Food mixing and cleaning machine

Abstract

To provide an agitation washing machine that can wash / agitate food materials even if a large amount of food materials are put in the basket.SOLUTION: An agitation washing machine 10 for food materials includes: an agitation washing basket 50 in which a food material input port 52 for putting in food materials 80 to be washed is formed in the upper part and in which at least a part of the side face and / or bottom face is provided with a water-permeable part; an agitation washing tank 30 for housing an agitation washing basket; and a water injection means for pouring agitation washing water into the agitation washing tank. By housing the agitation washing basket in the agitation washing tank and pouring the agitation washing water into the agitation washing tank, the food materials are washed. The agitation washing machine is equipped with an extension cylinder 60 which is installed in a manner that the food material input port is surrounded from the upper side of the agitation washing basket and in which a non-water-permeable peripheral surface and a water injection opening 61 on the upper side are formed, with a connection opening 62 formed on the lower side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an agitating and washing machine capable of agitating and washing foodstuffs such as vegetables with a water flow. [Background technology]

[0002] Washing machines have been proposed for washing food ingredients such as cut vegetables such as green onions, cabbage, and carrots. For example, in Patent Document 1, food ingredients are placed in a washing basket, and the washing basket is placed in a washing machine such as a washing machine with a lid attached, and the food ingredients are washed with wash water. The lid prevents the food ingredients from scattering out of the washing basket during washing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3210319 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The cover of Patent Document 1 is almost flat, so even if a large amount of food is packed into the washing basket, the washing water does not reach the food inside sufficiently, and the food cannot be washed thoroughly. In addition, when food is packed in this way, the food is not stirred in the washing basket. Therefore, even if multiple food items, such as cabbage and carrots, are put into the washing basket, the effect of stirring the food items, let alone washing the food items, cannot be expected.

[0005] For this reason, when ingredients need to be mixed together, for example when preparing mixed vegetables, a separate mixing step must be inserted before or after washing the ingredients.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a stirring and washing machine that can wash and stir food ingredients even when a large amount of food ingredients are placed in the basket. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The food ingredient stirring and washing machine of the present invention comprises: A stirring and washing basket having an ingredient inlet formed at an upper portion through which the ingredient to be washed is put, and a water-permeable portion having at least a part of a side surface and / or a bottom surface that is water-permeable; an agitation and cleaning tank that accommodates the agitation and cleaning basket; A water injection means for injecting stirring and cleaning water into the stirring and cleaning tank; Equipped with The stirring and washing machine for food ingredients washes the food ingredients by accommodating the stirring and washing basket in the stirring and washing tank and injecting the stirring and washing water into the stirring and washing tank, The extension tube is attached from the upper side of the stirring and cleaning basket so as to surround the food material inlet, and has a water-impermeable peripheral surface, a water injection opening formed on the upper side, and a connection opening formed on the lower side.

[0008] The extension cylinder is attached so that the connection opening surrounds the food inlet when the stirring and cleaning basket with the food ingredients put in is housed in the stirring and cleaning tank, The water injection means may be configured to inject the stirred cleaning water through the water injection opening.

[0009] The water injection means can be configured to inject an amount of the stirred cleaning water sufficient to raise the water level within the extension tube, while a portion of the stirred cleaning water injected from the water injection opening flows out of the water passage portion of the stirred cleaning basket.

[0010] It is desirable that the extension cylinder has a height of at least 0.2 times the depth of the stirring and cleaning basket.

[0011] The stirring and washing tank may be configured to have an overflow water recovery section on the periphery of the extension cylinder for recovering the stirring and washing water that has flowed out from the water passage section of the stirring and washing basket.

[0012] The apparatus may be configured to have a rinsing tank adjacent to the stirring and washing tank, and the stirring and washing basket after the food materials have been stirred and washed in the stirring and washing tank may be transferred to the rinsing tank.

