JP7488574B2 - Food Insertion Device - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applies. The food feed device invented by Yuzu Hitoshi and Matsumoto Takuya was delivered to Chubu Ham Co., Ltd. on October 25, 2020, and was made public.

The present invention relates to a food feeding device that feeds food into a rotating tank provided in a massage device.

Patent Document 1 discloses an ingredient introduction device that is provided in front of a rotating tank equipped with a massage device and introduces raw meat, an ingredient contained in a transport tank, into the rotating tank. This ingredient introduction device has a frame that supports the transport tank and a chute that is inserted into the rotating tank, and is configured such that after the chute is inserted into the rotating tank, the frame and transport tank are lifted, thereby releasing the raw meat in the transport tank into the chute and introducing it into the rotating tank.

JP 2009-89685 A

Conventionally, when discharging the raw meat from the rotating tank after massage, it was necessary to replace the food feed device installed in front of the rotating tank with a discharge tank to receive the raw meat discharged from the rotating tank, which resulted in problems such as the time-consuming task of discharging the food from the rotating tank and the need for space to retract the food feed device from the area in front of the rotating tank.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an ingredient insertion device that can reduce the labor and time required for the ingredient discharge operation from the rotating tank, as well as the space required for the discharge operation.

In order to solve the above problem, the food material introduction device described in claim 1 is an food material introduction device that introduces food materials into a rotating tank provided in a massage device, and includes a transport tank placement section on which a transport tank that stores the food materials is placed, a placement section drive mechanism that drives the transport tank placement section, an introduction chute for introducing the food materials in the transport tank into the rotating tank, an introduction chute drive mechanism that drives the introduction chute, a discharge chute for discharging the food materials in the rotating tank into the transport tank, and a discharge chute drive mechanism that drives the discharge chute, and the transport tank placement section is driven by the placement section drive mechanism to switch between a basic position in which the transport tank stands upright on the transport tank placement section and an introduction position for introducing the food materials in the transport tank into the rotating tank. The loading chute is driven by the loading chute drive mechanism to switch between an input food guide state in which the food released from the transport tank is guided to the rotating tank when the transport tank mounting section is in the loading position, and a discharge allowance state in which the food is allowed to be discharged from the rotating tank to the transport tank when the transport tank mounting section is in the basic position, and the discharge chute is driven by the discharge chute drive mechanism to switch between an input allowance state in which the food is allowed to be input from the transport tank to the rotating tank when the transport tank mounting section is in the loading position, and a discharge food guide state in which the food released from the rotating tank is guided to the transport tank when the transport tank mounting section is in the basic position.

The food inserting device described in claim 2 is the food inserting device described in claim 1, characterized in that when the insert chute is in the insert food guiding state, the insert chute prohibits the discharge chute from switching from the insert allowing state to the discharge food guiding state.

The food inserting device described in claim 3 is the food inserting device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the discharge chute is in the discharge food guiding state, the discharge chute prohibits the input chute from switching from the discharge allowing state to the input food guiding state.

The food material insertion device described in claim 4 is the food material insertion device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the insertion chute drive mechanism is composed of an insertion chute operating lever that swings the insertion chute around a horizontal axis.

The food material feeding device described in claim 5 is the food material feeding device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the discharge chute drive mechanism is composed of a discharge chute operating lever that swings the discharge chute around a horizontal axis.

The food inserting device described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the food inserting device described in any one of claims 1 to 5, it further includes a control device that controls the operation of the placement section drive mechanism.

The food inserting device described in claim 7 is the food inserting device described in claim 6, characterized in that the control device further controls the operation of the massage device.

The food material insertion device described in claim 8 is the food material insertion device described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the insertion chute has a base end that is provided along the opening of the transport tank when the insertion chute is in the food material introduction state, and a tip end that is provided from the base end toward the opening of the rotating tank, and further includes a seal that prevents liquid in the transport tank from leaking out of the base end of the insertion chute when the transport tank is tilted.

The food material feeding device described in claim 9 is the food material feeding device described in claim 8, characterized in that the seal is provided in at least one of the gap between the base end of the feeding chute and the transport tank, and the gap between the base end of the feeding chute and a support that supports the transport tank.

