Flyer

Abstract

The oil temperature of the frying oil in the oil tank is partially adjusted. [Solution] Conveying devices 41 and 42 are provided in the oil tank 21 to convey the items to be fried 50. A supply port 26 and an outlet port 25 for frying oil are provided in the latter half of the conveying route, and a pump P and a heat exchanger are provided in the circuit that circulates the frying oil from the outlet port 25 to the supply port 26.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a fryer.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a fryer is known as a device for frying foods and the like in high-temperature oil. There are small devices used in stores and large devices used in factories for fryers, and different types of fryers have been developed according to their respective uses. In particular, in a large fryer, a conveying device is arranged in an oil tank, and the object to be fried is transferred through the high-temperature frying oil and is configured to be lifted during the transfer, having the ability to continuously produce a large amount of fried products.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a conventional conveyor-type fryer, since the capacity of the oil tank for storing the frying oil becomes large, it may be difficult to quickly and finely adjust the temperature. Also, it was not possible to adjust the temperature of the frying oil according to the position of the object to be fried being conveyed.

[0005] An object of this invention is to provide a fryer in which the temperature adjustment of the frying oil is easier compared to conventional fryers.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention for solving the above problems is an oil tank in which frying oil is stored, an inlet for putting the object to be fried into the frying oil in the oil tank, The fried food, which has been fried in the oil tank, is discharged from the frying oil at an outlet, A first conveying strip is positioned between the inlet and the outlet and moves within the frying oil along the oil surface of the frying oil stored in the oil tank, A second conveying belt is positioned between the first conveying belt and the conveying area formed therebetween, and moves within the frying oil, The first conveying belt and the second conveying belt are a fryer that moves the object to be fried from the entrance to the exit while containing the object to be fried within the conveying area, The device is characterized by having an outlet for removing the frying oil from the oil tank, a supply port for supplying the frying oil into the oil tank, a pump for sending the frying oil removed from the outlet to the supply port, and a heat exchange device for adjusting the oil temperature of the frying oil removed from the outlet. With this configuration, it is possible to adjust the oil temperature between the supply port and the outlet.

[0007] Furthermore, the fryer of the present invention has the supply port located closer to the outlet than to the inlet, and the heat exchanger adjusts the temperature of the frying oil so that the temperature of the frying oil supplied from the supply port is higher than the temperature of the frying oil in the oil tank, thereby enabling the food to be fried at a higher temperature in the latter half of the frying process. Furthermore, by positioning the outlet closer to the outlet than the supply port, the fryer of the present invention makes it easier to maintain a high oil temperature in the vicinity of the outlet.

[0008] Furthermore, the fryer of the present invention can supply high-temperature frying oil close to the food being fried by positioning the supply port near the conveying area. Furthermore, the fryer of the present invention can relatively raise the oil temperature near the outlet by having the heat exchanger cool the oil temperature of the frying oil and by positioning the supply port close to the inlet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the fryer of the present invention, the oil temperature of the frying oil in the oil tank can be partially adjusted by supplying temperature-controlled frying oil from the supply port. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is an overall side view of the fryer of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an overall plan view of the fryer of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic side view showing the inlet 22 portion of the fryer of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a schematic side view showing the outlet 23 portion of the fryer of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a circuit diagram showing the circulation circuit of the frying oil in the fryer of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The fryer 1 of the present invention comprises a main body 2 on which an oil tank 21 is mounted on the ceiling, and a lid 3 positioned above the oil tank 21 of the main body 2 and covering the entire oil tank 21. The main body 2 is composed of a casing formed in a strip shape in plan view, with the top of the casing serving as an oil tank 21. The oil tank 21 is shallow and extends over almost the entire surface of the casing's top. The bottom surfaces of both ends of the oil tank 21 in the direction of its long side are inclined surfaces 21a and 21b that slope upward toward the ends. One end of these inclined surfaces serves as an inlet 22 into which the food to be fried is placed, and the other end serves as an outlet 23 from which the fried food is removed. The food to be fried is processed in the oil of the oil tank 21 from the time it is put into the oil at the inlet 22 until it is removed from the oil at the outlet 23.

[0012] Below the oil tank 21, a number of burners 24, which are heating devices, are arranged at predetermined intervals. These burners 24 heat the oil tank 21 from the bottom, and the frying oil contained within the oil tank 21 is heated. The lid 3 comprises a chassis 31, a conveying device 4 supported by the chassis 31, a lid material 32 that covers the conveying device 4 from above, a support column 33 that supports the chassis 31, and a lifting device 34 that moves the lid 3 up and down.

[0013] The chassis 31 has a pair of side support members 31a and 31b that form the long side, and is composed of a plurality of connecting members that are installed between the pair of support members 31a and 31b. Pulleys are attached to these plurality of connecting members and serve as the rotation axes of the pulleys. A conveyor belt, which is a conveying strip, is wrapped around these pulleys. In the flyer of this embodiment, the conveyor belt is a loop-shaped endless belt.

