A water bath that uses hot / cold air, and a large vertical food mixer equipped with said device.

Abstract

This invention provides a waterless water bath device that can perform delicate heating and cooling, similar to conventional water bath treatments, without using hot water or metal blocks. [Solution] A water bath boiler characterized by comprising: a cylindrical wind tunnel with an open top that houses the outer curved surface of the bottom of a container (bowl) for storing ingredients to be stirred, and allows hot or cold air to be ventilated and circulated around the curved surface of the bottom of the bowl; a heat / cold air generating means that introduces outside air from an outside air inlet and heats or cools it to generate hot or cold air; an intake introduction pipe that guides the air output from the heat / cold air generating means to an intake port provided in the wind tunnel; and an exhaust outlet pipe that guides the exhaust discharged from an exhaust port provided in the wind tunnel to the heat / cold air generating means and recirculates the hot or cold air back into the wind tunnel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to a waterless water bath heater that performs heating or cooling treatment at a moderate warm temperature using hot air or cold air on the agitated food ingredients when stirring, kneading, or foaming the food ingredients by a large vertical mixer for food, and a large vertical mixer for food equipped with such a device.

Background Art

[0002] In the food manufacturing industry and the confectionery industry, it is often necessary to stir, knead, or foam food ingredients with a relatively delicate texture, such as foods like cream and cake batter, or egg products like egg white and egg yolk. For such operations, a large vertical mixer for food as shown in the attached drawing 8 is generally used.

[0003] That is, these food ingredients are placed in the agitated food ingredient storage container (bowl) c in the figure and set on the bowl fixing arm d provided in the vertical mixer a. Subsequently, a predetermined stirrer b is immersed in the bowl c to perform operations such as stirring, kneading, and foaming the food ingredients inside the bowl. Incidentally, the reason why the mixer is called "vertical" is that the stirring mechanism including the stirrer and the bowl c containing the food ingredients are arranged in the vertical direction, that is, the longitudinal direction.

[0004] As described above, since these agitated food ingredients have a delicate texture, temperature control of the agitated food ingredients during the operation is extremely important when performing the above-mentioned predetermined operations. For example, in the case of egg products, it is said that foaming can be performed very efficiently while warming to a moderate temperature of human skin (about 36 to 39 degrees Celsius), and the operation can be performed while maintaining a high-quality texture. And in order to achieve and maintain such stable heating and heat preservation at a moderate warm temperature, rather than direct heating by a heater, indirect heating and heat preservation treatment by so-called water bath is often applied to the storage bowl of the agitated food ingredients.

[0005] In other words, for this process, a bowl or bucket (not shown) that is slightly larger than bowl c shown in Figure 8 is prepared separately, filled with warm water at a predetermined temperature, and bowl c is immersed in the bucket or bucket. Similarly, when cooling the ingredients to be stirred, in this case, a bowl or bucket slightly larger than bowl c is filled with cold / ice water at a predetermined temperature, and bowl c is immersed in the bucket or bucket. By adding this water bath treatment, stable heating / cooling of the ingredients to be stirred becomes possible, and delicate temperature control can be maintained during the process.

[0006] However, in this type of water bath treatment, the outside of bowl c is directly immersed in hot or cold water, so when the bowl is removed from the water bath treatment, water often drips from the outside of the bowl onto the floor, or the amount of water used for the water bath is incorrect, causing water to overflow and soil the floor around the mixer. In particular, in recent years, there has been a strong demand for cleanliness in food manufacturing sites from the perspective of infectious disease prevention, and there is a strong need to improve the hygienic environment in food manufacturing sites. In order to solve these problems, for example, the prior art shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Patent Application No. 2024-097221 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Incidentally, the prior art described in Patent Document 1 involves placing the bottom of the food storage bowl into a recess carved into the upper surface of a metal block with a large heat capacity, and indirectly warming the food storage bowl by preheating the entire metal block. This achieves gentle and indirect heating of the bowl, similar to conventional water baths, rather than direct heating of the bowl itself.

[0009] However, this heating method requires a significant amount of time to preheat the entire metal block, which has a large heat capacity, and the power consumption during preheating is also wasteful. Furthermore, since the metal block is put away after the heating process for the bowl is complete, it takes time for it to return to room temperature. In addition, because the metal block itself is large and heavy, excessive care is required in handling it from the standpoint of preventing accidents.

