Liquid extraction device

Abstract

To shorten a cleaning time of a liquid extraction device.SOLUTION: An oil expression device 1 for producing olive oil from the fruit of olive includes a crusher 3 for crushing the fruit of olive. The crusher 3 includes: a housing-shaped body 19; a hammer 20 that rotates while being accommodated in the body 19; a cylindrical mesh member 21 disposed so as to surround the rotating hammer 20. The hammer 20 crushes the fruit of olive and generates paste. The mesh member 21 sorts the paste from the fruit of olive. The body 19 includes: a maintenance opening 25 for taking the hammer 20 out therefrom; and a maintenance lid 26 for blocking the maintenance opening 25. The maintenance lid 26 is integrated with the mesh member 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid extraction device for extracting liquid from crops. [Background technology]

[0002] Olive oil is widely known as an edible oil. Olive oil production is thriving overseas, particularly in Mediterranean countries, and previously, most of the olive oil consumed in Japan was imported. However, in recent years, interest in olive oil has grown in Japan due to both its unique flavor and its health benefits, and the olive oil market in Japan has grown dramatically. As a result, the amount of olive oil produced domestically in Japan is also increasing.

[0003] In the olive oil production process, harvested olives are placed in a washing tank and crushed in a crusher to produce a paste. The paste is then stirred in a mixer to promote the destruction of the oil-bearing cells contained in the paste, releasing the olive oil from the oil-bearing cells. The olive oil-containing paste is then centrifuged to extract the olive oil, and the extracted olive oil is then filtered. This production process is carried out in a single liquid extraction device, and an example of such a liquid extraction device is the oil press described in Non-Patent Document 1.

[0004] If olive paste remains in the oil press and the same oil press is used to produce olive oil the next day, the olive paste produced from the olives harvested the next day will be contaminated with the olive paste remaining from the previous day. This contamination will lower the quality of the olive oil produced. Therefore, once the extraction of olive oil from the olives harvested that day is completed, the oil press is usually cleaned that same day to remove the remaining olive paste.

[0005] Olive farms overseas are large in scale, harvesting large quantities of olives per day, for example, about 200 kg to about 5,000 kg. Olive oil is produced from about 200 kg of olives at a time, so even if it takes time to clean the oil extraction equipment, the amount of olive oil produced is worth the time.

[0006] Therefore, conventional oil extraction devices have not given much consideration to reducing cleaning time. For example, a screw conveyor is used to transport olives from the cleaning tank to the crusher, but cleaning the screw conveyor requires disassembling part of the oil extraction device. Furthermore, the crusher crushes olives supplied to the main body by rotating hammers stored in a housing-like main body. However, the hammers cannot be removed from the main body, and cleaning the hammers requires the operator to reach inside the main body and wipe off the paste. Furthermore, the mesh member stored in the main body of the crusher and used to separate insufficiently crushed olives from the paste is also fixed to the main body, making removal time-consuming. Furthermore, the stirring blades that rotate in the mixer to stir the paste are fixed to the shaft and cannot be separated, making it difficult to wipe off the paste. In other words, conventional oil extraction devices require a lot of time to clean. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] OLIOMIO PROFY olive oil plant [online]. MORI TEM, [retrieved on 2024-03-19]. Retrieved from the Internet:<URL: https: / / tem.it / wp-content / uploads / 2023 / 04 / 00_CATALOGO-GENERALE-OLIO-2023.pdf > . Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, olive farms in Japan are small in scale and can only harvest a small amount of olives per day. Therefore, if cleaning the oil extraction equipment takes time, the amount of olive oil produced cannot be worth the time spent cleaning, resulting in a decline in productivity.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid extraction device that can reduce cleaning time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the liquid extraction device of the present invention is a liquid extraction device that extracts liquid from crops, and is equipped with a grinder that grinds the crops, the grinder having a housing-like main body, a hammer that is housed in the main body and rotates, and a cylindrical mesh member that is arranged to surround the rotating hammer, the hammer grinds the crops to produce a paste, the mesh member sorts the paste and the crops, the main body has a maintenance opening for removing the hammer and a maintenance lid that covers the maintenance opening, and the maintenance lid is integrated with the mesh member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, the cleaning time of the liquid extraction device can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a flowchart showing the olive oil production process. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an oil expression device as a liquid extraction device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram showing the transport path of olives when olive oil is produced by the oil extraction device of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the transfer machine in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] 3 is a partially enlarged view for explaining a method of connecting the drain of the transfer machine in FIG. 2 to a water pipe and a drain pipe. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the crusher in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the stirrer in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relative relationship between the stirring vessel cover, stirring blades, and stirring blade shafts of the stirrer. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for attaching an agitating impeller to an agitating impeller shaft. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the agitator impeller shaft and its surroundings. [Figure 11] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the lever band in FIG. 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing the olive oil production process. As shown in Fig. 1, in the olive oil production process, first, olives are harvested from olive trees (step S11).

[0014] Next, the harvested olives are all fed into an oil extraction device (Step S12), which serves as a liquid extraction device. In the oil extraction device, the olives are washed (Step S13), and then crushed to produce a paste (Step S14). The paste is then stirred to release olive oil from the oil-bearing cells in the paste (Step S15). The olive oil-containing paste is then centrifuged (Step S16), and the olive oil separated from the paste is filtered (Step S17), completing the production process.

[0015] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an oil expression device 1 as a liquid extraction device according to this embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the transport path of olive fruit when olive oil is produced by the oil expression device 1 of Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, the transport path of the olive fruit is indicated by black arrows.

