JPWO2009150756A1 - Automatic tofu packing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

In the process of automatically storing the tofu in the pack, the speed is increased without damaging the tofu. At the same time, it will be exposed to save water. A pack moving means 2 for conveying a pack P for packing the tofu T, and a tofu transferring means 3 for conveying the tofu T that is arranged above the pack moving means 2 and is cut to the size to be packed. In addition, the tofu T and the pack P are moved in the same traveling direction by these two transporting means 2 and 3, whereby the tofu T is stored in the lower pack P from above.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic packing device for automatically packing tofu such as tofu and fried tofu.

  Conventionally, when tofu and tofu such as fried tofu are packed, for example, the block-like tofu molded in a mold box is once exposed to a water tank, cut into product dimensions by human hands, and packed into a container (pack) In the case of a mold box, the molded block-shaped tofu is once released in a water tank, transported underwater in a predetermined position in water, and stored in a pack in water. is there. In the case of a continuous automatic solidification molding machine with high production efficiency, the intermediate block previously cut to a predetermined size is transferred to a water tank and cut into individual product dimensions in water and transferred in water or semi-water. In addition, a technique for storing in a container for tofu that has been separately transported in water is disclosed. As described above, in the conventional method, soft tofu is stored in the pack without being broken by an operation of handling the tofu underwater such as underwater transfer.

On the other hand, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose devices that pack tofu while being transported by a belt conveyor or the like without placing the tofu in water. That is, there is a method of dropping from a predetermined height position by, for example, quickly pulling out the slide table or opening the door of the bottom plate inlet. Since these are not released into the water, they are called so-called “land-packing”, but the actual situation is that this land-packing is less than the method of storing in the water.
Japanese Patent No. 3343134 JP-A-10-329806

  The conventional method of storing in water requires a large amount of water tank and water to release tofu into the water, but there is an advantage that it can be packed without damaging tofu using the resistance of water. On the other hand, the processing capacity was limited to 3000 per hour. On the other hand, the advantage of so-called land-filling is that it saves water and, for example, it is possible to develop 3000 or more automatic manufacturing devices per hour, sometimes 10,000 per hour, There is an advantage that soft tofu can be manufactured without being exposed to the aquarium, and nutrition can not be missed.

  In the conventional method of quickly removing the land-packed slide table or dropping the door from the bottom plate insertion opening to drop from a predetermined height (Patent Document 1), there is a risk of damage due to dropping from the predetermined height. In addition, there is a problem that even if the tofu is stored a little, it cannot be corrected and cannot be stored well. Also, in the operation of quickly pulling out the slide table, two steps of the pushing operation into the slide plate and the operation of quickly pulling out the slide plate are required for one packing operation. (Patent Document 2), two steps of opening and closing are necessary, both of which are problems that the structure of the apparatus is complicated, and that the conventional land-filling device is difficult to achieve the timing for storing the tofu in the pack Had. In addition, if the opening operation of the slide table or the bottom plate slot opening is made faster, there are problems of mechanical failure, anxiety that safe operation cannot be guaranteed, and a problem that dust enters the pack during packing. Furthermore, in the conventional method, the pack is often filled with a large amount of water, and it is difficult to accommodate the large variety of product sizes into which the tofu is added. There were many gaps, and the product image was bad because it was packed with a lot of water in the pack.

  Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to easily store the tofu in the pack, to suppress the impact when the tofu is dropped on the bottom of the pack, and to correct even if it is slightly shifted during the fall. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic packing device that can be stored at a high speed and can cope with high speed.

The automatic tofu packing apparatus according to the present invention includes a pack moving means for transferring a pack for packing tofu, and a tofu that is arranged above the pack moving means and cut to a size for pack packing. Tofu transporting means, and both the transporting means move the tofu and the pack in the same traveling direction so that the tofu is stored from above in the lower pack. Here, the traveling direction of both transfer means is the same in the horizontal direction (horizontal plane), and includes those in which at least one of them is inclined obliquely in the vertical direction (vertical plane). For example, a belt conveyor may be used as the two transfer means. However, the tofu transfer means may be a simple plate, which may be configured as a sliding plate on which the plate is inclined to slide the tofu. Also, as the pack moving means, it is moved in the same direction as the tofu movement direction by the conveyor, the pack is moved on the flat plate by the pushing plate, or the pack is moved from the conveying conveyor to the conveying conveyor by the pushing plate. There is a case.

