Food conveyance device

Abstract

To provide a conveyance device of a longitudinally moving type chain conveyor system which can mechanically change a foodstuff treatment time without changing a whole length and travelling speed of an endless chain.SOLUTION: A food conveyance device 1 includes a transfer device 2 including: a plurality of sprockets 10; and an endless chain 30 which is wound around the plurality of sprockets 10 and travels with a group of a plurality of driving sprockets 10M out of the plurality of sprockets 10, the driving sprockets being horizontally arranged. The transfer device 2 includes free wheels 20 which are provided between two adjacent driving sprockets 10M and which can reciprocate a predetermined distance in a vertical direction. The conveyance device 1 includes a rotational motor 4, a driving transmission device 5, and a drive shaft 6. The driving transmission device 5 includes a worm gear 51, a driving gear 52, and a gear change device 53. The gear change device 53 is actuated to perform transmission and cutting-off of power between the drive shaft 6 and the driving sprockets 10M.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a food conveying device for food machinery. In particular, the present invention relates to a food conveying device including an endless chain and a plurality of sprockets.

Background Art

[0002] Food conveying devices are used in food machinery such as noodle boiling devices, rice cooking devices, steaming and cooling devices, and heat sterilization devices. The rice cooking device cooks rice filled in a number of containers, and the steaming and cooling device steams the cooked rice in the container at 80°C and then cools it. A typical food conveying device continuously conveys food portioned for each serving and is composed of an endless chain and a plurality of sprockets. Sometimes, an endless belt and a plurality of rollers constitute a food conveying device.

[0003] The endless chain travels horizontally in a processing zone for cooking, boiling, steaming, cooling, or heating food. Alternatively, the endless chain travels vertically in the processing zone. The overall length and running speed of the endless chain are constant. The length and running speed of the endless chain are determined according to the processing time in a processing zone suitable for a specific type of food. Therefore, a food conveying device can often transfer only one type of food.

[0004] For example, since the boiling time of udon and soba in a boiling tank is different, the noodle boiling device determines the boiling time according to the type of noodles. Also, for example, since the cooking times of white rice, brown rice, red rice, mixed grain rice, porridge, and glutinous rice, which are types of rice, are different, the rice cooking device determines the cooking time according to the type of rice.

[0005] The food conveying device can adjust the processing time by changing the rotation speed of the rotating motor to change the running speed of the endless chain. However, in many cases, a plurality of types of food machinery are installed in a factory so as to be interlocked to produce one product.

[0006] Therefore, when changing the running speed of the food conveying device of a certain food machine, it is necessary to change the production speed of other interlocked food machines. As a result, since the production amount per unit time varies depending on the type of food, it is not desirable to change the running speed of the endless chain according to the type of food.

[0007] Patent Document 1 discloses a food conveying device of a horizontal movement type chain conveyor system in which an endless chain runs substantially horizontally in a noodle boiling device. By horizontally moving two sprockets in the food conveying device, the length of the food conveying path in the processing zone can be changed without changing the total length of the endless chain. Thus, since the boiling time can be adjusted, the food conveying device can handle multiple types of noodles.

[0008] Patent Document 2 discloses a food conveying device of a vertical movement type chain conveyor system in which an endless chain runs vertically in a rice cooking device. In such a food conveying device, it is difficult to change the length of the food conveying path in the processing zone by horizontally moving the sprocket.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] Even in a food conveying device of a vertical movement type chain conveyor system, it is desired to be able to adjust so as to mechanically change the processing time of the food according to the type of food without changing the overall length and running speed of the endless chain of the transfer device, like in a food conveying device of a horizontal movement type chain conveyor system.

