KR20230067498A - Food waste treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a food waste treatment device comprises: a treatment module which processes food waste using microorganisms; a collection module which collects and stores residues of the food waste processed in the treatment module; and a transfer module for transferring the residues from the treatment module to the collection module. The treatment module includes an opening part provided on a front surface to communicate with the outside, The opening part may be configured to be covered by a window that can be opened and closed so that the state of the treatment module can be checked from the outside. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent malfunction or deterioration of the function of the food processing device. Other embodiments are also possible.

Description

Food waste treatment device {FOOD WASTE TREATMENT APPARATUS}

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a food processing apparatus, and more specifically, to a food processing apparatus including an openable and openable window visible from the outside so as to check an internal processing state of food.

In general, food discharged from homes or restaurants is used as livestock feed or simply discarded after filtering water through a sieve or the like. However, when food is discarded in this way, there is a limit in that the amount of residual food to be discarded may be excessively large, and if the food is not properly treated, it may cause contamination of nearby drinking water sources or air.

Accordingly, in recent years, a method of separating food solids, drying, crushing, or decomposing food in a solid state through microorganisms and discharging it (eg, discharged to a sewer or separately collected and discarded) is mainly used as a food treatment method. is being considered

For example, in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2012-74861 (published on July 6, 2012), food waste decomposition, extinction and drying equipment is used to destroy and dry food waste by using microorganisms to compost the residue. Disclosed are features that allow it to be used as feed, or fuel.

In addition, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0033174 (published on March 29, 2019) discloses a housing comprising an extinction tank that provides an extinction space for a food waste extinction device to be decomposed and destroyed by microorganisms, and configured with the extinction tank Disclosed is a feature that compactly includes a deodorizer for deodorizing the odor of the extinction tank inside the.

On the other hand, in a food processing device that processes food using microorganisms, the amount of microorganisms may increase or decrease depending on the remaining amount of food accumulated therein. Alternatively, when microorganisms and food are excessively added, the required food processing quality can be achieved only by limiting the additional input of food for a predetermined period of time. Accordingly, the user may need to periodically check the amount of food and/or microorganisms inside the treatment module of the food processing apparatus.

In addition, when a foreign substance that cannot be decomposed by microorganisms is mistakenly introduced into the treatment module together with food, the foreign substance is not decomposed and treated and remains in the treatment module, thereby interfering with the treatment of the food. In this case, an operation may be required to discharge the erroneously introduced foreign substances to the outside, but in the case of the conventional food processing apparatus, it is easy to discharge the foreign substances even if they are introduced because it is formed in a structure in which it is substantially difficult for the user to access the treatment module. There were issues that were not addressed.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure have been devised to achieve the above or other objects, and the fermentation process state and remaining amount of food in a processing module that decomposes food using microorganisms is visually recognized so that the user can check the food from the outside. It is possible to provide a food processing device including an opening and a window provided to be in communication with.

In addition, through the transparent window of the door provided to effectively shield the inside of the food processing device and easily check the degree of accumulation of food or microorganisms inside, management by the user so that the amount of remaining microorganisms or food inside is not excessive or underestimated It is possible to provide a food processing device that is easy to use.

Meanwhile, objects according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

A food processing apparatus according to various embodiments of the present disclosure includes a processing module for fermenting food using microorganisms; a collection module for storing food residues fermented in the treatment module; and a transfer module for transferring the residue from the processing module to the collection module, wherein the processing module includes an opening provided on a front surface thereof to be in communication with the outside, and the opening is provided to communicate with the outside of the processing module. It can be configured to be covered by a window that can be opened and closed so that it can be checked.

For example, it may further include a solid-liquid separator for separating the food in a state prior to being introduced into the processing module into a solid and liquid state, wherein the solid-liquid separator is coupled to an upper side of the processing module, and the solid-liquid separator Separated food in a solid state may be configured to be introduced into the processing module.

In one embodiment, the opening and the window may have a substantially circular shape.

In one embodiment, the front surface of the processing module may be covered by an openable door, and the door may further include a transparent part extending in a vertical direction in a portion of an area corresponding to the opening and the window.

For example, the door may be configured to cover front surfaces of the processing module and the collection module. For example, the transparent portion of the door may have a substantially rectangular shape. For example, an area other than the transparent portion of the door may be formed of an opaque material, and an area of the door other than the transparent portion may be formed of a metal or plastic material.

