Blade and food product adjustment device
The innovative blade design with impellers and protrusions effectively kneads high-water dough, addressing the challenges of lump formation and shaft slipping, achieving efficient and uniform mixing for improved bread quality.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023120580
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-07-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-06
AI Technical Summary
Existing dough kneaders struggle with high-water dough, forming lumps and requiring excessive time, and are prone to dough slipping off the rotating shaft due to high moisture or oil content.
The blades are designed with a combination of impellers featuring inclined surfaces and protrusions to effectively knead high-water dough, preventing slipping and ensuring uniform mixing by using impellers with specific gaps to secure the blades on the shaft and minimize material grinding.
The solution allows for efficient kneading of high-water dough without forming lumps, reduces mixing time, and ensures even gluten development, resulting in a smooth, aromatic bread with improved dough cohesion.
Smart Images
Figure 2025017508000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to an impeller and a food preparation device. [Background technology]
[0002] High-hydration bread is bread that contains a lot of moisture in the dough. The hydration rate is the amount of moisture relative to the amount of flour, assuming the total weight of the flour is 100%. While the moisture content of regular bread is 65-70%, high-hydration bread has a very high moisture content of 80-100% or more. High-hydration bread has the advantages of a moist texture, a stronger aroma and flavor of the flour, and delayed aging (deterioration) of the bread.
[0003] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-103153 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) describes a flour kneader for kneading dough for udon or soba. The blade in Patent Document 1 is a blade in which an upper rotating blade and a lower rotating blade are connected. The upper rotating blade acts to press the dough to the bottom of a cylindrical container. The lower rotating blade acts to stir up the dough at the bottom of the container.
[0004] Furthermore, the flour kneader in Non-Patent Document 1 is equipped with two types of blades, one large and one small. The two types of blades can be used depending on the amount of moisture contained in the dough. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-103153 A [Non-patent literature]
[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] "The adventure of making bread in your daily life / BRENC", "PRODUCTS", MK Seiko Co., Ltd., [Retrieved July 6, 2023] Internet<https: / / brenc.jp / products / br-k006w> Summary of the Invention
[0007] The blades in Patent Document 1 work by using the lower rotating blade to scoop up the dough that accumulates at the bottom of the container from below, and the upper rotating blade to press the scooped up dough against the bottom of the container. Dough with a moisture content of 45%, such as udon or soba dough, tends to come together easily, so the lower rotating blade can scoop up the dough that accumulates at the bottom of the container. However, when kneading dough with a high moisture content using blades such as those in Patent Document 1, the dough is prone to lumps. Also, it takes a long time to knead the dough, and depending on the amount of water added, it may not even be possible to form a dough.
[0008] A flour kneader like that described in Non-Patent Document 1 can use two different types of blades depending on the moisture content of the dough. However, when kneading a dough that contains a lot of moisture, such as a dough with a high hydration content, or a dough that contains a lot of oil, the dough gets caught between the blade shaft and the rotating shaft. When the dough gets caught, the blades slip and come off the rotating shaft, which is a problem. [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0009] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a blade capable of kneading dough with a high hydration content. [Means for solving the problem]
[0010] A blade according to one solution of the present invention is rotatably provided on a container. The blade includes a first impeller and a second impeller. The first impeller includes a first boss having a first upper boss and a second lower boss, a blade extending above the first boss, and a connection portion connecting the upper boss and the lower boss. The second impeller includes a second boss, a blade extending from the second boss to the outside in the direction of the rotation radius, and a connection portion connecting the second boss and the blade. The second boss is fitted between the first upper boss and the first lower boss.
[0011] According to one solution of the present invention, a blade capable of kneading dough with high hydration can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a food preparation device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the food preparation apparatus of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the impeller of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is a front view of the impeller 40 of FIG. 2. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a front view of the blade 3 of FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. [Figure 23] FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the mixing state of dough. [Diagram 25] A cross-sectional view of a food preparation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a front view of the impeller 60 of FIG. 25. [Figure 27] FIG. [Figure 28] FIG. [Figure 29] FIG. [Diagram 30] FIG. [Diagram 31] FIG. [Diagram 32] FIG. [Diagram 33] FIG. [Diagram 34] FIG. 4 is a right side view of blade 3A. [Diagram 35] FIG. 4 is a left side view of blade 3A. [Diagram 36] FIG. [Figure 37] FIG. [Figure 38] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of blade 3A. [Figure 39] FIG. [Diagram 40] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the mixing state of dough. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION
[0013] In the embodiments of the present invention, the description will be divided into a plurality of sections, etc., as necessary, but in principle, they are not unrelated to each other, and one is related to the other as a partial or complete modification, detail, etc. For this reason, in all the drawings, members having the same function are given the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.
