Pressing device and pressing method

Abstract

To provide a pressing device and a pressing method that can manufacture new products by pressing and filtering portions that are not used in products.SOLUTION: A pressing device 1 includes: an inner container 14 which stores a material to be pressed and in which numerous small holes are bored on the entire side wall and bottom surface; an outer container 10 in which the inner container 14 is placed; and a pressing mechanism which presses the material to be pressed in the inner container 14. The pressing mechanism includes: a motor 12; a control device which controls the motor 12; a jack 13 which moves a pressure plate 17 up and down by the motor 12; a push-in plate 15 which is brought into contact with the material to be pressed to press the material; and a spring 18 which is installed between the pressure plate 17 and the push-in plate 15 to press the push-in plate 15. The material to be pressed is pressed with an action by the drive of the motor 12 and the press by the spring 18.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressing device and a pressing method, and more particularly to a pressing device and a pressing method capable of producing a new product from a portion not used in the product. [Background technology]

[0002] When manufacturing hoshiimo (dried sweet potatoes), the sweet potatoes are steamed, then peeled, and the parts near the skin that are not used for hoshiimo are discarded. In recent years, hoshiimo that are sold are preferred for their shape, and more and more parts that are not even the slightest bit irregular, damaged black parts, white parts that have become hard from steaming, parts near the skin, and parts where the skin is scraped off are discarded. Parts that are not used for the product (hoshiimo) (substandard sweet potatoes and the skin and parts near the skin) are discarded even if there are parts that could be effectively used. When making paste from other vegetables and fruits, such as pumpkin and chestnut, the parts near the skin are also discarded.

[0003] The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations include waste management and reduction as a target in Goal 12, "Responsible Consumption and Production." In addition, domestic laws have been enacted to promote the reduction of food waste. It is stipulated that efforts must be made to reduce all waste from consumption, including food waste, while achieving sustainable management and efficient use of resources. In the manufacture of products such as dried sweet potatoes, the amount of parts that are not used in the product and are discarded tends to increase year by year, so effective reduction and reuse are desired. Also, devices and methods for reducing and reusing such parts are required.

[0004] The parts of the sweet potatoes that are not used in the product after steaming contain a lot of moisture and are large in volume, making them difficult to store at room temperature for a long time. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the moisture content and mass of those parts and press them to make a product that can be stored at room temperature. There are various methods for pressing, including manual, motor-driven, hydraulic, and pneumatically driven.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses "a press filter which preliminarily filters sweet potato shochu mash, and then performs press-filtering of the filtrate to separate the mash liquid and mash solid portions" (paragraph "0013"). The filtrate obtained by preliminarily filtering is separated into the mash liquid and mash solid portions using a commercially available press filter equipped with an air compression mechanism. Patent Document 2 discloses a method in which saccharified purple sweet potatoes are placed in a linen bag and compressed using a press or the like. The degree of compression is usually 6 to 14 MPa, and the obtained squeezed juice is disclosed to be appropriately filtered using a filter or hollow fiber membrane or centrifuged to remove fine suspended matter (paragraph "0032"). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-278762 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2006-246836 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In Patent Documents 1 and 2, the juice and solid residue obtained by compression filtration are used, but the parts not used in the product are not effectively utilized. Since the parts not used in the product can become waste, it is desirable to utilize these parts to manufacture new products. In order to manufacture new products by compression filtration of the parts not used in the product, it is necessary to adjust the moisture content of the residue in order to improve the shelf life of the product.