[0010] The present invention was made to solve these problems, and aims to provide a waterless water bath that does not use large, heavy metal blocks, can perform stable and delicate heating and cooling processes similar to conventional water bath processes, and has a short time from preparation to completion and storage of the equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] A water bath according to the first aspect of the present invention is A water bath that heats / cools a container (bowl) for storing ingredients to be stirred by recirculating hot or cold air, A cylindrical air duct with an open top that fits into the bottom of the bowl and houses the outer curved surface of the bottom inside the cylinder, and allows hot or cold air to be passed through and circulated around the curved surface, A heat / cold air generating means that introduces outside air through an outside air inlet and heats or cools it to generate hot air or cold air, An intake introduction pipe that guides the air output from the heat / cold air generating means to the air intake port provided in the wind tunnel, The invention is characterized by including an exhaust outlet pipe that guides the exhaust gas discharged from the exhaust port provided in the wind tunnel to the heat / cold air generating means, and recirculates the hot air or cold air back into the wind tunnel.

[0012] Furthermore, in a water bath according to the second aspect of the present invention, The intake and exhaust ports provided in the wind tunnel are characterized in that they are drilled near the outer circumference of the cylindrical bottom surface of the wind tunnel, at point-symmetrical positions with respect to the center of the cylindrical bottom surface.

[0013] Furthermore, in a water bath according to the third aspect of the present invention, The intake port and exhaust port provided in the wind tunnel are characterized in that they are perforated on the cylindrical side surface of the wind tunnel at positions approximately half a circumference apart.

[0014] Furthermore, a large vertical food mixer according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is: The invention is characterized by being equipped with a water bath boiler as described in any of the first to third aspects above. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, which incorporates the above-described solutions, it is possible to achieve stable heating and cooling performance similar to conventional water bath processing without using liquids such as hot or cold water, or heavy objects such as large metal blocks. This makes it possible to easily produce high-quality ingredients such as creams, cake batters, or egg products that require a delicate texture, while maintaining a good manufacturing environment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] An embodiment representing the best mode for realizing the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings attached to this specification.

[0017] (1) Example of a water bath according to the present invention The external appearance of the water bath heater 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "the device 1") based on an embodiment of the present invention is shown in the attached Figures 1 to 3. Incidentally, Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of the device 1, Figure 2 is a schematic front view thereof, and Figure 3 is a schematic side view thereof. Furthermore, the general functional configuration of the device 1 is shown in the functional block diagram in Figure 4.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1-4, the device 1 mainly consists of a wind tunnel tub 11, a heat / cold air generating means 12, an intake pipe 13, and an exhaust pipe 14. Stainless steel (e.g., JIS standard SUS304 steel) is used for these main parts, but other materials can also be used from the standpoint of weight reduction and thermal conductivity.

[0019] The wind tunnel barrel 11 is a so-called open-top cylindrical stainless steel barrel with an open upper surface. When the present device 1 is in use, the curved portion at the bottom of the stirring material storage container (bowl) set on the bowl support arm of the vertical mixer is accommodated inside the cylinder. That is, a so-called wind tunnel portion, which is a passage for hot / cold air, is formed between the inner side of the cylindrical side surface of the wind tunnel barrel 11 and the outer side of the curved surface at the bottom of the bowl.

[0020] To enhance the adhesion between the wind tunnel barrel 11 and the bottom of the bowl and prevent the hot / cold air sent into the wind tunnel portion between the inner side of the cylinder of the wind tunnel barrel 11 and the outer side of the curved surface at the bottom of the bowl from leaking to the outside, an edge seal 11a is provided at the edge of the upper surface opening of the wind tunnel barrel 11. The edge seal 11a can be any member as long as it has excellent heat / cold resistance, shows no deformation or deterioration due to temperature changes, and has excellent shrinkage / adhesion properties. Specifically, it is preferable to use a large-diameter seal ring made of silicon rubber.

