Supply device for plastic fat

Abstract

A supply device (1) for plastic fat includes a screw device (2) that includes a hopper (23) and screws (21, 22), a pump device (3) that includes a pump casing (31), and a nozzle (4) that supplies a band of plastic fat (F). The pump casing includes a laterally elongated upstream channel (31a), a pump chamber (31d), and a downstream channel (31g). The upstream channel is formed from a single channel, and the pump chamber is formed from a plurality of channels (36a–36d) that are partitioned in the lateral direction (RL) by partition plates (35), each of the plurality of channels housing a set of roots-type rotors (34a, 34b) that form a roots pump.

Description

Plastic fat supply device

[0001] The present invention relates to a supplying device for plastic fat, which is a food material, and more particularly to a device for supplying a strip of plastic fat onto a strip of dough being conveyed.

[0002] Various plastic fat supply devices have been proposed to date. The plastic fat supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a screw cylinder in which a screw is arranged, a lattice cutter provided at the opening to the screw cylinder for dicing the fat mass, a pushing device for pushing the fat mass into the screw cylinder through the lattice cutter, and a discharge section provided in front of the screw cylinder and having a nozzle. The fat sent by the screw is discharged from the nozzle of the discharge section. The plastic fat supply device disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a plastic fat feed device, a cylinder connected to the feed device, and an agitator with a rotary agitator provided inside the cylinder.

[0003] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 04-370082 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-193206

[0004] In the devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the length of the piping from the screw to the nozzle is long, and the cross-sectional shape of the piping varies greatly. Therefore, it is not possible to uniformly discharge the grease. As a result, the discharged grease may become wavy or have holes.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for supplying a strip of plasticized oil and fat uniformly onto a strip of fabric being conveyed without deteriorating its quality.

[0006] The present invention is a plastic fat supply device comprising: a screw device including a hopper and a screw whose rotating shaft is arranged horizontally; a pump chamber accommodating multiple pairs of Roots-type rotors and partition plates arranged between the multiple pairs of Roots-type rotors; a pump casing including a downstream flow path arranged downstream of the pump chamber; a pump device including a pump drive unit that drives the pair of Roots-type rotors to rotate in opposite directions; and a nozzle arranged downstream of the downstream flow path, wherein the pump chamber is configured by the partition plates to form flow paths in the same number as the number of pairs of Roots-type rotors; the downstream flow path includes flow paths in the same number as the number of pairs of Roots-type rotors formed by partition walls; and the nozzle includes one flow path that receives and discharges plastic fat transported from the downstream flow path of the pump device.

[0007] The screw device is characterized by including a dividing and feeding device that divides the lump plastic fat and oil and feeds the divided fat and oil to the screw.

[0008] The divided supply device is characterized by including a divided supply screw having a plurality of spiral blades on a rotation shaft, and a drive device that rotates and drives the divided supply screw.

[0009] The nozzle flow path is characterized in that, in a cross section perpendicular to the transfer direction, the horizontal length is constant from the inlet to the outlet, while the vertical length decreases.

[0010] The supply device is also characterized by including a transfer direction changing device that changes the direction of travel of the transferred plastic oil to be aligned with the conveying direction of the strip-shaped dough conveyed by the conveying device, thereby supplying the plastic oil onto the strip-shaped dough.

[0011] The transport direction changing device is characterized in that it is a transport direction changing conveyor.

[0012] The transport direction changing device is characterized by being a transport direction changing nozzle.

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to supply a strip of plastic oil and fat uniformly onto a strip of fabric being conveyed without deteriorating the quality.

[0014] 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional front view of an apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional plan view of an apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 3 is a schematic partial enlarged cross-sectional view of an apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional front view of an apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 5 is a schematic partial cross-sectional plan view of an apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 6 is a schematic partial cross-sectional front view of an apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 7 is a schematic partial cross-sectional plan view of an apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention; 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a variant of the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 9 is a partial cross-sectional front view of another variant of the apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] A plastic fat / oil F supplying device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In the following description, detailed description of already known configurations will be omitted.

[0016] In the following description, the transfer direction of the plastic oil F is indicated by the symbol RF, and the conveying direction of the strip-shaped dough D is indicated by the symbol RD. In the first embodiment, the transfer direction RF of the plastic oil F and the conveying direction RD of the strip-shaped dough D are the same in a plan view (see FIG. 2). The plastic oil F is a food material such as butter or margarine. The strip-shaped dough D is a food material such as bread dough, pie dough, or Danish pastry dough.