[0014] The conveying device 4, supported by the chassis 31, comprises a first conveying device 41 and a second conveying device 42. The first conveying device 41 is constructed by attaching pulleys 412a and 412b to connecting members 411a and 411b, respectively, which are installed at both ends of the chassis 31 (hereinafter referred to as "end pulleys"), and winding a conveying belt 413 around the end pulleys 412a and 412b. Of the pair of end pulleys 412a and 412b, one is designated as the drive pulley 412a and the other as the driven pulley 412b, and the conveying belt 413 moves when driven by the drive pulley 412a. The conveying belt 413 is stretched between the pair of end pulleys 412a and 412b, with the upper conveying belt 413a moving from the entrance 22 to the exit 23, and the lower conveying belt 413b moving from the exit 23 to the entrance 22. Inside the end pulleys 412a and 412b, a pair of guide pulleys 414a and 414b are provided, and the conveying belt 413 is inclined upward from the guide pulleys 414a and 414b toward the end pulleys 412a and 412b.

[0015] The conveyor belt 413 itself is a net-shaped belt body. The conveyor belt 413 positioned between the guide pulleys 414a and 414b on both sides moves in a state of being submerged in the lifted oil of the oil tank 21. And on the inlet 22 side, it moves from the end pulleys 412a and 412b towards the guide pulleys 414a and 414b, submerging into the lifted oil. On the outlet 23 side, it moves from the guide pulleys 414a and 414b towards the end pulleys 412a and 412b, moving upward from within the lifted oil. On the upper conveyor belt 413a, the mochi, which is the lifted object 5, is placed.

[0016] Above the first conveyor device 41 configured as described above, a second conveyor device 42 is arranged. The second conveyor device 42 has connecting members 421a and 421b installed inside the connecting members 411a and 411b at the ends of the chassis 31 that form the first conveyor device 41. Pulleys 422a and 422b are respectively attached to the connecting members 421a and 421b (hereinafter referred to as "end pulleys"), and a conveyor belt 423 is wound around the end pulleys 422a and 422b to form the structure.

[0017] Of the pair of end pulleys 422a and 422b, one is a driving pulley 422a and the other is a driven pulley 422b. The conveyor belt 423 moves by driving the driving pulley 422a. The conveyor belt 423 is stretched between the pair of end pulleys 422a and 422b. The lower conveyor belt 423a moves from the inlet 22 towards the outlet 23, and the upper conveyor belt 423b moves from the outlet 23 towards the inlet 22. Inside the end pulleys, guide pulleys 424a and 424b are respectively provided for the lower conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt 423 is configured to incline upward from the guide pulleys 424a and 424b towards the end pulleys 422a and 422b.

[0018] Similar to the first conveyor device 41, the conveyor belt 423 itself is a net-shaped belt body, and the lower conveyor belt 423a located between the guide pulleys 424a and 424b on both sides moves in a state of being submerged in the lifted oil in the oil tank 21. At the inlet 22 side, it moves from the end pulley 422a towards the guide pulley 424a, submerging into the lifted oil, and at the outlet 23 side, it moves from the guide pulley 424b towards the end pulley 422b, moving upward from within the lifted oil.

[0019] A space is provided between the lower conveyor belt 423a of the second conveyor device 42 and the upper conveyor belt 413a of the first conveyor device 41 to form a conveying area 43, and the object to be fried 5 is located within the conveying area 43. The space constituting the conveying area 43 is adjusted according to the purpose of frying and the type of the object to be fried. For example, when it is not desired to leave the trace of the mesh of the conveyor belt on the surface of the object to be fried, a space larger than the thickness of the object to be fried is taken, and when it is desired to reliably hold and convey the object to be fried, a space equal to or slightly smaller than the thickness of the object to be fried is taken. When the space is larger than the thickness of the object to be fried, the object to be fried is sent towards the outlet 23 while floating and sinking between the upper and lower conveyor belts. As the frying process progresses, the moisture of the object to be fried evaporates and it begins to float, but it is maintained in a state of being submerged in the lifted oil by the conveyor belt moving on the upper side and is conveyed towards the outlet 23.

[0020] The first conveyor device 41 and the second conveyor device 42 configured as above are accommodated within the lid body 3. The support members 31a and 31b of the chassis � are supported directly above the oil tank 21 by a plurality of support columns 33. And the chassis 31 is supported by the support columns 33 so as to be movable up and down and can move up and down by a lifting device. In the state where the lid body 3 is located at the lowest position (processing position), the conveyor belt 413 of the first conveyor device 41 and the conveyor belt 423a of the second conveyor device 42 are located within the oil tank 21, and in the state where they have moved to the uppermost position, the first conveyor device 41 and the second conveyor device 42 are located above the oil tank 21, and the conveyor belts 413 and 423 are not immersed in the lifted oil (standby position). In the standby position, cleaning of the oil tank 21, replacement work of the lifted oil, etc. are carried out.