According to the present invention, the transfer means may be moved in the same one direction so as not to collide with the side wall of the pack, but it is fed from the front end of the tofu transfer means, particularly with respect to the inner wall surface of the pack front end. It is preferable to adjust the operation so that the front end and the lower end of the tofu are hit and the pack is hooked and pushed by the tofu. At that time, the tofu is slightly pressed and shrinks back and forth a little, so that the rear end of the tofu easily fits inside the back end of the pack. Even in a situation where the pack is slightly displaced, it is possible to move the pack back and forth to some extent (or slightly left and right), so that the pack is moved back and forth (or left and right) by hand. ) Tofu can be stored at the bottom of the pack while shaking. In particular, by making it float in the front-rear direction, it has the effect of absorbing the momentum of tofu feed and dropping and storing it in the pack without damaging the tofu. In the conventional method, it is necessary to make a hard and unbreakable tofu according to the packing method, and the tofu was unsatisfactory with a texture that was unsatisfactory, but it was soft according to the present invention. According to the tofu with elasticity, it can be packed in a form that makes use of its elasticity, and delicious tofu can be provided with a crisp texture.
Also, as an auxiliary effect, even if the tofu fits slightly off and collides with the front and back inner wall surfaces of the pack, unlike the bottom, the front and rear inner wall surfaces absorb the shock due to their flexibility, and the tofu is elastic. The misalignment is corrected, and the tofu caught on the pack is stored well while swinging back and forth.
And when both transport means move in the same direction before and after, the speed is almost the same, and especially it is optimal to adjust the timing and synchronization between the front end of the tofu and the front end of the pack as described above. is there. It is preferable that the pack is allowed to respond to the above-mentioned movement by not allowing the pack to be fixedly held but having a pack margin in the front-rear (or slightly left-right) direction. It is also preferable to put packed water in the empty pack as a cushion when receiving tofu. In addition, when the empty pack is light and easily misaligned, it is preferable to add water to the pack to some extent as a weight. Since the amount of water is also related to the above-mentioned pack mobility, it is desirable to stop it within an appropriate range.
If the tofu is slid into the pack from one side of the tofu as described above, the tofu does not need to be considerably smaller than the pack size, and the pack water can be minimized.
In addition, the tofu transfer means is preferably a flat plate without distortion (not a corrugated plate described later), and cuts tofu of different sizes in the tofu cutting step (including a mechanism for increasing the interval after cutting) in the previous step. If it is transported, it will not be a hindrance. In other words, even if the pack sizes are different, there is a need to replace the parts and the like, and it is easy to deal with a wide variety of products (package sizes are several types). Of course, the allowable package size is within the range of one pitch of the empty pack supply means, and the pitch (inter-core) of each package is the same even if the package size is different. The tofu transporting means includes the flat plate and a means for pushing the rear end of the tofu with a plate operated by a drive system such as an air cylinder. Further, by applying a plate supporting the front end of the tofu and operating it in synchronism, there is an effect of suppressing the above-mentioned timing shift or inclination due to tofu slip or the like. It is preferable that the pack is pushed out by the pack transport means in synchronism with or substantially the same operation.

In the present invention, both transfer means may be relatively horizontal and parallel, but it is preferable that at least one of them is inclined and moved in a direction intersecting the other in the vertical plane. According to the present invention, the drop of the tofu with respect to the pack bottom can be reduced and stored in the pack by moving the tofu diagonally downward or moving the pack diagonally upward.
In particular, at the moment when the tofu is placed in the pack, it is formed (operated) so that the inner wall of the front end of the pack is pushed by the front end of the tofu so that the tofu is pressed slightly back and forth. And the rear end of the tofu fits inside the rear end of the pack.
In addition, when moving a pack diagonally upward, since a head can be minimized, it is hard to damage tofu. In addition, while the tofu transporting means is transported obliquely upward, the tofu is pushed back and forth to form a contracted shape, the pack transporting means is also transported obliquely upward, and the tofu is similarly packed into the pack. It may be stored.

  As for this invention, it is preferable that the said pack moving means falls below at the moment of storing tofu in a pack. According to the present invention, the tofu is stored in the pack with a minimum drop impact of the tofu by being lowered downward at the moment when the tofu is stored in the pack. For example, even when tofu falls from the tofu transport means, the tofu is stored in the pack with the fall distance being minimized. At this time, it is also shock absorption to store water in the pack to some extent. In addition, before this lowering operation, there may be an operation of once raising the pack in order to minimize the fall distance of tofu.