[0014] In addition, the number of components (including the number, numerical value, amount, range, etc.) is not limited to a specific number, and may be more or less than a specific number, unless otherwise specified or clearly limited in principle to a specific number. In addition, when referring to the shape of a component, etc., it includes things that are substantially similar or similar to that shape, etc., unless otherwise specified or clearly considered not to be the case in principle.
[0015] Hereinafter, the blade and the food preparation device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the food preparation device 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inside of the food preparation device 1 seen from the back. The food preparation device 1 is a device for making bread dough by mixing ingredients such as flour, water, and butter. The device 1 has a blade 3 and a container 2. The blade 3 is rotatably provided on the bottom inside the container 2. The blade 3 has a rotating shaft part 12. In this embodiment, the vertical direction parallel to the central axis A of the rotating shaft part 12 is referred to as the "axial direction", the bottom side of the container 2 on which the blade 3 is provided is referred to as the "lower side", and the opening side of the container 2 is referred to as the "upper side". In addition, the direction perpendicular to the central axis A of the rotating shaft 11 is referred to as the "radius direction of rotation", the side away from the central axis A is referred to as the "outer side" (indicated by the arrow B), and the central axis A side is referred to as the "inner side". In addition, the direction of rotation around central axis A is called the "rotation direction," with the clockwise direction being called the "forward rotation" (indicated by arrow C) and the counterclockwise direction being called the "reverse rotation."
[0016] Food preparation device 1 can knead the desired dough, for example, by the action of rotating blades 3 on ingredients placed in container 2. As shown in Fig. 2, device 1 has base 5 in addition to blades 3 and container 2. Base 5 has motor 4 and support 6, and motor 4 is used as a drive source for rotating blades 3. Support 6 is cup-shaped and configured so that a cylindrical surrounding portion 7 (male portion corresponding to support 6 as female portion) extending from the bottom of container 2 is screwed into it.
[0017] In addition to the motor 4, the device 1 also has a rotating shaft 11, couplings 8 and 9, and a bearing 10 to rotate the blades 3. A lower coupling 9 is attached to the motor shaft of the motor 4, an upper coupling 8 is engaged with the lower coupling 9, and a rotating shaft 11 is attached to the upper coupling 8. The rotating shaft 11 passes through the center of the bottom of the container 2, and the blades 3 are attached to the upper end of the rotating shaft 11 inside the container 2. The upper end of the rotating shaft 11 has a D-shaped cross section, and is inserted into and fixed to the rotating shaft portion 12 of the blades 3.
[0018] With this configuration, when the motor shaft of the motor 4 rotates, the blade 3 rotates via the lower coupling 9, the upper coupling 8, and the rotating shaft 11.
[0019] The blade 3 has an impeller 30 and an impeller 40 (FIG. 17). The blade 3 is used by combining the impeller 30 and the impeller 40, and acts to mix dough containing a lot of water, such as highly hydrated bread dough.
[0020] The impeller 30 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 9. The impeller 30 of the blade 3 has a blade portion 34 and boss portions 32, 33. The blade portion 34 is provided above the boss portion 32, and has an inclined surface 37. The inclined surface 37 is provided above the central axis A and inclined outward. When the blade 3 rotates, a centrifugal force is applied to the dough. The inclined surface 37 can act to stretch the dough in the direction of the inclined surface.
[0021] Wing portion 34 has protruding portion 38 that protrudes outward. Protruding portion 38 can hook the fabric so that the fabric, which moves from inclined surface 37 to the rear surface of the wing portion due to centrifugal force, moves again toward the lower front side.
[0022] The blade portion 34 has a side surface 36. The depth length L1 of the side surface 36 is set to be longer than the length L2 of the lower side (FIG. 4). The outer upper end portion 35 of the blade portion 34 is set to be rounded in front view. The side surface 36 acts to move the dough moving in the normal direction from the protruding portion 38 by centrifugal force along the side surface 36. Furthermore, the rounded outer upper end portion 35 acts to move the dough moving along the side surface 36 to the inclined surface 37 without getting caught. As a result, the blade portion 34 can act to push the surface of the dough into the inner surface (inside) when the dough moves from the side surface 36 along the inclined surface 37. In other words, the impeller 30 can knead the dough while wrapping it around the blade portion 34.
