JP2004135651A - Cooked rice-forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooked rice-forming device having a good maintenance property and capable of supplying uniform quality cooked rice balls stably and continuously. <P>SOLUTION: This cooked rice-forming device is provided by pushing cooked and rolled rice R for sushi into a forming cylinder hole 431 together with wasabi W from a hopper 2 through a rolling part 3 with a first forming piston 41, press-forming the rice ball Rc by nipping the rice R from both sides together with a second forming piston 42 in the forming cylinder hole 431, conveying the formed rice balls Rc on a same plane with a loading part 5 accompanying with the rotation of the forming rotor 43 and pushing out the rice balls on a stage 51 by a pushing out piston. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a cooked rice molding apparatus for producing cooked rice products such as rice balls and onigiri used for nigiri sushi, and more specifically, a rice cooker capable of stably supplying the cooked rice products and having good maintainability. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Most existing rice cookers, such as sushi grip devices, store a suitable amount of cooked rice and dissolve the cooked rice with a skewered shaft, and feed the cooked rice sent from this supply unit using rollers or belts. A rolling section for feeding while compressing (rolling), a cutting section for cutting the rolled cooked rice in an appropriate amount, a molding section having a plurality of concave molds for receiving the cut cooked rice, for example, a rotary table or a conveyor; (See, for example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2).
[0003]
In addition, in the process of molding cooked rice, it may be necessary to adjust the molding pressure according to the amount and the molding state. In this case, a spring or the like is conventionally incorporated in the molding die of the compression part in a form exposed to the outside A method has been adopted (for example, see Patent Document 3).
[0004]
On the other hand, with the automatic production of nigiri sushi, a food applicator that applies wasabi on shari balls together with shari balls has also been provided. For example, in Patent Literature 4, a tube pressing and closing means is provided on a conveying path of a wasabi conveying tube by a compressor, and wasabi is intermittently extruded and supplied by the tube pressing and closing means. A wasabi coating device capable of realizing wasabi coating is disclosed.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent No. 3113584
[Patent Document 2]
JP 2000-333626 A
[Patent Document 3]
JP-A-2000-60464
[Patent Document 4]
JP-A-11-9247
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, this type of cooked rice molding apparatus has the following problems. That is, the configuration and arrangement of the “supplying unit”, “rolling unit”, “cutting unit”, “molding unit”, “compressing unit” and “transporting unit” have not changed much, and miniaturization and handling of At present, simplification is required, and the conventional structure has a limit in miniaturization, and therefore, maintenance such as handling and replacement of parts is not easy.
[0007]
In addition, looking at each problem in detail, the "cutting section" is intended to cut the rice cooked from the "rolling section" into appropriate amounts and divide it, so due to its structure, assembly accuracy and blade material Due to such factors, the sharpness is easily affected, and not only is disassembly and maintenance difficult, but also there are problems in safety and hygiene.
[0008]
In the `` molding part '', a concave shape is allocated to the rotary table in an appropriate number, and a convex type that combines compression from the bottom and protrudes upwards is incorporated, and the rice cooked in the concave mold is turned on the rotary table Most manufacturers adopt a method in which the convex mold moves up and down along a track arranged below as the mold rotates and molding and discharging are repeated.
[0009]
However, in this method, two convex shapes are required for one concave shape, and it is difficult to reduce the number of parts, and it is also difficult to reduce the size of the rotary table due to the installation of a track for driving the convex shape. Maintenance such as disassembly and assembly was also difficult.
[0010]
In addition, there is a disadvantage that molding cannot be performed continuously unless the protruding cooked rice is removed manually or by an automatic conveyor. In addition, in the case of sushi making which usually has one set of two pieces, an apparatus capable of simultaneously forming two pieces is provided, but the mechanism is further complicated, leading to an increase in the number of parts and an increase in cost.
[0011]
The “compressing section” is installed around the rotary table as one to three different mechanisms depending on the process and purpose, and is one of the factors that make it difficult to reduce the size as a whole. Further, in the mechanism for adjusting the molding pressure of the "compression part", the handling and hygiene management are difficult due to the complicated mechanism despite the high frequency of disassembly and assembly by washing or the like.
[0012]
The “transporting section” employs an XY stage mechanism for evenly arranging the shy balls that have undergone the compression process on the tray. This is because most conventional manufacturers adopt a method of placing molded shari balls on a tray from above due to the configuration of the cooked rice molding apparatus.
[0013]
According to this method, a large number of shari balls can be produced and stored at one time, which is effective for a user who has a high operating rate such as a large sushi restaurant. It is unavoidable to increase the size, resulting in higher costs, and it is difficult to introduce it especially in small stores.
[0014]
In addition, in order to incorporate the above-described food (wasabi) application device into this type of cooked rice molding device, there are the following problems. That is, in most cases, the wasabi is applied after the shari ball is molded. Therefore, it is necessary to separately install a dedicated wasabi applying device, which increases the load in terms of space and cost.
[0015]
Further, as a problem common to the wasabi coating apparatus employing the up-down method of the coating nozzle described in Patent Document 4, in order to prevent the nozzle attached to the tip of the tube from coming into contact with a work (sharp ball) to lose its shape. In addition, it is necessary to accurately control the application position of the nozzle.
[0016]
Furthermore, in the case of the application nozzle, the wasabi squeezed out from the tip is simply placed on the shari ball, so that the application feeling as if the sushi chef applied it with a finger cannot be obtained.
[0017]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a cooked rice molding apparatus which has good maintainability, and can supply a uniform and uniform rice ball stably and continuously. It is in. A second object of the present invention is to provide a simple apparatus that does not require complicated position control of a coating nozzle or the like, and that a coating material such as wasabi can be reliably applied to a shari ball. It is in.
[0018]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the first object described above, the present invention provides a hopper that supplies rice rice such as sushi rice supplied from an input port to a supply port, and an upper end connected to the supply port and supplied from the supply port. A rolling section for feeding the cooked rice to a discharge port at the lower end while rolling, a molding section for molding the cooked rice fed from the discharge port into a predetermined shape, and a cooked rice product discharged from the molding section are placed thereon. In the cooked rice molding apparatus having a mounting section, the molding section rotates around a horizontal rotation axis and has a plurality of molding cylinder holes concentrically arranged at equal intervals on the concentric circle, and the molding rotor, A first molding piston that protrudes and retracts from the back side of the cylinder hole into the molding cylinder hole and pushes the cooked rice into the molding cylinder hole, and a first molding piston from the front side of the molding cylinder hole A second molded piston that projects toward and retracts from the first molded piston to mold the cooked rice into a predetermined shape, and an extrusion piston that pushes the cooked rice molded product molded in the molded cylinder hole to the mounting portion. And characterized in that:
[0019]
According to this, sushi rice flowing from the rolling section is pushed into the molding cylinder hole of the molding rotor by the first molding piston, and is sandwiched from both sides together with the second molding piston in the molding cylinder hole to be molded into a shari ball. By pushing the shari balls that have reached the discharge position along with the rotation of the rotor onto the mounting portion with the pushing piston, the shari balls can be continuously arranged on the mounting portion without being deformed.