[0013] The washing machine may be configured to have a dehydration tank adjacent to the rinsing tank, and the stirring and washing basket after the food materials have been rinsed in the rinsing tank is transferred to the dehydration tank. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the stirring and washing machine for food materials of the present invention, the stirring and washing basket can be extended upward by attaching a water-impermeable extension tube to the stirring and washing basket. This allows the water level of the stirring and washing water injected from the water injection means to be raised to inside the extension tube, and the stirring and washing volume for stirring and washing the food materials can be increased. By increasing the stirring and washing volume, even if a large amount of food materials are placed in the stirring and washing basket, the food materials spread out in the stirring and washing water filled in the large stirring and washing volume, and are suspended and stirred by the water flow, and highly effective washing can be performed. Therefore, when multiple types of vegetables, cut vegetables, etc. are sequentially placed in the stirring and washing tank as food materials, not only can the vegetables be washed, but they can also be stirred, so mixed vegetables can be produced without stirring in a separate process. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a stirring and washing machine for food materials according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the process of placing the stirring and washing basket in the stirring and washing tank. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the stirring and washing basket is housed in the stirring and washing tank and the extension cylinder is placed thereon. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a cross section of the stirring and washing basket and the extension tube of FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the stirring and washing basket containing food materials and the extension cylinder. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the stirring and washing basket containing food materials and the extension tube. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which an extension cylinder is placed on the stirring and washing basket containing food materials. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the stirring and washing basket is placed in the stirring and washing tank and stirring and washing are being performed. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the stirring and washing basket and the extension cylinder during stirring and washing. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the state in which the stirring and washing basket after stirring and washing is pulled up from the stirring and washing tank and the extension cylinder is removed. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the rinsing and spin-drying state of the agitation washer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] A stirring and washing machine 10 for food ingredients according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Examples of food ingredients to be stirred and washed include chopped or julienned vegetables such as green onions, cabbage, and carrots, but the food ingredients are not limited to these. Regarding the stirring effect, when there are multiple types of food ingredients, a greater effect can be obtained compared to when there is only one type of food ingredient. However, even when there is only one type of food ingredient, the stirring and washing machine 10 of the present invention is effective because different parts of the food ingredients can be mixed together by being stirred.

[0017] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an agitation washer 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The agitation washer 10 can be configured by arranging side by side an agitation washer tank 20 for agitating and washing food materials 80, a rinsing tank 30 for rinsing, and a dehydration tank 40 for dehydrating. The present invention can be implemented as long as the agitation washer 10 is configured to include at least the agitation washer tank 20.

[0018] 1 to 4, the agitating washing tank 20 is a bottomed container capable of accommodating the agitating washing basket 50 and storing the agitating washing water 70 (FIG. 1). The agitating washing tank 20 has a depth at least sufficient for the agitating washing basket 50 to be immersed up to the vicinity of the flange 51 at its upper edge. In the illustrated embodiment, the agitating washing tank 20 has an inner diameter and depth slightly larger (preferably 1-10 cm larger) than the outer diameter of the agitating washing basket 50, and tapers downward.

[0019] As shown in the figure, the upper edge of the stirring washing tank 20 is provided with an overflow water recovery section 21 that expands in diameter outward. The height of the peripheral wall of the overflow water recovery section 21 is preferably set to a level that allows the stirring washing basket 50 to be submerged with ease (i.e., deep enough that the stirring washing water 70 flowing out of the stirring washing basket 50 does not spill over).

[0020] The overflow water recovery section 21 is provided with a drainage section 22 that discharges (reference numeral 75) the overflow water 72 that flows out as shown in the figure. It is preferable that the overflow water 72 recovered in the drainage section 22 is filtered with a filter or the like, and then part or all of it is reused as the stirring cleaning water 70.

