JP6506868B1 - Food processing apparatus and food processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a food processing apparatus which shortens an interval of inputting of food by continuous processing while keeping the size small and securing a long residence time inside the processing chamber.
SOLUTION: A conveyor carrier 110 comprising a conveyor body 111 and a conduction chain 112 for driving the conveyor body 111, a traveling frame 120 slidably supporting the conveyor carrier 110 along a traveling track, and a conduction chain The conveyor drive device 130 provided with the drive sprocket 131 which applies a driving force with respect to 112, and the processing chamber 160 which processes food are provided. The traveling frame 120 includes a spiral tower portion 122, and includes a spiral rising portion 1221 and a spiral lowering portion 1222, and is housed in the processing chamber 160. A sprocket tower portion 134 in which drive sprockets 131 for driving the conveyor belts of each stage of the spiral tower portion 122 are vertically arranged is provided opposite to the spiral tower portion 122.
[Selected figure] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a food processing apparatus capable of continuously performing food processing such as heating processing, cooling processing, or freezing processing of food by using driving means by a conveyor carrier as a conveying means.

  Food is introduced into a heating chamber filled with heating steam or superheated steam, a cooling chamber filled with cold air or a freezing chamber as a device for heating or cooling food, and predetermined heating treatment, cooling treatment, freezing treatment, etc. Food processing equipment for performing food processing is widely used.

In the prior art, as a continuous heat treatment apparatus, there is a heat treatment by a vapor flow method in addition to the cold air type refrigeration treatment.
In the cold air flow method, air serving as a refrigerant is blown or sucked to pass through the cooler to generate cool air, and a cooling space for guiding the cold air is provided, and the conveyance system of the belt conveyor is made to pass through the cooling space. It is installed and circulated. The food to be frozen is placed on a belt conveyor, and the food to be frozen is passed through the cooling space and rapidly frozen.

  In the steam flow system, steam is blown to pass through the processing chamber, and a transport system of a belt conveyor is installed and transported so as to pass through the heating processing chamber filled with the steam flow. The food to be heated is placed on a belt conveyor, and the food to be heated is passed through the processing chamber and heated.

Here, the problem is the size of the food processing apparatus.
Regardless of whether it is a cold air flow type or a steam flow type, a certain amount of time is required because the processing is advanced by being applied to the processed object such as food traveling on the transport path. In order to increase the processing speed for continuous charging, the traveling speed of the transport path is also required to have a certain speed. Therefore, the length of the transport path tends to be long.
Here, as a device for reducing the size of the food processing apparatus, there is known a structure in which a spiral endless conveyor is disposed in a processing chamber, and food and the like are processed while being conveyed by the spiral endless conveyor. There is an advantage that space saving of the conveyor installation area can be achieved by using the spiral endless conveyor.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a configuration example of a processing apparatus including a spiral endless conveyor.
In the spiral endless conveyor device 60, the spiral endless conveyor belts 21 and 30 are vertically disposed in a region surrounded by a plurality of columns 51 and 52, and the electric motor 40 is near the entrance of the spiral endless conveyor belt 30. An auxiliary transmission 50 is provided in the inner area of the spiral endless conveyor belt 30. The auxiliary transmission device 50 is rotationally driven by the electric motor 40 via the gear 41. The plurality of columns 51 and 52 constituting the auxiliary transmission device 50 are configured to apply a force to rotate and move the spiral endless conveyor belt 30.

  The spiral endless conveyor belt 30 ascends from the inlet path in the spiral ascending path, is folded back in the uppermost return path, descends in the spiral descending path, and exits to the outlet path. The top of the spiral ascent is connected to the top of the spiral ascent via a turnaround. This route runs endlessly. The spiral ascending road and the spiral descending road are alternately lined up and down, but the traveling directions are opposite to each other as shown by the arrows in FIG.

JP 2007-169059 A

As described above, according to the food processing apparatus using the spiral endless conveyor belt 30, it can be said that the apparatus configuration is advantageous in that the apparatus size can be compactly stored.
However, the problem to be solved of the food processing apparatus using the spiral endless conveyor belt 30 is that the drive mechanism of the apparatus is complicated and must be closely arranged.
In particular, although the spiral ascent and the spiral ascent are alternately lined up and down, both are closely stacked up and down, and the traveling directions are opposite to each other as shown by the arrows in FIG. It becomes a direction and requires complicated drive control. It is difficult to arrange the drive system of the spiral endless conveyor belt 30 between the spiral ascent and the spiral descender and control their rotational direction irregularly, and around the spiral ascent and the spiral ascent. The drive system of the spiral endless conveyor belt 30 has to be arranged with a certain space secured, and the size of the apparatus is increased accordingly. In addition, the need for complicated design and manufacture of the conveyor and the drive mechanism causes an increase in cost.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention is a food that solves the problems of increasing the size of the apparatus and increasing the cost, which have been problems in the prior art, while continuously performing heat treatment and cooling treatment on food. It aims at providing a processing apparatus. That is, by including the spiral endless traveling path and compacting its drive system and applying a general-purpose chain, a cost-effective food processing apparatus is provided in which the size of the food processing apparatus is reduced. The purpose is to

  In order to achieve the above object, the food processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a conveyor main body whose upper surface provides a mounting surface of food which is a workpiece; and a conductive chain which drives the conveyor main body under a driving force. A conveyor transport body comprising the conveyor transport body and a traveling frame slidably supporting the conveyor transport body along a traveling path, the spiral path having a traveling path which is formed a plurality of times by drawing a spiral path in the traveling path. A processing chamber including a traveling frame including a tower, a processing device surrounding a periphery of the spiral tower, and performing a predetermined processing on the food placed on the conveyer, and a driving sprocket A conveyor drive mechanism for applying a driving force to the conductive chain via the conveyor chain, the conveyor drive mechanism being erected facing the spiral tower, the spa A food processing apparatus, wherein the drive sprocket which corresponds to the travel frame of each stage of the Rarutawa is configured to include a sprocket tower ordered.

  Here, the spiral tower portion is provided with a spiral rising portion rising in a spiral track and a spiral falling portion falling in a spiral track, and a configuration in which a spiral rising portion and a spiral falling portion are alternately provided, If the directions are opposite to each other, the rotational direction of the drive sprockets of each stage of the sprocket tower is alternately reversed.

