JP7175459B2 - FOOD PROCESSING APPARATUS AND FOOD PROCESSING METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention uses a driving means by a conveying chain as a conveying means, and performs food processing by immersing the food in a processing tank filled with a liquid for heating, cooling, or freezing the food and recovering the food. The present invention relates to a food processing apparatus capable of continuous processing.

2. Description of the Related Art As a device for heating or cooling food, a food processing device that is immersed in a liquid such as heat-treated water or cooling water for a predetermined time is widely used. The treatment methods of these apparatuses include so-called batch type processing equipment and continuous processing equipment.
Batch-type processing equipment collects target foods into groups, heats them in a heating chamber or cools them in a cooling chamber, and then takes out the processed foods and mixes them with the next group of foods. It replaces and processes. There are various types of batch processing equipment according to the heat treatment method, such as steam flow method, hot water immersion method, and oven method. There are liquid immersion method and liquid gas vaporization method.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a configuration example of a food processing apparatus adopting a steam flow method or a cold air flow method in a conventional batch type food processing apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 10, a batch food processing system 10 comprises a steam generator 11 or cooler 11 that supplies a stream of steam or cold air, and a food processing chamber 12 of closed construction. The food processing chamber 12 is provided with a door 14 for taking in and out the processed food, and facing the door 14, a plurality of display shelves 16 are vertically arranged at intervals. The partition wall of the food processing chamber 12 has a closed and heat insulating structure composed of heat insulating panels 13 . A steam flow or a cold air flow is led from the steam generator 11 or the cooler 11 to the processing chamber 12 to heat or cool the processed food f placed on the display shelf 16 . After processing, it is recovered from the food processing chamber 12 .
After finishing the processing of the object to be cooled f, the door 14 is opened and the object to be cooled f is replaced with the next processed food f. In this way, processed foods are collectively processed for each group, so it is called a batch processing method.

A continuous processing apparatus generally carries out a heat treatment or a freezing treatment of food by placing the food on a belt conveyor and continuously passing the food through a heat treatment section or a cooling treatment section. There are various types of continuous processing equipment depending on the heat treatment method, such as steam flow method, hot water immersion method, oven method, etc. There are also various types of cooling methods, such as cold air flow method, refrigerant There are liquid immersion method and liquid gas vaporization method.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a continuous refrigeration processing apparatus of a refrigerant liquid immersion type, showing a refrigeration apparatus using a conveyor that runs in a cooling liquid below the waterline (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-55526). be.
As shown in FIG. 11, in the refrigerating apparatus of the continuous refrigerating process disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-55526, the conveyor 66 runs in the liquid below the waterline of the cooling liquid 54 filled in the refrigerating tank 52. The object 58 to be frozen is put on a conveyor 66 running from an inlet 68 and thrown into the freezing tank 52, immersed in the cooling liquid 54 for a certain period of time, and then taken out from an outlet 70. It's how it works. A continuous track conveyor 66 is operated continuously. In addition, since the individual items to be frozen pass through the cooling liquid on the same track from the inlet 68 to the outlet 70, the quality uniformity of the frozen products is also improved.
In the example of FIG. 11, freezing is performed continuously, but the liquid is hot water, and the principle of heat processing is the same.

The continuous refrigeration system can omit the unloading work of unloading each shelf as in the batch system. In this way, the processed food can be carried in and out continuously, and is called a continuous refrigeration system. A continuous refrigeration system has the advantage of shortening the processing time as a whole.

Cold water can be used as the refrigerant liquid for cooling down to 0 degrees. Brine solution (calcium chloride solution, alcohol aqueous solution, etc.) is often used when freezing below 0 degrees. A cooler is arranged around a processing tank in which the refrigerant liquid is stored to maintain the refrigerant liquid at a predetermined low temperature, and the processed food is immersed in the refrigerant liquid to be cooled. In the case of adopting the continuous processing method, there is a case in which a part of the conveying system of the belt conveyor is assembled so as to pass through the refrigerant liquid, and the entire conveying system is immersed in the refrigerant liquid. Since the food to be frozen is immersed in the refrigerant liquid, the refrigerant evenly covers the surroundings, so the freezing quality is relatively good, and since heat exchange is also performed with the refrigerant liquid, the freezing speed is high. This method is also suitable for rapid freezing.

Another continuous processing type food processing apparatus different from the liquid immersion type shown in FIG. 11 will be described.
In the prior art, as a continuous heat treatment apparatus, there are a liquid immersion system, a vapor flow system, an oven system, and the like.
In the steam flow method, steam is blown to pass through the heat treatment tank, and a conveying system of a belt conveyor is installed so as to pass through the heat treatment tank filled with the steam flow. In this method, food to be heated is placed on a belt conveyor, and the food to be heated is passed through a heat treatment tank to be heated.

In the oven method, a heat treatment tank is installed in which a heat source such as gas or electricity is arranged, and the food to be heated is heat-treated by conduction or convection of the heat from the heat source. In the case of adopting the continuous processing method, it is common to assemble a part of the conveying system of a belt conveyor so as to pass through a heat treatment tank in which a heat source is arranged, and heat the entire conveying system. Food can be baked at a high temperature by adjusting the temperature setting of the heat source.

Next, there are various cooling methods as follows.
In the cold air flow method, air that serves as a refrigerant is blown or sucked and passed through a cooler to generate cold air, a cooling space is provided to guide the cold air, and a conveying system of a belt conveyor is set up so that it passes through the cooling space. It is installed and circulated. In this method, foods to be frozen are placed on a belt conveyor, and the foods to be frozen are passed through a cooling space to be rapidly frozen.

In the liquid gas vaporization method, a low-temperature liquid gas such as liquefied nitrogen or liquefied oxygen is directly sprayed onto the food to be cooled, and the latent heat of vaporization and sensible heat generated when the liquid gas evaporates is used to rapidly evaporate the food to be frozen. It is a method of freezing.