According to the present invention, the pack moving means moves horizontally, and the tofu transfer means is preferably a sliding board as a thin board inclined obliquely downward. As a sliding board, it is a thin and unstrained board (thickness of 0.1 to 1.0 mm, preferably 0.5 to 2 mm, and the material is food resin such as stainless steel, titanium, fluorine resin, polypropylene resin, etc. It is preferably made of a smooth flat plate made of food that is acceptable for food hygiene and is a smooth plate material. When the pack moving means moves horizontally, the relative inclination angle is preferably 0 to 45 °, and most preferably 2 to 15 °. Moreover, as a pack moving means, as long as it moves in the horizontal direction, it can be moved in the horizontal direction by a transport conveyor, or it can push out a pack on a flat plate by an extrusion plate. It can be extruded.
According to this invention, compared with the case where a belt conveyor is arrange | positioned, an apparatus structure can be lessened and a tofu can be accommodated in a pack so that sliding may be carried out diagonally downward. The tofu transfer means of the sliding board as a flat plate is suitable for reducing the inclination angle, and it becomes easy to make the moving state at the same speed by reducing the inclination angle with respect to the pack moving means. In addition, it is also effective to provide the sliding plate with a hole so as to assist the sliding of tofu and to blow out air or water, or to spray water on the sliding plate as appropriate. In some cases, the longitudinal direction by applying a roughened with rounded fine vertical stripe in (the traveling direction of the tofu) (by applying roughened so as not to damage the tofu) to the surface, left and right the tofu It may be difficult to slip. There is an effect of preventing a slight displacement of tofu due to a slight distortion of a long plate material caused by a change in ambient temperature.

According to the present invention, the pack moving means includes two belt conveyors, a supply-side belt conveyor and a take-out belt conveyor, and a push-in plate for transferring the pack from the supply-side belt conveyor to the take-out belt conveyor. It is preferable. When the pack moving means is moved in the lateral direction (including the diagonal direction, that is, in the same direction as the movement of the tofu), the structure of the apparatus becomes large and complicated, but according to the present invention, the belt on the supply side is pushed by the pushing plate. The pack is transferred from the conveyor to the belt conveyor on the take-out side, and can be moved in the horizontal direction (that is, the same direction as the movement of the tofu) by adjusting the speed of the pushing plate.
When the tofu transporting means is a conveyor, it is also possible to dispose tofu scraps and scraps continuously during operation by disposing a mechanism for removing tofu chips and the like.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to connect a discharge means for discarding defective tofu and its waste to the tofu transfer means. According to the present invention, it is possible to easily dispose of defective tofu and its waste by the discharge means without changing the position of the pack moving means.

  According to the present invention, it is preferable that the tofu transporting means or the discharging means is provided with a recess for partitioning the tofu cut into a size to be packed and tofu. According to the present invention, the concave portion allows the cut tofu to be accurately directed toward the pack without being tilted.

According to the present invention, since the transfer means is moved in the same traveling direction in the horizontal plane, the tofu is stored on the bottom of the pack while shaking the pack back and forth in the moving direction by hand. Can be made. In addition, the action of lowering the pack downward at the moment when the tofu is received by the pack can reduce damage and damage due to the fall of the tofu. In particular, the front end and lower end of the tofu delivered from the front end of the tofu transport means hits the inner wall surface of the pack, and the operation is adjusted so that the pack is hooked and pushed by the tofu. With the image of shaking the pack back and forth (or left and right), tofu can be stored at the bottom of the pack while shaking back and forth (or slightly left and right), so that it can be stored without damage even if the pack water is reduced . And according to the quality change such as softness and slipperiness of tofu, it is easy to set the timing when moving the tofu and the pack in the same direction by both transfer means, it can correct subtle misalignment, and high speed It can also be used for transport pack packing.
In addition, it is possible to pack a high-speed transport pack by arranging the sliding board at an angle or by using a simple device configuration for transporting the transport board by a transport conveyor. In addition, by applying to land packing, it becomes possible to save water by exposure.
Furthermore, while the conventional two steps of pushing the slide plate without using the slide table and the quick pulling operation of the slide plate are necessary, the present application is only a simple operation of pushing the slide plate. Since it is necessary and is also unnecessary due to the inclined arrangement, the required time is short, the machine failure is small, it can be moved for a long time, and the machine structure is excellent in mass high-speed production. Furthermore, since the pack moving means is disposed below the tofu transporting means, it is difficult for foreign matter to enter until the tofu is stored in the pack, and space saving is achieved.