[0011] In view of the above problems, a main object of the present invention is to provide a food conveying device that can mechanically adjust the food processing time without changing the total length of an endless chain that travels up and down. Some advantageous effects that can be obtained by the food conveying device of the present invention will be described in detail in the description of specific embodiments.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] The food conveying device (1) of the food machine of the present invention is a food conveying device that conveys food via a processing zone (ZN) where the food is processed, in order to solve the above problems, and includes a series of drive sprockets (10M) arranged horizontally, a free wheel (20A) provided between adjacent drive sprockets among the series of drive sprockets and capable of reciprocating up and down by a predetermined distance, an endless chain (30) wound around the series of drive sprockets (10M) and the free wheel (20A) and traveling up and down in the processing zone (ZN), a rotation motor (4) for running the endless chain (30), a drive shaft (6) provided horizontally and rotated by the rotation motor (4), a worm gear (51) that non-contactly penetrates the drive shaft (6) and is connected to one of the adjacent drive sprockets (10M), a clutch (53F) movably coupled to the drive shaft (6) in the axial direction and configured to engage and disengage from the worm gear (51), and a clutch drive device (53C) configured to reciprocate the clutch (53F) horizontally to transmit or cut off the rotation of the drive shaft (6) to one of the drive sprockets.

[0013] The food conveying device of the food machine of the present invention is detachably attached to an endless chain and further includes a number of trays for food. The processing zone is a heating chamber to which pressurized steam is supplied. The food conveying device further includes a stopper that defines a predetermined distance. The freewheel has a rotating shaft and further includes a pair of parallel guide rails that sandwich the rotating shaft and have stoppers provided at the upper ends. The clutch drive device includes a cylinder device that reciprocates the clutch along the drive shaft. The food conveying device further includes a bearing attached to the clutch and a bearing case that houses the bearing. The cylinder device has a housing and a piston rod that can reciprocate horizontally within the housing, and the piston rod is connected to the bearing case. When the clutch drive device brings the clutch into contact with the worm gear, the rotation of the drive shaft is transmitted to the worm gear via the clutch. When the clutch drive device separates the clutch from the worm gear, the worm gear is disengaged from the drive shaft. The food conveying device further includes a key fixed to the drive shaft and extending parallel to the drive shaft, and the clutch is configured to fit into the key and slide thereon. The food conveying device further includes a drive gear that is connected to one of the drive sprockets and meshes with the worm gear. The food conveying device further includes a control device that controls the clutch drive device and also controls the rotating motor.

[0014] Moreover, the food conveying device is a food conveying device that conveys food through a processing zone where the food is processed, and includes a series of driving sprockets arranged horizontally, a series of upper free wheels arranged horizontally lower than the series of driving sprockets, each of which is provided between adjacent driving sprockets and can reciprocate vertically by a predetermined distance, a series of driven sprockets arranged horizontally lower than the series of upper free wheels, a series of lower free wheels arranged horizontally higher than the series of driven sprockets, each of which is provided between adjacent driven sprockets, an endless chain that is wound around the series of driving sprockets and the series of upper free wheels and travels vertically in the processing zone, and is also wound around the series of driven sprockets and the series of lower free wheels and travels vertically outside the processing zone, a rotating motor for driving the endless chain, a drive shaft provided 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 free wheels are respectively connected to the series of lower free wheels.

[0015] Each of the plurality of drive transmission devices includes a worm gear through which a drive shaft penetrates in a non-contact manner and is connected to one of the adjacent drive sprockets, a clutch configured to be movably coupled to the drive shaft in the axial direction so as to engage with and disengage from the worm gear, and a clutch drive device configured to reciprocate the clutch horizontally to transmit or cut off the rotation of the drive shaft to / from the one drive sprocket. The clutch drive device includes a cylinder device that reciprocates the clutch along the drive shaft. The food conveying device further includes a bearing attached to the clutch and a bearing case that houses the bearing. The cylinder device has a housing and a piston rod that can reciprocate horizontally within the housing, and the piston rod is connected to the bearing case. When the clutch drive device brings the clutch into contact with the worm gear, the rotation of the drive shaft is transmitted to the worm gear via the clutch, and when the clutch drive device separates the clutch from the worm gear, the worm gear is disconnected from the drive shaft.

