Food conveying device and food machine

Abstract

The invention provides a food conveying device and a food machine, which can mechanically adjust the processing time of food without changing the total length of an annular chain moving up and down. The food conveying device comprises a series of driving chain wheels which are horizontally arranged; the upper-layer free wheels are arranged between the adjacent driving chain wheels and can reciprocate up and down by a set distance; an endless chain wound around a series of drive sprockets and an upper free wheel to travel up and down in the processing area; a drive shaft horizontally disposed and rotated by a rotation motor; the worm gear is used for the driving shaft to penetrate through in a non-contact manner and is connected with one of the adjacent driving chain wheels; a clutch coupled to the drive shaft and capable of being brought into contact with or separated from the worm gear; and the clutch driving device enables the clutch to horizontally reciprocate so as to transmit or block the rotation of the driving shaft to one of the driving chain wheels.

Description

Cross - reference to related applications

[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Japanese Application No. 2024 - 003891, filed on January 15, 2024. The content of the said patent application is hereby incorporated herein by reference and constitutes a part of this specification. Technical field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a food conveying device and food machinery. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a conveying device and food machinery including an endless chain and a plurality of sprockets. Background art

[0003] Food conveying devices are used in food machinery such as noodle - boiling devices, rice - cooking devices, steaming and cooling devices, and heat - sterilization devices. A rice - cooking device cooks the rice filled in a plurality of containers, and a steaming and cooling device steams the cooked rice in a container at 80°C and then cools it. A typical food conveying device continuously conveys food divided by each meal amount and includes an endless chain and a plurality of sprockets. Sometimes, a food conveying device is composed of an endless chain and a plurality of rollers.

[0004] The endless chain travels horizontally in a processing area for cooking, boiling, steaming, cooling, or heating food. Alternatively, the endless chain travels vertically in the processing area. The overall length and traveling speed of the endless chain are constant. The length and traveling speed of the endless chain are determined according to the processing time in the processing area suitable for a specific type of food. Therefore, in most cases, a food conveying device can only transfer one type of food.

[0005] The boiling time in the boiling tank for udon noodles and buckwheat noodles is different, so the noodle - boiling device determines the boiling time according to the type of noodles. In addition, the cooking times for white rice, brown rice, red - bean rice, mixed - grain rice, porridge, and red - bean glutinous rice as types of rice are different, so the rice - cooking device determines the cooking time according to the type of rice.

[0006] A food conveying device can adjust the processing time by changing the traveling speed of the endless chain by changing the rotational speed of the rotating motor. However, in most cases, for the production of a product, multiple food machineries are installed in a factory in a linked manner. Therefore, when changing the traveling speed of the food conveying device of a certain food machinery, it is necessary to also change the production speed of other linked food machineries. As a result, since the production volume per unit time varies according to the type of food, it is not ideal to change the traveling speed of the endless chain corresponding to the type of food.

[0007] Japanese Patent No. 4784919 discloses a food conveying device for a boiled noodle device, in which an endless chain travels substantially horizontally. By horizontally moving two sprockets in the food conveying device respectively, the length of the food conveying path in the processing area can be changed without changing the total length of the endless chain. Thus, the boiling time can be adjusted, and the food conveying device can therefore handle various types of noodles.

[0008] Japanese Patent No. 7374240 discloses a food conveying device for a rice cooking device, in which an endless chain travels vertically. In such a food conveying device, it is difficult to change the length of the food conveying path in the processing area by horizontally moving the sprockets. It is desirable that in a food conveying device provided with an endless chain that travels vertically, the processing time of food can also be mechanically changed according to the type of food without changing the total length and traveling speed of the endless chain.