[0023] The impeller 30 has boss portions 32, 33. The boss portions 32, 33 have shaft holes 81, 82 for inserting the rotating shaft 11. The upper shaft hole 81 is D-shaped in a plan view so as to match the D-shape of the upper end of the rotating shaft 11. The lower shaft hole 82 is circular in a plan view so that the rotating shaft 11 can be inserted therein.
[0024] Impeller 30 has a connection portion 31 that connects between upper boss portion 32 and lower boss portion 33. Connection portion 31 of impeller 30 has a recess 83 that is recessed from the back surface to the front surface in side view (FIG. 5). Recess 83 is for fitting connection portion 50 of impeller 40, which will be described later. For this reason, length L5 (FIG. 6) of connection portion 31 in the direction of rotation radius is set equal to length L7 (FIG. 10) of connection portion 50 of impeller 40, which will be described later, in the direction of rotation radius.
[0025] Impeller 30 has a gap 39 between upper boss portion 32 and lower boss portion 33 so as to accommodate a boss portion 42 of impeller 40 (described later). A length L6 (FIG. 3) of gap 39 in the direction of central axis A is longer than a length L8 (FIG. 10) of boss portion 42 of impeller 40 in the direction of central axis A.
[0026] Next, the impeller 40 will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 16. The impeller 40 has a blade portion 44. In a plan view (Figure 14), the blade portion 44 is provided at an angle in the normal rotation direction from the inner end portion 43 to the outer end portion 41. When the blade 3 rotates, the outer end portion 41 comes into contact with the dough before the inner end portion 43. The blade portion 44 acts to gather the dough from the outside to the inside by the outer end portion 41 coming into contact with the dough first.
[0027] Wing portion 44 has flat surface 47 at the bottom and curved surface portion 48 at the top. Wing portion 44 can strongly knead the dough by striking the dough against flat surface 47. The dough struck against flat surface 47 is lifted upward by curved surface portion 48, which will be described later.
[0028] The curved surface portion 48 is formed in an R shape so as to be curved back in the reverse direction from the plane 47 to the upper end in a side view. The curved surface portion 48 acts to move the fabric moving from the plane 47 upward.
[0029] The outer upper end 46 of the curved portion 48 is curved in a curved shape so as to be recessed in the forward rotation direction. In contrast, the inner upper end 45 is linearly formed. The curved outer upper end 46 acts to move the fabric inward. The inner upper end 45 is linearly formed so as to move the fabric further inward.
[0030] The curved surface portion 48 is provided with a protrusion 49. The protrusion 49 acts to catch the fabric. When the fabric moves from the outer upper end portion 46 to the inner upper end portion 45, the protrusion 49 acts to catch the fabric. Therefore, the curved surface portion 48 having the protrusion 49 acts to stretch the fabric in the radial direction of rotation.
[0031] The impeller 40 has a boss portion 42. The boss portion 42 has a shaft hole 51 for inserting the rotating shaft 11. The shaft hole 51 is D-shaped in plan view to match the D-shape of the upper end of the rotating shaft 11. The boss portion 42 is fitted between the upper boss portion 32 and the lower boss portion 33 of the impeller 30, and is used as the rotating shaft portion 12 of the blades 3. The length L8 (FIG. 10) of the boss portion 42 in the direction of the central axis A is shorter than the length L6 (FIG. 3) of the gap 39 of the impeller 30 in the direction of the central axis A.
[0032] The impeller 40 has a connection portion 50. The connection portion 50 connects the boss portion 42 and the blade portion 44. The length L7 (FIG. 10) of the connection portion 50 in the direction of the rotation radius is set equal to the length L5 (FIG. 6) of the connection portion 31 of the impeller 30.
[0033] Next, the blade 3 will be described with reference to Figures 17 to 24. The blade 3 is used by combining the impeller 30 and the impeller 40. The blade 3 has a rotating shaft portion 12, and a blade portion 34 and a blade portion 44. The blade 3 is assembled by fitting the boss portion 42 of the impeller 40 between the upper boss portion 32 and the lower boss portion 33 of the impeller 30, and fitting the connection portion 50 of the impeller 40 into the connection portion 31 (recess 83) of the impeller 30.
