JP2008000041A - Food-molding device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a food-molding device with which a spherically processed food such as a meatball can be molded into an almost spherical shape so as to be suitable for being sold in the market in uncooked raw conditions. <P>SOLUTION: The food-molding device 1 is provided with a pulley 2 having a plurality of grooves 2a each with an almost semi-circular cross-section, and a circular-arc guide member 3 having an inner peripheral recessed surface 3a with an almost semi-circular cross section and provided with circular-arc hollow tubes T respectively placed corresponding to the grooves of the pulley and cooperating with the grooves of the pulley, wherein friction surfaces (notches 2b, 3b) are formed at at least one of the inner surfaces of the grooves of the pulley and the inner peripheral recessed surfaces of the circular-arc guide member 3 to hook a short cylindrical pasty food material (patty P) via the friction surfaces to rotate the food material in a transfer direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a food molding apparatus suitable for manufacturing spherical processed foods such as meat balls.

  Conventionally, in the manufacture of spherical processed foods, for example, when manufacturing meatballs, meat that has been finely ground and seasoned into short cylinders (hereinafter referred to as putty) is placed in hot water and heat-treated into a substantially spherical shape. Molding. This utilizes the surface tension applied to the putty by the heat treatment and the expansion of the putty by the heat treatment, and the short cylindrical putty can be formed into a substantially spherical shape.

In order to produce a spherical processed food that is closer to a sphere, a pair of forming rollers including a forming portion formed by recessing the outer peripheral surface in a radial arc shape in the radial inner direction is disposed so that the forming portions face each other. There has been proposed a food molding apparatus that molds putty into a substantially spherical shape between molding parts (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Utility Model Registration No. 2572271 (Claim 1, FIG. 1)

  However, when a meatball is sold as a chilled product or a frozen product in an unheated raw state without heat treatment, it is necessary to form the putty into a substantially spherical shape in the raw state. And in the said food shaping | molding apparatus, since the putty is urged | pulled so that it may draw in the downward direction of a shaping | molding part and the lower part of the putty is pressed, a spherical shape is easy to be distorted. Therefore, this food molding apparatus has a problem that it is not suitable for molding spherical processed foods that are sold in an unheated raw state. In addition, when rounded by human hands, there is a problem that molding takes time and mass production cannot be performed.

  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to form a spherical processed food such as meatballs into a substantially spherical shape so as to be suitable for sale in an unheated raw state, without the need for human hands. The object is to provide a food molding apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present inventors have conducted intensive research, and in order to form a short cylindrical putty into a spherical shape, based on the knowledge that it is sufficient to take a corner while rotating the putty during the transfer process, A short cylindrical putty was put into an arc-shaped hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section, and an attempt was made to determine whether corners could be taken while the putty was transferred through the arc-shaped hollow tube. However, in this case, the putty slid irregularly in the arc-shaped hollow tube, so that the corner could not be taken sufficiently, and the intended spherical shape was not obtained. Accordingly, the arc-shaped hollow tube is constituted by a pulley having a groove having a substantially semicircular cross section, and an arc-shaped guide member that forms an arc-shaped hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section in cooperation with the groove of the pulley. By applying a driving force to the putty in the arc-shaped hollow tube with the rotational force to make the transfer speed constant and making the putty smoothly rotate by making the arc-shaped hollow tube inner surface a friction surface, a short cylindrical shape It was found that the putty can be formed into a spherical shape with a handmade feeling that is rolled by the hand of a human being, and the present invention has been completed.

  That is, the present invention is (1) a pulley having a plurality of grooves having a substantially semicircular cross section, and a pulley having a substantially circular cross section which is disposed opposite to the pulley grooves and cooperates with the pulley grooves. And an arcuate guide member having an inner circumferential concave surface having a substantially semicircular cross section, and a friction surface is formed on at least one of the groove inner surface of the pulley and the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member, and is introduced into the arcuate hollow tube A food molding device for forming the short cylindrical kneaded food material into a substantially spherical shape while being transported as the pulley rotates, and (2) a notch in which the friction surface is formed in the same direction as the axial direction of the pulley It is related with the foodstuff shaping | molding apparatus as described in said (1) which consists of.

