JP4303220B2 - Food cleaning equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a food cleaning device for cleaning food.

  Traditionally, salad vegetables have been cut into a certain size and divided into singles for sale, packed in packs, or transported to a restaurant in a family at the processing plant. A method of transporting or selling edible vegetables cut into a predetermined size has been implemented, and in recent years, the demand has been increasing. Such cut vegetables are difficult to maintain freshness for a long time. Therefore, sterilization is performed for the purpose of removing bacteria that cause a decrease in freshness.

  As a bactericidal agent used in the bactericidal treatment, sodium hypochlorite, which is inexpensive and has a strong bactericidal power, is widely used (see Patent Document 1). However, when sodium hypochlorite is used as a disinfectant, it is necessary to wash out the disinfectant with a large amount of fresh water or the like, and the amount of water used increases. In addition, when a chlorine-based disinfectant such as sodium hypochlorite is used for cleaning the food, the original flavor of the food is impaired. Furthermore, since sodium hypochlorite reacts with organic substances to produce carcinogenic trihalomethane, it may cause environmental pollution if released as it is into wastewater or the like. Therefore, in recent years, sterilization treatment is performed using ozone water.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a batch type in which vegetables are put into a washing tank for washing, and a swirl flow is carried out in a washing tank fixed by circulating water stored in the washing tank in which vegetables are put with a circulation pump. In addition, there is disclosed a food cleaning device that blows ozone-containing gas generated by an ozone generator into a cleaning tank.

Patent Document 3 is a continuous type in which vegetables are continuously washed by passing through a cylindrical washing tank, and washing water containing ozone water generated by an ozone water generator is sprayed into the washing tank. In addition, every time the cylindrical cleaning tank makes one rotation around the axis along the longitudinal direction, the water formed in the cleaning tank passes through at least a part of the cleaning water sprinkled in the cleaning tank. However, there is disclosed a food cleaning device that discharges through a large number of openings that do not allow vegetables to pass through.
JP 2005-124481 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-19376 Japanese Patent Publication No. WO01 / 080669

  However, in the food cleaning apparatus described in Patent Document 2, even if air containing ozone is blown into the cleaning tank, ozone is difficult to dissolve. Therefore, in order to obtain a high cleaning effect, a high concentration ozone gas or a large amount of Ozone gas is required and is inefficient and uneconomical. Further, since the ozone concentration is not stable, the cleaning effect varies. In addition, when changing the kind of foodstuff, the process of replacing | exchanging all the water storage in a washing tank is needed, and workability | operativity falls. Furthermore, there is a possibility that the foodstuff may be damaged by stirring the inside of the washing tank by the swirling flow.

  The continuous food cleaning apparatus as described in Patent Document 3 is effective when cleaning a small quantity of a large amount of food, but has a larger installation area and more power than a batch type. Therefore, it is unsuitable for cleaning a small variety of foods.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a food cleaning apparatus that is suitable for cleaning a small variety of foods and that can be cleaned effectively without damaging the food with high workability.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The food cleaning device of the present invention has a bowl-shaped container body in which a large number of stitches are formed, and a lid that closes the opening of the container body, and the mating surface of the container body and the lid A cleaning tank that can rotate around the upper shaft, a drive mechanism for rotating the cleaning tank, and a water spray hole that is disposed on the shaft to spray the cleaning water into the cleaning tank. And a sprayed water pipe.

  The “rotation” in the present invention includes a rotational movement with a rotation angle of less than 360 degrees.

  According to this configuration, since it is a batch type that cleans food in a cleaning tank closed by a container body and a lid that closes the opening of the container body, compared to a continuous system that cleans while passing through the cleaning tank Suitable for cleaning small quantities of many types of ingredients. In addition, when the cleaning tank rotates, the food material put into the cleaning tank efficiently contacts with cleaning water such as ozone water. Therefore, the food can be effectively washed. Furthermore, the cleaning water contaminated by contact with the food is quickly drained from the stitches of the bowl-shaped container body. Therefore, since the food is always washed with newly supplied cleaning water, the cleaning effect is gradually increased as in the case where cleaning is performed in a state where new cleaning water is not supplied to the cleaning tank. A high cleaning effect can be maintained without deteriorating, and when changing the type of food, it is not necessary to replace all the water stored in the cleaning tank, so that high workability can be obtained. In addition, when the cleaning water is ozone water, the concentration of ozone in the cleaning water that comes into contact with the food is reduced, but since it is quickly drained from the stitches of the bowl-shaped container body, the cleaning water is always controlled in ozone concentration. It is possible to clean the food material more efficiently. In addition, the food is less likely to be damaged than in the case where the inside of the washing tank is washed by stirring with a swirling flow.

  In the food cleaning device of the present invention, an edge extending outside the container body is formed around the opening of the container body, and the guide member guides the container body while engaging with the edge. Is preferably further provided. Usually, after the cleaning process by the food cleaning device is performed, the dehydration process of dehydrating the food is performed. According to the above-described configuration, the bowl-shaped container body can be easily detached from the apparatus and used as a dewatering basket used in the dewatering process. That is, when moving from the washing process to the dehydration process, it is not necessary to transfer the food from the container to the container. Therefore, prevention of secondary contamination caused by manual transfer of food, prevention of reduction in production yield due to spilled food during transfer, and omission of transfer The improvement of property can be realized.