In various embodiments, a vertical width of each of the opening, the window, and the door may be 1/3 times or more of the total height of the front surface of the processing module, and the horizontal width of the opening and the window may exceed the overall width of the processing module. As a standard, it may be configured to be 0.5 times or more and 0.75 times or less. In addition, the area of the opening may be greater than or equal to 0.25 times and less than or equal to 0.5 times the total area of the front surface of the processing module. A central portion of the opening may be located at a height equal to or greater than 0.5 times the total height of the processing module.

In another embodiment, the opening and the window may be formed in an elliptical shape in which a long axis is a vertical width and a short axis is a horizontal width.

In one embodiment, the processing module and the collection module may be disposed horizontally.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, malfunction or deterioration of function of the food processing apparatus can be prevented through a structure that allows a user to easily check the internal state of a processing module in which food is decomposed or fermented using microorganisms from the outside. there is.

In addition, through a window provided to open and close an opening at the front of the processing module of the food processing apparatus, microorganisms may be introduced when remaining microorganisms are insufficient, and foreign substances may be removed when foreign substances are mistakenly introduced.

In addition, the food processing apparatus includes an openable door for shielding a processing module and/or a collection module, and the door includes an opening through which the inside of the processing module can be checked and a transparent portion in one region of the door corresponding to the window, thereby processing food. It is possible to provide a function to easily check the internal state of the treatment module and the height of food or microorganisms from the outside without compromising the aesthetics of the overall appearance of the device.

In addition, the height of microorganisms or food accumulated in the processing module of the food processing apparatus may be automatically detected, and relevant information may be provided to the user.

Meanwhile, effects according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an exterior of a food processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
2 is an internal perspective view of the food processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a state in which a housing is removed;
3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a food processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
4 is a schematic internal front view of a food processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
5 is an internal front view of the food processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a state in which a housing is removed.
6 is a schematic internal perspective view of a food processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar elements are given the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used together in consideration of ease of writing the specification, and do not have meanings or roles that are distinct from each other by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiment disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention , it should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an exterior of a food processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an internal perspective view of the food processing apparatus of FIG. 1 in a state in which a housing is removed; FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the food processing apparatus of FIG. 1 . FIG. 4 is a schematic internal front view of the food processing apparatus of FIG. 1 .

1 to 4 , the food processing apparatus 10 according to various embodiments includes at least one of a solid-liquid separator 120, a processing module 130, a collection module 140, and a transfer module 150. can include

The food processing device 10 is a device that performs predetermined processing (eg, grinding, drying, and/or fermentation, etc.) on the input food in the processing module 130 and then discharges the processed residue to the outside. can As shown in FIG. 1 , the food processing apparatus 10 may have a substantially rectangular shape. However, the food processing apparatus 10 is not limited to such a rectangular structure, and may be configured in various shapes, such as a cylindrical structure with an entire exterior or a structure with all or some corners rounded.

The housing 101 forming the exterior of the food waste treatment apparatus 10 includes main components of the food treatment apparatus 10, for example, the solid-liquid separator 120, the treatment module 130, and the collection module 140. At least one of , and the transfer module 150 may be mounted therein. Meanwhile, in one embodiment, a portion of a specific surface of the housing 101 of the food processing apparatus 10 (eg, a lower area of the front of the food processing apparatus 10) is configured in the form of a door 102 that can be opened and closed, It can be arbitrarily opened or closed by the user.

For example, in the food processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the door 102 may cover a processing module 130 and a collection module 130 to be described later in the front of the food processing apparatus 10. It can be provided in a possible location. Accordingly, when necessary, the user can open the door 102 to access the processing module 130 or the collection module 140 and take necessary measures, and normally close the door 102 to access the processing module 130 and By shielding the collection module 140, odors that may occur inside the food processing apparatus 10 may be blocked and overall aesthetics may be improved.

In the embodiment, the door 102 includes a region corresponding to the transparent portion 1021 formed of a transparent or translucent material (eg, glass, synthetic resin material, etc.) and a remaining region 1022 formed of an opaque material other than that. can include For example, the transparent part 1021 may be configured in a rectangular shape extending in the vertical direction, and the internal state (eg, the remaining amount of food and microorganisms inside the processing module 130) is monitored even when the door 102 is not opened. It can be provided as a structure that can be confirmed. In addition, the opaque region 1022 other than the transparent portion 1021 of the door 102 may be formed of a metal or plastic material having an opaque property capable of shielding an internal structure.

