JP2000245369A - Sushi robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a Sushi (rolled vinegared rice with ingredients therein) robot capable of increasing a production rate of white rice roll without lowering the flavor of white rice roll and taking out completed white rice rolls from plural directions. SOLUTION: This Sushi robot 10 is equipped with a Sushi rice storage part 11 for storing Sushi rice 20, a white rice roll forming part 12 for forming a white rice roll 25 of one unit size while heating the Sushi rice in the Sushi rice storage part 11, a white rice roll transporting belt 13 for placing the white rice roll 25 formed by the white rice roll forming part 12 on a bottom mold 26 and transporting it, and a white rice roll adjusting tool 14 for forming the white rice roll 25 on the bottom mold 26 to a fixed shape.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sushi robot for automatically producing sushi balls for nigiri sushi from sushi rice.

[0002]

[Prior Art] Nigiri sushi, made by placing a piece of fresh seafood on a sushi ball that holds sushi rice in a bite size, is popular not only with Japanese but also foreigners in recent years. Has become one of the foods that are served.

[0003] In such nigiri sushi, a required amount of sushi rice is gripped in one hand, and the rice is rolled with the power of a palm and a finger to form a shari-dama. It is put on and tightened again from all sides using the palms and fingers of both hands to form a predetermined shape.

Conventionally, the skills of sushi chefs have been most important in the production of nigiri sushi, but due to the recent chronic shortage of chefs and the increasing demand for cost reduction, etc., shari balls are automatically made from sushi rice. A sushi robot has been developed as a machine for producing sushi, and is used especially in suburban sushi restaurants and conveyor belt sushi restaurants.

The basic structure of a sushi robot for nigiri sushi is as follows:
It consists of a sushi rice storage unit that stores sushi rice, and a shari ball forming unit that forms the sushi rice in this sushi rice storage unit into bite-sized shari balls. Nigiri sushi is made with the sushi ingredients by the chef.

The present inventor has also developed a sushi robot capable of automatically producing sushi balls from sushi rice, and has disclosed it in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 9-94072 and 9-238628.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-94072
In the conventional sushi robot disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 9-238628 and the like, the direction in which a completed shari ball can be taken out is limited to one direction, so that the layout is limited when placing it in a sushi restaurant or the like. Often done. Also,
The structure is such that one cook uses one sushi robot, and the position at which the cook stands is determined to some extent.

Further, the conventional sushi robot has a structure in which the shaving balls are shaped into a fixed shape while rotating the turntable by rotating the turntable. There is a risk of detachment from the mold. For this reason, there is a limit to increasing the number of revolutions of the turntable to increase the production speed of the ball, and the upper limit of the number of ball production per hour is about 1200 to 2,000.

Further, in the conventional sushi robot, since the sushi rice is easily cooled in the process of forming the shari-dama, the flavor of the finished shari-dama tends to be deteriorated, and the quality of the nigiri sushi as the final product is deteriorated. It has become one of.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sushi robot that can increase the production speed of shari balls without causing a drop in the flavor of the shari balls and can take out the completed shari balls from a plurality of directions. Is to provide.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a sushi robot according to the present invention comprises a sushi rice accommodating section for accommodating sushi rice and a bite-sized shari while heating the sushi rice in the sushi rice accommodating section. A shari ball forming section formed on a ball, a shari ball conveying means for placing the shari balls formed by the shari ball forming section and transporting the shari balls linearly, and a shari ball for shaping the shari balls on the shari ball conveying means into a predetermined shape. And a shaping unit.

With this configuration, the temperature of the sushi rice can be kept constant during the shari ball forming process, so that the flavor of the shari balls does not decrease. Since the ball is conveyed linearly, it is not affected by the centrifugal force, and the conveying speed can be increased to increase the production speed of the ball. Further, it is possible to take out the completed shari balls from a plurality of directions on both sides and the end portion of the linear transport path.

