JPH0115355Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention eliminates the interference between adjacent noodle groups that are connected by adhesive or the like and interfere with each other by separating adjacent noodle groups. This facilitates the individual processing of each noodle group in the subsequent process.

[Conventional technology and its problems]

Generally, instant noodles are manufactured as follows. In other words, a belt-shaped noodle sheet formed by rolling with a roller is longitudinally cut to form a large number of noodle strings, and the noodle strings are divided into a plurality of noodle groups, and the noodle groups are passed through a plurality of rows on a conveyor. Transported without. The multiple rows of noodles are steamed and gelatinized by passing through a gelatinization device, such as that described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-24451, and are then made into long, continuous noodles in the transport direction. The noodles are traversed, the noodles are cut into blocks for one serving, and then processed through known processes such as deep-frying, cooling, and packaging to become a product.

By the way, while the noodle group is passing through the gelatinization device, steam is injected onto each noodle string, and the heat and moisture create a paste-like viscosity on the surface of the noodle string. Additionally, while passing through the gelatinization device, the noodles may be slightly disturbed in their rows due to the pressure of the injected steam, vibrations input from the conveyor, etc. The noodle strings at the side edges come into contact with each other, and due to the viscosity of the noodle strings, the noodle strings often stick between adjacent groups of noodles.

If the noodle strings are transported between adjacent noodle groups while being stuck to each other, they will cool down and solidify, and even when each noodle group is processed individually in the subsequent process, both noodle groups will remain stuck to each other. Since they remain combined, there is a problem in that individual processing is hindered. Conventionally, in order to solve this problem, personnel were assigned after the gelatinization step to manually separate the left and right noodle groups.

This invention was created by focusing on the problems of the conventional technology, and by automatically and forcibly separating groups of noodles in adjacent rows that are connected to each other, it is possible to improve the processing speed in the subsequent process. The purpose is to facilitate the

[Means for solving problems]

This idea consists of a horizontal bar that is installed between parallel endless bodies such as chains and extends in the width direction of the conveyor, and that extends in the direction of travel of the conveyor above the conveyor. An engaging body that is supported movably in the extending direction and that individually engages the left and right noodle groups conveyed in a row by the conveyor, and an interval between the engaging bodies that respectively engage the left and right noodle groups, respectively. , and a guide that guides both engaging bodies so that they become larger as the noodle group progresses.

[Effect]

The noodles are conveyed in a plurality of rows by a conveyor, and a horizontal bar facing the top of the conveyor is moved in synchronization with the conveyor in the same direction. This movement of the horizontal bar is performed by driving a parallel endless body such as a chain.

Further, the engaging body is supported by the horizontal bar so as to be movable in the direction in which the horizontal bar extends, that is, in the width direction of the conveyor, and moves integrally in the direction in which the horizontal bar extends. Also move in the direction.

Moreover, this engaging body individually engages both the left and right noodle groups, but when these two engaging bodies move together with the horizontal bar, the conveyor and the noodle groups advance, so that they are spaced apart from each other by a guide. is expanded.

For this reason, the distance between the left and right noodle groups is expanded as the engaging bodies engaged with them move forward, and the noodle groups are also separated from each other as a result. Even if they are coupled, they are separated from each other and the coupling is released.

〔Example〕

1 to 8 show an embodiment of this invention, and FIG. 1 is a side view of the entire device.

Here, 1 is a conveyor, and although not shown in detail, a net conveyor is used, and the noodle group 2 is placed on the upper surface of the net conveyor and conveyed in the A direction. The noodle group 2 is formed by gathering a large number of noodle strings, and is continuous in a long belt shape in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 1 on the upper surface of the conveyor 1. A plurality of rows of noodle groups 2 are conveyed on the upper surface of the conveyor 1, and the intervals provided between each row of noodle groups 2 are not large in order to improve conveyance efficiency and downsize various processing devices. In this embodiment, the noodle group 2 has noodle strings formed in a wavy shape, which have been passed through a noodle gelatinization device using steam. rich in

On the upper side of the conveyor 1, a pair of sprockets 3 (teeth are omitted in the drawing) are mounted on the left and right sides of the conveyor 1, and an endless chain 4 is installed on each of the left and right sprockets 3. Two endless chains 4 are parallel to each other on both sides of the conveyor 1. It goes without saying that one of the paired sprockets 3 is connected to a drive source. Endless chain 4
If necessary, rails may be added along the track to stabilize the track.