  In the food cleaning device of the present invention, the shaft extends in the horizontal direction, and the opening of the container body swells on the opposite side to the container body in a state where the opening is closed by the lid. It is preferable that the lid body has a concave shape. According to this configuration, when the cleaning tank makes one rotation around the shaft, the cleaning water containing ozone water accumulates inside the lid when the lid reaches below the shaft. At this time, since the food material is immersed in the cleaning water accumulated in the lid, the food material comes into contact with the cleaning water more efficiently. Therefore, the food material can be more effectively cleaned. In addition, when the lid moves from the lower side of the shaft to the upper side of the shaft, the washing water accumulated in the lid body flows out from the lid body in a waterfall shape together with the ingredients, so that the washing of the food by the flowing water effect is added. Can do.

  The food cleaning apparatus of the present invention is configured so that the cleaning tank has a longer time for the lid body to be positioned below the shaft than the time for the container body to be positioned below the shaft. It is preferable to further comprise control means for controlling the drive mechanism so as to make one rotation continuously or intermittently. According to this configuration, the lid is longer than the shaft compared to the case where the length of the time when the container body is located below the shaft is equal to or longer than the length of the time when the lid is located below the shaft. When the amount reaches the lower side, the amount of cleaning water including ozone water that accumulates in the lid can be increased, so that the effect of immersing the food can be promoted. Accordingly, the food material can be more effectively cleaned. In addition, when the lid moves from the lower side of the shaft to the upper side of the shaft, a large amount of washing water collected in the lid flows out from the lid body together with the food material in a waterfall shape. Can be done effectively.

  The food cleaning apparatus according to the present invention further includes control means for controlling the drive mechanism so that the cleaning tank rotates at least once in the forward or reverse direction, in addition to at least one rotation in the forward direction. It is preferable. According to this structure, the movement of the foodstuff in a washing tank becomes large, and since a contact efficiency with washing water improves, a washing effect can be promoted.

  The food cleaning device of the present invention is disposed below the cleaning tank and stores drainage of cleaning water that has been sprinkled from the sprinkling holes of the sprinkling pipe and passed through the stitch formed in the container body of the cleaning tank. It is preferable to further include a tank. For example, when cut vegetables are sterilized with ozone water, ozone is decomposed by the leachate leached from the cut end of the vegetables, so that the concentration of ozone water is lowered and the sterilization effect is lowered. Therefore, normally, before performing the sterilization process by ozone water, the preliminary washing process which removes the leaching liquid which exudes from the cut end of vegetables beforehand is performed. According to the above-described configuration, the preliminary cleaning step can be performed using the wastewater stored in the tank at the time of the sterilization treatment with ozone water performed immediately before. Therefore, the amount of water used can be reduced as compared with a case where water for performing the preliminary cleaning step is separately prepared.

  The food cleaning apparatus of the present invention may further include a housing that stores the cleaning tank in an airtight state.

  The food cleaning apparatus of the present invention may further include a housing that stores the cleaning tank and the tank in an airtight state.

  According to these configurations, it is possible to prevent odor (for example, ozone odor) due to gas (for example, ozone gas evaporated from ozone water) vaporized from the cleaning liquid sprayed from the water spray hole of the water spray pipe from leaking to the outside.

  The food cleaning apparatus of the present invention may further include a fan for releasing the gas in the casing to the outside of the casing. According to this structure, the gas (for example, ozone gas) vaporized from the washing water sprayed from the water spray hole of the water spray pipe and filled in the housing can be exhausted to the exhaust duct or the like by the fan. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a gas odor, for example, an ozone odor, when the food is taken out from the housing after the cleaning is completed.

  In the food cleaning device of the present invention, the cleaning water may be ozone water, and the ozone water may be supplied from the outside into the cleaning tank.

  The food cleaning device of the present invention may further include an ozone water generator, and ozone water generated by the ozone water generator may be supplied into the cleaning tank.

  According to this structure, a foodstuff can be sterilized by the bactericidal action of ozone water.

  The food cleaning apparatus of the present invention preferably further includes a buffer tank that stores cleaning water supplied into the cleaning tank. According to this configuration, various cleaning water supply means (for example, an ozone water generator) can be applied to the food cleaning device regardless of the supply amount or supply pressure of the cleaning water.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, a schematic configuration of a food cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of the food cleaning device according to the present embodiment with the door opened. FIG. 2 is a schematic external view of the food cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 1 with the door closed. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the food cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as viewed from the substantially left side of the drawing. FIG. 4 is a top view of the cleaning tank shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an internal configuration of the food cleaning apparatus shown in FIG.

  The food cleaning device 1 according to the present embodiment is a device for cleaning food using ozone water having a sterilizing action as cleaning water, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cleaning unit 10 for cleaning food, It comprises an operation unit 50 for operating the cleaning unit 10.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning unit 10 includes a cleaning tank 20, a tank 26 disposed below the cleaning tank 20, and a cleaning unit housing 30 that stores the cleaning tank 20 and the tank 26.

