JPH0617130B2 - Vacuum packaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vacuum packaging device, and more particularly to a vacuum packaging device suitable for vacuum packaging an object to be packaged containing a liquid.

<Prior art and its problems> For pickles and other foods that are packed with a large amount of juice, there is a risk that the juice may boil violently in a vacuum and jump out of the packaging bag, which makes the vacuum device highly efficient. It is difficult, and in the case of "aerated food" or the like having many air bubbles in the object to be packaged, it is difficult to completely remove the air bubbles during vacuum packaging, and a suitable vacuum packaging process cannot be performed. In addition, the heat-processed foods such as fried tofu and ganmodoki for Inari sushi, when vacuum-packed immediately after heat-processing, the boiling of the seasoning broth to be added together is particularly remarkable because of the high temperature. Only after cooling could it be vacuum packed. Therefore, the total processing time will inevitably increase,
It was difficult to improve the processing efficiency.

The vacuum packaging process is divided into a primary vacuum and a secondary vacuum,
Atmosphere is temporarily introduced into the chamber during the primary vacuum,
The impact at this time pulls the bubbles in the juice inside the packaging bag above the water surface and ruptures them, aiming to eliminate the bubbles in the juice.
Therefore, a vacuum packaging device for shortening the vacuum processing time has been proposed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-133819), but the method for coping with boiling is not taken into consideration, and the processing of heat-processed food is completely avoided. It is unknown, and there are still many points to be solved in order to achieve high efficiency in vacuum packaging.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the prior art as described above, and is an object to be packaged containing liquid juice (liquid), an object to be packaged containing many air bubbles, an object to be packaged containing liquid juice (liquid) having a high temperature. ,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum packaging device capable of surely and efficiently vacuum packaging even the above.

<Means for Solving the Problems> The inventors of the present invention have conducted extensive studies to achieve the above object, and as a result, have developed the following vacuum packaging device. That is, the vacuum packaging device according to the first invention [the invention according to claim 1] for vacuum packaging using one vacuum chamber is an opening of a packaging bag filled with a liquid-containing object to be packaged. A plurality of seal bases that also serve as pillows are provided for mounting the rotating belt, which is capable of adjusting the inclination angle for transporting the packaging bag from the preparation zone to the processing zone, and the rotating belt which is vertically movable above the processing zone of the rotating belt. A vacuum chamber that performs preliminary deaeration to deaerate the air in the internal space to the boiling point and a main deaeration to gently degas when it is in close contact with, and senses the water vapor generated in the initial boiling of the liquid in the packaging bag. A sensor provided in either the vacuum chamber or the degassing path to stop the preliminary degassing in the vacuum chamber, and a timer for setting the time of the main degassing in the vacuum chamber,
In order to press and shape the packaging bag in the vacuum chamber from above, to heat seal with the shaping plate vertically movable in the vacuum chamber and the opening of the packaging bag in the vacuum chamber sandwiched with the sealing table. , A heating plate that is vertically movable in a vacuum chamber.

A vacuum packaging device according to a second invention (an invention according to claim 2) for vacuum packaging using two chambers is a pillow for mounting an opening of a packaging bag filled with a liquid-containing object to be packaged. A plurality of dual-purpose seal stands are provided, and a rotating belt for adjusting the inclination angle for transporting the packaging bag from the preparation zone to the two processing zones, and a pair of front and rear halves above and below the two processing zones of the belt device are arranged so as to be vertically movable. The first and second vacuum chambers for performing preliminary deaeration for deaerating the air in the internal space to the boiling point and the main deaeration for gentle degassing when they come into close contact with the rotating belt, and the inside of the packaging bag. A sensor provided in each of the vacuum chambers or in each of the degassing paths so as to stop the preliminary degassing in each of the vacuum chambers by sensing the water vapor generated in the initial boiling of the liquid, and the second vacuum chamber. In order to press and shape the inner packaging bag from above, a shaping plate that is movable up and down in the second vacuum chamber and the opening of the packaging bag in the second vacuum chamber are heat-sealed in a state of being sandwiched with the sealing table. Therefore, the heating plate is provided so as to be vertically movable in the second vacuum chamber.