[0017] The supply device 1 is configured to supply plasticized oil F, which is transferred in a transfer direction RF, in a strip-like manner onto a strip-shaped dough D being transferred in a transfer direction RD by a transfer device 6. The supply device 1 includes a screw device 2, a pump device 3, a nozzle 4, and a frame 5, and is mainly disposed above the transfer device 6.

[0018] The screw device 2 includes a first screw 21 , a second screw 22 , a hopper 23 , a pushing device 24 , a screw driving unit 25 , and an electric motor 26 .

[0019] A pair of left and right screws, the first screw 21 and the second screw 22, are arranged horizontally and parallel to each other in the transfer direction RF at the bottom of the hopper 23. The first screw 21 and the second screw 22 each include a rotation shaft and a spiral blade along the rotation shaft, and are rotatable about the rotation shaft. The spiral blades of the first screw 21 and the second screw 22 are twisted in opposite directions to each other, and can be rotated in opposite directions to each other by a screw drive unit 25 and an electric motor 26. Specifically, as viewed in the transfer direction RF, the first screw 21 rotates clockwise, and the second screw 22 rotates counterclockwise. The screw device 2 is configured to transfer the plastic oil F introduced into the hopper 23 toward the horizontally elongated outlet 23a of the hopper 23.

[0020] The pushing device 24 includes a horizontal rotating shaft 24a extending in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction RF (the direction of the rotation axes of the pair of first and second screws 21 and 22), and a roller 24b attached to the outer surface of the rotating shaft 24a. The roller 24b also includes a pushing blade 24c that is movable in the radial direction of the roller 24b. The pushing blade 24c is guided by a guide 24d attached to the hopper 23, and appears and disappears on the circumferential surface of the roller 24b as the roller 24b rotates. The rotating shaft 24a is connected to an electric motor (not shown) and rotates counterclockwise (to the left) in FIG. 1 to prevent the plastic grease F from accumulating above the pair of screws 21, 22 due to a bridging phenomenon.

[0021] The pump device 3 includes a pump casing 31, covers 32a and 32b, two rotary shafts 33, eight roots-type rotors 34, three partition plates 35, and three partition walls 31m.

[0022] The pump casing 31 includes an upstream flow path 31a that receives the plastic oil F transferred from the screw device 2, a pump chamber 31d that communicates with the upstream flow path 31a, and a downstream flow path 31g that communicates with the pump chamber 31d.

[0023] The upstream flow path 31a includes an inlet 31b on the upstream side in the transfer direction RF and an outlet 31c on the downstream side, and the inlet 31b is connected to the outlet 23a of the hopper 23. The shape of the inlet 31b is the same as the shape of the horizontally elongated outlet 23a of the hopper 23. In a cross section of the upstream flow path 31a perpendicular to the transfer direction RF, the vertical length of the outlet 31c is smaller than the vertical length of the inlet 31b (see FIG. 1), and the horizontal length of the outlet 31c is larger than the horizontal length of the inlet 31b (see FIG. 2). The cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet 31c is preferably slightly smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet 31b, but may be approximately the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet 31b.

[0024] The pump chamber 31d is formed by a through-hole with a vertically elongated cross section that extends horizontally and perpendicularly to the transfer direction RF. Covers 32a and 32b are disposed at both ends of the through-hole. The pump chamber 31d includes four flow paths 36a to 36d separated in the transverse direction RL by three partition plates 35 extending in the transfer direction RF. Each of the four flow paths 36a to 36d houses two (a pair of) Roots rotors 34, forming a Roots pump. That is, the partition plates 35 are disposed between adjacent Roots rotors 34. Each of the four flow paths 36a to 36d includes an upstream inlet 31e and a downstream outlet 31f in the transfer direction RF. The upstream inlet 31e is connected to the outlet 31c of the upstream flow path 31a. The overall shape of the four inlets 31e is the same as the shape of the outlet 31c of the upstream flow path 31a.

[0025] The downstream flow path 31g includes four flow paths 37a-37d separated in the horizontal direction RL by three partition walls 31m extending in the transfer direction RF. The partition walls 31m are preferably aligned with the partition plate 35 and have the same thickness. The partition wall 31m may be integral with the partition plate 35. Each of the four flow paths 37a-37d includes an inlet 31h on the upstream side in the transfer direction RF and an outlet 31k on the downstream side. The inlet 31h communicates with an outlet 31f of the pump chamber. The outlet 31k communicates with an inlet 41 of the nozzle 4, which will be described later. In a cross section perpendicular to the transfer direction RF, the horizontal length of each of the four flow paths 37a-37d is the same from the inlet 31h to the outlet 31k, and the vertical length decreases from the inlet 31h to the outlet 31k. The length of the partition wall 31m in the transfer direction RF may be the same as or shorter than the length of the downstream flow path 31g in the transfer direction RF. Accordingly, the shape of the partition wall 31m is arbitrary.

