JPH0678773U - Cooling device by three-dimensional transportation in liquid - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] An object of the present invention is to simplify the structure of an apparatus and to reliably convey objects to be cooled in an aligned state. [Structure] A plurality of conveyors with a space between them, in which an object to be cooled floating by the buoyancy of liquid is wound around a driving wheel and a driven wheel and endless conveyor belts are sandwiched between the conveyor belts facing each other in the vertical direction, A guide for guiding and moving the object to be cooled along the transfer section is provided at the transfer section at the downstream end of the upper conveyor of the plurality of conveyors that transfers to the lower conveyor. Provided.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a cooling device that cools an object to be cooled such as retort food while three-dimensionally transporting it in a liquid.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 For example, a method of cooling the object to be cooled such as retort food while being transported is adopted, and the cooling method is roughly classified into an air cooling method and a water cooling method.

The air cooling method includes natural air cooling and forced air cooling. The former natural air cooling is cooled by heat radiation to the atmosphere, so the cooling rate is considered to be slow, and the latter forced air cooling is a device that generates cold air and cool air. A device for shutting off the outside air is required, which makes the device complicated and expensive.

Further, in the case of air cooling, the heat exchange rate is poorer than that of water cooling, and it takes a long time to cool to a predetermined temperature, which causes an increase in the length of the transfer conveyor during cooling.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 On the other hand, in the case of water cooling, since the heat exchange rate is high, the transport distance is shorter than in air cooling. In the case of air cooling, the object to be cooled can be continuously cooled while being carried on a conveyor, whereas in case of cooling the object to be cooled such as retort food by water cooling, the object to be cooled can be simply put in a bucket. Since the method of putting them all together and cooling is adopted, it is a lot process, and after cooling, it is necessary to realign the objects to be cooled due to the post-process, which is a problem.

If the objects to be cooled are conveyed in a straight line in a straight line, the above-mentioned realignment problem can be solved, but it is not economical in terms of space, and it is required to construct a three-dimensional structure to reduce the installation space of the device. ing.

Therefore, for example, in the case of transportation in water, in order to avoid the complexity of the work in the subsequent process, it is necessary to transport them one by one in the same manner as in the state before the cooling process and the required installation space. Due to the necessity of transporting in a small space, as shown in FIG. 7, the conveyors 102 and 103 are arranged in two stages in the water of the water tank 101, and the conveyors 102 and 103 in the two upper and lower stages are used to convey the retort food or the like. Although it may be possible to cool the cooling object R while it is being transported, when the object R to be cooled moves from the downstream end of the upper conveyor 102 to the lower conveyor 103, the object R to be cooled may sink and float due to its specific gravity. It was difficult to smoothly transfer between the belt portions 102A and 103A of the upper conveyor 102 and the lower conveyor 103.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the conveyor 104 is tilted and placed in the water in the water tank 101, in the water, the objects R to be cooled may float or sink due to their specific gravities and may overlap with each other. As a result, the objects R to be cooled become unaligned, and it is difficult to transport the objects R one by one while keeping the aligned condition.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to simplify the structure of the apparatus and to reliably transport the objects to be cooled in an aligned state. An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device by three-dimensional transportation inside.

[0010]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 According to the first aspect of the present invention, an object to be cooled which is floated by the buoyancy of a liquid is wound around the driving wheel and the driven wheel around an endless conveyor belt, and a space is provided between the conveyor belts facing each other in the vertical direction. A plurality of conveyors are arranged in multiple stages in the liquid tank, and at the downstream transfer end of the upper conveyor of the plurality of conveyors, the transfer section to transfer to the lower conveyor is connected to the object to be cooled along the transfer section. Is provided with a guide for guiding and moving.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, an unloading conveyor having one end connected to the downstream side of the lowermost conveyor and the other end located outside the liquid tank is arranged in an inclined manner. A guide conveyer is arranged so as to face the carry-out conveyor and sandwich the object to be cooled by the carry-out conveyor.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the carry-in conveyor having one end connected to the upstream side of the uppermost conveyor and the other end positioned outside the liquid tank is arranged in an inclined manner. A guide conveyer is arranged so as to face the carry-in conveyor and sandwich the object to be cooled by the carry-in conveyor.