Both the batch processing method and the continuous processing method have merits, but the continuous method is advantageous for processing that requires multiple processes to be performed continuously, such as cooling the food after heat treatment. is.
In the batch method, it is necessary to take out the processed foods in batches for each process and to put them in batches for the next process, which makes it practically difficult to automate multiple processes.
On the other hand, in the case of the continuous processing type, if the processed food is automatically transferred to the continuous processing device for the cooling treatment, which is the next process, after the continuous processing device for the heat treatment, multiple processes can be automated by continuous processing. It can be done relatively easily.
The present invention aims at a continuous processing type food processing apparatus.

JP 2011-47553 A JP-A-2000-55526

As described above, there are various heating methods and cooling methods, each of which has its merits.
Here, in the present invention, food processing suitable for processing using a liquid is premised as the processing treatment. That is, in the case of the heat treatment, it is assumed that the heat treatment is a hot water immersion method. Moreover, in the case of the cooling process, it is assumed that the cooling process is based on the refrigerant liquid immersion method.
For food processing, the oven method is often adopted when baking at a high temperature, but among food processing, the process of immersing in hot water of less than 100 degrees, that is, the boiling process is suitable. Some foods have For example, crab meat, boiled fish paste, noodles, pudding, etc. As for cooling, some foods are suitable for processing by immersing them in cold water of 0° C. or higher, ie cold water cooling. For example, there is slow heat treatment after heat treatment.

Here, if a continuous food processing apparatus using a belt conveyor using hot water or cold water is adopted as a food processing apparatus, the following problems arise.
The first problem is that the size of the food processing apparatus increases.
Continuous processing type food processing equipment using a belt conveyor tends to be large in size due to the balance with the processing time. In order to secure processing time for passing hot water or cold water, the length of the belt conveyor has to be increased, and consequently the length of the entire food processing apparatus has to be increased. If an attempt is made to reduce the conveying speed of the belt conveyor and secure a longer residence time inside the processing tank, the interval at which food can be fed in continuous processing will become longer, and the processing per unit time of the food processing processing equipment will increase. The amount of processing will decrease. In other words, if the interval at which food can be fed in a continuous process is appropriately shortened and the dwell time inside the processing tank is long, the length of the belt conveyor is inevitably long according to the conventional technology. As a result, the length of the entire food processing apparatus had to be increased.

A second problem is that the food floats or swims uncontrollably during processing.
Since the conventional continuous processing food processing apparatus often employs a belt conveyor, the processed food is simply placed on the belt conveyor and is in a state of being able to move freely. Hot water and cold water have a specific gravity close to 1, and light food may float. They may swim in hot or cold water even if they do not float completely. In this way, if the food floats or swims during processing, the state of heat treatment or cooling treatment, the processing time, etc., will vary, resulting in variation in processing quality.

A third problem is that the food being conveyed by the belt conveyor may move or deform due to resistance from hot or cold water.
Food being transported on a belt conveyor is constantly subjected to resistance from hot and cold water, and the pressure can deform the surface of the food. In addition, when the food is dragged on the belt conveyor by resistance, the bottom surface of the food may be deformed or damaged due to friction with the belt conveyor.

In view of the above problems, the present invention is a food processing apparatus using hot water or cooling water, which is a continuous processing type, and continuously performs heat processing and cooling processing for processed food, while solving the problems of the conventional technology. It is an object of the present invention to provide a food processing apparatus that solves the above problems. In other words, it is an object of the present invention to provide a food processing apparatus capable of miniaturizing the size of the food processing apparatus, shortening the intervals between feeding foods in continuous processing, and securing a long residence time inside the processing tank. . In addition, the food processing apparatus uses hot water or cooling water to control the food even if the food floats or swims during the processing, and prevents the food from being deformed or damaged during transportation. intended to provide

In order to achieve the above object, the food processing apparatus of the present invention has a processing tank filled with a processing liquid for heat processing, cooling processing, or freezing processing of food, and an opening through which the processing liquid can flow in and out of the wall surface. A box-shaped food storage container body provided with a plurality of holes or a plurality of slits and provided with a chain shaft on the side, a conveying chain connected to the chain shaft of the food storage container, and the food storage. An in-vessel moving and conveying mechanism for moving the container body so as to pass through the inside of the processing tank, and an outside-vessel moving and conveying mechanism for moving the food storage container body so as to pass over the waterline of the processing liquid in the processing tank. In the in-vessel moving transport mechanism, the food storage container body is advanced in the traveling direction with the transport chain bent, and in the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism, the transport chain is pulled and the The food processing apparatus is characterized in that the food storage container body is advanced in the direction of travel by the conveying chain.

With the above configuration, by using the transport chain, unlike a belt conveyor, the transport chain can be controlled by switching between a pulled state and a flexed state of the transport chain, so that the transport chain outside the tank can be moved. The food storage container body can be conveyed at high speed while being pulled, and the interval between successively-thrown-in food products can be shortened. Furthermore, in the in-vessel moving transport mechanism, if the transport chain is bent and the food storage containers are densely packed and moved at a low speed, the time required for moving within the vat becomes longer, ensuring a longer food processing time. be able to. Also, if the food storage containers are vertically oriented, narrow, and tightly packed, the installation area of the apparatus can be reduced even if a long time is secured for movement within the tank.

In addition, by using the food storage container body, if the food is transported in the food storage container body, even if the food is moved in hot water or cooling water, water pressure is less likely to be applied to the food, and deformation can be prevented, and the food can float. to prevent them from swimming or moving. In addition, since fresh hot water and cooling water always flow in and out from the plurality of holes or slits provided in the food storage container body, the heating effect and cooling effect of good quality are obtained. is obtained.