[0013] By providing a control device for moving the shari ball conveying means by a predetermined interval every time the shaped shari balls are detached from the shari ball conveying means, manufacturing of the shari balls precisely corresponding to the processing speed of the completed shari balls. Can be performed, so that there is no stagnation or shortage of shari balls,
Workability is also improved. As the control device, a combination of a sensor for detecting the removal of the shy ball from the shy ball conveying means, and a switch circuit for operating the drive source of the shy ball conveying means for a predetermined time based on a detection signal from this sensor, etc. Can be adopted.

By providing a rotary endless belt body in which a plurality of lower dies on which the shari balls formed by the shari ball forming section can be placed are provided as shari ball conveying means, the lower end moving by the rotation of the endless belt body is provided. Since it is possible to shape the shari balls placed on the mold while transporting them,
Shari balls can be manufactured efficiently.

A rotating roller for rolling sushi rice, a shaft with a built-in heater for supporting the rotating roller,
By providing a sushi rice cutter that cuts the rolled sushi rice, the temperature of the sushi rice decreases because the rotating roller that is maintained at a constant temperature by the shaft with a built-in heater rolls while heating the sushi rice. Disappears. Moreover, since the rolled sushi rice is cut by the sushi rice cutter, bite-sized shari balls can be efficiently formed.

By providing a germicidal lamp in the conveying path of the shari balls, the shari balls can be sterilized while being conveyed, so that propagation of various germs and the like can be suppressed, which is effective in preventing food poisoning. As a germicidal lamp, for example, an ultraviolet germicidal lamp or the like can be suitably used.

By providing a cleaning spray capable of injecting a cleaning liquid to at least the cleaning ball conveying means and a cleaning liquid container for supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning spray, before starting the manufacturing of the cleaning ball, After the end, it becomes possible to easily wash the shy ball transporting means and the like, so that even when located at a position distant from the water supply facility, thorough hygiene management can be achieved. By dispersing the cleaning spray at a plurality of locations other than the shady ball conveying means, the entire sushi robot can be automatically cleaned. In this case, if a waterproof structure is applied to each part of the sushi robot,
The whole sushi robot can be kept clean because it is possible to wash the whole while spraying the washing water.

By providing a collection container for collecting the cleaning liquid ejected from the cleaning spray or a discharge port for discharging the cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid after the cleaning operation can be collected or discharged from the discharge port. Therefore, the cleaning operation can be performed without scattering the cleaning liquid around.

The shari ball transferring means for detaching the shaped shari balls from the shari ball conveying means and transferring the shari balls into the shari ball storage container, the shari ball storage container holding portion for holding the shari ball storage container, and the shari ball storage container. By providing container moving means for moving sushi rice at regular intervals, it is possible to automate a series of operations from producing sushi rice to sushi rice and storing the completed sari ball in the sushi ball storage container. Labor saving in the process can be achieved.

By providing a switch mechanism for operating and stopping the shari ball forming unit, the shari ball conveying means and the shari ball shaping unit by attaching and detaching the shari ball storage container to and from the shari ball storage container holding unit, the shari ball storage container can be shrunk. It is possible to prevent erroneous movement of the shari ball forming portion and the like when not mounted on the ball storage container holding portion. Therefore, there is no occurrence of troubles such as the production of shy balls without the use of the shy ball storage container or the scattering of the shy balls around.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the sushi robot of the first embodiment, FIGS. 2 and 3 are explanatory views showing the operation state of the sushi robot, and FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the sushi robot.

As shown in the figure, a sushi robot 10 of the present embodiment includes a sushi rice accommodating section 11 and a shari ball forming section 12.
, Shari ball transport belt 13, shari ball shaper 14,
UV germicidal lamp 15, Shari ball sensor 16, Operation panel 1
7, a number display section 18 and the like.

The sushi rice storage section 11 has a funnel shape and can accommodate sushi rice 20 introduced from above, and has a rotating shaft 19 with a projection for sequentially sending out the stored sushi rice 20 downward. ing.

