, or the like with respect to steamed tea leaves A1 before drying or dried tea leaves A2 during drying. (For example, 5% to 10% of the weight of the tea leaf) can be added, and the produced dry tea leaf A2 can be used as a raw tea to be put in a drink or the like, or can be processed as described later. It is possible to use it as a raw material for D such as dried food produced by carrying out the above.

  According to the method for manufacturing a dried food or the like of the present embodiment configured as described above, a series of steps such as charging of the material A to be dried, preparation for drying, rocking drying, and discharging are performed by a single microwave vacuum rocking drying. It becomes possible to carry out efficiently and continuously using the machine 1, and it becomes possible to efficiently and efficiently produce high-quality dried foods D and the like in which many flavors and active ingredients of the material remain.

(5) Fifth embodiment (see FIG. 20)
The manufacturing method of the dried food etc. of 5th Embodiment is the steaming process implemented as a pre-process of this process performed using the microwave decompression rocking dryer 1 of this invention in 4th Embodiment mentioned above. This is an embodiment in which S0 is incorporated in the present process performed using the microwave vacuum rocking dryer 1.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, microwave decompression rocking dryers 1B to 1C having steam supply devices 201 to 501 are used.

That is, in the present embodiment, when the object to be dried A is a tea leaf, the object A to be dried that is put into the swing drum 7 in the charging step S1 becomes the raw tea leaf A0, which is shaken with the drying preparation step S2. A steaming step S0 is provided between the dynamic drying step S3.
Therefore, here, the steaming step S0 different from the fourth embodiment will be mainly described in the steaming step (A), and the dried tea leaves for extraction when the steaming step S0 is incorporated in this step. The flow of manufacturing when manufacturing is described as (B) with reference to FIG.

(A) During steaming (see FIGS. 16, 17 and 20)
The steaming step S0 is a step of obtaining steamed tea leaves A1 by bathing raw tea leaves A0 placed in the swing drum 7 housed in the hermetically sealed drying chamber body 11 with low temperature steam of 100 ° C. or less for a predetermined time. It is.
In the steaming step S0, the steam supply devices 201 to 501 and the decompression device 301 described above are used as an example, and the low temperature steam at the set temperature is supplied to the drying chamber body 11 in a state where the inside of the drying chamber body 11 is in a predetermined decompressed atmosphere. It is supplied inside and steamed.
Specifically, the temperature of the low temperature steam is set to about 40 ° C. to 70 ° C., the raw tea leaves A0 are steamed at a low temperature for about 10 minutes to 30 minutes, and processed into steamed tea leaves A1.

(B) Manufacturing flow when manufacturing dry tea leaves for extraction (see FIG. 20)
When the dry tea leaves A3 for extraction are manufactured using the manufacturing method of the dried food or the like according to the present embodiment, they are manufactured, for example, according to the flow of the manufacturing line LD shown in FIG.
First, the harvested fresh tea leaves A0 are directly supplied to the microwave vacuum swing dryer 1B according to the second embodiment or the microwave vacuum swing dryer 1C according to the third embodiment described above, and the charging step S1. Then, the drying preparation step S2, the steaming step S0, the swing drying step S3, and the discharge step S4 are sequentially executed and dried until a predetermined target moisture content is obtained, thereby obtaining a dried tea leaf A2.

In this case, in the steaming step S0, the temperature of the low temperature steam is set to about 40 ° C. to 70 ° C., and the steaming time is set to about 10 minutes to 30 minutes.
Further, in the swing drying step S3, as in the fourth embodiment, the target moisture content (for example, 4% to 5%) at the same drying temperature (for example, 35 ° C. to 45 ° C.) as shown in FIG. It is possible to obtain dry tea leaves A2 by drying all at once, and gradually approach the target moisture content by changing the drying temperature and the like on the way as shown in FIG. 20 (b). The rocking drying step S3 can be further divided into a plurality of steps for drying.

The dried tea leaves A2 produced in this way can be extracted and drunk as hot dry tea leaves A3 for extraction as in the fourth embodiment, and further subjected to a burning treatment or the like. It can be processed into dry tea leaves A3 for extraction.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 20 (a) and 20 (b), flavor F can be added simultaneously with fresh tea leaves A0 or in the course of drying, and the produced dry tea leaves A2 are drinks. It can be used as a raw material tea to be put into a food, etc., or as a raw material for D such as a dried food produced by secondary processing as described later.