<Operation> The operation of the first invention will be described. First, since preliminary deaeration in which air is deaerated to the boiling point is performed, it is possible to shorten the deaeration processing time in the vacuum chamber. Then, if the preliminary degassing is continued as it is, the liquid in the packaging bag will start to boil gradually, and finally it will be violently boiled and jump out from the packaging bag, especially when the heat-processed food is vacuum-packaged as it is. In addition, since the temperature is high, the boiling point of the liquid in the packaging bag also drops, and the liquid easily boils and jumps out. Therefore,
The preliminary degassing is stopped by sensing the water vapor at the early stage of boiling when the liquid is not boiling so much by the sensor. Then, the main degassing is performed so that the liquid is gently degassed so that the liquid does not boil violently. The inside of the packaging bag does not become a vacuum because the water vaporizes and evaporates, but the air remaining in the packaging bag goes out of the packaging bag together with the steam during the main deaeration, and the inside of the packaging bag contains almost only steam. . This main degassing automatically stops when the time preset by the timer elapses. Then, the packaging bag is pressed and shaped by the shaping plate in the vacuum chamber while being evacuated by the main deaeration. At this time, if a thin air remains in the packaging bag, it can be pushed out of the packaging bag and by pressing and shaping, the opening of the packaging bag can be aligned without wrinkles, and then only the opening is heat-sealed. Thus, it is possible to obtain a finish state with almost no bubbles and no wrinkles.

Next, the operation of the second invention will be described. In this second invention, there are two vacuum chambers, a first vacuum chamber and a second vacuum chamber.
Using a vacuum chamber, only preliminary deaeration and main deaeration are performed in the first vacuum chamber, and in addition to the above preliminary deaeration and main deaeration in the second vacuum chamber, pressing shaping of the packaging bag by the shaping plate and opening The heat sealing is performed. Then, the vacuum treatment of the packaging bag is performed in advance in the first vacuum chamber by the preliminary deaeration and the main deaeration similar to the first invention. Then, the packaging bag that has undergone the process of the first vacuum chamber is then transferred to the second vacuum chamber. At this time, the packaging bag is once exposed to the atmosphere, but since the inside of the packaging bag is evacuated, the opening is tightly closed to the atmospheric pressure, and the atmosphere rarely returns to the inside of the packaging bag. Further, the packaging bag is pressed by the atmospheric pressure and comes out to a position where bubbles can be easily removed. Then, in the second vacuum chamber, processing is performed in the same steps as in the first aspect of the invention to obtain a final vacuum packaged product. In the second invention, the step in the first vacuum chamber and the step in the second vacuum chamber are simultaneously performed.

<Embodiment> A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3 are views showing a vacuum packaging device according to an embodiment of the first invention. Reference numeral 1 is a main body of the conveying device, and a rotating belt 3 is wound around rollers 2 at both ends. A plurality of seal bases 4 also serving as pillows are fixed to the surface of the rotary belt 3 in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2). Of the several seal stands 4, two rows of the seal stands 4 appear on the upper surface of the rotary belt 3 so as to be located in the preparation zone J and the processing zone S, respectively. There are three packaging bags 5 on each table 4.
The respective openings 6 are mounted. The packaging bag 5 is filled with a large amount of taste juice (liquid) Y together with a high temperature of “fried oil (object to be packaged) X” after heating. The rotating belt 3 is adapted to be able to intermittently convey the packaging bag 5 at a constant speed by rotating with the packaging bag 5 placed thereon. Furthermore, the inclination angle of the conveyor body 1 itself is adjustable along with the rotary belt 3, and the opening 6 side of the packaging bag 5 is lifted by an arbitrary angle so that the taste juice Y in the packaging bag 5 does not spill. Has become. Therefore, the device shown in FIG. 3 is often used in a state of rising to the left, but an arbitrary inclination angle is selected depending on the amount of the taste juice Y. If the taste juice Y is small, Of course, it may be used in a horizontal state. Reference numeral 7 denotes an instrument portion, which is preliminarily tilted in a direction opposite to the direction of the conveyance device body 1 so that the inclination of the conveyance device body 1 can be easily seen.

