Apparatus for cooling steamed food

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for cooling a steamed material, capable of smoothly and quickly cooling the steamed material to a prescribed temperature and preventing the clogging of a net-like belt of a conveyor with the steamed material.SOLUTION: The cooling device 1 for the steamed object includes at least a steamed object receiving port 14 for receiving the steamed object after the steaming treatment, a steamed object discharge port 15 for discharging the steamed object after the cooling treatment, and a belt conveyor 10 for conveying the steamed object received from the steamed object receiving port 14 to the steamed object discharge port 15. A net-like belt 13 is used, a steamed material is loaded on the net-like belt 13 and conveyed, a crushing means 40 is arranged above the net-like belt 13 and the steamed material loaded and conveyed is crushed, and an air jet nozzle 50 is arranged upward corresponding to the position of the crushing means 40 and air is blown up from below the net-like belt 13 through the net-like belt 13 to the steamed material crushed by the crushing means 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device for steamed food. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, the process of producing brewed products includes a steaming process in which grains such as rice and wheat, beans such as soybeans, and potatoes such as sweet potatoes are used as raw materials for brewing, in which these brewing raw materials are steamed or boiled, followed by a cooling process in which the steamed product is cooled to a predetermined temperature, and a further process in which brewing fungi such as koji mold are used. In the cooling treatment step, the steamed product, which has been heated to nearly 100°C, must be cooled quickly to the temperature required for the next step. For example, if the preferred propagation environment for koji mold is 30°C, the steamed product must be cooled quickly from a temperature of around 100°C to a temperature of around 30°C. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-24200 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 62-30600 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a continuous steaming and cooling device for sweet potatoes. The continuous cooling device (2) is configured to cool steamed sweet potatoes by transporting them on the crossbars of a cooling conveyor (12), supplying air from a cooling fan (19) from below the cooling conveyor (12), and spraying water from a watering nozzle (18) from above the cooling conveyor (12). However, in the case of the invention of Patent Document 1, a combination of air blowing and water spraying is essential as a means for cooling the steamed food in a short time, which causes problems such as water spraying. The above-mentioned Patent Document 2 discloses a continuous sweet potato steaming and cooling device. The cooling device (4) is configured to have an air outlet (11) and an exhaust duct (12) so that cooling air flows from above to below the conveyor (5) while steamed sweet potatoes are placed and transported on the endless conveyor (5). However, in the case of the invention of Patent Document 2, since the cooling air is sucked from above to below the endless conveyor (5), there is a problem that the mesh of the conveyor carrying the food to be steamed can easily become clogged, causing poor cooling. However, when the food to be steamed is small and viscous, such as steamed pressed whole soybeans, using a net-like belt with small holes (large mesh) can easily cause clogging due to the viscosity.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide a cooling device for steamed food that can cool steamed food smoothly and quickly to a predetermined temperature and effectively prevent the steamed food from clogging the net-shaped belt conveyor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the steamed product cooling device of the present invention is a steamed product cooling device comprising at least a steamed product receiving port for receiving the steamed product after the steaming treatment, a steamed product discharge port for discharging the steamed product after the cooling treatment, and a belt conveyor for transporting the steamed product received from the steamed product receiving port to the steamed product discharge port. A first feature of the present invention is that a net-shaped belt is used as the belt of the belt conveyor, and the steamed food is loaded onto the net-shaped belt and transported, and a crushing means is arranged above the net-shaped belt to crush the steamed food being loaded and transported, and an air ejection nozzle is arranged below the net-shaped belt in a position corresponding to the crushing means and faces upward, so that air is blown up from below, through the net-shaped belt, onto the steamed food being crushed by the crushing means. In addition to the first feature described above, the cooling device for steamed food of the present invention has a second feature in that a pad plate is arranged below the net-like belt to which pressure from the crushing means is applied, and the pad plate prevents deformation of the net-like belt due to the pressure of the crushing means, and the pad plate is provided with ventilation openings that ensure that air ejected from the air ejection nozzles is blown upward below the crushing means through the net-like belt. In addition to the second feature, the cooling device for steamed material of the present invention has a third feature in that the crushing means are arranged at one to multiple locations in the longitudinal direction of the net-like belt and at predetermined intervals across the width of the net-like belt, and the air ejection nozzles are arranged at one to multiple locations in the longitudinal direction of the net-like belt and at predetermined intervals across the width of the net-like belt, corresponding to each crushing means. In addition to the third feature, the cooling device for steamed material of the present invention has a fourth feature in that each of the crushing means arranged at predetermined intervals across the width of the net-like belt comprises a common rotary drive shaft that extends across the width of the net-like belt, and a plurality of rod-shaped bodies that are attached radially to the common rotary drive shaft at predetermined intervals. Furthermore, in addition to the features described in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the cooling device for steamed products of the present invention has a fifth feature in that the air ejected from the air ejection nozzle is configured to be compressed air, dry air, or a combination of compressed air and dry air. Furthermore, in addition to the features described in any one of the first to fourth above, the cooling device for steamed material of the present invention has a sixth feature in that it is configured to blow dry air from the downstream side to the upstream side of the conveyance onto the upper surface of the steamed material being conveyed, and to forcibly exhaust air on the upstream side of the conveyance. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the steamed material cooling device of claim 1, the steamed material enters the cooling device through the steamed material receiving port, is transported in a loaded state on the belt conveyor, and is discharged from the steamed material discharge port. By using a net-like belt as the belt of the belt conveyor, it is possible to transport steamed food ingredients with relatively small particles without them falling. Furthermore, according to the cooling device of claim 1, a crushing means is disposed above the net-like belt to crush the steamed material being conveyed in a layered manner. Therefore, the crushing means can crush the lumps of steamed material being conveyed, thereby generating a large number of voids. Furthermore, an air ejection nozzle is disposed below the net-shaped belt facing upward in correspondence with the position of the agitation means, and air is blown up from below through the net-shaped belt onto the steamed material being agitated by the agitation means. Thus, the air ejected from this air ejection nozzle hits the steamed material that has been agitated by the agitation means to create numerous voids, thereby further increasing the voids in the steamed material, quickly reducing the temperature of the steamed material, and quickly removing moisture and steam from the steamed material. In addition, the steamed material below the crushing means tends to be subject to the pressure of the crushing means and to become clogged in the net-like belt. However, since the air ejection nozzles are positioned below the crushing means and eject air from below, clogging of the net-like belt due to the crushing means can be reliably prevented.