[0016] The food conveying device further includes a key fixed to the drive shaft and extending parallel to the drive shaft, and the clutch is configured to fit into the key and slide thereon.

[0017] The food conveying device further includes a number of trays for food that are detachably attached to an endless chain. The processing zone is a heating chamber to which pressurized steam is supplied. The food conveying device further includes a stopper that defines a predetermined distance. The freewheel has a rotation shaft and further includes a pair of parallel guide rails that sandwich the rotation shaft and have stoppers provided at the upper ends.

[0018] The food conveying device further includes a drive gear that is connected to one of the drive sprockets and meshes with the worm gear.

Advantages of the Invention

[0019] According to the conveying device of the food machine of the present invention, when one driving sprocket of a group of a plurality of driving sprockets is separated from the drive shaft and stopped from rotating, and the other plurality of driving sprockets are rotated at a predetermined number of revolutions, the freewheel between the stopped driving sprocket and the adjacent driving sprocket is pulled up from the lowest position or pulled down from the highest position. When the freewheel linearly moves a predetermined distance in the vertical direction, the effective length of the endless chain corresponding to the predetermined distance linearly moved within the range of the maximum stroke corresponding to the maximum displacement amount of the freewheel changes.

[0020] Therefore, by selectively stopping the rotation of one driving sprocket among the plurality of driving sprockets and displacing the freewheel closest to the stopped driving sprocket, the effective length of the endless chain in the processing zone can be arbitrarily changed. Therefore, the processing time of the food can be mechanically changed according to the type of food without changing the overall length and running speed of the endless chain of the transfer device. As a result, the processing time of the food can be mechanically adjusted with a relatively robust configuration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, one embodiment of the food conveying device of the present disclosure will be described in detail. The food conveying device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is applied to a rice cooker. The rice cooker sequentially introduces a plurality of trays 3 into the heating chamber 1A by the food conveying device 1. Each container is placed on the tray 3, and a predetermined amount of rice and water divided into portions for one meal are contained in each container. While the tray 3 is being conveyed in the heating chamber 1A, the rice contained in a large number of containers is cooked.

[0023] The food conveyed by the food conveying device 1 is rice. The rice is, for example, white rice, brown rice, red rice, mixed grain rice, porridge, mixed cooked rice, and okowa. The rice cooker can also put soup and ingredients into the container together with the rice and cook the cooked rice. Cooking rice in the rice cooker corresponds to "processing" in food machinery. The cooking time corresponds to the "processing time", and the "processing zone" ZN in FIGS. 1 and 2 indicates the cooking zone. The processing zone ZN is the heating chamber 1A to which pressurized steam is supplied.

[0024] The rice cooker automatically places a container containing a predetermined amount of rice and water divided into portions for one meal on the tray 3 at a predetermined position. The food conveying device 1 runs the endless chain 30 at a predetermined speed and introduces the tray 3 into the heating chamber 1A. While the tray 3 is being conveyed through the processing zone ZN for a desired predetermined cooking time, the rice in the container is cooked.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the food conveying device 1 includes a plurality of sprockets 10, an endless chain 30, a plurality of trays 3, a plurality of freewheels 20, a rotary motor 4, and a drive transmission device 5. The endless chain 30 is looped around the plurality of sprockets 10 and is configured to travel along a food conveyance path via a processing zone where food is cooked. The plurality of sprockets 10 includes a plurality of drive sprockets 10M, a plurality of driven sprockets 10T, and a plurality of guide sprockets 10G. A large number of trays 3 are detachably attached to the endless chain 30.

[0026] The drive sprockets 10M are horizontally arranged at the uppermost position of the rice cooker and are provided in the forward path of the food conveyance path in the heating chamber 1A. As shown in FIG. 2, fourteen drive sprockets 10M from the first drive sprocket 10M1 to the fourteenth drive sprocket 10M14 are depicted in order from left to right. All the drive sprockets 10M are driven by the power of one rotary motor 4 and are provided in the processing zone ZN.