A vacuum chamber 8 is vertically movable by a lifting arm (not shown) and can be placed on the three packaging bags 5 placed on the seal base 4 of the processing zone S of the rotary belt 3. In addition, 9 has shown the deaeration pipe. Then, the vacuum chamber 8 is attached to the rotary belt 3
When the inner space is brought into close contact with the vacuum pump 11, the interior is degassed from the degassing pipe 9 connected to the vacuum pump 11 to evacuate the internal space. A heating plate that moves up and down by an air pillow 12 having a hollow structure formed of an elastic member to heat-seal the inside of the vacuum chamber 8 with the opening 6 of the packaging bag 5 sandwiched with the seal base 4. 13 are provided. Similarly, inside the vacuum chamber 8, a shaping plate 15 which is vertically moved by a shaping cylinder 14 is provided. The shaping cylinder 14 and the air pillow 12
Are both operated by an air supply mechanism (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the deaeration passage 16 from the vacuum pump 11 to the vacuum chamber 8 is provided with a main deaeration valve 17 having a large ventilation opening, and a bypass passage 18 of the deaeration passage 16 is provided. Is provided with an auxiliary deaeration valve 19 having a small ventilation opening. Further, a sensor 20 is provided in the photoelectric tube element in the middle of the degassing path 16 so as to detect when a certain amount or more of water vapor has passed through the degassing path 16. A blow valve 21 is used to take in air when returning the inside of the vacuum chamber 8 to atmospheric pressure. 16
Reference numerals a and 18a respectively represent throttle valves.

Next, the operation will be described.

Preliminary degassing With the opening 6 placed on the seal base 4 located in the preparation zone J on the inlet side 22, the three packaging bags 5 are attached to the rotary belt 3
Place it on top. The packaging bag 5 is filled with the miso soup Y, which is "fried oil (object to be packaged) X" having a high temperature immediately after being heat-processed.

The rotating belt 3 is rotated and the packaging bag 5 arranged in the preparation zone J is carried to the processing zone S. On the other hand, the next new packaging bag 5 is placed on the seal base 4 in the preparation zone J.

The vacuum chamber 8 descends and covers the packaging bag 5 carried to the processing zone S from above. Then, the air in the internal space formed in the vacuum chamber 8 is degassed to the boiling point via the main degassing valve 17 of the degassing passage 16. The air in the vacuum chamber 8 is removed in a short time, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 8 is immediately depressurized.

Sensor control When the above preliminary deaeration is continued, the taste juice (liquid) Y in the packaging bag 5 gradually starts to approach the boiling point, and finally it becomes a violent boiling and jumps out of the packaging bag 5. Sensor 20 for water vapor at the beginning of boiling that has not yet boiled much
To sense. In other words, the amount of water vapor passing through the degassing passage 16 gradually increases as the degree of boiling rises, and the initial state of boiling can be known by sensing this state with the sensor 20.

When the initial state of boiling is detected by the sensor 20, the main deaeration valve 17 is closed, the auxiliary deaeration valve 19 is opened, and the deaeration passage 16
To the bypass line 18.

Main deaeration When the auxiliary deaeration valve 19 is opened, the main deaeration for deaeration of the air in the vacuum chamber 8 is performed. The main deaeration at this time is gentle deaeration because the auxiliary deaeration valve 19 has a small vent opening, and the evaporation of water is slowed down. The deaeration in the vacuum chamber 8 can be continued.

The main deaeration is performed for a preset time by a timer, and the auxiliary deaeration valve 19 is closed when the time elapses.

Pressure shaping When the main deaeration is completed, air from the shaping cylinder 14 is sent by an air supply mechanism (not shown), and the packaging bag 5 is pressed and shaped by the shaping plate 15 from above.

The packaging bag 5 at the time when the main degassing is completed is in a state of being inflated by the steam containing the diluted air in the packaging bag 5, but the packaging bag 5 is pressed and shaped by the shaping plate 15.
The swelling is suppressed to adjust the shape of the packaging bag 5, and the thin air remaining inside is pushed out from the opening 6 into the vacuum chamber 8.

The pressing shaping by the shaping plate 15 is performed by the packaging bag 5 as described above.
Since the diluted air in the inside is pushed out and the shape of the packaging bag 5 is adjusted, wrinkles in the opening 6 on the seal base 4 are eliminated,
The openings 6 can be aligned without any gap.

Heat sealing Then, air is taken into the air pillow 12 that supports the heating plate 13 in the pressed and shaped state. The heating plate 13 is lowered, and the opening 6 of the packaging bag 5 is sandwiched by the seal base 4, and heat sealing (welding) is performed. At this time,
Since the opening 6 is arranged without wrinkles on the seal base 4 by the above-described pressure shaping, a clean sealed state without wrinkles can be obtained.