In the above configuration, the transport chain in the in-vessel moving transport mechanism bends and loses the driving force of the transport chain. If the structure is provided with an in-vessel transport conveyor that moves the food storage container body while supporting the body from below, the in-vessel moving transport mechanism circulates from the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism to the in-vessel moving transport mechanism. The food storage container bodies that have been moved are put into the in-tank transport mechanism, and the food storage container bodies that have already formed a line are pushed in by the food storage container bodies, and the chain shaft or the support shaft body moves into the tank. It can be structured such that it advances along the intra-tank conveyer while being supported by the inner conveyer.

As for the posture of the food storage container in the in-tank moving transport mechanism, the entire food storage container is immersed under the water line of the treatment liquid with the chain shaft or support shaft supported by the in-tank transport conveyor. Alternatively, the opening of the food storage container may be supported above the waterline of the liquid in the treatment tank.
With the above configuration, when the food storage container body moves in hot water or cooling water, the processing liquid can flow in and out of the plurality of holes or slits provided in the food storage container body. When the food storage container travels in a state where the entire food storage container is immersed under the water line of the treatment liquid, and when the specific gravity of the food is light, it is preferable to provide the food storage container with an anti-floating body.

Next, the food loading mechanism and the food discharging mechanism will be described.
In the present invention, various methods can be adopted for the food loading process and the food discharging process.
For example, as the food discharge mechanism, the food storage container body has a structure that can rotate around a chain shaft or a support shaft that is set substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement, and has a structure that rotates. There is a method in which the food storage container body is rotated when the food storage container body is moved to the outer movement transport mechanism, and the food storage container body is tilted so that the opening faces downward, and the food inside is discharged from the food storage container body.
In addition, opening and closing doors are provided on the bottom surface and side wall surfaces, and when the food storage container is moved from the in-vessel movement transfer mechanism to the outside movement transfer mechanism, the opening and closing doors are opened to open the inside. A method of discharging the food may be used.

Next, for example, as a food loading mechanism, similar to the food discharging mechanism, the food storage container body is provided with a structure that can rotate around a chain shaft or a support shaft that is set substantially perpendicular to the direction of movement, and is moved and conveyed outside the tank. When the food storage container is moved from the mechanism to the in-vessel moving transport mechanism, the food storage container is rotated and the opening is tilted upward to control the posture so that the food can be easily thrown into the food storage container. There is

As a further device, in the above configuration, the movement of the food storage container body from the outside movement transport mechanism to the inside movement transport mechanism and the movement of the food storage container body from the inside movement transport mechanism to the outside movement transport mechanism are performed. It is also possible to synchronize and control to be an intermittent movement. Intermittent movement makes it easier to carry out the work of putting food into the food storage container body and the work of discharging food from the food storage container body. Further, by controlling the rotation of the food storage container in the food loading mechanism and the food ejection mechanism during the intermittent movement interval, it becomes easier to control the rotation of the food storage container, the food loading control, and the food discharging control.

Next, continuous processing of a plurality of processes by a group of food processing apparatuses using a plurality of food processing apparatuses will be described.
A plurality of the food processing apparatuses of the present invention described above are arranged in series to form a food processing apparatus group. At the connecting portion between the food processing apparatuses, the food discharge mechanism of the food processing apparatus in the front row tilts the opening of the food storage container so that the opening of the food storage container faces downward, and the food inside is discharged from the food storage container. The opening of the food storage container body is tilted upward by the food loading mechanism of the food processing apparatus in the rear row to receive the food, and the food can be automatically handed over.

If you install a slide that slides the food at the connection between the food discharge mechanism of the food processing equipment in the front row and the food loading mechanism of the food processing equipment in the back row, the food can be delivered smoothly. can be done.

As an example of multiple processes by a group of food processing equipment, for example, the processing tank of the food processing equipment in the front row is a heat treatment tank filled with hot water or warm water, and the processing tank of the food processing equipment in the back row is cooled. 2. Description of the Related Art There is a group of food processing apparatuses that are cooling tanks filled with water or cooling liquid and that can continuously perform a predetermined cooling process after a predetermined heat treatment process for food.

Next, in the food processing method according to the present invention, a processing tank filled with a processing liquid for heat processing, cooling processing, or freezing processing of food has an opening, and a plurality of tanks through which the processing liquid can flow in and out of the wall surface. A plurality of box-shaped food storage container bodies provided with a hole or a plurality of slits and chain shafts on the sides are used, a conveying chain is connected to the chain shafts, and the food storage container body using an in-vessel moving and conveying mechanism that moves the food storage container so as to pass through the inside of the processing tank, and an outside-vessel moving and conveying mechanism that moves the food storage container body so as to pass through the waterline of the processing liquid in the processing tank The in-vessel moving transport mechanism advances the food storage container while the transport chain is bent, and the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism moves the food storage container while the transport chain is pulled. The food processing method is characterized in that the food is advanced by the conveying chain.

According to the food processing apparatus of the present invention, the state in which the conveying chain is pulled and the state in which the conveying chain is bent are switched by using the conveying chain, so that the state in which the conveying chain is pulled in the outside-vessel moving conveying mechanism The food storage container can be transported at high speed, and the interval between successively fed foods can be shortened. It is possible to secure a long interval interval and a long food processing time by moving at a low speed in a state of being densely packed in a vertical and narrow posture.
In addition, according to the food processing apparatus of the present invention, by using the food storage container body, if the food is transported in the food storage container body, even if the food is moved in hot water or cooling water, It is difficult for water pressure to be applied to the food, so that deformation can be prevented, and floating, swimming, and movement can be prevented. In addition, since fresh hot water and cooling water always flow in and out from the plurality of holes or slits provided in the food storage container body, the heating effect and cooling effect of good quality are obtained. is obtained.