[0026] In this way, the pump chamber 31d and the downstream flow path 31g form four flow paths 36a to 36d and 37a to 37d from the inlet 31e of the pump chamber 31d to the outlet 31k of the downstream flow path 31g by means of three partition plates 35 and three partition walls 31m, and the number of flow paths 36a to 36d and 37a to 37d is the same as the number of four Roots pumps (four sets of Roots rotors 34).

[0027] Each set of Roots rotors 34 is composed of a left rotor 34a and a right rotor 34b. The left rotor 34a and the right rotor 34b each include a through hole 34c with a substantially square cross section, a (cylindrical) convex end 34d with a circular cross section, and an opposite concave end 34e with a circular cross section. The partition plate 35 is a plate-like member with the same elongated hole shape as the pump chamber 31d of the pump casing 31, and has two through holes 35a. The convex end 34d is configured to fit into the through hole 35a of the partition plate 35 and the concave end 34e of the adjacent Roots rotor 34. The through holes 35a are configured to rotatably support the left rotor 34a and the right rotor 34b.

[0028] The left rotor 34a and the right rotor 34b each include three-lobed blades (roots) 34f on their outer peripheries. The roots 34f have the same shape, with the roots 34f of the left rotor 34a twisting counterclockwise (to the left) with respect to the transfer direction RF (axial direction), and the roots 34f of the right rotor 34b twisting clockwise (to the right) with respect to the transfer direction RF (axial direction). A space 34g is formed between two adjacent roots 34f of each of the left rotor 34a and the right rotor 34b and the inner circumferential surface 31n of the pump chamber 31d. The vertical arrangement of the left rotor 34a and the right rotor 34b may be the same or different in the four flow paths 36a to 36d. For example, the left rotors 34a and the right rotors 34b housed in the left flow paths 36a and 36b and the right flow paths 36c and 36d may be arranged upside down when viewed in the transfer direction RF.

[0029] The rotating shaft 33 of each of the left rotors 34a and the right rotors 34b includes a fitting shaft portion 33a configured to fit into the through-holes 34c of the four left rotors 34a or the four right rotors 34b (Roots-type rotors 34), a flange portion 33d rotatably supported on the lid 32b, a flange portion 33e that fits into the recessed end portion 34e, a support portion 33b rotatably supported on the lid 32a, and a base end portion 33c. The fitting shaft portion 33a is substantially rectangular parallelepiped in shape and has a substantially square cross section. The base end portion 33c is formed in a convex shape so as to mesh (convex-concave engagement) with a drive shaft 38a of the pump drive unit 38, which will be described later.

[0030] The pump drive unit 38 includes a drive shaft 38a that fits into the rotary shafts 33, and is connected to an electric motor 39 to rotate the two rotary shafts 33 in opposite directions.

[0031] The nozzle 4 includes an inlet 41, a flow path 42, and an outlet 43. The inlet 41 is connected to the outlets 31k of the four flow paths 37a to 37d of the downstream flow path 31g of the pump casing 31. The horizontal length of a cross section perpendicular to the transfer direction RF at the inlet 41 is the same as the length from the left end of the flow path 37a of the downstream flow path 31g in the transfer direction RF to the right end of the flow path 37d in the transfer direction RF, and the vertical length is the same as the vertical length of the four flow paths 37a to 37d. The flow path 42 is a single flow path without any partitions. The horizontal length of the cross section perpendicular to the transfer direction RF of the flow path 42 is the same from the inlet 41 to the outlet 43, and the vertical length decreases from the inlet 41 to the outlet 43. The horizontal and vertical lengths of the outlet 43 are, for example, 300 millimeters and 10 millimeters, respectively.

[0032] The conveying device 6 is a belt conveyor, and includes an endless belt 6a having a conveying surface for conveying the strip-shaped dough D, and a frame 6b. The endless belt 6a is rotated by a drive device (not shown) and is configured to convey the strip-shaped dough D and the plastic oil F supplied onto the strip-shaped dough D in a conveying direction RD.