The shari ball forming section 12 is provided with four pairs of rollers 12a to 12d which are successively narrowed from the top in order to gradually roll the sushi rice 20 and a roll of the rolled sushi rice 20. And a sushi rice cutter 12X for cutting the sushi rice. Inside the four pairs of rollers 12a to 12d, a plurality of cylindrical cavities 22 are formed so as to surround the central shaft 21.
Are provided, and a plurality of ridges 23 are formed on the outer peripheral surface. Each central shaft 21 has a built-in heating heater 24.

The shy ball transport belt 13 is a rotary endless belt that is hung on a drive shaft 27 and a support shaft 28, and a plurality of lower shafts for mounting the shy balls 25 formed by the shy ball forming section 12. The dies 26 are arranged in series along the moving direction. Each of the lower dies 26 is attached to the shy ball transport belt 13 so as to be able to move up and down, and is urged upward by a spring 29.

The shaping ball shaper 14 arranged on the moving path of the shading ball transport belt 13 has an upper die 30 which moves up and down by power. When the lower die 26 comes directly below the upper die 30, the upper die 30.
Is lowered, and the shark ball 25 is moved between the upper mold 30 and the lower mold 26.
Shari ball 3 shaped into a certain shape by pressing
1 is obtained. In this case, since the lower mold 26 is urged upward by the spring, the shari ball 25 can be pressed flexibly.

The ultraviolet germicidal lamp 15 arranged on the movement path of the shari ball 31 placed on the lower mold 26 irradiates the shari ball 31 with ultraviolet light having a bactericidal action. 26, Shari ball transport belt 13
Sterilize and so on.

A shy ball sensor 16 disposed near the end of the shy ball transport belt 13 is a shy ball 31 on the lower mold 26.
When the shari ball 31 separates from the lower mold 26, it is detected and a signal is sent to the control device 32. The control device 32 controls the shari ball forming unit 12, the shari ball shaper 14 and the like. And the shady ball transport belt 13 is operated only by one stroke.

As described above, by using the sushi robot 10, the sushi rice 20 accommodated in the sushi rice accommodating section 11 is rolled and cut by the shari ball forming section 12 to form a bite-sized shari ball 25, The ball 25 is used as the ball transport belt 13
The shari ball 31 shaped into a predetermined shape by the shari ball shaper 14 can be obtained while being conveyed.

Since the sushi rice 20 is rolled while being heated by the four pairs of rollers 12a to 12d maintained at a constant temperature by the heating heater 24, the temperature of the sushi rice 20 can be kept constant. In addition, the flavor of the shari ball 31 does not decrease. Since the temperature of the rollers 12a to 12d can be adjusted on the operation panel 17, the temperature of the sushi rice 20, the room temperature,
By setting the temperature in accordance with the season and the like, it is possible to always obtain the shari balls 25 and 31 having an appropriate temperature.

Since the shy balls 25 and 31 are linearly conveyed by the shy ball conveying belt 13, even if the conveying speed is increased, there is no effect of centrifugal force and the number of shy balls manufactured per hour is about 2500. Up to 1.2 times faster than conventional sushi robots.
It could be increased to about 2.1 times.

Further, since the completed shari balls 31 can be taken out from a plurality of directions on both sides and the end portion of the shari ball conveying belt 13, a layout according to the installation location is possible. You can also use it to arrange cooks. Since the number of manufactured shari balls 31 is automatically displayed on the number display section 18, accurate number management can be performed.

Each time the shaped ball 31 is released from the lower mold 26, the ball forming section 12 and the ball shaping device 1
Since the new ball 4 and the ball conveyor belt 13 are operated by one stroke each time, and a new ball 31 moves, it is possible to manufacture a ball corresponding to the processing speed of the ball 31. Therefore, there is no stagnation or shortage of shari balls, and workability is excellent.