  As described above, the conveyor drive mechanism is a drive system for a complex spiral tower portion, which is compact by including the sprocket tower in which the sprockets corresponding to the traveling frames of the spiral towers are arranged in a tower shape. Thus, the overall size of the device can be kept compact.

Here, as a mechanism for driving the drive sprockets arranged in each stage of the sprocket tower, a rotational driving force is applied to the rotational force transmitting sprockets connected to the back side of the drive sprockets arranged in each stage of the sprocket tower Ru using the drive chain. The drive chain can be driven simply by traveling the drive sprockets of each stage of the sprocket tower, and the device size is compact. Note that by Harimeguraseru while Ukyoku therebetween rotational force conduction sprocket drive chain, if devised to direction of rotation given to the drive sprocket of each stage of the sprocket tower is reversed alternately, the drive chain Since the rotational force of the sprockets is given while rotating the drive sprockets of each stage of the sprocket tower only by traveling, the rotational direction of the drive sprockets can be reversed alternately, and the device size becomes compact.
As described above, the drive sprockets of the respective stages are alternately reversed in the rotational direction by devising how to extend the drive chain using the drive chain.

  The traveling frame as a whole includes a horizontal portion near the beginning, a spiral rising portion rising in a spiral track following the horizontal portion, a connecting portion providing a connecting portion following the spiral rising portion, and a spiral track following the connecting portion And a horizontal portion near the end following the spiral descent portion, and all or a part of the spiral rising portion and the spiral descent portion are accommodated in the processing chamber. .

Next, a device for stabilizing the traveling posture of the conveyor carrier which travels the traveling frame of the spiral tower portion will be described.
In order to prevent the floating of the conveyor conveyance body traveling in the traveling frame from the traveling frame, at least a part of the traveling frame of the spiral tower portion is provided with an anti-lifting body facing the upper side of the conveyor conveyance body. There is.
According to the above-described configuration, the conveyor conveyance body which ascends and descends in a spiral track moves while bending, and therefore, there is a possibility that it may float upward from the inside of the traveling frame due to the stress. Therefore, the floating preventing body is appropriately attached to a part of the traveling frame so as to face the upper side of the conveyor transfer body, and the floating of the conveyor transfer body is prevented. Here, the shape or the like of the rising prevention member is not particularly limited, but a planar plate-like member facing the upper surface of the conveyor conveyance member may be used.

As a further device, there is a device for providing a meshing adjustment body. The meshing adjustment body referred to here is a member that adjusts the traveling height of the conduction chain of the conveyor conveyance body in the traveling frame. The meshing adjuster is disposed to face the drive sprocket. The conductive chain can be sandwiched between the floating preventing member and the meshing adjuster to allow the conductive chain to travel in a stable running posture, and control the engagement of the drive sprocket with the conductive chain.
With the above configuration, the traveling posture of the conveyor conveyance body can be adjusted from above and below by the floating prevention body and the meshing adjustment body, the height of the conductive chain can be precisely adjusted, and a good state can be maintained in meshing with the drive sprocket. .

Next, a disinfecting and cleaning mode will be described which automates the disinfection and cleaning processes for the apparatus.
In the spiral tower, the spray nozzle that sprays the disinfectant solution and the cleaning solution from the inside toward the traveling frame and the conveyor carrier, the tank that stores the disinfectant solution and the cleaning solution, and pumping the disinfectant solution and the cleaning solution from the tank to the spray nozzle And a supply pipe for supplying the disinfectant solution and the cleaning solution from the pressure pump to the injection nozzle. In the cleaning mode, the cleaning pump is driven to supply the cleaning liquid to the injection nozzle and the cleaning liquid is injected from the inside, thereby automatically performing the disinfecting processing and the cleaning processing from the inside of the spiral tower which is difficult for workers to access from the outside. Can.
In addition, it is also possible to rotate an injection | spray nozzle, in order to improve disinfection cleaning effect. A pivoting shaft for pivoting the spray nozzle in the spiral tower is provided, and the spray nozzle is attached to the pivoting shaft so as to pivot in the spiral tower. In addition, a rotational drive force is applied to the rotation shaft by a swing drive device. Here, in order to make the device compact, it is also possible that a part of the supply pipe for supplying the above-described disinfectant liquid and the cleaning liquid also serves as a rotating shaft.

Next, the structure of the conductive chain of the conveyor carrier will be described. Commercially available general-purpose products can be applied to the following conveyor carriers and conductive chains.
The conductive chain of the conveyor carrier is a wedge-shaped, V-shaped or U-shaped member having a diameter that is increased in diameter from the closing portion toward the opening portion, and the closing of the previous stage is performed at the opening portion of this stage A structure in which the parts are connected in a slightly indented state and connected with a continuous cotton, and has a movable area in which the connection of the conductive chain in the previous stage and the current stage expands and contracts in the connecting direction Is preferable. As described above, in the case where the movable range is provided three-dimensionally, the conduction chain has a structure that can be bent or expanded three-dimensionally.
As a structure for providing a movable area at the connection point between the members of the conductive chain of the conveyor conveyance body, for example, the diameter is smaller than the thickness in the height direction of the conductive chain, and the open bottom of this stage penetrates the closed bottom of the previous stage. Structure in which the through hole in the closed bottom of the previous stage is approximately equal to the diameter of the shaft and the length in the horizontal direction is a large diameter hole larger than the diameter of the shaft. There is. According to the structure, a movable area can be provided in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction on the bridged bridge.

Next, the structure which provides a movable area in a conveyor main body is described.
The conveyor carrier consists of a central conveyor body and a conductive chain at both ends, but the conveyor body bridges the lateral bridge body bridged to the conductive chains at both ends and the adjacent lateral bridge body in the longitudinal direction The longitudinal bridge body has a flat ring body in which at least a part of the upper surface thereof is a flat. With the above configuration, the ring body provides a movable area in which the horizontal bridge body and the vertical bridge body can move relative to each other.