1 is a diagram simply showing a configuration example of a food processing apparatus 100 according to Example 1; FIG. It is the figure which took out and showed only one foodstuff storage container body 120. FIG. FIG. 4 is a view showing the operation of the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism 140, and is a view extracting and showing the state of the food container body 120 and the transport chain 130. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing tilt control of the food container body 120 in the food feeding mechanism 190 and sliding movement on the tilt guide. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how the food storage container body 120 is put into the in-tank moving/conveying mechanism 150 from the out-of-tank moving/conveying mechanism 140 . 4 is a diagram showing the operation of the in-bath moving transport mechanism 150. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing how the processing liquid 111 flows into and out of the food storage container body 120 in the in-bath moving transport mechanism 150. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing rotation control of the food container body 120 in the food discharge mechanism 180 and how the food is discharged. It is the figure which showed mainly the connection part among the food processing apparatus groups 200 concerning Example 2. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional batch-type refrigerating apparatus adopting a cold airflow method. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional continuous refrigeration system adopting a refrigerant liquid immersion method;

An embodiment of the food processing apparatus of the present invention will be described below. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.
Example 1 describes a configuration example of the food processing apparatus 100 of the present invention according to a single configuration. The configuration of the device group 200 will be described.

A configuration example of the food processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As an example, a heat treatment using hot water as the treatment liquid will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram simply showing a configuration example of a food processing apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment.
A food processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes a processing tank 110, a food container body 120, a conveying chain 130, an outside-vessel moving conveying mechanism 140, an in-vessel moving conveying mechanism 150, an in-vessel conveyer 151, It has a configuration including a driving device 170 , a food discharging mechanism 180 and a food loading mechanism 190 .
In addition, other components provided as the heat treatment apparatus, for example, the heater provided in the treatment tank 110, the hot water supply port and drain port in the treatment tank 110, the electrical system equipment, etc. are not described here. omitted.
Each component will be described below.

The processing tank 110 is a highly heat-insulating box filled with a processing liquid 111 for heat treatment or cooling, and is designed with emphasis on airtightness. A processing liquid 111 to be used for various processing is stored in the processing bath 110 . In this example, hot water is stored for heat treatment. The temperature can be set freely. Here, it is assumed to be hot water of 85 degrees. In the case of cooling treatment, cold water or brine liquid is stored.
An in-tank transfer conveyor 151 of an in-tank moving and conveying mechanism 150 is provided on the side wall of the processing tank 110. As will be described later, a supporting shaft on the lower surface of a chain shaft 123 provided on the side surface of the food material storage container body 120 is provided. 124 is placed and supported on the intra-bath transfer conveyor 151 .
Although the structure of the in-tank conveyer 151 is not limited, the in-tank conveyer 151 may be a so-called belt conveyer mechanism or a chain conveyer mechanism so that the support shaft 124 can be easily conveyed. There are many possibilities such as side-by-side roller conveyor structures.
The relationship between the height of the intra-tank transfer conveyor 151 and the height of the waterline of the treatment liquid 111 inside the treatment tank 110 is such that the food storage container body 120 with the support shaft 124 placed on the intra-tank transfer conveyor 151 reaches the height of the treatment liquid. It may be completely submerged below the waterline of 111, or it may be at least partially below the waterline of processing liquid 111 with opening 121 supported above the waterline. When completely immersed under the water line of the treatment liquid 111, it is possible to provide a floating prevention body so that the food inside does not float. As the lifting prevention member, for example, a plate or the like is provided in the tank so as to be positioned immediately above the opening 121 on the upper surface of the food storage container body 120 which advances while being immersed in the processing liquid in the tank. I have the means. Even if a light food tries to float out of the food storage container body 120, it is blocked by the plate and cannot escape. Further, for example, there is also a means for closing the top opening 121 after the food material is put into the food material storage container body 120 by providing an opening/closing lid for the top opening 121 of the food material storage container body 120 . In any case, the food material to be processed advances while being immersed in the hot water stored inside the food container body 120 processing tank 110 .

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing only one foodstuff storage container body 120 taken out.
The foodstuff storage container body 120 is a box-shaped foodstuff storage container body having an opening 121 and a wall surface 122 provided with a plurality of holes or a plurality of slits so that liquid can flow into and out of the interior. A chain shaft 123 and a support shaft 124 are provided laterally. Although slits may be provided on the wall surface, in this configuration example, a large number of holes 125 are provided on the wall surface.
The opening 121 serves both as an inlet for feeding food to be processed from the outside, and as an outlet for discharging processed food to the outside.
The food material storage container body 120 is a box-like container having an opening 121 as a whole. The processing liquid 111 flows into and out of. In the present invention, the food container body 120 is moved inside the processing tank 110 by the conveying chain 130, so that the processing liquid in the processing tank 110 flows through the hole of the wall surface 122 on the front side in the traveling direction, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, it flows in through the slit and easily flows out through the hole or slit in the wall surface 122 on the rear surface in the traveling direction.

A chain shaft 123 is provided on the side of the food container body 120, and a conveying chain 130 is attached. In this embodiment, the support shaft body 124 on the lower surface of the chain shaft 123 serves as a support shaft that is placed on the intra-tank transfer conveyor 151 and slides.
The chain shaft 123 has a length protruding outward from the top of the in-bath transfer conveyor 151 , and a transfer chain 130 is attached to the tip of the chain shaft 123 . As will be described later, when the foodstuff storage container bodies 120 are running on the in-bath moving/conveying mechanism 150, the foodstuff storage container bodies 120 advance in a state in which they are densely packed in the advancing direction as shown in FIG. , the conveying chain 130 is bent as shown in FIG. Further, as will be described later, when the food material storage container body 120 is running on the in-bath moving transport mechanism 140, the food material storage container body 120 is pulled by the transport chain 130 as shown in FIG. The carrier chain 130 is in a taut state as shown in FIG. In this example, a carrier chain support 131 is provided as a member that supports the weight of the carrier chain 130 and the weight of the food storage container body 120 from below when the in-vessel moving carrier mechanism 140 travels.