It is a figure which shows typically the 1st automatic tofu packing apparatus of this invention, (a) is the side view, (b) shows the other example of the extrusion means used for the said apparatus. It is a typical side view. It is a top view which shows the automatic packing apparatus of the said tofu. It is a schematic diagram which shows the pack storage state of the said tofu. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state by which the said tofu is cut | disconnected by the cutting device, (a) is a figure of the state by which the cutting blade of the cutting device was folded, (b) was that the cutting blade spread to the predetermined space | interval. It is a figure of the state of a cutting blade. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of the automatic packing apparatus of the said tofu. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which arrange | positioned especially the washing | cleaning apparatus in the other example of the said automatic tofu packing apparatus. It is a side view which shows typically the automatic pack filling apparatus of the tofu of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, (a) is the center conveyance conveyor horizontal, (b) is a conveyance conveyor inclined downward. FIG. It is a top view of the said 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of the automatic packing apparatus of the 3rd said tofu of this invention, (a) is a top view, (b) (c) is a side view explaining the operation | movement. . It is a side view which shows typically operation | movement of the automatic packing apparatus of the tofu of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the automatic packing apparatus of the tofu of the 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the cross-sectional shape of the tofu transfer means of this invention, or a discharge means. It is a side view which shows typically the automatic packing apparatus of the tofu of the 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the automatic packing apparatus of the tofu of the 7th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the automatic packing apparatus of the tofu of the 8th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the application example of the said 1st automatic tofu packing apparatus. It is a side view explaining the example which packs the pack by moving only tofu with the said pack fixed. It is a side view explaining the packing using the said 1st tofu automatic packing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

Z1-Z8 automatic tofu packing equipment,
1 belt conveyor (conveyor) for tofu production,
2 pack moving means,
2a Supply side belt conveyor (conveyor),
2b Belt conveyor on the take-out side (conveyor)
2c, 2d, 2e Central belt conveyor (conveyor),
3 Tofu transfer means, 3a sliding board, 3b belt conveyor (conveyor),
3c adjustment plate,
5 Tofu extrusion means (extrusion plate, pushing means),
7 Pack push plate (push plate, push means),
11 Discharging means,
12 Disposal box,
B block tofu,
P pack, edge of Pe pack,
T tofu cut to the size of a packaging pack,
Ta Tofu tips, Tb Tofu tail,
e recess,
s Cavity (gap between pack and tofu),
Tf direction of travel of tofu transfer means,
Pf pack travel direction of travel

  Hereinafter, an automatic tofu packing apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1A is a side view of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view. This embodiment includes a belt conveyor 1 for producing tofu, a pack moving means 2 for conveying an empty pack for packing tofu, a pushing plate 7 (7a) for pushing out the empty pack, a pack pushing means 7 and a pack. This is a tofu automatic packing device Z1 provided with a tofu transfer means 3 for conveying a tofu cut in a size to be packed and disposed above the moving means 2 and a tofu extrusion means 5. In the case of a belt conveyor (continuous automatic coagulation molding machine) 1 for producing tofu products, the intermediate block previously cut to a predetermined size is transferred to a water tank, cut into individual product dimensions in water, and transferred in water. In the past, many items were packed. However, in the present embodiment, the tofu is stored in a state where a small amount of water is put in the pack P, and the pack is stored by so-called land-filling in which no other water tank or the like is disposed. Here, the tofu includes a wide variety of silk tofu, cotton tofu, soft cotton tofu, soft tofu (skin tofu with a texture on silk tofu), raw silk fried, fresh fried cotton tofu, and the like. In particular, these freshly prepared tofu products with very soft quality.

  The belt conveyor 1 for producing tofu is made of soy milk heated at the entrance side to produce block-like tofu B, and cuts the block-like tofu B at a predetermined interval on the discharge side, and at a predetermined interval. Cut the cut tofu (banded tofu) into a size that can be packed in a pack. An interval can be opened in accordance with a pack conveyed at a predetermined interval. The belt conveyor 1 for manufacturing tofu manufactures tofu on the tough sheet member by winding an endless belt made of a tough sheet member between sprockets (rollers) at both ends. A cutting mechanism is provided above the discharge side, and the cutting mechanism K includes a plurality of blades k1 to k7 that are spread at equal intervals, and cuts the block-shaped tofu B that has been cut off at the tip side of the block-shaped tofu B At the same time, it is cut into a size for pack packaging, and an interval is opened in accordance with the pack conveyed at a predetermined interval (FIG. 4).

  The tofu transfer means 3 conveys a plurality of tofu Ts cut to a size for pack packing on the belt conveyor 2 for producing tofu toward the pack P (the traveling direction is shown in FIG. 1). (Indicated by the symbol Tf in (a)), in the present embodiment, a metal plate is inclined to form a sliding plate 3a for sliding tofu. In the present embodiment, an extruding means 5 for extruding tofu cut in a size to be packed is provided on the tofu transferring means 3. The pushing means 5 may be arranged on the belt conveyor 1 for producing tofu and not arranged on the tofu transferring means 3 as a sliding board. Moreover, even if the extrusion means 5 moves to the tip discharge port of the tofu transfer means 3, when the tofu transfer means 3 is a slanting board, the tofu T cut from the upper side is cut halfway. It is also possible to just press it. Moreover, as the extrusion means 5, as shown in FIG.1 (b), it can also comprise as a pair of extrusion means 5a, 5b which pinches | interposes the front and back of the tofu T. As a result, it is possible to suppress slight inclination of the cut tofu T and variations in the transfer direction.