  The cleaning unit housing 30 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The housing body 35 has an opening 35a formed in the upper half of the front surface of the apparatus (the front surface in FIG. 1), and the opening of the housing body 35. The door body 36 can take a state in which 35a is opened (state shown in FIG. 1) and a state closed by a door body locking mechanism (not shown) (state shown in FIG. 2). In addition, when the opening 35a of the housing body 35 is closed by the door body 36, the cleaning unit housing 35 is sealed. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a limit switch 16 is provided at a contact portion of the housing body 35 with the door body 36. The limit switch 16 is turned off when the opening 35a is opened, and is turned on by being pressed by the door body 36 when the opening 35a is closed. The position of the limit switch 16 is not limited to that illustrated. The door body 36 is made of a transparent material such as glass so that the operator of the food cleaning device 1 can observe the handle 37 for opening and closing the door body 36 and the inside of the cleaning unit housing 30. A window 38 in which a member is fitted is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the exhaust fan 12 is disposed in the cleaning unit housing 30.

  The cleaning tank 20 has a bowl-shaped container body 22 formed with a large number of stitches through which cleaning water can pass and foods to be cleaned cannot pass, and a lid body 24 that closes the opening of the container body 22. It consists of. In FIG. 1, the lid 24 is not shown. As will be described in detail later, the cleaning tank 20 can rotate. However, when the operation of the apparatus is stopped, the container body 22 is positioned below the lid 24 as shown in FIG. To do. At this time, the mating surfaces of the container body 22 and the lid body 24 are horizontal. However, the mating surface of the container body 22 and the lid body 24 does not necessarily have to be horizontal, and in order to make the container body 22 easier to take out, it may be inclined downward from the front of the apparatus to the back. Is possible.

  The container body 22 can be fixed to the lid body 24 by a lock mechanism (not shown). In addition, an edge portion 22 a extending outside the container body 22 is formed around the opening of the container body 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the lid body 24 has a concave shape that swells on the side opposite to the container body 22. In the present embodiment, the depth of the lid body 24 (the length along the vertical direction in FIG. 3) is 50% or more of the depth of the container body 22. Further, the lid body 24 is fixed to a rotating shaft (not shown) disposed on the mating surface with the container body 22.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the water spray pipe 40 communicates with the third water distribution pipe 43. The third water distribution pipe 43 includes a first water distribution pipe 41 that supplies ozone water generated by the ozone generator 80, which will be described in detail later, and a second distribution pipe that supplies wastewater stored in the tank 26, which will be described in detail later. It extends from the junction with the water pipe 42. At the junction of the first water distribution pipe 41 and the second water distribution pipe 42, the ozone water supplied by the first water distribution pipe 41 and the waste water supplied by the second water distribution pipe 42 are switched to the third water distribution pipe 43. A first electromagnetic valve 44 to be circulated is disposed. The third water distribution pipe 43 is provided with a pump 45 for sending ozone water supplied by the first water distribution pipe 41 or waste water supplied by the second water distribution pipe 42 to the water spray pipe 40. As shown in FIG. 1, the water spray pipe 40 is formed with a large number of water spray holes 40 a for spraying ozone water or drainage supplied to the water spray pipe 40 into the cleaning tank 20.

  A rotating shaft (not shown) is arranged coaxially with the water spray pipe 40. A guide member 14 is fixed to the rotation shaft by a support member 15. Here, the guide member 14 will be described with reference to FIG. The guide member 14 is positioned on the right side (corresponding to the back side of the apparatus) in FIG. 4 and is a curved portion 14a having a semicircular arc shape having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the opening of the container body 22. 4 and a straight line portion 14b that is located on the left side (corresponding to the front side of the apparatus) in FIG. 4 and extends linearly from both ends of the curved portion 14a. With such a shape, the guide member 14 can guide the container main body 22 while engaging with the edge 22 a of the container main body 22 withdrawn / inserted from the opening 35 a of the housing main body 35.

  When the rotating shaft rotates, the lid body 24 and the guide member 14 fixed to the rotating shaft as described above rotate. At this time, since the container body 22 is fixed to the lid body 24 by the lock mechanism as described above, it rotates together with the lid body 24. Therefore, the cleaning tank 20 rotates while drawing a one-dot chain line circle around the water spray pipe 40 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, if the door body 36 is not completely closed, the danger of exposing the rotating material, the deterioration of the working environment due to ozone odor, and the rotating cleaning tank 20 comes into contact with the door body 36. Since there exists a possibility, the washing tank 20 rotates only when the above-mentioned limit switch 16 is ON, ie, when the opening 35a is closed by the door body 36. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the tank 26 has a funnel-shaped opening 31 formed on the upper surface thereof. Further, a filter (not shown) for removing food waste and the like is attached to the opening 31. Therefore, the ozone water or waste water sprayed into the cleaning tank 20 by the water spray pipe 40 passes through the stitches of the container body 22 of the cleaning tank 20 and is stored in the tank 26 after the food waste and the like are removed by the filter. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the tank 26 communicates with a drain pipe 46 for flowing the waste water in the tank 26 to the sewer in addition to the above-described second water distribution pipe 42. The drain pipe 46 is provided with a second electromagnetic valve 47 for switching between a state in which the waste water in the tank 26 is discharged to the sewer and a state in which it is not discharged.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the operation unit 50 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The operation unit 50 is disposed adjacent to the right side of the cleaning unit housing 30 and disposed on the surface of the operation unit housing 60. A display 52 for displaying information on the food cleaning device 1, a power switch 54a for turning on / off the power of the food cleaning device 1, a start button 54b for starting cleaning, and the food cleaning device 1 in an initial state. A clear button 54c for returning, a stop button 54d for temporarily stopping the cleaning work, and a notification lamp 56 disposed on the upper surface of the operation unit housing 60 are provided. The notification lamp 56 is lit in green when cleaning is performed in the cleaning unit 10, and is lit in red when the cleaning process is completed. Therefore, the operator of the food cleaning apparatus 1 can check the driving situation even when the operator is away from the apparatus.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation unit housing 60 has a motor 65 for rotating the cleaning tank 20, a controller 70 for controlling the food cleaning device 1, and ozone water for generating ozone water. A generator 80 is installed.