The lower casing 10c of the sushi robot 10
Is provided with an opening / closing lid 10a, so that internal cleaning and maintenance can be easily performed. Also, all parts of the sushi robot 10 have a waterproof structure,
Before and after the shari ball manufacturing operation, the shari ball forming section 12, the shari ball shaping device 14, the shari ball transport belt 13 and the like can be washed with washing water, and this is sanitary. The used washing water is supplied to the lower casing 10c.
And can be discharged from the drain port 10b.
Cleaning water does not scatter around.

Next, a sushi robot 50 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition,
In FIG. 5, the portions denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 4 have the same functions and effects as those of the same reference numeral of the sushi robot 10, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

The sushi robot 50 includes a shari ball transfer device 5
2, the shari balls 31 conveyed by the shari ball conveying belt 13 are separated from the lower mold 26,
It can be stored in the ball storage container 51.

The shy ball transfer device 52 includes a support shaft 53 that can rotate and ascend and descend, an arm 54 that can be bent and extended, and a shy ball suction portion 55 that can suck the shy ball 31. The shari ball 31 on the lower mold 26 is sucked by the shari ball suction portion 55 and the support shaft 53 and the arm 54 are operated in cooperation with each other, so that the shari ball 31 can be placed in the shari ball storage container 51. .

The container housing section 56 can house a plurality of shy ball storage containers 51 in a stacked state. When the shy ball storage container 51 filled with the shy balls 31 is removed from the storage work section 58, the conveyor belt By rotation of 57, it is sent out sequentially from the lowermost ball storage container 51 at the bottom and set in the storage work section 58.

The sushi robot 50 automatically performs a series of operations until the shari ball 25 is formed from the sushi rice 20 and the shari ball 31 shaped by the shari ball shaper 14 is stored in the shari ball storage container 51. Is possible, so that the sushi manufacturing process can be labor-saving.

Next, a sushi robot 60 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition,
In FIG. 6, portions denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 4 have the same functions and effects as those of the same reference numeral of the sushi robot 10, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

The sushi robot 60 includes a shari ball transfer device 6
1, the shari balls 31 conveyed by the shari ball conveying belt 13 are separated from the lower mold 26,
It can be stored in the ball storage container 62.

The shy ball transfer device 61 comprises a rotatable and vertically movable support shaft 63, a bendable and extendable arm 64, and a shy ball suction portion 65 capable of sucking the shy ball 31. The shy ball 31 on the lower mold 26 is sucked by the shy ball suction section 65, and the support shaft 63 and the arm 64 are operated in cooperation with each other, so that the conveyed shy ball 31 is conveyed.
Is stored in the ball storage container 62.

The shy ball storage container 62 is inserted through a mounting opening 66 provided in the lower casing 60c.
It is held on the moving plate 67 by being inserted into the inside of the movable plate 67. The moving plate 67 is configured such that the shady ball 31 is
Since the shy ball storage container 62 is sent out while being protruded by a predetermined interval every time the shy balls 31 are stored in one row in the inside, the shy balls 31 can be stored in an aligned state.

When the shy ball storage container 62 is full of the shy balls 31, the manufacturing of the shy balls is automatically stopped and an alarm is sounded to notify the surroundings. When the filled ball container 62 is removed from the moving plate 67 and an empty ball container 62 is inserted into the lower casing 60c from the mounting opening 66, the ball manufacturing operation is resumed. In the sushi robot 60, the shari ball storage container 6
2 can be inserted into the mounting opening 66, so that there is an advantage that the installation space is relatively small.

Further, the shari ball storage container 62 has a mounting opening 66.
Since the switch mechanism that activates the shading ball forming unit 12, the shading ball transport belt 13 and the shading ball shaper 14 is provided only when the shading ball forming unit 12, the shading ball conveying belt 13, and the shading ball storage container 62 are mounted. When it is not performed, there is no trouble that the shari ball 31 is produced without permission or the shari ball 31 is scattered around.