[0008] According to the cooling device for steamed food of claim 2, in addition to the advantageous effects of the configuration of claim 1, a pad plate is arranged below the net belt to which pressure from the crushing means is applied, and the pad plate is configured to prevent deformation of the net belt due to the pressure from the crushing means. Therefore, deformation of the net belt due to pressure from the crushing means being applied via the steamed food can be prevented by supporting it from below. In addition, the pad plate is provided with ventilation openings that ensure that the air ejected from the air ejection nozzles is blown upward below the crushing means through the net-like belt. This prevents deformation of the net-like belt by the pad plate, and also ensures that air can be ejected from the air ejection nozzles below the crushing means through the ventilation openings, thereby further improving the effect of preventing clogging and the cooling effect of the air ejection nozzles.

[0009] According to the cooling device for steamed food described in claim 3, in addition to the advantageous effects of the configuration described in claim 2, the crushing means are arranged at one or more locations in the longitudinal direction of the net-like belt at predetermined intervals across the width direction of the net-like belt. Therefore, according to the cooling device for steamed material described in claim 3, the crushing means can be uniformly arranged across the width of the net-like belt, and uneven cooling in the width direction can be eliminated. In addition, multiple air ejection nozzles are arranged at predetermined intervals across the width of the net-like belt in correspondence with each agitation means, so that the air ejection from the air ejection nozzles and the resulting cooling effect, clogging prevention effect, and other effects can be achieved evenly across the width of the net-like belt at positions corresponding to the agitation means. Furthermore, according to the cooling device of claim 3, pairs of agitation means and air ejection nozzles extending across the width of the net-like belt are arranged at one or more locations along the length of the net-like belt, so that the effects of the pairs of agitation means and air ejection nozzles can be achieved not only across the width of the net-like belt but also at one or more locations along the length of the net-like belt.

[0010] Furthermore, according to the cooling device for steamed food described in claim 4, in addition to the advantageous effects of the configuration described in claim 3, each stirring means is configured to include a common rotary drive shaft that extends across the width direction of the net-like belt, and a plurality of rod-shaped bodies that are attached radially at predetermined intervals on the common rotary drive shaft. Therefore, by using a common rotation drive shaft, it is possible to simplify the manufacture of each crushing means and easily synchronize the crushing means so that they operate simultaneously.Furthermore, by using radial rod-shaped bodies as the actual crushing means, it is possible to ensure good crushing with a simple configuration.

