The mechanism for operating a vertical mixer for food ingredients.

Abstract

This invention provides a method for driving a vertical mixer for food ingredients that enables good mixing and kneading of the food ingredients to be mixed. [Solution] A method for driving a vertical mixer for food ingredients, which allows the rotation axis of a stirring bar attached to the mixer to be adjusted to a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the vertical line even during stirring, and which allows the food storage container (bowl) carried by the mixer to be automatically and repeatedly raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism built into the mixer, characterized in that, during the stirring operation of the mixer, the steps of changing the rotation direction and rotation speed of the stirring bar, adjusting the inclination angle of the rotation axis of the stirring bar, and repeating the raising and lowering of the bowl within a predetermined lifting and lowering range are performed at intervals and multiple times.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a large vertical mixer for food ingredients, characterized by a method for driving a stirrer.

Background Art

[0002] In the food manufacturing industry and the confectionery industry, large food mixers are widely used for kneading, stirring, or foaming food ingredients. That is, the food ingredients to be stirred are placed in a food storage container (bowl), and after setting such a bowl in the mixer, the mixer is driven to perform processes such as kneading and stirring of the food ingredients.

[0003] By the way, since the food ingredients to be stirred contain various components with different specific gravities, the food ingredients to be stirred in the bowl tend to have different components separated at the upper and lower parts of the bowl. Therefore, in order for the entire food ingredients to be stirred to be efficiently kneaded and stirred during the stirring operation by the mixer, it is necessary to evenly mix the entire food ingredients placed in the bowl. To achieve such an object, as shown in the attached FIG. 6, it is effective to generate an active convection motion as represented by the arrow in the figure in the semi-fluid food ingredients to be stirred in the bowl.

[0004] To achieve such an object, for example, a conventional technique as shown in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. In such a conventional technique, a stirrer 1 having a special structure as shown in FIG. 7 is set at approximately the center of the bottom inside the bowl, thereby generating an effective convection motion in the semi-fluid sediment of the food ingredients placed in the bowl. Incidentally, the plurality of stirring blades (rotating blades) 11 and 12 provided on the stirrer 1 in the figure have excellent characteristics by applying aerodynamic knowledge, and have caused an effective convection motion in the food ingredients to be stirred and are also a case registered for a patent (Patent No. 7339653).

[0005] However, while such a stirring element can be used in mixers with a stirring drive mechanism located at the bottom of the bowl, it is difficult to use in vertical mixers for food ingredients where the stirring drive mechanism is located above the bowl and the stirring element is inserted into the bowl through an opening at the top of the bowl. Therefore, in this type of vertical mixer, it is not possible to effectively create convection in the food being stirred in order to efficiently promote stirring and kneading, and it has often become necessary to add a final mixing process by hand at the final stage of the stirring and kneading process to ensure that the finished product is homogeneous and of high quality.

[0006] Incidentally, this type of top-driven mixer is widely used in the food and confectionery industries, and mixers that use a so-called "whipper" as a stirring element to produce whipped cream and other similar products are precisely of this type. By the way, the reason why this type of mixer is called a "vertical" mixer is said to be because the stirring drive mechanism, including the stirring element, is located vertically above the bowl containing the ingredients, and the stirring drive mechanism, stirring element, and bowl are arranged vertically.

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-049234 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] The present invention was made to solve these problems and provides a method for driving a vertical mixer for food ingredients that can perform good stirring and kneading on the food ingredients to be stirred, even in a vertical mixer of the type in which a stirring element such as a whisk is inserted into the bowl from the top. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A method for driving a vertical mixer for food ingredients according to a first aspect of the present invention is: A method for driving a vertical mixer for food ingredients, wherein the rotation axis of the stirring bar attached to the mixer can be adjusted to a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the vertical line even during the mixing operation of the mixer, and the food storage container (bowl) carried by the mixer can be automatically and repeatedly raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism built into the mixer, The mixing operation of the mixer is characterized by performing the following steps at intervals and multiple times: changing the rotation direction and rotation speed of the stirring element; adjusting the tilt angle of the rotation axis of the stirring element; and repeating the raising and lowering operation of the bowl within a predetermined raising and lowering range.