Meanwhile, food may be introduced into the food processing device 10 through the input unit 110 formed at the upper end of the food processing device 10 .

In one embodiment, the input unit 110 may be composed of an input hole 11 and an input hole cover 111 covering the input hole 11 . For example, the input hole 11 may be formed to communicate with an inlet of the solid-liquid separator 120 that separates food into solid and liquid, and food enters the solid-liquid separator 120 through the input hole 11. It can flow inside. Here, the circumferential surface of the injection hole cover 111 may be formed of an elastic member such as rubber to ensure sealing force, and may be tightly coupled to the injection hole 11 in a screw rotation type coupling method.

In one embodiment, whether the food processing apparatus 10 is operated may be determined based on whether the input hole cover 111 is opened or closed. For example, the food processing apparatus 10 may detect whether the input hole cover 111 is coupled to the input hole 11 through a sensor (eg, a position detection sensor, a hall sensor, etc.), and based on the detection result, , Internal operation of the food processing apparatus 10 (for example, food processing operation and/or internal cleaning operation of the food processing apparatus 10, etc.) only when the input hole cover 111 is tightly coupled to the input hole 11. When the input hole cover 111 is separated from the input hole 11, the operation inside the food processing apparatus may be temporarily stopped or terminated.

In another embodiment, the food processing device 10 may be formed as a sink-integrated structure. For example, the food processing apparatus 10 may be installed in a structure coupled to the sink at the lower end of the sink (not shown). In this case, the configuration of the input hole cover 111 shown in FIG. 3 is omitted, and the sink The function of the above-described input hole cover 111 may be replaced by a separate cover covering a central drain hole (not shown) of the sink bowl through which water is discharged. For example, the input unit 110 of the food processing apparatus 10 may be designed to correspond to the size and shape of the central drain hole of the sink bowl. The central drain hole of the sink bowl may be provided at the upper side of the input unit 110 to communicate with the input unit 110, and food is sequentially passed through the central drain hole of the sink bowl and the input unit 110 of the food processing device 10 in the sink. It may pass through and be introduced into the inside of the food processing device 10 (eg, the inside of the solid-liquid separator 120 or the processing module 130).

The solid-liquid separator 120 may be configured to separate food introduced into the food processing apparatus 10 through the input unit 110 into solid and liquid. For example, the solid-liquid separator 120 may perform a pretreatment step of partially removing liquid components such as water from the food so that the food has a moisture content below a certain level suitable for decomposition or drying. . The solid-liquid separator 120 rotates at least a part of the introduced food from the upper inlet side of the solid-liquid separator 120 to the lower outlet side of the solid-liquid separator 120 while moving the liquid of the food through a perforated network formed on the lower surface of the solid-liquid separator 200. Only the portion may be separated and discharged, and through this, food in a solid state from which liquid is partially removed may be discharged from the discharge port of the solid-liquid separator 120 . Also, an outlet of the solid-liquid separator 120 may be connected to an inlet of a processing module 130 disposed at a lower end of the solid-liquid separator 120 .

Meanwhile, in various embodiments, the food processing apparatus 10 may further include a washing module (not shown) for washing the inside of the solid-liquid separator 120 .

Since the solid-liquid separator 120 primarily processes and transfers food in a state before decomposition (or grinding or drying), odors may easily occur due to decay of remaining food. Accordingly, the washing module may clean the inside of the solid-liquid separator 120 by spraying a high-pressure washing liquid to the solid-liquid separator 120 . For example, the washing module includes an upper inlet area of the solid-liquid separator 120, an inner chamber area of the solid-liquid separator 120, a transfer area for rotationally transferring food in the solid-liquid separator 120, and a solid-liquid separator ( 120), at least one of the areas on the perforated mesh side can be washed with the washing liquid. Meanwhile, the washing module for washing the solid-liquid separator 120 may include a control valve for sequentially spraying washing liquid to each of the plurality of washing areas based on an electrical control signal and a washing liquid path conversion device. . Through this, the washing module can improve the washing effect by sequentially spraying the washing liquid to only one washing area at a time, instead of spraying the washing liquid to each washing area of the solid-liquid separator 120 simultaneously.

The processing module 130 may correspond to a device configuration that receives food in a state in which liquid is separated and removed at a certain level from the lower end of the solid-liquid separator 120 and performs actual processing. In one example, the processing module 130 may decompose and treat food using microorganisms, and in another example, the processing module 130 may grind, dry, or heat food. In the food processing device 10 according to various embodiments, the processing module 130 may employ two or more of the decomposition method using the microorganisms and the grinding, drying, and/or heating method.

