JP7295556B2 - Topping line cooling device - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a topping line cooling device for cooling a topping line for topping materials such as side dishes while conveying objects such as bento boxes.

Conventionally, in the production of lunch boxes, a topping line is provided for topping prepared side dishes separately prepared on a lunch box filled with cooked rice. A conveying device is provided for conveying lunch boxes into the packaging room cooled to about °C. Then, workers manually put topping materials such as side dishes on the bento boxes conveyed by the conveying device.

A topping line cooling device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200003 is known as a conveying device for such a topping line. This topping line cooling device consists of a casing, a conveying device arranged on the upper part of the casing for carrying the bento box on the conveying surface, a cooler arranged inside the casing for producing cool air, and a cooler. A circuit for directing the cold air produced onto the conveying surface, crossing the conveying direction and circulating it back to said cooler inside the casing to form a cooling atmosphere below the ambient temperature on the conveying surface. and a branch passage for branching the cold air from a part of the circulation passage inside the casing, and the casing is formed with an extraction opening for extracting the cold air from the branch passage to the outside of the casing. It is characterized in that one end of a flexible connecting duct for blowing cool air to the heavy can be connected. According to this feature, since the weight can be cooled together with the topping line, a new cooler for the weight can be eliminated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the cooling can be performed efficiently.

In this topping line cooling device, the casing has two side walls covering both sides of the conveying device along the conveying direction of the conveying device. In the above, an inner wall having a raised portion projecting upward from the conveying surface of the conveying device is provided. The rising portions are part of the circulation path described above, and cool air is blown out from one rising portion and cold air is drawn in from the other rising portion to form a cooling atmosphere on the conveying surface.

JP 2014-219141 A

However, in such a device, the temperature of the cold air sucked in by the other rising portion is higher than the temperature of the cold air blown out by the other rising portion, and the temperature of the cold air on the one rising portion side and the other rising portion side in the topping line cooling device is higher. The temperature of the cold air will be different between It has been demanded to reduce the temperature difference between the inside of the device on the side of one of the rising portions and the inside of the side of the other rising portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a topping line cooling device capable of reducing the temperature difference between cool air between the inside of one rising portion and the inside of the other rising portion. aim.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an embodiment of the present invention is a topping line cooling device for sequentially topping with topping materials in a state in which an object to be conveyed by a conveying device is cooled, wherein the conveying direction of the conveying device is rising portions positioned on both sides along the , each protruding upward from the conveying surface of the conveying device and forming a cooling atmosphere having a temperature lower than the ambient temperature on the conveying surface by blowing cold air; a delivery section positioned below the surface for sucking in air on the conveying surface and for delivering cool air to the rising section.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the topping line cooling device which can reduce the temperature difference of the cool air between one rising part side inside and the other rising part side inside can be implement|achieved.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a topping line cooling device according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a topping line cooling device according to an embodiment; FIG. It is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view which shows the internal structure of the rising|rising part with which the topping line cooling device which concerns on embodiment is provided.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present specification and drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant description.

(overall structure)
First, the overall configuration of the topping line cooling device according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view schematically showing the topping line cooling device according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the topping line cooling device. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a pair of rising portions provided in the topping line cooling device. In addition, in FIG. 2, for the sake of explanation, only the weight device 30, which will be described later, connected to the right side of the drawing is shown. In FIG. 3, since each of the pair of rising portions has the same configuration, only one rising portion is shown and illustration of the other rising portion is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the topping line cooling device 1 includes a belt conveyor 10 extending along the conveying direction, and a cooling air blowing unit 26, etc., which are arranged to surround the belt conveyor 10 below and on the sides thereof. is detachably connected to a weighting device 30 having weights 31 for loading prepared dishes 90 as topping materials. The topping line cooling device 1 according to this embodiment is installed in the packaging chamber, and the lunch boxes 80 placed on the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10 are sequentially conveyed, and are loaded into the weights 31 on the way. Prepared dishes 90 are sequentially topped on the bento box 80 by the worker. A bento box 80 topped with a side dish 90 is conveyed to a workbench 70 arranged at the end of the belt conveyor 10, where operations such as attaching a lid are performed.

In this embodiment, one topping line cooling device 1 is shown, but a plurality of units may be connected in series, etc., and the length of the topping line cooling device 1 and the topping line cooling device 1 to be connected and arranged is arbitrary.