[0021] The stirring and washing tank 20 contains a stirring and washing basket 50 into which food material 80 can be put. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 (however, these drawings show a state in which food material 80 has already been put in), the stirring and washing basket 50 is a cylindrical container with a bottom and an open top, and the opening on the top serves as a food material input port 52 for inputting food material. The stirring and washing basket 50 can be in an inverted truncated cone shape as shown in the figures, or a bowl shape, a cylindrical shape, a pyramid shape, a prism shape, or the like. The stirring and washing basket 50 has a structure in which at least a part of the circumferential surface and the bottom surface, preferably the entire surface, has a water-permeable portion that has water permeability. For example, when the circumferential surface and / or the bottom surface of the stirring and washing basket 50 are made of mesh or punched metal, the mesh openings or the holes in the punched metal become the water-permeable portion. In the stirring and washing basket 50 having an inverted truncated cone shape shown in the figures, the entire circumferential surface and the bottom surface are made of mesh. The agitating and washing basket 50 is desirably made of stainless steel so as to have a certain strength, prevent rusting, and enable high-temperature washing, sterilization, etc. of the agitating and washing basket 50. A flange 51 is formed on the upper edge of the agitating and washing basket 50 so as to protrude outward and be grasped by an operator or a working arm, etc.

[0022] Food ingredients 80 that have been cut by a food processing machine such as a food slicer are fed into the stirring and washing basket 50 through the food ingredient inlet 52. In the case of the present invention, the stirring and washing volume of the stirring and washing basket 50 can be increased by the extension tube 60 as described below, so that the food ingredients 80 can be filled up to the height of the flange 51 of the stirring and washing basket 50 as shown in Figures 5 and 6. When multiple food ingredients 80a, 80b are fed into the stirring and washing basket 50, the food ingredients 80a, 80b do not need to be mixed in advance, and as shown in Figure 6, a block of food ingredient 80b (see also Figures 5 and 7) may be fed on top of a block of food ingredient 80a.

[0023] The stirring and washing basket 50 containing the food materials 80 is placed in the stirring and washing tank 20 as shown in Fig. 2. As described above, the stirring and washing tank 20 is formed with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the stirring and washing basket 50, so that the stirring and washing basket 50 fits into the stirring and washing tank 20 as shown in the figure.

[0024] In this state, the extension tube 60 is placed on the stirring and washing basket 50. As shown in Figs. 4 to 7, especially Fig. 5, the extension tube 60 is a cylindrical body that is placed on the flange 51 of the stirring and washing basket 50 so as to surround the food material inlet 52 of the stirring and washing basket 50. The extension tube 60 has open upper and lower end faces, with the upper side being a water injection opening 61 and the lower side being an opening 62 for connection to the stirring and washing basket 50. The peripheral surface of the extension tube 60 can be formed of a water-impermeable structure that does not allow water to pass through, for example, a metal plate rolled into a ring shape. Note that it is desirable for the entire peripheral surface of the extension tube 60 to be water-impermeable, but the upper side close to the water injection opening 61 may be water-permeable, for example, a structure including holes or mesh. The water injection opening 61 may be partially or entirely blocked with a mesh or punched metal.

[0025] In order to ensure a sufficient stirring and washing volume for the food material 80, as shown in Fig. 4, the height H of the extension tube 60 is preferably 0.2 to 1 times the depth D of the stirring and washing basket 50, and preferably the lower limit is 0.3 times and the upper limit is 0.5 times. Specifically, when the depth D to the inner bottom of the stirring and washing tank 20 is 80 cm, the height H of the extension tube 60 is 16 cm to 80 cm. When the depth D of the stirring and washing tank 20 is 100 cm, the height H to the extension tube 60 is 20 cm to 100 cm. Note that the height H of the extension tube 60 may be lower or higher than these values.

[0026] To prevent the extension tube 60 from shifting from the stirring and washing basket 50 or the food ingredients 80 from leaking out during stirring and washing, the extension tube 60 can be locked to the stirring and washing basket 50 by a locking means such as a fastener such as a snap lock (not shown), bolts and nuts, etc. Also, a non-slip material such as silicone rubber may be attached to the underside of the extension tube 60 to prevent the extension tube 60 from shifting from the stirring and washing basket 50.

[0027] In the illustrations and above description, the extension tube 60 is attached after the stirring cleaning basket 50 is housed in the stirring cleaning tank 20, but the extension tube 60 may be placed on the stirring cleaning basket 50 first and then housed in the stirring cleaning tank 20.

