JPS6130546B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a freezing molding machine for soft fluid foods that continuously performs the steps of filling a container with a soft fluid food, freezing it, and extracting the soft fluid food from the container.

Conventionally, soft liquid foods, such as creamy creamy foods such as cream korotsuke, are filled into elongated bags, frozen in a freezer, then the bags are torn open to remove the contents, which are then cut to a certain length using a bandsaw before use. However, the production efficiency was low, it was dangerous, and it was manufactured by hand, which was undesirable from a sanitary standpoint.

This invention was made in view of the above drawbacks.
A soft liquid food product that automatically handles a series of processes such as filling soft liquid foods into molding containers and extracting them from freezing containers efficiently, safely, and hygienically, making it possible to mass-produce frozen soft liquid foods. The purpose is to provide a freezing molding machine for liquid foods.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. A heat insulating box 3 forming a heat insulating chamber 2 is provided on the upper part of the framed base 1, and a bearing 4 provided at the bottom of the base 1 in the center of the heat insulating room 2 passes through the lower part of the heat insulating box 3. A rotary shaft 7 is installed to be pivotally supported by a bearing 5 provided on the upper surface of the heat insulating box 3 and a bearing 6 provided on the upper surface of the heat insulating box 3, respectively. Inside the heat insulating chamber 2, a ring-shaped body 8 made of a member having an inverted L-shaped cross section has a large number of circular holes 8a bored and arranged along the circumferential surface.
b is fixed to the rotary shaft 7 via an arm 8c via a boss 8d provided at its center, thereby forming an annular rotary table 8. The large number of circular holes 8a
, along the upper circumference of the annular rotary table 8, a collar portion 9 is attached.
a, and a bottom plate 9b pivotally supported at the bottom so as to be freely openable and closable.
A molding container 9 having a molding container 9 is fitted into each molding container 9 and provided therein. Incidentally, 9c is a projection provided on the lower outer surface of the bottom plate 9b.

In addition, inside the heat insulating chamber 2, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, there is a structure located below the turntable 8, facing the bottom plate 9b of the molding container 9, and having a cross section corresponding to the annular body 8b of the turntable 8. A substantially T-shaped annular rail 10 is partially cut out and spaced apart from each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, a part of the annular rail 10 is cut away to form a spaced part 10a, and in this spaced part, the bottom plate 9b of the molding container 9 is released from pressure support and hangs down to be in an open state. (Extrusion rod 27 to be described later)
When the frozen soft liquid food comes out of the molding container 9, the bottom plate 9b is opened. ) As the annular rotary table 8 rotates, the molding container 9 moves to the separated portion 10a where the annular rail 10 is cut out.
The end surface of the annular rail 10 that begins to be placed on the annular rail 10 is inclined to form an inclined surface 10b so that the bottom plate 9b of the molding container 9 can be successfully closed. On the other hand, a large gear 11 is connected to the base 1 side of the rotating shaft 7, and the gear 11 is connected to a drive motor 14 via a small gear 12 and a Geneva gear mechanism 13 for intermittent driving. The Geneva gear mechanism 13 is provided on the outer periphery of a rotary disk 15 connected to the shaft 14a of the drive motor 14 in grooves 13b provided at four equal positions on the outer periphery of the Geneva gear 13a shown in FIG. The protruding pin 15a is configured to engage with the rotary disk 15 as it rotates. Then, while the rotating disk 15 rotates once, the protruding pin 15a
The spring gear 13a is set to be driven by only 1/4 rotation. As a result, the annular rotating table 8
is driven intermittently.

The annular rotary table 8 provided in the heat insulating chamber 2 as described above is intermittently rotated by the drive motor 14. Then, the molding container 9 is placed at an appropriate stop position of the annular rotary table 8 and fitted onto the annular rotary table 8.
The bottom plate 9b is placed on the annular rail 10 and maintained in a sealed state to fill the molding container 9 with the soft fluid food, so that one end of the molding container 9 is used for molding when the annular rotary table 8 is stopped. A filling pipe 16 is provided which is located at the top of the container 9 and has an opening and whose other end extends outside through the heat insulating box 3. The filling pipe 16 operates in synchronization with the stoppage of the annular rotary table 8 and stops in synchronization with the driving of the rotary table 8, and supplies a certain amount of soft liquid food to the storage container via a filling pump 17. It is connected to 18.
Note that 19 is a heating heater provided in the filling pipe 16 in order to prevent the supplied soft fluid food from hardening due to the cold air in the heat insulating chamber 2.