[0016] The oil extraction apparatus 1 produces olive oil (liquid) from olives. To this end, the oil extraction apparatus 1 includes a transfer device 2, a crusher 3, multiple (e.g., three) agitators 4A-4C, a centrifuge 5, and a filter 6, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The transfer device 2 has a washing tank 7 (described below) that functions as an inlet and transfers the input olives to the crusher 3. The crusher 3 crushes the transferred olives to produce a paste and supplies the generated paste to the agitators 4A-4C. Each of the agitators 4A-4C agitates the supplied paste and supplies the agitated paste to the centrifuge 5. The centrifuge 5 centrifuges the supplied paste to separate the olive oil from the paste and supplies the separated olive oil to the filter 6. The filter 6 filters the supplied olive oil. The configurations of the transfer device 2, the crusher 3, and the agitators 4A-4C will be described in detail below.

[0017] 4 is an external perspective view showing the detailed configuration of the transfer device 2 in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the transfer device 2 includes a cleaning tank 7, a pump 8, a base 9 on which the cleaning tank 7 and the pump 8 are disposed, a conveying path 10 disposed above the cleaning tank 7, a liquid supply pipe 11 connecting the pump 8 and the conveying path 10, and a drain 12 disposed below the conveying path 10. The transfer device 2 further includes a water conduit 13 (water conduit) extending from the drain 12 to the cleaning tank 7, a drain pipe 14 connected to the drain 12, and a cylindrical filter 15 surrounding the lower end of the water conduit 13. In the transfer device 2, cleaning water (hereinafter simply referred to as "cleaning water") is stored in the cleaning tank 7, and harvested olives are placed into the cleaning tank 7. At this time, the olives are immersed in the cleaning water for a primary cleaning. In addition, the olives put into the washing tank 7 are supplied to the conveying path 10, which conveys the olives to the crusher 3, and the transfer machine 2 transfers the olives from the washing tank 7 to the crusher 3.

[0018] In conventional oil extraction machines, when olives are fed from a washing tank to a conveying path in a transfer machine, the olives are transported from the washing tank to the conveying path by a screw conveyor. However, because the screw conveyor transports the olives by rotating a spiral blade, the olives can be crushed by the spiral blade. These crushed olives tend to remain on the screw conveyor, and if they mix with newly fed olives, they will reduce the quality of the olive oil produced. Therefore, it is necessary to clean the screw conveyor to remove the crushed olives.

[0019] On the other hand, in conventional oil expression devices, the screw conveyor is not designed to be disassembled for maintenance, and it is difficult to separate the screw conveyor from the transfer device. In addition, the screw conveyor is heavy, so cleaning it is also difficult. In other words, cleaning the transfer device in conventional oil expression devices takes a lot of time.

[0020] In response to this, the present embodiment does not use a screw conveyor to transport the olives from the washing tank 7 to the conveying path 10, but instead uses pressure-feeding by a pump 8. Specifically, the pump 8 sucks the olives placed in the washing tank 7 together with the cleaning water through a water intake 16 opening at the bottom of the washing tank 7, and then pressure-feeds them to the conveying path 10 via liquid supply piping 11. In other words, when transporting the olives from the washing tank to the conveying path, the olives do not come into contact with conveying tools such as blades, so the olives are not crushed, eliminating the need for cleaning to remove crushed olives.

[0021] The conveying path 10 incorporates a mesh conveyor belt (not shown) that transports the pressurized olives to the introduction path 23 (described below) of the crusher 3. In the conveying path 10, the pressurized olives and washing water are discharged toward the conveyor belt, but because the conveyor belt is mesh-like, the washing water passes through the conveyor belt and only the olives are placed on the conveyor belt. In other words, the olives and washing water are separated in the conveying path 10.

[0022] The separated washing water falls into drain 12 and is collected. Drain 12 allows the collected washing water to flow into washing tank 7 via water conduit 13. That is, in transfer machine 2, the washing water is circulated. In addition, filter 15 surrounds the lower end of water conduit 13 and is therefore positioned between water conduit 13 and washing tank 7, and removes debris and dregs contained in the washing water flowing into washing tank 7 via water conduit 13. This makes it possible to prevent olives newly added to washing tank 7 from being primarily washed with dirty washing water.

[0023] Additionally, on the conveying path 10, at least one, for example, two, shower heads (not shown) and air blowing units (not shown) serving as cleaning devices are provided above the conveyor belt. Each shower head sprays cleaning water onto the olives placed on the conveyor belt and transported to the inlet of the crusher 3. The air blowing unit blows off water adhering to the transported olives, thereby subjecting the olives to a secondary cleaning. As mentioned above, the conveyor belt is mesh-like, so the sprayed cleaning water passes through the conveyor belt and falls into the drain 12 for collection. The collected cleaning water then flows from the drain 12 through the water conduit 13 into the cleaning tank 7. At this time, any debris or dregs contained in the sprayed cleaning water are also removed by the filter 15.

[0024] At this time, not only the cleaning water sucked by the pump 8 but also the cleaning water sprayed from each shower head flows into the cleaning tank 7, and the flowing cleaning water eventually overflows from the cleaning tank 7. As a result, the cleaning water in the cleaning tank 7 is replaced with new water, which prevents the cleaning water from becoming too dirty.

[0025] Furthermore, as the cleaning water is sucked in from the water intake 16, convection occurs inside the cleaning tank 7, and this convection promotes the primary cleaning of the olives. Note that an ultrasonic cleaner may be installed in the cleaning tank 7 to further promote the primary cleaning of the olives.

[0026] In conventional oil extraction devices, when olives are transported by a screw conveyor, washing water is continuously directed toward the screw conveyor to wash the olives, but the washing water is not recycled, so a large amount of washing water is required.In contrast, as described above, the oil extraction device 1 recycles the washing water, so the amount of washing water used can be reduced compared to conventional oil extraction devices.