[0009] In view of the above problems, the present disclosure provides a food conveying device and a food machine that can mechanically adjust the processing time of food without changing the total length of an endless chain that travels vertically. Several advantages that can be obtained by the food conveying device and the food machine of the present disclosure are described in detail in the description of specific embodiments. Summary of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, there is provided a food conveying device. The food conveying device that conveys food through a processing area for processing food includes: a series of drive sprockets arranged horizontally; a free wheel provided between adjacent drive sprockets in the series of drive sprockets and capable of reciprocating vertically by a predetermined distance; an endless chain that is wound around the series of drive sprockets and the free wheel and travels vertically in the processing area. The food conveying device further includes: a rotating motor that causes the endless chain to travel; a drive shaft that is horizontally provided and rotates by the rotating motor; a worm gear that is penetrated by the drive shaft in a non-contact manner and is connected to one of the adjacent drive sprockets; a clutch configured to be coupled to the drive shaft in a manner capable of moving axially and to contact or separate from the worm gear; and a clutch drive device configured to horizontally reciprocate the clutch to transmit or block the rotation of the drive shaft to one of the drive sprockets.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, a food conveying device is provided. The food is conveyed through a processing area for processing the food, and the food conveying device includes: a series of driving sprockets arranged horizontally; a series of upper idle wheels arranged horizontally lower than the series of driving sprockets, each disposed between adjacent driving sprockets and capable of reciprocating up and down a predetermined distance; a series of driven sprockets arranged horizontally lower than the series of upper idle wheels; a series of lower idle wheels arranged horizontally higher than the series of driven sprockets, each disposed between adjacent driven sprockets; an endless chain wound around the series of driving sprockets and the series of upper idle wheels to travel up and down in the processing area, and wound around the series of driven sprockets and the series of lower idle wheels to travel up and down outside the processing area; a rotating motor for driving the endless chain to travel; a drive shaft arranged horizontally and rotated by the rotating motor; a plurality of drive transmission devices for transmitting or blocking the rotation of the drive shaft to each of the series of driving sprockets; and a control device for independently controlling the rotating motor and the plurality of drive transmission devices. The series of upper idle wheels are respectively coupled with the series of lower idle wheels.

[0012] A food machine including the above food conveying device is provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a side sectional view showing the food conveying device of the present disclosure applied to a rice cooking device.

[0014] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 a side view of the food conveying device shown.

[0015] Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 a side view of the idle wheel shown.

[0016] Figure 4 It is a perspective view showing a driving gear and a worm gear.

[0017] Figure 5 It shows Figure 1 a side sectional view of the drive transmission device in the food conveying device shown.

[0018] Figure 6 It is a plan view showing a worm gear and a clutch with a partial section.

[0019] Figure 7 It is a sectional view showing the food conveying device of the present disclosure applied to a steam simmering and cooling device.

[0020] Figure 8 It is a sectional view showing the food conveying device of the present disclosure applied to a continuous steam sterilization device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Referring to Figures 1 to 6 , an embodiment of the food conveying device of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Figure 1 And Figure 2 The food conveying device shown is applied to a rice cooker. The rice cooker uses the food conveying device 1 to sequentially introduce a plurality of trays 3 into the heating chamber 1A. Each container is placed on the tray 3, and a predetermined amount of rice and water divided according to each meal amount are accommodated in each container. While the tray 3 is being conveyed in the heating chamber 1A, the rice accommodated in the plurality of containers is cooked.

[0022] The food conveyed by the food conveying device 1 is rice. The rice is, for example, white rice, brown rice, red bean rice, miscellaneous grain rice, porridge, vegetable porridge, or sweet red bean glutinous rice. The rice cooker can also put soup, ingredients, and rice into the container together and cook the mixed rice. Cooking in the rice cooker is equivalent to "processing" in food machinery. The cooking time is equivalent to the "processing time", Figure 1 And Figure 2 The "processing area" ZN in represents the cooking area. The processing area ZN is the heating chamber 1A supplied with pressurized steam.

[0023] The rice cooker automatically places the container containing a predetermined amount of rice and water divided according to each meal amount at a predetermined position on the tray 3. The food conveying device 1 makes the endless chain 30 travel at a predetermined speed and introduces the tray 3 into the heating chamber 1A. While the tray 3 is being conveyed in the processing area ZN for an ideal predetermined cooking time, the rice in the container is cooked.

[0024] As Figure 1 And Figure 2 shown, the food conveying device 1 includes a plurality of sprockets 10, an endless chain 30, a plurality of trays 3, a plurality of free wheels 20, a rotation motor 4, and a drive transmission device 5. The endless chain 30 is configured to be hung around the plurality of sprockets 10 and travel along the food conveying path via the processing area for cooking the food. The plurality of sprockets 10 include a plurality of drive sprockets 10M, a plurality of driven sprockets 10T, and a plurality of guide sprockets 10G. The plurality of trays 3 are detachably mounted on the endless chain 30.