  The motor 65 is connected to the rotating shaft via a coupling, a gear mechanism, or the like (not shown). Therefore, the rotation shaft is driven to rotate by driving the motor 65. At this time, as described above, the cleaning layer 20 rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft.

  Next, the ozone water generator 80 will be described. In the present embodiment, an ozone water generator using an electrolysis method of water that can generate ozone water having a higher concentration than a method that generates ozone water by dissolving ozone gas in water at a high concentration is used. I will do it. Such an electrolytic ozone water generator is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-134777, and detailed description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 5, the ozone water generator 80 communicates with a supply pipe 48 for supplying fresh water of waterworks to the ozone water generator 80 in addition to the first water distribution pipe 41 described above. The supply pipe 48 is provided with a third electromagnetic valve 49 for switching between a state where water is supplied to the ozone water generator 80 and a state where water is not supplied.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the controller 70 includes a fan control unit 71 that controls the driving of the fan 12, an electromagnetic valve control unit 72 that controls the opening and closing timings of the first to third electromagnetic valves 44, 47, and 49, respectively. A pump control unit 73 that controls the driving of the pump 73 and a motor control unit 74 that controls the operating frequency of the motor 65 by inverter control are provided. Hereinafter, functions of the fan control unit 71, the electromagnetic valve control unit 72, the pump control unit 73, and the motor control unit 74 will be specifically described.

  The fan control unit 71 is configured so that the fan 12 is driven for a predetermined time while the ozone water generated by the ozone water generator 80 is supplied to the cleaning tank 20 and after the supply of the ozone water is finished. Controls to be ventilated. Note that the fan 12 may always be driven while the cleaning device 1 is in operation. When supplying the waste water in the tank 26 to the washing tank 20, the electromagnetic valve control unit 72 sets the first electromagnetic valve 44 in a state where the second water distribution pipe 42 and the third water distribution pipe 43 are communicated with each other. The third electromagnetic valve 49 is closed (hereinafter referred to as “drainage supply state”). In addition, when supplying ozone water generated by the ozone water generator 80 to the cleaning tank 20, the first electromagnetic valve 44 is brought into a state where the first water distribution pipe 41 and the third water distribution pipe 43 are communicated with each other. Then, the third electromagnetic valve 49 is opened (hereinafter referred to as “ozone water supply state”). Furthermore, when discharging the waste water in the tank 26, the second electromagnetic valve 47 is opened.

  When the first electromagnetic valve 44 is controlled by the electromagnetic valve control unit 72 and the first distribution pipe 41 or the second distribution pipe 42 is in communication with the third distribution pipe 43, the pump control unit 73 is The pump 45 is driven. The motor control unit 74 controls the motor 65 so that the cleaning tank 20 continuously rotates once in one direction. More specifically, the motor control unit 74 is configured such that when the lid body 24 is below the sprinkling pipe 40 as compared with the rotational speed of the cleaning tank 20 when the container main body 22 is below the sprinkling pipe 40. The motor 65 is controlled so that the rotational speed of the cleaning tank 20 becomes slower. The motor control unit 74 prohibits driving of the motor 65 when the above-described limit switch 16 is OFF, that is, when the door body 36 is not completely closed.

  Next, a procedure for cleaning food using the food cleaning device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6 which is a flowchart showing a procedure of a cleaning process performed in the food cleaning device 1. Here, it is assumed that the food to be cleaned is cut vegetables.

  First, the operator determines whether or not the container body 22 containing the cut vegetables has been set on the guide member 14 and the start button 54b has been operated (step S101). If it is determined that the start button 54b has not been operated (step S101: NO), the determination in step S101 is repeated until it is determined that the start button 54b has been operated. If it is determined that the start button 54b has been operated (step S101: YES), it is determined whether or not the limit switch 16 is ON (step S102).

  When the limit switch 16 is OFF (step S102: NO), the process returns to step S101, and it is determined again whether or not the cleaning start button has been operated. On the other hand, when the limit switch 16 is ON (step S102: YES), the electromagnetic valve control unit 72 sets the first and third electromagnetic valves 44 and 49 to the drainage supply state and the pump control unit 73. The pump 45 is driven and supply of the waste water in the tank 26 into the cleaning tank 20 is started (step S103). In addition, the waste_water | drain which has accumulated in the tank 26 at this time is the used ozone water drained from the washing tank 20 in the last main washing | cleaning process (after-mentioned). At this time, the second solenoid valve 47 is closed by the solenoid valve controller 72. Further, at this time, the notification lamp 56 is lit in green.