[0027] Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged view for explaining a method of connecting the drain 12 of the transfer machine 2 in Fig. 2 to the water conduit 13 and the drain pipe 14. Note that Fig. 5 shows a part of the drain 12 and the drain pipe 14 in cross section.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 5, the water conduit 13 and the drain pipe 14 are attached to the drain 12 by a clamping method using clamps 17 and 18, respectively. Therefore, the water conduit 13 and the drain pipe 14 can be removed from the drain 12 without using any tools by loosening the clamps 17 and 18. This reduces the effort required to clean the water conduit 13 and the drain pipe 14.

[0029] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the detailed configuration of the crusher 3 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the crusher 3 has a main body 19 formed of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing and a hammer 20 housed in the main body 19 and rotating. The crusher 3 also has a cylindrical mesh member 21 arranged inside the main body 19 to surround the rotating hammer 20, and a hammer shaft 22 that rotates the hammer 20. The hammer shaft 22 protrudes from one surface of the main body 19 toward the inside. The crusher 3 also has a cylindrical inlet path 23 that introduces olives introduced from the conveying path 10 of the transfer device 2 into the main body 19, and a cylindrical outlet path 24 that supplies the paste produced by crushing the olives with the hammer 20 to each of the mixers 4A to 4C. The inlet path 23 has an inlet port 27 that opens on the surface of the main body 19 from which the hammer shaft 22 protrudes, and the outlet path 24 has an outlet port 28 that opens at the bottom of the main body 19.

[0030] Furthermore, a maintenance opening 25, which faces the tip of the hammer shaft 22 and is large enough to allow the hammer 20 to pass through, is provided in the main body 19 on the surface (hereinafter referred to as the "front surface") opposite the surface from which the hammer shaft 22 protrudes (hereinafter referred to as the "rear surface"). Furthermore, the maintenance opening 25 is closed by a removable maintenance cover 26.

[0031] In crusher 3, olives fed into inlet passage 23 are introduced into main body 19 through inlet 27 and then crushed by rotating hammer 20 to form a paste. This paste adheres to mesh member 21 due to the centrifugal force exerted by hammer 20. Mesh member 21 then allows only the paste to pass through, separating the paste from insufficiently crushed olives. Insufficiently crushed olives remain inside mesh member 21 and are further crushed by hammer 20, ultimately forming a paste. The paste that passes through mesh member 21 then falls by gravity toward outlet 28 and is supplied to each of mixers 4A to 4C via discharge passage 24.

[0032] In the conventional oil expression device, the mesh member of the crusher is fixed to the back of the main body with bolts, so when removing and cleaning the mesh member, the worker needs to access the back of the main body and remove the bolts with a tool, which is time-consuming. Also, the hammer is fixed to the hammer shaft and cannot be removed, so when cleaning the hammer, the worker needs to reach inside the main body and wipe the paste off the hammer, which is also time-consuming. In other words, cleaning the crusher of the conventional oil expression device takes a lot of time.

[0033] In response to this, in this embodiment, the mesh member 21 is attached to and integrated with the maintenance lid 26 rather than to the back surface of the main body 19. Specifically, the mesh member 21 is attached to the maintenance lid 26 with a plurality of bolts 29. This allows an operator to remove the mesh member 21 from the main body 19 simply by removing the maintenance lid 26 from the main body 19, without having to access the back surface of the main body 19, thereby significantly reducing the effort required to remove the mesh member 21.

[0034] A shaft hole 30 is formed in the center of the hammer 20, and the hammer shaft 22 is inserted into the shaft hole 30. This shaft hole 30 is rectangular when viewed along the axial direction of the hammer shaft 22, and the section of the hammer shaft 22 that is inserted into the shaft hole 30 also has a rectangular cross section. As a result, when the hammer shaft 22 rotates, each side surface of the rectangular section of the hammer shaft 22 abuts against each edge of the shaft hole 30, so that the rotation of the hammer shaft 22 is transmitted to the hammer 20.

[0035] A plate-shaped slide key 31 is attached to the hammer shaft 22 closer to the tip of the hammer shaft 22 than the hammer 20. The slide key 31 is provided with an insertion hole 32 (first insertion hole) larger than the diameter of the hammer shaft 22, and an engagement hole 33 (first engagement hole) smaller than the diameter of the hammer shaft 22. The insertion hole 32 and the engagement hole 33 are connected to each other to form a potbelly hole 34 (first potbelly hole).

[0036] When attaching the slide key 31 to the hammer shaft 22, first, the hammer shaft 22 is inserted into the insertion hole 32 of the slide key 31, and then the slide key 31 is moved perpendicular to the axial direction of the hammer shaft 22. At this time, the hammer shaft 22 moves from the insertion hole 32 toward the engagement hole 33 in the potbelly hole 34, and eventually an engagement groove 35 (first engagement groove) formed at the tip of the hammer shaft 22 engages with the edge of the engagement hole 33. Then, with the edge of the engagement hole 33 of the slide key 31 engaged with the engagement groove 35 of the hammer shaft 22, a bolt 36 (fastening member) is threadedly engaged with a threaded hole 38 of the hammer 20 through a through hole 37 of the slide key 31. This fixes the slide key 31 to the hammer 20. That is, the engagement between the slide key 31 and the tip of the hammer shaft 22 and the fixation of the slide key 31 to the hammer 20 fixes the hammer 20 to the hammer shaft 22 by the slide key 31. Furthermore, since the required tightening torque for bolt 36 is small and the head of bolt 36 is formed relatively large, no tools are required to screw (tighten) bolt 36, and workers can install and remove bolt 36 by hand.