Moreover, the molding container 9 is further rotated by the intermittent rotational drive of the annular rotary table 8, and is positioned at the next appropriate stop location where the molding container 9 is still placed on the annular rail 10. A shaping mechanism 20 is provided above the molding container 9 which penetrates through the upper part of the heat insulating box 3 and extends into the heat insulating chamber 2 to be stopped. The shaping mechanism 20 is provided with a cylindrical casing 21 that opens at a distance from the upper surface of the shaping container 9,
A shaping rod 22 having a flat plate 22a at its tip is fitted into the cylindrical casing 21, and the other end of the shaping rod 22 is connected to an air cylinder 23 provided outside the heat insulating box 3. has been done. The shaping rod 22 is configured to move downward in synchronization with the stoppage of the annular rotary table 8 and to move upward immediately before starting, thereby causing the flat plate 22a of the shaping rod 22 to move inside the shaping container 9. The upper surface of the soft fluid food supplied into the molding container 9 is pressed lightly to shape it. Reference numeral 24 denotes a pipe for appropriately supplying liquid nitrogen into the cylindrical casing 21, which cools the flat plate 22a of the shaping rod 22 and prevents the soft fluid food from adhering to the flat plate 22a during shaping. .

Furthermore, as the intermittent rotational movement of the annular rotary table 8 progresses, the molding container 9 is placed at the next appropriate stop location, and at a location located in the spaced apart portion 10a where the annular rail 10 is cut out and spaced apart. A push-out mechanism 25 is provided. The extraction mechanism 2
Reference numeral 5 denotes a stopping position of the molding container 9 in the heat insulating chamber 2, one end of which faces the upper opening of the molding container 9 and opens somewhat apart from the opening, and the other end facing the upper surface of the heat insulating box 3. An extrusion rod 27 is loosely fitted into a cylindrical casing 26 that extends to the outside through the cylindrical casing 26,
One end of the push rod 27 is connected to an air cylinder 28 that moves the push rod 27 up and down. Similarly to the driving of the air cylinder 23 of the shaping mechanism 20, the air cylinder 28 completes its downward and upward movements between the stop and start of the intermittent rotation of the annular rotary table 8, whereby the pushing rod 27 The soft fluid food in the molding container 9 (at this time, freezing has finished and is in a solid state) is pressed to open the openable/closeable bottom plate 9b and push it out. In addition, 29 is a heating means such as an electric heater provided on the peripheral wall of the casing 26, and by using it appropriately, the inside of the casing 26 is prevented from being condensed with moisture in the surrounding air by the cold air in the heat insulating chamber 2. This facilitates smooth driving of the push rod 27.

Further, in the heat insulation chamber 2, the extraction mechanism 25 is provided.
between the installation location of the filling pipe 16 and the installation location of the filling pipe 16, for cooling the forming container 9 while it is transferred from the extracting mechanism 25 to the filling pipe 16 by the intermittent rotation of the rotary table 8. , annular rotating table 8
A spray pipe 31 having a plurality of nozzles 30 for spraying low-temperature liquefied gas such as liquid nitrogen toward the molding container 9 is installed along the outer periphery of the annular rotary table 8 and somewhat separated from the annular rotary table 8. The pipe 31 is connected to a low temperature liquefied gas storage tank (not shown) via a valve 32 and a pipe 33. Note that the pipe 33 is used to supply low-temperature liquefied gas to the casing 21 of the shaping mechanism 20.
The pipe 24 is branched. Furthermore, a blower 34 is installed in the upper part of the insulation box 3 to communicate with the inside of the insulation chamber 2, and after the low-temperature liquefied gas such as liquid nitrogen sprayed inside the insulation chamber 2 is sufficiently cooled, it is transferred to the outside as nitrogen gas. is discharged. In addition, at the bottom of the heat insulation box 3, there is a ring rail 1 inside the heat insulation chamber 2.
A product take-out chute 35 is provided near the bottom of the place where the take-out mechanism 25 is installed, penetrating through the heat insulating box 3 in the spaced apart portion 10a where the 0 is cut out.

Next, the drive mechanism will be explained with reference to FIG. 4. A rotating disk 1 connected to the shaft of the drive motor 14
As shown in FIG. 4, a cam plate 36 from which a part of the outer periphery of the disk protrudes coaxially with the rotating disk 15 is fitted to the cam plate 5, and the protruding portion 36 of the cam plate 36
a is a limit switch 3 attached to the base 1
The contactor 37a of No. 7 is configured to come into contact with the contactor 37a as appropriate as the cam plate 36 rotates and as the rotary disk 15 rotates. The filling pump 1 for supplying the soft fluid food through this contact
7 in synchronization with the intermittent stoppage of driving of the annular rotary table 8; and the shaping mechanism 20.
The air cylinder 23 of the air cylinder 23 and the air cylinder 28 of the extracting mechanism 25 are connected to drive mechanisms 23a and 28a, respectively, which are driven in synchronization with the intermittent stoppage of the drive of the annular rotary table 8, respectively, by electric circuits. Note that 38 is a power source for the electric circuit.