[0034] Generally, highly hydrated dough is loose because it contains a lot of water. Loose dough gets into the rotating shaft portion 12. Then, the rotating shaft portion 12 may slip due to the dough and come off the rotating shaft. Also, oily dough also gets into the rotating shaft portion. Then, the rotating shaft portion may slip due to the oil and come off the rotating shaft. For this reason, the length L8 of the boss portion 42 of the impeller 40 is set shorter than the length L6 of the gap 39 of the impeller 40. By doing so, the rotating shaft portion 12 of the blade 3 has a slight gap between the upper boss portion 32 and the boss portion 42, and also has a slight gap between the boss portion 42 and the lower boss portion 33. By having a gap, when the blade 3 rotates, the boss portion 42 in the gap 39 cannot remain horizontal with respect to the direction of the rotation radius. In other words, when the blade 3 rotates, the impeller 40 inserted into the rotating shaft 11 is lifted obliquely. By lifting up at an angle, impeller 40 gets caught on rotating shaft 11 and becomes difficult to come off. In other words, impeller 40 plays the role of a stopper. As a result, impeller 40 becomes a stopper and makes it difficult for impeller 30 to come off rotating shaft 11. Also, by dividing rotating shaft portion 12 into boss portions 32, 42, and 33, the length in the direction of central axis A is shortened. The shorter length makes it easier to clean shaft holes 81, 51, and 82.
[0035] Furthermore, when removing the blade 3 from the rotating shaft, the user pinches the blade portion of the impeller 30 and pulls it upward. This eliminates the gap between the boss portion 42 and the lower boss portion 33. When the gap is eliminated, the boss portion 42 of the impeller 40 becomes parallel to the boss portions 32, 33 of the impeller 30. This makes it easier for the blade 3 to be removed from the rotating shaft 11.
[0036] The blade portion 44 of the blade 3 has a predetermined gap 14 between its lower end and the bottom surface of the container 2. When the dough is in the form of ingredients such as wheat and water (hereinafter referred to as ingredients), the highly hydrated dough contains a lot of moisture. Therefore, some of the ingredients can pass through the predetermined gap 14. In other words, the blade 3 can mix the ingredients without crushing them. At this time, the ingredients are spread out in the direction of the rotation radius at the bottom of the container and mixed.
[0037] As the blades 3 rotate, gluten is formed in the ingredients, and the dough becomes cohesive. Once the dough becomes cohesive, it becomes difficult for the dough to pass through the specified gap 14 between the bottom of the container and the blades 44. The inclination of the blades 44 of the impeller 40 causes the outer ends 41 to mix the dough by rolling it from the outside to the inside. The dough is also struck against the flat surfaces 47 of the blades 44. The struck dough is moved upward by the curved surface 48, and stretched in the direction of the rotation radius by the protrusions 49. The stretched dough is moved inward by the arc of the outer upper end 46, and passes through the inner upper end 45.
[0038] The dough moves to the blades 34 of the impeller 30. The dough stretches in the direction of the inclination of the inclined surface 37 due to centrifugal force. Here, the dough moves along the side surface 36 of the blades 34. At this time, the curved outer upper end 35 acts to push the surface of the dough into the inner surface (interior). In addition, the protrusions 38 move the dough toward the bottom of the container, and then move it again to the blades 44 of the impeller 40 (the agitated state of the dough is shown by 75 in FIG. 24).
[0039] The blades 3 are shaped so that there is no gap between the impellers 30 and 40 so that the dough does not pass through. In other words, they have flat surfaces 47 that act as resistance near the rotating shaft 12. This causes the dough to be pushed outward from the center of the container 2. When the blades 3 rotate at high speed, a strong load can be applied to the dough. This allows the dough to be kneaded strongly.
[0040] In addition, the impeller 40 is provided at an incline in the forward direction from the inner end 43 to the outer end 41. This allows the outer end 61 to come into contact with the dough before the inner end 43. The inclination of the impeller 40 acts to gather (scoop) the dough from the outside to the inside of the container 2. The dough scooped in by the outer end 61 moves to the plane 47. As described above, the plane 47 is provided without any gap between it and the rotating shaft 12, so the plane 47 can apply a strong load to the dough. Therefore, the blade 3 can knead the dough in a short time. In addition, the blade 3 has a protrusion 49. The dough is caught by the protrusion 49, and the dough can be kneaded more strongly.