Next, rotation control of the food storage container body 120 will be described.
In this configuration example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 for explaining the food loading mechanism 190 and FIG. 8 for explaining the food discharging mechanism 180, the food storage container body 120 is set substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction. It has a structure that rotates around the rotation axis. The rotating shaft may be the chain shaft 123 or a support shaft (not shown) other than the chain shaft 123 . In this example, the chain shaft 123 is rotatable.

Next, the conveying chain 130 and the driving device 170 will be described.
The conveying chain 130 is attached so as to connect the side chain shafts 123 of the arranged foodstuff container bodies 120, and forms an endless circular track. In this example, two systems of conveying chains 130 are provided, one system connecting the left side of the food material storage container body 120 and the other system connecting the right side of the food material storage container body 120, each independently forming an endless loop track. ing.
Although the type of the transport chain 130 is not limited, for example, when the driving device 170 is a sprocket, it becomes a roller chain that meshes with the sprocket and drives.
The driving force of the conveying chain 130 is given by a drive device 170 provided in front of the processing tank 110 in the direction of travel and a drive device 170 provided in the rear of the processing tank 110 in the direction of travel. Although the mechanism by which the driving device 170 drives the conveying chain 130 is not limited, for example, the driving device 170 may have a sprocket structure and the teeth thereof may engage the conveying chain 130 to drive the conveying chain 130 .

Next, the out-of-bath transport mechanism 140 will be described.
After the processing of the food using the foodstuff storage container body 120 is completed, the outside-bath movement transport mechanism 140 discharges the foodstuff storage container body 120 to the outside by the food discharge mechanism 180, and the empty foodstuff storage container body 120 is directed to the food loading mechanism 190. It is responsible for the return path of the food storage container body 120, which is to return by pressing.
In the out-of-bath moving transport mechanism 140, the transport chain 130 is driven by the driving device 170 in a taut state.
The outside-vessel moving/conveying mechanism 140 serving as the return path moves the food storage container body 120 so as to pass over the waterline of the treatment liquid 111 in the treatment tank 110 .

3A and 3B are views showing the operation of the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism 140, and are views showing the states of the food container body 120, the transport chain 130, and the transport chain support 131. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the out-of-bath transport mechanism 140, the driving force is applied by the driving device 170 while the transport chain 130 is in a taut state. In order to support the weight of the transport chain 130 and the weight of the suspended food storage container body 120, a transport chain support 131 is provided along the lower part of the transport chain 130 so that the transport chain 130 is substantially horizontal. It is a mechanism that is maintained at
As shown in the general view of FIG. 1, in the outside-of-vessel moving transport mechanism 140, a portion of the transport chain 130 gripped by the driving device 170 on the food loading mechanism 190 side and a driving device on the food discharging mechanism 180 side are gripped. The distance between the points of the carrier chain 130 gripped by 170 and the length of the carrier chain 130 stretched therebetween are substantially the same, and the carrier chain 130 is pulled taut. . In this example, the transport chain 130 is a roller chain, the driving device 170 has a sprocket structure that engages with the roller chain, and the rotation of the driving device 170 tightens the transport chain 130, which is a roller chain. tensioned in the state.

As shown in FIG. 3, the food storage container body 120 in the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism 140 moves along with the movement of the transport chain 130 in a state in which the food storage container body 120 is suspended via the chain shaft 123 on the side. Moving.
The height at which the food storage container body 120 is suspended in the tank-outside moving transport mechanism 140 is adjusted so that it passes above the water line of the treatment liquid in the treatment tank 110. is preferred. No food is stored inside the food storage container body 120 that is being moved by the outside-vessel moving/conveying mechanism 140, because the food inside has already been discharged by the food discharge function 180, which will be described later. , the processing liquid is also depleted and dropped into the processing tank 110 below, and the inside is in an empty state.

Next, the food loading mechanism 190 will be described.
The food loading mechanism 190 is provided at a position where the food storage container body 120 is moved from the outside-vessel transport mechanism 140 to the in-vessel transport mechanism 150, and rotates the food storage container body 120 to open the opening. 121 is tilted upward to make it easier to throw food into the food storage container body 120 .
4A and 4B are diagrams showing tilt control of the food container body 120 in the food loading mechanism 190 and sliding movement on the tilt guide.
In this configuration example, the food storage container body 120 is configured to rotate around a rotation axis that is set substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction. In this configuration example, the chain shaft 123 serves as a rotation shaft.

As shown in FIG. 4( a ), when the food storage container body 120 reaches a predetermined position where the food storage container body 120 is moved from the outside-vessel transport mechanism 140 to the in-vessel transport mechanism 150 , the food storage container body 120 is moved by the food loading mechanism 190 . rotates about the chain shaft 123, and the inclination of the food storage container body 120 changes. Here, the food loading mechanism 190 is a plate-like tilting guide, and when the food container body 120 abuts against the tilting guide from above, the food container body 120 moves under its own weight as shown in FIG. 4(b). , the opening 121 is temporarily maintained so as to face the starting end side (left side in the figure) of the processing tank 110 .
The mechanism for rotating the food storage container body 120 by the food loading mechanism 190 is not particularly limited. In the above configuration example, the plate-like tilting guide is used, but for example, there is a flange (projection) on the wall surface of the food storage container 120, and the food loading mechanism 190 pushes up the food storage container by using the flange as a trigger. The inclination of 120 may be changed. Further, for example, there is a method in which the food loading mechanism 190 has arms for holding the food storage container body 120 and rotates the food storage container body 120 while holding the food storage container body 120 with the arms.