After the heat sealing is completed, the blow valve 21 is opened, a large amount of air is introduced into the vacuum chamber 8, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 8 is returned to the atmospheric pressure. Then, the vacuum chamber 8 rises, the rotary belt 3 rotates, and the processing zone S
At the same time, the vacuum-packaged product is sent to the outlet side 10 and the next packaging bag 5 is transferred and positioned in the processing zone S at the same time.

By repeating the above, vacuum packaging processing can be performed one after another.

5 to 8 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the second invention.
In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the portions common to the conventional ones,
A duplicate description will be omitted.

This second invention uses two vacuum chambers 23 and 8,
It is intended to improve the efficiency of vacuum packaging work. The rotary belt 24 in this embodiment has three rows of seal stands 4 on the upper side corresponding to the preparation zone J and the processing zones S1 and S2. Further, the second vacuum chamber 8 for covering the packaging bag 5 in the processing zone S2 and the first vacuum chamber 23 for covering the packaging bag 5 in the processing zone S1 are provided. The first vacuum chamber 23 has the same structure as the second vacuum chamber 8 except that the shaping cylinder 14, the shaping plate 15, the air pillow 12, and the heating plate 13 are not provided. The first vacuum chamber 23 and the second vacuum chamber 8 are both connected to the vacuum pump 11 via the substantially same vacuum system as that of the above-described embodiment.

Next, the operation will be described.

First, the three packaging bags 5 are arranged on the seal base 4 located in the preparation zone J on the entry side 22. Then, the rotary belt 3 is sent, and the packaging bag 5 previously arranged is transferred to the processing zone S1 and is arranged therein in the first vacuum chamber 23.
Then, at this time, the seal stand 4 that appears in the preparation zone J
The next packaging bag 5 is newly placed in the.

Then, in the first vacuum chamber 23, the preliminary deaeration and the main deaeration controlled by the sensor 20 and the timer are performed as in the first embodiment of the first invention. Since the shaping plate 15 and the heating plate 13 are not provided in the first vacuum chamber 23 as described above, only the degassing as described above is performed.

When the main deaeration in the first vacuum chamber 23 is completed, the inside of the first vacuum chamber 23 is returned to the atmospheric pressure by opening the blow valve 21, and the first vacuum chamber 23 rises.
The deaeration in the first vacuum chamber 23 can be continued until the heat sealing of the second vacuum chamber 8 is completed.

Next, the rotary belt 3 is further fed by a fixed amount, and the packaging bag 5 in the first vacuum chamber 23 is transferred to the next processing zone S2, where it is placed in the second vacuum chamber 8. At this time, the packaging bag 5 in the preparation zone J is also placed in the first vacuum chamber 23 of the processing zone S1. In addition, a new packaging bag 5 is placed in the preparation zone J.

The packaging bag 5 is once exposed to the atmosphere when being transferred from the first vacuum chamber 23 to the second vacuum chamber 8, but the inside of the packaging bag 5 is evacuated by the vacuum process by the first vacuum chamber 23. Therefore, the opening 6 does not tightly close to the atmospheric pressure, and the atmosphere does not return to the inside of the packaging bag 5. Further, the packaging bag 5 is pushed by the atmosphere and comes out to a position where bubbles can be easily removed.

Then, when the packaging bags 5 are respectively placed in the first vacuum chamber 23 and the second vacuum chamber 8, the preliminary deaeration and the main deaeration as described above are performed in the first vacuum chamber 23, and at the same time, the first deaeration is performed. In the 2 vacuum chamber 8, all steps from preliminary deaeration to heat sealing are performed as in the previous embodiment. Degassing in the second vacuum chamber 8
Since the packaging bag 5 is degassed in advance in the first vacuum chamber 23, degassing for a short time is sufficient. Then, take out the vacuum-packaged product from the outlet side 10 and the inlet side 2
While repeatedly arranging the new packaging bag 5 in the second preparation zone J, the above-mentioned steps can be sequentially repeated to process the packaging bags 5 one after another.

<Effect> The vacuum packaging device according to the first aspect of the present invention has the contents as described above, and normally limits the degassing rate unnecessarily due to fear of liquid blowing out. Since preliminary deaeration for rapidly deaerating air is performed, the time required for vacuuming the vacuum chamber can be shortened, and the overall efficiency of the vacuum packaging operation can be improved.

Moreover, this preliminary deaeration is controlled by the sensor at the end of deaeration, so there is no possibility that the liquid in the packaging bag will boil too much and jump out, and it seems that the temperature is high and contains a lot of liquid. It is particularly suitable for vacuum packaging of various heat-processed foods.