[0037] When the bolt 36 is removed, the slide key 31 is released from the fixation of the hammer 20. Furthermore, when the slide key 31 is moved so that the hammer shaft 22 moves from the engagement hole 33 toward the insertion hole 32 in the potbelly hole 34, the engagement between the slide key 31 and the hammer shaft 22 is released. This allows the hammer 20 to be removed from the hammer shaft 22. That is, when cleaning the hammer 20, the hammer 20 can be removed from the hammer shaft 22 and taken out to the outside of the main body 19 through the maintenance opening 25. As a result, it is no longer necessary for an operator to reach inside the main body 19 and wipe off the paste from the hammer 20 in order to clean it, and the effort required to clean the hammer 20 can be significantly reduced.

[0038] As described above, the maintenance opening 25 faces the tip of the hammer shaft 22 and is large enough to allow the hammer 20 to pass through. Therefore, an operator can easily access the slide key 31 that engages with the tip of the hammer shaft 22 and the bolt 36 that secures the slide key 31 to the hammer 20 through the maintenance opening 25. This also reduces the effort required to remove the hammer 20 from the hammer shaft 22.

[0039] Incidentally, when the hammer 20 rotates, there is a slight possibility that the bolt 36 may become loose due to minute vibrations or the like and fall out of the threaded hole 38 of the hammer 20. If the fallen bolt 36 comes into contact with the rotating hammer 20, the bolt 36 will be urged by the hammer 20 and fly around inside the main body 19, damaging various parts of the crusher 3.

[0040] In this embodiment, to address this, the hammer 20 has a cylindrical portion 39 extending toward the maintenance opening 25, and the threaded hole 38 is disposed inside the cylindrical portion 39. Furthermore, when the maintenance opening 25 is closed by the maintenance lid 26, the gap between the tip of the cylindrical portion 39 and the maintenance lid 26 is set to be smaller than the diameter of the head of the bolt 36. As a result, even if the bolt 36 falls out of the threaded hole 38, the bolt 36 is retained in the internal space of the cylindrical portion 39 formed by the cylindrical portion 39 and the maintenance lid 26, and does not fly out of the cylindrical portion 39. As a result, contact between the fallen bolt 36 and the rotating hammer 20 is prevented, and damage to various parts of the crusher 3 can be prevented.

[0041] In the crusher 3, when the hammer 20 rotates, centrifugal force acts on the slide key 31 from the engagement hole 33 toward the insertion hole 32. As a result, even if the bolt 36 falls off when the hammer 20 rotates, the edge of the engagement hole 33 of the slide key 31 continues to engage with the engagement groove 35 of the hammer shaft 22, so the slide key 31 does not come off the hammer shaft 22. As a result, even if the bolt 36 falls off, the hammer 20 does not come off the hammer shaft 22.

[0042] Furthermore, in the crusher 3, the maintenance lid 26 is attached to the main body 19 by a clamping method. Specifically, the maintenance lid 26 is attached to the main body 19 by swing bolts 40 whose bolt-shaped engaging portions swing around a rotation axis perpendicular to the axial direction of the engaging portions. The swing bolts 40 are arranged in two locations on the left and right sides of the main body 19, and when attaching the maintenance lid 26 to the main body 19, the engaging portions of each swing bolt 40 are swung around the rotation axis to engage with two bifurcated engaged portions 41 protruding from the left and right sides of the maintenance lid 26.

[0043] Furthermore, by swinging the engaging portions of the swing bolts 40 around the rotation axis and separating them from the engaged portions 41 of the maintenance lid 26, the maintenance lid 26 can be removed from the main body 19. In other words, the maintenance lid 26 can be attached to and detached from the main body 19 without using any tools, which reduces the effort required to remove the maintenance lid 26 from the main body 19 to clean the hammer 20 or the inside of the main body 19.

[0044] In addition, instead of using a swing bolt 40, other clamping devices can be used to attach the maintenance lid 26 to the main body 19, such as a lever-type clamper that can control engagement with the engaged portion 41 in conjunction with the operation of the lever.

[0045] Furthermore, the oil expression apparatus 1 includes only one grinder 3, but the grinder 3 is configured to be movable relative to each of the agitators 4A to 4C (see the outline arrows in FIG. 3). This allows, for example, the grinder 3 to move toward the agitator 4B and supply paste to the agitator 4B while the paste is being agitated in the agitator 4A. In other words, in the oil expression apparatus 1, the agitators 4A to 4C share one grinder 3, so there is no need to include the same number of grinders 3 as the agitators 4A to 4C, which simplifies the configuration of the oil expression apparatus 1 and reduces costs.

[0046] FIG. 7 is an external perspective view showing the detailed configuration of the agitator 4A in FIG. 2. Since the agitators 4A to 4C all have the same configuration, only the configuration of the agitator 4A will be described here. As shown in FIG. 7, the agitator 4A has a substantially cylindrical agitation tank 42 into which paste is poured, and an agitation tank cover 43 that functions as a lid for the agitation tank 42. The interior of the agitation tank 42 contains a plurality of, for example, four agitation blades 44A to 44D, and an agitation blade shaft 45 to which the agitation blades 44A to 44D are attached (see FIG. 8). The agitation blades 44A to 44D are attached to the agitation blade shaft 45 in this order from the top to the bottom.

[0047] When housed inside the stirring tank 42, the impeller shaft 45 extends along the central axis of the stirring tank 42 and rotates around the central axis of the stirring tank 42. As a result, the impeller shaft 45 rotates the impellers 44A-44D inside the stirring tank 42. The rotating impellers 44A-44D then stir the paste, releasing olive oil from the oil-bearing cells in the paste. The stirred paste is transferred to the centrifuge 5 via the transfer pipe 46.