[0025] The drive sprockets 10M are horizontally arranged at the uppermost part of the rice cooker and are provided on the outgoing path of the food conveying path in the heating chamber 1A. As Figure 2As shown, from left to right, the first drive sprocket 10M1 to the fourteenth drive sprocket 10M14 are depicted in sequence. These 14 drive sprockets 10M are all driven by the power of a rotary motor 4 and are arranged in the processing area ZN. The drive shaft 6 is arranged parallel to the output shaft of the rotary motor 4, and the output shaft of the rotary motor 4 is connected to the drive shaft 6 by a synchronous belt or a synchronous chain. When the power of the rotary motor 4 is transmitted to the drive shaft 6, the drive shaft 6 rotates about its axis. When the drive shaft 6 is connected to the drive sprocket 10M, the endless chain 30 travels and conveys the tray 3 by the rotating drive sprocket 10M.

[0026] The driven sprockets 10T are horizontally arranged at a position lower than that of a series of drive sprockets 10M and are arranged on the return path of the food conveyance path outside the heating chamber 1A. The guide sprockets 10G are sprockets arranged on the forward path and the return path of the endless chain 30 and are specifically used to change the traveling direction of the endless chain 30. A part of the guide sprocket 10G is also a driven sprocket. In Figure 1 and Figure 2 a plurality of guide sprockets 10G are depicted, but only one reference symbol 10G is given to the guide sprocket.

[0027] Each idler wheel 20 is arranged between the drive sprockets 10M adjacent in the horizontal direction in the food conveyance path. The idler wheel 20 can reciprocate vertically by a predetermined distance. The idler wheel 20 includes a plurality of upper idler wheels 20A and a plurality of lower idler wheels 20B. The upper idler wheels 20A are horizontally arranged in the processing area ZN indicated by the dotted line in (A) of Figure 2 and are depicted as 13 upper idler wheels 20A in Figure 1 and Figure 2 . A series of upper idler wheels 20A are located at a position lower than a series of drive sprockets 10M and higher than a series of driven sprockets 10T.

[0028] The same number of lower idler wheels 20B as the upper idler wheels 20A are horizontally arranged outside the processing area ZN. The lower idler wheels 20B are connected to their respective upper idler wheels 20A, and a series of upper idler wheels 20A and a series of lower idler wheels 20B are configured to be able to reciprocate vertically together by a predetermined distance. A series of lower idler wheels 20B are located at a position lower than a series of upper idler wheels 20A and higher than a series of driven sprockets 10T. Each lower idler wheel 20B is arranged between adjacent driven sprockets 10T.

[0029] The idler wheel 20 does not have teeth meshing with the endless chain 30. Therefore, the endless chain 30 is not restricted by the idler wheel 20 in its traveling direction and travels at a predetermined traveling speed regardless of the rotation of the idler wheel 20. The endless chain 30 is configured to be hung on the outer periphery of the idler wheel 20 and is restricted by the idler wheel 20 in the direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the endless chain 30, and will not deviate from the food conveyance path.

[0030] A series of drive sprockets 10M and a series of upper idlers 20A are arranged on the forward path of the food conveyance path in the processing area ZN. A series of driven sprockets 10T and a series of lower idlers 20B are arranged outside the heating chamber 1A on the return path of the food conveyance path.

[0031] As Figure 3 shown, the upper idler 20A and the lower idler 20B are coupled to the anchor guide 7 through their respective fasteners 20L. In this way, the upper idler 20A and the lower idler 20B are coupled and move up and down integrally. A pair of parallel guide rails 8 extending vertically are guided in such a way that the respective rotation axes of the upper idler 20A and the lower idler 20B move linearly up and down without horizontal movement.

[0032] The fasteners 20L substantially form the respective rotation axes of the upper idler 20A and the lower idler 20B. The fasteners 20L are sandwiched between a pair of parallel guide rails 8 and are restricted from moving in the horizontal direction. Two stoppers 8E are provided to limit the range of the up and down movement of the rotation axis. The upper stopper 8E connects the respective upper ends of the guide rails 8, and the lower stopper 8E connects the respective lower ends of the guide rails 8. The maximum stroke L of the idler 20 is as Figure 2 shown in (A) of

[0033] Therefore, when a certain drive sprocket 10M is disconnected from the rotation motor 4 and stops, and other drive sprockets 10M rotate through the rotation motor 4, the upper idler 20A between the stopped drive sprocket 10M and the adjacent drive sprocket 10M is lifted to the upper limit or lowered to the lower limit. The lower idler 20B connected to the upper idler 20A through the anchor guide 7 also moves up and down in the same way.