[0021] Near the outlet 23 of the oil tank 21, an outlet 25 for discharging the frying oil is provided near the oil level. Further towards the inlet 22 from the outlet 25, a supply port 26 for frying oil is provided. This supply port 26 is located near the conveying area. By providing the outlet 25 and supply port 26 in these positions, a flow of frying oil is formed from the supply port 26 to the outlet 25. In essence, as the conveying belts of the first and second conveying devices 41 and 42 move from the inlet 22 to the outlet 23, a gentle flow is created in the frying oil in the upper part near the oil surface, from the inlet 22 to the outlet 23, and in the lower part near the bottom of the oil tank 21, a flow is created from the outlet 23 to the inlet 22 due to the movement of the lower conveying belt of the first conveying device 41. Therefore, by providing the outlet 25 and supply port 26 in the upper part of the oil tank 21, a flow of frying oil from the supply port 26 to the outlet 25 can be formed to follow the flow that is occurring in the upper part of the oil tank 21.

[0022] Here, by making the oil temperature of the frying oil supplied from the supply port 26 higher than the oil temperature in the oil tank 21, the oil temperature of the frying oil flowing from the supply port 26 to the outlet 25 can be increased, and a region with particularly high oil temperature can be formed in the oil tank 21 between the supply port 26 and the outlet 2523. While it is also possible to form a region with high oil temperature by increasing the output of only the burner 24 located near the outlet 23, temperature adjustment can be performed more quickly in the region formed between the supply port 26 and the outlet 25.

[0023] The configuration for adjusting the temperature of the frying oil supplied from the supply port 26 will be explained with reference to Figure 5. An oil supply unit is connected to the outlet 25 of the oil tank 21, and a pump P is connected to the oil supply unit. The pump P draws frying oil from the oil supply unit, supplies the frying oil to the heat exchanger, and finally sends the heat-exchanged frying oil back to the oil tank 21.

[0024] As the amount of food being fried increases, the amount of frying oil in the oil tank 21 tends to decrease as it adheres to the food and is carried out of the tank. Therefore, when the level sensor L1 detects that the oil level has fallen below a predetermined value, additional frying oil is supplied to the oil supply section manually or automatically. The added frying oil is supplied into the oil tank from the supply port 26. When heating the frying oil supplied from the supply port 26, the frying oil is heated in the heat exchanger. Alternatively, when cooling the supplied frying oil, the frying oil is cooled in the heat exchanger.

[0025] A temperature sensor S1 installed in the oil tank 21 detects the temperature of the frying oil near the outlet 23, and a temperature sensor S2 detects the temperature near the inlet 22. In order to relatively raise the temperature of the frying oil near the outlet 23, the temperature of the frying oil supplied from the supply port 26 is increased, as described above. Alternatively, this can be achieved by placing the supply port 26 near the inlet 22 and the outlet 2523 on the outlet 23 side of the supply port 26, and supplying the frying oil cooled by the heat exchanger through the supply port 26.

[0026] Furthermore, if the oil temperature rises too high, this can be achieved by supplying the cooled frying oil from the heat exchanger through the supply port 26. Adjusting the pump's discharge rate also allows for more rapid temperature control. As described above, by further increasing the oil temperature of the frying oil near the outlet 23, the food to be fried, which was used in the frying oil at the inlet 22, is cooked through to the inside during transport, and by frying it at a high temperature near the final outlet, the surface texture can be made light and crisp. Examples of foods that can be deep-fried include mochi (rice cakes), donuts, fried chicken, fried fish and other types of fried foods, and virtually any other food item, and are not limited to food items. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1. Flyer 2 Main unit 21 Oil tank 22 Entrance 23 Exit 24 Burner 25 Outlet 26 supply ports 3 Lid 31 Chassis 31a, 31b Support members 32 Lid material 33 Pillar 34 Lifting device 41. First conveying device 411a, 411b Connecting members 412a, 412b End pulleys 413 Conveyor belt 414a, 414b Guide pulleys 42 Second conveying device 421a, 421b Connecting members 422a, 422b End pulleys 423 Conveyor belt 424a, 424b Guide pulleys 5 Fried food (rice cake)

Claims

1. An oil tank where frying oil is stored, The entrance to the frying tank into the frying oil, The fried food, which has been fried in the oil tank, is discharged from the frying oil at an outlet, A first conveying strip is positioned between the inlet and the outlet and moves within the frying oil along the oil surface of the frying oil stored in the oil tank, A second conveying belt is positioned between the first conveying belt and the conveying area formed therebetween, and moves within the frying oil, The first conveying belt and the second conveying belt are a fryer that moves the object to be fried from the entrance to the exit while containing the object to be fried within the conveying area, A fryer characterized by having an outlet for taking out the frying oil in the oil tank, a supply port for supplying the frying oil into the oil tank, a pump for sending the frying oil taken out from the outlet to the supply port, and a heat exchange device for adjusting the oil temperature of the frying oil taken out from the outlet.

2. The supply port is provided in a position closer to the outlet than to the inlet. The fryer according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger adjusts the temperature of the frying oil so that the temperature of the frying oil supplied from the supply port is higher than the temperature of the frying oil in the oil tank.

3. The fryer according to claim 2, wherein the outlet is located closer to the outlet than the supply port.

4. The fryer according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the supply port is located near the conveying area.

5. The heat exchanger cools the oil temperature of the frying oil, The fryer according to claim 1, wherein the supply port is located near the inlet.

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