In other words, when vacuum-packing heat-processed foods, etc., the high-temperature liquid in the packaging bag tends to boil violently, so conventionally it has to be purposely cooled and then vacuum-packed. However, in the case of the present invention, the boiling / spouting of the liquid is controlled / prevented by the sensor, so that the heat-processed food or the like can be vacuum-packaged immediately after processing. Therefore, the time required for the cooling device and the cooling process and the transfer time therefor are unnecessary, and there are great merits in terms of processing cost after heating and work efficiency. Also, after heat processing,
Being able to vacuum-package immediately is extremely important for maintaining the quality, taste, and flavor of foods.

Further, since the packaging bag is pressed and shaped by the shaping plate, the shape of the packaging bag is adjusted by suppressing the swelling of the packaging bag,
The lean air inside the packaging bag can be pushed out through the opening.

Further, by adjusting the shape of the packaging bag by pressing and shaping, the shape of the packaging bag is stable, so that the formation of wrinkles at the opening can be prevented and a clean heat-sealed state with almost no bubbles can be obtained. it can.

Further, in the vacuum packaging device according to the second invention, in addition to the effect shown in the first invention, since the air is removed in advance in the first vacuum chamber to some extent to remove the bubbles,
There is an effect that deaeration in the vacuum chamber can be completed in a short time, a vacuum packaging process with even less bubbles can be performed, and the overall efficiency of the vacuum packaging operation can be improved.

Further, when the packaging bag is moved from the first vacuum chamber to the second vacuum chamber, it is temporarily returned to the atmospheric pressure, so that the packaging bag is pushed by the atmospheric pressure and comes out to a position where bubbles can be easily removed. There is also an additional effect that the removal in the second vacuum chamber becomes easier.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a vacuum packaging device according to an embodiment of the first invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view seen from an arrow II direction in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an arrow III-III shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a vacuum packaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the second invention, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line. FIG. 5 is a plan view seen from the direction of arrow VI in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of arrow in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram corresponding to FIG. is there. 3, 24 …… Rotary belt 4 …… Seal stand 5 …… Packaging bag 6 …… Opening part 8,23 …… Vacuum chamber 13 …… Heating plate 15 …… Shaping plate 20 …… Sensor

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A rotary table having a plurality of seal stands, each serving as a pillow, on which an opening of a packaging bag filled with a liquid-containing object is placed and which conveys the packaging bag from a preparation zone to a processing zone, with adjustable tilt angle. A belt, and the rotary belt is disposed above the processing zone so as to be vertically movable,
A vacuum chamber that performs preliminary deaeration to deaerate the air in the internal space to the boiling point when it comes into close contact with the rotating belt, and a main deaeration that gently deaerates it, and the water vapor generated during the initial boiling of the liquid in the packaging bag. A sensor provided in either the vacuum chamber or the degassing path to detect and stop the preliminary degassing in the vacuum chamber, a timer for setting the time of main degassing in the vacuum chamber, and In order to press-shape the packaging bag from above, a shaping plate that can be moved up and down in the vacuum chamber and to heat seal the opening of the packaging bag in the vacuum chamber with the sealing table, heat seal in the vacuum chamber. And a heating plate that is vertically movable. 2. A plurality of seal bases, which also serve as pillows, for mounting the openings of a packaging bag filled with a liquid-containing object to be packaged are provided, and the inclination angle for transporting the packaging bag from the preparation zone to two processing zones is adjustable. The rotating belt and the two processing zones of the belt device are vertically and vertically arranged as a pair in a front-rear direction. When the rotating belt and the rotating belt are in close contact with each other, preliminary deaeration for deaerating the air in the internal space to the boiling point, and gentle deaeration. First and second vacuum chambers that perform the main deaeration that is performed respectively, and to detect the water vapor generated in the initial boiling stage of the liquid in the packaging bag to stop the preliminary deaeration in both the vacuum chambers, respectively. A sensor provided in each of the vacuum chambers or in each of the degassing paths, and a shaping plate that is vertically movable in the second vacuum chamber to press and shape the packaging bag in the second vacuum chamber from above, First 2. A heating plate, which is vertically movable in a second vacuum chamber so as to perform heat sealing while sandwiching the opening of the packaging bag in the vacuum chamber with the sealing table, Packaging equipment.