[0033] Next, the operation of the supply device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0034] The plastic fat F in a lump or in small pieces is fed into the hopper 23 of the screw device 2. The electric motor 26 is driven to rotate the first screw 21 and the second screw 22 in opposite directions to transport the plastic fat F toward the outlet 23a of the hopper 23. At this time, the roller 24b of the pushing device 24 is rotated counterclockwise (leftward) in FIG. 1 to push the plastic fat F toward the first screw 21 and the second screw 22.

[0035] The plastic grease F is transferred from the outlet 23a of the hopper 23 to the outlet 31c of the upstream flow path 31a via the inlet 31b and the upstream flow path 31a of the upstream flow path of the pump casing 31. The cross-sectional area of ​​the upstream flow path 31a perpendicular to the transfer direction RF is formed so that it becomes slightly smaller from the inlet 31b toward the outlet 31c, so that the plastic grease F can be transferred uniformly to the pump chamber 31d without applying an excessive load.

[0036] The plastic grease F is transferred from the outlet 31c of the upstream flow path 31a to the inlets 31e of the four flow paths 36a-36d of the pump chamber 31d. In each of the flow paths 36a-36d, the electric motor 39 is driven to rotate each set of Roots-type rotors 34 (left rotor 34a, right rotor 34b) in opposite directions, filling the space 34g surrounded by two adjacent Roots 34f of the Roots-type rotor 34 and the inner circumferential surface 31n of the pump chamber 31d. Thus, a fixed amount of the plastic grease F filled in the space 34g is transferred to the outlets 31f of the four flow paths 36a-36d. The size of the space 34g of the four sets of Roots-type rotors 34 is the same, and the rotation speed of the four sets of Roots-type rotors 34 is the same. Thus, it is possible to transfer the plastic oil F at the same flow rate through each of the four flow paths 36a to 36d. In other words, it is possible to send out a fixed amount of the plastic oil F toward the four outlets 31f of the four flow paths 36a to 36d.

[0037] The plastic grease F is transferred from the outlets 31f of the four flow paths 36a to 36d of the pump chamber 31d through the inlet 31h of the downstream flow path 31g to the four flow paths 37a to 37d of the downstream flow path 31g. The flow direction of the plastic grease F delivered at a fixed rate by the Roots-type rotor 34 constantly changes in a complex manner at the outlets 31f of the four flow paths 36a to 36d as the Roots-type rotor 34 rotates, i.e., is not constant. In addition, if the four flow paths 37a to 37d are merged into one at the outlet 31f, the flow of the plastic grease F becomes even more complex due to the influence of the plastic grease F extruded from the Roots-type rotor 34 in the adjacent flow path, and the plastic grease F is not transferred uniformly.

[0038] In this embodiment, the downstream flow path 31g includes four flow paths 37a to 37d separated in the horizontal direction RL by a partition wall 31m. Furthermore, in each of the four flow paths 37a to 37d aligned in the horizontal direction RL, the horizontal length of the cross section perpendicular to the transfer direction RF is the same from the inlet 31h to the outlet 31k, and the vertical length decreases from the inlet 31h to the outlet 31k. This makes it possible to rectify the complexly changing flow direction of the plastic grease F extruded from the roots-type rotor 34 to the flow direction toward the transfer direction RF. Because the flow rate of the plastic grease F extruded from each of the roots-type rotors 34 is the same, the flow of the plastic grease F transferred from the four flow paths 37a to 37d aligned in the horizontal direction RL is uniform. In addition, since the flow of the plastic grease F is straightened in the transfer direction RF within the four flow paths 37a to 37d, it is possible to transfer a uniform flow of the plastic grease F from the four outlets 31k toward the nozzle 4.

[0039] The plastic grease F is transferred from the four outlets 31k of the downstream flow path 31g to the nozzle 4. In the flow path 42 of the nozzle 4, the horizontal length of the cross section perpendicular to the transfer direction RF is the same from the inlet 41 to the outlet 43 of the nozzle 4, while the vertical length decreases from the inlet 41 to the outlet 43 of the nozzle 4. Furthermore, since the cross-sectional shape of the piping from the outlet 31f of the pump chamber 31d or the four outlets 31k of the downstream flow path does not need to be significantly changed in order to supply the plastic grease F in a band-like manner, the flow path 42 of the nozzle 4 can be kept to a minimum. Furthermore, the plastic grease F transferred uniformly through the four flow paths 37a to 37d of the downstream flow path 31g is compressed vertically but not horizontally, allowing the plastic grease F to be uniformly discharged from the outlet 43. This reduces piping resistance, making it possible to transfer the plastic grease F without applying excessive load.