[0027] The drive shaft 6 is provided 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 timing belt or a timing chain. When the power of the rotary motor 4 is transmitted to the drive shaft 6, the drive shaft 6 rotates around its axis. When the drive shaft 6 is connected to the drive sprocket 10M, the endless chain 30 travels by the rotating drive sprocket 10M to convey the tray 3.

[0028] The driven sprockets 10T are horizontally arranged at a position lower than the series of drive sprockets 10M and are provided in the return path of the food conveyance path outside the heating chamber 1A. The guide sprockets 10G are provided in the forward and return paths of the endless chain 30 and are sprockets that particularly change the traveling direction of the endless chain 30. A part of the guide sprockets 10G is also a driven sprocket. Although a large number of guide sprockets 10G are depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, only one reference numeral 10G is given to the guide sprockets.

[0029] Each free wheel 20 is provided between drive sprockets 10M adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction in the food conveyance path. The free wheel 20 can reciprocate a predetermined distance in the vertical direction. The free wheel 20 includes a plurality of upper free wheels 20A and a plurality of lower free wheels 20B. The upper free wheels 20A are horizontally arranged in a processing zone ZN indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 2(A), and 13 upper free wheels 20A are depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. A series of upper free wheels 20A are positioned lower than a series of drive sprockets 10M and higher than a series of driven sprockets 10T.

[0030] The same number of lower free wheels 20B as the upper free wheels 20A are horizontally arranged outside the processing zone ZN. The lower free wheels 20B are each connected to the corresponding upper free wheel 20A, and a series of upper free wheels 20A and a series of lower free wheels 20B are configured to be integrally reciprocable up and down by a predetermined distance. A series of lower free wheels 20B are positioned lower than a series of upper free wheels 20A and higher than a series of driven sprockets 10T. Each lower free wheel 20B is provided between adjacent driven sprockets 10T.

[0031] The free wheel 20 does not have teeth that mesh with the endless chain 30. Therefore, the endless chain 30 is not constrained by the free wheel 20 in its traveling direction and travels at a predetermined traveling speed regardless of the rotation of the free wheel 20. The endless chain 30 is hung on the outer periphery of the free wheel 20 and is constrained by the free wheel 20 in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the endless chain 30 so as not to deviate from the food conveyance path.

[0032] A series of drive sprockets 10M and a series of upper free wheels 20A are provided on the forward path of the food conveyance path in the processing zone ZN. A series of driven sprockets 10T and a series of lower free wheels 20B are provided on the return path of the food conveyance path outside the heating chamber 1A.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the upper freewheel 20A and the lower freewheel 20B are each coupled to the crank guide 7 by their respective holders 20L. In this way, the upper freewheel 20A and the lower freewheel 20B are coupled and move up and down integrally. A pair of parallel guide rails 8 extending vertically guide the upper freewheel 20A and the lower freewheel 20B to move linearly up and down while preventing their respective rotation axes from moving horizontally.

[0034] The holder 20L substantially forms the respective rotation axes of the upper freewheel 20A and the lower freewheel 20B. The holder 20L is sandwiched between a pair of parallel guide rails 8 and is restricted from moving horizontally. Two stoppers 8E are provided to limit the range of vertical 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 freewheel 20 is shown in FIG. 2(A), and these stoppers 8E define the maximum stroke L.

[0035] Therefore, when a certain drive sprocket 10M is disengaged from the rotary motor 4 and stops while another drive sprocket 10M is rotating by the rotary motor 4, the upper freewheel 20A between the stopped drive sprocket 10M and the adjacent drive sprocket 10M is pulled up to the upper limit or pulled down to the lower limit. The lower freewheel 20B connected to the upper freewheel 20A by the crank guide 7 also moves up and down in the same manner.

