Condiment applicator and condiment spreading member

Abstract

To provide a seasoning applicator capable of maintaining good sanitary conditions without requiring equipment such as a dust collector by suppressing scattering of seasoning to the outside of a storage space. [Solution] A seasoning application device comprising a stirring unit, a seasoning supply unit, and a seasoning spreader 30, wherein the stirring unit has a storage space formed therein for storing food materials and stirs the food materials stored in the storage space, and the seasoning supply unit supplies the seasoning to be applied to the food materials to the seasoning spreader 30, and the seasoning spreader 30 is formed in a concave shape with an open upper surface and has a storage unit 31 for storing the seasoning supplied by the seasoning supply unit, and a moving and dropping unit 32 which is provided circumferentially around the outer periphery of the storage unit 31 and moves and drops the seasoning overflowing from the storage unit 31 to the outer periphery and downward side of the storage unit 31, thereby supplying the seasoning to the storage space.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seasoning application device for applying seasoning to the outer surface of a food material during the production of food such as confectionery, and a seasoning spreading member for spreading seasoning on the food material. [Background technology]

[0002] A known conventional seasoning application device is equipped with a stirring unit, a seasoning supply unit, and a seasoning spraying unit, in which the stirring unit has a storage space inside for storing food materials and stirs the food materials stored in the storage space, the seasoning supply unit supplies seasoning to be applied to the food materials to the seasoning spraying unit, and the seasoning spraying unit sprays seasoning onto the food materials being stirred by the stirring unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-20 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A conventional seasoning applicator uses a spray gun as a seasoning spraying section, and sprays the seasoning together with air from the spray gun to spray the seasoning onto food ingredients that are being stirred.

[0005] The spray guns used in conventional seasoning applicators spray seasonings by narrowing the seasoning flow path, and therefore have restrictions on the liquid and powder used as seasonings, such as the need to select a material that does not impede spraying. Such restrictions include the viscosity of the liquid, the outer diameter of the powder, and the mixture ratio of the liquid and powder. For this reason, in conventional seasoning applicators, in order to enable the application of multiple types of seasonings, it is necessary to prepare multiple types of spray guns corresponding to the types of seasonings, and each time the type of seasoning to be applied to food materials is changed, the spray gun must be replaced, which may increase the cost of applying seasonings to food materials.

[0006] Furthermore, in conventional seasoning applicators, the seasoning is sprayed from the spray gun together with air, which causes the seasoning to scatter outside the storage space, which may lead to a deterioration in sanitary conditions in the location where the seasoning applicator is installed. For this reason, a dust collector must be installed in addition to the seasoning applicator in the location where the seasoning applicator is installed.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a seasoning application device and a seasoning dispersing member that can maintain good hygiene by preventing seasoning from scattering outside the storage space without the need for equipment such as a dust collector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The seasoning application device of the present invention is a seasoning application device comprising a stirring unit, a seasoning supply unit, and a seasoning spreader, wherein the stirring unit has a storage space formed therein for storing the food material and stirs the food material stored in the storage space, the seasoning supply unit supplies the seasoning to be applied to the food material to the seasoning spreader, and the seasoning spreader has a storage unit formed in a concave shape with an open upper surface and has a storage unit for storing the seasoning supplied by the seasoning supply unit, and a moving and falling unit provided around the outer periphery of the storage unit and for moving and falling the seasoning overflowing from the storage unit to the outer periphery and downward side of the storage unit, thereby supplying the seasoning to the storage space.

[0009] In addition, it is preferable that the seasoning application device of the present invention has a moving surface that moves the seasoning overflowing from the storage section, and the moving surface forms an angle with respect to the vertical direction within the range of 5 degrees or more and 85 degrees or less.

[0010] In addition, it is preferable that the seasoning application device of the present invention is such that the storage section is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, and the moving drop section is formed in a truncated cone shape with an upper bottom surface located below the storage section.

