JP2005040133A - Rice ball, method for forming rice ball and machine for forming rice ball - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice ball which can be massively formed in a short time, and having a feeling such as a handmade rice ball, and to provide a method for forming the same, and to provide a machine for forming the same. <P>SOLUTION: The rice ball comprises a lower part having an almost oval shaped bottom face which expands downward, and an upper part having an elliptical cone-like upside face with upwardly reducing diameter, wherein the lower part and the upper part are continuously connected. The method for forming rice ball comprises a step of forming a sheet shaped boiled rice into twofold state, and a step of forming the twofold state sheet shaped boiled rice into a rice ball shape by pressing with a lower side die and an upper side die. The machine for forming the rice ball is provided with a first forming means of forming the sheet shaped boiled rice into twofold state, and a second means of forming the twofold state sheet shaped rice formed by the first forming means into forms of rice ball by press forming. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice ball, a method for forming a rice ball, and a rice ball molding machine.

Conventional rice ball forming machines that can form a large amount of rice balls in a short time feed a predetermined amount of cooked rice into a rice ball forming hole formed in a substantially triangular shape in plan view, and press the cooked rice from above and below with appropriate pressing bodies By doing so, a rice ball shape is formed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 7-227230 A

  However, the rice balls formed with the above-mentioned rice ball molding machine are clearly different in shape from the rice balls that are gripped by hand, although it has a rice ball shape, and it has an unnaturally hard texture, For those who ate such rice balls, they felt a great sense of incongruity. Therefore, there is a problem that even if rice balls are formed using a high-quality material, it is difficult to feel the deliciousness.

  Therefore, the present inventor conducted research and development to enable the formation of rice balls that can be felt as if they were grasped by hand, even though it is a rice ball molding machine that can form a large amount of rice balls in a short time. It has been achieved.

  The rice ball of the present invention includes a lower side portion having a substantially elliptical lower surface bulged downward, and an upper portion having a substantially elliptical cone-shaped upper side surface gradually reduced in diameter upward. Thus, the lower surface and the upper surface are continuously connected.

Furthermore, the following points are also characteristic. That is,
(1) A predetermined amount of cooked rice is pressed between a lower mold in which a concave portion is formed in a substantially elliptical shape to form a lower side surface and an upper mold in which a concave portion is formed in a substantially elliptical cone shape to form an upper side surface. That was formed.
(2) The upper die is composed of a first upper die having a semi-substantially elliptical conical surface-shaped recess and a second upper die having a semi-substantially elliptical conical surface-like recess, and the first upper die and the second upper die. It was configured to form an upper part having an upper surface of a substantially elliptical conical surface by sandwiching and pressing rice with a mold.

  In addition, the rice ball forming method of the present invention includes a step of forming a sheet-shaped cooked rice made of sheet-shaped rice, a step of folding the sheet-shaped cooked rice in half, and a lower mold and an upper side of the folded rice sheet. It consists of a step of pressing with a mold to make a rice ball shape.

Furthermore, the following points are also characteristic. That is,
(1) A substantially elliptical concave portion is formed in the lower die, and a concave portion is formed in a substantially elliptical cone shape in the upper die, so that a substantially elliptical shape bulging downward is formed. A rice ball is formed by continuously connecting a lower side portion having a lower side surface and an upper side portion having a substantially elliptical cone-shaped upper side surface gradually reduced in diameter upward.
(2) The upper die is composed of a first upper die having a semi-substantially elliptical conical surface-shaped recess and a second upper die having a semi-substantially elliptical conical surface-like recess, and the first upper die and the second upper die. The upper part having an upper surface of a substantially elliptical cone shape is formed by sandwiching and pressing the cooked rice with the mold.

  Moreover, the rice ball forming machine of the present invention comprises a cooked rice supply unit that supplies a sheet of cooked rice in a sheet form, and a rice ball forming unit that forms a rice ball from the sheet of cooked rice. Is formed by a first forming means that is folded in two and a second forming means that press-forms the sheet-like cooked rice that has been folded in two by the first forming means into a rice ball shape.

Furthermore, the following points are also characteristic. That is,
(1) The first forming means includes a support base, a first support body and a second support body which are arranged with the support base sandwiched therebetween and which can be raised and lowered with respect to the support base. After placing the sheet-like cooked rice on the placing surface of the sheet-like cooked rice constituted by the one support, the support base, and the second support, the first support and the second support are raised. Fold the sheet-like cooked rice in half. (2) The second molding means includes a first upper mold and a second upper mold that are provided on the support base so as to be capable of moving forward and backward, and the outer circumferences of the first upper mold and the second upper mold. The surface is brought into sliding contact with the surfaces of the first support body and the second support body that are upright, and the sheet-shaped cooked rice is folded into a rice ball shape between the first upper mold and the second upper mold.
(3) The first upper mold is provided with a semi-elliptical conical recess, the second upper mold is provided with a semi-elliptical conical recess, and the support base is substantially ellipsoidal. The lower surface of the substantially elliptical surface bulged downward is formed by pressing the sheet-shaped cooked rice that is provided with a recess and is folded in two with the first upper mold, the second upper mold, and the support base. Forming a rice ball in which the lower side portion having the upper side portion and the upper side portion having a substantially elliptical cone-shaped upper side surface gradually reduced in diameter upward are continuously connected.
(4) The rice ball forming portion is configured to be covered by tilting the cover cover body that can be tilted up and down, and the cover cover body is used as an operation switch of the rice ball forming portion, and the cover cover body is tilted to make the rice ball It was configured to operate the rice ball forming portion by covering the forming portion.
(5) The cover cover body is configured to stand after the rice ball forming operation in the rice ball forming portion.
(6) The ingredients are placed on the sheet-shaped rice before the sheet-shaped cooked rice is folded in two by the first forming means, and the sheet-shaped cooked rice on which the ingredients are placed is folded in two by the first forming means. By covering the ingredients completely with cooked rice.
(7) The cooked rice supply unit is provided with a pair of cooked rice feed rollers opposed to each other for feeding cooked rice, and the cooked rice feed roller feeds the cooked rice narrowed in a belt shape, and at least one of the cooked rice By having a seasoning agent attached to the surface of the feeding roller, a seasoning surface in which the seasoning agent is attached to one surface of the sheet-like cooked rice is formed.
(8) The rice ball forming portion is configured to fold the sheet-like cooked rice with the seasoned surface as the outer surface.
(9) A seasoning agent supply plate having a seasoning agent supply port provided in parallel with the cooked rice feed roller is provided above the cooked rice feed roller, and a blowing means for blowing air to the seasoning agent supply plate is provided. .
(10) A plurality of concave grooves extended in the extending direction of the cooked rice feed roller are provided on the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller.
(11) A scraping piece for scraping off the cooked rice adhering to the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller is provided.
(12) At the lower position of the cooked rice feed roller, a pair of cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers opposed to each other is provided, and the gap dimension between the cooked rice feed assist rollers is set to be larger than the gap dimension between the cooked rice feed rollers. I made it smaller.

  The present invention is implemented in the form described above, and has the following effects.