A large number of horizontal bars 5 are installed between the left and right endless chains 4 to cross the conveyor 1 on the upper surface of the conveyor 1 (particularly shown in FIGS. 3 and 5). The horizontal bars 5 are arranged throughout the endless chain 4 at a predetermined pitch, forming an endless conveyor shape as a whole. The horizontal bar 5 is attached to the endless chain 4 as shown in FIG.
The end of the horizontal bar 5 is engaged with the inside of the pin of the endless chain 4. However, a bracket (not shown) may be attached to the endless chain 4, and the end of the horizontal bar 5 may be attached to this bracket.

An engaging body 6 is located between two horizontal bars 5 that are arranged in front and behind each other.
is installed slidably in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal bar 5.
In particular, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the engaging body 6 includes a sliding block 6b that is externally fitted onto the horizontal bar 5 via a bush 6a made of synthetic resin with low frictional resistance, and is fixed to the lower side of the sliding block 6b. It consists of a pressing plate 6c that is pressed and engaged with the noodle group 2, and a roller 6e that is rotatably fitted onto a pin 6d that projects above the sliding block 6b.

In this embodiment, two such engaging bodies 6 are provided for one row of noodle groups 2 on the same set of horizontal bars 5, and in FIG. 3, four engaging bodies 6 are provided on the same horizontal bar 5.
Two engaging bodies 6 are shown attached. An engaging body 6 is similarly attached to each set of horizontal bars 5, and when the plate 6c of the engaging body 6 is facing downward,
The endless chain 4, the horizontal bar 5, and the engaging body 6 are configured to move together in the A direction, which is the same direction as the conveyor 1, and to engage so that the tip of the plate 6c bites into the noodle group 2.

A rail-shaped guide 7 is installed inside the large number of continuous horizontal bars 5 to control the position of the engaging body 6 in the left-right direction. The guide 7 has a concave cross section, and the roller 6e of the engaging body 6 is engaged with the groove. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the arrangement of the guide 7 is such that as the left and right engaging bodies 6 used for one noodle group 2 move in the direction of movement of the conveyor 1, the interval becomes smaller. In addition, the distance between the pair of guides 7 is narrowed in the same direction. This indicates that the distance between two adjacent engaging bodies 6 of each pair of engaging bodies 6 used for adjacent noodle groups 2 increases as they move. The guide 7 is formed so that when the engaging bodies 6 are reversed and go in the direction opposite to the conveyor 1, the distance between the pair of engaging bodies 6 widens and returns to its original state. The guide 7 is supported by a stay 8 on the same machine frame on which the sprocket 3 is pivotally supported (this state is not shown).

Next, the operation of this device will be explained.

The noodle group 2 is placed on the conveyor 1 and conveyed in the direction of arrow A in a plurality of rows. During this conveyance, when the separation device of this invention is reached, the engaging body 6 is rotated by the endless chain 4 and descends above the noodle group 2, and the plate 6c is pressed against and engaged with the noodle group 2. . Since the noodle group 2 is highly elastic since it has been gelatinized, it will be elastically deformed when the plate 6c is engaged, but there is no risk of the noodle strings constituting the noodle group 2 being cut.

The engaging body 6 has the same horizontal bar 5 for one noodle group 2.
Since the two engaging bodies 6 are arranged on the top, the two engaging bodies 6 engage with the noodle group 2 on the left and right sides. This is the same for each noodle group 2.

The engagement of the two engaging bodies 6 with one noodle group 2 is initially performed with a wide interval between the engaging bodies 6. This is done at the position indicated by a in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, and the relationship between the engaging body 6 and the noodle group 2 at this time is shown in FIG. 8a.

Next, as the conveyor 1 advances, the engaging bodies 6 and the noodle group 2 move together, but at this time, the distance between the two engaging bodies 6 becomes gradually narrower due to the guidance by the guide 7. Then, both sides of the noodle group 2 engaged with this are brought toward the center by the engaging body 6, and sometimes the center side becomes swollen. This is the behavior at the position indicated by b in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, and the relationship between the engaging body 6 and the noodle group 2 at this time is shown in FIG. 8b.