[0008] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a squeezing device and a squeezing method that can produce a new product by squeezing and filtering the parts that are not used in the product. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The invention described in claim 1 is a squeezing device comprising an inner container for containing the material to be squeezed and having small holes drilled in all side walls and the bottom surface, an outer container into which the inner container is placed, and a pressing mechanism for pressing the material to be squeezed in the inner container, the pressing mechanism including a motor, a control device for controlling the motor, a jack for raising and lowering a pressure plate using the motor, a pressing plate for contacting and pressing the material to be squeezed, and a spring installed between the pressure plate and the pressing plate for pressing the pressing plate, characterized in that the material to be squeezed is squeezed by driving the motor and the pressing action of the spring. The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that in the compressing device described in claim 1, it includes an operation of stopping the driving of the motor and pressing only with the spring. The invention described in claim 3 is a pressing method using the pressing device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it includes a step of separating a portion of steamed vegetables or fruits to be used in a product from a portion not to be used in the product, a first pressing step of placing the portion not to be used in the product in a first filter, which is then placed in the inner container of the pressing device and pressed, and a first separation step of separating the first residue remaining in the first filter in the first pressing step from a solid substance containing the squeezed juice that has passed through the first filter and the inner container. The invention described in claim 4 is the pressing method described in claim 3, characterized in that in the first pressing step, the moisture content of the first residue is 40% or less. The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in the pressing method described in claim 3, after the first separation step, it further includes a second pressing step of placing a solid substance containing the squeezed juice in a second filter, placing it in the inner container of the pressing device and pressing it, and a second separation step of separating a second paste-like residue remaining in the second filter in the second pressing step from the squeezed juice that has passed through the second filter and the inner container. The invention described in claim 6 is the pressing method described in claim 5, characterized in that the vegetable is sweet potato, the product is dried sweet potato, the first residue is feed, the second residue is sweet potato paste, and the squeezed juice that has passed through the second filter is sweet potato juice. The invention described in claim 7 is a pressing method using a pressing device, comprising: a step of separating a part of steamed vegetables or fruits to be used in a product from a part not to be used in the product; a first pressing step of placing the part not to be used in the product in a first filter, which is placed in the inner container of the pressing device and pressed; a first separation step of separating a first solid residue remaining in the first filter in the first pressing step from a solid substance containing the squeezed juice that has passed through the first filter and the inner container; a second pressing step of placing the solid substance containing the squeezed juice in a second filter, which is placed in the inner container of the pressing device and pressed; and a second separation step of separating a second paste-like residue remaining in the second filter from the squeezed juice that has passed through the second filter and the inner container in the second pressing step, wherein the mesh of the second filter is finer than that of the first filter. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the squeezing device and squeezing method of the present invention, the unused portion of the product can be squeezed and filtered to produce a new product, thereby reducing waste and allowing it to be effectively used as a new product. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a compression device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a front view of a compression device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory side view of the compression device of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an explanatory plan view of the compression device of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a pressing mechanism of the compressing device of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 3 is a schematic diagram showing an operation panel of a control device for the compression device of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 3 is a graph showing a method of controlling the compression device of FIG. 2. [Figure 8] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the deflection of a spring in the pressing mechanism of the compressing device of FIG. 2. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of a first compressing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing parts of steamed sweet potato that are not used in the product. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a first squeezing step. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a first separation step. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a first residue. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of a second compressing method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing the second separation step, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing the second residue. [Figure 16] (A) is a photograph of the second residual sweet potato paste, and (B) is a photograph of the sweet potato juice that passed through the second filter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as examples) will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate common parts, and duplicated explanations of the parts with the same reference numerals will be omitted.

[0013] [Configuration of compression device 1] The configuration of a compression device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of the compression device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 2 to 4 are an explanatory front view, an explanatory side view, and an explanatory plan view of the compression device 1, respectively. Fig. 5 is an explanatory view showing a pressing mechanism of the compression device 1, and Fig. 6 is an explanatory view showing an operation panel of a control device 20 of the compression device 1. The explanatory views of Figs. 2 to 5 also show an inner container, a pressing mechanism, etc. which cannot actually be seen from the outside due to a cover or door.

[0014] 1, the squeezing device 1 of this embodiment is composed of an inner container 14 containing materials to be squeezed 30, 31, an outer container 10 in which the inner container 14 is placed, and a pressing mechanism for pressing the materials to be squeezed in the inner container 14. The pressing mechanism is composed of a motor 12, a control device 20 for controlling the motor, a jack 13 for raising and lowering a pressure plate 17 by the motor 12, a pressing plate 15 for contacting and pressing the materials to be squeezed, and a spring 18 for pressing the pressing plate 15, which is placed between the pressure plate 17 and the pressing plate 15.