The pack moving means 2 moves an empty pack for packing tofu, and the pack is conveyed to the conveyor 2 at a predetermined interval (the traveling direction is indicated by the symbol Pf in FIG. 1A). After being pushed out by the pack pushing plate 7 and tofu is put, the pack P is further conveyed to a predetermined location. The pack moving means 2 of this embodiment includes a belt conveyor 2b on the take-out side from the belt conveyor 2a on the supply side. Further, a push-in plate 7 is provided. The push-in plate 7 is for transferring the pack P from the supply-side belt conveyor 2a to the take-out belt conveyor 2b, and is made of metal or the like (regardless of material). The pushing portion 7a is moved by the cylinder 7b in the same direction as the transfer direction of the tofu T at almost the same speed, and at that time, the tofu is stored in the pack from above. There is no gap between the belt conveyor 2a on the supply side and the belt conveyor 2b on the take-out side, or the cut tofu T is transferred by arranging a relay plate between them.
The pack P is preferably a resin material excellent in lubricity, chemical resistance and flexibility, such as nylon, polyacetal, polycarbonate, PET, PPO, and PBT. The type of the pack P includes a rectangular shape (inverted trapezoidal shape on the side surface), a substantially cylindrical shape, and the like. Common for storing tofu. Figure 3 is a plan view of a state in which tofu T is housed in the pack P, in consideration of the fact that tofu T in the transport direction of the arrow from tofu transporting means 3 Ru housed, in the conveying direction before and after Pa, A gap portion s is provided to allow a margin for Pb. The pack transported by the pack moving means 2 is appropriately preliminarily filled with water, thereby exhibiting a cushion effect when receiving tofu and an effect of preventing displacement as a weight. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a state at the moment when the tofu T is stored in the pack P. It is a figure explaining the state which pack P and tofu T accommodate in the same moving direction (right side in the figure) with shaking.

  The belt conveyor 2b on the take-out side contacts the bottom surface of the pack P, but does not contact the pack P at other locations. The side wall of the pack P accommodates the tofu T in a state in which the back and forth deflection is allowed. That is, the flexible pack P made of synthetic resin or the like is transported with its bottom surface in contact with the transport conveyor 2b, and when the tofu T falls, the tofu may be damaged by the impact. However, since the front and rear walls Pa and Pb of the pack P do not come into contact with the conveyor 2b, the tofu T can be stored in a state that allows the front and rear movements, and unlike the pack bottom, the tofu is damaged. hard.

  Here, the tofu transfer means 3 and the tofu extrusion means 5 can use a belt conveyor instead of the sliding board 3a. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the belt conveyor 3b is arranged obliquely toward the pack pushing means 7, and there is no push plate above the belt conveyor 3b to push the tofu T until it is packed. be able to. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the push-in plate 5 is for transferring the cut tofu T to the belt conveyor 3b, and if it can be transferred, then the tofu T is conveyed diagonally downward by the belt conveyor 3b. Is done. On the other hand, the pack moving means 2 may be moved in the same direction as the moving direction of the tofu T by a conveyor, or the pack may be moved by the pushing plate 5 on the flat plate.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the operation of the tofu being conveyed by the belt conveyor and the movement operation of the receiving container (pack) are synchronized, and the pack pushing means 7 is moved (operation) in substantially the same direction. ), The tofu T can be stored at the bottom of the pack while shaking with the image of shaking the pack back and forth and right and left by hand. In an image like a soccer ball trap, by exposing both the tofu T and the pack P to the aquarium without damaging the soft tofu, either by synchronizing both the tofu T and the pack P, or by relatively slightly shifting the movement. Store in a pack without damage. That is, as shown in FIG. 18, the front end (and the lower end) Ta of the tofu T delivered from the front end of the tofu transfer means 3 hits the front end inner wall surface Pa of the pack P, and the pack P It is preferable to adjust the operation so as to hook and push. At that time, the tofu T is slightly pressed and shrinks back and forth slightly (FIG. 18 (c)), and the rear end Tb of the tofu T can easily fit into the inner wall Pb of the rear end of the pack P. Even in a situation where the pack P is slightly deviated, the pack P is allowed to move back and forth to some extent (or slightly left and right) and, as shown in FIG. The tofu T can be stored at the bottom of the pack while swinging back and forth (or slightly left and right) with the image of shaking the pack P back and forth (or left and right) just by hand (FIGS. 18 (c) to (d)). . In particular, the floating state in the front-rear direction has the effect of absorbing the feed and dropping momentum of the tofu T and storing it in the pack P without damaging the tofu T.
In the conventional method, it is necessary to make a hard and unbreakable tofu according to the packing method, and the tofu was unsatisfactory with a texture that was unsatisfactory, but it was soft according to the present invention. It is a method of packing in a form that makes use of the elasticity according to the elastic tofu, and can provide delicious tofu with a prick texture. In other words, the apparatus of the present embodiment is not suitable for poor quality tofu such as brittle tofu and poorly bound tofu. In a high-speed continuous automatic tofu coagulation molding line, it is effective to provide a mechanism for appropriately discarding such defective tofu by the discharging means 11. If it is a brittle and non-elastic tofu that is indispensable from the consumer, it can be immediately judged visually, so that quality control can be carried out naturally, and shipment of defective products can be prevented.
On the other hand, when the position of the pack is fixed (the belt V in FIG. 17 does not move in the moving direction of the tofu T.) and only the tofu T is moved, FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b). As shown to (c), the front-end | tip of tofu T will fall to a pack bottom immediately, and exact pack accommodation is not performed.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the tofu T cut to the product size can be efficiently stored in the pack P in a very short time without releasing it into the water tank, high processing capacity is provided, and the installation space is reduced. it can. In the case of the continuous automatic coagulation molding machine 1, loss can be minimized without damaging or breaking even fresh and soft silken tofu. Since a large amount of water is not used, the amount of drainage can be reduced, there is no contamination with bacteria in the aquarium, and it is economical and sanitary. In addition, when tofu is exposed to water (when it is released to the aquarium), nutrients and sugars are washed away, which reduces the sweetness, umami, nutritional value, functionality, and physiological effects. The temperature of tofu is around 60-90 ° C. When hot-packed in the hot state, the growth of various germs mixed in from the air can be suppressed.