As the conveyor 1 advances, the engaging body 6 and the noodle group 2
As it progresses further, 2 that engages with one noodle group 2
The distance between the two engaging bodies 6 is further narrowed, and the noodle group 2
width is further narrowed. This is done at the position indicated by c in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, and the relationship between the engaging body 6 and the noodle group 2 at this time is as shown in FIG. 8 c. In this way, even if the noodle group 2 is compressed from the left and right sides, each noodle strand is highly elastic, so not only the left and right portions of the noodle group 2 are compressed, but the compressive force is transmitted to the entire width direction, and the width is compressed. It will be compressed uniformly in all directions.

Such a change in the width of the noodle groups 2 can be seen as a phenomenon between two adjacent noodle groups 2, which means that the distance between the two noodle groups 2 gradually increases, as in the two noodle groups 2 in FIG. By forcibly separating both noodle groups 2 and the engaging body 6, the noodle strings bonded between the sides of the noodle groups 2 are separated.

Then, after passing through the separation device, the engaging body 6 turns and rises, so that the engaging body 6 is no longer engaged with the noodle group 2, and the noodle group 2 is released from the engaging body 6. Then, the shape of the noodle group 2 is restored by the elastic force, and each noodle group 2 in the plurality of rows is conveyed by the conveyor 1 in the same way as before reaching the separating device (the position indicated by d in FIG. 4). At this stage, the noodle strings are separated between adjacent noodle groups 2 to form mutually independent noodle groups 2.

By turning and rising, the engaging body 6 separated from the noodle group 2 moves in the opposite direction to the conveyor 1,
During this movement, each engaging body 6 is guided by the guide 7, and the mutual interval is gradually widened, and the engaging bodies 6 are engaged with the noodle group 2 again.

In this embodiment, the plate 6c is used as the portion of the engaging body 6 that engages with the noodle group 2, but a rod-shaped or other shaped member may be used instead, and the lower edge of the plate 6c may be used instead. Of course, it is also possible to have a wavy, sawtooth, etc. shape. Further, the distance that the engaging body 6 moves along the horizontal bar 5 by the guide 7 is set according to conditions such as the size, property, and moving speed of the noodle group 2.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the noodles after gelatinization were used as the noodle group 2 to be separated by the separating device, but it is also possible to apply this invention to the noodle group 2 before gelatinization. In this case, depending on the elasticity and other properties of the noodle strings in that process, the manner in which the engaging bodies 6 engage with the noodle group 2, the distance by which the engaging bodies 6 are moved laterally along the horizontal bar 5, and the Conditions such as the shape of the portion in contact with group 2 may be set.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, in this invention, the noodle groups in adjacent rows that are connected to each other are automatically and forcibly separated by the engaging body while the noodle groups are moving. This has the effect of making it possible to smoothly perform the post-process of treating the groups individually.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the first embodiment of this invention;
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the guide, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the relationship between the endless chain, horizontal bar, and engaging body, Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the relationship between the engaging body and the noodle group, and Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the relationship between the endless chain, the horizontal bar, and the engaging body. Third
FIG. 6 is a side view of the engaging body, FIG. 7 is a front view of the engaging body 6, and FIG. 8 a
Figure b is a front view when the engaging body is engaged with the noodle group;
is a front view showing a state in which the distance between the engaging bodies engaged with the noodle group is narrowing, and FIG. 1... conveyor, 2... noodle group, 3... sprocket, 4... endless chain, 5... horizontal bar, 6... engaging body, 7... guide.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] It is installed between parallel endless bodies and extends in the width direction of the conveyor, and has a horizontal bar that moves in the direction of travel of the conveyor above the conveyor, and a horizontal bar that is supported by the horizontal bar so as to be movable in the direction in which the horizontal bar extends. , the distance between the engaging bodies that individually engage with the left and right noodle groups conveyed in a row by the conveyor, and the engaging bodies that engage with both the left and right noodle groups, respectively, changes as the noodle groups progress. A device for separating adjacent noodle groups, comprising: a guide for guiding both engaging bodies so that the engaging bodies become larger.