[0011] Furthermore, according to the cooling device for steamed food described in claim 5, in addition to the advantageous effects of the configurations described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the air ejected from the air ejection nozzle is configured to be compressed air, dry air, or a combination of compressed air and dry air. Therefore, in the case of a configuration in which compressed air is ejected from an air ejection nozzle, the compressed air is ejected below the crushing means, which can strongly promote the crushing action of the crushing means and can also strongly eliminate clogging of the steamed material below the crushing means. Furthermore, in the case of a configuration in which dry air is used and sprayed from the air spray nozzle, the dry air is sprayed below the crushing means, so that the dry air can be efficiently directed onto the surface and gaps of the steamed material that has been crushed by the crushing means, and the moisture and steam from the steamed material can be efficiently and effectively removed. In addition, in the case of a configuration in which both compressed air and dry air are used in a switchable manner, a synergistic effect can be achieved by the compressed air and the dry air.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the cooling device for steamed material described in claim 6, in addition to the advantageous effects of the configurations described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the device is configured to blow dry air onto the top surface of the steamed material being conveyed from the downstream side to the upstream side of the conveyance, and is configured to forcibly exhaust air on the upstream side of the conveyance, so that water vapor and moisture coming out of the entire steamed material being conveyed can be quickly moved upstream and forcibly exhausted, and the temperature and humidity of the steamed material can be quickly reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a plan view of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5]1 is a plan view of a main part of a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the steamed food cooling device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. However, the following description does not limit the technical scope of the present invention as defined in the claims.

[0015] First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a cooling device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a belt conveyor 10 and a housing 20 that accommodates the belt conveyor 10. As shown in FIG. The cooling device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention also includes an isolated chamber 30, a crushing means 40, an air ejection nozzle 50, a pad plate 60, a blowing means 70, and other means such as an exhaust means and a heating means.

[0016] The belt conveyor 10 includes at least a drive roller 11, a driven roller 12, and an endless belt 13 stretched between the rollers 11 and 12. The front end (upstream transport side) of the belt conveyor 10 is provided with a steamed material receiving port 14 for receiving the steamed material W onto the belt conveyor 10. The rear end (downstream transport side) of the belt conveyor 10 is provided with a steamed material discharge port 15 for discharging the cooled steamed material W.

[0017] A net-like belt is used as the belt 13 of the belt conveyor 10. By using this net-like belt 13 and selecting appropriate mesh holes, it can be used appropriately for steamed food W having relatively small grains, and the steamed food W can be conveyed without falling through the mesh holes of the net-like belt 13. On the other hand, when the steamed food W has small grains and is highly viscous, such as pressed whole soybeans, the net-like belt 13 having small mesh holes tends to clog easily.

[0018] The steamed material W fed through the steamed material receiving port 14 is loaded onto the net-shaped belt 13 of the belt conveyor 10 and transported together with the net-shaped belt 13 to reach the steamed material discharge port 15. Side walls 16, 16 are erected on both sides of the width of the belt conveyor 10 to prevent the steamed food W being conveyed from falling from both sides of the net-like belt 13. Referring also to FIG. 4, the net-like belt 13 is movable while being supported from below by a plurality of support rods 17 laid in the longitudinal direction of the belt conveyor 10.

[0019] The housing 20 is a container that houses the belt conveyor 10. The housing 20 may be provided with feet for floor placement. The housing 20 may also include one or more isolation chambers 30 . The isolated chambers 30 are provided in the longitudinal direction of the belt conveyor 10, with multiple chambers separated from one another by partitions 31. Each isolated chamber 30 is an airtight chamber that is open toward the food W being steamed transported above it, and the temperature, humidity, etc. can be adjusted for each isolated chamber 30. By providing the isolated chambers 30 in this manner, it is possible to perform temperature control, air supply control, crushing control, and other various processes performed in this embodiment on the food W being steamed transported on the belt conveyor 10 according to its transport position.

[0020] The crushing means 40 is disposed above the net-like belt 13 and is a means for crushing the steamed food W conveyed on the belt conveyor 10. By the crushing by the crushing means 40, the chunks of the steamed material W are crushed, which introduces a large number of voids into the steamed material W and exposes the internal voids, increasing the surface area, thereby enabling the cooling and dehumidification to proceed more quickly. The crushing means 40 can be provided at one or more locations in the longitudinal direction of the net-like belt 13. In this embodiment, it is provided at three locations in the longitudinal direction. The crushing means 40 can also be provided at one or more locations across the width of the net-like belt 13. In this embodiment, multiple crushing means are provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the crushing means 40 is composed of a rotary drive shaft 41 and rod-shaped bodies 42. The rotary drive shaft 41 is a common rotary drive shaft 41 that extends across the width direction of the net-like belt 13, and the rod-shaped bodies 42 are configured to stand radially from each of predetermined intervals on the common rotary drive shaft 41.