[0013]

[Action]

 In the invention according to claim 1, the object to be cooled is conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side by the upper conveyor of the plurality of conveyors and reaches the transfer portion at the downstream end of the upper conveyor, Guided by the guide provided at the transfer section, inserted and sandwiched between the conveyor belts of the upper conveyor and the lower conveyor facing each other, and even if the liquid is floated by the buoyancy, it is pressed by the upper conveyor. They are transported in line.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the object to be cooled is conveyed by the unloading conveyor arranged obliquely. However, even if the object to be cooled floats due to the buoyancy of the liquid, the object to be cooled is guided by the guide conveyor. Since it is pressed down, it is transported in an aligned state.

Further, even when the object to be cooled is about to sink, it is conveyed by being aligned because it is pushed by the guide conveyor. According to the third aspect of the invention, the same operation as that of the second aspect of the invention occurs.

[0016]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, a cooling device for three-dimensional transportation in a liquid according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The entire cooling device is configured by integrating FIG. 1 (left side portion) and FIG. 2 (right side portion).

In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a water tank, and a transport device 44 is housed in the water tank 1. This transfer device 44 includes a lower stage conveyor 5 provided on a support base 5D fixed to a base 43, a middle stage conveyor 4 provided on a support base 4D fixed on the support base 5D, and a support base 4D. It has an upper conveyor 3 provided on a support base 3D fixed on the upper side, and a carry-in conveyor 2 is inclinedly arranged on the upstream side of the upper conveyor 3, and its carry-out end is at the upstream end of the upper conveyor 3. It is continuous.

The carry-in conveyor 2 is arranged on the upstream side of the uppermost conveyor 5 in an inclined manner, and the carry-in conveyor 2 is mounted on a support base 2D fixed to the inclined surface 9A of the carry-in conveyor support base 9 via a bracket 9B. It is installed.

Further, the carry-out conveyor 6 is arranged on the downstream side of the lower conveyor 5 in an inclined manner, and its carry-in end is continuous with the downstream end of the lower conveyor 5. The carry-out conveyor 6 is attached to a support base 6D fixed to the inclined surface 10A of the carry-out conveyor support base 10 via a bracket 10B.

The carry-in conveyor 2 and the carry-out conveyor 6 have net belts 2A and 6A, respectively. At the center of the water tank 1, a frame body 11 fixed to the base 43 is arranged across the upper conveyor 3, the middle conveyor 4 and the lower conveyor 5, and the first motor 12 is installed on the frame body 11. Has been done.

The first motor 12 is provided with a reversing mechanism 13, and the first sprocket 14 on the output shaft 13 A of the reversing mechanism 13 is coaxial with the drive shaft of the upper conveyor 3 via the first roller chain 15. It is connected to the first driving force transmission sprocket 3B (two rows).

The net-like belt 3A is endlessly wound around the drive pulley (drive wheel) 3C and the driven pulley (driven wheel) 3E that are coaxial with the first drive force transmission sprocket 3B, and the drive pulley is driven. The upper conveyor 3 is driven by 3C. A tension force is applied to the first roller chain 15 by the tension pulley 16.

Similarly, the first drive force transmission sprocket 3 B is connected to the fifth drive force transmission sprocket 5 B coaxial with the drive shaft of the lower conveyor 5 via the fifth roller chain 27. A net-shaped belt 5A is endlessly wound around a drive pulley (driving wheel) 5C and a driven pulley (driven wheel) 5E that are coaxial with the fifth driving force transmission sprocket 5B, and the lower conveyor 5 is driven by the driving pulley 5C. It is designed to be driven.

The fifth roller chain 27 is tensioned by a tension sprocket 28. The carrying-out guide frame body 8 is fixed to the support 6D facing the carrying-out conveyor 6 via the carrying-out guide bracket 21, and the carrying-out guide framer 46 is provided on the carrying-out guide frame body 8. The carry-out guide conveyor 46 is mounted by winding an endless toothed belt 8B around a plurality of pulleys 8A provided on the carry-out guide frame body 8 at predetermined intervals.