[0015] [Inner container 14] The inner container 14 is a container having excellent strength and has many small holes drilled in its peripheral wall and bottom surface to allow the compressed material to pass through. In this embodiment, the inner container 14 has sides and bottom surfaces made of punched steel metal with uniform holes. The material of the inner container 14 is not limited to the material in this embodiment, and any material may be used as long as it has many small holes drilled in its peripheral wall and bottom surface and is strong.

[0016] As shown by the arrows in Fig. 1, when placing the pressed materials 30, 31 in the inner container 14, the inner container 14 is removed from the outer container 10 and the pressed materials 30, 31 are placed therein, and when squeezing, the inner container 14 is stored in the outer container 10. The inner container 14 is also removed from the outer container 10 when removing the residues 32, 33 after squeezing. Since the inner container 14 is thus taken in and out of the outer container 10 multiple times, it is preferable to provide a handle 140 on the inner container 14. Also, it is preferable that the shape and dimensions of the inner container 14 are such that it can be easily taken in and out of the outer container 10. The inner container 14 in this embodiment is cylindrical and has dimensions that allow it to be installed in the outer container 10 with ample space.

[0017] [Outer container 10] The outer container 10 is made of a material having excellent strength (e.g., stainless steel) and has a size that allows the inner container 14 to be placed therein and a pressing mechanism to be provided on the inner container 14. In this embodiment, the shape of the outer container 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped consisting of a bottom surface, a right side surface, a left side surface, a front surface, a back surface, and a top surface. In the compression device 1 shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the door 11 on the front surface of the outer container 10 is omitted, but it is preferable to attach the door 11 to the front surface. By attaching the door 11, it is possible to close the door 11 during compression to prevent dust, insects, etc. from entering from the outside. It is preferable to provide a gap between the door 11 and the bottom surface. Due to the gap, even when the door 11 is closed during compression, the squeezed juice or solid substances containing the squeezed juice can be discharged to the outside of the outer container 10, and they can be collected while checking the state of compression.

[0018] 2 and 3, a sloping portion 19 is formed toward the outside of the front surface of the bottom of the outer container 10 so as to easily catch the squeezed juice or solid substances containing the squeezed juice that have passed through the inner container 14. As shown in Fig. 2, the sloping portion 19 is formed in an inverted V shape so as to make it easy to place a bag thereon, and by placing a bag thereon, it becomes easy to catch the squeezed juice, etc.

[0019] Moreover, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the outer container 10 is not placed directly on the installation surface (ground) but is placed at a predetermined height. By setting the bottom surface of the outer container 10 at a predetermined height, it becomes easier to receive squeezed juice, etc. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the floor 110 on the bottom surface of the outer container 10 is made thick, and casters 111 are provided below it at the four corners. This makes it possible to hold the bottom surface of the outer container 10 at a predetermined height, and to easily move the outer container 10.

[0020] [Pressing mechanism] A pressing mechanism for pressing the material to be pressed in the inner container 14 is installed above the outer container 10. The motor 12 may be any motor, but in this embodiment, a geared motor integrated with a reducer is used. By using a geared motor, the compression device 1 can be made smaller and lighter. The motor 12 is connected to a control device 20 via a rotary encoder 120 that converts the mechanical displacement of rotation into an electrical signal. The control device 20 controls the start, stop, rotation speed (high speed, low speed), etc. of the motor.

[0021] The motor 12 is connected to a jack 13. The jack 13 may be any type of jack, such as a hydraulic jack or a screw jack, but in this embodiment, a screw jack is used. The screw jack 13 rotates and raises and lowers the screw 130, thereby raising and lowering the pressure plate 17. As shown in FIG. 5, a pusher plate 15 that contacts and presses the material to be pressed is installed below the pressure plate 17, and a spring 18 is provided between the pressure plate 17 and the pusher plate 15. In this embodiment, six springs 18 are provided as shown in FIG. 4. The springs 18 are covered with a cylindrical cover 16 to prevent dirt from accumulating. The springs 18 may be any type of spring, but for example, a high-flexure, strong spring made of silicon chrome steel is used.