[0021] As the rod-shaped body 42 is rotated together with the rotary drive shaft 41, the rod-shaped body 42 penetrates into the lumps of steamed food W being conveyed, and churns and crushes them. By providing a plurality of crushing means 40 at predetermined intervals across the width of the net-like belt 13, the crushing action by the crushing means 40 can be performed well and uniformly across the width of the net-like belt 13. Furthermore, by providing one or more crushing means 40 in the longitudinal direction, crushing can be performed according to the conveying position of the steamed food W. By using the rod-shaped bodies 42 in a radial arrangement, good crushing can be ensured with a simple configuration. Furthermore, by using a common rotary drive shaft 41, the manufacturing of each of the crushing means 40 becomes simple, and each of the stirring means 40 can be easily synchronized and operated simultaneously.

[0022] The air ejection nozzles 50 are arranged corresponding to the crushing means 40. The air ejection nozzles 50 are provided corresponding to all the crushing means 40, but may be provided corresponding to some of the crushing means 40 depending on the degree of necessity. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of crushing means 40 are provided across the width of the belt conveyor 10 at three locations along the length of the belt conveyor 10, and an air ejection nozzle 50 is arranged at one location on the most upstream side along the length of the belt conveyor 10, corresponding to the crushing means 40 provided across the width.

[0023] Specifically, the air jet nozzles 50 are disposed facing upward below the net-like belt 13, facing the crushing means 40. Air is sent to each air jet nozzle 50 from a main pipe 52 through a branch pipe 51. Whether or not air is jetted may be adjusted for each air jet nozzle 50. Due to the arrangement of the air ejection nozzles 50, the air blown up from the air ejection nozzles 50 is blown from below via the net-like belt 13 onto the steamed food W being agitated by the agitation means 40. With the above-described configuration, the air ejected from the air ejection nozzles 50 and the resulting effect thereof can be combined with the effect of the agitating means 40 to produce uniformity across the width and length of the net-like belt 13.

[0024] The crushing means 40 and the air ejection nozzles 50 are arranged in pairs not only in the width direction of the net-like belt 13 but also at one or more locations in the longitudinal direction of the net-like belt 13 . Therefore, the action and effect of the pair of the crushing means 40 and the air ejection nozzle 50 can be exerted not only in the width direction of the net-like belt 13 but also at one or more points in the longitudinal direction of the net-like belt 13 .

[0025] The air ejected from the air ejection nozzles 50 can be compressed air, dry air, or both. A major advantage of using compressed air is that by blowing compressed air upward toward the steamed material W below the crushing means 40, where the layer thickness has been thinned by crushing, clogging of the net-like belt 13 by the steamed material W can be effectively eliminated. On the other hand, a major advantage of using dry air is that it can quickly remove moisture from the surface of the steamed material W that has been crushed by the crushing means 40. Furthermore, by switching between spraying compressed air and dry air, the advantages of both can be combined.

[0026] In this embodiment, the nozzle position of the air ejection nozzle 50 is below the agitation means 40, but is positioned slightly rearward from the position directly below, facing upward. The "displaced position" refers to a position within the range of rotation of the rod-shaped body 42 of the agitation means 40, but slightly rearward from directly below the center of rotation. At such a position slightly rearward from directly below, the food W to be steamed tends to be scooped up by the rotation of the rod-shaped body 42, so that the effects of air blowing up from the air ejection nozzle 50, such as clearing clogging and cooling, can be more pronounced.

[0027] 4 and 5, a pad plate 60 is arranged in the present invention. The net-like belt 13 is configured to slide over a number of guide rods 17 laid in the longitudinal direction. However, these guide rods 17 are not provided in the area where the crushing means 40 is located. In other words, the area where the crushing means 40 is located is open and has no guide rods 17. This is to prevent the area from interfering with the air being blown up from below toward the crushing means 40. However, in the open areas where there are no guide rods 17, the net-like belt 13 moving over them is easily deformed by the pressure from the crushing means 40. Therefore, pad plates 60 are placed along the periphery of the open area below the net-like belt 13 where there are no pads 17, reinforcing the periphery of the open area and supporting the net-like belt 13 from below as it moves over it, thereby preventing downward deformation of the net-like belt 13 due to the crushing means 40.