A sixth driving force transmission sprocket 30 is connected to the fifth driving force transmission sprocket 5 B via a sixth roller chain 29, and a tension force is applied to the sixth roller chain 29 by a tension pulley 31. Has been given.

A seventh driving force transmission sprocket 6 B is connected to the sixth driving force transmission sprocket 30 via a seventh roller chain 32, and a tension force is applied to the seventh roller chain 32 by a tension sprocket 33. ing.

A net-shaped belt 6A is endlessly wound around a driving pulley (driving wheel) 6C and a driven pulley (driven wheel) 6E that are coaxial with the seventh driving force transmission sprocket 6B, and is carried out by the driving pulley 6C. The conveyor 6 is adapted to be driven.

Further, the second sprocket 17 coaxial with the output shaft 12 A of the first motor 12 is transferred to the second driving force transmission sprocket 4 B coaxial with the drive shaft of the middle conveyor 4 via the second roller chain 18. It is connected. A net belt 4A is endlessly wound around a drive pulley (drive wheel) 4C and a driven pulley (driven wheel) 4E that are coaxial with the second drive force transmission sprocket 4B, and the drive pulley 64 causes the intermediate conveyor 4 to move. It is designed to be driven. The second roller chain 18 is tensioned by a tension sprocket 19.

Then, a carry-in guide frame body 7 is fixedly installed on the support base 2D so as to face the carry-in conveyor 2 via a carry-in guide bracket 20, and a carry-in guide conveyor 45 is provided on the carry-in guide frame body 7. There is. The carry-in guide conveyor 45 is configured by winding an endless toothed belt 7B around a plurality of pulleys 7A provided on the carry-in guide frame body 7 at predetermined intervals.

A third driving force transmission sprocket 23 is connected to the second driving force transmission sprocket 4 B via a third roller chain 22, and a tension sprocket 24 applies tension to the third roller chain 22. Has been given. A fourth driving force transmission sprocket 2B is connected to the third driving force transmission sprocket 23 via a fourth roller chain 25, and a tension force is applied to the fourth roller chain 25 by a tension sprocket 26. An endless net belt 2A is wound around the drive pulley (drive wheel) 2C and the driven pulley (driven wheel) 2E that are coaxial with the fourth drive force transmission sprocket 2B, and the drive pulley 2C carries the carry-in conveyor. 2 is driven.

On the other hand, the motor bracket 3F fixed to the upper side of the support base 3D supporting the upper conveyor 3 is provided with the second motor 34, and the output shaft sprocket 35 is provided coaxially with the second motor 34. The output shaft sprocket 35 is connected via a eighth roller chain 36 to a guide drive shaft sprocket 37 rotatably supported by a bracket 3G fixed to the end of the support base 3D. A drive roller 38 is mounted coaxially with the shaft sprocket 37.

A guide 40 is formed along the transfer section 39 at the transfer section 39 at the downstream end of the upper conveyor 3, which transfers to the middle conveyor 4. A drive roller 38, an intermediate driven roller 41A, and a driven roller 41B are rotatably supported by an arm 40A that is swingably supported by the bracket 3G and is formed in an inverted V shape. An endless toothed belt 42 is wound around the driving roller 38, the intermediate driven roller 41A, and the driven roller 41B, and is installed on the support base 3D about the central axis of the driving roller 38. By being pulled by the tension spring 47, the toothed belt 42 on the driven roller 41B side is in contact with the net-shaped belt 3A on the drive pulley 3C side.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the retort food is described as an example of the object to be cooled, the object R to be cooled is the net-shaped belt 2 A of the carry-in conveyor 2 and the teeth of the carry-in guide conveyor 45. It is supplied so as to be sandwiched by the belt 7B, and is guided to the upper stage conveyor 3 while being sandwiched between the net belt 2A and the toothed belt 7B.