  Subsequently, the motor control unit 74 starts driving the motor 65, and the cleaning tank 20 rotates (step S104). At this time, the foreign matter adhering to the cut vegetables and the leachate adhering to the cut end of the vegetables are removed by the drainage sprayed from the sprinkling holes 40a of the sprinkling pipe 40 (preliminary washing step). Then, the waste water used in the preliminary cleaning process is drained from the cleaning tank 20 and stored in the tank 26. When the preliminary cleaning process is completed, the second electromagnetic valve 47 is opened by the electromagnetic valve control unit 72, and the waste water in the tank 26 is discharged to the sewer (step S105).

  Thereafter, the first and third electromagnetic valves 44 and 49 are brought into an ozone water supply state by the electromagnetic valve control unit 72, and the pump 45 is driven by the pump control unit 73 to generate ozone water in the cleaning tank 20. Supply of ozone water generated by the device 80 is started (step S106). At this time, driving of the fan 12 is started by the fan control unit 71 and the inside of the housing 35 is ventilated. At this time, the second electromagnetic valve 47 is closed by the electromagnetic valve control unit 72, and the used ozone water drained from the cleaning tank 20 is stored in the tank 26.

  Subsequently, the motor controller 74 starts driving the motor 65, and the cleaning tank 20 rotates (step S107). At this time, the vegetables in the washing tank 20 are sterilized by the ozone water sprayed from the water spray holes 40a of the water spray pipe 40 (main cleaning process). When the cleaning is completed, the ventilation in the casing 35 by the fan 12 is continued for a predetermined time, and then the notification lamp 56 is turned on in red (this cleaning process ends). When the operator of the food cleaning device 1 confirms that the cleaning process is completed by the notification lamp 56, the operator opens the door body 36, takes out the container body 22, and sets it in a dehydrator for performing the dehydration process.

  Next, the sterilization process in the main cleaning process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating the state of the rotating cleaning tank 20 and the ingredients and ozone water when the cleaning tank 20 rotates.

  First, as shown to Fig.7 (a), when the washing tank 20 has the container main body 22 below the water spray pipe 40, the ozone water sprayed from the water spray hole 40a of the water spray pipe 40 is the container main body. After contact with the food in 22, the water is quickly drained from the stitches of the bowl-shaped container body 22. Then, until the cleaning tank 20 rotates 45 degrees in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) and reaches the state shown in FIG. Move in the main body 22. Therefore, the foodstuff in the washing tank 20 contacts the uncontaminated ozone water sprayed from the sprinkling hole 40a of the sprinkling pipe 40 evenly.

  Furthermore, when the washing tank 20 rotates 45 degrees in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) and the lid 24 moves below the water spray pipe 40 as shown in FIG. The ozone water sprayed from the water spray hole 40 a accumulates in the lid 24. Then, the food material is immersed in the ozone water accumulated in the lid body 24. The motor control unit 74 causes the washing tank when the lid body 24 is below the sprinkling pipe 40 to be compared with the rotational speed of the washing tank 20 when the container body 22 is below the sprinkling pipe 40. Since the rotation speed of 20 is controlled to be slow, a sufficient amount of ozone water is accumulated in the lid 24 to immerse the food material. After that, when the cleaning tank 20 is rotated 45 degrees in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise) and the state as shown in FIG. 7B is reached, the ozone water accumulated in the lid body 24 together with the ingredients from the lid body 24 It begins to flow like a waterfall.

  In the main cleaning step, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7B, the cleaning tank 20 continuously rotates once, and the food in the cleaning tank 20 and the water spray holes 40 a of the water spray pipe 40 are sprinkled. Sterilize by contact with ozone water.

  As described above, in the food cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the cleaning tank 20 including the bowl-shaped container main body 22 in which a large number of stitches are formed and the lid body 24 that closes the opening of the container main body 22 includes the container It arrange | positions on the mating surface of the main body 22 and the cover body 24, and rotates centering on the water spray pipe 40 in which the water spray hole 40a for watering the cleaning water in the washing tank 20 was formed. Therefore, since it is a batch type which wash | cleans foodstuffs in the washing tank 20 obstruct | occluded by the container main body 22 and the cover body 24, compared with the continuous type wash | cleaned while letting the inside of a washing tank pass, washing | cleaning of many kinds of foodstuffs is small. Suitable for In addition, the cleaning tank 20 rotates, so that the ingredients put into the cleaning tank 20 come into contact with the cleaning water efficiently. Therefore, the food can be effectively washed. Furthermore, the cleaning water contaminated by contact with the food is quickly drained from the stitches of the bowl-shaped container body 22. Therefore, since the food is washed with newly supplied washing water, the washing effect is not gradually reduced as in the case where washing is performed in a state where the washing water is stored without being supplied to the washing tank. In addition to maintaining a high cleaning effect, it is not necessary to replace all of the water stored in the cleaning tank when changing the type of food, so that high workability can be obtained. In addition, the ozone water in contact with the food has a reduced ozone concentration, but is quickly drained from the stitches of the bowl-shaped container body 22, so that it can always be washed with ozone water whose concentration is controlled. It becomes possible to wash the food efficiently. In addition, the food is less likely to be damaged than in the case where the inside of the washing tank is washed by stirring with a swirling flow.