[0021] Note that buffer mechanisms 11b are provided at multiple locations on the outer side of the lower part of the bottom surface of the wind tunnel barrel 11. This is to push the wind tunnel barrel 11 vertically upward and, in combination with the effect of the above-mentioned edge seal 11a, enhance the adhesion between the wind tunnel barrel 11 and the bowl, and at the same time reduce the impact when placing the bowl on the wind tunnel barrel 11. There is no particular limitation on the specific structure of the buffer mechanism 11b, but it is preferable to use a normal metal coil spring or an elastic block made of synthetic rubber.

[0022] An air intake 11c and an exhaust port 11d are provided on the inner bottom surface of the cylinder of the wind tunnel barrel 11 as shown in Fig. 5(a). The air intake 11c is an air intake for taking in the hot air or cold air output from the hot / cold air generation means 12 described later into the wind tunnel portion inside the wind tunnel barrel 11. The exhaust port 11d is an exhaust port for exhausting the hot air or cold air that has circulated through the wind tunnel portion of the wind tunnel barrel 11 from the wind tunnel barrel 11. Note that the air intake 11c and the exhaust port

[0023] When the set positions of the intake port 11c and the exhaust port 11d are provided on the cylindrical bottom surface of the wind tunnel barrel 11 as shown in Fig. 5(a), it is preferable to make perforations at positions point-symmetric with respect to the center of the cylindrical bottom surface in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the cylindrical bottom surface. Also, when provided on the cylindrical side surface portion of the wind tunnel barrel 11 as shown in Fig. 5(b), it is preferable to make perforations at positions separated from the semi-perimeter of the cylinder on the cylindrical side surface. This is to avoid the hot air or cold air introduced into the wind tunnel portion of the wind tunnel barrel 11 from being exhausted from the wind tunnel barrel 11 in a short time by physically isolating the positions of the intake port and the exhaust port in the wind tunnel barrel 11.

[0024] The heat / cold air generating means 12 takes in outside air in a normal temperature room from the outside air intake port 12a provided on its side surface, heats / cools it to a predetermined temperature by the built-in heating / cooling equipment 12b, and blows this heat / cold air to the wind tunnel barrel 11 by the built-in air compressor 12c. Note that these heating / cooling equipment and the compressor are of very general specifications used in ordinary industrial equipment. In the present invention, it is not always necessary to always have both heating / cooling functions, and it may only have either one according to its usage mode. Incidentally, in the specific example shown in this embodiment, since the present apparatus 1 is used only for the hot water brewing operation, it is equipped with only a heater for heating.

[0025] For reference, the specifications of the heating heater used in this embodiment are a three-phase AC power supply of 200V and a capacity of 7.5kW, the capacity of the air compressor for hot air blowing is 0.15kW, and the blowing temperature is about 170 degrees Celsius from the indoor normal temperature. Incidentally, in this embodiment, as the heating heater, a so-called "cartridge heater" generally used in the industrial field is used.

[0026] A cartridge heater is a cylindrical electric heater in which a nichrome wire, which is the heat source, is covered with a metal pipe (sheath). It is an electric heating element that generates heat by passing an electric current through the nichrome wire inside the pipe, causing resistance loss due to the electrical resistance of the nichrome wire. To increase the heating efficiency of the heater, the nichrome wire is wound into a coil inside the sheath, and the inside of the sheath is usually filled with finely crushed silica powder (silicon powder) to prevent the coiled nichrome wire from directly contacting the outer metal sheath and causing a short circuit. For reference, an example of a cartridge heater is shown in the attached Figure 6.

[0027] Furthermore, the type of heater used in this device is not particularly limited, and other types of heaters, such as so-called "IH heaters" that utilize electromagnetic induction heating, can also be used. In this case, in addition to the planar or helical IH coil that is excited by a low-frequency current to generate alternating magnetic flux, it goes without saying that a ferromagnetic plate must also be provided inside the heating device to link with the alternating magnetic flux from the IH coil to generate eddy currents, and the electrical resistance loss due to these eddy currents will serve as a direct heat source.

[0028] The intake pipe 13 is the part that connects the wind tunnel tub 11 and the heat / cold air generating means 12. The heat / cold air output from the heat / cold air generating means 12 is blown through the pipe 13 to the intake port 11c of the wind tunnel tub 11. The intake pipe 13 may be just a stainless steel pipe, but it is preferable to cover the pipe with an insulating material or the like to reduce heat loss during the water bath heating operation and improve the economic efficiency of the operation.