[0022] When the motor 12 is started, the screw 130 of the screw jack 13 presses the pressure plate 17, which in turn presses the push-in plate 15 via the spring 18, and the push-in plate 15 comes into contact with and presses the material to be squeezed. Even when the motor 12 is stopped, the push-in plate 15 comes into contact with and presses the material to be squeezed due to the elastic force of the spring 18. Thus, in the pressing mechanism of this embodiment, the material to be squeezed is pressed by using both the electric pressing by the screw jack 13 and the elastic pressing by the spring 18.

[0023] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the operation panel of the control device 20. As shown in Fig. 6, the operation panel is provided with a monitor showing the operation, and buttons for "operation", "stop", "return to origin", and "emergency stop". In this embodiment, since automatic operation is performed by a programmed control method, only the above buttons are provided, but in the case of manual operation, as shown in Fig. 6, an operation panel may be configured to allow detailed operations such as "automatic operation", "manual operation", "low speed", "high speed", "low load descent", and "high load descent".

[0024] [Operation of Compression Device 1] Next, the operation of the compression device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 is a graph showing a control method of the compression device 1, and Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the deflection of the spring 18 in the pressing mechanism of the compression device 1. In the graph of Fig. 7, the vertical axis indicates the vertical stroke (travel), and the horizontal axis indicates the operation time (compression time). The solid curve represents the graph of the pressing plate 15, and the two-dot chain curve represents the graph of the pressure plate 17. The operation of the compression device 1 described in this embodiment is for the case where the object to be compressed is sweet potato, and is set to be suitable for the first and second compression methods described later. The operation of the compression device 1 is not limited to the operation of this embodiment, and can be appropriately changed depending on the vegetables or fruits to be handled and the products to be manufactured.

[0025] In this embodiment, the squeezing device 1 is automatically operated as described above. When the "operation" button on the operation panel of the control device 20 is pressed, the motor 12 (screw jack 13) operates at high speed and with no load during the preparation stage until the pushing plate 15 moves from the origin (stroke 20 mm) to the top surface of the inner container 14 (100 mm). After one minute has passed and the stroke reaches 100 mm, the pushing plate 15 reaches the top surface of the inner container 14 (the material to be squeezed), so the motor 12 is operated at low speed and with a low load (12.6 kN) to squeeze. At this time, electric pressure applied by the drive of the motor 12 and pressure applied by the spring 18 are alternately performed.

[0026] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the spring deflection amount becomes 1.6 mm (LS2 state, 12.6 kN), the driving of the motor 12 is stopped and the pressing plate 15 is pressed only by the spring. That is, the power is turned off, the motor 12 stops driving the motor 12, and the pressing plate 15 is pressed by the spring 18. At this time, the spring deflection amount returns from 1.6 mm (LS2 state) to 0.8 mm (LS1 state, 6.3 kN). When the spring pressure by the spring 18 ends, the motor 12 starts pressing again, and when the spring deflection amount becomes 1.6 mm again (LS2 state), the power is turned off, and the pressing plate 15 is pressed by the spring pressure until the spring 18 deflection becomes 0.8 mm again (LS1 state). This type of pressing is repeated until the stroke reaches 200 mm (until 5 minutes have passed).

[0027] When 5 minutes have passed and the stroke has reached 200 mm, the motor 12 is compressed at low speed with a high load (75.4 kN). As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, when the spring deflection reaches 9.6 mm (LS4 state, 75.4 kN), the power is turned off, the motor 12 stops applying electric pressure, and the pressing plate 15 is pressed by the spring pressure of the spring 18. At this time, the spring deflection returns from 9.6 mm (LS4 state) to 7.7 mm (LS3 state, 60.4 kN). When the pressure by the spring 18 ends, the motor 12 applies electric pressure again, and when the spring deflection reaches 9.6 mm again (LS4 state), the power is turned off, and the pressing plate 15 is pressed by the spring pressure again until the spring deflection reaches 7.7 mm (LS3 state). This type of compression is repeated until the stroke reaches 360 mm (until 35 minutes have passed).