[0028] The pad plate 60 is provided with a ventilation opening 61 for passing the air jetted from the air jet nozzle 50. The position and size of the ventilation opening 61 can be freely determined as long as it does not obstruct the air jetted up from the air jet nozzle 50. The branch pipe 51 and main pipe 52 of the air ejection nozzle 50 are attached using the housing 20 . By providing the ventilation openings 61, it is possible to ensure that the air ejected from the air ejection nozzles 50 is blown upward below the crushing means 40 through the ventilation openings 61 of the pad plate 60 and the net-like belt 13. As mentioned above, the nozzle position of the air ejection nozzle 50 is shifted slightly rearward from the position directly below the crushing means 40. At this position, the steamed food W tends to be scooped up by the rotating rod-shaped body 42, which enhances the effect of the air ejected from the air ejection nozzle 50.

[0029] The cooling device 1 of this embodiment can be provided with one or more air blowing means 70 that blow dry air or the like onto the top surface of the steamed food W being transported. The air blowing means 70 is configured to be able to blow dry air, cold air, or other air from the downstream side to the upstream side of the cooling device. By providing the air blowing means 70, it is possible to quickly remove and absorb water vapor and moisture coming from the entire steamed food W being transported over a wide area. In addition, in combination with the air ejected from the air ejection nozzle 50 described above, it is possible to provide a cooling effect to the steamed food W.

[0030] In the cooling device 1 of this embodiment, one or more exhaust means (not shown) can be arranged upstream of the conveyance of the steamed food W in the cooling device 1. By providing the exhaust means, it is possible to quickly discharge and remove water vapor and moisture coming out from the entire steamed food W being conveyed. In addition, it is possible to quickly forcibly exhaust hot air and humid air, including air from the air ejection nozzles 50, and it is possible to quickly reduce the temperature and humidity of the steamed food W.

[0031] Furthermore, in the cooling device 1 of this embodiment, a heating means can be provided in the isolation chamber 30 below the conveyance of the steamed food W in the cooling device. By providing the heating means, the air in the isolation chamber 30 can be heated and dried, which can affect the steamed food W conveyed on the belt conveyor 10 from below, mainly reducing the moisture content of the steamed food W. [Industrial Applicability]

[0032] The steamed food cooling device of the present invention has high industrial applicability as a device for cooling steamed food such as rice and other grains. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 Cooling device 10 conveyor belt 11 Drive roller 12 driven roller 13 Net Belt 14 Steamed food intake 15 Steamed food outlet 16 side wall 17 Shimbar 20. Housing 30 Isolation room 31 Bulkhead 40 Grinding means 41 Rotating drive shaft 42 Rod-shaped body 50 Air jet nozzle 51 Branch pipe 52 Main 60 Pad Plate 61 Ventilation opening 70 Ventilation means W Steamed food

Claims

1. A steamed product cooling device comprising at least a steamed product receiving port for receiving steamed products that have been steamed, a steamed product discharge port for discharging steamed products that have been cooled, and a belt conveyor for transporting the steamed product received from the steamed product receiving port to the steamed product discharge port. A net-shaped belt is used as the belt of the belt conveyor, and the steamed material is loaded on the net-shaped belt and transported. A crushing means is arranged above the net-shaped belt to crush the steamed material being loaded and transported. An air ejection nozzle is arranged below the net-shaped belt facing upward in correspondence with the position of the crushing means, and air is blown up from below, through the net-shaped belt, onto the steamed material being crushed by the crushing means. A cooling device for steamed material, characterized in that

2. 2. The cooling device for steamed food according to claim 1, characterized in that a pad plate is arranged below the net-shaped belt to which pressure from the crushing means is applied, and the pad plate is configured to prevent deformation of the net-shaped belt due to the pressure of the crushing means, and the pad plate is provided with ventilation openings that ensure that air ejected from the air ejection nozzles is blown up below the crushing means through the net-shaped belt.

3. 3. The cooling device for steamed food according to claim 2, wherein the crushing means are arranged at one to multiple locations in the longitudinal direction of the net-like belt at predetermined intervals across the width of the net-like belt, and the air ejection nozzles are also arranged at one to multiple locations in the longitudinal direction of the net-like belt at predetermined intervals across the width of the net-like belt corresponding to each crushing means.

4. The cooling device for steamed food according to claim 3, characterized in that each of the crushing means arranged at predetermined intervals across the width direction of the net-like belt comprises a common rotary drive shaft across the width direction of the net-like belt and a plurality of rod-shaped bodies attached radially at each predetermined interval position on the common rotary drive shaft.

5. The cooling device for steamed food according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the air ejected from the air ejection nozzle is configured to be compressed air, dry air, or both, and switched between them.

6. The steamed food cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that dry air is blown from the downstream side to the upstream side of the conveyance against the upper surface of the steamed food being conveyed, and forced exhaust is performed on the upstream side of the conveyance.

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