[0040] A strip of plastic oil F is supplied from the outlet 43 of the nozzle 4 onto the strip of dough D being conveyed in the conveying direction RD by the conveying device 6. Then, both sides of the strip of dough D are folded onto the upper surface of the plastic oil F to form a strip of laminated dough, which is then further folded and laminated to form a pie dough or a Danish pastry dough.

[0041] As can be understood from the above explanation, the flow path for the plastic grease F inside the pump casing 31 and the nozzle 4 is one in the upstream flow path 31a, four in the pump chamber 31d and downstream flow path 31g, the same number as the number of Roots pumps, and one in the flow path 42 of the nozzle 4. Furthermore, in a cross section perpendicular to the transfer direction RF, the horizontal lengths of the pump chamber 31d and the outlet 43 of the nozzle 4 are approximately the same. This configuration makes it possible to uniformly discharge the plastic grease F from a flat nozzle that is long in the horizontal direction and short in the vertical direction. Furthermore, the discharged plastic grease F does not become wavy or develop holes, making it possible to discharge the plastic grease F without deteriorating in quality.

[0042] Next, a supply device 51 for plasticized fat F according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. In the following description, detailed descriptions of the already known configuration and the configuration described in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0043] The supply device 51 includes a screw device 52, a pump device 3, a nozzle 4, a frame 5, and a transfer direction changing device 58. In the second embodiment, the transfer direction RF of the plasticized oil F and the conveying direction RD of the strip-shaped dough D are arranged perpendicular to each other in a plan view (see FIG. 5). The configurations of the pump device 3 and the nozzle 4 are the same as those of the first embodiment, so their description will be omitted.

[0044] The screw device 52 includes a first screw 52 a, a second screw 52 b, a hopper 52 c, a bearing plate 52 d, and a divided feed device 54 .

[0045] A pair of left and right screws, the first screw 52a and the second screw 52b, are arranged parallel to and horizontal with respect to the transfer direction RF at the bottom of the hopper 52c. The first screw 52a and the second screw 52b each include a rotation shaft, a spiral blade along the rotation shaft, and a tip including a convex portion rotatably supported on a bearing plate 52d, and are rotatable about the rotation shaft. The spiral blades of the first screw 52a and the second screw 52b are twisted in opposite directions and can be rotated in opposite directions by the screw drive unit 25 and the electric motor 26. Specifically, the first screw 52a rotates clockwise and the second screw 52b rotates counterclockwise in the transfer direction RF. The first screw 52a and the second screw 52b are configured to transfer the plastic grease F introduced into the hopper 52c toward an outlet 52e of the hopper 52c formed on the bearing plate 52d. The outlet 52e is generally horizontally elongated.

[0046] The divided supply device 54 is disposed above the first screw 52a and the second screw 52b inside the hopper 52c and is configured to divide the lumps of plastic oil F introduced into the hopper 52c into small lumps and supply them to the first screw 52a and the second screw 52b located below. The divided supply device 54 includes a first divided supply screw 54a, a second divided supply screw 54b, a bearing 54c, a drive unit 54d, and an electric motor 54e. The pair of left and right divided screws, the first divided supply screw 54a and the second divided supply screw 54b, are disposed parallel to each other and horizontally in the transfer direction RF. The first divided supply screw 54a and the second divided supply screw 54b each include a rotation shaft and two spiral blades 54f, 54g aligned along the rotation shaft and are rotatable about the rotation shaft. The spiral blades 54f, 54g of the first divided supply screw 54a and the second divided supply screw 54b are twisted in opposite directions and can be rotated in opposite directions by a drive unit 54d and an electric motor 54e. The rotation axes of the first divided supply screw 54a and the second divided supply screw 54b are arranged so as to be parallel to the rotation axes of the first screw 52a and the second screw 52b.

[0047] The transfer direction changing device 58 is a belt conveyor, and is configured to change the direction of travel of the strip-shaped plastic oil F ejected from the nozzle 4 in the transfer direction RF to the conveying direction RD of the strip-shaped dough D conveyed by the conveying device 6, and supply the plastic oil F onto the strip-shaped dough D.

[0048] The transfer direction changing device 58 includes an endless belt 58a having a conveying surface for conveying the plastic grease F, a frame 58b, a drive pulley 58c for rotating the endless belt 58a, a guide member 58d, a tip pulley 58e, two direction changing pulleys 58f arranged above and below, and an electric motor 58g connected to the drive pulley 58c and for driving the drive pulley 58c to rotate. The transfer direction changing device 58 is disposed above the conveying device 6, downstream of the nozzle 4 in the transfer direction RF.