(Casing 20)
The casing 20 is a box-shaped member having a pair of side walls 21 covering both lateral sides of the belt conveyor 10 along the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 10 . As shown in FIG. 2, inside the pair of side walls 21, there are two sides along the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 10, that is, the width direction of the belt conveyor 10 (perpendicular to the conveying direction) with the belt conveyor 10 interposed therebetween. direction) and protruding upward from the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10, and provided with a pair of rising portions 22a for respectively blowing out cold air. The inner wall 22 extends downward to form a drain pan, and is provided with a fan 261 of the cooling blower section 26, which will be described later.

Each of the pair of rising portions 22a has a large number of holes 221 formed along the conveying direction on the inner side surfaces of the tip portions thereof for blowing cold air (see FIGS. 1 and 3). By blowing cold air from the holes 221, an air curtain having a temperature lower than room temperature can be formed. Such rising portions 22a are preferably made of, for example, punching metal. It should be noted that openings such as slits may be provided instead of the holes 221 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the pair of rising portions 22a blows cold air downward from the holes 221 toward the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10, thereby causing the cold air to flow toward the conveying surface 10a. Cold air can be sent out from both sides. As shown in FIG. 3, the rising portion 22a is internally provided with a plurality of flat plate-like louvers 222 gradually inclined downward toward the conveying surface. By forming the holes 221 between the inclined louvers 222 in this way, it is possible to blow the cold air downward.

A space formed between each side wall 21 and the rising portion 22a serves as a main duct 23a through which cool air passes. A branch duct 23b for branching cold air is formed in a part of the lower part. Therefore, cold air passes through both the main duct 23a and the branch duct 23b.

The pair of side walls 21 are formed with extraction openings 24 that communicate between the branch ducts 23b and the outside of the side walls 21, respectively. can be taken out. Although not shown, in the present embodiment, at least two take-out openings 24 are arranged side by side in the conveying direction, and are connected to a weighing device 30, which will be described later.

The two continuous extraction openings 24 can detachably attach two flexible connection ducts 34 a and 34 b provided in the weighting device 30 , and can deliver cool air to the weighting device 30 . It is preferable that a lid member 241 is provided at the opening edge of the extraction opening 24 in order to prevent cold air from leaking to the outside when it is not connected to an external device such as the weighting device 30 .

A gap is defined between the belt conveyor 10 and the inner wall 22 at a predetermined distance, and this gap extends downward along the inner wall 22 and is connected to each other so that air can pass through. A ventilation path 25 is provided. The air in the ventilation path 25 is sucked by a cooling air blower 26, which will be described later, and sent out into the main duct 23a, thereby enabling the circulation of cool air.

(Cooling air blower 26)
As shown in FIG. 2, a cooling air blower 26 for producing cold air is provided in the lower inside of the casing 20. As shown in FIG. The cooling blower 26 is configured with one fan 261 and two coolers 262 . In this embodiment, one topping line cooling device 1 is provided with a plurality of cooling air blowing units 26 (see FIG. 1), but the number of these units may be increased or decreased depending on the length of the topping line cooling device 1 or the like. It is better to let

The fan 261 is fixed to a partition wall 28 disposed below the inner wall 22 inside the casing 20 so that its intake port faces the ventilation path 25 and its exhaust port faces the two coolers 262. The coolers 262 are fixed to the partition wall 28 so as to face the main duct 23a.

The fan 261 draws in the air in the ventilation path 25 and sends it out to the main duct 23a via the cooler 262 located in the rear stage, whereby the pair of rising portions 22a can blow out cool air respectively. . If the wind speed of the fan 261 is high, the cool air blown from each of the pair of rising portions 22a will collide excessively and escape upward, and if it is weak, it will not reach the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the rotation speed by adjusting the inverter so that the wind speed reaches the center of the conveying surface 10 a of the belt conveyor 10 . The wind speed may be adjusted by reducing the number of holes 221 in the rising portion 22a.

In addition, there is a possibility that the side dish 90 may fall in the ventilation path 25 while being topped, or the residue on the belt conveyor 10 may fall. On the other hand, since the fan 261 is arranged so that its intake port faces upward, the bearing is exposed. Therefore, it is preferable to use a waterproof fan 261 in consideration of adhesion of falling objects and cleaning (for example, washing with water).