[0028] When 35 minutes have passed since the start of operation and the stroke has reached 360 mm, the screw jack 13 is operated at high speed and in a no-load state so as to return to its original position. When 40 minutes have passed since the start of operation and the pusher plate 15 has returned to the origin (stroke 20 mm), the operation ends. As described above, in the compression device 1 of this embodiment, the driving of the motor 12, the electric pressure by the spring 18, and the spring pressure by the spring 18 alone with the motor stopped are alternately performed. This makes it possible to prevent overloading due to the long-term driving of the motor 12 and to prevent burning at high temperatures. In addition, by using the pressure by the spring 19, the load on the motor 12 can be reduced, so that a small motor can be used. Furthermore, by alternately repeating the electric pressure and the spring pressure to press the object to be compressed, not only the powerful electric pressure can be repeatedly performed, but also the gentle spring pressure can be repeatedly performed. By applying different types of pressure to the object to be compressed in this way, the compression can be performed effectively.

[0029] [First squeezing method] Next, the pressing method (first pressing method) will be described with reference to Figs. 9 to 13. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of the first pressing method. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the part of the steamed sweet potato that is not used in the product. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the first pressing step, Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the first separation step, and Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the first residue. In this embodiment, sweet potato is described as an example of a vegetable or fruit, and dried sweet potato is described as an example of a product, but the method of the present invention is not limited to sweet potato and dried sweet potato, and can also be used for other vegetables, fruits, and products. Below, the steps (processes) shown in Fig. 9 will be described.

[0030] [Step S11: Preparation process] First, the steamed sweet potatoes are peeled and separated into parts to be used for dried sweet potatoes and parts not to be used for dried sweet potatoes 30. The separation may be done by machine or by hand. As shown in FIG. 10, the parts not to be used for dried sweet potatoes (non-standard sweet potatoes, sweet potato skin and parts near the skin) 30 are stored in bags. The skin and parts near the skin of sweet potatoes contain a large amount of water, so they are difficult to store at room temperature for a long time, and therefore need to be pressed as soon as possible. Dried sweet potatoes sold as products are preferred to be in good shape, and parts that are not even slightly regular in shape, damaged black parts, white parts that have become hard from steaming, parts near the skin, and the skin tend to be scraped off. The skin and parts near the skin of sweet potatoes that are not used for dried sweet potatoes are about 300 g per 1 kg of steamed sweet potatoes, and can amount to about 800 kg in a day, so it is desirable to use these parts effectively.

[0031] [Step S12: First squeezing process] Next, the portion 30 not to be used for the dried sweet potato is placed in the first filter 41, and is placed in the inner container 14 of the compression device 1 or a commercially available compression device and compressed. In this embodiment, the first filter is a vegetable net (resin net) with a mesh size of 1 mm, and the portion 30 not to be used for the dried sweet potato is placed in it. By using the first filter (hereinafter referred to as the net) 41 with such a mesh size, the skin and hard parts of the sweet potato that do not pass through the net 41 can be left in the net 41 as residue after compression. In addition, the net 41 is not limited to the mesh with a mesh size of 1 mm in this embodiment, and any net may be used as long as the skin and hard parts of the sweet potato can be left in the net. When using the compression device 1, as described in the operation of the compression device 1 above, the operation of the compression device 1 is started, and electric pressure by driving the motor 12 and spring pressure by the spring 18 are alternately performed for 35 minutes. When using a commercially available squeezing device, squeezing is performed using a squeezing device that can prevent overload due to long-term operation of the motor 12. As shown in Fig. 11, during squeezing, the solid matter 31 containing the juice that has passed through the net 41 and the inner container 14 flows to the outside of the outer container 10 and is collected in a collection bag 40 placed outside.

[0032] [Step S13: First Separation Step] After the squeezing step, the mixture is separated into the solid first residue 32 remaining on the net 41 in the first squeezing step and the solid material 31 containing the juice that has passed through the net 41 and the inner container 14. As shown in FIG. 12, the separation step is performed by opening the door 11 of the squeezing device 1. The separation step may be performed mechanically or manually. In this embodiment, the separation is performed manually. A part of the solid material 31 containing the juice that has passed through the net 41 and the inner container 14 flows to the outside of the outer container 10, but since a large amount of the solid material 31 is attached to the inside of the outer container 10 and the sides and bottom of the inner container 14, these solid materials 31 are also collected and collected in the collection bag 40. In addition, the first residue 32 remaining on the net 41 in the inner container 14 is taken out while still inside the net 41 (see FIG. 13).