The food loading mechanism 190 maintains the tilted state of the food storage container body 120 shown in FIG. The loading process may be performed manually by an operator, or may be supplied by another automatic device (not shown).
After the food is put in, the food storage container body 120 is handed over to the in-vessel moving/conveying mechanism 150 .

FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing how the food storage container body 120 is thrown from the outside-vessel moving/transporting mechanism 140 to the inside-vessel moving/transporting mechanism 150. As shown in FIG.
In the example of FIG. 5(b), the food storage container body 120 slides out of the plate-like tilting guide and returns to the vertically suspended state while being thrown into the processing tank 110. In the example of FIG. When the food storage container body 120 is loaded into the in-bath moving/conveying mechanism 150, the food storage container body 120 is pushed into the end of the row of the food storage container bodies 120 that are already lined up inside the processing tank 110. is put into
After the food storage container body 120 is once tilted by the food loading mechanism 190 in this manner, it is returned to the vertical state and transferred to the in-vessel moving/conveying mechanism 150 .

Next, the in-bath transfer mechanism 150 will be described.
The in-bath moving/conveying mechanism 150 is a mechanism for moving the food storage container body 120 so as to pass through the inside of the processing tank 110 .
6A and 6B are diagrams showing the operation of the in-bath moving and conveying mechanism 150, and are diagrams showing movements of the food container body 120, the chain shaft 123, the in-bath conveying conveyor 151, and the conveying chain 130. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the in-vessel moving transport mechanism 150, the food container body 120 is suspended while being supported by the in-vessel transport conveyor 151 via the support shaft 124. The bodies 120 are packed so that they abut each other.

In the in-vessel moving and conveying mechanism 150, the portion of the conveying chain 130 gripped by the driving device 170 on the food loading mechanism 190 side and the portion of the conveying chain 130 gripped by the driving device 170 on the food discharging mechanism 180 side are separated. The distance between the food containers and the length of the transport chain 130 between them are such that the length of the transport chain 130 is longer and the deflection is greater, and as shown in FIG. It bends between the container bodies 120 .

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the conveying chain 130 connected to the chain shaft 123 on the side of the food container body 120 is completely bent, and the conveying chain 130 has no force to convey the food material container body 120 . In the in-bath moving and conveying mechanism 150 , the food storage container body 120 is gradually conveyed in the advancing direction by the driving force of the in-bath conveying conveyor 151 . In other words, the food storage container body 120 is conveyed while the support shaft 124 is placed on the intra-bath conveyer 151 .
That is, in the processing tank 110, the conveying chain 130 is bent and does not apply a driving force to the food container body 120. It can be said that they are supported and transported.

7A and 7B schematically show how the treatment liquid 111 flows into and out of the food container body 120 in the in-bath moving transport mechanism 150. FIG.
In the example of FIG. 7, the food material storage container body 120 is suspended while being supported by the intra-tank transfer conveyor 151 via the support shaft 124, and the entire food material storage container body 120 is below the water line of the treatment liquid 111. It is in a submerged state.
A large number of holes 125 are provided in the wall surface 122 of the food container body 120, and the processing liquid 111 flows through the holes 125. As shown in FIG. Since the food material storage container body 120 advances in the advancing direction even gradually, the processing liquid 111 flows in from the hole 125 from the front side, and the processing liquid 111 inside the food material storage container body 120 flows out from the rear side. It's how it works. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the food container bodies 120 are close to each other, but the processing liquid 111 flows into and out of the food container bodies 120 .
A configuration in which the opening 121 protrudes above the waterline of the processing liquid 111 is also possible. It is necessary to adjust the relationship so that the food material to be processed is positioned below the waterline of the processing liquid 111 .

Here, the time t required for the food container body 120 to pass through the in-bath moving transport mechanism 150, that is, the processing time will be considered.
The time t, that is, the processing time t of the food storage container body 120 in the processing tank 110, is the time interval T between the food storage container body 120 and the in-vessel moving transport mechanism 150, and the length of the processing tank 110. L and the width W of the food storage container body 120 can be roughly calculated as t=T*(L/W).
In this configuration example, the processing is heat treatment, so the heat treatment is performed for approximately t=T*(L/W).

Next, the food ejection mechanism 180 will be described.
The food discharge mechanism 180 rotates the food storage container body 120 at a predetermined position when the food storage container body 120 is moved from the in-vessel moving transport mechanism 150 to the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism 140, and the food storage container body 120 is moved. It is a mechanism for discharging the processed food inside from the food storage container body 120 by tilting it at a predetermined angle so that the opening 121 of the food storage container body 120 faces downward.

8A and 8B are diagrams showing how the food discharge mechanism 180 controls the rotation of the food container body 120 and how the food is discharged.
The food discharging mechanism 180 is provided at a position where the food storage container body 120 is moved from the in-vessel moving transport mechanism 150 to the outside-vessel moving and transporting mechanism 140, and rotates the food storage container body 120 to open the opening. 121 is tilted downward to make it easier to discharge the food from the food storage container body 120 .
In this configuration example, the food storage container body 120 is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel. In this configuration example, the chain shaft 123 serves as a rotation shaft.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the food storage container body 120 reaches a predetermined position where the food storage container body 120 is moved from the in-vessel moving transport mechanism 150 to the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism 140, the food discharge mechanism 180 moves the food storage container body 120 onto the chain shaft. 123, and the inclination of the food storage container body 120 changes. Here, the opening 121 is temporarily maintained so as to be inclined downward on the downstream side (right side in the figure) in the direction of movement of the processing tank 110 .