[0036] When the movement of the upper freewheel 20A and the lower freewheel 20B is blocked by the stopper 8E, in the normal running state where the tension of the endless chain 30 is maintained in balance and there is no variation due to the power of the rotary motor 4 for all the drive sprockets 10M, the upper freewheel 20A and the lower freewheel 20B cannot move beyond the upper limit or the lower limit in the height direction of the rice cooker and remain at the limit positions defined by the stopper 8E.

[0037] 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 shown in FIG. 4, the drive shaft 6 is provided horizontally and penetrates through a plurality of worm gears 51 without contact.

[0038] The rotating shaft of the drive gear 52 is connected to the rotating shaft of the drive sprocket 10M. The drive gear 52 meshes with the worm gear 51. The drive gear 52 transmits the rotation around the axis in the 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 rotating shaft of the drive sprocket 10M. In particular, the drive gear 52 of the embodiment is directly connected to the rotating shaft of the drive sprocket 10M and is provided coaxially with the drive sprocket 10M.

[0039] As shown well in FIG. 5, the gear switching device 53 includes a cylinder device 53C, a bearing 53E, a bearing case 53B, and a clutch 53F. The bearing 53E is attached to the clutch 53F, and the bearing case 53B houses the bearing 53E. The bearing 53E, the bearing case 53B, and the clutch 53F are configured to be integrally movable horizontally.

[0040] 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 is fitted into the clutch 53F. The key 62 has a sufficient length for the clutch 53F to slide horizontally over the key 62 and be able to contact and separate from the worm 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 case 53B does not rotate.

[0041] The worm gear 51 is provided coaxially with the drive shaft 6. When the clutch 53F is in contact with the worm gear 51, the rotation of the clutch 53F is transmitted to the worm gear 51. A plurality of drive transmission devices 5 are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of drive sprockets 10M.

[0042] The drive transmission device 5 operates a gear switching device 53 to transmit and cut off the power between the drive shaft 6 and the drive sprocket 10M. In the food conveyor 1 of the embodiment, the clutch drive device that horizontally moves the clutch 53F into contact with or away from the worm gear 51 is the cylinder device 53C.

[0043] 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 case 53B by an appropriate arm. The cylinder device 53C reciprocates the clutch 53F linearly by a predetermined distance in the axial direction of the drive shaft 6 together with the bearing 53E and the bearing case 53B. The plurality of cylinder devices 53C are controlled by a control device (not shown) and operate independently.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, a claw 51F extending horizontally toward the clutch 53F is formed at one end of the worm gear 51. When the claw 51F comes into contact with the clutch 53F, the rotation of the drive shaft 6 is transmitted to the worm gear 51 via the key 62 and the clutch 53F. Further, the worm gear 51 transmits the rotation of the drive shaft 6 to the drive sprocket 10M via the drive gear 52 and runs the endless chain 30.

[0045] When it is desired to change the effective length of the endless chain 30, the cylinder device 53C moves the clutch 53F horizontally by a predetermined distance together with the bearing 53E and the bearing case 53B. Thus, the contact between the clutch 53F and the worm gear 51 is released, and the rotation of the drive shaft 6 is cut off.

[0046] The control device controls a plurality of drive transmission devices 5 independently and also controls the rotary motor 4. The control device stops the drive sprocket 10M by operating the drive transmission device 5 to disengage the drive sprocket 10M from the drive shaft 6. Or, the control device operates the drive transmission device 5 to connect the drive sprocket 10M to the drive shaft 6 and rotate the drive sprocket 10M.

[0047] The control device controls the rotary motor 4 so that while one drive sprocket 10M is stopped, the other drive sprockets 10M rotate at a predetermined number of revolutions, thereby linearly moving the upper freewheel 20A between the stopped drive sprocket 10M and the adjacent drive sprocket 10M vertically by a predetermined distance. The control device controls the rotary motor 4 and the drive transmission device 5 so that a plurality of drive sprockets 10M are stopped one by one in order until the running distance of the endless chain 30 in the processing zone ZN becomes a desired length, and a plurality of upper freewheels 20A are linearly moved vertically by a predetermined distance one by one in order.