[0020]
In addition, the molding rotor is provided with a plurality of molding cylinder holes at equal intervals on a concentric circle that penetrates along the axial direction through which the molding pistons can be inserted from both sides. By setting the number to an even number, Since the molding cylinder holes are opposed to each other with the horizontal rotating shaft interposed therebetween, the cooked rice can be discharged from one molding cylinder hole and the rice cooked can be discharged from the other molding cylinder hole, thereby improving work efficiency.
[0021]
Further, it is preferable that a mold surface for molding the cooked rice product is formed on a facing surface of each of the molding pistons. In the present invention, the mold surface is formed as a half-bale-shaped concave surface for molding a shari ball, but may be a mold surface for an onigiri formed in a triangular onigiri shape, for example. Is optional.
[0022]
According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the extrusion piston and the first molded piston are movably connected to each other in the same direction via first rotation-linear motion conversion means for converting a predetermined rotational motion into a linear motion. The second molded piston is driven in a direction opposite to the pushing piston and the first molded piston by a second rotation-linear movement conversion means, and each of the rotation-linear movement conversion means is provided with a predetermined rotation-linear movement conversion means. The rotary drive shaft is shared and synchronously connected.
[0023]
According to this, the molding piston and the extrusion piston can be moved synchronously by sharing one rotation drive shaft, and not only the internal mechanism can be simplified, but also the molding operation and the extrusion operation can be performed simultaneously.
[0024]
Further, according to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the second rotation-linear motion conversion means includes a cam roller connected to the drive shaft and a cam follower connected to the second molded piston, wherein the cam follower is substantially The first and second cam members are divided into two parts, and a tension spring that biases the respective cam members in a direction to always approach them is provided. According to this, it is possible to apply an appropriate pressing pressure to the sushi rice in accordance with the amount of the sushi rice, and it is possible to homogenize the sushi rice.
[0025]
The placing section includes a stage having a placing surface parallel to the pushing direction of the pushing piston, and the stage is provided with a sensor for sensing the presence or absence of the cooked rice product placed thereon. Is preferred.
[0026]
According to this, when the rotary stage is used for the mounting portion, the shari balls left on the mounting portion are sensed before being carried again to the front of the extrusion opening of the extrusion piston by the rotation of the stage, Extrusion of a new shari ball toward the remaining shari balls is prevented.
[0027]
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the cooked rice molding apparatus of this invention, a cooked rice product can be continuously extruded in the same direction. Therefore, as a more preferable embodiment using this method, the mounting portion includes a conveying unit extending in a direction orthogonal to the extrusion direction of the extrusion piston, and a loading unit parallel to the extrusion direction of the extrusion piston. A transfer tray having a placement surface, at least the extrusion piston side is opened, and includes a tray sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the transfer tray transferred by the transfer unit, wherein the transfer unit upstream of the transfer tray From the side to the downstream side, it is intermittently conveyed by a predetermined moving amount, during which a predetermined number of the cooked rice products are aligned on the mounting surface along the extrusion direction.
[0028]
According to this, by extruding, for example, five pieces of shri balls continuously on a transfer tray moving in a direction orthogonal to the extrusion direction, the shy balls are aligned in the row direction on the transfer tray, and after the alignment, the transfer tray is aligned. Are intermittently moved in the row direction by a predetermined moving amount, so that only the moving mechanism in the one-axis direction can be used to lay out the shari balls on the entire transport tray.
[0029]
The conveying means is synchronously connected to a driving means of the molding rotor via a clutch part, and the clutch part senses that the molding cylinder has been rotated by a set number, and supplies power to the conveying means. Is transmitted, the transfer tray can be easily moved in accordance with the rotational movement of the forming rotor without requiring a complicated control system.
[0030]
Here, the tray sensing sensor is composed of a pair of objective sensors arranged in parallel along the transport lane, so that the start and end of the transport tray can be easily sensed, and erroneous shots of shady balls are prevented. You.
[0031]
The transfer tray is preferably open at least on the side of the extrusion piston, but if both sides are opened, simultaneously with the extrusion operation of the shari ball, the molded rice cooked products laid out on the mounting surface are arranged. Can be collected.
[0032]
In order to achieve the second object, the present invention provides the above-described molding section, in which an upper portion is opened toward the discharge port of the rolling section to temporarily receive the rice fed from the discharge port, and A molding guide having a guide groove for guiding the first molding piston that pushes the first molding piston toward the molding cylinder hole is provided, and a discharge port for discharging a coating material such as wasabi is provided on a bottom surface of the guide groove. It is characterized by being done.
[0033]
According to this, by providing the application groove in the guide groove, not only can the rice be supplied and the application material such as wasabi can be supplied to the rice at the same time, but the supplied application material can be supplied to the guide groove. Is introduced into the molding cylinder hole together with the cooked rice while being rubbed along, so that an application feeling as if painted with a finger can be obtained.
[0034]
In order to easily apply the applied matter to cooked rice evenly, it is preferable that the guide groove is roughened so as to surround the discharge port. Further, since the guide groove has the same cross-sectional shape as the cross-sectional shape of the molding cylinder hole, the cooked rice and the applied material can be led into the molding cylinder hole without difficulty.
[0035]
In order to manufacture the molding guide at a lower cost, it is preferable that a discharge passage having one end connected to the discharge port and the other end connected to a predetermined discharge means is provided inside the molding guide.
[0036]
In a state where the front surface of the first molded piston and the front surface of the second molded piston are opposed to each other in the molded cylinder hole with the cooked rice interposed therebetween, if the discharge port and the discharge port are left open, the guide groove will There is a possibility that the cooked rice and the applied material may run off. Therefore, it is preferable that the first molded piston has a length capable of closing at least the discharge port and the discharge port. According to this, both the discharge port and the discharge port can be closed by the first molded piston.
[0037]
Since the molding guide is arranged along the back side of the molding cylinder, the application material scraped out by the first molding piston may enter between the molding guide and the molding cylinder. Therefore, in the present invention, between the surfaces of the molding guide facing the molding cylinder, the scraping is performed to remove the coating material that has entered between the molding guide and the molding cylinder with the rotation of the molding cylinder. A groove is provided. According to this, it is possible to use the rotation of the molding cylinder to scrape off the coating material entering the gap by the scraping groove.
[0038]
As a more preferred embodiment, it is preferable that one end side of the scraping groove is opened toward a side surface of the molding guide. According to this, even in the unlikely event that the inside of the scraping groove is full of the coating material, the coating material can escape to the side surface of the molding guide, so that the molding operation can be continued without interruption.