The present invention provides an ingredient feeding device that can reduce the labor and time required to discharge ingredients from a rotating tank, as well as reduce the space required for the discharge process.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a food material input device, a massage device, and a transport tank according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows how food materials are input into the massage device. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a food material input device, a massage device, and a transport tank according to the embodiment, and shows how food materials are discharged from the massage device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the food inserting device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the food inserting device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the food inserting device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the food inserting device according to the embodiment. 1A is a schematic diagram showing how ingredients are fed into the massage device, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing how ingredients are discharged from the massage device. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the input chute and the like according to the embodiment, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion thereof. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a modified input chute and the like, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of a portion thereof.

The food inserting device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the forward/backward direction X, the left/right direction Y, and the up/down direction Z indicated by the arrows in the drawings are linear directions that are mutually perpendicular.

Figure 1 shows the state in which the food input device 1 inputs food from the transport tank 3 into the massage device 2. Also, Figure 2 shows the state in which the food input device 1 discharges food from the massage device 2 into the transport tank 3.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the food material input device 1 inputs raw meat (not shown), which is a food material, from the transport tank 3 into the massage device 2, and discharges the raw meat massaged by the massage device 2 from the massage device 2 into the transport tank 3. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, when inputting raw meat into the massage device 2, the food material input device 1 lifts the transport tank 3 to release the raw meat in the transport tank 3 out of the transport tank 3, and introduces the released raw meat into the rotating tank 21 provided in the massage device 2, thereby inputting the raw meat from the transport tank 3 into the rotating tank 21. Also, as shown in Fig. 2, when discharging raw meat from the massage device 2, the food material input device 1 introduces the raw meat released from the massage device 2 into the transport tank 3, thereby discharging the raw meat from the rotating tank 21 into the transport tank 3.

The massage device 2 massages the raw meat to hasten the dispersion of the pickle liquid injected into the raw meat. The massage device 2 includes a rotating tank 21 with a spiral blade inside, a rotating tank drive mechanism (not shown) that rotates the rotating tank 21, and a lid device (not shown) that closes the opening 21A of the rotating tank 21. The opening 21A of the rotating tank 21 opens diagonally upward, and raw meat is introduced into the rotating tank 21 and discharged from the rotating tank 21 through the opening 21A. The rotating tank drive mechanism is configured to be able to control the rotation direction of the rotating tank 21. The raw meat introduced into the rotating tank 21 is given a propulsive force by the rotating spiral blade, so that the direction of movement of the raw meat in the rotating tank 21 is changed by reversing the rotation direction of the rotating tank 21. The massage device 2 massages the raw meat in the rotating tank 21 by rotating the rotating tank 21, and after massaging the raw meat is completed, the rotating tank 21 is rotated so that the raw meat moves toward the opening 21A, and the raw meat in the rotating tank 21 is released outside the rotating tank 21.

The transport tank 3 is a tank with casters that contains raw meat and transports the raw meat before and after the massage of the raw meat by the massage device 2. The transport tank 3 has an opening 3A that opens upward under normal circumstances (i.e., when the raw meat is transported). As shown in FIG. 1, when the raw meat is introduced into the massage device 2, the transport tank 3 is raised so that the opening 3A faces diagonally downward, and the raw meat in the transport tank 3 is discharged outside the transport tank 3. As shown in FIG. 2, when the raw meat is discharged from the massage device 2, the transport tank 3 is placed so that the opening 3A faces upward as in normal circumstances. Note that the transport tank 3 that transports the raw meat before and after the massage does not have to be the same transport tank 3, but may be multiple different transport tanks 3. In other words, the transport tank 3 used when the raw meat is introduced into the massage device 2 and the transport tank 3 used when the raw meat is discharged from the massage device 2 may be the same or different.

3 to 6 show a schematic configuration of the food material inserting device 1. FIG.
3 to 6, the food material feeding device 1 includes a base unit 11, a transport tank placement unit 12, a placement unit drive mechanism 13, a feeding chute 14, a feeding chute drive mechanism 15, a discharge chute 16, a discharge chute drive mechanism 17, and a control device 18. The control device 18 is shown by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 3, and is not shown in Fig. 4 and subsequent figures.