  In other words, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the lower side portion having the lower surface of the substantially elliptical surface that bulges downward, and the upper surface of the substantially elliptical cone shape that gradually decreases in diameter toward the upper side. The rice ball is made of an upper part with a continuous connection between the lower side and the upper side, so that the shape of the rice ball can be very close to that of a hand-held rice ball. You can feel like a rice ball. Therefore, it is possible to eat deliciously without feeling uncomfortable when eating such rice balls.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, a lower mold in which a concave portion is formed in a substantially elliptical shape so as to form a lower side surface, and an upper mold in which a concave portion is formed in a substantially elliptical conical surface shape so as to form an upper side surface. By pressing and forming a predetermined amount of cooked rice, the force of pressing the cooked rice with the upper mold and the lower mold can be applied toward the center of the rice ball, while having a moderate softness. , Can prevent the deformation of the mold due to its own weight. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce a texture similar to a rice ball held by hand.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the upper die is composed of a first upper die having a semi-substantially elliptical conical concave portion and a second upper die having a semi-elliptical conical concave portion. The upper mold is released from the formed rice ball by forming the upper part having the upper surface of the substantially elliptical cone shape by sandwiching and pressing the cooked rice between the first upper mold and the second upper mold. Can be performed smoothly, and it is possible to prevent deformation of the rice balls formed with the release of the upper mold.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the step of forming a sheet-shaped cooked rice made of the sheet-shaped rice, the step of folding the sheet-shaped cooked rice in half, And the upper mold to make a rice ball-shaped step, and by holding the necessary ingredients on the inside of the sheet rice cooked in half, it was grasped by hand As with rice balls, rice balls can be formed with ingredients surrounded by rice. Therefore, the consumer can feel that the rice balls are held by hand, and can eat deliciously without feeling uncomfortable when eating such rice balls.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, the concave portion is formed in a substantially elliptical shape in the lower die, and the concave portion is formed in a substantially elliptical conical surface shape in the upper die, so that it faces downward. A rice ball is formed by continuously connecting a lower side portion having a substantially oval-shaped lower side surface that is bulged and an upper side portion having an upper surface having a substantially elliptical cone shape that is gradually reduced in diameter upward. By this, the force which presses cooked rice can be made to act toward the center part of a rice ball by the upper side mold | type and a lower side mold | type, and while it has moderate softness, the shape | mold deformation | transformation by dead weight can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce a texture similar to a rice ball held by hand.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, the upper die is constituted by a first upper die having a semi-substantially elliptical conical concave portion and a second upper die having a semi-substantially elliptic conical concave portion. The upper mold having a substantially elliptical cone-shaped upper surface is formed by sandwiching and pressing the cooked rice between the first upper mold and the second upper mold, thereby smoothly releasing the upper mold from the formed rice ball. This can be performed, and it is possible to prevent deformation of the rice balls formed with the release of the upper mold.

  In addition, according to the invention of claim 7, in the rice ball forming machine comprising a cooked rice supply unit that supplies a sheet of cooked rice in a sheet form and a rice ball forming unit that forms a rice ball from the sheet of cooked rice. The part is composed of a first forming means that folds the sheet-like cooked rice and a second forming means that press-forms the sheet-like cooked rice that has been folded in the first forming means into a rice ball shape, As in the invention of claim 4, by arranging the necessary ingredients inside the sheet-shaped cooked rice that is folded in half, a rice ball surrounded by the cooked rice is formed in the same manner as the rice balls held by hand. can do. Therefore, the consumer can feel that the rice balls are held by hand, and can eat deliciously without feeling uncomfortable when eating such rice balls.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 8, the first molding means includes a support base, a first support body disposed between the support base and the first support body which can be raised and lowered with respect to the support base. After the sheet-like cooked rice is placed on the placing surface of the sheet-like cooked rice constituted by the first support, the support base, and the second support, the first support and the first support 2 When the sheet-like cooked rice is folded in two by raising the support, the ingredients are surrounded by the rice-sheet while maintaining the thickness of the sheet-like cooked rice. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a thin layer from being formed on the cooked rice that surrounds the ingredients, and to perform reliable enclosure with the cooked rice.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the second molding means is composed of a first upper mold and a second upper mold that are opposed to each other on the support base and are capable of moving forward and backward. The outer peripheries of the upper mold and the second upper mold are brought into sliding contact with the surfaces of the first support body and the second support body, and the first rice mold and the second upper mold are folded in two. The first support body and the second support body can be used as the guides of the first upper mold and the second upper mold by press-molding into the shape. The upper die and the second upper die can be securely clamped and pressed.

  According to the invention of claim 10, the first upper die is provided with a semi-substantially elliptical conical recess, the second upper die is provided with a semi-substantially elliptical conical recess, and further supported. The base is provided with a substantially elliptical recess, and the first rice mold, the second upper mold, and the support base are press-molded into a two-folded state so that the force generated by the pressing is It can be made to act toward the central part. Therefore, it is possible to form a rice ball that has a moderate softness and can prevent the deformation due to its own weight, and can reproduce a texture similar to that of a rice ball held by a hand.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the rice ball forming section is configured to be covered by tilting the cover cover body that can be tilted up and down, and the cover cover body is used as an operation switch for the rice ball forming section. In addition, since the rice ball forming portion is configured to operate by tilting the covering cover body so as to cover the rice ball forming portion, it is possible to prevent the entanglement accident involving the operator's hand in the rice ball forming portion.

  Further, according to the invention of claim 12, since the covering cover body is configured to stand up after the rice ball forming operation in the rice ball forming portion, the formation end of the rice ball can be recognized by the covering cover body. Therefore, it is possible to reliably grasp the timing of taking out the onigiri and improve workability.

  Moreover, according to invention of Claim 13, before making a sheet-like rice into a two-folded state by a 1st formation means, an ingredient is mounted in a sheet-like cooked rice, and the sheet-like cooked rice in which the ingredient was mounted is obtained. By making the first folding means into a folded state, the rice balls can be formed by completely covering the ingredients with the cooked rice, as well as the rice balls that are completely surrounded by the cooked rice. , Consumers can feel that the rice balls are more gripped by hand. Therefore, the user does not feel uncomfortable when eating rice balls and can feel the same deliciousness as handmade.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the cooked rice supply unit is provided with a pair of cooked rice feed rollers facing each other for feeding the cooked rice, and the cooked rice feed roller constricts the cooked rice into a strip shape and feeds it. At the same time, a seasoning surface in which the seasoning agent is adhered to one surface of the sheet-like cooked rice is formed by attaching a seasoning agent to the surface of at least one of the rice feed rollers. By this, a seasoning agent can be made to adhere to cooked rice in the stage before formation of a rice ball, and the adhesion | attachment operation | work of the seasoning agent after formation of the rice ball which was performed conventionally can be made unnecessary.