Next, the shape of the teeth of the drive sprocket of the conveyor drive mechanism will be described.
As for the shape of the teeth of the drive sprocket of the conveyor drive mechanism, a wedge shape, a V-shape or a U-shape in which the cross-sectional shape entering the connecting portion of the conductive chain is formed in the connecting portion of the conductive chain And the diameter of the drive sprocket to be engaged with the conductive chain. There is a device in which the cross-sectional direction is meshed with a taper joint, and is also structured to mesh with a taper joint in both the pushing direction and the circumferential direction.
With such a shape, both the teeth of the drive sprocket of the conveyor drive mechanism and the conductive chain can have a shape such that the diameter is expanded toward the connecting opening such as a wedge shape, and they can be engaged with each other. In other words, the drive sprocket engages with the conductive chain in the vertical direction in a tapered engagement and in the horizontal direction with a tapered engagement, resulting in a three-dimensional reliable engagement and efficient drive. Power can be transmitted.

Next, the orbit of the conveyor carrier will be described.
With regard to the orbit of the conveyor conveyance body, the turning diameter and central axis of the spiral rising portion coincide with the turning diameter and central axis of the spiral lowering portion, respectively, and the turning direction of the upward turning of the spiral rising portion and the spiral The winding direction of the downward turning of the lowering portion is reverse, and the steps of the spiral lowering portion are inserted between the steps of the spiral rising portion, and the steps of the spiral rising portion and the spiral lowering portion The stages are arranged in a staggered manner. In other words, there is a three-dimensional staggering relationship in which one space is shared.

These two tracks are connected by a connecting part, and the connecting part describes a turning track, and guides the track led from the upper end which is the end of the spiral rising part to the upper end which is the beginning of the spiral falling part It is a track. For example, it is a trajectory that draws a figure of eight.
In this way, the traveling frame is connected from the horizontal portion near the beginning to the horizontal portion near the end, and a conveyor path from the end of the traveling frame forms a return path for returning toward the beginning of the traveling frame. And the conveyor carrier is rotating.

A feeding point for food is provided near the beginning of the traveling frame, a discharge point for food is provided near the trailing end of the traveling frame, and the food is continuously processed by the processing device according to the drive of the conveyer. Ru.
With the above configuration, in the processing space for cooling, freezing, heating, etc., a portion where the traveling track of the conveyor body is a so-called spiral spiral track is included, and a long movement time of the processing space is ensured. However, the area required for installation can be made smaller than the length of the track.

Further, the turning diameter and the central axis of the spiral rising portion coincide with the turning diameter and the central axis of the spiral lowering portion respectively, and the steps of the spiral falling portion are inserted between the steps of the spiral rising portion and The steps of the spiral rising portion and the steps of the spiral falling portion are engaged with each other, and it is possible to overlap the installation portion which rises in a spiral shape and the installation portion which descends in a spiral shape. The area can be reduced.
With regard to the drive by the conveyor drive mechanism, either nonstop continuous drive or intermittent drive can be selected.

The food processing apparatus of the present invention may be a heat treatment apparatus or a cooling and refrigeration treatment apparatus according to the purpose of use.
That is, if the processing device has a heat processing function, it can also be a heat processing device for food, and if the processing device has a cooling processing function or a freezing processing function, a food cooling processing device or a refrigeration processing device It can also be done.

It is also possible to combine the food processing apparatus of the present invention.
A plurality of food processing apparatuses are arranged in series and arranged, or a plurality of heating food processing apparatuses and a plurality of food processing apparatuses for cooling and freezing are arranged in series and arranged, or the like. It can also be done.

According to the food processing apparatus according to the present invention, in the processing space for cooling, freezing, heating and the like, the traveling track of the conveyor main body includes a spiral tower portion in which a so-called spiral spiral track is formed. The device size can be made compact by including a sprocket tower assembled with a drive sprocket for driving the.
In addition, a drive chain that provides a rotational drive force to the rotational force transmission sprockets coupled to drive sprockets arranged in each step of the sprocket tower is bent around the rotational force transmission sprockets while being curved. Thus, with a simple structure, a mechanism is realized in which the rotational directions given to the drive sprockets of each stage of the sprocket tower are alternately reversed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram simply showing a configuration example of a food processing apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment. It is the figure which expanded and showed a part of conveyor conveyance body 110. As shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conveyor drive device 130, and the structure of the conduction chain 112. FIG. The spiral rising portion 1221 and the spiral falling portion 1222 of the spiral tower portion 122 are illustrated for easy understanding. It is the figure which showed the structure of the sprocket tower part 134 simply. It is the figure which showed the floating | lifting prevention body 150 and mesh | engagement adjustment body which were provided facing the conveyor conveyance body 110 which travels the driving | running | working flame | frame 120, and an interlocking adjustment body. It is the figure which showed the structure equipped with the automatic disinfection washing | cleaning apparatus 170 further as a food-processing process concerning Example 2 simply. It is a figure which shows the structural example (Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2007-169059) of the processing treatment apparatus containing the helical endless conveyor in a prior art.

Hereafter, the Example of the food processing apparatus of this invention is described. The present invention is not limited to these examples.
The first embodiment is for explaining the configuration example of the food processing apparatus 100 of the present invention according to a single configuration, and the second embodiment relates to a device for providing a disinfecting and cleaning mode.

A configuration example of a food processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As an example, what is frozen processing as food processing processing is described.
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing a configuration example of a food processing apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1 (a) is a view schematically showing the configuration on the side, and FIG. 1 (b) is a view schematically showing the configuration on the plane. In FIG. 1, the spiral tower portion 122 and the like of the traveling frame 120 stored inside the processing chamber 160 are illustrated.