[0039]
At least the rolling unit, the forming unit and a control unit for controlling the discharging unit, further comprising a control unit, the control unit, in a state where the rice cooked into the guide groove from the discharge port of the rolling unit, the discharging unit It drives and supplies the said coating material on the said guide groove from the said discharge opening. According to this, since the discharge of the applied material is controlled by the control means, for example, rusted shy balls and rust-free shy balls can be produced alternately.
[0040]
Before starting the molding operation, the inside of the discharge passage is empty. Therefore, the control means drives the discharge means in a state where the first molding piston is pushed out toward the molding cylinder hole, and sets a coating material filling mode for filling the coating material into the empty discharge passage. Preferably, it is provided. According to this, since the applied material is carried to the discharge port before the start of molding, it is possible to minimize the test hitting of the shari ball.
[0041]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a cooked rice molding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are a front view and a side view schematically showing an internal structure. Note that the same reference numerals are given to portions that are the same as or are deemed to be the same as the conventional technology shown in FIG. 7 described above.
[0042]
The cooked rice forming apparatus 1 includes a hopper 2 into which sushi rice R (see FIG. 3) is fed from an upper charging port, a rolling unit 3 that feeds sushi rice R supplied from the hopper 2 downward while rolling the sushi rice R, and a rolling unit. The sushi rice R sent from 3 is formed into a shari-ball Rc (cooked rice molded product), and a shaping portion 4 that is conveyed to the mounting portion 5 and the shari-ball Rc conveyed from the shaping portion 4 are mounted thereon. And a mounting section 5 for performing the operation.
[0043]
An operation panel (not shown) provided with various operation buttons, an emergency stop button, and pilot lamps is integrally incorporated in the main body of the cooked rice molding apparatus 1, and a user can operate the operation panel through the operation panel. To operate the rice cooker 1.
[0044]
The hopper 2 includes a container main body 21 formed in a so-called mortar-like shape in which the internal storage volume decreases as it goes downward, and a lid 22 that covers the upper inlet of the container main body 21, and these are not shown. It is detachably locked to the main body via locking means, for example, a snap lock.
[0045]
In this embodiment, the container body 21 and the lid 21 are formed of stainless steel that is hardly corroded by vinegar or the like, and the sushi rice R that is put on the surface easily flows downward, and the sushi rice R adheres to the surface. Fluororesin is provided to prevent this.
[0046]
In the container main body 21, a stirrer 22 having a number of comb-shaped stirring arms protruding in order to dissolve sushi rice R, in this embodiment, four (22a to 22d) from the rear side of the main body (right side in FIG. 3). It is hung rotatably around the front side of the main body (the left side in FIG. 3). The shape and number of the stirrers 22 are arbitrary.
[0047]
These stirrers 22a to 22d are rotationally driven by a motor M1 provided in the main body via a gear 23, and feed the sushi rice R from the main body back to the main body front. A supply port 24 for supplying sushi rice R to the lower rolling section 3 is provided at the sending destination.
[0048]
The rolling unit 3 is provided on the front surface of the main body in consideration of maintainability, and the front surface is covered and hidden by a removable decorative plate 30. As shown in FIG. 2, on the back side of the decorative board 30, a pair of rolling rollers facing each other from above to below at predetermined intervals, and in this embodiment, a total of three sets of six rolling rollers 31 a, 31 b, 32 a, 32 b, and 3. 33a and 33b are provided.
[0049]
Of the three sets of rolling rollers 31 to 33, the upper two sets of rolling rollers 31a and 31b (32a and 32b) are made of synthetic resin large-diameter rollers having a large number of convex portions on the surface of the rollers. Are arranged so that the rolling interval between the lower rolling rollers 32a and 32b is smaller than the rolling interval between the rolling rollers 31a and 31b.
[0050]
The lowermost rolling rollers 33a, 33b are made of synthetic resin rollers having a smaller diameter than the other rolling rollers 31, 32, and are arranged so that the rolling interval is further narrower than the immediately above rolling rollers 32a, 32b. I have.
[0051]
As shown in FIG. 3, each of the rolling rollers 31a, 31b to 33a, 33b is connected to a motor M2 provided inside the main body, and the left rolling rollers 31a, 32a, 33a on the front face rotate rightward and the right rolling face on the front face, respectively. The rollers 31b, 32b, and 33b are engaged with each other so as to rotate leftward, so that the sushi rice R introduced between the rollers flows directly downward from above.
[0052]
The molding part 4 includes a molding rotor 43 having a plurality of molding cylinder holes 431 on concentric circles, and first and second molding pistons 41 protruding and retracting into the molding cylinder holes 431 from the front side and the back side of the molding cylinder holes 431. , 42 and an extruding piston 44 for pushing the shari balls Rc molded in the molding rotor 43 onto the mounting portion 5.
[0053]
The molding rotor 43 is formed of a so-called vertical disk made of synthetic resin that rotates about a horizontal rotation shaft 432, and is detachably provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body in consideration of maintainability. In this embodiment, the horizontal rotating shaft 432 is formed of a cylindrical pipe in which a push rod 463 for driving the second molded piston 42 is slidably housed, and a rotating gear 433 provided on the other end side is driven by a driving gear (not shown). Connected to motor.
[0054]
In this embodiment, the molding rotor 43 is provided with an even number of molding cylinder holes 431 that penetrate along the axial direction through which the molding pistons 41 and 42 can be inserted from both sides. It is provided in.
[0055]
Each molding cylinder hole 431 is hollowed out along the shape of the shari ball Rc, and is arranged so that the surface of the shari ball Rc faces the horizontal rotation axis 432, and is substantially symmetric with respect to the horizontal rotation axis 432. Is formed.
[0056]
The first molded piston 41 is made of a synthetic resin square prism having a width and height substantially equal to the width and height of the shari ball Rc, and the second molded piston 42 has substantially the same width and height as the shari ball Rc. And a connecting part 423 connected to a cam rod 463 described later in an L-shape.
[0057]
Mold surfaces 411 and 421 for pressing the sushi rice R pressed between the opposing surfaces of the molded pistons 41 and 42 into the shari balls Rc when the molded pistons 41 and 42 abut against each other. Are formed in a concave shape.
[0058]
The first molded piston 41 has a rear end (the right end in FIG. 3) connected to a first cam means 45 (first rotation-linear motion conversion means) via a push rod 451, and the first cam means The slide movement is performed by the cam movement of 45 (in FIG. 3, the left and right direction on the paper).
[0059]
The first molded piston 41 is detachably attached to the tip of the push rod 451 in consideration of maintainability, and can be easily removed and washed.
[0060]
The second molded piston 42 has its piston portion 422 connected to the second cam means 46 (second rotation-linear motion conversion means) via the connection plate 423 and the push rod 463. Due to the movement, it slides in the direction opposite to the first molding piston 41 (in FIG. 3, the horizontal direction in the drawing).
[0061]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, a molding guide 47 that receives the sushi rice R sent from the rolling unit 3 and also serves as a movement guide for the first molding piston 41 is provided below the first molding piston 41. Have been.