  In particular, in the pasting work of the seasoning agent after the formation of the rice balls, the seasoning agent was sprinkled on the rice balls with a seasoning agent such as salt. In addition to the problem that the seasoning agent hits the rice balls and bounces back, there was a problem that uniform adhesion could not be achieved, but constricting the rice on the surface of the rice feed roller with the seasoning agent attached Thereby, a seasoning agent can be made to adhere to cooked rice substantially uniformly.

  Moreover, according to invention of Claim 15, the rice ball formation part comprised only the surface of the one side of a sheet-like cooked rice by having comprised a seasoned surface as an outer side surface and making a sheet-like cooked rice into a two-fold state. By simply attaching the seasoning agent, a rice ball with the seasoning agent attached to the entire surface can be formed, and the supply of the seasoning agent can be facilitated.

  According to invention of Claim 16, while providing the seasoning agent supply plate which arranged the seasoning agent supply port along the cooked rice supply roller above the cooked rice supply roller, it sends air to the seasoning agent supply plate. By providing the blowing means to be performed, it is possible to prevent the seasoning agent from being moistened by steam rising from the cooked rice and blocking the seasoning agent supply port with the seasoning agent.

  According to the invention of claim 17, the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller is provided with a plurality of concave grooves extended in the extending direction of the cooked rice feed roller. The supplied seasoning agent can be prevented from scattering and the seasoning agent supplied to the peripheral surface can be held by the concave groove, so that the seasoning agent is reliably attached to the surface of the rice feed roller. be able to.

  According to invention of Claim 18, a seasoning agent is made to adhere to the cooked rice adhering to the surrounding surface of a cooked rice feeding roller by providing the scraping piece which scrapes off the cooked rice adhering to the surrounding surface of a cooked rice feeding roller. This can prevent the agglomeration of the seasoning agent due to the cooked rice adhering to the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller. Therefore, the sheet-like cooked rice to which the seasoning agent is uniformly attached can be formed.

  According to the nineteenth aspect of the present invention, a pair of cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers opposed to each other are provided at the lower position of the cooked rice feed roller, and the gap dimension between the cooked rice feed assist rollers is set to By making it smaller than the gap size between the feeding rollers, the rice with seasoning adhered to the cooked rice by the cooked rice feeding roller can be constricted with the rice feed auxiliary roller, so the seasoning of the sheet-like cooked rice Further homogenization of the seasoning agent on the surface can be achieved.

  In the rice ball and rice ball forming method and the rice ball forming machine according to the present invention, the rice ball has a lower side portion having a substantially elliptical lower surface bulged downward, and a substantially elliptical shape in which the diameter is gradually reduced upward. The upper side part which has a cone-shaped upper side surface is comprised, and the lower side surface and the upper side surface are connected continuously.

  By adopting such a shape, the shape can be very close to a rice ball held by the hand, so that the consumer can feel that the rice ball is held by the hand.

  In order to form such a rice ball, the rice ball forming machine is composed of a rice rice supply unit that supplies a sheet-shaped cooked rice in a sheet shape, and a rice ball forming unit that forms a rice ball from the sheet-shaped rice, The sheet-shaped cooked rice is composed of first forming means for folding the sheet-like cooked rice into two-folded state, and second molding means for pressing the sheet-shaped cooked rice that has been folded in half with the first forming means into a rice ball shape.

  With the above configuration, if the necessary ingredients are placed inside the sheet rice that is folded in two, it is possible to form a rice ball that is surrounded by the rice as well as a rice ball that is gripped by hand. It can make consumers feel like a rice ball held by hand. Therefore, consumers can eat deliciously without feeling uncomfortable when eating rice balls.

  Specifically, the first molding means includes a support base that serves as a lower mold, a first support body that is disposed with the support base interposed therebetween and that can be tilted with respect to the support base. The second support is configured, and after the sheet-like cooked rice is placed on the placing surface of the sheet-like cooked rice constituted by the first support, the support base, and the second support, the first support is provided. The sheet-like cooked rice is folded in two by raising the body and the second support.

  The second molding means is composed of a first upper mold and a second upper mold that are opposed to each other on the support base and can be moved forward and backward, and the outer peripheral surfaces of the first upper mold and the second upper mold. Is slidably brought into contact with the surfaces of the first support body and the second support body which are erected, and the sheet-shaped cooked rice that has been folded in two by the first upper mold and the second upper mold is pressed into a rice ball shape.

  In particular, the first upper mold is provided with a semi-elliptical conical recess, the second upper mold is provided with a semi-elliptical conical recess, and the support base is provided with a substantially elliptic concavity. The lower surface of the substantially elliptical surface bulged downward is formed by pressing the sheet-shaped cooked rice that has been folded in half with the first upper mold, the second upper mold, and the support base. The rice ball can be formed by continuously connecting the lower side portion having the upper side portion and the upper side portion having the upper side surface of the substantially elliptical cone shape gradually reduced in diameter upward.

  The rice balls formed in this manner have moderate softness due to the force generated by the pressing being applied toward the center of the rice balls, while preventing deformation of the rice balls due to their own weight. Therefore, the consumer can taste a texture similar to that of a rice ball held by hand when eating this rice ball.

  The rice ball forming machine not only provides a pair of first forming means and second forming means, but also forms a plurality of rice balls at a time by arranging a plurality of first forming means and second forming means in parallel. It becomes possible to form a rice ball more efficiently.

  Furthermore, in the rice ball forming machine of the present invention, a seasoned surface is formed by attaching a seasoning agent to one surface of the sheet-shaped cooked rice formed in the cooked rice supply unit.

  In particular, in order to attach a seasoning agent to one surface of the sheet-shaped cooked rice, the cooked rice supply unit is provided with a pair of cooked rice feed rollers that constrict the cooked rice in a strip shape, and the taste is applied to at least one of the cooked rice feed rollers. By attaching the additive, the seasoning agent is attached to one surface of the strip-shaped cooked rice as the cooked rice feed roller constricts the cooked rice.

  Therefore, since the seasoning agent can be attached before the rice balls are formed, the seasoning agent can be eliminated after the rice balls are formed.

  Moreover, conventionally, the work of attaching the seasoning agent was carried out by sprinkling the seasoning agent on the rice ball after the formation of the rice ball, but in this case, the work of turning the rice ball over can be eliminated, It is possible to suppress the unevenness of the seasoning agent due to the patch hitting the rice balls and splashing back.

  Furthermore, in the rice ball molding machine of the present invention, when the sheet-like cooked rice is folded in two, the seasoning surface is set as the outer surface, thereby easily forming a state in which the seasoning agent is attached to the surface of the rice balls. Can do.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the rice ball forming machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice ball forming machine according to the present embodiment. In addition, the rice ball forming machine A in FIG. 1 does not include a seasoning attaching means for attaching salt as a seasoning to the rice balls.

  The rice ball forming machine A includes a cooked rice supply unit 1 that supplies a sheet-shaped cooked rice a obtained by forming cooked rice into a sheet shape, a rice ball forming unit 2 that forms a rice ball b from the sheet-shaped cooked rice a, a cooked rice supply unit 1 and a rice ball forming unit. The rice ball forming unit 2 is disposed in front of the cooked rice supply unit 1, and the control unit 3 is disposed on the side of the cooked rice supply unit 1.