The base 11 includes support pillars 11A and 11B, discharge chute support members 11C and 11D, and fence members 11E and 11F. The base 11 is installed on a horizontal surface near the massage device 2. The support pillars 11A and 11B are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction Y, with the support pillar 11A extending upward from the left end of the base 11 and the support pillar 11B extending upward from the right end of the base 11. The discharge chute support members 11C and 11D are provided between the support pillars 11A and 11B, and extend upward at intervals from each other in the left-right direction Y, similar to the support pillars 11A and 11B. The discharge chute support members 11C and 11D support the discharge chute 16 so that it can swing. The fence sections 11E and 11F extend forward at a distance from each other in the left-right direction Y and are configured to guide the transport tank 3 from the front of the base section 11 to the transport tank mounting section 12. Note that the fence sections 11E and 11F are not shown in Figure 4 and subsequent figures.

The transport tank mounting section 12 includes a tank mounting surface 12A, a tank support frame 12B, and a feed chute support section 12C, 12D. The transport tank mounting section 12 is driven by a mount drive mechanism 13 to switch between a basic position (see FIG. 2) in which the transport tank 3 stands upright on the transport tank mounting section 12 and a feed position (see FIG. 1) for feeding the raw meat in the transport tank 3 into the rotating tank 21. When the transport tank mounting section 12 is in the basic position, the tank mounting surface 12A is configured to be continuous with the horizontal plane on which the base section 11 is installed, and the transport tank 3 can be placed on the tank mounting surface 12A of the transport tank mounting section 12 by pushing the transport tank 3 from the horizontal plane. When the transport tank mounting section 12 is in the basic position, the transport tank 3 opens upward, and when the transport tank mounting section 12 is in the feed position, the transport tank 3 opens diagonally downward. The tank support frame 12B is a support that supports the transport tank 3 so that the transport tank 3 does not fall when the transport tank placement section 12 is in the loading position. The loading chute support sections 12C and 12D are provided at the upper end of the tank support frame 12B with a gap between them in the left-right direction Y, and support the loading chute 14 so that it can swing.

The placement section drive mechanism 13 drives the transport tank placement section 12 by the power of an actuator included in the placement section drive mechanism 13. The placement section drive mechanism 13 is composed of a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) that expands and contracts hydraulically as an actuator, and arms 13A and 13B connected to the transport tank placement section 12. The actuators that constitute the placement section drive mechanism 13 are provided on each of the support sections 11A and 11B, and the arms 13A and 13B are supported so that they can swing about a horizontal axis A1 (see Figures 4 and 5) that extends in the left-right direction Y. The actuators are configured to swing the arms 13A and 13B, and the placement section drive mechanism 13 swings the arms 13A and 13B by the power of the actuator, thereby swinging the transport tank placement section 12 about the horizontal axis A1.

The input chute 14 is a member for inputting raw meat in the transport tank 3 into the rotating tank 21 by the action of gravity. The input chute 14 is driven by the input chute drive mechanism 15 to switch between an input food guide state in which the raw meat discharged from the transport tank 3 is guided to the rotating tank 21 when the transport tank mounting section 12 is in the input position, and a discharge allowance state in which the raw meat is allowed to be discharged from the rotating tank 21 to the transport tank 3 when the transport tank mounting section 12 is in the basic position. The input food guide state is a state in which the input chute 14 can guide the raw meat to the rotating tank 21. The input chute 14 has a base end 14A that is provided along the opening 3A of the transport tank 3 when in the input food guide state, and a tip end 14B that has a narrower shape than the base end 14A. The input food guide state and the discharge allowance state will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

The feed chute drive mechanism 15 drives the feed chute 14 by the manual power of the worker who feeds the raw meat into the massage device 2. The feed chute drive mechanism 15 is composed of a feed chute operation lever 15A supported so as to be swingable about a horizontal axis A2 (see Figures 4 and 5) extending in the left-right direction Y. The feed chute 14 is configured to swing together with the feed chute operation lever 15A, and the feed chute drive mechanism 15 swings the feed chute 14 about the horizontal axis A2 when the worker swings the feed chute operation lever 15A. The feed chute operation lever 15A is provided with a swing limiting mechanism (not shown) to maintain the feed chute 14 in the feed food guide state and the discharge allowable state. The swing limiting mechanism of the feed chute operation lever 15A engages with a swing limiting mechanism (not shown) provided on the feed chute support parts 12C, 12D or the arms 13A, 13B, for example, to limit the swing of the feed chute operation lever 15A and the feed chute 14 about the axis A2.