[0010] Furthermore, the method for driving a vertical mixer for food ingredients according to a second aspect of the present invention is: In the first aspect described above, the repeated steps of the bowl lifting and lowering operation are characterized in that the dwell time at the upper limit and lower limit stopping positions of the bowl, as well as the time required for the lifting and lowering operation, are all within predetermined timeframes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, which incorporates the above-described solutions, even in a vertical mixer for food ingredients in which a stirring bar is inserted into the food ingredients to be stirred inside the bowl from the top of the bowl, it is possible to perform good kneading and stirring, and to produce high-quality whipped cream and the like. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] An embodiment representing the best mode for realizing the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings attached to this specification.

[0013] (1) Key points of the driving method for a vertical mixer for food ingredients according to the present invention The basic principles of the drive method for the vertical mixer for food ingredients based on the present invention are as follows: (1-1) The rotation axis of the stirring bar is given a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the vertical. In this invention, as shown in the attached Figure 1(a), the rotation axis of the stirring bar attached to the mixer during the stirring process is given an inclination angle θ with respect to the vertical. In conventional vertical mixers for food ingredients, as shown in Figure 1(b), the mounting direction of the stirring bar was simply the vertical direction of the mixer. This corresponds to the case where the angle θ shown in Figure 1(a) is 0 degrees.

[0014] When stirring is performed with θ=0°, the position of the stirring bar within the accumulated food in the bowl becomes symmetrical, resulting in relatively gentle convection within the food during stirring. Consequently, the effectiveness of stirring is reduced. For example, if the food being stirred is vegetable oil or granulated sugar, foaming is reduced, and the hardness of the food after stirring decreases (i.e., the food does not solidify easily). Conversely, the food being stirred directly below the axis of rotation of the stirring bar has a narrow gap with the bottom of the bowl and is stirred at high speed, which tends to make the food too hard after stirring.

[0015] In this invention, the rotation axis of the stirring bar is inclined within the bowl, and the positional relationship between the stirring bar and the ingredients being stirred becomes asymmetrical. This corrects the above-mentioned drawbacks, and even with the same ingredients being stirred, high-quality whipped cream is produced throughout the entire bowl. In reality, when pastry chefs make whipped cream by hand using a small bowl, it is common to see them inserting a handheld whisk diagonally into the bowl and stirring, and it is certain that the above-mentioned findings are largely empirically recognized.

[0016] Furthermore, in this invention, the tilt angle of the rotor's rotation axis can be varied from 0° to approximately 20°, and this adjustment can be performed even while the rotor is rotating in the mixer. The time required to change the tilt angle is approximately 3 seconds when changing from 0° to the maximum tilt angle.

[0017] (1-2) Add a raising and lowering motion to the bowl during the stirring process. The second core of the present invention is to add an upward and downward movement to the bowl containing the ingredients to be mixed during the mixing operation of the mixer. The present invention is implemented in a vertical mixer for ingredients, as shown in the attached Figure 2, which has a rotary drive mechanism at the top of the mixer a, and inserts a stirring bar b (whisk) into the bowl c from the top opening of the bowl c.

[0018] The key feature of this invention is that, during the stirring operation, the bowl-carrying arm d of the mixer is automatically controlled by a built-in carrying arm lifting drive mechanism, thereby repeatedly changing the vertical position of the bowl c in the up and down direction. That is, as shown in Figure 3, the bowl's lifting and lowering movement has a predetermined upper and lower limit, and short-duration lifting and lowering is repeated within the range of the vertical movement distance h. There are no particular limitations on the vertical movement distance h of the bowl, but it can be adjusted within a range of approximately 0 mm to 200 mm.

[0019] Because the specific gravity of each type of ingredient being mixed in the bowl differs, and because the specific gravity of the ingredients changes as the mixing process progresses, the composition and properties of the ingredients differ depending on their position within the bowl. For this reason, the stirring bar is moved up and down even during the mixing process to thoroughly mix and combine all parts of the bowl.