The food processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes the conveyor conveyance body 110, the traveling frame 120, the spiral tower portion 122, the conveyor driving device 130, the driving sprocket 131, the sprocket tower portion 134, the floating prevention member 150, the processing chamber 160, the food It has a configuration including an input mechanism 180 and a food discharge mechanism 190.
In addition, although illustration of the conveyor drive device 130 and the drive sprocket 131 which are arrange | positioned on the traveling frame 120 other than the sprocket tower part 134 is abbreviate | omitted in FIG. 1 so that the whole structure may be intelligible, FIG. The figure which shows the structure in 5 is shown in figure. As will be described later, the drive sprockets 131 are appropriately disposed along the conveyer conveyer 110 slidingly moving and the traveling frame 120, and drive the conveyer conveyer 110 from above the traveling frame 120.
Although the illustration of the anti-lifting body is omitted in FIG. 1, it is assumed that those shown in FIG. 6 are appropriately arranged in various places.
Also, components provided as processing devices mounted inside the processing chamber 160, for example, heaters provided within the processing chamber 160, cold air jet devices, electrical system facilities, etc., are also omitted from illustration. There is.
Each component will be described below.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a part of the conveyor carrier 110.
As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor conveyance body 110 is configured to include a conveyor body 111 and a conduction chain belt 112, and receives a driving force from a driving sprocket 131 of a conveyor driving device 130 described later via the conduction chain 112. The conveyor main body 111 is driven.

  The upper surface of the conveyor transfer body 110 is a transfer body which provides the mounting surface of the food which is a workpiece, moves along a predetermined traveling track of the traveling frame 120, and orbits along the orbit. During the orbit, the food loading portion of the food loading mechanism 180, the horizontal portion 121 near the starting end along the traveling frame 120, the rising portion 1221 of the spiral tower portion 122 inside the processing chamber 160, the connecting portion 123, and the spiral After passing through the descent part 1222 of the tower part 122, it passes through the horizontal part 124 near the end and further the food discharge point of the food discharge mechanism 190, and then the traveling frame 120 is separated. It is a circulating track that circulates to the food loading point.

The bendable structure or the telescopic structure of the conveyor transfer body 110 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor transfer body 110 used in the present invention has a bendable structure or an extendable structure having movable areas in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to both the conveyor main body 111 and the conductive chain belt 112 It has been prepared.

  The conveyor transfer body 110 is provided with a conveyor main body 111 and a conduction chain 112 as shown in FIG. In this configuration example, the conveyor body 111 is at the central portion in the width direction, and the conductive chain 112 forms an end in the width direction. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), both the conveyor main body 111 and the conduction chain 112 have movable areas. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the conveyor conveyance body 110 is provided with a bendable structure or an expansion and contraction structure having movable regions in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction with respect to the traveling direction, It is flexible along the curve of the frame 120.

  The conveyor main body 111 is formed of a shaft provided in a direction transverse to the advancing direction of the conveyor transfer body 110 and a number of ring bodies connecting between them in the advancing direction. The ring has flat upper and lower surfaces to provide a food loading surface. The shaft body and the ring body are not fixed, and the ring body is movable with respect to the shaft body. The ring body is, for example, a long-diameter ring in which a shaft penetrates, and the ring body and the shaft are movable relative to one another and can be rotated relative to one another, thus providing a three-dimensional movable range It has a structure.

The structure of the conduction chain 112 at the end will be described.
FIG. 3 (b) is an enlarged view of the connecting structure of the conveyor chain 110 and the front and rear of the conductive chain 112.
In the structural example shown in FIG. 3 (b), the conductive chain 112 at the end is a thick concave body connected with a continuous cotton, and the connection parts of the members of the conductive chain 112 mutually move in the movable range The conductive chains 112 can extend and contract or bend in the range of the movable range.
In the structural example shown in FIG. 3, for example, the member of the conductive chain 112 is a wedge-shaped, V-shaped or U-shaped member having a diameter that is increased in diameter from the closing portion toward the opening portion. There are only two connected and shown. There are holes at both ends of the open part of the member of the conductive chain 112 shown on the lower side, and a shaft is connected to the holes so as to penetrate. Moreover, the long hole used as a movable area is provided also in the wall surface of the closing part of the member of the conduction chain 112 illustrated on the upper side. The shaft is connected so as to pass through the hole of the open portion of the conductive chain 112 shown on the lower side and the elongated hole of the closed portion of the conductive chain 112 shown on the upper side. With this structure, the length of the long hole is the movable range, and the structure does not move excessively but has a relatively relatively movable structure, and the movable range is secured in the traveling direction.

Next, the traveling frame 120 will be described.
The traveling frame 120 is a frame that slidably supports the conveyor transfer body 110 along the traveling track, and serves as a guide for the conveyor transfer body 110. In this configuration example, the traveling frame 120 has a frame for supporting the conductive chains 112 at both ends in the width direction of the conveyor carrier 110 so as to increase the efficiency of the processing in the processing chamber 160 described later. There is no frame in the portion, and the traveling frame 120 has a large opening in the center when viewed from the top. It has a structure which can pass heating steam, cooling air, etc. from the opening of this bottom. Further, even if the traveling frame 120 is stacked in a spiral manner in multiple stages, the heating steam and the cold air can easily pass through the conveyor conveyance body 110 through the central portion.

In the present invention, the spiral tower portion 122 is formed inside the processing chamber 160 in the traveling track of the conveyor transfer body 110. As shown in FIG. 1A, the spiral tower portion 122 includes a spiral rising portion 1221 for a rising track and a spiral falling portion 1222 for a falling track, and a plurality of towers are formed so that they alternate with each other. It is done.
As described above, in the processing device 100 of the present embodiment, the traveling frame 120 draws a three-dimensional trajectory not only according to the straight portion but also according to the traveling trajectory. In this example, a horizontal portion 121 near the start end, a spiral rising portion 1221 rising in a spiral track following the horizontal portion 121, a connecting portion 123 providing a connecting portion following the spiral rising portion 1221, and the connecting portion 123 It has a spiral descent portion 1222 which descends in a spiral track following it, and a horizontal portion 124 near the end following this spiral descent portion 1222.
Among them, all or a part of the spiral rising portion 1221 and the spiral falling portion 1222 are accommodated in the processing chamber 160.