Meanwhile, in various embodiments, one surface of the processing module 130, for example, the front portion of the processing module 130 that is seen when the door 102 provided to be opened and closed by the user is opened, as shown in FIG. , At least one opening 131 communicating the inside and outside of the processing module 130 may be formed.

The opening 131 may be normally covered by a window 133 serving as a stopper, as shown in FIG. 2 . For example, when the user wants to additionally introduce microorganisms into the treatment module 130 or when a foreign substance that is difficult to treat is mistakenly introduced into the treatment module 130 and wants to remove the foreign substance, The window 133 may be opened, and microorganisms may be additionally introduced into the processing module 130 through the opening 131, or a portion of the already introduced food may be removed from the processing module 130. As at least a portion of the window 133 serving as a stopper for the opening 131 is formed in a transparent or translucent form, the user can view the inside of the processing module 130 from the outside (eg, the inside of the processing module 130). It may be configured to check the amount of accumulated microorganisms and the remaining amount of food, the degree of fermentation of food in the treatment module 130, etc.). The window 133 may be formed of light-transmitting glass (eg, tempered glass) or plastic (eg, synthetic resin, PVC, acryl), or the like.

Meanwhile, the window 133 may be directly coupled to the opening 131 as a single component and directly serve as a stopper for the opening 131, but a separate coupling member for coupling the window 133 and the opening 131. (not shown) may be further included. For example, a metal coupling portion is provided at a circumferential portion surrounding the central light-transmitting portion area of the window 133, and the window 133 is coupled to the opening 131 in a flange coupling method or a tap coupling method through the metal coupling portion. It may also be screwed into the opening 131 .

In addition, at this time, a separate sealing member (eg, a rubber material o- ring, etc.) may be additionally mounted to prevent odors inside the processing module 130 from escaping to the outside when the window 133 covers the opening 131 .

Meanwhile, in one embodiment, the opening 131 and the window 133 may have a substantially circular shape, but are not necessarily limited to this shape, and in consideration of design convenience, various shapes (eg, square, hexagonal, elliptical) etc.) of the opening 131 and/or the structure of the window 133 may be applied. For example, the window 131 may be configured in a circular shape, but the central light emitting area of the window 133 may be configured in a polygonal shape, an elliptical shape, or a shape with some corners rounded, and various other modifications may be applied. do. In addition, the window 133 may be provided in a concave or convex lens shape so that the internal state of the processing module 130 can be easily identified from the outside.

In addition, the opening 131 has at least a portion of the side of the opening 131 so that food and/or microorganisms inside the processing module 130 are not unintentionally spilled outside when the window 133 is opened. 130) may have a concave shape.

The opening 131 and the window 133 may be positioned at a height equal to or greater than 0.5 times the total height of the processing module 130 . For example, the central portion of the opening 131 may be formed above the central height of the processing module 130 . In addition, the vertical width of the opening 131 (and the window 133 provided at the corresponding position) is about 1/3 times the height of the front surface of the processing module 130, and the total area of the opening 131 is Compared to the total area of the front surface of the processing module 130 (e.g., the direction viewed in the y-axis direction in FIG. Residual amounts of accumulated food and/or microorganisms can be easily identified, and foreign substances of a certain size or larger can be easily removed through the opening 131 .

In another embodiment, the opening 131 and the window 133 are formed in a shape longer than the width, such as an elliptical shape in which the major axis is the vertical width and the minor axis is the horizontal width, so that the amount accumulated inside the processing module 130 can be easily identified. may be able to do so.

According to various embodiments, in addition to the opening 131 on the front surface of the processing module 130, a second opening 1311 formed in a smaller size than the opening 131 at the lower end side and covering the second opening 1311 A second stopper 1331 provided to be opened and closed may be further included. The second stopper 1331 may be formed of a transparent (or translucent) material like the window 133 so that the inside thereof can be visually recognized, but the remaining amount inside the processing module 130 can be seen through the window 133. Since confirmation is sufficiently possible, the second stopper 1331 may be formed of an opaque material. For example, the user identifies the internal state of the processing module 130 (such as the remaining amount of food accumulated inside) through the relatively large opening 131 and window 133 provided on the upper side from the front of the processing module 130. Then, when microorganisms or food are excessively introduced, the second stopper 1331 formed at the bottom of the treatment module 130 is opened and microorganisms or microorganisms accumulated in the treatment module 130 more easily through the second opening 1311. Food can also be discharged outside. In addition, when additional microorganisms or large foreign substances are to be discharged, the window 133 may be opened and microorganisms may be introduced or large foreign substances may be removed through the opening 131 .