The mechanism for rotating the food storage container body 120 by the food discharge mechanism 180 is not particularly limited. For example, a lever is provided on a part of the wall surface of the food storage container body 120, and there is a cylinder device that drives the lever, and the food storage container body 120 is rotated through the vertical movement of the lever by the cylinder device. There is a method. Further, for example, there may be a flange (projection) on a part of the wall surface of the food storage container body 120, and the food discharge mechanism 180 may push up or pull down the flange to change the inclination of the food storage container body 120. . Further, for example, there is a method in which the food discharge mechanism 180 has arms for holding the food storage container body 120 and rotates the food storage container body 120 while holding the food storage container body 120 with the arms.
The food discharge mechanism 180 maintains the tilted state of the food storage container body 120 for a predetermined time, during which the processed food is discharged out of the food storage container body 120 by the processing liquid in the processing tank 110 . After the food is discharged, the angle of the food storage container body 120 is restored by the food discharge mechanism 180. - 特許庁That is, it returns to a vertically suspended state.

Here, the movement of the food storage container body 120 to the food discharge mechanism 180 and the food discharge process and the movement of the food storage container body 120 to the food loading mechanism 190 and the food loading process are synchronized and intermittently moved. This simplifies the processing of the entire device.
Subsequently, the food storage container body 120 is transported by the in-vessel moving transport mechanism 150 and handed over to the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism 140 .
After transitioning to the out-of-bath moving/conveying mechanism 140, the state shown in FIG. 2 to 8 are regarded as one cycle, and the food container body 120 rotates inside and outside the processing tank 110 .

As Example 2, a configuration is shown in which a plurality of the food processing apparatuses 100 of the present invention shown in Example 1 are arranged in series to form a food processing apparatus group 200 .
FIG. 9 is a view mainly showing a connecting portion of the food processing apparatus group 200 according to the second embodiment.
In the configuration example of FIG. 9, two units of a front-stage food processing apparatus 100-1 and a rear-stage food processing apparatus 100-2 are arranged in series. In this configuration example, at the connecting portion between the food discharge mechanism 180 of the food processing apparatus 100-1 at the front stage and the food loading mechanism 190 of the food processing apparatus 100-2 at the rear stage, there is a slide that slides the food to assist movement. This is a configuration example in which a connecting portion 210 is provided.
Although there are no particular restrictions on the processes performed by the preceding food processing apparatus 100-1 and the subsequent food processing apparatus 100-2, here, food is heat-treated by the preceding food processing apparatus 100-1. , an example in which food is cooled by the food processing apparatus 100-2 in the subsequent stage.

The preceding food processing apparatus 100-1 includes a processing tank 110, a food container body 120, a conveying chain 130, an in-tank moving conveying mechanism 150, an outside-tank moving conveying mechanism 140, and It has a configuration including an intra-tank conveyer 151 , a drive device 170 , a food discharge mechanism 180 and a food introduction mechanism 190 . Here, since the food processing apparatus 100-1 in the preceding stage heats food, the processing bath 110 is a heat processing bath, and the processing liquid stored therein is hot water at a predetermined temperature. .

The food processing apparatus 100-2 in the subsequent stage also includes a processing tank 110, a foodstuff storage container body 120, a conveying chain 130, an in-tank moving conveying mechanism 150, an outside-tank moving conveying mechanism 140, as in the first embodiment. It has a configuration including an intra-tank conveyer 151 , a drive device 170 , a food discharge mechanism 180 and a food introduction mechanism 190 . Here, since the subsequent food processing apparatus 100-2 is for cooling food, the processing tank 110 is a cooling processing tank, and the processing liquid stored therein is cooling water at a predetermined temperature. .

As for the operation of the food processing apparatus 100-1 in the preceding stage, the operation of each part operates as shown in FIGS. is executed.
In the process, as shown in FIG. 8, the food container body 120 is tilted by the food discharge mechanism 180, and the food that has been heat-treated by the hot water in the processing tank 110 is discharged out of the food container body 120. However, as shown in FIG. 9, it is arranged so that the discharged heat-treated food is handed over to the subsequent food processing apparatus 100-2.

On the other hand, in the subsequent food processing apparatus 100-2, as shown in FIG. 3 of the first embodiment, the angle of the food storage container body 120 is adjusted by the food loading mechanism 190, and the angle of the food storage container body 120 is adjusted via the connecting portion 210, which is a slide. The inclination of the opening 121 is adjusted so that the food to be handed over can be easily thrown into the food storage container body 120 as it is.

The connecting part 210 is angled so that the food can easily slide down, but as shown in FIG. The inclination of the food storage container body 120 is an angle that facilitates delivery from the food storage container body 120 to the connection part 210, and the inclination of the food storage container body 120 by the food loading mechanism 190 of the subsequent food processing apparatus 100-2 The angle is such that the foodstuff storage container body 120 can easily receive the foodstuff that slides down from the 210 .
Here, the movement of the food storage container body 120 to the food discharge mechanism 180 of the food processing apparatus 100-1 in the former stage and the discharge processing of the food, and the food to the food introduction mechanism 190 of the food processing apparatus 100-2 in the latter stage. If the movement of the storage container body 120 and the process of putting in the food are intermittent motions synchronized with each other, the food can be reliably transferred through the connecting part 210 .

The heat-treated food delivered to the subsequent food processing apparatus 100-2 is continuously processed and cooled in the cycle shown in FIGS. Thus, the food container body 120 is tilted by the food discharge mechanism 180 , and the food that has been cooled by the cooling water in the processing tank 110 is discharged to the outside of the food container body 120 .

In the second embodiment, the two food processing apparatuses 100 are arranged in series in the front stage and the rear stage. It is also possible to arrange it in
The processing performed in each stage can be changed by adjusting the type and temperature of the processing liquid in the processing bath 110 .
For example, if the treatment liquid is hot water at a predetermined temperature, heat treatment is possible.
For example, if the processing liquid is oil at a predetermined temperature, frying processing is possible.
For example, if the processing liquid is a flavored seasoning, a seasoning process or the like is possible.
The food processing apparatus 100 of the present invention described above can be applied to various processing apparatuses.