The discharge chute 16 is a member for discharging raw meat in the rotating tank 21 to the conveying tank 3 by the action of gravity. The discharge chute 16 is driven by the discharge chute drive mechanism 17 to switch between an input allowance state in which raw meat is allowed to be input from the conveying tank 3 to the rotating tank 21 when the conveying tank mounting section 12 is in the input position, and a discharge food guide state in which raw meat released from the rotating tank 21 is guided to the conveying tank 3 when the conveying tank mounting section 12 is in the basic position. The discharge food guide state is a state in which the discharge chute 16 can guide raw meat to the conveying tank 3. The discharge chute 16 has a base end 16A that is larger (i.e., wider) in the left-right direction Y than the opening 21A of the rotating tank 21, a tip end 16B that is provided along the opening 3A of the conveying tank 3 when in the discharge food guide state, and a side plate portion 16C that is provided on the side (right in this embodiment) of the base end 16A and the tip end 16B. The side plate portion 16C prevents the raw meat discharged diagonally forward from the opening 21A of the rotating tank 21 from falling sideways from the discharge chute 16. The input permission state and the discharge food guide state will be described later with reference to FIG. 7. When the discharge chute 16 is in the input permission state, the discharge chute 16 interferes with the lid device of the massage device 2 that performs an opening and closing operation. Therefore, when the lid device of the massage device 2 performs an opening and closing operation, the discharge chute 16 is temporarily switched from the input permission state to the discharge food guide state.

The discharge chute drive mechanism 17 drives the discharge chute 16 by the manual power of the worker who discharges the raw meat from the massage device 2. The discharge chute drive mechanism 17 is composed of a discharge chute operation lever 17A supported so as to be swingable around a horizontal axis A3 (see Figures 4 and 5) extending in the left-right direction Y. The discharge chute 16 is configured to swing together with the discharge chute operation lever 17A, and the discharge chute drive mechanism 17 swings the discharge chute 16 around the horizontal axis A3 when the worker swings the discharge chute operation lever 17A. In addition, the discharge chute operation lever 17A is provided with a swing limiting mechanism (not shown) to maintain the discharge chute 16 in the input permission state and the discharge food guide state. The swing limiting mechanism of the discharge chute operation lever 17A engages with a swing limiting mechanism (not shown) provided on the discharge chute support parts 11C and 11D, for example, to limit the swing of the discharge chute operation lever 17A and the discharge chute 16 around the axis A3.

The control device 18 controls the operation of the placement unit drive mechanism 13 and further controls the operation of the massage device 2. The control device 18 is provided with an operation unit (not shown) for operating the placement unit drive mechanism 13 and the massage device 2. The operation unit constituting the control device 18 is, for example, composed of a plurality of push button switches, and the switching between the basic position and the loading position of the transport tank placement unit 12 and the switching of the rotation direction of the rotating tank 21 are controlled by an operator operating the operation unit. In addition, the control device 18 controls the placement unit drive mechanism 13 and the massage device 2 according to the state of the loading chute 14 and the discharge chute 16. Specifically, when the loading chute 14 is not in the loading food guide state, the control device 18 controls the placement unit drive mechanism 13 so as to prohibit the switching of the transport tank placement unit 12 from the basic position to the loading position. In addition, when the discharge chute 16 is not in the discharge food guide state, the control device 18 controls the rotating tank drive mechanism of the massage device 2 so as to prohibit the rotation of the rotating tank 21, which moves the raw meat toward the opening 21A.

Figure 7 (A) shows the arrangement of the input chute 14 and the discharge chute 16 when raw meat is input into the massage device 2. That is, Figure 7 (A) shows the input chute 14 in the input food guide state and the discharge chute 16 in the input permitted state.