[0049] The drive pulley 58c has a rotation axis that is arranged perpendicular to the transfer direction RF, the tip pulley 58e has a rotation axis that is arranged perpendicular to the conveying direction RD, and the two direction changing pulleys 58f are arranged at an angle of 45° with respect to the transfer direction RF (see FIG. 5). The endless belt 58a is wound around the drive pulley 58c, the upper direction changing pulley 58f, the tip pulley 58e, and the lower direction changing pulley 58f. The direction of the endless belt 58a driven by the drive pulley 58c moves downstream in the transfer direction RF, is changed by the upper direction changing pulley 58f to the right direction perpendicular to the transfer direction RF (conveying direction RD), is reversed at the tip pulley 58e, is changed by the lower direction changing pulley 58f to the upstream direction in the transfer direction RF, and returns to the drive pulley 58c (see FIG. 5).

[0050] The guide member 58d is disposed outside the upper direction-changing pulley 58f and has an arc-shaped guide surface that guides the plastic grease F to change its direction of travel. The distance between the guide member 58d and the upper direction-changing pulley 58f is determined so that the plastic grease F can pass through.

[0051] Next, the operation of the supply device 51 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0052] The lump plastic fat F is fed into the hopper 52c of the screw device 52. The electric motor 54e is driven to rotate the first divided supply screw 54a and the second divided supply screw 54b in opposite directions to divide the lump plastic fat F into small chunks, and the divided plastic fat F is fed toward the upstream side of the lower first screw 52a and second screw 52b. The electric motor 26 is driven to rotate the first screw 52a and the second screw 52b in opposite directions to transport the plastic fat F toward the hopper outlet.

[0053] As in the first embodiment, the plastic grease F is transported, and the strip-shaped plastic grease F is discharged from the nozzle 4 and supplied to the conveying surface of the endless belt 58a. The electric motor 58g drives the drive pulley 58c to rotate the endless belt 58a, and the strip-shaped plastic grease F is transported in the transport direction RF. When the movement direction of the endless belt 58a is changed by 90° by the direction-changing pulley 58f, the traveling direction of the plastic grease F is gradually changed downward from the left end to the right end in the transport direction RF. When the plastic grease F whose traveling direction has been changed downward is supplied onto the strip-shaped dough D being transported in the transport direction RD by the conveying device 6, the traveling direction of the plastic grease F changes to the transport direction RD.

[0054] Next, a supply device 61 for plasticized fat F according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. In the following description, detailed descriptions of the already known configuration and the configuration described in the first and second embodiments will be omitted.

[0055] The supply device 61 includes a screw device 52, a pump device 3, a nozzle 68b, a frame 5, and a transfer direction change device 68 for the plastic grease F. In the third embodiment, the transfer direction RF of the plastic grease F and the conveying direction RD of the strip-shaped dough D are perpendicular to each other in a plan view (see FIG. 7). The configuration of the screw device 52 is the same as that of the screw device 52 of the second embodiment, and therefore, description thereof will be omitted.

[0056] The Roots rotor 64 in the pump apparatus 3 of the third embodiment differs from the Roots rotor 34 in the pump apparatus 3 of the second embodiment. The Roots rotor 64 is composed of a left rotor 64a and a right rotor 64b. Each of the left rotor 64a and the right rotor 64b includes a through hole 64c that mates with the mating shaft portion 33a of the rotary shaft 33, a (cylindrical) convex end 64d with a circular cross section, and an opposite concave end 64e with a circular cross section. The convex end 64d is configured to mate with the through hole 35a of the partition plate 35 and the concave end 34e of the adjacent Roots rotor 34. Furthermore, the left rotor 64a and the right rotor 64b each include four-lobed blades (Roots) 64f, which are identical in shape and have a V-shaped outer peripheral profile. The V-shape of the blades (roots) 64f of the left rotor 64a and the V-shape of the blades (roots) 64f of the right rotor 64b are oriented in opposite directions.

[0057] The transfer direction changing device 68 is a transfer direction changing nozzle that is arranged downstream of the pump device 3 and changes the direction of travel of the strip-shaped plastic oil F transferred in the transfer direction RF from the outlet 31k of the pump device 3 to align with the transfer direction RD of the strip-shaped dough D being transported by the conveying device 6, and supplies it onto the strip-shaped dough D.