[0011] In addition, the seasoning spraying member of the present invention is a seasoning spraying member that sprays seasoning onto food materials to which the seasoning is to be applied, and has a storage section that is formed in a concave shape with an open upper surface and that stores the seasoning, and a moving and falling section that is provided circumferentially around the outer periphery of the storage section and moves the seasoning that overflows from the storage section to the outer periphery and downward side of the storage section, causing it to fall. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, the supplied seasoning is stored in a storage section of the seasoning spraying member, and the seasoning that overflows from the opening on the upper side of the storage section is dropped onto the outer periphery and lower side of the storage section by the moving drop section, making it possible to spray the seasoning onto the food materials.This makes it possible to prevent the seasoning from scattering outside the storage space, and makes it possible to maintain good hygiene without the need for equipment such as a dust collector. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view illustrating the structure of a seasoning applicator according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a seasoning dispersing member according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a seasoning dispersing member according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing another example of the seasoning dispersing member of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of the seasoning dispersing member of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Figures 1 to 4 show one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a schematic side view for explaining the structure of a seasoning applicator, Figure 2 is an overall perspective view of a seasoning spraying member, Figure 3 is a plan view of the seasoning spraying member, and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 3.

[0015] The seasoning applicator 1 of this embodiment is used, for example, in the manufacture of rice crackers and other rice snacks, and is for uniformly applying seasoning to the outer surface side of each of a plurality of food materials. In this embodiment, the seasonings applied to the outer surface sides of the food materials are, for example, liquid seasonings such as fats and oils, soy sauce, mirin, and liquid sugar, powder seasonings such as sugar, salt, and pepper, and mixed seasonings in which liquid seasonings and powder seasonings are mixed.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the seasoning application device 1 includes a stirring unit 10 for stirring multiple food ingredients, a seasoning supply unit 20 for supplying seasoning to the stirring unit 10, and a seasoning spraying member 30 for spraying the seasoning supplied by the seasoning supply unit 20 onto the multiple food ingredients being stirred in the stirring unit 10.

[0017] The agitator 10 has an agitator body 11 that accommodates food materials therein, and a driving force applying part (not shown) for applying a driving force to rotate the agitator body 11.

[0018] The agitator body 11 is made of a cylindrical member, and a storage space 11a for storing food materials is formed on the inner periphery. One end of the agitator body 11 is provided with an inlet 11b for feeding food materials into the storage space 11a. The other end of the agitator body 11 is provided with an outlet 11c for discharging the food materials from the storage space 11a.

[0019] The stirring unit body 11 is configured to be freely rotatable about the central axis while maintaining a posture in which the central axis is oriented substantially horizontally and the inlet 11b is positioned slightly higher than the outlet 11c.

[0020] As a result, the multiple food ingredients in the storage space 11a move from the inlet 11b side toward the outlet 11c side due to the weight of the food ingredients as the agitator body 11 is rotated by the driving force of the driving force application section.

[0021] A chute 40 is disposed on the inlet 11b side of the agitator body 11 for guiding the food material to be fed into the storage space 11a to the inlet 11b. A transport conveyor 50 is disposed on the outlet 11c side of the agitator body 11 for transporting the food material discharged from the storage space 11a to the next process.

[0022] The seasoning supplying unit 20 has a tubular member 21 through which the seasoning is transported. The tip of the tubular member 21 is disposed in the storage space 11a through the inlet 11b of the stirring unit main body 11, and the tip is directed downward. The seasoning supplying unit 20 supplies the seasoning stored in a seasoning storage tank (not shown) into the storage space 11a by, for example, pumping the seasoning stored in the storage tank (not shown) using a pumping device (not shown) or other pressure-feeding device.

[0023] The seasoning spraying member 30 is disposed at the tip (inside the storage space 11a) of the seasoning supplying part 20 of the stirring part main body 11. As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the seasoning spraying member 30 has a storage part 31 for storing the seasoning supplied by the seasoning supplying part 20, a moving and dropping part 32 for moving the seasoning overflowing from the storage part 31 to the outer circumferential side and downward side of the storage part 31 and dropping it, and a fixing part 33 for fixing the seasoning spraying member 30 in the storage space 11a.