[0048] In the agitator 4A, the agitation tank cover 43 is placed on top of the agitation tank 42, and the lever band 47 (see FIG. 11) is tightened to restrain and attach the agitation tank cover 43 to the agitation tank 42. Therefore, the agitation tank cover 43 can be removed by loosening the lever band 47, which reduces the effort required to remove the agitation tank cover 43 from the agitation tank 42 to clean the inside of the agitation tank 42.

[0049] 8, in the agitator 4A, the agitating impeller shaft 45 is attached to the agitating tank cover 43. Therefore, the agitating impeller shaft 45 and the agitating impellers 44A to 44D can be removed from inside the agitating tank 42 simply by removing the agitating tank cover 43. This reduces the effort required to remove the agitating impeller shaft 45 and the agitating impellers 44A to 44D to clean the inside of the agitating tank 42.

[0050] Furthermore, the impeller shaft 45 has a coupling 48 at its upper end (end) that protrudes from the agitator tank cover 43. The coupling 48 is connected to a motor (not shown) that rotates the impeller shaft 45 via a clutch (not shown). The motor is also configured to be movable upward away from the agitator tank 42. In other words, because the motor is connected to the impeller shaft 45 only by the coupling 48, the connection between the motor and the impeller shaft 45 can be released simply by moving the motor upward. This prevents the connection between the motor and the impeller shaft 45 from hindering removal of the agitator tank cover 43, and no tools are required to release the connection between the motor and the impeller shaft 45. This reduces the effort required to remove the agitator tank cover 43 to clean the interior of the agitator tank 42.

[0051] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a method for attaching agitator impellers 44A to 44D on agitator impeller shaft 45. As shown in FIG. 9, agitator impeller shaft 45 is provided with a plurality of engagement pins 49 along the axial direction, protruding in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of agitator impeller shaft 45. Agitator impeller 44A is further provided with insertion holes 50 (second insertion holes) larger in diameter than engagement pins 49, and engagement holes 51 (second engagement holes) smaller in diameter than engagement pins 49. Insertion holes 50 and engagement holes 51 are connected to each other to form potbelly holes 52 (second potbelly holes). Two potbelly holes 52 are arranged on agitator impeller 44A. A lock nut 53 is threadedly engaged with agitator impeller shaft 45, and is movable in the axial direction of agitator impeller shaft 45 by rotation.

[0052] When attaching the agitator impeller 44A to the agitator impeller shaft 45, first, the engagement pin 49 is inserted through the insertion hole 50 of the agitator impeller 44A, and then the lock nut 53 is rotated to move the agitator impeller 44A toward the lower end of the agitator impeller shaft 45 (see the dashed arrow in the figure). At this time, the lock nut 53 presses against the agitator impeller 44A, moving the agitator impeller 44A toward the lower end of the agitator impeller shaft 45 (see the black arrow in the figure). As a result, the engagement pin 49 moves relatively from the insertion hole 50 toward the engagement hole 51 in the potbelly hole 52, and eventually the engagement groove 55 (second engagement groove) formed in the engagement pin 49 engages with the edge of the engagement hole 51. As a result, movement of the agitator impeller 44A in both the axial direction of the agitator impeller shaft 45 and the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the agitator impeller shaft 45 is restricted. This allows the agitator impeller 44A to be attached to the agitator impeller shaft 45 without the use of tools.

[0053] Furthermore, when lock nut 53 is rotated and moved toward the upper end of agitator impeller shaft 45, engagement groove 55 of engagement pin 49 is disengaged from the edge of engagement hole 51 of potbelly hole 52. At this time, when agitator impeller 44A is moved toward the upper end of agitator impeller shaft 45, engagement pin 49 moves relatively from engagement hole 51 toward insertion hole 50 in potbelly hole 52, disengaging engagement between the edge of engagement hole 51 and engagement groove 55 of engagement pin 49. Thereafter, agitator impeller 44A is moved in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of agitator impeller shaft 45. However, because insertion hole 50 is larger in diameter than engagement pin 49, engagement pin 49 does not interfere with the edge of insertion hole 50, and agitator impeller 44A can be separated from agitator impeller shaft 45. This allows agitator impeller 44A to be removed from agitator impeller shaft 45 without using tools.

[0054] Agitating blades 44B to 44D are also provided with two potbellied holes 52 similar to those of agitating blade 44A. Therefore, in the manner described above, agitating blades 44B to 44D can each be attached to agitating blade shaft 45 without using a tool, and agitating blades 44B to 44D can each be detached from agitating blade shaft 45 without using a tool.

[0055] However, when attaching each of agitating blades 44B to 44D to agitating blade shaft 45, lock nut 53 does not directly press each of agitating blades 44B to 44D. For example, lock nut 53 presses agitating blade 44B toward the lower end of agitating blade shaft 45 via agitating blade 44A. Lock nut 53 also presses agitating blade 44C toward the lower end of agitating blade shaft 45 via agitating blades 44A and 44B. Furthermore, lock nut 53 presses agitating blade 44D toward the lower end of agitating blade shaft 45 via agitating blades 44A to 44C.

[0056] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the agitator impeller shaft 45 and its surroundings. As shown in Fig. 10, the agitator impeller shaft 45 is attached to the agitator vessel cover 43 via a bearing 54. This allows the agitator impeller shaft 45 to rotate relatively to the agitator vessel cover 43.

[0057] Conventional oil extraction devices only have one agitator, and the agitator's agitator tank has a volume suitable for agitating a large amount of olive paste, for example, about 200 kg / day to about 5,000 kg / day, whose harvest amount varies from day to day. Therefore, with conventional oil extraction devices, olive oil production could not begin until the amount of harvested olives reached about 200 kg.

[0058] On the other hand, olive farms in Japan are small in scale and can only harvest a small amount of olives per day, for example, about 40 kg to 70 kg, so if conventional oil extraction equipment is used, it can take several days from harvest to olive oil production. However, if the olives are not extracted within 24 hours of harvest, the quality of the olive oil produced from the olives will deteriorate, so there is a problem that the quality of the olive oil will deteriorate when conventional oil extraction equipment is used.