[0062]
The molding guide 47 is formed of the same hollow prismatic body made of synthetic resin as the molding pistons 41 and 42, and an insertion hole 471 for coaxially inserting a push rod 463 of the second cam means 46 described later is provided at the center. Have been. Note that the molding guide 47 is fixedly arranged without rotating.
[0063]
In this embodiment, the contact surface (guide groove 472) of the molding guide 47 with the first molding piston 41 is formed on a concave curved surface along the outer peripheral surface of the first molding piston 41. Further, on both sides thereof, a wall surface which stands substantially vertically is formed, and is formed in a U-shaped cross section so as to receive the cooked rice from the bottom surface and both side surfaces.
[0064]
The extrusion piston 44 is made of a synthetic resin square pillar having the same width and height as those of the molded pistons 41 and 42 and substantially the same as the width and height of the shading ball Rc. It is provided at a position symmetrical to 41.
[0065]
In this embodiment, the push-out piston 44 is provided so as to be slidable in the same direction as the first molding piston 41 along the same plane as the stage 51 of the mounting portion 5, and the rear end side is via a push rod 452. And is slid synchronously in the same direction as the first molding piston 41 via the first cam means 45 (in FIG. 3, in the horizontal direction on the paper).
[0066]
In this embodiment, the extrusion piston 44 is provided closer to the molding rotor 43 than the tip of the first molding piston 41, penetrates the molding cylinder hole 431 at the time of extrusion, and removes the shari ball Rc from inside the molding cylinder hole 431. It can be completely extruded onto the mounting portion 5.
[0067]
Next, a first cam means 45 (first rotation-linear motion conversion means) for driving the first molding piston 41 and the extrusion piston 43, and a second cam means 46 (second rotation-linear movement conversion means) for driving the second molding piston 42. (Linear motion conversion means) will be described with reference to FIG.
[0068]
Although the first cam means 45 and the second cam means 46 are described in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 4 for convenience of explanation, they are actually coaxial along the same rotation drive axis O, that is, 4 are provided side by side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface.
[0069]
As shown in FIG. 4A, the first cam means 45 is rotated by a first cam follower 453 having push rods 451 and 452 connected to the first molding piston 41 and the pushing piston 43, respectively, and a driving means (not shown). A first cam roller 454 connected to the rotating drive shaft O to be driven.
[0070]
The first cam follower 453 is formed by pressing a stainless steel alloy plate, and has a slit 455 for engaging the cam head 456 of the first cam roller 454 in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction.
[0071]
The first cam roller 454 is provided with a cam head 456 at a predetermined rotation radius position around the rotation drive shaft O, and the cam head 456 is engaged in the slit 455. As a result, the rotational movement of the first cam roller 454 is converted into horizontal movement by the first cam follower 453, and the push rods 451 and 452 slide in the same direction.
[0072]
As shown in FIG. 4B, the second cam means 46 converts the rotational motion of the second cam roller 461 into a horizontal motion, and a second cam roller 461 rotatably provided along the rotation drive axis O. A second cam follower.
[0073]
The second cam roller 461 is formed of a disk cam eccentrically arranged with respect to the rotation center of the rotation drive shaft O. In this embodiment, the second cam roller 461 is symmetrical with the first cam roller 454 with the rotation drive shaft O interposed therebetween. That is, the rotation start positions are shifted by 180 °.
[0074]
The second cam follower 462 is made of a pressed plate made of stainless steel, similarly to the first cam follower 453, and has an elliptical slit 464 at substantially the center in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction.
[0075]
At the center of the second cam follower 462, a push rod 463 connected to the above-mentioned second molded piston 42 is integrally attached. By the movement of the second cam follower 462, the second molded piston 42 at the tip slides. Is done.
[0076]
In this embodiment, the second cam follower 462 is integrally molded, but is used as a means for applying a constant press pressure to the sushi rice R, which is always close to a handgrip, according to the state and amount of the sushi rice R. It is more preferable to adopt a modified example of the second cam follower 462 as shown in FIG.
[0077]
That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the second cam follower 462 is composed of first and second cam members 462a and 462b that are divided into two substantially from the center along the horizontal movement direction of the second cam follower 462, and they are pulled. They are connected to each other via springs 464 and 464, and are always biased in a direction of approaching.
[0078]
According to this, even when the sushi rice R is excessively introduced into the molding cylinder hole 431, all the force of the second cam roller 461 is not transmitted to the second cam follower 462, and the extra force is applied to the tension spring. Since the sushi rice R is absorbed by the sushi rice R, a constant pressing pressure is always applied to the sushi rice R in accordance with the state and amount.
[0079]
In this embodiment, as the rotation-linear motion converting means for converting the rotational motion of the rotary drive shaft O into a linear motion, a converting means including a cam and a cam follower is used. In addition, for example, a hydraulic cylinder, a solenoid, or Various actuators may be employed.
[0080]
Next, the molding guide 47 will be described with reference to FIG. The molding guide 47 is provided on its upper surface with a guide groove 472 for guiding the first molding piston 41 in the direction of advance and retreat. The guide groove 472 is formed in a concave curved shape along the outer peripheral surface of the first molded piston 41, and is formed in a U-shaped cross section whose upper end side is open to the discharge port of the rolling section 3.
[0081]
A guide groove 473 (hereinafter, referred to as a second guide groove) that guides the extrusion piston 44 in the advancing / retreating direction is provided on a lower surface of the molding guide 47 (an opposing surface across the communication hole 471 of the guide groove 472). I have.
[0082]
The guide groove 473 is formed in a reverse concave curved surface shape along the outer peripheral surface of the push-out piston 44, and is formed in a U-shaped cross section whose lower end is opened downward.
[0083]
The cross-sectional shape of each of the guide grooves 472 and 473 is substantially the same as the cross-sectional shape of each of the molding cylinder holes 431, and is formed to be rotationally symmetric about the axis of the communication hole 471.
[0084]
Referring to FIG. 8 as well, a discharge port 474 for discharging the coating material W (wasabi W in this example) is opened in front of the bottom surface of the guide groove 472 (immediately below the discharge port of the molding section 3). Have been. The discharge port 474 communicates with a nipple 476 protruding from a side surface of the molding guide 47 via a discharge passage 475 formed inside the molding guide 47.
[0085]
By the way, in a state where the opposing surfaces of the first molding piston 41 and the second molding piston are arranged to face each other in the molding cylinder hole 431 with the cooked rice R therebetween, the discharge port of the molding section 3 and the discharge port 474 of the molding guide 47 are provided. Is left open, the cooked rice R and wasabi W may run down on the guide groove 472.
[0086]
Therefore, it is preferable that the length of the first molding piston 41 has a length capable of closing the discharge port of the molding section 3 and the discharge port 474 of the molding guide 47. According to this, as shown in FIG. 9, the discharge port and the discharge port 474 of the molding unit 3 are closed by the upper and lower surfaces of the first molding piston 41 at the time of molding, so that the outflow of the cooked rice R and the wasabi W is prevented. it can. Such an embodiment is also included in the present invention.