In the upper stage conveyor 3, the object R to be cooled is pushed from the left side to the right side in the drawing while being pushed by the net type belt 3A by an appropriate pressing means on the net type belt 3A of the upper stage conveyor 3. It is transported and cooled by the cooling water in the water tank 1. The object R to be cooled reaches the transfer section 39 at the downstream end of the upper conveyor 3.

In the transfer section 39, the object R to be cooled is driven by the toothed belt 42 of the guide 40 and is sandwiched between the net-shaped belts 3A along the circumference of the drive pulley 3C of the upper conveyor 3, It is guided while being prevented from floating and sinking due to its specific gravity, and is inserted between the lower portion of the net belt 3A of the upper conveyor 3 and the upper portion of the net belt 4A of the middle conveyor 4 which faces the upper conveyor.

Next, the object R to be cooled is conveyed from the right side to the left side in the drawing in a state of being sandwiched between the upper conveyor 3 and the middle conveyor 4, and is cooled in the middle thereof, but is cooled in the cooling water. Even if it is attempted to be floated by, it is conveyed in an aligned state because it is held by the upper conveyor 3.

Similarly, when the object R to be cooled reaches the transfer section 39A at the downstream end of the intermediate conveyor 4, it transfers from the intermediate conveyor 4 to the lower conveyor 5 and under the net belt 4A of the intermediate conveyor 4. While being sandwiched between the side part and the upper part of the net belt 5A of the lower conveyor 5 facing the side part, the part is conveyed from left to right in the drawing while being cooled.

The object R to be cooled on the lower conveyor 5 is transferred to the carry-out conveyor 6. The object R to be cooled on the carry-out conveyor 6 is conveyed while being pressed by the net-shaped belt 6A of the carry-out conveyor 6 and the toothed belt 8B of the carry-out guide conveyor 46, and is cooled in the middle thereof. Even if it is going up and down in the cooling water, since it is pressed by the toothed belt 8B of the carry-out guide conveyor 46, its movement is restrained and it is conveyed in an aligned state.

In this way, the object R to be cooled is cooled while passing through the cooling water in the water tank 1 and taken out from the carry-out conveyor 6 to an appropriate location outside the water tank 1. According to the above configuration, the object R to be cooled is sandwiched between the net belts (conveyor belts) 3A, 4A, 5A that the upper and lower conveyors 3, 4, 5 face each other, and the object R to be cooled is sandwiched. Since the objects to be cooled R are conveyed while being cooled, the objects to be cooled R can be conveyed in an aligned state, and the objects to be cooled R such as retort foods are prevented from floating in the cooling water, coming off the conveyor, and overlapping. The objects R to be cooled in the cooling water can be conveyed one by one in an aligned state without being affected by the specific gravity even if they float or sink due to the effect of the specific gravity. As a result, even if it is transported in cooling water, it can be discharged in the same aligned state as the state before the cooling process, and the complexity of the work in the subsequent process can be avoided.

In addition, since a guide 40 for guiding and moving the object to be cooled R along the transfer section 39 is formed at the transfer section 39 at the downstream end of the upper conveyor 3 which transfers to the middle conveyor 4. Since the object R to be cooled is guided by the guide 40 even if the object R to be cooled floats or sinks when it is transferred from the downstream end of the upper conveyor 3 to the intermediate conveyor 4, the object R to be cooled R Can be smoothly transferred from the transfer section 39 of the upper conveyor 3 to the net belts (conveying belts) 3A, 4A of the upper middle conveyors 3, 4.

The same thing is performed in the transfer section 39 of the middle and lower stage conveyors 4, 5. In this embodiment, cooling water is used as an example of the liquid, but the liquid is not limited to this, and for example, a refrigerant having a strong cooling power can be used.

Further, in this embodiment, the cooling device is configured by arranging the three upper, middle, and lower conveyors 3, 4, 5 in one row, but the number of conveyors and the number of rows are set to such a numerical value. Without limitation, the conveyor may have four or more stages, a plurality of rows, or a combination thereof. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it is possible to configure a cooling device in which five stages of conveyors 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 are arranged in five rows.