Meanwhile, after food is processed in the processing module 130 , residues may be transported to the collection module 140 located on the side of the processing module 130 .

The treatment module 130 and the collection module 140 may be spaced apart from each other with a side wall interposed therebetween, and a predetermined treatment for food is completed in the treatment module 130 and the transfer module 150 is placed therein. When the residue accumulates to the height, the residue may be transported from the treatment module 130 to the collection module 140 through the transfer module 150 formed in communication with the upper end of the side wall.

The transfer module 150 may transfer food residue from the processing module 130 to the collection module 400 through a communication passage 155 provided to communicate sidewalls between the processing module 130 and the collection module 140. there is. For example, the transfer module 150 may transfer the residue from the processing module 130 to the collection module 140 using the transfer screw 157 provided therein. The conveying screw 157 of the conveying module 150 may extend from the processing module 130 to the collection module 140 in a horizontal direction. For example, a part of the transfer module 150 may be located above the processing module 130 and the other part may be located above the collection module 140 . In addition, the transfer screw 157 constituting the transfer module 150 can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise based on electrical control, and when the user opens the input hole cover 111 or the window 133, Alternatively, when the collection box 144 is separated from the collection module 140, the rotational motion of the transfer screw 157 may be automatically stopped. In the embodiment, the conveying screw 157 rotates in a direction opposite to the rotational direction during conveying in order to prevent residues being conveyed before the stop operation from remaining inside the conveying module 150 on the side of the collecting module 140. The rotating operation may be stopped after a predetermined number of reverse rotations are carried out to return the residue to the processing module 130 .

For example, a conveying screen having a cylindrical structure may be provided on an outer circumferential surface of the conveying screw 151 of the conveying module 150 . The transfer screen includes fine openings (perforations) of a predetermined size or less so that only food processed (eg, decomposition) to a predetermined size or less in the processing module 130 flows into the inner space of the transfer module 150. It can be formed as a surface that For example, in the transfer screen, the micro-openings are provided only on a part of the upper portion of the cylindrical shape, and the lower side of the transfer screen does not include the micro-openings so that small-sized food introduced through the micro-openings does not escape back to the processing module 130. can be formed as Also, the micro-openings of the transport screen may be formed only on the processing module 130 side of the transport screen extending from the processing module 130 to the collection module 140 .

Meanwhile, the opening 131 of the processing module 130 may be formed at a height corresponding to the area where the fine opening of the transfer screen is formed.

In one embodiment, the food processing device 10 may further include a stirring screw for appropriately mixing food and microorganisms inside the processing module 130 . At this time, the gear of the agitation shaft for rotating the agitation screw of the processing module 130 is provided in a form meshed with the gear of the transfer shaft for rotating the transfer screw 157 of the transfer module 150, driven by a single motor. It may also be configured to simultaneously perform the transfer operation in the transfer module 150 and the stirring operation in the processing module 130 alone.

The collection module 140 may be configured to discharge residues generated after processing food in the processing module 130 to the outside. The collection module 140 may include a discharge hole 14 through which residue transferred from the processing module 130 is discharged and a collection box 144 in which the discharged residue is accumulated and stored. The collection box 144 is detachably coupled to the discharge hole 14 and may form a predetermined closed structure. For example, the collection module 140 may be covered by the door 102, and the user may separate the collection box 144 from the collection module 140 after opening the door 102 covering the collection module 140. , It is possible to collect the accumulated residue in the collection box 144.

On the other hand, the door 102 integrally covering the treatment module 130 and the collection module 140 on the front of the food processing device 10, even in a closed state, the food and/or food accumulated inside the processing module 130 Alternatively, it may further include a transparent portion 1021 provided to check the accumulation of microorganisms from the outside, and the transparent portion 1021 is the location of the opening 131 and the window 133 formed on a part of the front surface of the treatment module 130. It is formed at a height corresponding to but composed of a rectangular shape extending in the vertical direction, so that the height of food accumulated in the processing module 130 can be easily grasped even when the door 102 is closed. For example, the vertical width of the transparent portion 1021 formed on the door 102 is 1/1 of the total height of the processing module 130, similar to the vertical width of the opening 131 and the window 133 of the processing module 130 inside. It can be configured to be three times or more.