[0087]
Further, in this example, the discharge port 474 is formed in a simple round hole shape, but may have an arbitrary shape such as an elliptical shape or a square shape according to the application range of the wasabi W. Further, the guide groove 472 has a smooth surface as a whole in consideration of friction with the first molding piston 41. However, as a device for easily attaching the wasabi W to the cooked rice R, the periphery of the discharge port 474 is knurled. There is also a method of roughening (high friction) as a shape.
[0088]
In the front surface of the molding guide 47 (the surface facing the molding cylinder 43), scraping grooves 477a to 477d for removing the wasabi W flowing into the gap formed between the molding cylinder 43 and the molding guide 47 are provided in this example. There are four locations.
[0089]
Each of the scraping grooves 477a to 477d has a concave surface that is recessed by a predetermined depth from the front surface to the rear surface of the molding guide 47, and is symmetrically arranged at a predetermined interval.
[0090]
The side surfaces of the scraping grooves 477a to 477d are open to the side surfaces of the molding guide 47. That is, the scraping grooves 477a and 477b are opened toward the left side surface of the molding guide 47, and the scraping grooves 477b and 477d are opened toward the right side surface of the molding guide 47.
[0091]
According to this, when the coating material entering the gap is moved by the rotation of the molding cylinder 43, the wasabi W can be scraped off at each of the scraping grooves 447a to 447d. Even when it is full, the applied material can escape to the side of the molding guide, so that the molding operation can be continued without interrupting the molding operation.
[0092]
The discharge means 70 for discharging the wasabi W toward the discharge port 474 is connected to the nipple 476 of the molding guide 47. As shown in FIG. 7, the discharging unit 70 includes a pressure feeding unit 71 that pressure-feeds the wasabi W to the discharge port 474, and a storage tank 72 that stores the wasabi W therein.
[0093]
The pumping section 71 includes a compressor 711 that generates compressed air, and a solenoid valve 712 that intermittently sends the compressed air sent from the compressor 711 to the storage tank 72. In this example, the compressed air is intermittently supplied by the solenoid valve 712, but other valve mechanisms may be used.
[0094]
The storage tank 72 is formed of a sealed container in which wasabi W is stored. The compressed air from the pressure feeding unit 71 is connected to the upper end side, and a transfer port (not shown) is provided at the lower end. The other end of 73 is connected.
[0095]
As the coating material stored in the storage tank 72, wasabi (kneaded wasabi W) is basically suitable, but other than this, so-called change sushi, such as mayonnaise and various sauces, having appropriate viscosity. If so, these may be stored and applied to cooked rice R.
[0096]
In this example, the discharging means 70 is provided on the side surface of the container body 21 and is connected to the molding guide 47 by a transport pipe 73 made of a vinyl tube. The ejection unit 70 is controlled by a control unit (not shown).
[0097]
Although the mounting position of the storage tank 72 is not particularly limited, it is more preferable that the connection position of the nipple 476 and the transfer port of the storage tank 72 be set at substantially the same height. According to this, it is possible to prevent the wasabi W stored in the storage tank 72 from being discharged from the discharge port 474 by its own weight.
[0098]
Next, the mounting portion 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 again. The mounting section 5 includes a disk-shaped stage 51 that extends parallel to the installation surface from the lower front surface of the main body and is rotatably supported via a rotation shaft 52 orthogonal to the installation surface. ing.
[0099]
As shown in FIG. 3, the stage 51 is provided such that the mounting surface thereof is flush with the pushing direction of the pushing piston 44, and a stage 51 is provided with a driving belt 53 connected to the rear end of the rotating shaft 52. It is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown).
[0100]
In this embodiment, since the mounting portion 5 acts on the disk-shaped stage 51, if the shari ball Rc is left on the stage 51, the stage is rotated again to be carried forward to the front of the extrusion port of the extrusion piston and remain there. There is a danger that a new ball will be pushed out towards the ball that is being shrunk.
[0101]
Therefore, the mounting portion 5 of this embodiment is provided with a sensing sensor 6 for preventing the newly-discharged shari balls Rc from being discharged toward the remaining shy balls Rc by mistake.
[0102]
The sensing sensor 6 includes a pair of photocouplers each including a light emitting element 61 and a light receiving element 62. In this embodiment, the light emitting element 61 sends detection light toward the rotation axis 52 around the outside of the stage 51. The light receiving element 52 is provided integrally with the rotating shaft 52 of the stage 51.
[0103]
According to this, the presence or absence of the shady ball Rc is determined by the sensing sensor 6 before the shark ball Rc is left on the stage 51 before reaching the discharge port of the molding rotor 53. A new shy ball Rc can be prevented from being pushed out toward the remaining shy ball Rc.
[0104]
In this embodiment, the sensing sensor 6 uses a pair of photocouplers. However, in addition to the above, any sensor capable of sensing the shari ball Rc can be appropriately selected and used.
[0105]
Next, a procedure for using the cooked rice molding apparatus 1 will be described. First, the user puts sushi rice R previously mixed with vinegar into the hopper 2 through the upper opening, and operates an operation panel (not shown) to discharge the total number of shari balls Rc and the number of shari balls Rc. Various conditions such as whether to move 51 are set.
[0106]
One of the setting items is a setting mode of wasabi W. As shown in FIG. 10A, on the operation panel, a tube filling button is provided in addition to a wasabi W (wasabi) ON / OFF button, a setting button for setting an application amount of wasabi W, a setting reset button, and the like. ing.
[0107]
When one of the tube filling buttons is pressed, a control unit (not shown) first issues a command to a drive unit (not shown) of the first molding piston 41, whereby the drive unit transmits the command via the first cam means 45. The first molded piston 41 is pushed into the molded cylinder 43 (see FIG. 5A).
[0108]
After closing the discharge unit 474 by pushing out the first molding piston 41, the control unit issues a command to the discharge unit 70, opens the solenoid valve 712 of the pressure feeding unit 71 for a certain period of time, and connects the empty transfer pipe 73 and the transfer passage. 475 and wasabi W, and after a certain period of time, the solenoid valve 712 is closed and the first molding piston 41 is pulled back to the molding guide 47.
[0109]
According to this, since the wasabi W has been conveyed to the vicinity of the discharge port 474 in advance, it is possible to minimize the test hitting until stable molding is started. Next, the operator sets the number of rusted ball and rust-removed ball shown in FIG. 10B, and then presses a start button to start molding.
[0110]
When the start button is pressed, the stirrers 22a to 22d in the hopper 2 push the sushi rice R toward the supply port 24, and drop the sushi rice R toward the rolling unit 3 (see FIG. 3). The sushi rice R dropped from the supply port 24 is first coarsely rolled by the upper two sets of rolling rollers 31a, 31b (32a, 32b), and is then pushed into the forming part 4 at a stretch by the lowermost rolling rollers 33a, 33b. (See FIG. 2).