  According to the method for manufacturing a dried food or the like of the present embodiment configured as described above, a series of steps such as charging of the object to be dried A, preparation for drying, steaming, rocking drying, and discharging are performed by a single microwave pressure reduction shaking. It will be possible to efficiently and continuously execute using the dynamic dryer 1 so that more high-quality dried foods D, etc., in which many flavors and active ingredients of the material remain, can be produced more efficiently. become.

(6) Sixth embodiment (see FIG. 21)
In the method for producing a dried food or the like according to the sixth embodiment, as a subsequent process of the discharging step S4 of the fourth embodiment described above, the dried object A is subjected to secondary processing to obtain a dried food D or the like. It is embodiment provided with the secondary processing process of obtaining.
In the present embodiment, as the secondary processing step, the weighing / pressing step S5 constituted by the weighing step S51 and the pressing step S52 and the sheet-like intermediate dry product T1 formed in the pressing step S52 are further dried. Next drying step S6, and cutting step S7 for obtaining tea leaves dried foods D0, D1, D2, D3, D4 of various shapes using the sheet-like dried product T2 manufactured through the secondary drying step S6 The structure provided with packaging process S8 and expansion foaming process S9 is employ | adopted.

Among these, the weighing / pressing step S5 measures the dried tea leaves A2 dried to the target moisture content (about 23% as an example in the present embodiment) discharged through the discharging step S4 with the measuring device 415, This is a step of processing into a sheet-like intermediate dry product T1 having a predetermined thickness (for example, 5 mm to 10 mm) through the press device 417.
In the secondary drying step S6, the sheet-like intermediate dry product T1 processed in the weighing / pressing step S5 is put into the microwave vacuum dryer 461 and dried until the moisture content is below the target moisture content (for example, about 23%). This is a step of obtaining a sheet-like dry product T2.

As the microwave vacuum dryer 461 used in the secondary drying step S6, two microwave irradiation apparatuses having a microwave capacity of about 1.9 kW and a microwave output of 80 to 40% as an example are arranged. Can be used as an example, the microwave output is controlled so that the temperature of the sheet-shaped intermediate dried product T1 during drying is always about 40 ° C., and the sheet-shaped intermediate dried product is used for a predetermined time until the moisture content is reached. T1 is dried to obtain a sheet-like dry product T2.

The cutting step S7 is a step in which the sheet-like dried product T2 processed in the secondary drying step S6 is put into a cutting machine 491 and cut into a dried food D or the like having a predetermined shape.
Specifically, a plurality of disc-shaped cutter blades 493 are arranged at intervals of the cut width, and the sheet-like dried product T2 is put into a feeding hopper 495 so as to dry a square bar-shaped tea leaf as shown in FIG. Obtain food D0. Next, when the obtained square bar-shaped dried tea leaf food D0 is again loaded sideways into the feeding hopper 495 of the cutting machine 491, many cube-shaped dried tea leaf foods D1 are obtained as shown in FIG.

Furthermore, in FIG. 21, the packaging step S8 using the cube-shaped tea leaf dried food D1 obtained in the cutting step S7 and the expansion foaming step S9 using the square bar-shaped tea leaf dried food D0 produced in the cutting step S7. Is shown.
Of these, the packaging step S8 is a step of packaging the tea leaf dried food D1 cut in a cube shape in the cutting step S7 one by one with twist packaging to make tea leaf dried food D2 as an individual packaging product, or 4 to 6 with horizontal pillow packaging. In this step, the tea leaf dried food D3 is prepared as a small package by individually packaging, and these are packed together and packed in a plurality of cartons for main packaging.
In addition, the tea leaf dried foods D2 and D3 manufactured in this way have shapes and packaging forms that did not exist in the past, and greatly contribute to the expansion of the demand for green tea by expanding the use.