[0048] The process of changing the running distance of the endless chain 30 in the processing zone ZN without changing the total length and running speed of the endless chain 30 of the food conveyor 1 will be described below. In the following description, the running distance of the endless chain 30 in the processing zone ZN is referred to as the effective length.

[0049] FIG. 2(A) shows the longest effective length, and FIG. 2(B) shows the shortest effective length. When shortening the effective length in FIG. 2(A) to the effective length in FIG. 2(B), the control device stops the rotary motor 4. When the rotary motor 4 is stopped with the power supply input, the power of the rotary motor 4 is still transmitted to a plurality of drive sprockets 10M. Therefore, the force for the rotary motor 4 to stop the rotation of the drive shaft 6 acts on each drive sprocket 10M, and the running of the endless chain 30 stops with the drive sprockets 10M not rotating freely.

[0050] When the endless chain 30 stops running, the control device drives the cylinder device 53C in the drive transmission device 5 including the drive gear 52 connected to the rotating shaft of the first drive sprocket 10M1 to operate the gear switching device 53. As a result, the clutch 53F moves horizontally by a predetermined distance, and the worm gear 51 is disengaged from the drive shaft 6. Further, the drive sprocket 10M connected to the drive gear 52 meshing with the worm gear 51 is disengaged from the drive shaft 6.

[0051] After the control device disengages the worm 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 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 by a predetermined distance corresponding to the maximum stroke L in the vertical direction.

[0052] Referring to FIG. 2(A), when the diameter of the drive sprocket 10M is d, the radius of the upper free wheel 20A is r, and the distance from the drive sprocket 10M to the upper free wheel 20A is α, the effective length is the sum of 26×α, 7×dπ, and 13×rπ. Since the distance that the upper free wheel 20A rises when the drive sprocket 10M makes one rotation is dπ, the rotational speed n of the drive sprocket 10M required for the upper free wheel 20A to linearly move with the maximum stroke L in the vertical direction is L / dπ. The number of the series of drive sprockets 10M, the diameter d of the drive sprocket 10M, the radius r of the upper free wheel 20A, and the maximum stroke L are arbitrary within the range allowed by the design.

[0053] In the food conveyor device 1 according to the embodiment, the minimum unit for adjusting the displacement amount of the free wheel 20 to change the effective length can be the rotation speed n of the drive sprocket 10M or the rotation speed xn of the worm gear 51. The rotation speed xn of the worm gear 51 can be converted from the rotation speed n of the drive sprocket. The effective length is changed by controlling the rotation speed n or the rotation speed xn.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 2(A), the shortening of the effective length is described. With the first drive sprocket 10M1 disconnected from the rotation motor 4, by rotating one or more worm gears 51 that are not disconnected from the drive shaft 6 by xn rotations, the first upper free wheel 20A1 rises by the maximum stroke L. As a result, the effective length is shortened by 2L.

[0055] Thereafter, after disconnecting each drive sprocket 10M from the drive shaft 6 from the second drive sprocket 10M2 to the fourteenth drive sprocket 10M14, another worm gear 51 with effective power is rotated by a predetermined number of rotations xn. The second upper free wheel 20A2 to the thirteenth upper free wheel 20A13 rise by the maximum stroke L. In this way, each time the worm gear 51 that is not disconnected from the drive shaft 6 is rotated by xn rotations, the effective length can be gradually shortened by 2L.