[0111]
In this embodiment, the stirrers 22a and 22d are always controlled independently of the rolling unit 3 and the forming unit 4, and are constantly rotated so that the sushi rice R is not stuck by its own weight. I understand.
[0112]
Before feeding the cooked rice R into the molding guide 47, a control unit (not shown) determines whether or not to apply the wasabi W to the shari ball Rc according to the initial setting. If the control unit determines that the wasabi W is to be applied (there is rust), a command is issued to the discharging means 70, and the solenoid valve 712 of the pressure feeding unit 71 is opened for a set time, so that the compressed air is stored in the storage tank 72. Then, the wasabi W is supplied from the discharge port 474 to the guide groove 472 through the discharge passage 475.
[0113]
After the set time, the control unit stops the discharging means 70 to stop the supply of the wasabi W, and then issues a command to the rolling unit 3, and in response to this, the rolling unit 3 is driven, and the sushi rice R is fed into the molding guide. 47. When the control unit determines that the coating is not performed (rust removal), the control unit issues a command to the rolling unit 3 by skipping the above-described coating step. Accordingly, in extreme cases, it is also possible to alternately punch out rust-free shari balls and rust shari balls.
[0114]
The sushi rice R poured into the molding section 4 is once pressed into the guide groove of the molding guide 47. When the rotation drive shaft O rotates in this state, the first molding piston 41 moves the sushi rice R from the right to the left in the drawing via the first cam means 45 and moves the sushi rice R into the molding cylinder of the molding rotor 43. It is pushed into the hole 431 (see FIG. 4b).
[0115]
At this time, since the wasabi W has been discharged onto the bottom surface of the molding guide 47 in advance, the wasabi W adheres to the bottom surface of the sushi rice R. When the sushi rice R is pushed into the molding cylinder hole 431 with the wasabi W attached, as shown in FIG. 9, the wasabi W on the surface is pushed into the molding cylinder hole 431 while being rubbed by the guide groove 472, The coating is applied evenly on the shari ball Rc with a coating feeling as if painted by a finger of a craftsman.
[0116]
The other second molding piston 42 slides from the left side to the right side in the drawing via the second cam means 462 by the rotation of the rotation drive shaft O, and is pushed into the molding cylinder hole 431 as shown in FIG. The sushi rice R is pressed from the other side (see FIG. 5b).
[0117]
At this time, the upper surface of the first molding piston 41 closes the discharge port of the rolling unit 3 and the lower surface of the first molding piston 41 closes the discharge port 474 of the molding guide 47. Wasabi W is not pushed.
[0118]
When the rotation drive shaft O further rotates by 180 °, each molding piston 42 is pulled out of the molding cylinder hole 431 by the cam means 45 and 46, and only the molded ball Rc is left in the molding cylinder hole 431. No control means rotates the forming rotor 43 counterclockwise by about 60 °.
[0119]
In this embodiment, the rotation pitch of the molding rotor 43 corresponds to the number of molding cylinder holes 431 (in this case, six places × 60 ° = 360 ° per revolution), and the molding rotor 43 rotates by 60 ° for each molding. The rotation pitch is arbitrarily changed according to the number of the molding cylinder holes 431.
[0120]
In the initial state, since no shading ball Rc is filled in the molding cylinder hole 431, the extruding piston 44 repeats blanking three times. Appear before.
[0121]
The extrusion piston 44 is synchronized with the first molding piston 41 as described above, and the extrusion piston 44 is housed in the molding cylinder hole 431 in synchronization with the first molding piston 41 starting the molding operation at the upper part. The shari ball Rc is pushed out onto the stage 51.
[0122]
The push-out piston 44 is slidably provided on the same plane as the surface of the stage 51, and pushes the push-out piston 44 onto the stage 51 without giving stress to the shari ball Rc.
[0123]
In this embodiment, the stage 51 is set to be rotationally moved when two shy balls Rc are discharged. Therefore, even if the first shy ball Rc is discharged, the stage 51 does not move and continues to stand by.
[0124]
When the second shy ball Rc is pushed out by the push-out piston 44, the previously pushed shy ball Rc is further pushed out toward the rotating shaft 52 by the second shy ball Rc. As a result, the two shy balls Rc are placed side by side on the stage 51, and the stage 51 is rotated counterclockwise by a predetermined angle by a drive motor (not shown).
[0125]
The operator may pick up the shari balls Rc discharged two by two in his hand and start the grasping operation as it is, or may lay them out in a bat or the like and supply them sequentially to the grasping hands. These series of operations are continuously repeated until the set conditions are satisfied.
[0126]
If the molding operation continues while the worker forgets to take the shari ball Rc on the stage 51, the sensor 6 in front of the extrusion port detects the presence of the shari ball Rc, and the sensing data is operated. Unit (not shown), and the operation unit automatically stops the molding operation. Through the above-described series of operations, the shari ball Rc is efficiently and stably manufactured.
[0127]
In the above-described embodiment, the mounting portion 4 employs the disk-shaped stage 51. For example, when mass-producing and storing the shari balls Rc, the mounting portion 4 is configured as follows. It is preferable to adopt a simple configuration. This configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0128]
As shown in FIG. 11, the cooked rice molding apparatus 100 has a feature in a placing section 500, and a configuration other than the placing section 500 is basically the same as the above-described embodiment. Some are omitted.
[0129]
The mounting section 500 has a transport lane 510 extending in a direction orthogonal to the extrusion direction of the extrusion piston 44, and moves on the transport lane 510 from upstream to downstream (from left to right in FIG. 11). And a tray sensor 530 for detecting the presence or absence of the transport tray moving on the transport lane.
[0130]
The transfer lane 510 is made of, for example, a metal plate made of stainless steel or the like and is formed by press forming, and has a base portion 511 placed in parallel along a base 101 protruding from the lower front surface of the main body, And guide rails 512 and 512 erected at substantially right angles along both ends in the width direction.
[0131]
The base unit 511 is provided with a belt conveyor 540 as a transport unit that moves the transport tray 520 from the upstream side to the downstream side. On both sides of the belt conveyor 540, transport rollers 513 and 513 for prompting the transport of the transport tray 520 are provided.
[0132]
In this embodiment, the conveyor means employs a belt conveyor system. Alternatively, for example, a rotating roller system or the like may be employed. Can be used. Further, the entire transport lane 510 may be replaced with, for example, an automatic transport type belt conveyor or roller conveyor.
[0133]
In this embodiment, the transport lane 510 is provided with a length necessary to move the transport tray 520 by one. However, the transport lane 510 may be formed to have a length capable of continuously supplying the transport tray 510, for example. Alternatively, a supply device that continuously supplies the transport tray 510 may be incorporated.
[0134]
As shown in FIG. 12, the belt conveyor 540 includes a belt portion 541 that rotates and moves along the transport direction of the transport tray 520, a drive shaft 542 that transmits the rotational driving force of the motor M3 to the belt portion 541, and a predetermined setting. A clutch 544 for transmitting the rotational driving force of the motor M3 to the drive shaft 542 according to conditions.