Next, a sushi robot 70 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition,
In FIG. 7, portions denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 4 have the same functions and effects as those of the same reference numeral of the sushi robot 10, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

Each part of the sushi robot 70 has a waterproof structure, and includes a cleaning spray 71 capable of injecting cleaning water to the cleaning ball conveying belt 13 and a cleaning water container 72 for supplying cleaning water to the cleaning spray 71. And The cleaning spray 71 can be pulled out from the lower casing 70c with the hose 73 connected thereto. The lower casing 70c is provided with a collection container 74 for collecting used cleaning water and an opening / closing lid 75. Also, the washing water container 72
The washing water supply port 77 is provided in the upper part of the.

Before and after the start of the manufacturing operation of the shady ball, the cleaning water is jetted from the cleaning spray 71 to easily wash the shady ball conveying belt 13 and the lower mold 26. Even when located, thorough hygiene management can be achieved. In addition, if the cleaning spray 71 is pulled out, the portion other than the shady ball transport belt 13 can be cleaned, so that the entire sushi robot 70 can be kept clean. The cleaning spray 71 is provided with an opening / closing valve 76 so that the spraying and stopping of the cleaning water can be performed at hand, so that the workability is good.

The used washing water collected in the collecting container 74 can be used around the sushi robot 70 because the collecting container 74 can be pulled out from the lower casing 70c, carried to an appropriate place and disposed of. No washing water is scattered.

[0050]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) A sushi rice storage unit for storing sushi rice,
A shari ball forming section for forming a bite-sized shari ball while heating the sushi rice in the sushi rice accommodating section, and a shari ball conveying means for linearly conveying the shari balls formed by the shari ball forming section and transporting them in a straight line; By providing a shari ball shaping section for shaping the shari balls on the shari ball conveying means into a predetermined shape, the temperature of the sushi rice is kept constant during the shari ball forming process, so that the flavor of the shari balls does not decrease. Since the ball is conveyed linearly, it is not affected by the centrifugal force, and the conveying speed can be increased to increase the production speed of the ball. Further, it is possible to take out the completed shari balls from a plurality of directions on both sides and the end portion of the linear transport path.

(2) By providing a control device for moving the shari ball conveying means by a predetermined interval every time the shaped shari balls are detached from the shari ball conveying means, the processing speed of the completed shari balls can be accurately coped with. Since it is possible to manufacture shari balls, stagnation or shortage of shari balls does not occur, and workability is improved.

(3) By providing a rotary endless belt body in which a plurality of lower dies on which the shari balls formed by the shari ball forming section can be placed are provided as the shari ball conveying means, the endless belt body rotates. Since the shari balls placed on the moving lower mold can be shaped into a constant shape while being conveyed, the shari balls can be manufactured efficiently.

(4) By providing a rotating roller for rolling sushi rice, a shaft with a built-in heater for supporting the rotating roller, and a sushi rice cutter for cutting the rolled sushi rice, as a shari ball forming section. Since the sushi rice is rolled while heating the sushi rice while being heated at a constant temperature by the heater built-in shaft, the temperature of the sushi rice does not decrease. Moreover, since the rolled sushi rice is cut by the sushi rice cutter, bite-sized shari balls can be efficiently formed.

(5) By providing a germicidal lamp in the conveying path of the shari balls, it is possible to sterilize the shari balls while conveying them, so that the propagation of germs and the like can be suppressed, which is effective in preventing food poisoning. is there.

(6) By providing a cleaning spray capable of injecting a cleaning liquid to at least the cleaning ball transporting means and a cleaning liquid container for supplying the cleaning liquid to the cleaning spray, the manufacturing of the cleaning ball is possible. Before the start, after the end,
Since it is possible to easily wash the shading ball transporting means and the like, it is possible to thoroughly perform sanitary management even when located at a position away from the water supply facility.

(7) By providing a recovery container for recovering the cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning spray or a discharge port for discharging the cleaning liquid, collecting or discharging the cleaning liquid after the cleaning operation. Therefore, the cleaning operation can be performed without scattering the cleaning liquid around.