In the expanded foaming step S9, the square-bar-shaped tea leaf dried food D0 obtained in the cutting step S7 is placed in an expanded foaming device 481 which is a sealed container and heated to become a high pressure, and the tea leaves are expanded and foamed. This is a process for obtaining a dried food D4.
And when such an expansion foaming process S9 is employ | adopted, the food texture of "fluffy""crispy" is exhibited and it can eat even more deliciously. Of course, hot water or water can be added to drink the extract, and the remaining solids can be eaten. In addition, it can be eaten deliciously without being extracted, and can be used as powdered tea, raw materials for tableting, food additives, drink tea, etc. if it is secondarily processed into coarse powder or powder. Is also possible.

According to the method for manufacturing a dried food or the like of the present embodiment configured as described above, a series of steps such as charging of the material A to be dried, preparation for drying, rocking drying, and discharging are performed by a single microwave vacuum rocking drying. It becomes possible to carry out efficiently and continuously using the machine 1, and it becomes possible to efficiently produce a large amount of high-quality dry food D in which many flavors and active ingredients of the material remain.
In addition, by performing the above-described secondary processing step, it becomes possible to efficiently produce dry foods and the like that did not exist conventionally.

In addition, the manufacturing method of the microwave decompression rocking dryer 1 and dried food of this invention is not limited to the thing of the said embodiment, The change within the summary of the invention is possible.
For example, the structure of the swing drive means 19 is not limited to the structure described in the first embodiment, but a swing link mechanism of another structure is employed, or a cam mechanism or a rack and pinion mechanism is used. Other structures can be employed. It is also possible to add a configuration in which the rocking angle and rocking speed of the rocking drum 7 can be varied according to the type and amount of the material to be dried A.

In addition, the opening / closing of the opening / closing door 13, the taking in / out of the swing drum 7 from / to the drying chamber main body 11, and the rotation of the swing drum 7 at the time of charging and discharging can be automated. The configuration of the decompression device 301 employed in the embodiment and the third embodiment can also be employed as the configuration of the decompression device 17A of the first embodiment.
Furthermore, the size and shape of the window portion 6 formed in the peripheral body portion of the drum main body 103 of the swing drum 7 can be appropriately adjusted according to the type and amount of the object A to be dried. When the swing angle is large or when a large amount of an object to be dried A is processed, it is possible to provide a lid for closing the window 6.