[0135]
The belt portion 541 is formed by connecting a belt-like belt whose surface is subjected to a non-slip treatment such as rubber, for example, in a ring shape. The length is formed so that the side and the end side are in contact with each other.
[0136]
The drive shaft 542 has one end connected to the belt portion 541 and the other end connected to the clutch portion 544 via a bevel gear 543. In this embodiment, the drive shaft 542 is connected to the belt portion 541 by a rotating roller. Alternatively, a gear or the like may be used.
[0137]
One end of the clutch unit 544 is connected to the drive shaft 542 via a bevel gear 543, and the other end is connected to the rotary drive shaft of a motor M3 for driving the forming rotor 43 via a bevel gear 545.
[0138]
The clutch unit 544 includes a clutch unit that is controlled by a control unit (not shown) and that intermittently transmits a rotational driving force to the drive shaft 542 according to the number of rotation steps of the motor M3. In this embodiment, a mechanical clutch is used, but an electric clutch may be used.
[0139]
Referring again to FIG. 11, transport tray 520 is formed of a molded product of, for example, a synthetic resin such as ABS, and is formed to be flush with the extrusion position of extrusion piston 44 when placed on transport lane 510. And a handle portion 522 formed at both ends of the mounting surface 521 in the longitudinal direction.
[0140]
Although only one handle 522 of the transport tray 520 is shown in FIG. 11 for convenience of drawing, the other handle 522 has the same shape as the one handle 522 as shown in FIG. The handle portion 522 is provided at a symmetric position.
[0141]
In this embodiment, the mounting surface 521 has an open side on the side facing the push-out piston 44 in order to extrude the shari ball Rc onto the mounting surface 521, but the other end may be further opened. According to this, it is possible to take out the shy ball Rc simultaneously with the extrusion.
[0142]
The tray sensor 530 includes a sensor unit 531 attached to a tip of the base 101 protruding from the front surface of the lower part of the main body and connected to a control unit (not shown). A pair of objective sensors 532 and 533 arranged in parallel along the flow direction of 510 are provided.
[0143]
The objective sensors 532 and 533 can be arbitrarily selected as long as they can confirm the presence or absence of the transport lane 510 such as an optical type, a magnetic type, and a mechanical type.
[0144]
Next, the operation of the mounting section 500 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the description of the series of steps from the introduction of cooked rice to the extrusion of cooked rice by the cooked rice molding apparatus 100 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and thus will be omitted.
[0145]
First, as shown in FIG. 13A, the transport tray 520 is set on the upstream side of the transport lane 510 such that the open side thereof faces the extrusion piston 44. When the transport tray 510 is set, the objective sensors 532 and 533 disposed along the transport lane 510 detect a part of the transport tray 510 on the traveling direction side, and transmit a detection signal to a control unit (not shown). Thereby, a state in which molding can be started, that is, an initial state.
[0146]
In this embodiment, the objective sensors 532 and 533 are set so that the molding is started only when both of them detect the object, and the molding of the shari ball is not started by sensing only one side.
[0147]
Next, by operating an operation panel (not shown) to set various conditions such as the total number of molded shading balls Rc and the number of shading balls Rc to be discharged before moving the transport tray 510, the start button is pressed. Molding starts. In the following, a description will be given of the setting condition that the transport tray 510 is moved at the stage when five shy balls Rc have been discharged.
[0148]
When a start button (not shown) is pressed, the shy balls Rc in the molding cylinder 431 are pushed out onto the transport tray 510 by the pushing piston 44 as shown in FIG. The extrusion piston 44 extrudes five consecutive balls Rc onto the transport tray 520 in this embodiment based on the set conditions.
[0149]
When the forming rotor 43 rotates 5/6 and the fifth shy ball Rc is discharged onto the transport tray 520, the control unit (not shown) sends a signal to the clutch unit 544 shown in FIG. Connect to the motor M3.
[0150]
Accordingly, as the sixth shy ball Rc is carried on the forming rotor 43 and carried to the front surface of the extrusion piston 44, its rotational driving force is transmitted to the belt conveyor 540 via the drive shaft 542, and the transfer tray 520 moves one row downstream. At the same time as the end of the movement, the control unit (not shown) sends a signal to the clutch unit 544 to release the connection with the motor M3.
[0151]
Then, as shown in FIG. 13 (c), the push-out piston 44 continuously discharges five shady balls Rc into the empty portion of the transfer tray 520, and when the fifth discharge is performed, the clutch 44 operates similarly to the above. The section 544 is turned on, and the transport tray 520 slides with the discharge of the sixth shy ball Rc. By repeating the series of ON / OFF operations of the clutch unit 544, the transport tray 520 intermittently slides, and the ball Rc is spread all over the transport tray 520.
[0152]
As shown in FIG. 13D, when the shy balls Rc are laid down to the last row, the transport tray 520 is pushed downstream by the belt conveyor 540, and a part of the rear of the transport tray 520 becomes one of the objective sensors 532. 13A, the control unit (not shown) moves the transport tray 520 to the end of the transport lane 510, ends the molding operation, and enters a molding standby state, as shown in FIG.
[0153]
After the completion of the molding operation, the operator collects the transport tray 520 from the transport lane 510 and places the transport tray 520 in a dedicated storage box 600 having a heat insulating property such as a foamed resin as shown in FIG. By laying out and storing, it is possible to store and transport a large number of shari balls Rc at a time.
[0154]
Further, on the setting panel shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B described above, the setting is made such that wasabi W is applied to the first 15 pieces of shri balls Rc and the remaining parts are made into shaving balls Rc without rust. By doing so, on the transfer tray 520, as shown in FIG. 14, the rusted shari balls Rc coated with wasabi W and the rust-free shari balls Rc are clearly distinguished, so that productivity and storage efficiency are improved. Can be further improved.
[0155]
Although the cooked rice molding apparatus of the present invention has been described as applied to the manufacturing process of shari-dama Rc for nigiri sushi, the cooked rice molding apparatus of the present invention may be incorporated in a part of the manufacturing process of, for example, Inari sushi.
[0156]
In this embodiment, an even number of the molding cylinder holes 431 are provided at equal intervals on the molding rotor 43. However, an odd number of molding cylinder holes 431 may be provided. 44 may be asynchronous using an independent slide mechanism. Such an embodiment is also included in the present invention.
[0157]
Furthermore, the molding object used in this cooked rice molding apparatus is not limited to sushi rice (rice cooked rice), and may be applied to, for example, okara and various flour products, or in extreme cases It may be used for molding a synthetic resin such as a product model.
[0158]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, sushi rice rolled from the hopper through the rolling section is pushed into the molding cylinder hole by the first molding piston, and is sandwiched from both sides together with the second molding piston in the molding cylinder hole. By pressing the shari ball into a shari ball, the formed shari ball is carried on the same plane as the mounting part with the rotation of the forming rotor, and is extruded to the mounting part with an extrusion piston, thereby forming the shari ball. The ball can be mounted on the mounting portion in a stable posture, and the maintainability is also improved. Further, since the molded rotor is a vertical type, space saving can be achieved.