[0033] [Step S14: Completion of feed (first residue)] The moisture content of the pressed product in the initial state (before squeezing) was 66%, but the moisture content of the first residue 32 was reduced to 40%. In addition, the mass of the first residue 32 was reduced to 39% when the initial state (before squeezing) was taken as 100%. In this way, the moisture content and mass of the first residue 32 are reduced, so it can be stored at room temperature and can be stored without taking up space. The first residue 32 is a nutritious part near the skin, so it can be reused as feed. In order to store the first residue 32 at room temperature, squeezing is preferable to reduce the moisture content of the feed to 40%. In this embodiment, the moisture content of the first residue 32 is 40%, so this value is met, but it is preferable to further reduce it to 10%. In addition, from the viewpoint of storage, it is preferable to keep the volume as small as possible, and squeezing to significantly reduce the mass as in this embodiment is preferable. As described above, the squeezing method of the present invention makes it possible to effectively utilize the part not used for dried sweet potato that would otherwise be discarded as feed.

[0034] [Second squeezing method] A method of squeezing (second squeezing method) using the squeezing device 1 of the present invention after the first squeezing method will be described with reference to Figs. 14 to 16. Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of the second squeezing method. Fig. 15(A) is a schematic diagram showing the second separation step, and (B) is a schematic diagram showing the second residue. Fig. 16(A) is a photograph of the sweet potato paste of the second residue, and (B) is a photograph of the sweet potato juice passed through the second filter. Each step (process) shown in Fig. 14 will be described below.

[0035] [Step S21: Second squeezing process] The solid material 31 containing the juice extracted after the first separation step is placed in a second filter (filter sheet) 42, which is then placed in the inner container 14 of the compression device 1 or a commercially available compression device and squeezed. The second filter has a finer mesh than the first filter. In this embodiment, the second filter has an air permeability of 2500 cm 3 / (cm 2·min) filter is used. The second filter is not limited to the filter of the present embodiment, and any filter may be used as long as it can leave a paste-like substance after squeezing. When squeezing is performed using the squeezing device 1, squeezing is performed in the same manner as in the first squeezing method, by starting the operation of the squeezing device 1, and alternating between electric pressure by driving the motor 12 and spring pressure by the spring 18 for 35 minutes. When using a commercially available squeezing device, squeezing is performed using a squeezing device that can prevent overload due to long-term driving of the motor 12. During squeezing, the squeezed juice 34 that has passed through the second filter 42 and the inner container 14 flows outside the outer container 10 and is collected in a collection box installed outside. At this time, the sweet potato paste that does not pass through the second filter 42 can be left in the second filter 42 as a residue after squeezing.

[0036] [Step S22: Second Separation Step] Next, in the second squeezing step, the sweet potato paste (second residue) 33 remaining in the second filter 42 is separated from the squeezed juice 34 that has passed through the second filter 42 and the inner container 14. As shown in FIG. 15(A), the second separation step is performed with the door 11 of the squeezing device 1 open, similar to the first separation step. The separation step may be performed mechanically or manually. In this embodiment, the separation is performed manually. The sweet potato paste (second residue) 33 remaining in the second filter 42 in the inner container 14 is removed while still in the second filter 42 (see FIG. 15(B)).

[0037] [Step S23: Completion of sweet potato paste (second residue)] As shown in the photograph of Figure 16 (A), the sweet potato paste is completed. The moisture content of the sweet potato paste (second residue) 33 was 66% in the solid substance 31 containing the juice before the second squeezing, but it had decreased to 36.7%. Furthermore, the mass of the sweet potato paste (second residue) 33 had decreased to 53.7% when the mass of the initial state (state before squeezing) was taken as 100%. In this way, the sweet potato paste 33 has a reduced moisture content and mass, making it easier to store, and furthermore, since it is the nutritious part near the skin, it can be reused as sweet potato paste in confectioneries and the like.