[0028] In this state, as shown in Fig. 8, the agitated cleaning water 70 is poured 71 into the agitating cleaning basket 50 by the water injection hose 23 of the water injection means. The agitated cleaning water 70 can be water or water to which sodium hypochlorite, which has a sterilizing effect, has been added. The water injection means can be the water injection hose 23 connected to a water injection tank, a water injection pump (neither of which are shown), or the like. The water injection hose 23 can inject 71 the agitated cleaning water 70 toward the water injection opening 61 of the extension tube 60. The water injection hose 23 can be held by hand by an operator to pour 71 the water, or it can be configured to be fixed or locked to the agitating cleaning tank 20 or the extension tube 60.

[0029] When the stirred cleaning water 70 is poured 71 from the water injection hose 23, the stirred cleaning water 70 flows vigorously from the extension tube 60 towards the stirred cleaning basket 50 and is poured into the stirred cleaning basket 50, as shown in Fig. 8. Since the peripheral surface and / or bottom surface of the stirred cleaning basket 50 has a water-permeable mesh or other structure, the stirred cleaning water 70 poured into the stirred cleaning basket 50 is stored in the stirred cleaning tank 20 while part of it flows out of the stirred cleaning basket 50 (reference number 73), raising the water level. The stirred cleaning water 70 may be stored in the stirred cleaning tank 20 in advance, and after the stirred cleaning basket 50 is housed, further stirred cleaning water 70 may be poured in by the water injection means.

[0030] A part of the stirring and washing water 70 stored in the stirring and washing tank 20 flows out from the stirring and washing basket 50 and the stirring and washing tank 20, becomes overflow water 72, and is drained 75 from the drainage section 22. However, by making the amount of the stirring and washing water 70 poured in greater than the amount flowing out from the gap between the stirring and washing basket 50 and the stirring and washing tank 20, the stirring and washing water 70 raises its water level from inside the stirring and washing basket 50 to inside the extension tube 60, as shown in FIG. 9. As a result, the stirring and washing basket 50 and a part of the extension tube 60 are filled with the stirring and washing water 70, forming a stirring and washing volume for the food material 80 in which a water flow is formed, and the food material 80 spreads due to the water flow 74 of the stirring and washing water 70 generated inside. The stirring and washing volume is composed of the stirring and washing basket 50 and a part of the space of the extension tube 60, and therefore has a volume larger than the stirring and washing basket 50, for example, a volume 1.2 times or more. Therefore, even if the stirring and washing basket 50 is packed with food ingredients 80, the stirring and washing volume is large, so the food ingredients 80 are dispersed, suspended, and stirred in the stirring and washing water 70, and the stirring and washing water 70 passes between the food ingredients 80, thereby providing highly effective washing. When multiple types of food ingredients 80a, 80b (see FIG. 6) are placed in the stirring and washing basket 50, the food ingredients 80a, 80b are stirred and become suitably mixed as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In this way, the food ingredients 80a, 80b can be not only washed but also stirred, which has the advantage of eliminating the step of stirring these food ingredients.

[0031] When the stirring and washing of the ingredients 80 is completed, the water supply is stopped. This causes the level of the stirring and washing water 70 to drop, and the ingredients 80 floating in the extension tube 60 return to the stirring and washing basket 50. In this state, the extension tube 60 can be removed and the stirring and washing basket 50 can be raised from the stirring and washing tank 20. FIG. 10 shows the stirring and washing basket 50 that has been raised from the stirring and washing tank 20 and with the extension tube 60 removed. As shown in the figure, when multiple types of ingredients 80a, 80b are added, the ingredients 80a, 80b are stirred and mixed evenly to form mixed vegetables.

[0032] After the food materials 80 have been stirred and washed in the stirring and washing tank 20, the stirring and washing basket 50 can be transferred to the adjacent rinsing tank 30 for rinsing, and further transferred to the dehydration tank 40 for dehydration.