FIG. 4 illustrates the spiral rising portion 1221 and the spiral falling portion 1222 of the spiral tower portion 122 of the traveling frame 120 in an easily understandable manner.
FIG. 4A shows the spiral rising portion 1221 of the spiral tower portion 122 of the traveling frame 120 with hatching.
FIG. 4B shows the spiral descent part 1222 of the spiral tower part 122 of the traveling frame 120 with hatching.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the orbit of the conveyor transfer body 110, the turning diameter and central axis of the spiral rising portion 1221 shown in FIG. 4 (a) and the spiral lowering portion 1222 shown in FIG. 4 (b). The turning diameter and the central axis coincide with each other, and the spiraling direction of the spiral rising portion 1221 (clockwise as viewed from the top in the figure) and the winding direction of downward turning of the spiral falling portion 1222 (as viewed from the top) Counterclockwise) is in the opposite direction. Viewed three-dimensionally, the steps of the spiral lowering portion 1222 are inserted between the steps of the spiral rising portion 1221, and the steps of the spiral rising portion 1221 and the steps of the spiral lowering portion 1222 are configured to be uneven. In other words, they are three-dimensionally staggering and share a single space.

  The spiral inner diameter and the spiral outer diameter of the spiral rising portion 1221 are not limited either, but if the spiral inner diameter R is too small, the curvature becomes large and the bending of the conveyor body 111 in the left and right direction becomes large. Setting may be difficult. If the spiral outer diameter is too large, the sizes of the spiral rising portion 1221 and the spiral falling portion 1222 become large, and the size of the entire food processing apparatus 100 becomes large. It may be designed appropriately according to the installation location and the size of the device. The spiral outer diameter is obtained by adding the width of the conveyor body 111 to the spiral inner diameter.

  The connecting portion 123 connecting the two trajectories is a trajectory that draws a turning trajectory and guides the trajectory led from the upper end which is the end of the spiral rising portion 1221 to the upper end which is the starting end of the spiral falling portion 1222. For example, it is a trajectory that draws a figure of eight.

  In the above configuration example, the spiral descent portion 1222 is also installed at the installation location of the spiral rising portion 1221 to form the spiral tower portion 122, and the traveling track on which the food travels starts to ascend from the lowermost stage near the starting end. The descent is started through the joint portion 123, and the traveling track is drawn to descend to the lowermost stage near the end. As described above, by combining the spiral rising portion 1221 and the spiral falling portion 1222 while drawing a spiral track, the size of the processing chamber 160 can be dramatically downsized as compared with the case where they are all configured in a straight line. .

Finally, following the spiral descent portion 1222, a horizontal portion 124 is provided near the end.
Note that although the traveling track of the traveling frame 120 is as described above, the conveyor carrier 110 is formed with a feedback path that returns toward the horizontal portion 121 of the starting end of the traveling frame 120 after leaving the end 124 of the traveling frame. The conveyor carrier 110 circulates and circulates.

Next, the conveyor drive device 130 will be described.
FIG. 3A shows the configuration of the conveyor drive device 130. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, the conveyor drive device 130 is configured to include a drive sprocket 131, a torque transmission sprocket 132 connected to the back side thereof, and a drive chain 133.
The conveyor driving device 130 is appropriately disposed along the traveling frame 120, and the teeth of the driving sprocket 131 mesh with the conductive chain 112 of the conveyor conveyance body 110 to drive the conveyor conveyance body 110 via the conduction chain 112. It is supposed to give

The center and the right side of FIG. 3A show an example of the shape of the drive sprocket 131 of the conveyor drive device 130. The shape of the teeth of the drive sprocket 131 is tapered so as to be easily engaged with the shape of the connection opening of the conductive chains 112. The tapered shape of the teeth of the drive sprocket 131 of the conveyor drive device 130 corresponds to the tapered shape of the connection opening of the conductive chain, and the tips of the teeth also in the pushing direction to the connection opening of the conductive chain 112 The diameter is slightly reduced toward the
In addition, as shown in FIG. 3B, the cross-sectional shape of the connection opening of the conductive chain is a tapered shape slightly reduced in diameter toward the tip. The teeth of the drive sprocket 131 also have a tapered shape slightly reduced in diameter toward the tip as shown in the right side of FIG. 3 (a). By providing such a three-dimensional structure, the coupling opening of the conductive chain 112 shown in FIG. It can be said that it is the structure which meshes certainly.

  In addition, according to the traveling track of the traveling frame 120, the sizes of the connecting opening of the curved outer conduction chains 112 and the connecting opening of the inner conduction chains 112 are different. Therefore, in the present invention, the teeth of the drive sprocket 131 of the conveyor drive device 130 have a tapered shape, and can cope with the change in size of the connection opening of the conductive chains 112 which changes with traveling. There is.

  The drive sprocket 131 of the conveyor drive device 130 is appropriately disposed along the traveling frame 120, and the location is not limited. However, in the present invention, the traveling path of the conveyor conveyance body 110 is provided with a spiral tower portion 122 having a spiral shape. It is preferable to provide an effective mechanism so as to provide a driving force so that the conveyor carrier 110 can travel on such a spiral traveling track. So, in the food processing apparatus 100 of this invention, the sprocket tower part 134 is provided so that the spiral tower part 122 may be opposed.

FIG. 5 is a view simply showing the structure of the sprocket tower portion 134. As shown in FIG.
In the example of FIGS. 1 and 4, the sprocket tower portion 134 is provided on the left side of the spiral tower portion 122, but in FIG. 5A, a large number of drive sprockets 131 of the sprocket tower portion 134 are provided. It is the figure which showed the mode of the side (front side) which opposes 122 simply. FIG. 5 (b) is the back of the surface facing the spiral tower portion 122, and the side (back side) on which the torque transmission sprocket 132 for driving the drive sprocket 131 of the sprocket tower portion 134 is arranged Is a diagram briefly showing the state of. The configuration of the spiral rising portion 1221 and the configuration of the spiral falling portion 1222 are shown very simply, and illustration of the conveyor conveyance body 110 etc. is omitted, but the teeth of the drive sprocket 131 of the sprocket tower portion 134 are The opening of the conductive chain 112 of the conveyor carrier 110 in the traveling frame 120 is captured to provide a driving force.
In the sprocket tower portion 134, drive sprockets corresponding to traveling frames of the respective stages of the opposing spiral towers are vertically arranged.