[0058] The transfer direction changing device 68 includes a main body 68a that forms a flow path 68c for the plastic grease F. The flow path 68c is configured between an inlet 68d that communicates with the outlet 31k of the pump device 3 and an outlet 68e that communicates with the nozzle 68b. The inlet 68d is disposed perpendicular to the transfer direction RF, and the outlet 68e is disposed perpendicular to the conveying direction RD. In other words, the inlet 68d and the outlet 68e are configured to be disposed perpendicular to each other in a plan view (see FIG. 7). The flow path 68c extends from the inlet 68d along the transfer direction RF, bends downward from the left end above the conveying device 6, gradually bends downward to the right end, bends until the movement direction of the plastic grease F becomes parallel to the conveying direction RD, and extends linearly along the conveying direction RD.

[0059] The nozzle 68 b has a structure similar to that of the nozzle 4 of the first embodiment, and includes an inlet 41 , a flow path 42 , and an outlet 43 .

[0060] 6 and 7, the operation of the supply device 61 will be described. The operation of the screw device 52 and the pump device 3 is the same as that of the first and second embodiments, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] As in the second embodiment, the plastic oil F is transferred from the outlet 31k of the downstream flow path 31g of the pump device 3 to the inlet 68d of the flow path 68c of the transfer direction changing device 68. The moving direction of the plastic oil F is changed from the transfer direction RF to the conveying direction RD by the transfer direction changing device 68, and the plastic oil F is discharged from the nozzle 68b and supplied onto the strip-shaped dough D being conveyed in the conveying direction RD by the conveying device 6.

[0062] The molding device according to the embodiment of the present invention has been generally described above, but it goes without saying that various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0063] For example, in the above embodiment, in a cross section perpendicular to the transfer direction RF, the horizontal length of the nozzle flow path is the same from the inlet to the outlet, and the vertical length decreases from the inlet to the outlet, but as long as the plasticized oil can be ejected uniformly, the horizontal length may increase or decrease from the inlet to the outlet.

[0064] In the above embodiment, a partition wall 31m was arranged in the downstream flow path 31g, but if the change in the flow direction of the plastic grease F delivered in a fixed amount by the Roots-type rotor 34 is small, the partition wall 31m may be omitted.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the blades (roots) of the roots rotor are twisted or V-shaped in one direction relative to the rotation axis, but may be parallel to the rotation axis.

[0066] Any device other than the dividing and supplying device 54 may be used as long as it can divide the lump plastic oil into small pieces and supply them to the screw. Any device other than the transfer direction changing device 68 may be used as long as it can change the transfer direction of the strip-shaped plastic oil.

[0067] Next, a modified example of the supply device 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 8. In the first embodiment, the nozzle 4 includes one flow path 42 and one outlet 43, but in this modified example, a divided nozzle 8 including multiple flow paths 8a is arranged at the outlet 43. The number of flow paths 8a is arbitrary. Even with this configuration, the plastic oil F can be uniformly discharged in a rod shape from the divided nozzle 8, and the plastic oil can be supplied at a stable weight.

[0068] Next, referring to Figure 9, another modified example of the supply device 1 of the first embodiment will be described. In this modified example, a pushing device 9 for supplying plastic grease F is added to the screw device 2 of the supply device 1 of the first embodiment. The pushing device 9 includes a pusher 9a and a cutting device 9b including a lattice-shaped cutting member 9c. The pusher 9a is configured to be lowered from above toward the cutting device 9b by a drive device (not shown), and to push the plastic grease F into the screw 21. The cutting member 9c is disposed above the screw 21 with a small gap between it and the outer periphery of the screw 21.

[0069] A lump of plastic fat F is fed from an inlet onto the cutting member 9c and pushed toward the screw 21 by the pusher 9a. The lump of plastic fat F is cut into rod-like pieces by the cutting member 9c and pushed downward. The extruded rod-like plastic fat F is cut into small pieces by the screw 21 rotating just below the cutting member 9c and transported in the transport direction RF by the screw 21. In this configuration, by feeding the plastic fat F in small pieces to the screw 21, it is possible to supply a fixed amount of plastic fat F to the downstream pump device 3.