[0041] As described above, the impeller 30 has the blades 34 rising above the boss 32. Moreover, the blades 34 are provided at an incline. When the blades 3 rotate, the blades 3 mix the dough by wrapping it around, so that they act to stretch the dough. Moreover, the blades 34 have a rounded outer upper end 35, so that they act to wrap the dough inward.
[0042] In this way, the blade 3 is made up of a combination of the impeller 30 and the impeller 40, so the dough can be mixed while being stretched in the direction of the rotation radius and in the diagonally upward direction (75 in FIG. 24). By mixing the dough while stretching it in this way, gluten is easily generated. In addition, the blade 3 mixes the dough while wrapping it around the blade portion 34, so the dough stretches and gluten is generated uniformly. When the gluten is firmly connected, the shrinking force of the dough becomes stronger. In addition, when the gluten is connected uniformly, the gluten grain size becomes uniform, resulting in a smooth dough. When the dough with uniformly formed gluten rises well (expands in the oven) when baked, it becomes a light, smooth bread that melts in the mouth. In addition, the blade 3 allows the dough to be mixed quickly and uniformly, so the dough is less likely to oxidize and the aroma and taste of wheat and the like are less likely to deteriorate. When such dough is baked, it becomes a fragrant bread.
[0043] Generally, gluten is produced when dough is kneaded well, but if the dough is not kneaded well or is mixed unevenly, it will easily fall apart (the dough will turn from a cohesive mass into a liquid). However, the blade 3 allows the dough to be mixed quickly and evenly, preventing it from falling apart. In addition, because the dough is less likely to fall apart, it is possible to basinage it in large quantities (add water or fats during kneading).
[0044] Another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The blade 3A is used by combining the impeller 30 and the impeller 60 (FIG. 25). The blade 3A has a rotating shaft portion 12A, a blade portion 34, and a blade portion 64. The blade 3A is assembled by fitting the boss portion 62 of the impeller 60 between the upper boss portion 32 and the lower boss portion 33 of the impeller 30, and fitting the connection portion 50 of the impeller 60 into the connection portion 31 (recess 83) of the impeller 30. The blade 3A is suitable for the respec-touspanis method and the autolyse method, which are methods of mixing dough for high-hydration bread slowly for a short time. The description of the impeller 30 and the description overlapping with the first embodiment will be omitted.
[0045] The impeller 60 will be described with reference to Figures 26 to 32. The impeller 60 has a boss portion 62. The rotating shaft portion 12A of the blades 3A is used by fitting the boss portion 62 between the upper boss portion 32 and the lower boss portion 33 of the impeller 30 and inserting it into the rotating shaft 11A. The boss portion 62 has a shaft hole 69. The shaft hole 69 is D-shaped in plan view so as to match the shape of the upper end of the rotating shaft 11A, which has a D-shaped cross section. The length L10 (Figure 26) of the boss portion 62 in the direction of the central axis A is set shorter than the length L6 (Figure 3) of the gap 39 of the impeller 30 in the direction of the central axis A.
[0046] The impeller 60 has a blade portion 64. The blade portion 64 has an inclined portion 68 at the bottom and a curved portion 71 at the top. The inclined portion 68 is provided so as to be inclined from the front side to the back side. The inclined portion 68 acts to mix the material from the bottom side to the top side of the container 2A.
[0047] The wing portion 64 has an outer upper end portion 66 and an outer lower end portion 67. The outer upper end portion 66 is located outside the outer lower end portion 67 (FIG. 26). The outer end portion 61 connecting the outer upper end portion 66 and the outer lower end portion 67 is formed in an arc shape. Furthermore, in the right side view, the outer upper end portion 66 is inclined toward the forward rotation direction from the outer lower end portion 67 (FIG. 30). The wing portion 64 acts to roll (scoop) the dough from the outside to the inside of the container 2A.
[0048] Wing portion 64 has inner end portion 63 rising from inner upper end portion 65 towards connecting portion 70. More specifically, inner end portion 63 is provided diagonally above central axis A than outer end portion 61. In this way, wing portion 64 can move fabric moving along curved portion 71 above central axis A.
[0049] The surface of the curved portion 71 on the central axis A side is curved from the outer end 61 to the inner end 63. With this shape, the blade portion 64 acts to easily move the dough, which has been raked from the outside to the inside of the container 2A, from the outer end 61 to the inner end 63.