  The cooked rice supply unit 1 feeds the cooked cooked rice while feeding the cooked cooked rice and the cooked rice fed from the feed mechanism unit 4 while forming it into a strip of a predetermined width and thickness. The feeding mechanism unit 5 and a shutter 6 that forms a sheet-shaped cooked rice a by dividing the strip-shaped cooked rice into predetermined lengths. 7 is a conveyance conveyor which conveys the sheet-like cooked rice a to the rice ball formation part 2. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rice ball forming unit 2 includes a rice ball forming body 8 that can form a rice ball b while moving forward and backward in the front-rear direction, a forward / backward operation mechanism unit 9 that moves the rice ball forming main body 8 forward and backward, A pair of left and right left guide bodies 10 and 11 for operating the rice ball forming body 8 that moves forward and backward in the front-rear direction, and the rice ball forming body 8, the forward and backward operation mechanism section 9, and the left and right guide bodies 10 and 11 are covered. The casing 12 is made up of.

  The rice ball forming main body 8 includes a support base 13 that can be attached to the advancing / retreating operation mechanism 9, a first support body 14 that can be tilted up and down on the front side of the support base 13, and a rear side of the support base 13. A first support 16 and a second upper mold 17 which are disposed so as to face the upper surface of the support base 13 and can be moved up and down, and can be moved back and forth along the support base 13. It consists of and.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the support base 13 is composed of a base frame body 18 and a lower mold body 19 mounted on the base frame body 18.

  The base frame body 18 is mounted on the center support body 20 provided with a fitting projection 20a used for mounting on the advancing / retracting operation mechanism section 9, and mounted on the front side surface and the rear side surface of the center support body 20 and in the left-right direction. Consists of a front frame 21 and a rear frame 22 that are extended, a left connecting body 23 that is installed on the left end of the front and rear frames 21 and 22, and a right connecting structure 24 that is provided on the right end of the front and rear frames 21 and 22. is doing.

  In particular, between the left connection body 23 and the right connection body 24, two guide rods 25, 25 are installed in parallel with each other through the central support body 20, and the left connection body 23 and the central support body The left side follower 26 is attached to the guide rods 25, 25 between the right side follower 26 and the right side follower 27 is attached to the guide rods 25, 25 between the right connecting body 24 and the central support 20, The left follower 26 and the right follower 27 are swingable along the guide rods 25 and 25.

  Furthermore, the guide rods 25 and 25 between the left follower 26 and the central support 20 and the guide rods 25 and 25 between the right follower 27 and the central support 20 are respectively provided with a biasing spring 28. Thus, the left follower 26 and the right follower 27 are biased. The follower projection 26a projecting from the left follower 26 and the follow projection 27a projecting from the right follower 27 are formed in the left guide groove 29 and the right guide body 11 provided in the left guide body 10, as will be described later. The left driven body 26 and the right driven body 27 are driven in accordance with the left and right side guide grooves 29, 30 by being inserted into the provided right guide groove 30.

  In the present embodiment, the lower mold body 19 is a plate-like body made of Teflon (registered trademark) that can be polymerized to the base frame body 18, and is provided with a substantially elliptical concave portion 19a at a substantially central portion.

  The first support member 14 and the second support member 15 are Teflon (registered trademark) plate-like members extended in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. When the support body 14 and the second support body 15 are erected, the curved surfaces are curved so as to be in sliding contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the first upper mold 16 and the second upper mold 17.

  In particular, contact pieces 14a and 15a that contact each other when the first support 14 and the second support 15 are raised are provided at the substantially central portions of the first support 14 and the second support 15 in the left-right direction. By projecting and raising the first support body 14 and the second support body 15, a cylindrical space surrounded by the lower mold body 19, the first support body 14, and the second support body 15 is formed. It is possible.

  The first support body 14 is rotatably mounted on the base frame body 18 via the first connection arm 31 mounted on the left and right side ends, and the second support body 15 is also mounted on the left and right side ends. The base frame body 18 is rotatably attached to the base frame body 18 via the attached second connecting arm 32 so as to be able to stand up.

  In particular, one end of the interlocking connection arm 33 is pivotally attached to the first connection arm 31 via a pivot, and the other end of the interlocking connection arm 33 is pivotally attached to the second connection arm 32 via a pivot. The first support 14 and the second support 15 are interlocked and connected by a connecting arm 33.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, one end of the operation arm 34 is pivotally attached to the first connecting arm 31 via a pivot, and the other end of the operation arm 34 is pivotally attached to the driven arm 35 via the pivot. The follower arm 35 is pivotally attached at one end to the base frame body 18 so that a rolling wheel 36 pivoted in the middle is brought into contact with the left guide body 10 or the right guide body 11 described later. The driven arm 35 is rotated using the undulations provided in the left guide body 10 and the right guide body 11.

  By rotating the driven arm 35, the first support 14 is raised and lowered by the operation arm 34 linked to the driven arm 35, and further, the second support linked to the first support 14 by the linked connecting arm 33. The body 15 is upset. This is the first forming means.

  The first upper mold 16 and the second upper mold 17 are, as described above, the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical space formed by the lower mold body 19, the upright first support body 14 and the second support body 15. The first upper mold 16 and the second upper mold 17 are arranged to face each other on the upper surface of the lower mold body 19.

  Then, the semi-substantially elliptical conical concave portions 37 are formed on the opposing surfaces of the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17, respectively, and the cooked rice is sandwiched between the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17. By pressing, an upper surface of a substantially elliptical cone shape that is gradually reduced in diameter toward the upper side of the cooked rice is formed.

  In particular, the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17 are in contact with each other at a substantially elliptical concave portion 19a provided in the lower die 19, and the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 16 are in contact with each other. The upper part b2 having the upper surface b1 having a substantially elliptical cone shape is formed on the cooked rice by the mold 17, and the lower surface 19 has a lower surface b3 having a substantially elliptical shape bulged downward from the cooked rice by the lower mold body 19. In addition to forming the lower side portion b4, a rice ball in which the lower side surface b3 and the upper side surface b1 are continuously connected can be formed.

  The first upper mold 16 is detachably mounted on a first upper mold mounting body 39 attached to the upper end of a support frame 38 erected on the left driven body 26, and the second upper mold 17 is mounted on the right driven body 27. As the left follower 26 and the right follower 27 are driven along the guide rods 25 and 25 by detachably attaching to the second upper mold attachment body 40 attached to the upper end of the support frame 38 standing upright Thus, the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17 are advanced and retracted on the support base 13. This is the second forming means.

As shown in FIG. 4, the advance / retreat operation mechanism unit 9 includes a travel guide 41 that extends in the front-rear direction and a travel base 42 that travels in the front-rear direction on the travel guide 41.

  The traveling table 42 is traveling controlled using an absolute value motor (not shown). Further, the upper surface of the traveling platform 42 is provided with a fitting hole 42a for fitting the fitting projection 20a projecting from the central support 20 of the base frame body 18, and the fitting projection 20a is fitted into the fitting hole 42a. By doing so, the rice ball forming main body 8 is attached to the advance / retreat operation mechanism portion 9 so that the rice ball forming main body 8 is moved forward and backward.