[0024] The storage section 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an open top side and a closed bottom side. That is, the storage section 31 is formed in a concave shape with an open top side, and the seasoning supplied by the seasoning supply section 20 is poured from above. The storage section 31 is capable of storing a predetermined amount of seasoning, and when more than the predetermined amount of seasoning is poured, the seasoning overflows from the opening on the top side toward the moving and dropping section 32.

[0025] The moving and falling section 32 has a truncated cone shape with its upper bottom surface connected to the lower end of the storage section 31. The moving and falling section 32 is formed in a truncated cone shape by extending a plate-like member in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the lower end of the storage section 31. The moving and falling section 32 is formed with a moving surface 32a that moves the seasoning overflowing from the storage section 31 from the lower end of the storage section 31 to the outer periphery and downward.

[0026] From the viewpoint of more efficiently moving the seasoning overflowing from the storage section 31, the angle θ of the moving surface 32a of the moving and dropping section 32 with respect to the vertical direction is preferably within a range of 5 degrees or more and 85 degrees or less.

[0027] Here, the vertical direction is the same as the depth direction when viewed from above the moving drop section 32. In other words, the vertical direction is the same as the depth direction in the plane of the paper in Fig. 3 and the same as the up-down direction in the plane of the paper in Fig. 4.

[0028] "Angle θ of moving surface 32a with respect to the vertical direction" refers to the minimum angle among the angles formed by the intersection of moving surface 32a in a cross section of moving drop section 32 extending in the vertical direction and straight line L extending in the vertical direction. In seasoning applicator 1 according to the present invention, angle θ is preferably 5 degrees or more and 85 degrees or less.

[0029] Here, when the outline of moving drop section 32 when viewed from above has a shape that is approximately point-symmetric (for example, an approximately circular shape, an approximately regular polygon shape, etc.), the cross section of moving drop section 32 extending in the vertical direction is preferably a cross section that includes a symmetric point of the outline of moving drop section 32 when viewed from above. In other words, it is preferably a cross section AA in FIG.

[0030] The angle θ of the moving surface 32a with respect to the vertical direction will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

[0031] The contour of the moving drop section 32 in Fig. 4 is substantially circular when viewed from above, and is substantially point-symmetric. Therefore, the angle of the moving plane 32a with respect to the vertical direction is calculated by observing a cross section including a symmetric point of the contour of the moving drop section 32 when viewed from above (i.e., cross section AA in Fig. 3, which corresponds to Fig. 4). The straight line L in Fig. 4 corresponds to a straight line extending in the vertical direction. The smallest angle θ among the angles formed by the intersection of the straight line L and the moving plane 32a is defined as the "angle of the moving plane 32a with respect to the vertical direction."

[0032] The fixing portion 33 has a fixing ring 33a fixed to the tip end of the tubular member 21, and a pair of connecting portions 33b connecting the fixing ring 33a and the moving drop portion 32.

[0033] In the seasoning application device 1 configured as described above, when seasoning is applied to food materials, the stirring unit body 11 of the stirring unit 10 is rotated by the driving force application unit, and the seasoning is supplied into the storage space 11a of the stirring unit body 11 by the seasoning supply unit 20.

[0034] The food materials supplied from the chute 40 are fed into the storage space 11a through the feed port 11b of the agitator body 11, and are agitated in the storage space 11a by the rotation of the agitator body 11, while the food materials move from the feed port 11b side toward the discharge port 11c side due to their own weight. The food materials on the discharge port 11c side of the storage space 11a are discharged from the storage space 11a through the discharge port 11c, and are transported to the next process by the transport conveyor 50.

[0035] At this time, on the side of the inlet 11b in the storage space 11a, the seasoning supplied to the storage space 11a by the seasoning supplying section 20 is sprayed onto the multiple food ingredients via the seasoning spraying member 30.