[0056] When the running distance of the endless chain 30 in the processing zone ZN is shortened to the desired effective length, the control device stops the rotation motor 4. The control device drives the cylinder device 53C corresponding to all the drive sprockets 10M that are disconnected from the drive shaft 6 to horizontally move each clutch 53F. As a result, the clutch 53F contacts the worm gear 51, and the worm gear 51 is connected to the drive shaft 6 via the clutch 53F and the key 62.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 2(B), the shortening of the effective length is explained. When increasing the effective length of the food conveyor 1 shown in FIG. 2(B) to the effective length in FIG. 2(A), the drive sprockets from the 14th drive sprocket 10M14 to the 1st drive sprocket 10M1 are sequentially disengaged from the output shaft of the rotary motor 4 or the drive shaft 6. A plurality of upper free wheels 20A are lowered with the maximum stroke L as the limit. At this time, the position of the claw 51F is the same as when shortening the effective length.

[0058] Therefore, the food conveyor 1 of the embodiment can be changed to a desired running distance within the range from the maximum effective length shown in FIG. 2(A) to the minimum effective length shown in FIG. 2(B) by operating the rotary motor and the drive transmission device by the control device. In a food conveyor in which the endless chain runs vertically, like a food conveyor in which the endless chain runs horizontally, the cooking time of the food can be mechanically changed according to the type of food without changing the overall length and running speed of the endless chain.

[0059] The food conveyor 1 shown in FIG. 7 is applied to a steam steaming and cooling device and is the same as the food conveyor 1 shown in FIG. 1 in basic points. In the food conveyor 1 in FIG. 7, a series of driven sprockets 10T are not provided on the return path of the endless chain 30. Also, a series of lower free wheels 20B are not provided, and only a series of free wheels 20C are provided. In FIG. 7, the processing zone ZN is a steaming zone, and the food conveyor 1 can mechanically change the steaming time of the food according to the type of food.

[0060] The food conveyor 1 shown in FIG. 8 is applied to a continuous steam sterilization device and is the same as the food conveyor 1 shown in FIG. 1 in basic points. In the food conveyor 1 in FIG. 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 FIG. 8, the processing zone ZN is a sterilization zone, and the food conveyor 1 can mechanically change the sterilization time of the food according to the type of food.

[0061] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. Within the scope not departing from the technical idea of the present invention, the embodiments can be modified, components can be replaced, or the food conveying device of the present invention can be implemented in combination with various devices of known food machinery. For example, in the food conveying device of the embodiment, a timing belt or a timing chain is provided and connected between the output shaft of the rotating motor and the drive shaft, but the drive shaft can be directly connected to the output shaft of the rotating motor and provided coaxially. Also, 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.

Explanation of Signs

[0062] 1 Food conveying device 2 Transfer device 3 Tray 4 Rotating motor 5 Drive transmission device 6 Drive shaft 7 Angle guide 8 Guide rail 10 Sprocket 10M Drive sprocket 10T Driven sprocket 10G Guide sprocket 20 Freewheel 20A Upper freewheel 20B Lower freewheel 30 Endless chain 51 Worm gear 51F Claw 52 Drive gear 53 Gear switching device 53B Bearing case 53C Cylinder device (clutch drive device)

Claims

1. A food conveyor device for conveying food through a processing zone where the food is processed, comprising: A series of drive sprockets arranged horizontally; A freewheel provided between adjacent drive sprockets of the series of drive sprockets and capable of reciprocating up and down by a predetermined distance; An endless chain wound around the series of drive sprockets and the freewheel and running up and down in the processing zone; A rotary motor for running the endless chain; A drive shaft provided horizontally and rotated by the rotary motor; A worm gear through which the drive shaft penetrates in a non-contact manner and is connected to one of the adjacent drive sprockets; A clutch movably coupled to the drive shaft in the axial direction and configured to engage and disengage from the worm gear; A clutch drive device configured to reciprocate the clutch horizontally to transmit or cut off the rotation of the drive shaft to the one drive sprocket.

2. The food conveyor device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of trays for the food detachably attached to the endless chain.

3. The food conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the processing zone is a heating chamber to which pressurized steam is supplied.

4. The food conveyor device according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper for defining the predetermined distance.

5. The food conveyor device according to claim 4, wherein the freewheel has a rotating shaft, and further comprises a pair of parallel guide rails with the stopper provided at the upper end sandwiching the rotating shaft.