The left guide body 10 and the right guide body 11 are below the rice ball forming body 8 that advances and retreats in the front-rear direction.
It is extended in the front-rear direction.

  In particular, the upper surfaces of the left guide body 10 and the right guide body 11 are configured such that the rolling wheels 36 pivoted on the driven arm 35 of the rice ball forming body 8 are brought into contact with the upper surfaces of the left guide body 10 and the right guide body 11. 1 includes a tilt region 43 for maintaining the tilted posture of the tilted first support body 14 and the second support body 15, and an inclined surface provided for raising the first support body 14 and the second support body 15. An up / down switching area 44 and an upright area 45 for maintaining the upright posture of the upright first support body 14 and the second support body 15 are provided, and the first support body 14 and the 2 The support 15 is turned upside down.

  Further, as described above, the left guide body 10 and the right guide body 11 include the left-side driven body 26 and the driven-side protrusions 26a and the driven-side protrusions provided on the base frame body 18 of the rice ball forming body 8. A left guide groove 29 and a right guide groove 30 for inserting 27a are provided.

  In particular, the left guide groove 29 and the right guide groove 30 are arranged so as to gradually approach each other toward the front by being bent at the front end of the parallel region 46 which is substantially parallel to each other at the rear portion and the parallel region 46. As the rice ball forming body 8 moves forward, the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17 are moved in parallel with each other in the parallel region 46, and the first upper die 16 and the first upper die 16 are The two upper molds 17 are brought close to each other.

  In FIG. 4, reference numeral 48 denotes a support that supports the left guide groove 29 and the right guide groove 30 at a required height.

  Below, the formation process of the rice ball b by the rice ball formation machine A comprised as mentioned above is explained in full detail using FIGS.

  Here, the sheet-like cooked rice a is formed at a predetermined timing by the cooked rice supply unit 1 and waits on the transport conveyor 7. During this waiting, the necessary ingredients c are put on the sheet-like cooked rice a. It is supposed to be placed. In addition, in FIGS. 5 to 14, the illustration of the sheet-like cooked rice a and the rice ball b is partially omitted.

(I) Transfer process of sheet-shaped cooked rice With the start of rice ball formation, the rice ball forming body 8 moves to the end of the movable range, as shown in FIG. At this time, the driven protrusion 26a of the left driven body 26 and the driven protrusion 27a of the right driven body 27 are located in the parallel region 46 of the left guide groove 29 or the parallel region 46 of the right guide groove 30, respectively. The first upper mold 16 and the second upper mold 17 are separated from each other in the left-right direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the rolling wheels 36 pivoted on the left and right driven arms 35, 35 are positioned in the tilting regions 43 of the left and right rail bodies 10, 11, respectively. The second support 15 is completely tilted. And the contact piece 14a of the 1st support body 14 is located just under the front-end | tip part of the conveyance conveyor 7. FIG.

  Next, the sheet-shaped cooked rice a is conveyed forward by the conveyor 7, so that the tip of the sheet-shaped cooked rice a is placed on the contact piece 14 a of the first support 14. Then, the rice ball forming main body 8 is moved forward at the same speed as the conveying conveyor 7 conveys the sheet-like cooked rice a, and the first support body 14, the lower mold body 19, and the second support body 15 The sheet-like cooked rice a is placed on the placement surface of the sheet-like cooked rice a to be configured.

  The contact piece 14a of the first support 14 on which the sheet-like cooked rice a is first placed is warped upward when the first support 14 is tilted, The forward end of the sheet-like cooked rice a can be prevented at the tip portion.

(Ii) Folding process of sheet-like cooked rice After the sheet-like cooked rice a is completely placed on the rice ball forming main body 8 as described above, the rice ball forming main body 8 is further advanced, as shown in FIG. When the rolling wheel 36 pivoted on the driven arm 35 reaches the up / down switching area 44, the rolling wheel 36 rolls along the up / down switching area 44 inclined forward and backward. As a result, the driven arm 35 pivotally provided with the rolling wheel 36 is rotated and the tip end side thereof is gradually raised, and the other arms 31, 32, 33, 34 are interlocked with the rotation of the driven arm 35 in FIG. As shown, the first support 14 and the second support 15 are erected, and the sheet-like cooked rice a on the placement surface is folded in two.

  Then, when the rolling wheel 36 reaches the upright region 45, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first support 14 and the second support 15 are completely erected, and the two supports 14, 15 are brought into contact with each other. The contact pieces 14a and 15a are brought into contact with each other, and the sheet-like cooked rice a is folded in a cylindrical space surrounded by the first support 14, the second support 15 and the lower mold 19. I try to fully accommodate it.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the sheet-like cooked rice a is folded in half, if the necessary ingredients c are arranged in advance on the inner surface of the sheet-like cooked rice a, it is the same as the rice ball b grasped by hand. Onigiri b in which ingredients c are surrounded by cooked rice can be formed. Therefore, the consumer can feel that the rice ball b is held by hand, and can eat deliciously without feeling uncomfortable when eating the rice ball b.

  Moreover, since the sheet-like cooked rice a is folded in two by raising the first support 14 and the second support 15 that are arranged to be able to rise and fall with the support base 13 interposed therebetween, the thickness of the sheet-like cooked rice a It is possible to surround the ingredient c with the sheet-like cooked rice a while holding the rice cake, and to prevent a thin layer from being formed on the cooked rice that surrounds the ingredient c.

(Iii) Cooked rice pressing step Next, when the rice ball forming body 8 further advances, the driven protrusion 26a of the left driven body 26 and the driven protrusion 27a of the right driven body 27 that have reached the proximity area 47 are respectively in the proximity area 47. The left guide groove 29 and the right guide groove 30 approach each other.

  The first upper mold 16 connected to the left driven body 26 and the second upper side connected to the right driven body 27 when the driven protrusion 26a of the left driven body 26 and the driven protrusion 27a of the right driven body 27 are close to each other. The mold 17 and the lower mold body 19 come close to each other, and the sheet-shaped cooked rice a that has been folded in two on the lower mold body 19 is pressed from the left and right.

  In particular, the lower mold 19 is provided with a recess 19a for forming the lower surface of the rice ball b, and the upper surface of the rice ball b is formed on the opposing surfaces of the first upper mold 16 and the second upper mold 17, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17 come close to each other until they come into contact with each other, as shown in FIGS. The rice 37 is formed in the shape of a rice ball b by the recess 37 of the second upper mold 17 and the recess 19a of the lower mold body 19.

  Thus, in this embodiment, since the rice ball b is formed by pressing a predetermined amount of cooked rice with the first upper mold 16 and the second upper mold 17 and the lower mold body 19, the force to press the cooked rice is increased. It can be made to act toward the center of the rice ball b, can give the rice ball b an appropriate softness, and can prevent the mold from being deformed by its own weight. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce the same texture as the rice ball b held by the hand.