[0034] When the movement of the upper idler 20A and the lower idler 20B is blocked by the stoppers 8E, in the normal traveling state where all the drive sprockets 10M maintain the tension of the endless chain 30 evenly and without change by the power of the rotation motor 4, the upper idler 20A and the lower idler 20B cannot move further beyond the upper limit or the lower limit in the height direction of the rice cooking device and stay at the limit positions defined by the stoppers 8E.

[0035] A plurality of drive transmission devices 5 are provided, and each drive transmission device 5 includes a worm gear 51, a drive gear 52, and a gear switching device 53. As Figure 4As shown, the drive shaft 6 is horizontally arranged and penetrates through a plurality of scroll gears 51 in a non-contact manner. The rotation axis of the drive gear 52 is connected to the rotation axis of the drive sprocket 10M. The drive gear 52 meshes with the scroll gear 51. The drive gear 52 transmits the rotation about the axis in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the drive shaft 6 to the drive sprocket 10M. The drive gear 52 rotates about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the drive sprocket 10M. In particular, the drive gear 52 of the embodiment is directly connected to the rotation axis of the drive sprocket 10M and is arranged coaxially with the drive sprocket 10M.

[0036] As Figure 5 Well shown, the gear switching device 53 includes a cylinder device 53C, a bearing 53E, a bearing housing 53B, and a clutch 53F. The bearing 53E is installed in the clutch 53F, and the bearing housing 53B houses the bearing 53E. The bearing 53E, the bearing housing 53B, and the clutch 53F are configured to be integrally horizontally movable.

[0037] A key 62 parallel to the drive shaft 6 couples the clutch 53F to the drive shaft 6. The key 62 is fixed to the drive shaft 6 and engages with the clutch 53F. The key 62 has a length sufficient to allow the clutch 53F to slide horizontally on the key 62 to contact or separate from the scroll gear 51. The rotation of the drive shaft 6 is transmitted to the inner ring of the bearing 53E and the clutch 53F via the key 62. The bearing housing 53B does not rotate.

[0038] The scroll gear 51 is arranged coaxially with the drive shaft 6. When the clutch 53F contacts the scroll gear 51, the rotation of the clutch 53F is transmitted to the scroll gear 51. A plurality of drive transmission devices 5 are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of drive sprockets 10M. The drive transmission device 5 operates the gear switching device 53 to perform the transmission and interruption of power between the drive shaft 6 and the drive sprocket 10M. In the food conveying device 1 of the embodiment, the clutch driving device that horizontally moves the clutch 53F to contact or separate from the scroll gear 51 is the cylinder device 53C. The cylinder device 53C has a housing and a piston rod 53D that can reciprocate horizontally within the housing. The piston rod 53D is connected to the bearing housing 53B through an appropriate arm. The cylinder device 53C causes the clutch 53F, together with the bearing 53E and the bearing housing 53B, to linearly reciprocate a predetermined distance along the axial direction of the drive shaft 6. The plurality of cylinder devices 53C are controlled by a control device (not shown) to operate independently.

[0039] As Figure 6 As shown, a claw 51F that horizontally extends toward the clutch 53F is formed at one end of the scroll gear 51. When the claw 51F contacts the clutch 53F, the rotation of the drive shaft 6 is transmitted to the scroll gear 51 via the key 62 and the clutch 53F. Further, the scroll gear 51 transmits the rotation of the drive shaft 6 to the drive sprocket 10M via the drive gear 52, thereby causing the endless chain 30 to travel.

[0040] When it is desired to change the effective length of the endless chain 30, the cylinder device 53C horizontally moves the clutch 53F together with the bearing 53E and the bearing housing 53B by a predetermined distance. In this way, the contact between the clutch 53F and the scroll gear 51 is released, thereby blocking the rotation of the drive shaft 6.

[0041] The control device independently controls the plurality of drive transmission devices 5 and controls the rotation motor 4. The control device operates the drive transmission device 5 to disconnect the drive sprocket 10M from the drive shaft 6, thereby stopping the drive sprocket 10M. Alternatively, the control device operates the drive transmission device 5 to connect the drive sprocket 10M to the drive shaft 6, thereby rotating the drive sprocket 10M.