[0050] The impeller 60 acts to mix the ingredients from the bottom to the top by the inclined portion 68. As the ingredients are mixed, the blade portion 64 acts to move the dough from the outside to the inside of the container 2A by the curved surface portion 71, and mix the dough toward the upper side of the central axis A by the inner end portion 63.
[0051] The impeller 60 has a connection portion 70. The connection portion 70 connects the boss portion 62 and the blade portion 64. The length L9 in the rotational radius direction of the connection portion 70 (FIG. 26) is set to be equal to the length L5 of the connection portion 31 of the impeller 30 (FIG. 6).
[0052] The impeller 60 has a gap 73 between the outer lower end 67 of the blade portion 64 and the connection portion 70. The material can pass through the gap 73. This allows the blade 3A to mix the dough without crushing it.
[0053] Next, the blade 3A will be described with reference to FIG. 25. The blade 3A is used by combining the impeller 30 and the impeller 60. The blade 3A acts to mix the dough from the outside to the inside in the direction of the rotation radius in the container 2A. The blade 3A can mix the dough widely in the container 2A, so that the ingredients can be mixed uniformly in a short time even if the dough is rotated slowly. Therefore, the blade 3A can perform a mixing method suitable for manufacturing methods such as the Autolyse method (ingredients mixed in a short time are left for a certain period of time, mixed again for several seconds after several tens of minutes, and left for a second) and the Respectus Panis method. In addition, the blade 3A is suitable for a bread dough manufacturing method in which auxiliary ingredients such as dried fruits and chocolate are added, because the blade 3A mixes the dough widely in the container 2A. The blade 3A can mix the auxiliary ingredients uniformly with the dough in a short time after adding them to the dough. This allows the auxiliary ingredients (for example, nuts and dried fruits) to be mixed with the dough without being crushed. In addition, since the secondary ingredients can be mixed uniformly with the dough in a short time, the secondary ingredients (e.g., chocolate chips) can be mixed with the dough without melting.
[0054] The length L10 (FIG. 26) of the boss portion 62 of the impeller 60 in the direction of the central axis A is set shorter than the length L6 (FIG. 3) of the gap 39 of the impeller 40. That is, the blade 3A has a slight gap between the upper boss portion 32 and the boss portion 42, and a slight gap between the boss portion 42 and the lower boss portion 33. Due to the gap, the boss portion 42 cannot keep the boss portion 62 horizontal in the radial direction of rotation at the gap 39 when the blade 3 rotates. That is, when the blade 3A rotates, the impeller 60 inserted into the rotating shaft 11A is lifted at an angle. By lifting at an angle, the impeller 60 gets caught on the rotating shaft 11A and is difficult to come off. That is, the impeller 60 plays the role of a stopper. Thereby, the impeller 60 can prevent the impeller 30 from coming off the rotating shaft 11A. The impeller 60 becomes a stopper, and the impeller 30 is difficult to come off the rotating shaft 11A. Furthermore, by dividing the rotating shaft portion 12A into the boss portions 32, 62, and 33, the length in the direction of the central axis A is shortened. The shorter length makes it easier to clean the shaft holes 81, 69, and 82.
[0055] Furthermore, when removing the blade 3A from the rotating shaft, the user pinches the blade portion 34 of the impeller 30 and pulls it upward. This eliminates the gap between the boss portion 62 and the lower boss portion 33. In other words, the bottom surface of the boss portion 62 comes into contact with the flat surface of the lower boss portion 33. When the gap is eliminated, the boss portion 62 of the impeller 60 becomes parallel to the boss portions 32, 33 of the impeller 30. This makes it easier for the blade 3 to come out of the rotating shaft 11.
[0056] The blade 3A has a blade portion 34 and a blade portion 64. The blade portion 64 of the blade 3A has a gap 73. Some of the material can pass through the gap 73, so the blade 3A can mix the dough without crushing it. In addition, the inclined portion 68 causes some of the dough to move to the inclined portion 68.
[0057] The blade 3A has a space 74 between the blade portion 34 and the blade portion 64. The space 74 is provided by recessing the inner end 63 of the impeller 60 in a rounded shape. When the material is put into the container 2A, some of the dough passes through the gap 73. Also, some of the dough is rolled from the outside to the inside of the container 2A by the outer end 61 of the blade portion 64 and moves to the inclined portion 68. The material moving along the inclined portion 68 is moved to the curved surface portion 71. The material can pass through the space 74 by climbing over the rounded portion of the inner end 63. As a result, the blade 3A can mix the material that has moved from the inclined portion 68 while moving it upward. In other words, the blade 3A can give the material a movement that moves from the outside to the inside of the container 2A and then up and down. In this way, the blade 3A can greatly mix the material even when rotating at a low speed, and can mix the material uniformly in a short time (the mixed state of the dough is shown by 76 in FIG. 40).