[0029] Incidentally, according to JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards), thermal insulation is defined as "a product or material that reduces heat transfer from a system, or that performs that function." However, in common parlance, the term "thermal insulation" is sometimes used to refer only to materials that prevent heat conduction, but this interpretation is not accurate. While thermal insulation certainly enhances the thermal insulation effect by preventing heat conduction, there are many variations, such as those that suppress heat conduction through convection of air bubbles contained in the material, or those that enhance the heat reflection of the material surface to prevent heat conduction through thermal radiation. In other words, thermal insulation is a general term for materials that exhibit efficient function as thermal resistance to suppress heat transfer.

[0030] Therefore, in this device 1, as the insulating material covering the intake pipe 13, for example, a fibrous insulating material that holds a large amount of air with low thermal conductivity using low-density fibers, or a foamed resin insulating material that contains a large amount of small gas bubbles in a solid can be used. Specific examples of the former include glass wool, rock wool, or cellulose fiber, while examples of the latter include urethane foam and polyethylene foam. If heat resistance is particularly important, it is preferable to use phenolic foam produced from phenolic resin.

[0031] Furthermore, to further improve the overall thermal insulation efficiency of this device 1, it is preferable to cover the outer circumference of the cylindrical side surface and the outside of the cylindrical bottom surface of the wind tunnel tub 11 with such thermal insulation material. In particular, given the current social trend of promoting industrial development in line with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), it can be said that actively incorporating such energy-saving measures will increase the market value of the product.

[0032] The exhaust outlet pipe 14 also connects the wind tunnel bucket 11 and the heat / cold air generating means 12. The heat / cold air that has recirculated through the wind tunnel portion outside the curved part of the bottom of the bowl housed inside the cylinder of the wind tunnel bucket 11 is exhausted from the exhaust port 11d of the wind tunnel bucket 11 and returned to the heat / cold air generating means 12 via the pipe 14. The exhaust from the wind tunnel bucket 11 that has been returned to the heat / cold air generating means 12 is mixed with the new intake outside air of the heat / cold air generating means 12 and is blown back into the intake port 11c of the wind tunnel bucket 11 via the aforementioned pipe 13.

[0033] Furthermore, the exhaust of hot / cold air from the wind tunnel barrel 11 has already completed its thermal work (heating / cooling) within the wind tunnel portion of the wind tunnel barrel 11, so its thermal energy potential has decreased. In other words, the temperature of the gas exhausted from the wind tunnel barrel 11 is approaching room temperature, so there is little need to consider insulation of the pipe 14 itself. However, in light of the current social and industrial trends mentioned above, it is preferable to consider insulation treatment for this part as well as for the pipe 13.

[0034] As described above, in this invention, instead of directly heating / cooling the bowl containing the ingredients to be stirred with a heating or cooling means, and without using a heavy metal block with a large heat capacity, the heating / cooling process is performed indirectly using hot / cold air with an extremely small heat capacity as a heat transfer medium. Therefore, the response time for starting and ending the heating / cooling process is short, and stable temperature control similar to that of conventional water bath processing can be achieved.

[0035] (2) Example of a vertical mixer for food using the present device An example of a vertical food mixer using this device 1 is shown in the attached Figure 7. As shown in the figure, it is preferable to operate this device 1 mounted on a transport cart e from the viewpoint of improving the efficiency of all operations. That is, in an actual food manufacturing site, the transport cart e on which this device 1 is loaded will be moved to below a large vertical food mixer a on which a bowl c containing the ingredients to be mixed is set.

[0036] Subsequently, the relative position of the vertical mixer a and the main device 1 is finely adjusted, and the loading plate of the transport trolley e is raised, or the bowl fixing arm of the vertical mixer a is lowered, so that the curved bottom portion of the bowl is housed inside the cylindrical interior of the wind tunnel tub 11 in the main device 1. The raising and lowering of the loading plate of the transport trolley e is performed by extending and retracting the trolley's top plate support link mechanism g by applying / reducing hydraulic pressure to a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) built into the transport trolley e. This can be easily controlled by pressing a foot pedal h for operating the hydraulic pump set at the bottom of the trolley and opening and closing the hydraulic path using a release handle f (handle for raising / lowering operation) provided at the rear of the trolley.