As shown in FIG. 7(A), when the input chute 14 is in the input food guiding state, the base end 14A of the input chute 14 is located below the opening 3A of the transport tank 3 and is provided along the edge of the opening 3A, and its tip end 14B is provided from the base end 14A toward the opening of the rotating tank 21 and is inserted into the rotating tank 21 through the discharge chute 16. When the discharge chute 16 is in the input permission state, the discharge chute 16 is positioned so as not to interfere with the input chute 14 and is configured so as not to hinder the input chute 14 from guiding the raw meat. When the input chute 14 is in the input food guiding state and the discharge chute 16 is in the input permission state, the raw meat in the transport tank 3 is guided by the input chute 14 and input into the rotating tank 21, as shown by the two-dot chain arrow in FIG. 7(A).

When the transport tank mounting section 12 is in the basic position, in order to position the base end 14A of the input chute 14 along the opening 3A of the transport tank 3, it is necessary to keep the discharge chute 16 in the input-permitting state. That is, when the transport tank mounting section 12 is in the basic position and the discharge chute 16 is in the output food guide state (extending from the opening 21A of the rotating tank 21 toward the transport tank 3), the discharge chute 16 comes into contact with the input chute 14, which is switching from the output-permitting state to the input food guide state. Therefore, the discharge chute 16 in the output food guide state prohibits the input chute 14 from switching from the output-permitting state to the input food guide state. Therefore, when the discharge chute 16 is in the input-permitting state, the input chute 14 is transitioned from the output-permitting state to the input food guide state, making it possible to input raw meat into the rotating tank 21.

When the discharge chute 16 is in the input-permitting state, the discharge chute 16 interferes with the lid device of the massage device 2, which opens and closes, so the discharge chute 16 must be temporarily transitioned to the discharge food guide state to open and close the lid device of the massage device 2. For this reason, when the discharge chute 16 is not in the discharge food guide state, the control device 18 controls the lid device of the massage device 2 to prohibit the opening and closing of the opening 21A.

Figure 7 (B) shows the arrangement of the input chute 14 and the discharge chute 16 when raw meat is discharged from the massage device 2. That is, Figure 7 (B) shows the input chute 14 in a discharge-permitting state and the discharge chute 16 in a discharge ingredient guide state.

As shown in FIG. 7(B), when the input chute 14 is in the discharge-permitting state, the input chute 14 is positioned so as not to interfere with the discharge chute 16 and is configured so as not to impede the guidance of raw meat by the discharge chute 16. When the discharge chute 16 is in the discharge food guiding state, the base end 16A of the discharge chute 16 is provided below the opening 21A of the rotating tank 21, and its tip end 16B is provided from the base end 16A toward the opening of the transport tank 3 and is located above the transport tank 3. When the input chute 14 is in the discharge-permitting state and the discharge chute 16 is in the discharge food guiding state, the raw meat in the rotating tank 21 is guided by the discharge chute 16 and discharged into the transport tank 3, as shown by the two-dot chain arrow in FIG. 7(B).

When the transport tank mounting section 12 is in the basic position, in order to extend the tip 16B of the discharge chute 16 toward the opening 3A of the transport tank 3, it is necessary to keep the input chute 14 in the discharge-permitted state. That is, when the transport tank mounting section 12 is in the basic position and the input chute 14 is in the input food guide state (the state where it is arranged along the opening 3A of the transport tank 3), the input chute 14 comes into contact with the discharge chute 16, which is switching from the input-permitted state to the discharge food guide state. Therefore, the input chute 14 in the input food guide state prohibits the discharge chute 16 from switching from the input-permitted state to the discharge food guide state. Therefore, when the input chute 14 is in the discharge-permitted state, the discharge chute 16 is transitioned from the input-permitted state to the discharge food guide state, thereby enabling the discharge of raw meat from the rotating tank 21.

The food material feeding device 1 of this embodiment further includes seals 19A and 19B (see FIG. 8B) to solve the problem of preventing the liquid (not shown) in the conveying tank 3 from leaking out of the base end 14A of the feeding chute 14 when the conveying tank 3 is tilted.