  Moreover, when the first upper mold 16 and the second upper mold 17 press-form the sheet-like cooked rice a, the first support body 14 and the second support body in which the first upper mold 16 and the second upper mold 17 stand up. 15 is in sliding contact with the first support 14 and the second support 15 as a guide and proceeds toward the center of the lower mold body 19 without leaking the folded rice-like rice a. The first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17 can be securely clamped and pressed.

(iv) Rice ball extraction step After the rice ball b is formed as described above, the rice ball forming body 8 is moved backward.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the driven protrusion 26a of the left driven body 26 and the driven protrusion 27a of the right driven body 27 reach the parallel region 46, respectively, and the first upper mold 16 and the second upper mold 17 again The rolling wheel 36 pivoted on the driven arm 35 reaches the tilting region 43 and tilts the first support 14 and the second support 15 so as to tilt the first upper side from the rice ball b. The mold 16 and the second upper mold 17 are separated from each other so that the rice ball b can be taken out.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the upper die that forms the upper portion b2 of the rice ball b is composed of a pair of the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17, so that the upper die can be smoothly formed from the molded rice ball b. Can be released. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rice balls b from being deformed when the upper mold is released. The upper die is not only composed of the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17 as described above, but is also a single unit in which the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17 are integrated. It may be composed of a single mold.

  When the rice ball b can be taken out from the rice ball forming portion 2 as described above, the rice ball forming body 8 temporarily stops and maintains the stopped state until the rice ball b is taken out. In this temporary stop state, as described above, the first upper die 16 and the second upper die 17 are left and right, and the first support 14 and the second support 15 are completely tilted. The rice balls b can be easily taken out from the rice ball forming body 8.

  The rice ball forming machine A can form rice balls b one after another by repeating the steps (i) to (iv), and can form a large amount of rice balls b in a short time.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rice ball forming main body 8 is provided with a cover 12a that can be raised and lowered at the top of the casing 12 of the rice ball forming portion 2, and the operation is started by using the cover member 12a as an operation switch. It is configured to do.

  That is, when the rice ball forming operation is completed and the retraction of the rice ball forming body 8 is temporarily stopped as described above, the covering cover body 12a is automatically raised to open the rice ball forming portion 2 and open. The rice ball b can be taken out from the rice ball formation portion 2.

  Thereafter, the rice ball b is taken out, and when the covering cover body 12a is tilted to close the rice ball forming portion 2 again, the next rice ball forming operation is started.

  In this way, after the rice ball b is formed, the covering cover body 12a is automatically erected, the operation of the rice ball forming body 8 is stopped until the molded rice ball b is taken out, the rice ball b is taken out, and the covering cover body 12a. If the operation of the rice ball forming body 8 is started again when the rice ball is tilted, the end of the formation of the rice ball b can be recognized by the covering cover body 12a, and the take-out timing of the formed rice ball b can be reliably grasped. Workability can be improved.

  In addition, in order to operate the rice ball forming main body 8 again, the operator must manually tilt the covering cover body 12a erected, so that when the covering cover body 12a is tilted, the rice ball forming portion 2 The inside is confirmed, and forgetting to take out the rice ball b can be prevented.

  Moreover, since the covering cover body 12a is used as an operation switch for the rice ball forming portion 2, and the rice ball forming body 8 is operated by tilting the covering cover body 12a to cover the rice ball forming portion 2, the rice ball forming body 8 is in operation. Since the rice ball forming portion 2 is covered with the covering cover 12a, it is possible to prevent a winding accident involving the operator's hand in the rice ball forming portion 2.

  FIG. 15 shows a rice ball b formed by the rice ball forming machine A of the present invention as described above. As shown in the figure, the rice ball b formed by the rice ball forming machine A of the present invention has a lower side part b1 having a substantially elliptical lower side surface bulging downward, and a diameter gradually reduced upward. Further, the upper part b2 having an upper surface substantially in the shape of an elliptical cone is continuously connected.

  Thus, the rice ball b formed by the rice ball forming machine A of the present invention has a shape very close to the rice ball b grasped by the hand, so that the consumer can feel that the rice ball b is grasped by the hand, There is no sense of incongruity when eating rice balls b, so you can eat deliciously.

  FIG. 16 shows a cross section of the rice ball b. The rice ball b formed by the rice ball forming machine A of the present invention is a state in which the ingredient c is surrounded by the rice like the rice ball held by hand by folding the sheet-like rice a on which the ingredient c is placed. It becomes. Therefore, the consumer can feel that the rice ball b is gripped with his / her hand, and can feel the taste of homemade without feeling uncomfortable when eating the rice ball.

  Finally, the seasoning agent attaching means will be described in detail. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a main part of a rice ball forming machine A ′ with seasoning adhering means, which has been modified so as to attach the seasoning adhering means to the above-described rice ball forming machine. In addition, about the same component as above-mentioned rice ball formation machine A, the same code | symbol is used and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The cooked rice supply unit 1 ′ is attached to the upper end of the cooked rice supply unit support frame 110 erected on the base 100, and has a belt-like shape at the front end of the horizontal support arm 120 extending in the horizontal direction on the cooked rice supply unit support frame 110. The cooker 130 includes a cooked rice feeding hopper 140 above the strip-shaped molded unit 130 and a seasoning supply unit 150 provided on the cooked rice feed hopper 140 on the cooked rice supply unit support frame 110 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, the belt-shaped forming unit 130 includes a pair of cooked rice feed rollers 131 and 131 that are opposed to each other while being extended in the left-right direction, and a pair of cooked rice feed rollers 131 and 131 that are disposed below the cooked rice feed rollers 131 and 131. The rice feed auxiliary rollers 132, 132, the cutting cutter 133 for cutting the rice cooked in a strip shape provided below the rice feed auxiliary rollers 132, 132, the left ends of the rice feed rollers 131, 131 and the rice feed auxiliary rollers 132, 132 The left support plate 134 is rotatably supported and the right support plate 135 is rotatably supported on the right ends of the cooked rice feed rollers 131 and 131 and the cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers 132 and 132.

  A plurality of first concave grooves 131 a extended along the extending direction of the cooked rice feed roller 131 are provided on the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller 131. In addition, a plurality of concave grooves 132 a that are extended along the extending direction of the cooked rice feed assisting roller 132 are provided on the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed assisting roller 132.

  By providing the first concave groove 131a and the concave groove 132a in this way, the cooked rice fed from the cooked rice feed hopper 140 is rotated downward by rotating the cooked rice feed rollers 131, 131 and the cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers 132, 132, respectively. In feeding, the cooked rice feed rollers 131 and 131 and the cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers 132 and 132 are prevented from idling to make it difficult to feed a predetermined amount of cooked rice.

  Further, in the cooked rice feed rollers 131, 131, a second recessed groove 131b is formed in the substantially central portion of the first recessed groove 131a along the extending direction of the cooked rice feed roller 131, and the cooked rice is inside the first recessed groove 131a. Prevents sticking.