[0059] In this embodiment, the volume of each mixing tank 42 of mixers 4A to 4C is set to a volume appropriate for mixing approximately 40 kg to 70 kg of olive paste. This allows olive oil to be produced from the olives harvested on the same day, even if only a small amount of olives can be harvested each day, preventing deterioration in the quality of the olive oil.

[0060] Furthermore, in this embodiment, three agitators 4A to 4C are provided instead of one. Therefore, if a large amount of olives can be harvested in a day, for example, after about 40 kg of olives are harvested, olive oil production can immediately begin using agitator 4A. Then, while olive oil is being produced using agitator 4A, olive oil production can be started using agitator 4B from the approximately 40 kg of olives harvested. In other words, olive oil can be produced in small portions from the harvested olives, resulting in fresher olive oil.

[0061] Furthermore, for example, while olive oil is being produced using the agitator 4C, the agitator 4A that is not being used for the production of olive oil can be cleaned, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency of the oil expression apparatus 1 and reducing the working hours of the workers.

[0062] The number of agitators 4 provided in the oil extraction device 1 is not limited to three, and can be increased or decreased depending on the scale of the olive farm that uses the oil extraction device 1.

[0063] According to the oil expression device 1 of this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate the need for cleaning the transfer device 2 to remove crushed olives, and further reduce the labor required to clean the water conduit 13 and drain pipe 14. Furthermore, in the crusher 3, it is possible to significantly reduce the labor required to remove the mesh member 21 and clean the hammers 20, and it is possible to reduce the labor required to remove the maintenance cover 26 and to remove the hammers 20 from the hammer shafts 22. Furthermore, in the agitators 4A to 4C, it is possible to reduce the labor required to remove the agitator tank cover 43 from the agitator tank 42 and to remove the agitator blade shaft 45 and the agitator blades 44A to 44D. As described above, the oil expression device 1 can shorten cleaning time.

[0064] Next, examples and comparative examples of the present invention will be described. First, a comparative example of the present invention will be described. In the comparative example, olive oil was produced using a conventional oil extraction device, a model OLIOMIO PROFY200 manufactured by MORI TEM. Olives were harvested and sorted at a rate of 125 kg per hour, allowing olive oil production to begin two hours after harvesting began. The oxidation level of the olive oil produced in this comparative example was 0.5%. Since the oxidation level of high-quality extra virgin olive oil is defined as 0.8% or less, the olive oil produced in the comparative example was found to be of high quality.

[0065] In the comparative example, after olive oil production, the screw conveyor of the transfer device in the conventional oil extraction device was washed with a water stream to remove any remaining crushed olives, and then the screw conveyor was dewatered.

[0066] The bolts fastening the maintenance lid of the crusher were then loosened with a tool, and the maintenance lid was removed from the main body. Furthermore, after accessing the back of the main body, the bolts fastening the mesh member were loosened with a tool, and the mesh member was also removed from the main body. The removed maintenance lid and mesh member were then washed with a stream of water to remove any adhering paste. The paste was also wiped off from the hammer by inserting a hand into the inside of the main body. The mesh member and maintenance lid were then attached to the main body using a tool.

[0067] Furthermore, since the agitator blades and the agitator blade shafts cannot be removed from the agitator tank, the paste was wiped off from the agitator blades and the agitator blade shafts by inserting a hand into the agitator tank through the maintenance opening.

[0068] The cleaning time for the conventional oil press after the production of olive oil described above took approximately 125 minutes and required 996 L of water.

[0069] Next, an example of the present invention will be described. In this example, olive oil was produced using an oil expression device 1 equipped with three agitators 4A to 4C as shown in Figure 2. In this example, olives were harvested and sorted at a rate of 125 kg per hour, but the olives began to be fed into the oil expression device 1 one hour after the start of harvesting.

[0070] During the first hour after the start of feeding, 40 kg of olive fruit paste was stirred in mixer 4A to produce olive oil, and at the same time, 40 kg of olive fruit paste was stirred in mixer 4B to produce olive oil.

[0071] For the next hour, 40 kg and 40 kg of olive paste were stirred in mixers 4A and 4B, respectively, to produce olive oil. Then, for the next hour, 50 kg, 50 kg, and 40 kg of olive paste were stirred in mixers 4A, 4B, and 4C, respectively, to produce olive oil. After that, for the next four hours, olive oil was produced at the same pace using mixers 4A, 4B, and 4C.

[0072] Then, seven hours after the olives were first introduced into the oil extraction device 1, 70 kg and 70 kg of olive paste were stirred in the mixers 4A and 4B, respectively, for one hour to produce olive oil.

[0073] The oxidation degree of the olive oil produced in this example was also 0.5%, indicating that the olive oil produced in this example was also of high quality.

[0074] In the example, after olive oil was produced, in a conventional oil extraction device 1, the water was drained from the washing tank 7 of the transfer machine 2, dirt in the washing tank 7 was washed away with a shower, the scale in the washing tank 7 was wiped off, and the filter 15 was removed from the washing tank 7 to remove debris and dregs inside the filter 15.

[0075] Thereafter, in the crusher 3, the engaging portions of the two swing bolts 40 were swung away from the respective engaged portions 41 of the maintenance lid 26, and the maintenance lid 26 was removed from the main body 19. At this time, the mesh member 21 could be removed from the main body 19 together with the maintenance lid 26.