[0036] The seasoning supplied to the storage space 11a by the seasoning supplying part 20 is injected into the storage part 31 through the inner circumferential side of the fixing ring 33a of the fixing part 33 in the seasoning dispersing member 30. When the injection of the seasoning into the storage part 31 continues, the seasoning injected into the storage part 31 overflows from an opening on the upper surface side of the storage part 31. The seasoning overflowing from the storage part 31 moves downward along the outer circumferential side of the storage part 31 to reach the upper part of the moving surface 32a of the moving and falling part 32, moves diagonally downward to the radially outer and downward side of the storage part 31 by the moving surface 32a, and falls from the lower end part of the moving and falling part 32.

[0037] At this time, the seasoning overflowing from the opening on the upper surface of the storage section 31 overflows from the entire circumferential direction of the opening, and moves obliquely downward along the circumferential direction of the moving surface 32a of the moving and dropping section 32. As a result, the seasoning supplied to the storage space 11a by the seasoning supply section 20 is spread by the seasoning scattering member 30 to the radial size of the lower side of the moving and dropping section 32, and then falls toward the multiple food materials located below. Note that the amount of seasoning supplied from the seasoning supply section 20 to the supply seasoning scattering member 30 into the storage space 11a is approximately uniform if the amount of seasoning overflowing from the opening on the upper surface of the storage section 31 is constant.

[0038] Thus, according to the seasoning application device of this embodiment, the seasoning application device 1 is provided with a stirring unit 10, a seasoning supplying unit 20, and a seasoning spreading member 30, in which the stirring unit 10 has a storage space 11a formed therein in which food materials are stored and stirs the food materials stored in the storage space 11a, the seasoning supplying unit 20 supplies the seasoning to be applied to the food materials to the seasoning spreading member 30, and the seasoning spreading member 30 is formed in a concave shape with an open upper surface and has a storage unit 31 that stores the seasoning supplied by the seasoning supplying unit 20, and a moving and falling unit 32 that is provided circumferentially around the outer periphery of the storage unit 31 and moves the seasoning overflowing from the storage unit 31 to the outer periphery and downward side of the storage unit 31 and drops it, thereby supplying the seasoning to the storage space 11a.

[0039] Furthermore, according to the seasoning spreading member of this embodiment, there is provided a seasoning spreading member 30 which spreads seasoning onto food material to which the seasoning is to be applied, and which has a storage section 31 which is formed in a concave shape with an open upper surface and which stores the seasoning, and a moving and dropping section 32 which is provided around the outer periphery of the storage section 31 and which moves the seasoning overflowing from the storage section 31 to the outer periphery and downward side of the storage section 31 and causes it to fall.

[0040] This allows the seasoning to be sprayed onto the food materials by storing the supplied seasoning in the storage section 31 of the seasoning spraying member 30 and dropping the seasoning spilling out of the opening on the upper surface side of the storage section 31 onto the outer periphery and lower side of the storage section by the moving drop section 32, thereby preventing the seasoning from scattering outside the storage space 11a and making it possible to maintain good sanitary conditions without requiring equipment such as a dust collector. Also, since the seasoning can be sprayed onto the food materials regardless of the viscosity of the liquid constituting the seasoning or the outer diameter dimension of the powder, it is possible to suitably apply the seasoning to the food materials regardless of the type of seasoning to be applied to the food materials.

[0041] Moreover, the moving / falling section 32 has a moving surface 32a for moving the seasoning overflowing from the storage section 31, and the moving surface 32a preferably forms an angle in the range of 5 degrees or more and 85 degrees or less with respect to the vertical direction.

[0042] This makes it possible for the seasoning to be applied to the food material to move along the moving surface 32a of the moving and dropping section 32 more reliably.

[0043] Moreover, the storage section 31 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, and the moving drop section 32 is formed in a truncated cone shape. It is preferable that the upper bottom surface of the moving drop section is disposed below the storage section 31.