  In FIG. 5A, the spiral rising portion 1221 and the spiral falling portion 1222 are alternately provided up and down, and the conveyance direction of the conveyor conveyance body 110 is opposite to each other. In FIG. 5A, in the spiral rising portion 1221, the conveyor conveyance body 110 is conveyed to the left side in the drawing, and in the spiral lowering portion 1222, the conveyor conveyance body 110 is conveyed to the right side in the drawing. Since the spiral rising portion 1221 and the spiral falling portion 1222 are alternately provided up and down, the rotating direction of the drive sprockets 131 arranged in the sprocket tower portion 134 is alternately reversed up and down. That is, the drive sprocket 131 for applying a driving force to the conveyor transfer body 110 of the spiral rising portion 1221 rotates clockwise in the figure, and the drive sprocket 131 for applying a driving force to the conveyor transfer body 110 of the spiral lowering portion 1222 is a counterclockwise in FIG. Need to rotate around. Thus, it is necessary to control so that the rotation direction of the drive sprocket 131 is alternately reversed in the vertical direction.

FIG. 5 (b) shows a structure for applying a driving force to each drive sprocket 131 in the sprocket tower portion 134.
On the back side of each drive sprocket 131, there is a torque transmission sprocket 132 for transmitting a rotational moment to the drive sprocket 131, and a drive chain 133 hooked on the rotation power sprocket 132 is shown. ing. The rotational force conducting sprockets 132 apply rotational driving force to the sprockets 131 arranged in each row of the sprocket tower 134.
In the example of FIG. 5 (b), the drive chain 133 is stretched while being zigzag folded between the gears of the rotational force conducting sprocket 132, and the drive chain 133 is a single drive chain 133. Only by moving from the lower side to the upper side, the rotational directions given to the drive sprockets 131 of the respective stages of the sprocket tower 134 are tensioned so as to be alternately reversed. As described above, in spite of the simple structure, the rotation directions given to the drive sprockets 131 of the front steps are controlled alternately to be opposite via the rotational force conducting sprockets 132 of the rear steps. be able to.

  Although the drive system by the conveyor drive device 130 is not particularly limited, for example, it can be a non-stop continuous drive. Moreover, it can also be an intermittent drive. If it takes time to put in and out food, it may be possible to secure stable work by using intermittent drive. In the case of the intermittent movement, it is preferable that it is the timing to which it pauses at every interval interval to which the food is put.

Next, the rising prevention body 150 will be described.
Since the conveyor carrier 110 traveling in the traveling frame 120 is not slidably fixed to the traveling frame 120, if the conveyor carrier 110 is placed on the supporting portion of the traveling frame 120, It can also be assumed that the conveyor transfer body 110 floats up from the traveling frame 120 so that the force is released when stress is applied to the conveyor transfer body 110 from the front and rear and the left and right. In particular, stress is applied to the conveyor conveyance body 110 traveling the spiral rising portion 1221 and the spiral lowering portion 1222 in the spiral tower portion 122 three-dimensionally and vertically and horizontally, so that the conveyor conveyance body 110 is a traveling frame. There is a possibility that it may rise from 120.
Therefore, a floating prevention member 150 for preventing floating up from the traveling frame is provided opposite to the upper side of the conveyor conveyance body 110 in at least a part of the traveling frame 120 of the spiral tower portion 122.

FIG. 6 is a view simply showing the floating preventing member 150 provided opposite to the conveyor carrier 110 traveling the traveling frame 120. As shown in FIG.
FIG. 6A is a view showing the traveling frame 120 in the vicinity of the place where the floating preventing body 150 is attached, as viewed from above. 6 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 6 (a), showing the traveling frame 120 in the vicinity of the location where the floating prevention member 150 is attached, as seen from the cross sectional direction.
In the example shown in FIG. 6, the floating preventing member 150 is attached to the outer peripheral side of the traveling frame 120 of the spiral tower portion 122. However, it may be provided on the inner peripheral side, and the outer periphery along the traveling route. The configuration may be alternately provided on the side and the inner circumferential side.

In the example of FIG. 6, the floating preventing member 150 is attached so as to surround the sprocket 131.
The size and shape of the floating prevention member 150 are not limited, but at least the lower surface may be a flat resin plate or a metal plate because the smaller friction is better in the traveling direction with the conveyor carrier 110. Moreover, the structure by which the rotary body like a roller is provided in the lower surface is also preferable. When the rotating body is in contact with the conveyor conveyance body 110 from above while rolling, the floating of the conveyor conveyance body 110 is prevented, and the traveling of the conveyor conveyance body 110 is not disturbed.
Although the installation location and the number of installation of the floating prevention member 150 are not limited, those installed in the spiral tower portion 122 are installed corresponding to each step.
By providing the floating prevention member 150, the conveyor conveyance body 110 can stably travel in the traveling frame 120.

Next, the meshing adjustment body 135 and the slide guide 136 will be described.
The slide guide 136 is a smooth plate provided on the lower side of the conductive chain 112 in the traveling frame 120, and directly indicates the lower surface side of the conductive chain 112.
The meshing adjustment body 135 is a member that adjusts the traveling height of the conductive chain 112 of the conveyor conveyance body 110 in the traveling frame 120. It is arranged to face the drive sprocket 131, in which the slide guide 136 is pushed up from below to support the conductive chain 112 via the slide guide 136, and to adjust the height of the conductive chain. It has become. In this example, since the meshing adjustment body 135 has a columnar shape, there is a possibility that the meshing body 135 may be caught when coming into direct contact with the conduction chain 112. Therefore, the slide guide 136 is sandwiched to push up the conduction chain 112 and adjust its height. It has become.
FIG. 6 (b) is a view simply showing the configuration of the meshing adjustment body 135 and the slide guide 136. As shown in FIG.
FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the conductive chain 112 is supported by the meshing adjustment body 135 from the lower side through the slide guide 136, and the tapered teeth of the drive sprocket 131 mesh from the upper side, which is in a stable state Driven by
In the vicinity thereof, the conductive chain 112 is pressed by the floating preventing member 150 so as not to float from the traveling frame 120. As a result, the conductive chain 112 is sandwiched between the floating preventing member 150 and the slide guide 136 and the meshing adjusting member 135, and the height and the traveling posture of the conductive chain 112 are stabilized. If the height and traveling posture of the conductive chain 112 can be accurately controlled, the tapered sprockets 131 can mesh the conductive chain 112 in the correct posture as shown in FIG. 6B.
By using the meshing adjustment body 135 in this manner, it is possible to control the meshing state of the drive sprocket 131 with the transmission chain 112.