[0076] Next, the inside of the main body 19 was accessed, and the bolt 36 was removed by hand. Furthermore, the slide key 31 was moved so that the hammer shaft 22 moved from the engagement hole 33 toward the insertion hole 32 in the potbelly hole 34. Then, the engagement between the slide key 31 and the hammer shaft 22 was released, and the hammer 20 was removed from the hammer shaft 22. Furthermore, the removed maintenance lid 26 (mesh member 21) and hammer 20 were washed with a water stream to remove any adhering paste, and then dried with an air blower. Thereafter, the hammer 20 was attached to the hammer shaft 22, and the maintenance lid 26 was attached to the main body 19.

[0077] Next, in each of the agitators 4A to 4C, the lever band 47 was loosened to remove the agitator tank cover 43 from the agitator tank 42, and the lock nut 53 of the agitator tank cover 43 was rotated to move it toward the upper end of the agitator impeller shaft 45. Furthermore, the agitator impellers 44A to 44D were moved toward the upper end of the agitator impeller shaft 45, disengaging the edges of the engagement holes 51 from the engagement grooves 55 of the engagement pins 49, and the agitator impellers 44A to 44D were removed from the agitator impeller shaft 45. The removed agitator tank cover 43 (agitator impeller shaft 45) and the agitator impellers 44A to 44D were then washed with a water stream to remove any adhering paste, and then dried with an air blower. The agitator impellers 44A to 44D were then attached to the agitator impeller shaft 45, and the agitator tank cover 43 was attached to the agitator tank 42 with the lever band 47.

[0078] The time required to clean the conventional oil extraction device after producing the above-mentioned olive oil was approximately 65 minutes, and the amount of water used was 336 L. In other words, it was found that the cleaning time was shorter and the amount of water used was less in the Example than in the Comparative Example.

[0079] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0080] For example, the oil extraction apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment produces olive oil from olives. However, the oil extraction apparatus 1 can also be used to extract liquid from other crops. For example, the oil extraction apparatus 1 can be used to extract grape juice from grapes when producing wine, or to extract limonene from orange peels.

[0081] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configuration. (Configuration 1) A liquid extraction device for extracting liquid from crops, comprising a grinder for grinding the crops, the grinder having a housing-like main body, a hammer that is housed in the main body and rotates, and a cylindrical mesh member that is arranged to surround the rotating hammer, the hammer grinds the crops to produce a paste, the mesh member sorts the paste and the crops, the main body has a maintenance opening for removing the hammer and a maintenance lid that covers the maintenance opening, and the maintenance lid is integrated with the mesh member. (Configuration 2) The liquid extractor according to configuration 1, wherein the maintenance lid is attached to the main body by a clamping method. (Configuration 3) The liquid extractor according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the maintenance cover is attached to the main body by a swing bolt. (Configuration 4) The liquid extraction device according to any one of Configurations 1 to 4, wherein the crusher has a hammer shaft that rotates the hammer, the hammer and a plate-shaped slide key are attached to the hammer shaft in this order toward the tip of the hammer shaft, the plate-shaped slide key is provided with a first insertion hole that is larger than the diameter of the hammer shaft and a first engagement hole that is smaller than the diameter of the hammer shaft, the first insertion hole and the first engagement hole are connected to each other to form a first potbelly hole, and when the plate-shaped slide key is attached to the hammer shaft, the hammer shaft is inserted into the first insertion hole and then the plate-shaped slide key is moved perpendicular to the axial direction of the hammer shaft to engage a first engagement groove formed in the hammer shaft with the edge of the first engagement hole. (Configuration 5) The liquid extraction device described in Configuration 4, characterized in that the plate-shaped slide key attached to the hammer shaft is fixed to the hammer by a fastening member, and the fastening member is accessible through the maintenance opening. (Configuration 6) The liquid extraction device described in Configuration 5, characterized in that the hammer has a cylindrical portion extending toward the maintenance opening, and the fastening member is arranged inside the cylindrical portion. (Configuration 7) A liquid extraction device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, further comprising a transfer machine for transferring the crop to the crusher, the transfer machine having a washing tank for storing water for washing, and a pump for pressure-transporting the crop and the washing water together that have been placed in the washing tank. (Configuration 8) The liquid extraction device according to Configuration 7, wherein the transfer machine further includes a conveying path for conveying the pressurized crop to the crusher, a water conduit for flowing the pressurized washing water separated from the crop in the conveying path into the washing tank, and a filter disposed between the water conduit and the washing tank. (Configuration 9) The liquid extraction device according to Configuration 8, characterized in that the conveying path has a washer that sprays water to wash the transported crops, and the water sprayed from the washer flows into the washing tank through the water conduit. (Configuration 10) A liquid extraction device according to Configuration 9, characterized in that a drain for collecting water sprayed from the washer is provided below the conveying path, and the water conduit is connected to the drain by a clamping method. (Configuration 11) A liquid extraction apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 10, further comprising at least one agitator for agitating the paste, the agitator having a stirring tank into which the paste is poured, a plurality of agitator blades housed in the stirring tank, a stirring blade shaft to which each of the agitator blades is attached and which rotates each of the agitator blades inside the stirring tank, and a stirring tank cover which functions as a lid for the stirring tank, the stirring tank cover being detachable from the stirring tank, and the agitator blade shaft being attached to the stirring tank cover. (Configuration 12) A liquid extraction apparatus according to Configuration 11, characterized in that the end of the shaft for the stirring blade protrudes outside the stirring tank and has a coupling, the coupling is connected to a motor via a clutch, and the motor is configured to be movable away from the stirring tank. (Configuration 13) The liquid extraction apparatus according to Configuration 11 or 12, wherein the stirring vessel cover is attached to the stirring vessel by a lever band. (Configuration 14) The liquid extraction apparatus according to any one of configurations 11 to 13, characterized in that the agitator impeller shaft is provided with an engagement pin that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the agitator impeller shaft, a nut that can move in the axial direction of the agitator impeller shaft by rotating is screwed onto the agitator impeller shaft, each agitator impeller is provided with a second insertion hole that is larger than the diameter of the engagement pin and a second engagement hole that is smaller than the diameter of the engagement pin, the second insertion hole and the second engagement hole are connected to each other to form a second potbelly hole, when each agitator impeller is attached to the agitator impeller shaft, the engagement pin is inserted into the second insertion hole and then the nut is rotated to move it in the axial direction of the agitator impeller shaft, and each agitator impeller is moved in the axial direction of the agitator impeller shaft by the nut, so that the second engagement groove formed in the engagement pin engages with the edge of the second engagement hole. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1. Oil extraction equipment 2 Transfer machine 3. Crusher 4A~4C Stirrer 7 Cleaning tank 8. Pump 10 Conveyor path 13 Water pipe 15 filters 12 Drain 17 Clamp 19 Main Unit 20 Hammer 21 Mesh material 22 Hammer shaft 25 Maintenance opening 26 Maintenance lid 31 Slide key 32,50 Through hole 33,51 Engagement hole 34,52 Daruma Cave 35 Engagement groove 36 volts 39 Cylindrical part 40 Swing Bolt 42 Mixing tank 43 Mixing tank cover 44A~44D Mixing blades 45 Mixing blade shaft 47 Lever band 48 Coupling 49 Engagement pin 53 Lock nut