[0044] This makes it possible to construct the seasoning spreading member 30 using a storage section 31 and a moving and falling section 32 of a simple shape, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and making it easy to clean the seasoning spreading member 30.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the stirring unit 10 has the stirring unit main body 11 having the storage space 11a and the driving force applying part for applying the driving force to rotate the stirring unit main body 11, but is not limited to this. The stirring unit may have, for example, a stirring unit main body having a storage space and a stirring member that is rotatably provided in the storage space and stirs the food material in the storage space.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the agitator 10 is provided with a cylindrical agitator body 11 having a storage space 11a, an inlet 11b, and an outlet 11c, and the food material is agitated and conveyed from the inlet 11b to the outlet 11c by rotating the agitator body 11, but is not limited to this. The agitator may, for example, be provided with a storage space and an agitator body having an opening that serves both as the inlet and the outlet, and the food material may be introduced into and discharged from the storage space through the opening.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the seasoning spraying member 30 has the storage section 31 formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, and the moving and falling section 32 formed in a truncated cone shape with the upper bottom surface disposed below the storage section 31, but is not limited thereto. The seasoning spraying member 30 may have a moving and falling section 34 formed in a hemispherical shape and disposed below the storage section 31 with the spherical surface facing upward, as shown in FIG. 5, or may have a moving and falling section 35 formed in a truncated pyramid shape with the upper bottom surface disposed below the storage section 31, as shown in FIG. 6. The storage section of the seasoning spraying member is not limited to a cylindrical shape as long as an opening is formed on the upper surface side, and may be, for example, a cylindrical shape with a polygonal outer circumferential surface.

[0048] In addition, in the above embodiment, a seasoning spraying member 30 is shown in which the upper end of the moving and falling portion 32 is connected to the lower end of the storage portion 31, but this is not limited to this, and the storage portion and the moving and falling portion may be spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the seasoning spraying member 30 is configured to store the seasoning supplied from the seasoning supply unit 20 in the storage unit 31, and the seasoning spilling out from the opening on the upper surface side of the storage unit 31 is moved along the moving surface 32a of the moving and falling unit 32 and dropped downward from the lower end of the moving and falling unit 32, but the present invention is not limited to this. A plurality of through holes may be formed in the bottom of the storage unit 31 and / or the moving and falling unit 32, and the seasoning may be dropped downward through the plurality of through holes and dropped downward from the lower end of the moving and falling unit 32, thereby spraying the seasoning onto the food materials. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1 Seasoning applicator 10 Stirring section 11 Stirring unit body 11a Containment space 20 Seasoning Supply Department 30 Seasoning spreading member 31 Storage section 32, 34, 35 Mobile drop section 32a Moving surface

Claims

1. A seasoning applicator including a stirring unit, a seasoning supply unit, and a seasoning spreading member, The stirring unit has a storage space formed therein for storing food materials, and stirs the food materials stored in the storage space; The seasoning supply unit supplies the seasoning to be applied to the food material to the seasoning spreading member, The seasoning spreading member is a storage section formed in a concave shape with an open upper surface side and configured to store the seasoning supplied by the seasoning supply section; a moving and dropping section that is provided around the outer periphery of the storage section and that moves and drops the seasoning overflowing from the storage section to the outer periphery and downward of the storage section, thereby supplying the seasoning to the storage space. Condiment applicator.

2. The moving and dropping section has a moving surface for moving the seasoning overflowing from the storage section, The moving surface forms an angle with respect to the vertical direction within a range of 5 degrees to 85 degrees. The seasoning applicator according to claim 1 .

3. The storage portion is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction, The moving drop section is formed in a truncated cone shape, and the upper bottom surface is disposed below the storage section. The seasoning applicator according to claim 1 .

4. A seasoning spraying member for spraying seasoning onto a food material to which the seasoning is to be applied, A storage section formed in a concave shape with an open upper surface side for storing seasoning; A moving and dropping section is provided around the outer periphery of the storage section, and moves and drops the seasoning overflowing from the storage section to the outer periphery and downward of the storage section. Seasoning spreading member.

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