  The microwave decompression rocking dryer and the method for producing a dried food of the present invention can be used in, for example, the production / use field of a dried food using tea leaves, and in particular, many dried objects are dried at a time to be dried. It has applicability when you want to process it into food.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microwave decompression rocking dryer 3 Input port 5 Discharge port 6 Window part 7 Swing drum 9 Opening part 11 Drying chamber main body 13 Opening / closing door 13a Packing microwave 15 Irradiation device 17 Decompression device 19 Swing drive means 21 Control device 25 Suction valve 27 Introduction pipe 35 End plate 36 Connecting rod 39 Inspection window 41 Dryer 45 (using steam) Hinge part 47 Handle 48 Locking device 48a Locking handle 48b Locking claw 48c Locking hook 49 Receptacle 55 Vacuum pump 57 Opening / closing Valve 59 Connecting pipe 61 Seal surface 63 Seal structure 67 First choke 69 Second choke 71 Microwave leakage prevention mechanism 73 Intermediate path 75 Shielding plate 77 Front end 79 Base end 101 Support member 103 Drum main body 105 Bearing roller 107 Overhang 109 Guide groove 111 Guide groove 113 Drive sprocket 115 Drive chain 12 5 Slide frame 126 Handle 127 First roller 129 Second roller 131 Slide guide 131a First convex portion 131b Second convex portion 133 Support bracket 135 Slide mechanism 137 First stopper 139 Second stopper 141 Bracket 143 Shaft portion 145 Connecting portion 147 Drive Shaft 148 Collar 149 Connecting convex 151 Mounting base 153 Mounting plate 155 Connecting shaft 157 Connecting chuck 158 Oscillating arm 158a First connection point 158b Slot 159 Connection rod 159a Second connection point 160 First rod 160a Slot 161 161 Second rod 161a Engaging pin 162 Rotating plate 162a Rotation center 163 Motor 164 Bearing 165 Mounting hole 167 Pressure sensor 169 Temperature sensor 201 Steam supply device 202 Low-temperature steam generator 203 Boiler equipment 205 Vacuum depressurization 207 Steam supply path 209 Steam circulation path 211 Ejector 213 Steam adjustment path 215 Boiler 217 Tank 219 Line pump 221 Steam trap 223 Level sensor 225 Two-way valve 227 Overheat prevention valve 229 Temperature sensor 231 Pressure sensor 233 Pressure gauge 235 Discharge path 237 Pressure reducing valve 239 Check valve 241 Branch 245 Bypass valve 247 Needle valve 301 Pressure reducing device 303 Support base 305 Water-sealed vacuum pump 307 Circulating water supply / drainage device 309 Water supply route 311 Drainage route 313 Upper tank 315 Lower tank 317 Water supply nozzle 319 Ball tap 321 Temperature sensor 323 Submersible pump 325 Circulation path 327 Three-way valve 415 Meter 417 Press device 461 Microwave vacuum dryer 481 Sealed container (expanded foaming device)
491 Cutting machine 493 Cutter blade 495 Input hopper 501 Steam supply device 503 Boiler equipment 505 Cooler 507 Steam supply path 509 Boiler 511 Pressure gauge 513 Pressure reducing valve 515 Bypass valve 517 Two-way valve 519 Cooling fan 521 Cooling line 523 Temperature sensor 525 Water supply Tank 527 Water supply path 529 Mist nozzle 531 Ball tap 533 Nozzle 535 Two-way valve 537 Pressure sensor LD Production line A Dry matter A0 Raw tea leaf A1 Steamed tea leaf A2 Dry tea leaf A3 (for extraction) Dry tea leaf F Flavor D Dry food etc. D0 ( Square-shaped tea leaf dried food D1 (cube shaped) tea leaf dried food D2 (twist-packed) tea leaf dried food D3 (horizontal pillow-packed) tea leaf dried food S4 (swollen and foamed) tea leaf dried food T1 Sheet-shaped Intermediate dry product T2 Sheet-like dry Dry product G Gap O Middle point B Connection point C Contact point L1 Distance L2 Distance Y Axial direction P Forward direction Q Reverse direction S0 Steaming process S1 Input process S2 Drying preparation process S3 Oscillating drying process S4 Discharging process S5 Weighing and pressing process S51 Weighing step S52 Pressing step S6 Secondary drying step S7 Cutting step S8 Packaging step S9 Expansion foaming step

Claims (13)