  Here, as the inclination angle of the sliding plate 3a, by setting the horizontal or nearly horizontal inclination angle to be substantially the same as the state of moving horizontally on the empty pack moving means 2 by the pack pushing plate 7, It is possible to store the tofu in the pack by moving the pack P by the pack extruding plate 7 and the transport speed of the cut tofu T by the tofu transfer means 3 to be substantially the same (strictly Is the same speed as seen from above). When such a delicate inclination angle is set, a thin flat sliding plate 3a is suitable. It can be observed from the side as shown in FIG. 1 whether the pack moving means 2 and the tofu transfer means 3 are synchronized. Further, both the pack extrusion plate 7 operating on the pack moving means 2 and the tofu transfer means 3 may be configured as a movable conveyor. The feed speed of each conveyor can be changed by an inverter or the like, and a delicate operation can be set as appropriate. Therefore, the control is easy to perform and the product is more friendly to the product. Further, the tofu may move horizontally and the pack may move upward in an oblique direction.

  As an application example of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a cleaning device 9 for the belt can be provided below the tofu conveyor belt 3b. This is to wash the tofu cake at the start and end of operation, and at the time of packing each time. Put the belt in the water tank and wash it, or wash it by spraying water or purified water on the belt. In the cleaning device 9, the tofu cake may be continuously removed and sterilized with hot water or chlorinated water. In addition, there is also a point that can be operated hygienically while removing tofu cake. Minimize tofu scraps entering the container. By providing the cleaning device 9 below the belt 3b, the dead space can be effectively used, and the cleaning device 9 can also be used for cleaning the pack moving means 2.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b), the movement of the image that can be put into the pack by hand, that is, the whole is formed in a movable comb tooth shape 8 (FIG. 16 (b)), By driving this, the tofu T is received by the front inner surface of the pack P as a structure that can be guided to the bottom of the pack (to facilitate insertion into the bottom of the pack) and obliquely inserted to the front bottom angle in the pack P. In synchronism with the tofu T to be pushed out, the pack P is pushed forward, and the pulling operation from the tip 8 of the sliding plate 3a inserted obliquely is possible while the pack is lowered downward. The tip 8 of the sliding plate 3a is formed to be movable (for example, formed of a pliable resin plate, thin stainless spring steel plate, titanium plate, etc.), and the tip is inserted so as to be close to the bottom of the pack. The class T can be dropped without breaking.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 (a), 7 (b) and 8, a transport conveyor 2c is provided between the supply side belt conveyor 2a and the takeout side belt conveyor 2b instead of the pack extrusion plate 7. This is an automatic pack filling device Z2 for tofu that is arranged, and by arranging this transport conveyor 2c, the horizontal movement interval of the pack P to the right in FIG. 7 can be sufficiently secured. That is, even after the tofu T falling from the sliding plate 3a is stored in the pack P, even if the speed is reduced, the conveyance by the conveyor 2c is not stopped, so that the tofu T in the state where the tofu T is put in the pack P is allowed. It is possible to store the tofu T without damaging the tofu T by ensuring shaking (swing), that is, utilizing the clearance s and the play of the pack itself (FIG. 3). It is also effective to incline the conveyor 2c downward as shown in FIG.