The cooler 262 has an expansion valve and a heat exchanger through which the refrigerant passes to exchange heat with the air, and cools the air sent from the fan 261 . The refrigerant passing through the cooler 262 circulates through a condenser, a compressor and an expansion valve (not shown) arranged outside the casing 20 . The side wall 21 of the casing 20 is preferably provided with air flow openings (not shown) corresponding to the condenser, compressor and expansion valve.

The cold air produced by the cooling air blowing section 26 passes through the main duct 23a and the rising section 22a, reaches the conveying surface 10a, passes through the ventilation path 25, returns to the cooling air blowing section 26, and is thus indicated by the arrow in FIG. A cooling air circulation path is formed. Also, the cold air that has flowed into the main duct 23a is partially branched by the branch duct 23b and sent out to the weight device 30 through the outlet opening 24. As shown in FIG.

The rising portion 22a, the main duct 23a, the branch duct 23b, the extraction opening 24, the ventilation path 25, and the cooling air blowing portion 26 described above have a plane-symmetrical structure with the center between the side walls 21 as a reference plane as shown in FIG. , the cold air blown by the pair of rising portions 22a is substantially the same. The same applies to the cool air blown out from the outlet openings 24 .

(Baggage device 30)
As shown in FIG. 2, the weighting device 30 includes a weighting storage base 32, a weighting receiving base 33, and flexible connection ducts 34a and 34b. The weight storage table 32 has a box shape, a plurality of casters 31a are attached to the lower portion thereof, and a part of the side wall serves as an opening and closing door that can be freely opened and closed, and a plurality of spare weights 31 are placed inside. can be stacked and stored. In addition, one or more intake openings 32b are formed in the side wall of the weight storage table 32. As shown in FIG. The intake opening 32b can be appropriately closed by a lid member (not shown), and can be detachably connected to the other end of the flexible connecting duct 34a when opened. One end of this flexible connecting duct 34a can be detachably connected to one of the take-out openings 24 in the side wall 21, and cold air can be taken into the inside of the stacking rack 32 by this connection.

The weight cradle 33 has an upper opening 33a, and one weight 31 is received and set therein through the upper opening 33a. In addition, one or more intake openings 33b are formed in the side wall of the weighted cradle 33. As shown in FIG. The intake opening 33b can be appropriately closed by a lid member (not shown), and can be detachably connected to the other end of the flexible connecting duct 34b when opened. One end of this flexible connecting duct 34b can be detachably connected to the other outlet opening 24 in the side wall 21, and cold air can be taken into the inside of the weighted cradle 33 by this connection.

(equipment operation)
The work of topping the prepared dish 90 while transporting the lunch box 80 using the topping line cooling apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

First, the belt conveyor 10 and the cooling blower 26 are driven in a packaging room air-conditioned to a room temperature of about 20°C to 25°C. After driving, the aforementioned cool air circulation path is formed. More specifically, the air in the ventilation path 25 is sucked by the fan 261, and the cool air obtained by blowing air to the two coolers 262 and exchanging heat through the coolers 262 is , through the main duct 23a to the rising portion 22a. After the delivery, the cold air is blown down from the hole 221 of the rising portion 22a and reaches the conveying surface 10a of the conveyor 10, so that the temperature on the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10 is lower than the room temperature of the packaging room. A low cooling atmosphere is formed, and the lunch box 80 is conveyed by the belt conveyor 10 in this cooling atmosphere. The cool air in the cooling atmosphere formed on the conveying surface 10a is drawn into the ventilation path 25 by sucking the air in the ventilation path 25 by the fan 261, and is sent to the cooler 262 by the fan 261 again. becomes. As a result, cold air circulates inside the side wall 21 as indicated by the arrows in FIG.

On the other hand, the cold air that has flowed into the branch duct 23b without flowing into the main duct 23a passes through the flexible connection ducts 34a and 34b and is delivered to the weight storage table 32 and the weight receiving table 33, and then into each of them. A cooling atmosphere similar to that of the conveying surface 10a can be formed, and the weights 31 received therein can be cooled.

Workers are arranged on both sides of the belt conveyor 10 corresponding to the weights 31, and sequentially top the prepared dishes 90 loaded in the weights 31 on the delivered lunch boxes 80.例文帳に追加At this time, the weight 31 and the lunch box 80 are held in the cooling atmosphere formed on the conveying surface 10 a or in the cooling atmosphere formed in the weight cradle 32 .