(8) A shari ball transfer means for removing the shaped shari balls from the shari ball transport means and transferring the shari balls into the shari ball storage container, a shari ball storage container holding portion for holding the shari ball storage container, and a shari ball. By providing container moving means for moving the storage container at regular intervals, a series of operations from manufacturing sushi rice to sushi rice and storing the completed sari ball in the sushi ball storage container can be automated. In addition, labor saving in the sushi manufacturing process can be achieved.

(9) By providing a switch mechanism for activating and stopping the shari ball forming section, the shari ball transporting means and the shari ball shaping section by attaching and detaching the shari ball storage container to and from the shari ball storage container holding section, the shari ball storage section is provided. It is possible to prevent erroneous movement of the shading ball forming portion and the like when the container is not mounted on the shading ball storage container holding portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sushi robot according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation state of the sushi robot shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation state of the sushi robot shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the sushi robot shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a sushi robot according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a sushi robot according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a sushi robot according to a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 50, 60, 70 Sushi robot 10a, 75 Opening / closing lid 10b Drainage port 10c, 60c, 70c Lower casing 11 Sushi rice storage unit 12 Shari ball forming unit 12a-12d Roller 12X Sushi rice cutter 13 Shari ball transport belt 14 Shari ball Shaper 15 Ultraviolet sterilization lamp 16 Shari ball sensor 17 Operation panel 18 Number display part 19 Rotating shaft with projection 20 Sushi rice 21 Center shaft 22 Cylindrical cavity 23 Convex stripe 24 Heating heater 25, 31 Shari ball 26 Lower mold 27 Drive shaft 28 Support Shaft 29 Spring 30 Upper Die 32 Controller 51,62 Shari Ball Storage Container 52,61 Shari Ball Transfer Device 53,63 Support Shaft 54,64 Arm 55,65 Shari Ball Suction Part 56 Container Storage 57 Transport Belt 58 Storage Working part 66 Mounting port 67 Moving plate 71 Cleaning spray 7 2 Cleaning water container 73 Hose 74 Collection container 76 Open / close valve 77 Cleaning water supply port

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A sushi rice accommodating section for accommodating sushi rice, a shari ball forming section for forming sushi rice in the sushi rice storing section into a bite-sized shari ball while heating, and the shari ball forming section. A sushi robot, comprising: a shari ball conveying means for carrying the shari balls placed thereon and transporting the shari balls linearly; and a shari ball shaping section for shaping the shari balls on the shari ball conveying means into a predetermined shape. 2. The sushi robot according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for moving the shari ball conveying means by a predetermined interval each time the shaped shari balls are separated from the shari ball conveying means. 3. The rotary endless belt body according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of lower dies on which the shari balls formed by the shari ball forming section can be placed are provided as the shari ball conveying means. Sushi robot. 4. The sushi rice forming section includes a rotating roller for rolling the sushi rice, a built-in heater shaft supporting the rotating roller, and a sushi rice cutter for cutting the rolled sushi rice. The sushi robot according to claim 1, wherein the sushi robot is provided. 5. The sushi robot according to claim 1, wherein a germicidal lamp is provided on a conveying path of the shari balls. 6. A cleaning spray according to claim 1, further comprising: a cleaning spray capable of injecting a cleaning liquid to at least said cleaning ball conveying means; and a cleaning liquid container for supplying a cleaning liquid to said cleaning spray. A sushi robot according to any of the above. 7. The sushi robot according to claim 1, further comprising a collecting container for collecting the cleaning liquid ejected from the cleaning spray, or a discharge port for discharging the cleaning liquid. 8. A shari ball transferring means for detaching the shaped shari balls from the shari ball conveying means and transferring the shari balls into the shari ball storage container, a shari ball storage container holding portion for holding the shari ball storage container, Container moving means for moving the shari ball storage container at regular intervals.
7. The sushi robot according to any one of 7. 9. The shari ball forming part, the shari ball transporting means and the shari ball shaping part are operated by attaching and detaching the shari ball storage container to and from the shari ball storage container holding part,
The sushi robot according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a switch mechanism for stopping the sushi.