In this case, the transfer section 56 that transfers to the lower conveyor including the second-stage conveyor 52 at the downstream end of the upper conveyor including the first-stage conveyor 51 includes the first transfer section 56 along the transfer section 56. A guide 56A is provided, and at the downstream end portion of the upper conveyor composed of the second conveyor 52, the transfer portion 57 for transferring to the lower conveyor composed of the third conveyor 53 is provided with Two guides 57A are provided. Similarly, the transfer section 58 of the third-stage conveyor 53 is provided with a third guide 58A, and the transfer section 59 of the fourth-stage conveyor 53 is similarly provided with a fourth guide 59A.

[0044]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the object to be cooled such as the retort food is cooled while being sandwiched between the conveyor belts of the upper and lower conveyors of the plurality of conveyors which face each other. Therefore, the objects to be cooled can be conveyed in an aligned state, and the objects to be cooled in the liquid can be prevented from floating, coming off the conveyor, or overlapping, and the objects to be cooled in the liquid can have their buoyancy or liquid, etc. It can be transported one by one without being affected by, and in a lined up state. As a result, even if it is carried in water, it can be carried out in the same state as that before the cooling step.

In addition, since a guide is formed along the transfer section at the transfer section at the downstream end of the upper conveyor to transfer to the lower conveyor, for example, the object to be cooled is transferred to the upper conveyor. Even if the object to be cooled floats or sinks when it is transferred from the transfer section to the lower conveyor, it is guided by the guide, and the object to be cooled is transferred from the transfer section of the upper conveyor to the conveyor belt of the lower conveyor. You can transfer smoothly.

Therefore, since a plurality of conveyors can be arranged in multiple stages in the liquid, the length of the horizontal conveyor can be shortened, and the cooling device for three-dimensional transportation in the liquid can be miniaturized.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above effects, a guide conveyor is provided so as to face the unloading conveyor arranged obliquely and to sandwich the object to be cooled with the unloading conveyor. Therefore, the objects to be cooled such as retort foods can be conveyed while being aligned by sandwiching the objects to be cooled such as retort foods on the carry-out conveyor and the guide conveyor. It is possible to transport them in an aligned state one by one.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the same effect as that of the second aspect of the invention can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a left side view of a partial cross-sectional side view of a cooling device for three-dimensional transportation in a liquid according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a right side portion of a partial cross-sectional side view of a cooling device for three-dimensional transportation in a liquid according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view showing the vicinity of a guide provided in a transfer section of the upper conveyor and the middle conveyor of the cooling device.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional front view of a cooling device for three-dimensional transportation in the liquid.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrating another modified example of the cooling device.

FIG. 6 is a plan configuration diagram of the cooling device of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a defect of a conventional cooling device.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a defect of a conventional cooling device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Upper Conveyor 3A Conveyor Belt 4 Middle Conveyor 4A Conveyor Belt 5 Lower Conveyor 5A Conveyor Belt 39 Transfer Section 40 Guide

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A plurality of conveyors provided with an interval in which an object to be cooled floating by the buoyancy of a liquid is wound around a driving wheel and a driven wheel and an endless conveyor belt is wound between the conveyor belts facing each other in the vertical direction. , Which are arranged in multiple stages in the liquid tank, of the downstream end of the upper conveyor of the multiple conveyors,
A cooling device by three-dimensional transportation in a liquid, wherein a guide for guiding and moving an object to be cooled is provided at a transfer section that transfers to a lower conveyor. 2. A carrying-out conveyor, one end of which is connected to the downstream side of the lowermost conveyor and the other end of which is located outside the liquid tank, is arranged so as to be inclined, facing the carrying-out conveyor and cooled by the carrying-out conveyor. The cooling device for three-dimensional transportation in liquid according to claim 1, wherein a guide conveyor for sandwiching an object is arranged. 3. A carry-in conveyor, one end of which is connected to the upstream side of the uppermost conveyor and the other end of which is located outside the liquid tank, is arranged in an inclined manner, and is opposed to the carry-in conveyor to be cooled by the carry-in conveyor. The cooling device for three-dimensional transportation in liquid according to claim 1, wherein a guide conveyor for sandwiching an object is arranged.