Next, the processing chamber 160 will be described.
The processing chamber 160 is a room that surrounds the traveling frame 120 and the conveyor transfer body 110 that are being processed by the processing device, and provides a space for performing a heating process or a cooling process. The processing chamber 160 has a casing formed of heat-insulating wall surfaces in order to enhance the heat insulating property of the processing space, and is designed to emphasize sealing performance.
The processing chamber 160 is provided with processing devices for various processing. The temperature setting can be freely performed. By setting the temperature of the processing device, predetermined processing can be performed on the food placed on the conveyor conveyance body 110 sliding along the traveling frame 120.
For example, if the processing device is a device having a heat processing function, processing of heat processing on food becomes possible.
Also, for example, if the processing device is a device having a cooling processing function or a freezing processing function, processing of cooling processing or freezing processing on food becomes possible.
In this example, an evaporator is provided for cooling and refrigeration processing. For example, here, cold air of -20 degrees is supplied.

Next, the food loading mechanism 180 and the food discharging mechanism 190 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, a food loading point is provided near the starting end of the orbit of the traveling frame 120, and a food loading mechanism 180 capable of loading food is provided at the loading point.
In addition, a discharge point of the food is provided near the end of the orbit of the traveling frame 120, and a food discharge mechanism 190 capable of taking out the food from the discharge point is provided. The structure, operation method, and the like of the food loading mechanism 180 and the food discharging mechanism 190 are not particularly limited.
The food discharge mechanism 190 and the food input mechanism 180 are not essential components when the food loading operation or the food discharging operation is manually performed.
The processing of food is executed by each component of the processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment described above.

As the second embodiment, a device for providing the automatic disinfection and cleaning apparatus 170 will be described.
The processing and processing apparatus 100 is provided with a spiral tower portion 122, and as it is, work such as cleaning, disinfecting, sterilizing, deodorizing, and the like of the traveling frame 120 and the conveyor transfer body 110 in the spiral tower portion 122 is not easy. Generally, automatic cleaning devices in continuous food processing equipment are widely known as CIP technology and SIP technology, but the processing apparatus 100 of the present invention is a drumless spiral food processing apparatus, and from inside of the spiral tower portion 122 There is a possibility that automatic disinfection cleaning can be performed.
Thus, in the second embodiment, an automatic disinfecting and cleaning apparatus 170 capable of performing automatic disinfecting and cleaning from the inside of the spiral tower portion 122 is provided.

The processing and treating apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment is provided with a disinfecting and cleaning mode for automatically disinfecting and cleaning the inside of the apparatus.
FIG. 7 is a view simply showing a configuration in which the automatic disinfecting and cleaning apparatus 170 is further provided in the configuration of FIG. 1 described in the first embodiment.
In the configuration example of FIG. 7, an automatic disinfecting and cleaning device 170 is provided at the upper part of the processing chamber 160. FIG. 7 (a) is a view showing the entire state incorporated in the processing apparatus 100, and FIG. 7 (b) is a view showing only the automatic disinfecting and cleaning apparatus 170.
As shown in FIG. 7 (b), the automatic disinfecting and cleaning apparatus 170 includes a tank 171, a pressure pump 172, a swivel joint 173, a rotary gear 174, an injection nozzle swing drive 175, a T joint 176, a supply pipe 177, and a rotary shaft. The pipe 178 and the injection nozzle 179 are provided.

The tank 171 is a container for storing the cleaning liquid. Although the installation place is not limited, in order to make an apparatus compact here, it installs using the upper space of the processing chamber 160. FIG.
The pressure pump 172 is a pump that pumps the antiseptic solution and the cleaning solution from the tank 171 to the injection nozzle 179. Pump pressure shall be adjustable.
The swivel joint 173 is a rotary joint which allows a member attached at a 90 degree angle to rotate 360 degrees, and the lower rotation shaft also serves as a smooth 90 degree angle attached with the disinfectant and cleaning solution received from the pressure pump 172 Delivery to piping 178. The rotary shaft-cum-service pipe 178 is a pipe connected downward via the swivel joint 173 which is a rotary joint, and is guided downward through the swivel joint 173 as a rotating shaft that is rotated by the driving force of the rotary gear 174. It also serves as a pipe to flow the disinfectant and cleaning solution downward.
The rotating gear 174 is a gear attached to the periphery of the supply pipe 176 extending downward from the swivel joint 173 and providing a rotational moment.
The injection nozzle rotation drive device 175 is a device that incorporates a motor and applies rotational force to the rotating gear 174.

The T-joint 176 is a joint which is provided in the middle of the rotary shaft-cum-service pipe 178 and divides the supply path of the cleaning liquid in two directions. One of the exit paths of the T-joint 176 is connected downward as it is, and passes the disinfectant solution and the cleaning solution to the rotary shaft / service pipe 178. As described above, the rotary shaft-cum-service pipe 178 serves both as a rotary shaft that is rotated by the driving force of the rotary gear 174 and as a pipe that flows the disinfecting solution and the cleaning liquid. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7B, the rotary shaft-cum-service pipe 178 extended below the T-joint 176 is connected to the lower part of the supply pipe 177 at the lower side, and all the disinfectant and cleaning liquid are The inside of the pipe is sealed below the connection point so as to be led to the supply pipe 177 side.
The other end of the exit of the T-joint 176 is a supply pipe 177. The supply pipe 177 is a supply path for supplying the disinfecting solution and the cleaning solution. In this configuration example, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the disinfectant and cleaning solution led from the T joint 176 are supplied from above to the supply pipe 177, and from below the pipe is led from the rotary shaft and service pipe 178. The system is configured to be supplied with the antiseptic solution and the cleaning solution, the internal pressure is uniformly adjusted, and the antiseptic solution and the cleaning solution are uniformly sprayed from the large number of nozzles 179.
In the configuration example of FIG. 7, the supply piping 177 has a portion bent in a so-called U-shape, and the supply piping 177 is bent outward in a U-shape. In the spiral tower portion 122, the injection nozzle 179 rotates closer to the traveling frame 120 and the conveyer carrier 110 so as to rotate to revolve the position more outward with respect to the rotation shaft 178. Can.