[0020] While various patterns of bowl elevation and lowering motion can be selected, the most basic pattern involves displacing the vertical position of the bowl between an upper limit position residence time T1 and a lower limit position residence time T2, each lasting several seconds, over an elevation / lowering transition time T3, also lasting several seconds, as shown in the attached Figure 4(a). Furthermore, to enhance the stirring effect, it is preferable to repeat this displacement cycle continuously for several to several tens of cycles.

[0021] Note that the implementation of the present invention is not limited to such a simple rectangular wave type bowl position displacement pattern. For example, it is also possible to adopt a triangular wave type as shown in Fig. 4(b) or a sine wave type displacement pattern as shown in Fig. 4(c). Further, not only focusing on the displacement position of the bowl, but also changing the lifting and lowering speed of the bowl according to the displacement position of the lifting and lowering is considered as one of the options for implementing the present invention.

[0022] (1-3) During the stirring process, change the rotation direction and rotation speed of the stirrer. The third essence of the present invention is to change the rotation direction or the number of rotations of the stirrer, or the tilt angle of the rotor which is the first essence of the present invention during the stirring operation of the mixer. Regarding the modes of these change operations, and the displacement range and its displacement pattern of the vertical position of the bowl described above, or the lengths of the respective required times T1 to T3, they are pre-stored in the microprocessor and memory circuit built in the controller attached to the main body of the mixer a, and shall be automatically executed when driving the mixer according to the present invention.

[0023] (2) Specific examples of the mixer driving method according to the present invention Next, a specific embodiment of the mixer driving method according to the present invention is shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5. The stirred food materials used in such an embodiment are @ Food material with 34% vegetable oil (product name: Blend Up FD): 8 kg @ Granulated sugar: 640 g a mixture of. Incidentally, these food materials are also the main materials when producing whipped cream.

[0024] Subsequently, each step will be described based on the same flowchart. Needless to say, the following each step was continuously performed as a series of processes. (2-1) First step The setting of each parameter of the present invention in the first step of this embodiment is as follows. @ Tilt angle of the rotation axis of the stirrer (whipper): θ = 7° @ Rotation speed: 350 - 300 rpm @Rotation direction: Clockwise (viewed from above the rotor) @Bowl vertical position 489mm @Rotation duration: Approximately 2 minutes

[0025] (2-2) Second process The settings for each parameter in the second step are as follows: @Rotation axis tilt angle of the stirring bar (whipper): θ=11° @Rotation speed: 300~280rpm @Rotation direction: Clockwise (viewed from above the rotor) @Bowl vertical position 489mm @Rotation duration: Approximately 2 minutes

[0026] (2-3) Third step The settings for each parameter in the third step are as follows: @Whipper's rotation axis tilt angle: θ = 0~11 degrees @Rotation speed: 200rpm @Rotation direction: Counterclockwise (when viewed from above the rotor) @Bowl vertical position 378~498mm @Rotation duration: Approximately 20 seconds

[0027] In this process, the tilt angle of the stirring bar's rotation axis was changed from 0° to 11° during the stirring process in the mixer (the change time was approximately 3 seconds). Additionally, the vertical position of the bowl was changed from 378mm to 498mm. Incidentally, the bowl's lifting speed at this time was 39mm / second, and the bowl's lifting range h was: h = 498 mm - 378 mm = 120 mm Therefore, calculating from the aforementioned lifting speed, the lifting transition time T3 is, T3=120mm÷39mmm / sec≒3 seconds This is the result.

[0028] In this process, the residence time T1 at the upper limit position and the residence time T2 at the lower limit position are both set to approximately 3 seconds, so one cycle of vertical displacement of the bowl takes approximately 12 seconds. In this process, the tip of the whisk was exposed from the food being stirred at the lower limit position, so the upper or lower limit position should have been set so that the vertical movement range was approximately h=50mm.