  Further, immediately after the tofu T is stored in the moving state on the transport conveyor 2c, the speed of the transport conveyor 2c is reduced to suppress the pack P from shaking (back and forth in the moving direction). Is possible. That is, the pack to be pushed out is not fixed to the front, but can be configured to be free (free) so as to release a shock that has received tofu. Further, by arranging a belt made of rubber or the like that exhibits elasticity in the vertical direction on the belt conveyor of the conveyor 2c, the speed of the conveyor 2c is optimized so as to absorb the falling moment of the tofu T Variable adjustment to match. The tip 3d of the sliding plate 3a is configured with a larger inclination angle.

(Third embodiment)
In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C, the pack moving means 2 is arranged between the supply-side belt conveyor 2a and the take-out-side belt conveyor 2b, and between them. The tofu automatic packing device Z3 is provided with a central belt conveyor 2d, and the central belt conveyor 2c is configured to be movable up and down by the driving means 10. From the belt conveyor 2a on the supply side to the central belt conveyor 2c that can be moved up and down, it is relayed and conveyed by the pushing plate 7A. From the central belt conveyor 2c that can be moved up and down, it is relayed and conveyed by the push-in plate 7B from the belt conveyor 2b on the take-out side. As shown in FIG. 9 (b), the central belt conveyor 2c receives the pack P from the belt conveyor 2a on the supply side, and immediately before or after receiving the tofu T cut into a size to be packed in the pack P. When the tofu T is stored in the pack P by the ascending operation from the center, and is stored, it is pushed out from the central belt conveyor 2c by the pushing plate 7B to the belt conveyor 2b on the take-out side.
In FIG. 9C, the central belt conveyor 2c receives the pack P from the supply-side belt conveyor 2a, and moves downward immediately before or immediately after receiving the tofu T cut into a size to be packed in the pack P. The tofu T is stored in the pack P, and when it is stored, it is pushed out from the central belt conveyor 2c by the push-in plate 7B to the belt conveyor 2b on the take-out side.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the take-out side belt conveyor 2e is a tofu automatic packing device Z4 that moves up or down when the tofu T is stored in the pack P. is there. That is, a belt conveyor 2e that moves up and down by the driving means 10 is provided, and when the pack P is moved from the supply side belt conveyor 2a to the belt conveyor 2e by the push-in plate 7, it is raised immediately before the tofu T is stored, The belt conveyor 2e is lowered by the driving means 10 at the moment (at the same time or immediately before) when the class T is stored in the pack P (FIGS. 10B and 10C). In order to achieve the timing at this time, an adjusting plate 3c for adjusting the length (or angle) is provided at the tip of the tofu transfer means 3. By raising and lowering the tofu T with the timing as described above, the fall distance between the tofu T and the pack bottom is minimized, and the impact colliding with the pack bottom is softened. In other words, the hand is picked up so as to receive the tofu T falling downward, and the operation of receiving it with the hand at the same time as the fall is performed. For example, the tofu T is moved and stored in the pack P with an image like a soccer ball trap. When stored, the belt conveyor 2e is lowered by the driving means 10 and returned to the same height position as the original supply-side belt conveyor 2a (FIGS. 10 (d) to 10 (e)). The adjustment plate 3c is made of a flexible material, flexible SUS spring steel, a flexible material provided in a chute shape, and may be a chute that smoothly guides the tofu to the bottom of the pack without bending. In order to correct misalignment of tofu, etc., it is also effective to form a recess e as a cross section as shown in FIGS.

(Fifth embodiment)
This embodiment is an automatic tofu packing device Z5 provided with a discharge plate which is one of discharge means 11 for discarding the tofu T cut into a size to be packed in a disposal box 12, for example. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, the discharge means 11 can be moved back and forth so as to cover the pack moving means 2, and when the tofu T is packed, it waits at the position indicated by the dotted line in FIG. Although it is in a state, it moves to the left side in the figure to cover the pack moving means 2 and is connected to the lower end of the tofu transfer means 3. The discharge means 11 is provided obliquely, and thus the tofu T can be discarded so as to slide from the tofu transfer means 3 to the disposal box 12 via the discharge means 11. The discharge means 11 can be configured as a scraping device or the like. By inserting the discharging means 11 below the tofu transporting means 3, the defective tofu and tofu cake are appropriately removed by the discharging means 11, which is a tofu disposal means, to remove the rising loss tofu and to clean the waste during production. Removal can be performed. As will be described later, the discharge means 11 can be formed with a recess e. According to this embodiment, the discharge means 11 can easily discard defective tofu (for confirmation of the finished state) and its waste without changing the position of the pack moving means 2. It becomes possible.