[0042] The control device controls the rotation motor 4 so that while one drive sprocket 10M is stopped, the other drive sprocket 10M rotates at a predetermined rotational speed, causing the upper free wheel 20A between the stopped drive sprocket 10M and its adjacent drive sprocket 10M to linearly move a predetermined distance in the vertical direction. The control device controls the rotation motor 4 and the drive transmission device 5 so that before the traveling distance of the endless chain 30 in the processing area ZN reaches the desired length, the plurality of drive sprockets 10M are sequentially stopped one by one and the plurality of upper free wheels 20A linearly move a predetermined distance up and down one by one.

[0043] Hereinafter, a process of changing the traveling distance of the endless chain 30 in the processing area ZN without changing the total length and traveling speed of the endless chain 30 of the food conveying device 1 will be described. In the following description, the traveling distance of the endless chain 30 in the processing area ZN is referred to as the effective length.

[0044] Figure 2 (A) shows the longest effective length, Figure 2 (B) shows the shortest effective length. When shortening the effective length in Figure 2 (A) to the effective length in Figure 2 (B), the control device stops the rotation motor 4. When the rotation motor 4 stops in a state where power is input, the power of the rotation motor 4 is still transmitted to the plurality of drive sprockets 10M. Therefore, the force that stops the rotation of the drive shaft 6 by the rotation motor 4 acts on each drive sprocket 10M, and the traveling of the endless chain 30 stops in a state where the drive sprockets 10M do not freely rotate.

[0045] After the travel of the endless chain 30 stops, the control device drives the cylinder device 53C in the drive transmission device 5 to operate the gear switching device 53. The drive transmission device 5 includes a drive gear 52 connected to the rotating shaft of the first drive sprocket 10M1. As a result, the clutch 53F horizontally moves a predetermined distance, and the scroll gear 51 is disconnected from the drive shaft 6. Further, the drive sprocket 10M connected to the drive gear 52 meshing with the scroll gear 51 is disconnected from the drive shaft 6.

[0046] After the control device disconnects the scroll gear 51 from the drive shaft 6, it drives the rotary motor 4 again to rotate the drive shaft 6. The rotary motor 4 is controlled so that all the other drive sprockets 10M except the stopped first drive sprocket 10M1, that is, the second drive sprocket 10M2 to the fourteenth drive sprocket 10M14 rotate at a predetermined rotational speed. As a result, the first upper free wheel 20A1 between the stopped first drive sprocket 10M1 and the adjacent second drive sprocket 10M2 linearly moves a predetermined distance corresponding to the maximum stroke L in the vertical direction.

[0047] Refer to Figure 2 of (A). When the diameter of the drive sprocket 10M is set as d, the radius of the upper free wheel is set as r, and the distance from the drive sprocket 10M to the upper free wheel 20A is set as α, the effective length is the sum of 26×α, 7×dπ, and 13×rπ. When the drive sprocket 10M rotates one circle, the distance that the upper free wheel 20A rises is dπ. Therefore, the rotational speed n of the drive sprocket 10M required for the upper free wheel 20A to linearly move a maximum stroke L in the vertical direction is L / dπ. The number of a series of drive sprockets 10M, the diameter d of the drive sprocket 10M, the radius r of the upper free wheel 20, and the maximum stroke L are arbitrary within the range allowed by the design.

[0048] In the food conveying device 1 of the embodiment, the minimum unit for changing the effective length by adjusting the displacement amount of the free wheel 20 can be set as the rotational speed n of the drive sprocket 10M or the rotational speed xn of the scroll gear 51. The rotational speed xn of the scroll gear 51 can be converted according to the rotational speed n of the drive sprocket. The effective length is changed by controlling the rotational speed n or the rotational speed xn.

[0049] Refer to Figure 2 of (A) to explain the shortening of the effective length. In a state where the first drive sprocket 10M1 is disconnected from the rotary motor 4, one or more scroll gears 51 not disconnected from the drive shaft 6 are rotated xn circles, whereby the first upper free wheel 20A1 rises by the maximum stroke L. As a result, the effective length is shortened by 2L.