[0029] (2-4) 4th step The settings for each parameter in the fourth step are as follows: @Whipper's rotation axis tilt angle: θ = 11 degrees @Rotation speed: 280rpm @Rotation direction: Clockwise (viewed from above the rotor) @Bowl vertical position 489mm @Rotation duration: Approximately 30 seconds

[0030] (2-5) 5th step The settings for each parameter in the fifth step are as follows: @Whipper's rotation axis tilt angle: θ = 0~11 degrees @Rotation speed: 200rpm @Rotation direction: Counterclockwise (when viewed from above the rotor) @Bowl vertical position 378~498mm @Rotation duration: Approximately 20 seconds

[0031] This process replicates the movement of the third process described above, and by repeating this process, the entire stirring process is made more uniform. The finished state of the material stirred after the stirring and kneading process based on the present invention described above is shown in the photograph of the stirring result in Attached Figure 8. For comparison, the stirring result of a conventional stirring method, which is almost the same as described above, is shown in the photograph of the stirring result in Attached Figure 9. Note that the thick black vertical bar visible in the photograph is part of the mixer's guard cover (safety protective cover) and is not directly related to the present invention.

[0032] As can be seen from the comparison photographs above, the mixer drive method of the present invention results in a finer texture and better gloss on the surface of the mixed food after mixing. It should be noted that, naturally, in conventional mixing methods, the rotor's axis of rotation is not inclined (θ=0°), and steps 3 and 5 described above (up and down movement of the mixing element during mixing) are not included.

[0033] As explained above, the mixer driving method according to the present invention not only equalizes the specific gravity of the entire mixture of ingredients, improving its texture, but also makes the mixture finer and more visually appealing after mixing. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to produce high-quality dairy products and bread / cake dough in a vertical mixer for ingredients.

[0034] Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to mixers with simple movements, but also to so-called planetary mixers in which the rotor's axis of rotation performs planetary motion due to the movement of planetary gears, and to mixers with special movements in which the axis of rotation performs precessional rotational motion at a predetermined period.

[0035] It goes without saying that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the examples described above, and that 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]

[0036] The configuration of the present invention described above can be used in various food industries, including the dairy industry and the confectionery industry, as well as in industries that require stirring, kneading, or whipping of ingredients. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0037] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates the inclination of the rotor's rotation axis, which is a feature of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing a vertical mixer for food ingredients in which the present invention is implemented. [Figure 3] This is a diagram illustrating the bowl lifting and lowering operation according to the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows the pattern of the bowl lifting and lowering motion according to the present invention. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows a specific example of an embodiment of the present invention. [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 photograph showing the stirring results according to the present invention. [Figure 9] This photograph shows the results of mixing using a conventional mixing method (without raising or lowering the stirring bar). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] a… Vertical mixer body for food use b... Stirring bar (whisk) c... Bowl for storing ingredients to be stirred d... Bowl-supporting arm 1… Stirring bar at the bottom of the bowl 11… Stirring blade 12… Stirring blade 13… Blade fixing device 111… Blade grid

Claims

1. A method for driving a vertical mixer for food ingredients, wherein the rotation axis of the stirring bar attached to the mixer can be adjusted to a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the vertical line even during the mixing operation of the mixer, and the food storage container (bowl) carried by the mixer can be automatically and repeatedly raised and lowered by a lifting mechanism built into the mixer, A method for driving a vertical mixer for food ingredients, characterized in that, during the stirring operation of the mixer, the steps of changing the rotation direction and rotation speed of the stirring element, adjusting the tilt angle of the rotation axis of the stirring element, and repeating the raising and lowering operation of the bowl within a predetermined raising and lowering range are performed at intervals and multiple times.

2. The method for driving a vertical mixer for food according to claim 1, characterized in that the repeated step of the bowl lifting and lowering operation is such that the dwell time at the upper limit stopping position and the lower limit stopping position of the bowl, as well as the time required for the lifting and lowering operation, are all within a predetermined time.

Images