Figures 8 (A) and (B) show cross sections of the transport tank 3, transport tank mounting section 12, and feeding chute 14, etc., perpendicular to the left-right direction Y of the food feeding device 1. Figure 8 (A) shows the state when the transport tank mounting section 12 is switched from the basic position to the feeding position, and Figure 8 (B) is an enlarged view of the part indicated by the dashed circle in Figure 8 (A).

As shown in FIG. 8(B), seal 19A is attached to the end face of base end 14A of input chute 14, and seal 19B is attached to the inner surface of tank support frame 12B. Seals 19A and 19B are made of, for example, synthetic rubber that has excellent sealing properties and durability. Seal 19A is provided in the gap between base end 14A of input chute 14 and tank support frame 12B, and seal 19B is provided in the gap between transport tank 3 and tank support frame 12B.

When the transport tank 3 contains a large amount of pickle liquid, and the transport tank 3 tilts as shown in FIG. 8(A), the pickle liquid spills from the transport tank 3 into the input chute 14. The pickle liquid received by the input chute 14 is prevented from leaking out of the gap between the input chute 14 and the tank support frame 12B, and from the gap between the transport tank 3 and the tank support frame 12B, by seals 19A and 19B.

The present embodiment provides the following effects.
(1) The food material feeding device 1 is provided with a feeding chute 14 for feeding raw meat in the transport tank 3 into the rotating tank 21, and a discharge chute 16 for discharging the raw meat in the rotating tank 21 into the transport tank 3. With this configuration, by selectively using the feeding chute 14 and the discharge chute 16 when feeding raw meat into the massage device 2 and discharging the raw meat from the massage device 2, the raw meat can be properly fed into the rotating tank 21 and the raw meat can be properly discharged into the transport tank 3. Therefore, since the food material feeding device 1 allows feeding and discharging of raw meat, it is not necessary to move the food material feeding device 1 away from in front of the rotating tank 21 and replace it with a discharge tank, which saves labor and time in discharging food materials from the rotating tank 21, and saves space required for the discharge operation.

(2) The input chute 14, which is in the input food guide state, prohibits the discharge chute 16 from switching from the input permission state to the discharge food guide state, so that when raw meat is input into the massage device 2, the discharge chute 16 can be prevented from switching from the input permission state to the discharge food guide state.

(3) The discharge chute 16, which is in the discharge food guide state, prohibits the input chute 14 from switching from the discharge permitted state to the input food guide state, so that when raw meat is discharged from the massage device 2, the input chute 14 can be prevented from switching from the discharge permitted state to the input food guide state.

(4) The feed chute drive mechanism 15 is composed of a feed chute operation lever 15A that swings the feed chute 14 around a horizontal axis A2. By operating the feed chute operation lever 15A, the operator can switch the feed chute 14 between a state in which it guides ingredients and a state in which it allows ingredients to be discharged.

(5) The discharge chute drive mechanism 17 is composed of a discharge chute operating lever 17A that swings the discharge chute 16 around a horizontal axis A3. By operating the discharge chute operating lever 17A, the operator can switch the discharge chute 16 between an input permission state and an ejection food guide state.

(6) The food material feeding device 1 is equipped with a control device 18 that controls the operation of the loading section drive mechanism 13, so that it is possible to automatically control the switching between the basic position and the feeding position of the transport tank loading section 12.

(7) The control device 18 further controls the operation of the massage device 2, thereby making it possible to save space compared to a case in which the device that controls the operation of the mounting unit drive mechanism 13 and the device that controls the operation of the massage device 2 are configured as different devices.

(8) The seals 19A and 19B prevent the liquid (pickle liquid) in the transport tank 3 from leaking out of the base end 14A of the input chute 14 when the transport tank 3 is tilted, so that a large amount of pickle liquid can be input into the rotating tank 21 along with the raw meat.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the above configuration can be modified. For example, the following modifications can be implemented, or the following modifications can be combined to implement the present invention.