Next, the operation of the frozen molding machine for soft fluid foods of the present invention having the above configuration will be explained.

First, liquid nitrogen, for example, is supplied from a low-temperature liquefied gas storage tank (not shown) to the spray pipe 31 through the valve 32 and pipe 33, and from the plurality of nozzles 30 provided in the spray pipe 31, a creamy Liquid nitrogen is injected toward the molding container 9 fitted on the annular rotary table 8 before being filled with a soft fluid food (for example, cream croquette), and the molding container 9 is cooled to a temperature of -100° C. or lower. At the same time, liquid nitrogen is also supplied to the cylindrical casing 21 of the shaping mechanism 20 via the pipe 24 to cool the flat plate 22a of the shaping mechanism 20. During this time, the exhaust blower 34 is driven to discharge the nitrogen gas, which is vaporized and uses cold energy, from inside the heat insulating chamber 2 to the outside. Then drive motor 1
Drive 4. As a result, the rotating disk 15 rotates, and the annular rotating table 8 is rotationally driven through the Geneva gear mechanism 13 connected to the disk 15, the small gear 12, and the large gear 11. Since the Geneva gear mechanism 13 is configured as described above, this rotational drive is performed by rotating the annular rotary table 8 intermittently so that the rotary disk 15 rotates 1/4 of the way during one rotation and then rests. Rotate and move. As a result, the plurality of molding containers 9 fitted on the annular rotary table 8 rotate intermittently within the heat insulating chamber 2 while maintaining a constant arrangement.

On the other hand, as the drive motor 14 is driven, a cam plate 36 coaxially connected to the rotation shaft of the drive motor 14 with the rotating disc 15 also rotates. By arranging the contact 37a of the limit switch 37 while the mechanism 13 is not rotating, and away from the contact 37a while the mechanism 13 is rotating,
Drive mechanism 17a of filling pump 17, shaping mechanism 2
0 air cylinder 23 and the air cylinder 28 of the extracting mechanism 25, each drive mechanism 23a,
28a is electrically opened and closed. As a result, due to the intermittent rotational movement of the forming container 9, the filling pipe 17, shaping mechanism 20, and extracting mechanism 25 operate only during the rest period.

The molding container 9, which has been cooled to -100° C. or lower by the liquid nitrogen spray, is first guided to the inclined surface 10b from the cut away part 10a of the annular rail 10 by the intermittent rotational movement of the annular rotating table 8, and then further rotated. As the molding container 9 moves, the angle of the inclined surface 10b of the annular rail 10 decreases and the bottom plate 9b of the molding container 9 is sealed. When the molding container 9 is placed on the annular rail 10 and stops directly below the filling pipe 16, the cream that has been homogenized in advance and stored in the storage container 18 is driven by the filling pump 17. A fixed amount of the shaped soft fluid food is supplied to the molding container 9 via the filling pipe 16. During the subsequent rotational movement, the creamy soft liquid food introduced into the molding container 9 is cooled into the molding container 9.
The shaping mechanism 2 is gradually cooled by the cold heat of the
0 directly below the cylindrical casing 21. When the molding container 9 is stopped directly below the cylindrical casing 21, the shaping rod 22 moves up and down inside the casing 21 by the drive of the air cylinder 23 of the shaping mechanism 20, and the tip of the shaping rod 22 is cooled. The flat plate 22a is introduced into the molding container 9, and the upper surface of the creamy soft liquid food filled in the molding container 9 in the previous step is flattened by pressing lightly. That is, the cream-like soft fluid food filled into the molding container 9 in the previous step is not level due to its viscosity, but is shaped into irregularities.
This shaping is preferably carried out after the creamy liquid food is filled into the shaping container 9 and after the surface thereof has begun to cool and solidify somewhat, and the flat plate 22a of the shaping rod 22 is preferably cooled to -30°C or below. This can prevent the liquid food from adhering to the flat plate 22a. Then, by the intermittent rotational movement of the annular rotary table 8, the molding container 9 is intermittently moved along the annular rail 10, and during this time, the molding container 9 is installed in the spray pipe 31 for cooling the molding container 9. The heat insulating chamber 2 is heated by liquid nitrogen sprayed from a plurality of nozzles 30.
The inside becomes a low temperature and an inert nitrogen gas atmosphere, and the freezing of the creamy soft liquid food filled in the molding container 9 progresses due to the cold heat of the cooled molding container 9 and the low temperature nitrogen gas. do.
Then, the molding container 9 is separated from the annular rail 10,
is moved to the cut apart part 10a of the annular rail 10,
While the extraction mechanism 25 reaches directly below the cylindrical casing 26 and stops, the push rod 27 is moved up and down by the drive of the air cylinder 28 to remove the molding container 9.
The creamy soft liquid food that has been frozen and solidified within the molding container 9 is pushed down. As a result, the bottom plate 9b hangs downward and becomes open, and the frozen and solidified cream-like soft liquid food is pushed out of the molding container 9, falls, and is carried out of the machine through the takeout chute 35. Subsequently, the empty molding container 9 is transported by intermittent rotational movement to a location where the spray pipe 31 is provided, and is cooled again with liquid nitrogen, after which the process is repeated. During one round of the intermittent rotational movement of the annular rotary table 8, the creamy soft liquid food is frozen and molded into a regular shape through filling, shaping, and taking out steps. Furthermore, since a plurality of molding containers 9 are fitted and disposed on the annular rotary table 8, a large amount of frozen molded products can be continuously manufactured, and further automation can be achieved, resulting in labor savings.