5 and 6 are views for explaining the internal structure of the food processing apparatus 10 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a schematic internal front view of the food processing apparatus 10 according to an exemplary embodiment in a state in which the housing is removed, and FIG. 6 is a schematic internal perspective view of the food processing apparatus 10 of FIG. 5 in a state in which the housing is removed. am.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the food processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment does not include a separate solid-liquid separator at the top of the processing module 130, and uses an input unit (not shown) at the top. It may be formed in a structure in which food introduced through the process is directly put into the processing module 130 and processed.

Meanwhile, the processing module 130, the collection module 140, and the transport module 150 in FIGS. 5 and 6 are the processing module 130, the collection module 140, and The structure and operation method of the transfer module 150 may be applied in the same way.

Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the food processing device 10 detects the height of food and microorganisms accumulated in the processing module 130 by mounting a separate height sensor inside the processing module 130, , In the case of accumulation of accumulations above a preset height, a function of generating a notification to the outside or controlling the operation of the transfer screw 157 may be processed. For example, the sensor detects whether or not the amount of food accumulated in the processing module 130 is accumulated to a height exceeding the top of the conveying screen in which the fine openings of the conveying module 150 are formed, sends a notification to the user, and performs some internal operations. (eg, heat treatment, stirring, etc. in the treatment module 130) may be stopped. For example, the food processing device 10 stops the operation of the stirring screw provided in the processing module 130 according to the height detection result of the sensor and continues to operate only the operation of the transfer screw 157 of the transfer module 150. can also control.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, an opening provided to access the inside of the processing module 130 located at the lower end of the food processing device 10 in addition to the upper input portion 110 into which food is input of the food processing device 10 ( 131) and a transparent (or translucent) window 133-shaped stopper covering the opening 131 and a door 102 configured to shield the processing module 130 and the collection module 140. Through the formed transparent portion 1021, it is possible to provide a function to easily check the cumulative height and fermentation process state of food (and microorganisms) inside the processing module 130 even from the outside.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the present invention.

The above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

On the other hand, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in the present specification and drawings, and although specific terms have been used, they are only used in a general sense to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and help understanding of the present invention. It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that other modified examples based on the technical idea of the present invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims (15)

In the food processing device,
A treatment module for fermenting food using microorganisms;
a collection module for storing food residues fermented in the treatment module; and
A transfer module for transferring the residue from the processing module to the collection module;
The processing module includes an opening provided to communicate with the outside on a front side, and the opening is configured to be covered by an openable and closable window that is visually recognized so as to check an internal state of the processing module from the outside. Food processing apparatus. According to claim 1,
Further comprising a solid-liquid separator for separating the food in a state before being introduced into the processing module into a solid and a liquid state,
The solid-liquid separator is coupled to an upper portion of the processing module,
A food processing apparatus configured to allow food in a solid state separated from the solid-liquid separator to be introduced into the processing module. According to claim 1,
The food processing apparatus, wherein the opening and the window have a substantially circular shape. According to claim 1,
A front surface of the processing module is covered by an openable door. According to claim 4,
The door further includes a transparent portion extending in a vertical direction in a portion of an area corresponding to the opening and the window. According to claim 4,
Wherein the door is configured to cover front surfaces of the processing module and the collection module. According to claim 5,
The food processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transparent portion of the door has a substantially rectangular shape. According to claim 5,
The food processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a vertical width of each of the opening, the window, and the door is equal to or greater than 1/3 of a total height of a front surface of the processing module. According to claim 5,
Wherein the door is formed of an opaque material in an area other than the transparent portion. According to claim 1,
The conveying module is disposed horizontally across the processing module and the collection module,
A portion of the transport module is located above the processing module, and the remaining portion of the transport module is located above the collection module. According to claim 1,
Wherein the opening and the window have a horizontal width of 0.5 times or more and 0.75 times or less based on the total width of the processing module. According to claim 1,
The area of the opening is 0.25 times or more and 0.5 times or less of the total area of the front surface of the processing module. According to claim 1,
The food processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a central portion of the opening is positioned at a height equal to or greater than 0.5 times the total height of the processing module. According to claim 1,
The food processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the opening is formed in an elliptical shape with a longitudinal width in a long axis and a horizontal width in a short axis. According to claim 5,
Wherein the door is formed of a metal or plastic material having an opaque property in an area other than the transparent portion.

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