[0050] Afterwards, from the second drive sprocket 10M2 to the fourteenth drive sprocket 10M14, after disconnecting the drive sprocket 10M from the drive shaft 6 respectively, other spiral gears 51 that make the power effective rotate at a predetermined rotational speed xn. The second upper freewheel 20A2 to the thirteenth upper freewheel 20A13 rise by the maximum stroke L. In this way, every time the spiral gear 51 that is not disconnected from the drive shaft 6 rotates in units of xn revolutions, the effective length can be gradually shortened in units of 2L.

[0051] When shortening the travel distance of the endless chain 30 in the processing area ZN to the desired effective length, the control device stops the rotation motor 4. The control device drives the cylinder devices 53C corresponding to all the drive sprockets 10M disconnected from the drive shaft 6 to horizontally move their respective clutches 53F. As a result, the clutch 53F comes into contact with the spiral gear 51, and the spiral gear 51 is connected to the drive shaft 6 via the clutch 53F and the key 62.

[0052] Refer to Figure 2 of (B) to explain the shortening of the effective length. When extending the effective length of the food conveying device 1 shown in (B) of Figure 2 to the effective length in (A) of Figure 2 the fourteenth drive sprocket 10M14 to the first drive sprocket 10M1 are sequentially disconnected from the output shaft of the rotation motor 4 or the drive shaft 6. The plurality of upper freewheels 20A are lowered within the limit of the maximum stroke L. At this time, the position of the claw 51F is the same as when shortening the effective length.

[0053] Therefore, the food conveying device 1 of the embodiment can make the rotation motor and the drive transmission device work through the control device, and can change to the desired travel distance within the range from the maximum effective length shown in (A) of Figure 2 to the minimum effective length shown in (B) of Figure 2 In the food conveying device in which the endless chain travels up and down, like the food conveying device in which the endless chain travels horizontally, the cooking time of the food can be mechanically changed according to the type of food without changing the overall length and travel speed of the endless chain.

[0054] Figure 7 The food conveying device 1 shown in Figure 1 is applied to a steam steaming and cooling device and is the same in essence as the food conveying device 1 shown in Figure 7 In the food conveying device 1 in Figure 7 a series of driven sprockets 10T are not provided on the return path of the endless chain 30. In addition, a series of lower freewheels 20B are not provided and only a series of freewheels 20C are provided. In

[0055] Figure 8 The food conveying device 1 shown is applied to a continuous steam sterilization device and is the same in basic aspects as Figure 1 the food conveying device 1 shown. In the food conveying device 1 in Figure 8 , a series of driven sprockets 10T and a series of lower free wheels 20B are not provided, and only a series of free wheels 20C are provided. In Figure 8 , the treatment area ZN is a sterilization area, and the food conveying device 1 can mechanically change the sterilization time of the food according to the type of food.

[0056] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The embodiments can be modified, components can be replaced, and the food conveying device of the present disclosure can be combined with known devices without departing from the technical idea of the present disclosure. For example, in the food conveying device of the embodiment, a timing belt or a timing chain is provided between the output shaft of the rotation motor and the drive shaft to connect them, but the drive shaft and the output shaft of the rotation motor can be directly connected and coaxially arranged. Further, in the food conveying device of the embodiment, the drive source for operating the clutch 53F is a cylinder device, but a linear motor can be used.

Claims

1. A food conveying device, characterized in that, Food is conveyed through a processing area for processing food, and the food conveying device includes: A series of driving sprockets, arranged horizontally; Idle wheels, provided between adjacent driving sprockets in the series of driving sprockets, capable of reciprocating up and down a predetermined distance; An endless chain, wound around the series of driving sprockets and the idle wheels and traveling up and down in the processing area; A rotating motor for causing the endless chain to travel; A drive shaft, horizontally arranged and rotated by the rotating motor; A scroll gear, penetrated by the drive shaft in a non-contact manner and connected to one of the adjacent driving sprockets; A clutch, configured to be coupled to the drive shaft in an axially movable manner and to contact or separate from the scroll gear; and A clutch driving device, configured to horizontally reciprocate the clutch to transmit or block the rotation of the drive shaft to the one driving sprocket.

2. The food conveying device according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a plurality of trays for the food, and the plurality of trays for the food are detachably mounted on the endless chain.

3. The food conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processing area is a heating chamber supplied with pressurized steam.