  Further, in the food cleaning device 1 of the present embodiment, the guide member that guides the container body 22 while engaging with the edge portion 22a that extends outside the container body 22 formed around the opening of the container body 22. 14 is provided together with the support member 15. Therefore, since the container main body 22 can be easily removed from the apparatus, the container main body 22 is subjected to a cleaning process (in the present embodiment, consisting of a preliminary cleaning process and a main cleaning process) by the food cleaning device 1. It can be used as a dewatering pad for use in the dewatering process. That is, when moving from the washing process to the dehydration process, it is not necessary to transfer the food from the container to the container. Therefore, prevention of secondary contamination caused by manual transfer of food, prevention of production yield reduction due to spilling of food during transfer, and omission of transfer The improvement of property can be realized.

  Furthermore, in the food cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the water spray pipe 40 extends in the horizontal direction at a position on the rotation axis of the cleaning tank 20, and the lid 24 is on the side opposite to the container body 22. It is a bulging concave shape. Therefore, when the washing tank 20 rotates once around the water spray pipe 40 and the lid body 24 reaches below the water spray pipe 40, the wash water sprayed from the water spray hole 40a of the water spray pipe 40 is the lid body 24. Accumulate inside. At this time, since the food material is immersed in the cleaning water accumulated in the lid 24, the food material comes into contact with the cleaning water more efficiently. Therefore, the food material can be more effectively cleaned. Further, when the lid body 24 moves from the lower side of the water spray tube 40 to the upper side of the water spray tube 40, the washing water accumulated in the lid body 24 flows out from the inside of the lid body 24 together with the foodstuff in a waterfall shape. It is possible to add the cleaning of foodstuffs.

  In addition, in the food cleaning apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the motor control unit 74 is configured such that the lid 24 is scattered compared to the rotational speed of the cleaning tank 20 when the container body 22 is below the sprinkling pipe 40. The motor 65 is controlled so that the rotational speed of the cleaning tank 20 when it is below the water pipe 40 becomes slow. Thereby, compared with the time when the container main body 22 is located below the sprinkling pipe 40, the time when the lid 24 is located below the sprinkling pipe 40 becomes longer. Therefore, compared with the case where the length of time for which the container main body 22 is located below the sprinkling pipe 40 is equal to or longer than the length of the time for which the lid 24 is located below the sprinkling pipe, the lid 24 When the water reaches the lower side than the water spray tube 40, the amount of the cleaning water accumulated in the lid body 24 can be increased, so that the immersion effect of the food can be promoted. Accordingly, the food material can be more effectively cleaned. Further, when the lid body 24 moves from the lower side of the sprinkling pipe 40 to the upper side of the sprinkling pipe 40, a large amount of washing water accumulated in the lid body 24 flows out from the inside of the lid body 24 together with foodstuffs in a waterfall shape. The food can be washed more effectively by the flowing water effect.

  Further, in the food cleaning device 1 of the present embodiment, the tank 26 that stores drainage of ozone water that has been sprinkled from the sprinkling holes 40a of the sprinkling pipe 40 and passed through the stitches formed in the container body 22 of the cleaning layer 20 is washed. It is arranged below the tank 20. And the preliminary washing process which removes the exudate which exudes from the cut end of vegetables is performed using the waste water in tank 26 in order to prevent the fall of the sterilization effect in the case of sterilization processing by ozone water. Therefore, the amount of water used can be reduced as compared with the case where water for performing the preliminary cleaning step is separately prepared.

  In the food cleaning device 1 of the present embodiment, the cleaning tank 20 and the tank 26 are stored in a sealed state in the cleaning unit housing 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ozone odor due to the ozone gas evaporated from the ozone water sprayed from the water spray hole 40a of the water spray pipe 40 from leaking to the outside.

  Furthermore, in the food cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the exhaust fan 12 is disposed in the cleaning unit housing 30. Therefore, the ozone gas vaporized from the ozone water sprayed from the water spray hole 40a of the water spray pipe 40 and filled in the cleaning unit housing 30 can be exhausted by the fan 12 to, for example, an exhaust duct. Thereby, the ozone odor at the time of taking out foodstuffs from the inside of the washing | cleaning part housing | casing 30 can be prevented.

  In addition, the food cleaning apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes an ozone water generator 80, and ozone water generated by the ozone water generator 80 is supplied to the cleaning tank 20 in the main cleaning process. Therefore, the foodstuff is sterilized by the sterilizing action of ozone water.

  Next, the food cleaning apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the food cleaning apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, the same number is attached | subjected about the member which has the structure similar to the food cleaning apparatus 1 of 1st Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted. In FIG. 8, illustration of the controller 70, the operation unit housing 60, and the like is omitted. In the present embodiment, the motor 65 is stored in the cleaning unit housing 30.