[0038] [Step S24: Sweet potato juice is ready] The squeezed juice 34 that passes through the second filter 42 and the inner container 14 is collected in the collection box 50, and the sweet potato juice is completed as shown in the photograph of FIG. 16(B). The squeezed juice 34 is packed with the nutrients of sweet potato, has a sugar content of 33 to 38%, and can be drunk as juice as it is. The sweet potato juice 34 can also be used as an ingredient in cooking. As described above, the second squeezing method can produce sweet potato paste and sweet potato juice.

[0039] As described above, the squeezing device and squeezing method of the present invention allow the parts not used in the product to be squeezed and filtered to produce new products (feed, sweet potato paste, squeezed sweet potato juice). This reduces waste that would otherwise be discarded, and allows the waste to be effectively used as new products.

[0040] The compression device and compression method of the above-mentioned embodiment are merely examples, and the configurations thereof can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Pressing equipment 10 Outer container 11 Door 12 Motor 13 Jack 14 Inner container 15 Push-in plate 16 Cover 17 Pressure plate 18 Spring 19 Slope 20 Control device 30,31 Pressed material 32,33 residue 34 Juice 40 Collection Bag 41 First filter (mesh) 42 Second Filter 50 Collection Box 110 beds 111 Caster 120 Rotary Encoder 130 Screw 140 Handle

Claims

1. The apparatus is composed of an inner container that contains the material to be squeezed and has small holes on all side walls and a bottom surface, an outer container in which the inner container is placed, and a pressing mechanism that presses the material to be squeezed in the inner container, The pressing mechanism includes a motor, a control device for controlling the motor, a jack for raising and lowering a pressing plate by the motor, a pressing plate for contacting and pressing the object to be pressed, and a spring for pressing the pressing plate, the spring being disposed between the pressing plate and the pressing plate; A squeezing device characterized in that the material to be squeezed is squeezed by driving the motor and pressing the spring.

2. 2. The compressing device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation of stopping the driving of the motor and pressing the material only by the spring.

3. A compression method using the compression device according to claim 1 or 2, Separating the steamed vegetable or fruit into a portion to be used in the product and a portion not to be used in the product; A first squeezing step of placing a portion not to be used in the product in a first filter, and placing the first filter in the inner container of the squeezing device and squeezing the first filter; a first separation step of separating a solid first residue remaining in the first filter in the first squeezing step from a solid substance containing the squeezed juice that has passed through the first filter and the inner container; A method for squeezing comprising the steps of:

4. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein in the first pressing step, the moisture content of the first residue is reduced to 40% or less.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of: A second squeezing step of putting the solid material containing the juice into a second filter, placing the second filter in the inner container of the squeezing device, and squeezing the solid material; A second separation step of separating the second residue in the form of a paste remaining in the second filter in the second squeezing step from the squeezed juice that has passed through the second filter and the inner container; A method for squeezing comprising the steps of:

6. 6. The pressing method according to claim 5, wherein the vegetable is sweet potato, the product is dried sweet potato, the first residue is animal feed, the second residue is sweet potato paste, and the juice that has passed through the second filter is sweet potato juice.

7. A compression method using a compression device, comprising: Separating the steamed vegetable or fruit into a portion to be used in the product and a portion not to be used in the product; A first squeezing step of placing a portion not to be used in the product in a first filter, and placing the first filter in the inner container of the squeezing device and squeezing the first filter; a first separation step of separating a solid first residue remaining in the first filter in the first squeezing step from a solid substance containing the squeezed juice that has passed through the first filter and the inner container; A second squeezing step of putting the solid material containing the juice into a second filter, placing the second filter in the inner container of the squeezing device, and squeezing the solid material; A second separation step of separating the second residue in the form of a paste remaining in the second filter in the second squeezing step from the squeezed juice that has passed through the second filter and the inner container; Including, A squeezing method, characterized in that the mesh of the second filter is finer than that of the first filter.

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