Furthermore, the creamy soft liquid food is not necessarily manufactured in a completely frozen state, but can also be manufactured in a semi-frozen state that has a hardness that can withstand battering in the subsequent process. This can be carried out very easily by appropriately adjusting the cooling temperature and the atmospheric temperature within the heat insulating chamber 2. In the above embodiments, liquid nitrogen is used as a cryogen and is injected to cool the molding container 9 or the atmosphere inside the heat insulation chamber 2 to cool them. It is also possible to use other low-temperature liquefied gases such as liquefied carbon dioxide, liquid argon, etc., and is not limited to the liquid nitrogen.
In addition, when the molding container is not sufficiently cooled by partial spraying of liquid nitrogen, the entire surface may be sprayed. Further, the cooling method is not limited to spraying, but cooling may be performed by installing a low temperature liquefied gas storage tank at the spray pipe installation position in the heat insulating chamber 2 and immersing the molding container 9 in this tank. is also possible.

There is also a method in which the molding container is fixed to a rotary table, liquid nitrogen accumulates around the molding container, and the molding container is cooled by heat conduction.

Since the freezing molding machine of the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to automate the series of processes for manufacturing frozen products by filling soft fluid foods into molding containers, thereby saving labor. It is not only efficient and safe, but also hygienic and can be processed in large quantities. Furthermore, unlike conventional containers that are filled with liquid foods, freezing is done in advance by cooling the molding container to a low temperature and then filling it with the liquid food, using the cold heat of the molding container. The surface of the liquid food freezes and hardens to prevent it from flowing out from the bottom plate, and there is no adhesion to the molding container, reducing waste, and making it possible to continuously produce large amounts of extremely well-shaped regular products. There are many advantages to production.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the cryogenic molding machine of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view, Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the main part, and Fig. 3 is a partially cutaway schematic explaining the inside of the heat insulating chamber. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the drive mechanism. 2... Heat insulation chamber, 7... Rotating shaft, 8... Annular rotating table, 9... Container for molding, 9b... Bottom plate, 10...
Annular rail, 10a... Separated portion, 11... Large gear, 12... Small gear, 13... Geneva gear mechanism,
14... Drive motor, 15... Rotating disk, 16
...Filling pipe, 17...Filling pump, 20
... Shaping mechanism, 25 ... Extracting mechanism, 30 ...
Nozzle, 31... Spray pipe, 34... Blower, 3
5...Take-out chute, 36...Cam plate, 37
...Limit switch, 38...Power supply.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An annular rotary table connected via a drive mechanism that rotates intermittently in an insulated chamber provided with an exhaust means and a product take-out chute, and an annular rotary table arranged below the annular rotary table in correspondence with the annular rotary table. A molding container having a bottom plate pivotally supported so as to be openable and closable is placed on the annular rail and sealed by being placed on the annular rail. A plurality of pieces are fitted and arranged on the stand along the circumference thereof, and along the annular turntable and in the part where the annular rail is installed, synchronized with the stop timing of the intermittent drive of the annular turntable. A mechanism for filling the soft liquid food that operates by filling the soft liquid food and a shaping mechanism that subsequently shapes the food are arranged in accordance with the order in which the rotating table advances, and are located at the cut and separated part of the annular rail and are located on the rotating table. An extraction mechanism that operates in synchronization with the stop of the intermittent drive and a cooling mechanism that cools the molding container to a predetermined low temperature are sequentially provided, and the molding container is removed during one cycle of the intermittent movement of the annular rotary table. 1. A freezing molding machine for soft fluid food, which freezes and hardens the soft fluid food into a regular shape through a cooling-filling-shaping-extraction process.