An oscillating drum provided with a window portion serving both as an inlet for feeding the material to be dried and an outlet for discharging the material to be dried;
A drying chamber main body having an opening for taking in and out the swing drum, and having necessary pressure resistance;
An opening / closing door that is attached to the opening so as to be openable and closable, and forms a shielded space in the drying chamber body when closed;
A microwave irradiation device that is attached to the drying chamber body and irradiates the object to be dried accommodated in the drying chamber body to dry the object to be dried;
A decompression device that places the inside of the drying chamber in a decompressed atmosphere with the opening closed;
A microwave vacuum swing dryer comprising swing drive means for swinging the swing drum alternately in the forward direction and the reverse direction. A seal structure provided with a seal member that is positioned on the opposing surface of the opening / closing door and the drying chamber body outside the opening when the opening / closing door is closed;
Predetermined in the circumferential direction so that a first choke located on the opening side and a second choke located on the sealing structure side are provided on an intermediate path between the opening and the sealing structure. The microwave decompression rocking dryer according to claim 1, further comprising a microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure continuously arranged at a pitch. The swing drum includes a back side end plate located on the back side when housed in the drying chamber body, a front side end plate located on the near side when housed in the drying chamber body, and the back side. A support member configured by including a plurality of connecting rods arranged on the circumference, and connecting the end plate and the front end plate spaced apart in the axial direction; and
A cylinder having a water flow structure provided in an inner space between the back side end plate and the front side end plate surrounded by the plurality of connecting rods and having the window portion in a part of the peripheral body portion. 3. The microwave vacuum rocking dryer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a drum body having a shape. The swing drum is supported so as to be swingable in the circumferential direction by a slide base that is slidable in the axial direction.
The slide frame includes a plurality of support rollers that are in rolling contact with the outer peripheral surface of the back side end plate and the front side end plate,
A drive shaft to which power is transmitted via a connecting portion from a swing drive means provided outside the drying chamber body;
A drive sprocket attached to a part of the drive shaft and swinging integrally with the drive shaft;
By engaging the drive sprocket with a driven chain arranged in a loop along one outer peripheral surface of the rear side end plate and the front side end plate, the swing drum is rotated in both forward and reverse directions. 4. The microwave vacuum swing dryer according to claim 3, wherein the dryer is swingable alternately. Between the slide frame and the drying chamber main body, a plurality of sets of first rollers attached to the slide frame in positions spaced apart from each other in the axial direction;
A plurality of sets of second rollers attached to axially spaced positions in left and right lateral spaces across the opening of the drying chamber body;
A slide mechanism comprising a guide groove that is slidable in the axial direction and has a guide groove that engages with the first roller and a guide groove that engages with the second roller is disposed. Item 5. A microwave vacuum rocking dryer according to item 4. The connecting portion includes a connecting convex portion attached to a distal end portion on the back side of the drive shaft,
A connecting shaft disposed through the inner wall of the drying chamber main body on the extension line of the drive shaft;
A connecting chuck attached to the front end of the connecting shaft and connected by simply inserting the connecting projection;
The microwave according to claim 4 or 5, wherein a swing arm positioned at an output end of the swing drive means is attached to an end portion on the back side of the connecting shaft. Vacuum swing dryer. The swing drive means includes a swing arm connected to the drive shaft via the connecting portion;
A connecting rod whose one end is rotatably connected to the first connecting point on the free end side of the swing arm and whose working length can be changed in the longitudinal direction;
A rotating plate that is rotatably connected at a second connection point provided near the free end of the connecting rod, and has a rotation center at an eccentric position near the base end of the second connection point;
A microwave vacuum swing dryer according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising: a motor having an output shaft attached to the rotation center of the rotating plate.   A steam supply device is provided that is connected to the drying chamber body and supplies steam to heat the drying object by supplying low-temperature steam of 100 ° C. or lower for a predetermined time toward the object to be dried contained in the drying chamber body. The microwave vacuum swinging dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The decompression device is a water-sealed vacuum pump that makes the inside of the drying chamber main body a decompressed atmosphere;
A microwave decompression oscillation according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by comprising a circulation type water supply and drainage device for supplying and discharging water for driving the water ring vacuum pump. Dryer. Pulling out the swing drum to the outside of the main body of the drying chamber, rotating the swing drum in the circumferential direction so that the window part is on top, and the charging step of charging the material to be dried using the window part as an input port;
The swinging drum loaded with the material to be dried is accommodated in the drying chamber main body with the window portion facing up, the connecting portion is connected, the open / close door is closed, and the drying chamber main body is sealed. A drying preparation process;
The pressure reducing device is driven to bring the atmosphere in the drying chamber main body into a predetermined reduced pressure state, and the object to be dried is irradiated for a predetermined time with the swing driving means being driven to swing the swing drum. And a rocking drying process for drying while rocking until a predetermined moisture content is reached,
After drying, stop driving the decompression device, swing drive means and microwave irradiation device, open the door, pull the swing drum out of the drying chamber body, and rotate the swing drum in the circumferential direction. A discharging step of discharging the object to be dried on a receiving tray on the lower side with the window portion as a discharge port,
A method for producing a dried food or the like, wherein the microwave vacuum swinging dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is used in performing each of the above steps.   The dried food or the like according to claim 10, wherein the material to be dried that is put into the swing drum in the charging step is a steamed tea leaf in which low temperature steam of 100 ° C. or less is bathed in fresh tea leaf for a predetermined time. Manufacturing method. The material to be dried that is put into the rocking drum in the charging process is fresh tea leaves,
A steaming process is provided between the drying preparation process and the rocking drying process, in which low temperature steam of 100 ° C. or less is bathed for a predetermined time with respect to the fresh tea leaves in the rocking drum. The manufacturing method of the dried food etc. of Claim 10. After the discharging step, a secondary processing step is provided to obtain a dried food by subjecting the dried material to be dried to a secondary processing,
13. The dried food product according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the material to be dried discharged through the discharging step is used as a raw material for extraction or edible tea leaf dried food using tea leaves as a main raw material. Method.

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