[0070] 1, 51, 61 Supply device 2, 52 Screw device 21, 52a First screw (screw) 22, 52b Second screw (screw) 23, 52c Hopper 23a, 52e Outlet 3 Pump device 31 Pump casing 31a Upstream flow path 31d Pump chamber 31g Downstream flow path 31h Inlet 31k Outlet 31m Partition wall 35 Partition plate 36a to 36d (Four flow paths in the pump chamber) 37a to 37d (Four flow paths in the downstream flow path) 34a, 34b, 64a, 64b Roots rotor 4, 68b Nozzle 41 Inlet 42 (One flow path in the nozzle) 43 Outlet 54 Divided supply device 54a, 54b Divided supply screw 54f, 54g Spiral blade 68 Transfer direction change device (transfer direction change nozzle) 8 Divided nozzle 9 Push-in device D Strip-shaped fabric F Plasticized oil RF Transfer direction RL Lateral direction

Claims

1. A supply device (1, 51, 61) for a plastic grease (F), comprising: a screw device (2, 52) including a hopper (23, 52c) and a screw (21, 22, 52a, 52b); a pump device (3) including a pump casing (31); and a nozzle (4, 68b) for supplying the strip-shaped plastic grease (F), wherein the hopper (23, 52c) has an outlet (23a, 52e) for the plastic grease (F) transported in a transport direction (RF) by the screw (21, 22, 52a, 52b). The pump casing (31) includes a horizontally elongated upstream flow path (31a) that receives the plastic grease (F) transferred in a transfer direction (RF) from the outlet (23a, 52e) of the hopper (23, 52c), a pump chamber (31d) that communicates with the upstream flow path (31a) in the transfer direction (RF), and a downstream flow path (31g) that communicates with the pump chamber (31d) in the transfer direction (RF); the nozzle (4, 68b) has a horizontally elongated flow path (42) that communicates with the downstream flow path (31g) and a horizontally elongated outlet (43); the horizontally elongated upstream flow path (31a) is constituted by a single flow path, and the pump chamber (31d) is constituted by a plurality of flow paths (36a to 36d) that are separated in a horizontal direction (RL) by a partition plate (35); A supply device (1, 51, 61) in which a set of roots rotors (34a, 34b, 64a, 64b) constituting a roots pump is housed in each of the plurality of flow paths (36a to 36d) of the pump chamber (31d).

2. A supply device (1, 51, 61) as described in claim 1, wherein the downstream flow path (31g) is composed of a plurality of flow paths (37a to 37d) separated in the lateral direction (RL) by the same number of partition walls (31m) that are continuous with the partition plate (35).

3. The supply device (1, 51, 61) of claim 1, wherein the downstream flow path (31g) has an inlet (31h) and an outlet (31k), and the length of the transverse direction (RL) of a cross section of the entire downstream flow path (31g) perpendicular to the transport direction (RF) is the same from the inlet (31h) to the outlet (31k), and the length of the longitudinal direction decreases from the inlet (31h) to the outlet (31k).

4. A supply device (1, 51, 61) according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of flow paths (37a to 37d) of the downstream flow path (31g) have an inlet (31h) and an outlet (31k), and in each of the plurality of flow paths (37a to 37d) of the downstream flow path (31g), the length in the lateral direction (RL) of a cross section perpendicular to the transport direction (RF) is the same from the inlet (31h) to the outlet (31k), and the length in the longitudinal direction decreases from the inlet (31h) to the outlet (31k).

5. The supply device (1, 51, 61) according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle (4, 68b) has an inlet (41) and an outlet (43), and the horizontally elongated flow path (42) of the nozzle (4, 68b) has a transverse (RL) length of a cross section perpendicular to the transport direction (RF) that is the same from the inlet (41) to the outlet (43), and a vertical length that decreases from the inlet (41) to the outlet (43).

6. The supply device (51) according to claim 1, wherein the screw device (52) includes a dividing supply device (54) that divides the plastic fat (F) in a lump form into small lumps and supplies them to the screws (52a, 52b).

7. The supply device (51) of claim 6, wherein the divided supply device (54) includes a pair of divided supply screws (54a, 54b) rotatable in opposite directions, and the pair of divided supply screws (54a, 54b) include helical blades (54f, 54g) twisted in opposite directions.

8. The supply device (61) according to claim 1 further includes a transfer direction changing device (68) that changes the direction of travel of the plastic grease (F) transferred from the pump device (3) in the transfer direction (RF) to a conveying direction (RD) perpendicular to the transfer direction (RF) and transfers it to the nozzle (68b).

9. A supply device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a divided nozzle (8) including a plurality of flow paths (8a) arranged in the transverse direction (RL) is arranged at the horizontally elongated outlet (43) of the nozzle (4).

10. A feeding device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the screw device (2) comprises a pushing device (9) including a grid-like cutting member (9c).

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