  In the band-shaped forming unit 130, the gap dimension between the cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers 132, 132 is made smaller than the gap dimension between the cooked rice feed rollers 131, 131, and the cooked rice is narrowed and formed into a band shape in two stages. Therefore, it is possible to form a strip-shaped cooked rice while reducing the density variation of the cooked rice.

In FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, 136 is a scraping piece for scraping off the cooked rice adhering to the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller 131, and the concave curved surface 136 a substantially the same as the outer peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller 131 is fed to the cooked rice feed roller 131. The feeding roller 131 is provided substantially in parallel with the extending direction. In FIGS. 19 and 20, 137 is a lower frame of the belt-shaped forming unit 130. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the rice feed roller 131 on the cooked rice supply unit support frame 110 is positioned above the cooked rice feed roller 131. A seasoning agent supply plate 152 having a plurality of seasoning agent supply ports 151 arranged in parallel along the extending direction of the cooked rice feed roller 131 is arranged to season the cooked rice feed roller 131 from the seasoning agent supply port 151. It is comprised so that an agent may be supplied (refer FIG. 21).

  The seasoning agent supply plate 152 constitutes the lower surface of the supply adjustment chamber 154 provided at the lower end of the seasoning agent supply hopper 153 in the seasoning agent supply unit 150. As shown in FIG. Are provided with a rotating shaft 155 extended along the extending direction of the cooked rice feed roller 131, and a left connecting arm 156 and a right connecting arm 157 protruding downward from the left and right ends of the rotating shaft 155. The seasoning agent pusher 158 is provided between the two.

  A first connecting arm 161 is attached to the end of the rotating shaft 155 that protrudes into the supply adjusting chamber 154, and the second connecting arm is attached to the end of the first connecting arm 161 as shown in FIGS. 164 is pivotally mounted, and a third coupling arm 163 is mounted on the other end of the second coupling arm 164 so as to protrude from a rotating plate 162 that is mounted on an output shaft of a drive motor (not shown) and rotated. Then, by rotating the drive motor, the rotating plate 162 is rotated and the rotating shaft 155 is rotated.

  As the rotary shaft 155 rotates, the seasoning agent feed body 158 moves back and forth above the seasoning agent supply port 151 to push out the seasoning agent from the seasoning agent supply port 151.

  In particular, salt is used as a seasoning agent in the present embodiment, and the seasoned agent feeding body 158 is formed of a round bar, whereby the salted salt is pulverized and atomized by the seasoning agent feeding body 158. The salt can be smoothly pushed out from the seasoning agent supply port 151. In addition, a seasoning agent is not limited to salt, A required sprinkling may be sufficient.

  19 and 20, reference numeral 153a denotes an inclined plate on the cooked rice supply unit support frame 110 side of the seasoning agent supply hopper 153, and reference numeral 153b denotes a lid provided on the top of the seasoning agent supply hopper 153 so as to be freely opened and closed.

  The inclined plate 153a has an inclined shape of low front and rear, and is blown toward the inclined plate 153a by a blower fan (not shown) provided behind the seasoning agent supply unit 150, and the air directed downward by the inclined plate 153a is By sending air to the seasoning supply plate 152 located in front of the inclined plate 153a, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of condensation on the portion of the seasoning supply plate 152 due to the steam of the cooked rice, and the inside of the supply adjustment chamber 154 Prevents seasoning from getting wet.

  When the seasoning agent is attached to the cooked rice by the seasoning agent attaching means described above, the cooked rice fed from the cooked rice feed hopper 140 is rotated downward by rotating the cooked rice feed rollers 131 and 131 and the cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers 132 and 132, respectively. In addition to feeding, the rotating shaft 155 is rotated to move the seasoning agent feed body 158 back and forth, whereby the seasoning agent is pushed out from the seasoning agent supply port 151 and supplied to the cooked rice feeding roller 131.

  The seasoning agent supplied to the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller 131 by providing a plurality of first concave grooves 131a extended in the extending direction of the cooked rice feed roller 131 on the circumferential surface of the cooked rice feed roller 131 Can be prevented, and the seasoning agent supplied to the peripheral surface can be held by the first concave groove 131a, so that the seasoning agent is applied to the surface of the first concave groove 131a of the cooked rice feed roller 131. An adhesion state can be ensured.

  In this way, by constricting the cooked rice with the cooked rice feed roller 131 holding the seasoning agent in the first concave groove 131a, the seasoning agent on the surface of the cooked rice feed roller 131 can be reliably attached to the cooked rice, A seasoned surface in which a seasoning is attached to cooked rice can be formed.

  Thereafter, the cooked rice is narrowed by the cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers 132 and 132 having a gap size smaller than the gap size between the cooked rice feed rollers 131 and 131, whereby a strip-shaped cooked rice having a required thickness dimension can be obtained. Further, by constricting with the rice feed auxiliary rollers 132, 132, the distribution of the seasoning agent on the seasoning surface can be homogenized.

  After the strip-shaped cooked rice of a predetermined length is sent below the cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers 132, 132, it is cut with a cutting cutter 133 provided below the cooked rice feed assist rollers 132, 132 to form a sheet-shaped cooked rice having a required size. is doing.

  This sheet-like cooked rice has one side as a seasoned surface, and the seasoned surface is used as the outer side by the rice ball forming main body 8 by feeding the seasoned surface as a lower surface to the rice ball forming main body 8 and forming it into a rice ball. Since the sheet-like cooked rice is folded in two, the rice balls with the seasoning agent attached to the entire surface can be easily formed, and the step of attaching the seasoning agent after the rice ball formation can be dispensed with.

  In particular, by adjusting the driving state of the drive motor that rotates the rotating plate 162 and adjusting the rotation speed of the rotation shaft 155 in the supply adjustment chamber 154, the supply amount of the seasoning can be adjusted, so that the desired seasoning can be achieved. The continuous production of rice balls can be made possible.

  In addition, since the seasoning agent supply plate 152 provided with the seasoning agent supply port 151 is supplied with air to prevent the seasoning agent from getting wet, the seasoning agent can be stably supplied. it can.

  Further, the strip-shaped forming unit 130 is provided with scraping pieces 136 to scrape off the cooked rice adhering to the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller 131, so that the cooked rice that has adhered to the cooked rice feed roller 131 is used as a seasoning supply plate. It is possible to prevent the seasoning agent supply port 151 from being blocked by adhering to 152, and to prevent the seasoning agent from adhering to the cooked rice adhered to the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller 131. Aggregation of the seasoning agent by the cooked rice adhering to the peripheral surface can also be prevented.