Claims

1. A liquid extraction device for extracting liquid from crops, comprising: A crusher for crushing the crop is provided, The crusher includes a housing-like main body, a hammer that is accommodated in the main body and rotates, and a cylindrical mesh member that is arranged to surround the rotating hammer, the hammer crushes the crop to produce a paste; The mesh member separates the paste from the crop, the main body has a maintenance opening for removing the hammer and a maintenance lid for closing the maintenance opening, A liquid extraction device characterized in that the maintenance lid is integrated with the mesh member.

2. 2. The liquid extracting device according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance cover is attached to the main body by a clamping method.

3. 3. The liquid extractor according to claim 2, wherein the maintenance cover is attached to the main body by a swing bolt.

4. The crusher has a hammer shaft that rotates the hammer, The hammer and a plate-shaped slide key are attached to the hammer shaft in this order toward the tip of the hammer shaft, the plate-shaped slide key is provided with a first insertion hole larger than the diameter of the hammer shaft and a first engagement hole smaller than the diameter of the hammer shaft, the first insertion hole and the first engagement hole being connected to each other to form a first potbelly hole; 2. The liquid extraction device according to claim 1, wherein when attaching the plate-shaped slide key to the hammer shaft, the hammer shaft is inserted into the first insertion hole, and then the plate-shaped slide key is moved perpendicular to the axial direction of the hammer shaft to engage a first engagement groove formed in the hammer shaft with the edge of the first engagement hole.

5. The plate-shaped slide key attached to the hammer shaft is fixed to the hammer by a fastening member, The liquid extraction device of claim 4, wherein the fasteners are accessible through the maintenance opening.

6. The hammer has a cylindrical portion extending toward the maintenance opening, The liquid extractor according to claim 5, wherein the fastening member is disposed inside the cylindrical portion.

7. Further comprising a transporter for transporting the crop to the crusher; 2. The liquid extraction device according to claim 1, wherein the transfer device comprises a washing tank for storing washing water, and a pump for pumping the crops and the washing water together that have been placed in the washing tank.

8. 8. The liquid extraction apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transfer machine further comprises a conveying path for conveying the pressurized crop to the crusher, a water conduit for introducing the pressurized washing water separated from the crop in the conveying path into the washing tank, and a filter disposed between the water conduit and the washing tank.

9. The conveying path has a washer that sprays water to wash the conveyed crops, 9. The liquid extracting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the water jetted from the washer flows into the washing tank through the water conduit.

10. a drain for collecting water sprayed from the washer is provided below the transport path; 10. The liquid extractor of claim 9, wherein the water conduit is connected to the drain by a clamping mechanism.

11. Further, at least one stirrer is provided to stir the paste; The agitator includes a stirring tank into which the paste is introduced, a plurality of stirring blades housed in the stirring tank, a stirring blade shaft to which each of the stirring blades is attached and which rotates each of the stirring blades inside the stirring tank, and an agitation tank cover which functions as a lid for the stirring tank; 2. The liquid extraction device according to claim 1, wherein the stirring vessel cover is detachable from the stirring vessel, and the stirring blade shaft is attached to the stirring vessel cover.

12. an end of the shaft for the agitating blade protrudes to the outside of the agitating tank and has a coupling; The coupling is connected to a motor via a clutch, The liquid extraction apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the motor is configured to be movable away from the stirring vessel.

13. The liquid extraction device according to claim 11, wherein the stirring vessel cover is attached to the stirring vessel by a lever band.

14. The agitating impeller shaft is provided with an engagement pin that protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the agitating impeller shaft, a nut is threadedly engaged with the agitating impeller shaft, the nut being movable in the axial direction of the agitating impeller shaft by rotation; Each of the stirring blades is provided with a second insertion hole larger than the diameter of the engagement pin and a second engagement hole smaller than the diameter of the engagement pin, and the second insertion hole and the second engagement hole are connected to each other to form a second potbelly hole, The liquid extraction device described in claim 11, characterized in that when each of the agitator blades is attached to the agitator blade shaft, the engagement pin is inserted into the second insertion hole, and then the nut is rotated to move the agitator blade in the axial direction of the agitator blade shaft, and the nut moves each of the agitator blades in the axial direction of the agitator blade shaft to engage the second engagement groove formed in the engagement pin with the edge of the second engagement hole.

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