The spray nozzle 179 is a nozzle that sprays the disinfecting solution and the cleaning solution toward the traveling frame 120 and the conveyor carrier 110 in the spiral tower 122. In order to increase the cleaning effect, high pressure injection is possible. As described above, since the supply pressure of the disinfectant liquid and the cleaning liquid in the supply pipe 177 is uniformly adjusted, the disinfectant liquid and the cleaning liquid are uniformly sprayed from the nozzle 179.
In the configuration example shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of injection nozzles 179 are provided for the supply piping 177, and a structure in which the disinfectant solution and the cleaning solution can be sprayed to the traveling frame 120 of each step in the spiral tower 122. ing. Furthermore, the injection nozzle 179 is attached at a position facing upward, and the members above the spiral tower 122 and the inner surface side of the processing chamber 160 can be disinfected and cleaned.

For example, in the disinfecting and cleaning mode of the automatic disinfecting and cleaning apparatus 170 described above, the disinfecting process is performed by spraying the disinfecting solution from the spray nozzle toward the inside of the spiral tower, and then the cleaning solution is directed from the spray nozzle to the inside of the spiral tower. The cleaning process is performed by spraying.
The contents of the disinfectant, the contents of the cleaning liquid, the rotational speed of the injection nozzle 179, the injection amount from the injection nozzle 179, the injection speed, and the like may be appropriately adjusted to select the optimum one.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the configuration example of the food processing apparatus according to the present invention have been illustrated and described above, it is understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. I will.

  The food processing apparatus of the present invention can be widely applied to food processing apparatuses regardless of the type of processing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Food processing apparatus 110 Conveyor conveyance body 111 Conveyor main body 112 Conduction chain 120 Traveling frame 121 Horizontal part near the start end 122 Spiral tower part 123 Joint part 124 Horizontal part near the end 130 Conveyor drive mechanism 131 Drive sprocket 132 Sprocket for rotational force transmission 133 Drive Chain 134 Sprocket Tower 150 Lifting Body 160 Processing Room 170 Automatic Disinfection Cleaning Device 180 Food Discharge Mechanism 190 Food Feeding Mechanism

Claims (7)

A conveyer main body including a conveyor main body providing a mounting surface of food, the upper surface of which is a workpiece, and a conductive chain which receives the driving force to drive the conveyer main body;
A traveling frame supporting the conveyor carrier slidably along a traveling track, the traveling frame including a spiral tower portion in which a traveling path is formed by winding a spiral track a plurality of times in a traveling path; ,
A processing chamber including a processing device for surrounding the periphery of the spiral tower portion and performing predetermined processing on the food placed on the conveyor carrier;
It includes a sprocket tower standing opposite to the spiral tower and on which the drive sprockets of the respective stages corresponding to the traveling frames of the respective stages of the spiral tower are arranged, and a driving force for the conductive chain through the drive sprockets Have a conveyor drive mechanism to apply
The spiral tower portion includes a spiral rising portion rising in a spiral track and a spiral falling portion falling in a spiral track, and the spiral rising portion and the spiral falling portion are alternately provided.
The direction of rotation of the drive sprockets of each stage of the sprocket tower is alternately reversed,
The sprocket tower is characterized in that the torque transmission sprocket is driven by using a drive chain that provides a rotational drive force to a rotational force transmission sprocket connected to the back side of the drive sprockets arranged in each stage. Food processing equipment to be. The drive chain of the sprocket tower has run throughout while Ukyoku therebetween said rotational force conduction sprocket, so that the direction of rotation given to the drive sprocket of each stage of the sprocket tower is reversed alternately food processing apparatus according to have stretched to claim 1, wherein the. A conveyer main body including a conveyor main body providing a mounting surface of food, the upper surface of which is a workpiece, and a conductive chain which receives the driving force to drive the conveyer main body;
A traveling frame supporting the conveyor carrier slidably along a traveling track, the traveling frame including a spiral tower portion in which a traveling path is formed by winding a spiral track a plurality of times in a traveling path; ,
A processing chamber including a processing device for surrounding the periphery of the spiral tower portion and performing predetermined processing on the food placed on the conveyor carrier;
It includes a sprocket tower standing opposite to the spiral tower and on which the drive sprockets of the respective stages corresponding to the traveling frames of the respective stages of the spiral tower are arranged, and a driving force for the conductive chain through the drive sprockets Have a conveyor drive mechanism to apply

In at least a part of the traveling frame of the spiral tower portion, a floating preventing body for preventing the floating of the conveyor carrier traveling in the traveling frame from the traveling frame is provided facing the upper side of the conveyor carrier. And a meshing adjustment body arranged to face the drive sprocket and adjusting the traveling height of the conductive chain of the conveyor carrier.
The food processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the conductive chain is sandwiched between the floating preventing member and the meshing adjuster, and the driving sprocket controls the meshing state with the conductive chain. apparatus. It has a disinfecting and cleaning mode for disinfecting and cleaning.
The spray nozzle for spraying the disinfecting solution and the cleaning solution toward the traveling frame and the conveyor carrier in the spiral tower, the tank for storing the disinfecting solution and the cleaning solution, and the disinfection from the tank to the spray nozzle The pump includes a pressure feed pump for pumping the solution and the washing solution, and a supply pipe for supplying the disinfectant solution and the washing solution from the pressure feed pump to the injection nozzle, and in the disinfecting washing mode, the inside of the spiral tower can be disinfected and washed. The food processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that: It has a pivoting shaft for pivoting the injection nozzle in the spiral tower, and a pivoting drive for applying a rotational driving force to the pivoting shaft, and a part of the supply pipe serves as the pivoting shaft. The food processing apparatus according to claim 4 , characterized in that: The food processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the processing device has a heat processing function, and the processing of the food is heat processing. The food processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the processing device has a cooling processing function or a freezing processing function, and the processing to the food is a cooling processing or a freezing processing. .

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