4. The food conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a stopper for defining the predetermined distance.

5. The food conveying device according to claim 4, wherein The idle wheel has a rotating shaft, and further includes a pair of parallel guide rails that clamp the rotating shaft and are provided with the stopper at the upper end.

6. The food conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clutch driving device includes a cylinder device for reciprocating the clutch along the drive shaft.

7. The food conveying device according to claim 6, wherein It further includes: A bearing, mounted on the clutch; and a bearing housing for accommodating the bearing. The cylinder device has a housing and a piston rod capable of horizontally reciprocating in the housing, and the piston rod is connected to the bearing housing.

8. The food conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the clutch driving device makes the clutch contact the scroll gear, the rotation of the drive shaft is transmitted to the scroll gear via the clutch. When the clutch driving device makes the clutch separate from the scroll gear, the scroll gear is disconnected from the drive shaft.

9. The food conveying device according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a key, fixed to the drive shaft and extending parallel to the drive shaft. The clutch is configured to be engaged with the key and slide on the key.

10. The food conveying device according to claim 1, wherein, It further includes a driving gear, connected to the one driving sprocket and meshing with the scroll gear.

11. The food conveying device according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a control device for controlling the clutch driving device and for controlling the rotating motor.

12. A food machinery, characterized in that, It includes the food conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A food conveying device, characterized in that, Food is conveyed through a processing area for processing food, and the food conveying device includes: A series of driving sprockets, arranged horizontally; A series of upper idle wheels, lower than the series of driving sprockets and arranged horizontally, each provided between adjacent driving sprockets and capable of reciprocating up and down a predetermined distance; A series of driven sprockets, lower than the series of upper idle wheels and arranged horizontally; A series of lower idle wheels, higher than the series of driven sprockets and arranged horizontally, each provided between adjacent driven sprockets; An endless chain travels up and down in the processing area by looping around the series of drive sprockets and the series of upper idlers, and travels up and down outside the processing area by looping around the series of driven sprockets and the series of lower idlers; A rotary motor that causes the endless chain to travel; A drive shaft that is horizontally disposed and rotated by the rotary motor; A plurality of drive transmission devices that transmit or block the rotation of the drive shaft to each of the series of drive sprockets; and A control device that independently controls the rotary motor and the plurality of drive transmission devices, Each of the series of upper idlers is coupled to each of the series of lower idlers.

14. The food conveying device according to claim 13, wherein, Each of the plurality of drive transmission devices includes: a worm gear through which the drive shaft passes in a non-contact manner and is connected to one of the adjacent drive sprockets; a clutch configured to be coupled to the drive shaft so as to be axially movable and to contact or separate from the worm gear; and a clutch drive device configured to horizontally reciprocate the clutch to transmit or block the rotation of the drive shaft to the one drive sprocket.

15. The food conveying device according to claim 14, wherein The clutch drive device includes a cylinder device that reciprocates the clutch along the drive shaft.

16. The food conveying device according to claim 15, wherein, It further includes: A bearing mounted on the clutch; and a bearing housing that houses the bearing, and the cylinder device has a housing and a piston rod that can horizontally reciprocate within the housing, and the piston rod is connected to the bearing housing.

17. The food conveying device according to claim 14, wherein When the clutch drive device causes the clutch to contact the worm gear, the rotation of the drive shaft is transmitted to the worm gear via the clutch, and when the clutch drive device causes the clutch to move away from the worm gear, the worm gear is disconnected from the drive shaft.

18. The food conveying device according to claim 14, wherein, It further includes a key that is fixed to the drive shaft and extends parallel to the drive shaft, and the clutch is configured to engage with the key and slide on the key.

19. The food conveying device according to claim 13, wherein, It further includes a plurality of trays for food that are detachably mounted on the endless chain.

20. The food conveying device according to claim 13, wherein the processing area is a heating chamber supplied with pressurized steam.

21. The food conveying device according to claim 13, wherein It further includes a stopper that defines the predetermined distance.

22. The food conveying device according to claim 21, wherein The idler has a rotating shaft, and further includes a pair of parallel guide rails that sandwich the rotating shaft and are provided with the stopper at the upper end.

23. The food conveying device according to claim 14, wherein, It further includes a drive gear that is connected to the one drive sprocket and meshes with the worm gear.

24. A food machinery, characterized in that, It includes the food conveying device according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

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