In this way, even if the room temperature of the packaging room is normal temperature, the weight 30 and the lunch box 80 can always be kept in a cool atmosphere, and the propagation of germs can be suppressed.

A compressor or an expansion valve is adjusted so that the cooling atmosphere formed on the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10, the weight storage table 32, and the weight receiving table 33 has a required set temperature. As a specific set temperature, any temperature between 5.degree. C. and 20.degree. If chilled lunches are required, the set temperature may be set to a low temperature.

According to the present embodiment described above, since the cold air can be blown from each of the pair of rising portions 22a, the cold air reaches the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10 from both directions, that is, from both sides in the width direction. A cooling atmosphere can be formed on the conveying surface 10a. With such a twin-blowing configuration, for example, even if the cool air is taken out from the topping line cooling device 1 on both sides in the width direction, the taken-out cold air has substantially the same temperature. Therefore, since the weight device 30 can be arranged on both sides of the topping line cooling device 1, workers can also be arranged on both sides, and the work space can be effectively utilized, and the work efficiency can be improved. It also has the effect of improving the

When the weighting device 30 is arranged on both sides of the topping line cooling device 1 in the width direction, only the fan 261 for forming a cooling atmosphere on the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10 cools each weighting device 30. can be sent. Therefore, compared with the case of providing a dedicated fan for sending cold air to the weight device 30, cost reduction can be realized.

In this embodiment, it was explained that the ventilation path 25 is provided by forming a gap between the belt conveyor 10 and the inner wall 22, but the present invention is not limited to this. , and the fan 261 may suck air through the holes. In this case, the holes serve as ventilation paths, and a gap need not be formed between the belt conveyor 10 and the inner wall 22 .

Although the louver 222 is positioned inside the rising portion 22a, the louver 222 may be exposed to the outside. You may incline so that it may approach the surface 10a side.

In addition, although it has been described that the cold air is blown out so that each of the pair of rising portions 22a reaches the conveying surface 10a of the belt conveyor 10, one rising portion 22a is adjacent to the other rising portion 22a. , and the other rising portion 22a blows the cold air toward the opening of the ventilation path 24 adjacent to the one rising portion 22a so that the cold air crosses over the conveying surface 10a. In this case, for example, the holes 221 of the pair of rising portions 22a may alternate in the transport direction.

The invention may be embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples in all respects and should not be construed in a restrictive manner. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Furthermore, all modifications, various improvements, substitutions and modifications that fall within the equivalent scope of claims are within the scope of the present invention.

1 topping line cooling device 10 belt conveyor (conveying device)
10a Conveying surface 22a Pair of rising parts 25 Ventilation path (gap)
26 Cooling air blower (delivering part)
30 weight 80 lunch box (conveyed object)
90 side dish (topping material)

Claims (4)

A topping line cooling device for sequentially topping with topping materials in a state in which an object to be conveyed by a conveying device is cooled,
Positioned on both sides of the conveying device along the conveying direction, each protrudes upward from the conveying surface of the conveying device, and forms a cooling atmosphere with a lower temperature than the ambient temperature on the conveying surface by blowing cold air. a rising portion;
a sending unit positioned below the conveying surface and sucking in air on the conveying surface and sending cool air to the rising portion ;
The delivery unit has one fan and two coolers,
The fan is provided below the conveying device,
One of the coolers is provided on the first duct side communicating with one of the rising portions,
The other cooler is provided on the side of a second duct that communicates with the other rising portion,
The fan blows air through the two coolers to the first and second ducts, thereby blowing cool air from each of the rising portions through the two coolers and the first and second ducts. put out
A topping line cooling device characterized by: 2. A topping line cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gap is formed between said rising portion and said conveying device, and said delivery portion sucks air through said gap. The casing of the topping line cooling device is formed with an extraction opening for extracting cold air to the outside of the casing,
2. When the fan blows air to the first and second ducts through the two coolers, the cooling air is also blown to the take-out opening to send cold air to the outside of the casing. Item 3. The topping line cooling device according to item 2 . 4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the take-out openings are provided in the first duct and the second duct, respectively, and are connected to weights located outside the casing filled with the topping material. Topping line cooling device.

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