[0033] The rinsing tank 30 is necessary when a chemical having a sterilizing component or the like is added to the stirring washing water 70. When the stirring washing water 70 is water only, the rinsing tank 30 is not necessary. The rinsing tank 30 accommodates the stirring washing basket 50, and as shown in FIG. 11, the rinsing water 76 is poured into the rinsing tank 30 from the water injection hose 32 to rinse the food material 80. To prevent the food material 80 from jumping out, it is preferable to perform rinsing by placing a water-permeable cover 65 made of mesh or punched metal on the flange 51 of the stirring washing basket 50 as shown in FIG. 11. The rinsing tank 30 may also be configured in the same manner as the stirring washing tank 20, and may be provided with an overflow water recovery section 31, and may be closed with the above-mentioned extension tube 60, and rinsing may be performed by pouring the rinsing water 76 from the water injection means instead of the stirring washing water. This allows rinsing to be performed in a volume larger than that of the stirring washing basket 50. Once rinsing is complete, the stirred wash basket 50 is lifted from the rinsing tank 30.

[0034] The dehydration tank 40 is a device that dehydrates the food materials 80 in the stirring and washing basket 50 after rinsing has been completed, or after stirring and washing has been completed if rinsing is not required. The dehydration tank 40 can be configured to include a dehydration motor 41 as shown in FIG. 11, for example. By connecting the stirring and washing basket 50 to the dehydration motor 41 and rotating it about its axis (R), the water in the stirring and washing basket 50 is scattered to the outside by centrifugal force, and the food materials 80 can be dehydrated. In order to prevent the food materials 80 from jumping out of the food material inlet 52, it is desirable to place the above-mentioned lid 65 or the like on the stirring and washing basket 50. When dehydration is completed, the stirring and washing basket 50 is lifted from the dehydration tank 40. After that, the food materials 80 in the stirring and washing basket 50 that have been washed and dehydrated can be transferred to a container for transportation or the like.

[0035] The above description is for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and should not be interpreted as limiting the invention described in the claims or restricting the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the technical scope described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10. Agitation Cleaning Machine 20 Mixing and cleaning tank 21 Overflow water recovery section 50 Mixing and cleaning basket 52 Food input port 60 Extension tube 70 Stirring cleaning water 80 Ingredients

Claims

1. A stirring and washing basket having an ingredient inlet formed at an upper portion through which the ingredient to be washed is put, and a water-permeable portion having at least a part of a side surface and / or a bottom surface that is water-permeable; an agitation and cleaning tank that accommodates the agitation and cleaning basket; A water injection means for injecting stirring and cleaning water into the stirring and cleaning tank; Equipped with The stirring and washing machine for food ingredients washes the food ingredients by accommodating the stirring and washing basket in the stirring and washing tank and injecting the stirring and washing water into the stirring and washing tank, An extension tube is attached to the upper side of the stirring and cleaning basket so as to surround the food material inlet, and the extension tube has a water-impermeable peripheral surface, a water injection opening formed on the upper side, and a connection opening formed on the lower side; When the stirring and cleaning basket into which the ingredients have been put is housed in the stirring and cleaning tank, the extension tube is attached so that the connection opening surrounds the ingredient inlet, The water injection means injects the agitated cleaning water through the water injection opening, so that a part of the agitated cleaning water flows out of the water passage part of the agitating cleaning basket and an amount of the agitated cleaning water is injected to raise the water level in the extension tube. A food mixing and cleaning machine.

2. The extension tube has a height of 0.2 times or more the depth of the stirring and cleaning basket. The food material stirring and washing machine according to claim 1.

3. The stirring and cleaning tank has an overflow water recovery section on the periphery of the extension tube for recovering the stirring and cleaning water flowing out from the water passage section of the stirring and cleaning basket. The food material stirring and washing machine according to claim 2.

4. A rinsing tank is provided alongside the stirring and washing tank, and the stirring and washing basket in which the ingredients have been stirred and washed in the stirring and washing tank is transferred to the rinsing tank. The food material stirring and washing machine according to claim 3.

5. A dehydration tank is provided alongside the rinsing tank, and the stirring and washing basket in which the food material has been rinsed in the rinsing tank is transferred to the dehydration tank. The food material stirring and washing machine according to claim 4.

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