  The cleaning unit housing 30 is divided into a space between the cleaning unit housing upper portion 30 a and the cleaning unit housing lower portion (tank portion) 30 b by a partition plate 94 having an opening 95. A cleaning tank 20 including a container main body 22 and a lid body 24 is accommodated in the cleaning unit housing upper part 30a. On the other hand, the preliminary cleaning water tank 90, the ozone water holding tank 91, and the activated carbon decomposition tank 92 are accommodated in the lower portion 30b of the cleaning unit housing. In addition to the pump 45, a flow path, a valve, and the like are provided for supplying ozone water to the cleaning tank 20. Specifically, a first ozone water supply pipe 98 for flowing ozone water supplied from an ozone water generator (not shown) provided outside the food cleaning device 100 into the ozone water holding tank 91, ozone A second ozone water supply pipe 99 connecting the water holding tank 91 and the three-way valve 93; a preliminary cleaning water supply pipe 96 connecting the preliminary cleaning water tank 90 and the three-way valve 93; a three-way valve 93; And a junction pipe 97 for connecting the two. Moreover, the pump 45 and the sprinkling pipe 40 are connected similarly to the 3rd water distribution pipe 43 in the foodstuff cleaning apparatus 1 of 1st Embodiment so that the washing water sent out from the pump 45 can be supplied to the washing tank 20. A conduit 101 is provided. In addition, a fan 12 that exhausts air in the cleaning unit housing upper part 30 a through the duct 105 is provided.

  In the food cleaning apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, first, the preliminary cleaning step is performed using ozone water stored in the preliminary cleaning water tank 90. That is, in the preliminary cleaning process, the open / close state of each port of the three-way valve 93 is controlled to bring the preliminary cleaning water supply pipe 96 and the junction pipe 97 into communication, while the second ozone water supply pipe 99 and the junction pipe 97 are connected. Is in a non-communication state. Then, the ozone water stored in the preliminary cleaning water tank 90 is sent from the preliminary cleaning water tank 90 to the pump 45 through the preliminary cleaning water supply pipe 96 and the junction pipe 97, and further from the pump 45 to the pipe line 101 and the scattered water. It supplies to the washing tank 20 as washing water through the water pipe 40.

  Originally, cleaning water with extremely high cleanliness is not necessary for the preliminary cleaning process. Therefore, the ozone water used in the previous cleaning and stored in the preliminary cleaning water tank 90 through the opening 95 can be used for the preliminary cleaning process. There is no need to produce water.

  Next, the main cleaning process is performed using the ozone water stored in the ozone water holding tank 91. That is, the ozone water holding tank 91 stores ozone water supplied from an ozone water generator (not shown) provided outside the food cleaning device 100. In this cleaning process, each port of the three-way valve 93 is stored. The open / close state is controlled again so that the second ozone water supply pipe 99 and the merging pipe 97 are in communication with each other, and the preliminary cleaning water supply pipe 96 and the merging pipe 97 are in communication with each other. Then, the ozone water stored in the ozone water holding tank 91 is sent from the ozone water holding tank 91 to the pump 45 through the second ozone water supply pipe 99 and the junction pipe 97, and further from the pump 45 to the pipe line 101 and It supplies to the washing tank 20 as washing water through the water spray pipe 40.

  As a result, as in the first embodiment, in this cleaning step, new ozone water having a high cleanliness and a high cleaning effect can be supplied to the cleaning tank 20, and effective food cleaning is possible. It becomes. In addition, the ozone water holding tank 91 is a “tank” having a predetermined volume as the name suggests, and plays a role of a buffer. Therefore, regardless of the amount of ozone water supplied and the supply pressure, The water generator can be applied to the food cleaning device 100.

  The ozone water holding tank 91 and the preliminary washing water tank 90 are connected at the upper part thereof by a pipe line 102, and the preliminary washing water tank 90 and the activated carbon decomposition tank 92 are connected at the upper part by a pipe line 103. Connected with. Thereby, even when the amount of ozone water supplied from the ozone water generator (not shown) to the ozone water holding tank 91 becomes excessive, excess ozone water is supplied to the preliminary washing water tank 90 via the pipe line 102. Can flow in. In addition, when the amount of ozone water is excessive in the preliminary washing water tank 90, surplus ozone water can be caused to flow into the activated carbon decomposition tank 92 via the pipe 103. The ozone water stored in the activated carbon decomposition tank 92 is collected by an ozone water collection facility (not shown) provided outside the food cleaning apparatus 100 via the pipe line 104 after the treatment with activated carbon. With the above-described configuration, there is no possibility that ozone water leaks into the food cleaning device 100.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made as long as they are described in the claims. Is. For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, the edge 22a extending outside the container body 22 is formed around the opening of the container body 22, and the edge 22a of the container body 22 Although the case where the guide member 14 that guides the container main body 22 while being engaged is fixed to the water spray pipe 40 that is the rotation shaft of the cleaning tank 20 by the support member 15 has been described, the guide member 14 may be omitted.

  Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, the water spray pipe 40 that is the rotation axis of the cleaning tank 20 extends in the horizontal direction, and the lid body 24 is on the opposite side to the container body 22. Although the case where it is the bulging concave shape was demonstrated, it is not restricted to this. For example, the lid 24 may have a flat plate shape or a concave shape that swells on the same side as the container body 22. Moreover, the water spray pipe 40 does not need to extend in the horizontal direction. That is, the rotation axis of the cleaning tank 20 may not be horizontal.

  Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, the motor control unit 74 is configured so that the lid body 24 is compared with the rotational speed of the water spray pipe 40 when the container body 22 is below the water spray pipe 40. By controlling the motor 65 so that the rotation speed of the water spray pipe 40 when it is below the water spray pipe 40 is slow, the lid of the container body 22 is compared with the time when the container body 22 is located below the water spray pipe 40. Although the case where the time for which the body 24 is located below the sprinkling pipe 40 is long has been described, it is not limited thereto. For example, when the motor control unit 74 controls the motor 65 so that the rotation of the water spray pipe 40 stops when the lid body 24 reaches below the water spray pipe 40, the container main body 22 becomes the water spray pipe 40. The time when the lid 24 is positioned below the water spray pipe 40 may be longer than the time when the cover 24 is positioned below. Further, the length of time that the container body 22 is located below the water spray pipe 40 may be equal to or longer than the time that the lid body 24 is located below the water spray pipe.

  In addition, in the first and second embodiments described above, the tank 26 that stores drainage of ozone water that has been sprinkled from the sprinkling holes 40 a of the sprinkling pipe 40 and passed through the stitches formed in the container body 22 of the cleaning layer 20. In the second embodiment, the case where the preliminary cleaning water tank 90 is disposed below the cleaning tank 20 has been described. However, the tank 26 (the preliminary cleaning water tank 90) may be omitted.

  Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, the cleaning tank 20 and the tank 26 (preliminary cleaning water tank 90 in the second embodiment) are stored in a sealed state in the cleaning unit housing 30. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The cleaning tank 20 and the tank 26 (preliminary cleaning water tank 90) may not be stored in the cleaning unit housing 30 in a sealed state.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the exhaust fan 12 is disposed in the cleaning unit housing 30 has been described. However, the fan 12 may be omitted.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the motor control unit 74 performs control so that the cleaning tank 20 continuously rotates in one direction is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, the cleaning tank 20 may be controlled to rotate at least once in the forward rotation direction and then at least one rotation in the reverse rotation direction, or may be controlled to swing after at least one rotation in the forward rotation direction. Also good. Moreover, the washing tank 20 should just rotate about a rotating shaft, and does not necessarily need to rotate once. Therefore, the motor control unit 71 may control the cleaning tank 20 to swing.

  In addition, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the case where the main cleaning process is performed using ozone water as the cleaning water has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, sodium hypochlorite may be used.

It is a schematic external view of the state which opened the door of the foodstuff cleaning apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic external view of the state which closed the door of the foodstuff cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic side view of the foodstuff cleaning apparatus shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. It is a top view of the washing tank shown in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the internal structure of the foodstuff cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the washing | cleaning process performed with the foodstuff cleaning apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating the state of food and ozone water in the cleaning tank when the cleaning tank shown in FIG. 3 rotates. It is the schematic which shows the internal structure of the foodstuff cleaning apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Food cleaning apparatus 12 Fan 14 Guide member 20 Cleaning tank 22 Container main body 22a Edge part 24 Lid body 26 Tank 30 Cleaning part housing | casing (housing | casing)
40 Watering pipe 40a Watering hole 80 Ozone water generator 65 Motor (drive mechanism)
74 Motor control unit (control means)
91 Ozone water retention tank (buffer tank)

Claims (12)

It has a bowl-shaped container body formed with a large number of stitches, and a lid that closes the opening of the container body, and can rotate around an axis on the mating surface of the container body and the lid A washing tank,
A drive mechanism for rotating the cleaning tank;
A food cleaning device, comprising: a watering pipe disposed on the shaft and having a watering hole for spraying cleaning water into the cleaning tank. An edge extending outside the container body is formed around the opening of the container body,
The food cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a guide member that guides the container body while being engaged with the edge portion.   The lid has a concave shape in which the shaft extends in the horizontal direction and bulges to the opposite side of the container body with the opening of the container body closed by the lid. The food cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the food cleaning device is provided.   The cleaning tank is rotated continuously or intermittently so that the time for the lid to be positioned below the shaft is longer than the time for the container body to be positioned below the shaft. The food cleaning apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising control means for controlling the drive mechanism.   4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising control means for controlling the drive mechanism so that the cleaning tank makes at least one rotation in the forward or reverse direction in addition to at least one rotation in the forward direction. The food cleaning apparatus according to 1.   The food cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a housing that stores the cleaning tank in a sealed state.   It is arranged below the washing tank, and further comprises a tank for storing drainage of the washing water sprayed from the sprinkling holes of the watering pipe and passed through the stitch formed in the container body of the washing tank. The food cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the device is a food cleaning device.   The food cleaning apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a housing that houses the cleaning tank and the tank in a sealed state.   The food cleaning apparatus according to claim 6 or 8, further comprising a fan for releasing the gas in the casing to the outside of the casing.   The food cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning water is ozone water, and the ozone water is supplied into the cleaning tank from the outside.   The food cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising an ozone water generator, wherein ozone water generated by the ozone water generator is supplied into the cleaning tank. .   The food cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a buffer tank that stores cleaning water to be supplied into the cleaning tank.

Images