[0058] The ingredients start to come together and become dough, which becomes sticky. Then, less dough passes through the gap 73 between the bottom of the container and the impeller 60. The dough also begins to wrap around the impeller 30. More specifically, the dough is mixed by the outer end 61 of the impeller 60, so that it is wrapped from the outside to the inside of the container 2A. The dough also passes through the inclined portion 68, and moves from the lower side toward the upper side of the central axis A due to the action of the curved surface portion 71 and centrifugal force. Then, the dough begins to wrap around the impeller 30.
[0059] The dough moves towards the blades 34 of the impeller 30. The dough stretches in the direction of the inclination of the inclined surface 37 due to centrifugal force. The dough also gets caught on the protrusions 38 and moves along the side surfaces 36 of the blades 34. At this time, the blades 34 act to push the surface of the dough into the inner surface (interior) of the dough. The dough moves towards the bottom of the container and again moves towards the blades 64 of the impeller 60 (the agitated state of the dough is shown at 77 in Figure 40).
[0060] The blade 3A, by combining the impeller 30 and the impeller 60, can widely spread and mix the dough in the container 2A. Therefore, even if the blade 3A rotates slowly, the ingredients can be mixed uniformly in a short time. The blade 3A can perform mixing suitable for manufacturing methods such as the autolyse method and the respec-touspanis method. In addition, even if the blade 3A rotates slowly, the dough can be widely mixed in the container 2A, so the ingredients can be mixed uniformly in a short time. Therefore, the flour is less likely to deteriorate. When the dough made by this method is baked, bread with a chewy texture is produced.
[0061] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. In the above embodiments, a highly hydrated dough is used as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various doughs (ingredients) such as general bread dough and udon dough can also be mixed. Furthermore, the food preparation devices 1 and 1A have been described as devices that mix ingredients put into a container to make dough. Such devices can be used not only as a flour kneader that produces bread dough as described in this embodiment, but also as a device that mixes ingredients put into a container, such as a mochi pounding machine, a bread maker, or an automatic cooker (pot). [Explanation of symbols]
[0062] 2, 2A container 3. 3A Feather 12, 12A Rotating shaft 30, 40, 60 impeller 32, 33, 42, 62 Boss part 34, 44, 64 Blade 31, 50, 70 Connection 37, 68 Slope 38 Protrusion 47 plane 48, 71 curved surface
Claims
1. A blade rotatably mounted on the container, The blades include a first impeller and a second impeller, The first impeller is a first boss portion having a first upper boss portion and a second lower boss portion; A wing portion extending above the first boss portion; a connecting portion that connects the upper boss portion and the lower boss portion, The second impeller is A second boss portion; A blade portion extending from the second boss portion toward an outer side in a rotation radius direction; a connection portion that connects the second boss portion and the blade portion, The second boss portion is fitted between the first upper boss portion and the first lower boss portion. A feather characterized by:
2. A blade rotatably mounted on the container, Boss section and A first impeller extending upward from the boss portion; A second impeller extending from the boss portion toward an outer side in a rotational radial direction, The first impeller has an inclined surface that is inclined toward an outer side in a rotation radius direction, a protrusion protruding inward in a radial direction of rotation on the inclined surface, The second impeller has a flat surface extending from the boss portion to an outer side in a radial direction of rotation, The plane is formed such that the outer end precedes the inner end in the forward rotation direction. A feather characterized by:
3. A blade rotatably mounted on the container, Boss and A first impeller extending from the boss portion to an upper side of a central axis; A second impeller extending from the boss portion toward an outer side in a rotational radial direction, The first impeller has an inclined surface that is inclined toward an outer side in a rotation radial direction, a protrusion protruding inward in a radial direction of rotation from the inclined surface; The second impeller is formed such that an outer end thereof precedes an inner end thereof in a forward rotation direction, The inner end is formed to be concave in a radius shape, The lower part has a slope that slopes from the front to the rear. A feather characterized by:
4. A blade according to any one of claims 1 to 3; The blade is rotatably mounted on a bottom of a container. A food preparation device comprising:
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Kneading apparatus
JP2003103153A