[0159]
In addition, as a mounting portion, a transport lane extending in a direction orthogonal to the extrusion direction of the extrusion piston, a transport tray that moves on the same transport lane from upstream to downstream, and a transport lane that moves on the transport lane A tray sensing sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the transport tray. The transport lane is provided with transport means for transporting the transport tray. By using only the moving mechanism described above, it is possible to continuously lay out shy balls on the transport tray in the row direction and the column direction.
[0160]
Furthermore, by providing a discharge port for discharging coating material such as wasabi in the guide groove of the molding guide, the coating material such as wasabi can be supplied to the cooked rice at the same time as the cooked rice is supplied. The object is introduced into the molding cylinder hole together with the cooked rice while being rubbed along the guide groove, so that a coating feeling as if painted with a finger is obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooked rice molding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the internal structure of the cooked rice molding apparatus of the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the internal structure of the cooked rice molding apparatus of the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a molding procedure of a molding unit.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a molding procedure of a molding unit.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a modification of the second cam follower.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining the structure of a molding guide.
FIG. 8A is a front view of a molding guide.
(B) Sectional drawing of a molding guide.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an application procedure of an application object.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a display of an operation panel for setting a coating material.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the placing portion of the cooked rice molding device of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a drive format of a belt conveyor according to the modified example.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation procedure of the mounting section of the modification.
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation procedure of a mounting section according to the modification.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Rice cooker
2 Hopper
3 Rolling section
31-33 Rolling roller
4 Molding part
41 1st molded piston
42 Second molded piston
43 Molded rotor
431 Molded cylinder hole
432 horizontal rotation axis
44 Extrusion piston
45 First cam means
453 1st cam follower
454 1st cam roller
46 Second cam means
461 First cam follower
462 Second cam roller
47 Molding Guide
471 communication hole
472 Guide groove
473 Guide groove
474 outlet
475 discharge passage
476 nipple
5,500 mounting part
51 stages
510 transport lane
520 transport tray
530 tray sensor
540 belt conveyor
6 Sensor
70 discharge means
O Rotary drive shaft
R Sushi rice
Rc Shari ball
W Application (wasabi)

Claims (18)

A hopper that supplies rice rice such as sushi rice supplied from the input port to the supply port, a rolling section that feeds the rice rice supplied from the supply port to the lower discharge port while rolling, and is fed from the discharge port. In a cooked rice molding apparatus comprising a molding section for molding the cooked rice into a predetermined shape, and a mounting section on which a cooked rice product discharged from the mold section is placed,
The molding portion rotates around a horizontal rotation axis, and has a molding rotor having a plurality of molding cylinder holes penetrating along the axial direction at equal intervals on a concentric circle, and inside the molding cylinder hole from the back side of the molding cylinder hole. Between the first molded piston that intrudes into the molded cylinder hole and pushes the cooked rice into the molded cylinder hole, and emerges and emerges into the molded cylinder hole from the front side of the molded cylinder hole. A cooked rice molding device comprising: a second molded piston for molding the cooked rice into a predetermined shape; and an extrusion piston for pushing the cooked rice molded product molded in the molding cylinder hole to the mounting portion. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an even number of the molding cylinder holes are provided. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a mold surface for molding the cooked rice product is formed on a facing surface of each of the molded pistons. The extrusion piston and the first molded piston are movably connected to each other via first rotation-linear motion conversion means for converting a predetermined rotational motion into a linear motion, and the second molded piston is The extruding piston and the first molded piston are driven in directions opposite to each other by the second rotation-linear motion conversion means, and the respective rotation-linear motion conversion means share a predetermined rotation drive shaft and are synchronously driven. The cooked rice molding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is connected to a rice cooker. The second rotation-linear motion conversion means includes a cam roller connected to the rotary drive shaft, and a cam follower connected to the second molding piston, wherein the cam follower is substantially divided into first and second divided sections. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a cam member and a tension spring for urging the respective cam members in a direction to always approach them. The placing section includes a stage having a placing surface parallel to the pushing direction of the pushing piston, and the stage is provided with a sensor for sensing the presence or absence of the cooked rice product placed thereon. The cooked rice molding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The mounting portion has a conveying means extending in a direction orthogonal to the extrusion direction of the extrusion piston, and a mounting surface parallel to the extrusion direction of the extrusion piston, and at least the extrusion piston side is open. And a tray sensing sensor for sensing the presence or absence of the transport tray transported by the transport unit, wherein the transport unit moves the transport tray from upstream to downstream by a predetermined amount of movement. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cooked rice is intermittently conveyed and a predetermined number of the cooked rice products are aligned on the mounting surface along the extrusion direction. . The conveying means is synchronously connected to a driving means of the molding rotor via a clutch part, and the clutch part senses that the molding rotor has rotated by a set number, and supplies power to the conveying means. 8. The cooked rice molding device according to claim 7, which transmits the rice. 9. The rice cooking apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the tray sensor comprises a pair of objective sensors arranged in parallel along the transport lane. The first molding piston, which is upwardly opened to the discharge port of the rolling section, receives the rice cooked from the discharge port, and pushes the rice toward the molding cylinder hole. 10. A molding guide having a guide groove for guiding the liquid is provided, and a discharge port for discharging a coating material such as wasabi is provided on a bottom surface of the guide groove. A cooked rice molding device as described. The cooked rice molding device according to claim 10, wherein the guide groove is roughened so as to surround the discharge port. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the guide groove has the same cross-sectional shape as the cross-sectional shape of the molding cylinder hole. 13. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein an inside of the molding guide is provided with a discharge passage having one end connected to the discharge port and the other end connected to a predetermined discharge means. In a state in which the front surface of the first molded piston and the front surface of the second molded piston are opposed to each other in the molded cylinder hole with the cooked rice interposed therebetween, the first molded piston has at least the discharge port and the discharge port. The cooked rice molding device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the cooked rice molding device has a length capable of closing the rice. The molding guide is disposed along the back side of the molding cylinder, and the surface of the molding guide facing the molding cylinder is coated with the coating material that has entered between the molding guide and the molding cylinder. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 14, further comprising a scraping groove that is removed as the molding cylinder rotates. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 15, wherein at least one end of the scraping groove is open toward a side surface of the molding guide. Control means for controlling at least the rolling section, the forming section, and the means for discharging the applied material, wherein the control means discharges the rice while the cooked rice is charged into the guide groove from the discharge port of the rolling section. 17. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a means is driven to supply the coating material from the discharge port into the guide groove. The control means drives the discharge means in a state where the first molding piston is pushed out toward the molding cylinder hole when the inside of the discharge passage is empty, so that the coating is performed in the empty discharge passage. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a coating material filling mode for filling a product.

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