It is a perspective view of one embodiment of a rice ball forming machine according to the present invention. It is a perspective view from the back direction of a rice ball formation main body in the state where the 1st support body and the 2nd support body inclined. It is explanatory drawing by the perspective from the front direction of a rice ball formation main body. It is explanatory drawing by the perspective from the front direction of a left-right guide body and an advance / retreat operation mechanism part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement process of a rice ball formation main body. It is a perspective sectional view from the back direction of the rice ball formation main body in the state where the 1st support and the 2nd support inclined. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement process of a rice ball formation main body. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement process of a rice ball formation main body. It is a perspective sectional view from the back direction of the rice ball formation main body in the state where the 1st support body and the 2nd support body stood up. It is a perspective sectional view from the front direction of a rice ball formation main body in the state where the 1st upper type and the 2nd upper type separated. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement process of a rice ball formation main body. It is a perspective sectional view from the back direction of the rice ball formation main body in the state where the 1st support body and the 2nd support body stood up. It is a perspective sectional view from the front direction of a rice ball formation main body in the state where the 1st upper side type and the 2nd upper side type approached. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement process of a rice ball formation main body. It is a perspective view of one embodiment of a rice ball according to the present invention. It is the same perspective sectional view. It is a principal part perspective view of the rice ball formation machine with a seasoning agent adhesion means. It is a perspective view of a seasoning agent adhesion hand part. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of a seasoning agent adhesion hand part. It is sectional drawing of a seasoning agent adhesion hand part. It is a perspective view of a seasoning agent supply part. It is sectional drawing of a seasoning agent supply part.

Explanation of symbols

a sheet rice b b rice ball
b1 Lower side
b2 Upper part c Ingredients A Rice ball forming machine 1 Cooked rice supply part 2 Rice ball forming part 3 Control part
12a Cover body
14 First support
15 Second support
16 First upper mold
17 Second upper mold
19 Lower mold
19a recess
37 Recess

Claims (19)

  It consists of a lower side portion having a substantially elliptical lower surface bulged downward and an upper portion having a substantially elliptical cone-shaped upper surface gradually reduced in diameter upward. A rice ball that is continuously connected to the side. It consists of a lower side portion having a substantially elliptical lower surface bulged downward and an upper portion having a substantially elliptical cone-shaped upper surface gradually reduced in diameter upward. A rice ball with the side connected continuously,
It was formed by pressing a predetermined amount of cooked rice with a lower mold in which concave portions were formed in a substantially elliptical shape to form a lower side surface and an upper mold in which concave portions were formed in a substantially elliptical cone shape to form an upper side surface. rice ball.   The upper die is composed of a first upper die having a semi-elliptical conical concave portion and a second upper die having a semi-elliptical conical concave portion, and the first upper die and the second upper die. 3. The rice ball according to claim 2, wherein the rice ball is configured to form an upper portion having an upper surface of a substantially elliptical cone shape by sandwiching and pressing the cooked rice. Forming a sheet-shaped cooked rice composed of cooked rice in a sheet form;
A step of folding the sheet-like cooked rice in half,
A method for forming a rice ball comprising the step of pressing a half-folded cooked rice sheet with a lower mold and an upper mold into a rice ball shape.   The lower mold is formed with a substantially elliptical concave portion, and the upper mold is formed with a substantially elliptical conical concave portion so that the lower surface of the substantially elliptical surface bulging downward is formed. The rice ball formation method of forming the rice ball which connected continuously the lower side part which has, and the upper part which has the upper side part of the shape of a substantially elliptical cone gradually reduced diameter upwards.   The upper die is composed of a first upper die having a semi-elliptical conical concave portion and a second upper die having a semi-elliptical conical concave portion, and the first upper die and the second upper die. 6. The rice ball formation method according to claim 5, wherein an upper portion having an upper surface of a substantially elliptical cone shape is formed by sandwiching and pressing cooked rice. In a rice ball molding machine comprising a rice rice supply unit that supplies a sheet of cooked rice in a sheet form, and a rice ball forming unit that forms a rice ball from the sheet rice,
The rice ball forming part is composed of first forming means for folding the sheet-like cooked rice in two and second forming means for press-molding the sheet-like cooked rice in the folded state by the first forming means into a rice ball shape. Rice ball molding machine characterized by   The first forming means includes a support base, and a first support and a second support that are arranged with the support base sandwiched therebetween and can be tilted with respect to the support base. Then, after the sheet-like cooked rice is placed on the placing surface of the sheet-like cooked rice constituted by the support base and the second support, the sheet-like cooked rice is raised by raising the first support and the second support The rice ball forming machine according to claim 7, wherein the rice ball is folded in half.   The second molding means is composed of a first upper mold and a second upper mold which are provided on the support base so as to be able to advance and retract from each other, and the outer peripheral surfaces of the first upper mold and the second upper mold are raised. The sheet-shaped cooked rice that is brought into sliding contact with the surfaces of the first support and the second support and folded in the first upper mold and the second upper mold is formed into a rice ball shape. 8. Rice ball forming machine.   The first upper mold is provided with a semi-elliptical conical recess, the second upper mold is provided with a semi-elliptical conical recess, and the support base is provided with a substantially elliptic concavity. The lower side having a substantially elliptical lower surface bulged downward by press-molding the sheet-shaped cooked rice that is folded in half with the first upper mold, the second upper mold, and the support base The rice ball forming machine according to claim 9, wherein the rice balls are formed by continuously connecting the upper portion and the upper portion having a substantially elliptical cone-shaped upper surface gradually reduced in diameter upward.   The rice ball forming portion is configured to be covered by tilting the cover cover body that can be tilted up and down, and the cover cover body is used as an operation switch for the rice ball forming portion, and the rice cover forming portion is tilted to change the rice ball forming portion. The rice ball forming machine according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the rice ball forming section is configured to operate by coating.   12. The rice ball forming machine according to claim 11, wherein the covering cover body is erected after the rice ball forming operation in the rice ball forming portion.   By placing the ingredients on the sheet-shaped cooked rice before the sheet-shaped cooked rice is folded in half by the first forming means, and by folding the sheet-shaped cooked rice on which the ingredients are placed in the folded state by the first forming means The rice ball forming machine according to any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the ingredients are completely covered with cooked rice.   The cooked rice supply unit is provided with a pair of cooked rice feed rollers opposed to each other for feeding cooked rice, and the cooked rice feed roller feeds the cooked rice in a strip shape, and at least one of the cooked rice feed rollers Any one of Claims 7-13 comprised so that the seasoning surface which made the seasoning agent adhere to one side of a sheet-like cooked rice could be formed by making a seasoning agent adhere to the surface. The rice ball forming machine according to item 1.   The rice ball forming machine according to claim 14, wherein the rice ball forming portion is configured to fold the sheet-like cooked rice with the seasoned surface as the outer surface.   A seasoning agent supply plate having a seasoning agent supply port arranged along the cooked rice feed roller is provided above the cooked rice feed roller, and a blowing means for blowing air to the seasoning agent supply plate is provided. The rice ball forming machine according to claim 14 or 15.   The rice ball forming machine according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein a plurality of concave grooves extended in the extending direction of the cooked rice feed roller are provided on a peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller.   The rice ball forming machine according to any one of claims 14 to 17, further comprising a scraping piece for scraping off the cooked rice adhering to the peripheral surface of the cooked rice feed roller. A pair of cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers opposed to each other were provided at the lower position of the cooked rice feed roller, and the gap size between the cooked rice feed auxiliary rollers was made smaller than the gap size between the cooked rice feed rollers. The rice ball forming machine according to any one of claims 14 to 18.

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