6. The food conveyor device according to claim 1, wherein the clutch drive device includes a cylinder device for reciprocating the clutch along the drive shaft.

7. The food conveyor device according to claim 6, further comprising a bearing attached to the clutch and a bearing case for housing the bearing, wherein the cylinder device has a housing and a piston rod capable of reciprocating horizontally within the housing, and the piston rod is connected to the bearing case.

8. When the clutch driving device brings the clutch into contact with the worm gear, the rotation of the drive shaft is transmitted to the worm gear via the clutch. When the clutch driving device separates the clutch from the worm gear, the worm gear is disengaged from the drive shaft. The food conveying device according to claim 1.

9. The food conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a key fixed to the drive shaft and extending parallel to the drive shaft, wherein the clutch is configured to fit into the key and slide thereon.

10. The food conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a drive gear connected to the one drive sprocket and meshing with the worm gear.

11. The food conveying device according to claim 1, further comprising a control device configured to control the clutch driving device and the rotation motor.

12. A food conveying device for conveying food through a processing zone where the food is processed, a series of drive sprockets arranged horizontally, a series of upper free wheels arranged horizontally lower than the series of drive sprockets, each provided between adjacent ones of the drive sprockets and capable of reciprocating vertically by a predetermined distance, a series of driven sprockets arranged horizontally lower than the series of upper free wheels, a series of lower free wheels arranged horizontally higher than the series of driven sprockets, each provided between adjacent ones of the driven sprockets, an endless chain wound around the series of drive sprockets and the series of upper free wheels and running vertically in the processing zone, and wound around the series of driven sprockets and the series of lower free wheels and running vertically outside the processing zone, a rotation motor for running the endless chain, a drive shaft provided horizontally and rotated by the rotation motor, a plurality of drive transmission devices for transmitting or blocking the rotation of the drive shaft to each of the series of drive sprockets, and a control device for independently controlling the rotation motor and the plurality of drive transmission devices. The food conveying device, wherein the series of upper free wheels are respectively coupled to the series of lower free wheels.

13. Each of the plurality of drive transmission devices includes a worm gear through which the drive shaft penetrates non-contactly and is connected to one of the adjacent drive sprockets, a clutch movably coupled to the drive shaft in the axial direction and configured to engage with and disengage from the worm gear, and a clutch drive device configured to reciprocate the clutch horizontally to transmit or cut off the rotation of the drive shaft to the one drive sprocket. The food conveying device according to claim 12.

14. The food conveying device according to claim 13, wherein the clutch drive device includes a cylinder device that reciprocates the clutch along the drive shaft.

15. The food conveying device according to claim 14, further comprising a bearing attached to the clutch and a bearing case that houses the bearing, wherein the cylinder device has a housing and a piston rod that can reciprocate horizontally within the housing, and the piston rod is connected to the bearing case.

16. When the clutch drive device brings the clutch into contact with the worm gear, the rotation of the drive shaft is transmitted to the worm gear via the clutch. When the clutch drive device separates the clutch from the worm gear, the worm gear is disengaged from the drive shaft. The food conveying device according to claim 15.

17. The food conveying device according to claim 15, further comprising a key fixed to the drive shaft and extending parallel to the drive shaft, wherein the clutch is configured to fit into the key and slide thereon.

18. The food conveying device according to claim 12, further comprising a number of trays for food detachably attached to the endless chain.

19. The food conveying device according to claim 12, wherein the processing zone is a heating chamber to which pressurized steam is supplied.

20. The food conveying device according to claim 12, further comprising a stopper that defines the predetermined distance.

21. The food conveying device according to claim 20, wherein the freewheel has a rotation axis, and further comprises a pair of parallel guide rails that sandwich the rotation axis and are provided with the stopper at the upper end.

22. The food conveying device according to claim 12, further comprising a drive gear that is connected to the one drive sprocket and meshes with the worm gear.

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