Although the preferred embodiments of the configuration examples of the food processing apparatus of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, it should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. deaf.

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

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Food processing apparatus 110 Processing tank 120 Food container body 130 Conveying chain 131 Conveying chain support 140 Outside-vessel moving conveying mechanism 150 In-vessel moving conveying mechanism 151 In-vessel conveyer 170 Driving device 180 Food discharging mechanism 190 Food loading mechanism 200 Food processing equipment group 210 connection part

Claims (8)

a treatment tank filled with a treatment liquid for heat treatment, cooling treatment or freezing treatment of food;
a box-shaped food storage container having an opening, a wall surface provided with a plurality of holes or a plurality of slits through which the processing liquid can flow in and out, and a chain shaft provided on the side;
a conveying chain connected to the chain shaft of the food storage container;
an intra-vessel moving and conveying mechanism for moving the food storage container body so as to pass through the interior of the processing vessel;
an extra-vessel moving and conveying mechanism for moving the food storage container body so as to pass over the liquid surface of the processing liquid in the processing tank,
The food storage container body is set substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel, and includes the chain shaft or the support shaft body that serves as a rotation shaft incorporated in the conveying chain, and the opening is suspended and supported in an upward posture,
The outside-vessel movement transport mechanism supports from below a driving device having a sprocket structure that engages with the transport chain to apply a transport driving force, and the rotation shaft that rotatably supports the food storage container body . A transport chain support body for supporting the weight of the food storage container and transporting the food storage container is provided, and in the external movement transport mechanism, the food storage container moves the food storage container in an upward posture with the opening facing the transport chain via the rotating shaft. supported by a support and conveyed by the driving force of the driving device in a suspended state;
The in-vessel transporting mechanism includes an in-vessel transporting conveyor, and in the in-vessel transporting mechanism, the foodstuff storage container body is placed and supported on the in-vessel transporting conveyor via the rotating shaft and suspended. transported by the transport driving force of the intra-tank transport conveyor in the state of
In the in-vessel moving and conveying mechanism, the food storage container body is advanced while being supported by the in-vessel conveying conveyor in the bent state of the conveying chain, and
The food processing apparatus is characterized in that the out-of-bath moving transport mechanism advances the rotating shaft of the food storage container while the transport chain is being pulled while being supported by the transport chain support . In the in-vessel moving transport mechanism, the food storage container body that has circulated from the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism to the in-vessel moving transport mechanism is put into the in-vessel moving transport mechanism, and the food storage that has already formed a line. 2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container body is pushed by the food storage container body and advances along the intra-tank conveyer while the rotating shaft is supported by the in-tank conveyer. of food processing equipment. The movement of the food storage container from the outside-vessel movement transport mechanism to the inside-vessel movement-transport mechanism and the movement of the food storage container from the inside-vessel movement-transport mechanism to the outside-vessel movement-transport mechanism are synchronized. 3. The food processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the food processing apparatus is controlled to intermittently move. When the food storage container body is moved from the in-vessel moving transport mechanism to the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism, the food storage container body is rotated and tilted so that the opening faces downward to remove the food inside. 4. The food processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a food discharge mechanism for discharging food from the food container body. When the food storage container body is moved from the outside-vessel movement transport mechanism to the inside-vessel movement transport mechanism, the food storage container body is rotated, and the opening is tilted upward to move the food to the food storage container body. 5. The food processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a food feeding mechanism that facilitates feeding into the food. a treatment tank filled with a treatment liquid for heat treatment, cooling treatment or freezing treatment of food;
a box-shaped food storage container having an opening, a wall surface provided with a plurality of holes or a plurality of slits through which the processing liquid can flow in and out, and a chain shaft provided on the side;
a conveying chain connected to the chain shaft of the food storage container;
an intra-vessel moving and conveying mechanism for moving the food storage container body so as to pass through the interior of the processing vessel;
an extra-vessel moving and conveying mechanism for moving the food storage container body so as to pass over the liquid surface of the processing liquid in the processing tank,
When the food storage container body is moved from the in-vessel moving transport mechanism to the outside-vessel moving transport mechanism, the food storage container body is rotated and tilted so that the opening faces downward to remove the food inside. a food discharge mechanism for discharging from the food storage container body;
When the food storage container body is moved from the outside-vessel movement transport mechanism to the inside-vessel movement transport mechanism, the food storage container body is rotated, and the opening is tilted upward to move the food to the food storage container body. Equipped with a food feeding mechanism that makes it easier to put into
In the in-vessel moving transport mechanism, the food storage container body is advanced while the transport chain is bent,
In the outside-vessel moving and conveying mechanism, a plurality of food processing apparatuses arranged in series for advancing the food storage container by the conveying chain while the conveying chain is being pulled,
At the connecting portion between the food processing apparatuses, the food discharge mechanism of the food processing apparatus in the front row inclines the opening of the food storage container so that the opening of the food storage container faces downward, and the food inside is ejected from the food storage container. The opening of the food storage container body is tilted upward by the food loading mechanism of the food processing apparatus in the rear row, waiting for the food to be received, and the food can be automatically handed over before the food is discharged. A group of food processing equipment characterized by: A connecting portion for supporting the movement of the food by sliding the food is provided at a connecting portion between the food discharging mechanism of the food processing apparatus in the front row and the food loading mechanism of the food processing apparatus in the rear row. The food processing apparatus group according to claim 6, characterized by: The processing tank of the food processing equipment in the front row is a heat treatment tank filled with hot water or hot water, and the processing tank of the food processing equipment in the back row is cooled with cooling water or cooling liquid. 8. The group of food processing apparatuses according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the food processing apparatus is a processing tank, and is capable of continuously performing a predetermined cooling process after a predetermined heat treatment of the food.

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