[0037] After setting the bowl c in the wind tunnel bucket 11, the desired heating conditions are set using the controller i installed on top of the push handle of the transport cart e, and the water bath heating process of the bowl is performed. This control process is not limited to simple ON / OFF of hot air, setting its temperature, or setting the airflow rate, but may also include control to suppress the rise in heating temperature by measuring the rate of temperature change in order to prevent overheating overshoot that tends to occur at the start of heating. Alternatively, a predetermined weight may be added to the time interval of the measurement sampling for measuring the heating temperature. In other words, when the temperature change is in a monotonous process, the period of the temperature measurement sampling time may be widened, and when the temperature is in a process of rapid change, the period of the temperature measurement sampling time may be narrowed.

[0038] Incidentally, these controls are performed automatically based on a program embedded in the temperature sensor included in the heat / cold air generating means 12, or in the μCPU chip included in the controller i (neither of which is shown). Furthermore, the controller i may be equipped with a sequencer function for automatically controlling the work process of food processing. For example, it may be possible to set multiple heating / cooling temperatures and processing times, and automatically apply a so-called water bath treatment to the food in stages at different temperatures multiple times.

[0039] As explained above, in this invention, heating and cooling are performed indirectly via hot / cold air rather than directly on the bowl containing the ingredients to be stirred. Therefore, stable heating and cooling at low temperatures, similar to conventional water bath treatments, can be achieved. Furthermore, since the medium responsible for heating and cooling is a gas (hot / cold air), its heat capacity is smaller compared to when the heating / cooling medium is a solid. This reduces the time required to reach the desired working temperature, as well as the time required for the equipment used to return to room temperature after the treatment is completed.

[0040] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the examples described above, and it goes without saying that, for example, the shape, arrangement, or material of each part constituting each embodiment can be appropriately modified in accordance with actual embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0041] The configuration of the present invention described above can be used in various food industries that require stirring, kneading, or whipping of ingredients, including the dairy industry and the confectionery industry. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0042] [Figure 1] This is a schematic plan view of a water bath apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a schematic front view of a water bath apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic side view of a water bath apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a schematic block diagram of a water bath apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the relationship between the intake and exhaust ports in the wind tunnel tub 11. [Figure 6] This is an external view photograph showing an example of a sheathed heater used in the present invention. [Figure 7] This figure illustrates an example of the use of the water bath apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 8]This is a perspective view showing a large vertical mixer for food processing. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 11 … Wind tunnel tub 11a… Edge seal 11b...Buffer mechanism 11c... Wind tunnel intake 11d... Wind tunnel exhaust port 12 ... Heat / cold air generating means 12a… Outside air intake 12b…Heating / cooling equipment 12c... Air compressor 13… Intake pipe 14… Exhaust pipe a… Vertical mixer body for food use b … Stirrer c … Stirred ingredients storage bowl d... Bowl fixing arm e... Transport cart f... Release handle g ... Top panel support link mechanism h... Hydraulic pump pedal

Claims

1. A water bath that heats / cools a container (bowl) for storing ingredients to be stirred by recirculating hot or cold air, A cylindrical air duct with an open top that fits into the bottom of the bowl and houses the outer curved surface of the bottom inside the cylinder, and allows hot or cold air to be passed through and circulated around the curved surface, A heat / cold air generating means that introduces outside air through an outside air inlet and heats or cools it to generate hot air or cold air, An intake introduction pipe that guides the air output from the heat / cold air generating means to the air intake port provided in the wind tunnel, A water bath boiler characterized by including an exhaust outlet pipe that guides exhaust gas discharged from an exhaust port provided in the wind tunnel to the heat / cold air generating means, and recirculates the hot air or cold air back into the wind tunnel.

2. The waterless water bath according to claim 1, characterized in that the intake port and exhaust port provided in the wind tunnel are drilled in a point-symmetric position with respect to the center of the cylindrical bottom surface near the outer circumference of the cylindrical bottom surface of the wind tunnel.

3. The waterless water bath according to claim 1, characterized in that the intake port and exhaust port provided in the wind tunnel are perforated on the cylindrical side surface of the wind tunnel at positions approximately half a circumference apart.

4. Large vertical food mixer equipped with a waterless water bath according to any one of claims 1 to 3

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