- The shape, arrangement, and number of the seals that prevent the liquid from leaking out of the base end 14A of the input chute 14 can be changed. For example, as shown in Figs. 9(A) and (B), a seal 19C may be attached to the inner surface of the base end 14A of the input chute 14. The seal 19C is provided in the gap between the base end 14A of the input chute 14 and the transport tank 3. With this configuration, the pickle liquid (liquid) received by the input chute 14 is prevented from leaking out of the gap between the input chute 14 and the transport tank 3 by the seal 19C. In other words, the seal may be provided in at least one of the gap between the base end 14A of the input chute 14 and the transport tank 3, and the gap between the base end 14A of the input chute 14 and the support (tank support frame 12B) that supports the transport tank 3.

The actuator of the placement unit drive mechanism 13 can be configured with an actuator other than a hydraulic cylinder (e.g., a hydraulic motor, an electric cylinder, or an electric motor). The placement unit drive mechanism 13 can also be configured so that the arms 13A and 13B are swung by the human force of an operator.

- The input chute drive mechanism 15 can also be configured to drive the input chute 14 by the power of an actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder, a hydraulic motor, an electric cylinder, or an electric motor. Similarly, the discharge chute drive mechanism 17 can also be configured to drive the discharge chute 16 by the power of an actuator.

1 Food material input device 2 Massage device 3 Transport tank 3A Opening 11 Base 12 Transport tank mounting portion 12A Tank support frame (support)
13 Placement section drive mechanism 14 Input chute 14A Base end 14B Tip end 15 Input chute drive mechanism 15A Input chute operation lever 16 Discharge chute 17 Discharge chute drive mechanism 17A Discharge chute operation lever 18 Control device 19A, 19B, 19C Seal 21 Rotation tank 21A Opening

Claims (9)

A food material feeding device that feeds food materials into a rotating tank provided in a massage device,
A transport tank placement section on which a transport tank for accommodating the food material is placed;
a placement unit drive mechanism for driving the transfer tank placement unit;
an input chute for inputting the food material in the conveying tank into the rotating tank;
a feed chute drive mechanism for driving the feed chute;
a discharge chute for discharging the food material in the rotating tank into the conveying tank;
a discharge chute drive mechanism that drives the discharge chute,
The transport tank placement section is driven by the placement section drive mechanism to switch between a basic position in which the transport tank stands upright on the transport tank placement section and an input position for inputting the ingredients in the transport tank into the rotation tank,
the feeding chute is driven by the feeding chute drive mechanism to switch between a feeding food guide state in which the food released from the transport tank is guided to the rotating tank when the transport tank placement unit is in the feeding position, and a discharge permitting state in which the food is permitted to be discharged from the rotating tank to the transport tank when the transport tank placement unit is in the basic position;
The food ingredient feeding device is characterized in that the discharge chute is driven by the discharge chute drive mechanism to switch between an input allowance state that allows the input of food ingredients from the transport tank to the rotating tank when the transport tank loading section is in the input position, and a discharge food ingredient guiding state that guides the food ingredients released from the rotating tank to the transport tank when the transport tank loading section is in the basic position. 2. The food inserting device according to claim 1, wherein when the input chute is in the input food guiding state, the input chute prohibits the discharge chute from switching from the input permitting state to the discharge food guiding state. 3. The food inserting device according to claim 1, wherein when the discharge chute is in the discharge food guiding state, the discharge chute prohibits the input chute from switching from the discharge permitting state to the input food guiding state. The food material inserting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the inserting chute drive mechanism is composed of an inserting chute operating lever that swings the inserting chute around a horizontal axis. The food material inserting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the discharge chute drive mechanism is composed of a discharge chute operating lever that swings the discharge chute around a horizontal axis. The food inserting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a control device for controlling an operation of the placement section drive mechanism. The food inserting device according to claim 6 , wherein the control device further controls an operation of the massage device. the feeding chute has a base end portion that is provided along the opening of the conveying tank when the feeding chute is in the feeding food guiding state, and a tip end portion that is provided from the base end portion toward the opening of the rotating tank,
The food ingredient adding device described in any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a seal that prevents liquid in the transporting tank from leaking out from the base end of the feeding chute when the transporting tank is tilted. The food material inserting device of claim 8, characterized in that the seal is provided in at least one of the gap between the base end of the inserting chute and the transport tank and the gap between the base end of the inserting chute and a support body supporting the transport tank.

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