  Here, FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view transverse to the advancing direction of the tofu transporting means 3, and shows the arrangement of the tofu T cut to the size to be packed and the recess e for partitioning the tofu T. FIG. The concave portion e of the tofu transfer means 3 is for correcting the slightly misaligned tofu T so as to fit in the pack P, or for conveying the tofu T so that it does not tilt. The recessed part e can be considered (FIGS. 12B to 12E). FIG. 12A shows an example in which there is no recess e, and is for comparison. Therefore, the tofu T cut into a predetermined packaging size is naturally stored accurately. Even if the tofu T is slightly irregularly tilted, or the tofu slip changes due to the quality of the tofu, etc., it can be reliably stored in the pack. Note that the pack may be transported in units of two or three in a connected state.

(Sixth embodiment)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the belt conveyor which is the tofu transporting means 3 is arranged in the horizontal direction, and the pack moving means 2 faces obliquely upward in the direction intersecting the tofu transporting means 3. This is an automatic packing device Z6 for tofu that has been distributed. Both the tofu transfer means 3 and the pack moving means 2 are structured such that belt conveyors are used, and the pack P is gradually raised obliquely upward by the two belt conveyors 2g. The belt conveyor 2g can be adjusted to have the same speed by using a belt conveyor having the same size as the belt conveyor 3b which is the tofu transfer means 3. In addition, it is arbitrary according to implementation to arrange | position the stopper etc. which prevent the sliding of the pack P to the pack moving means 2. FIG. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the pack P goes obliquely upward and is stored so as to scoop up the tofu T that is moved in the horizontal direction.

(Seventh embodiment)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, the tofu automatic packing device Z7 in which the tofu transfer means 3b is arranged obliquely downward and the pack moving means 2 is arranged obliquely upward. It is. A belt conveyor is used for both the tofu transfer means 3 and the pack moving means 2, and the pack moving means 2 has a horizontal belt conveyor 2 h and an inclined belt conveyor 2 g arranged in this order. The pack P is delivered from the tofu transporting means 3 by the inclined belt conveyor 2g, conveyed obliquely upward, and scooped up the tofu T which is moved obliquely downward from the tofu transporting means 3b. In the pack P. Here, it is preferable that the inclined belt conveyor 2g and the tofu transfer means 3b are adjusted to have the same inclination angle and the same speed by using the same size belt conveyor. Moreover, it is preferable to adjust to substantially the same speed when viewed from above.

(Eighth embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 15, the present embodiment is an automatic pack device Z8 for tofu that has been put in a water tank to the lower side of the tofu transfer means 3b, and the pack P conveyed by the pack moving means 2 The water is filled with water W. Further, the water level W of the water tank comes to the lower side of the tofu transfer means 3.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the pack P contains the tofu T that is transported by the tofu transporting means 3 in a state where the water W is filled. The tofu T is stored in the pack P. Further, since the water level W of the water tank comes to the lower side of the tofu transporting means 3, the tofu T is also transported and received in the pack P while receiving the resistance of the water, so that there is an advantage that the degree of damage is small.

  As described above, the automatic pack filling device for tofu according to the present invention increases the production capacity by land packing without using a water tank, but it can also be used in a water tank as in the above embodiment. It may be in semi-water and is not necessarily limited to land-filling.

Claims (7)

  A pack moving means for moving a pack for packing the tofu; and a tofu transferring means for transferring the tofu cut above the pack moving means and cut to the size to be packed and packed. The tofu and the pack are moved in the same advancing direction by the above, and the tofu is stored from above with respect to the lower pack.   2. The automatic tofu packing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the transfer means is inclined and moved in a direction crossing the other.   The automatic pack packing device for tofu according to claim 1, wherein the pack moving means descends at the moment when the tofu is stored in the pack.   3. The automatic pack of tofu according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said pack moving means moves horizontally, and said tofu transfer means is a sliding board as a thin board inclined obliquely downward. Stuffing device.   The pack moving means includes at least two belt conveyors of a supply-side belt conveyor, an extraction-side belt conveyor to be received and removed from the supply-side belt conveyor, and a push-in plate for transferring the pack from the supply-side belt conveyor to the extraction-side belt conveyor. An automatic tofu packing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising:   2. The automatic tofu packing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a discharging means for discarding defective tofu and its waste is connected to the tofu transferring means. 7. The tofu product according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the tofu transporting means or discharging means is provided with a recess for partitioning the tofu and the tofu cut into a size to be packed. Automatic packing device.

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