  In the present invention, (3) a pulley having a plurality of grooves having a substantially semicircular cross-section, and a pulley groove disposed in opposition to the pulley grooves, and forming an arc-shaped hollow tube having a substantially circular cross-section in cooperation with the pulley grooves. An arcuate guide member having an inner circumferential concave surface having a substantially semicircular cross section, and a friction surface is formed on the inner surface of the groove of the pulley so that the arcuate punching metal is fitted on the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member. And a food molding apparatus for forming a short columnar kneaded food material charged into an arc-shaped hollow tube into a substantially spherical shape while transporting it with the rotation of a pulley, and (4) the lower end side of the arc-shaped punching metal The food molding apparatus according to (3) above, which includes a lift mechanism that pushes up toward the pulley side, and (5) a screw mechanism provided at the bottom of the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member, and a lower end of the arcuate punching metal To push the side up to the pulley side Relates to a food molding apparatus according to the configured (4) and a screw penetrating toward the inner periphery from the outer periphery of the arcuate guide member.

  Further, the present invention relates to (6) the food molding apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the short cylindrical kneaded food material is a putty for meatballs.

  According to the invention according to (1), the food forming apparatus for forming the kneaded food material into a substantially spherical shape is provided with a pulley having a plurality of grooves having a substantially semicircular cross section, and a pulley arranged opposite to the pulley grooves. And an arcuate guide member having an inner circumferential concave surface with a substantially semicircular cross section, which forms an arcuate hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section in cooperation with the groove of the kneaded food material in the arcuate hollow tube. Is regularly transported with the rotation of the pulley. Since the friction surface is formed on at least one of the groove inner surface of the pulley and the inner peripheral concave surface of the arc-shaped guide member, the kneaded food material can be smoothly caught in the friction surface and rotated smoothly in the transfer direction. . For this purpose, a paste-like food material punched into a short cylindrical shape such as a meatball putty is transferred in an arc-shaped hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section while rotating in the transfer direction. It can be mass-produced as a substantially spherical shaped body suitable for sale in the raw state of heating.

  According to the invention according to (2), since the friction surface is constituted by the notch formed in the same direction as the axial direction of the pulley, the friction surface can be made a simpler structure.

  According to the invention according to (3) above, the food forming apparatus for forming the kneaded food material into a substantially spherical shape is provided with a pulley having a plurality of grooves having a substantially semicircular cross section, and a pulley arranged so as to be opposed to the grooves of this pulley. And an arcuate guide member having an inner circumferential concave surface with a substantially semicircular cross section, which forms an arcuate hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section in cooperation with the groove of the kneaded food material in the arcuate hollow tube. Was transferred with the rotation of the pulley. Since the friction surface is formed on the groove inner surface of the pulley, and the arcuate punching metal is fitted to the inner peripheral concave surface of the arcuate guide member, the kneaded food material is disposed on the friction surface and the arcuate punching metal. Can be hooked on both. For this purpose, the kneaded food material punched into a short columnar shape is transported through an arc-shaped hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section while rotating reliably and smoothly in the transport direction, so that it is not heated by human hands. It can be mass-produced as a substantially spherical shaped body suitable for sale in the raw state. Further, since the arcuate punching metal is a member different from the arcuate guide member, the arcuate punching metal can be easily replaced. Therefore, it is possible to easily form spherical processed foods of various sizes by replacing them with arc-shaped punching metal having various inner diameters.

  According to the invention according to (4), since the lift mechanism that pushes the lower end side of the arc-shaped punching metal toward the pulley is provided, the extent to which the arc-shaped punching metal is pushed up by this lift mechanism can be adjusted. Therefore, spherical processed foods of various sizes can be easily formed by the lift mechanism.

  According to the invention according to (5) above, the screw mechanism provided with the lift mechanism at the bottom of the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member and the arcuate guide member for pushing up the lower end side of the arcuate punching metal to the pulley side. Since the screw is configured to penetrate from the outer periphery toward the inner periphery, the degree to which the arc-shaped punching metal is pushed up can be adjusted by tightening the screw. Therefore, spherical processed foods of various sizes can be easily formed depending on the tightening degree of the screws.

  The food molding apparatus according to the present invention includes a pulley having a plurality of grooves having a substantially semicircular cross section, and an arcuate hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section that is disposed opposite to the pulley grooves and cooperates with the pulley grooves. An arcuate guide member having an inner circumferential concave surface having a substantially semicircular cross section, and a friction surface (rotational force applying mechanism) is formed on at least one of the groove inner surface of the pulley and the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member, A food molding device (hereinafter referred to as “type I food molding device”) that can form a short cylindrical kneaded food material charged in an arc-shaped hollow tube into a substantially spherical shape while being transported as the pulley rotates. Or a pulley having a plurality of grooves having a substantially semicircular cross section, and an arc-shaped hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section that is disposed opposite to the pulley grooves and cooperates with the pulley grooves. Arc-shaped guide member having a circular inner peripheral concave surface A short cylindrical shape that is inserted into an arc-shaped hollow tube, and a friction surface is formed on the inner surface of the groove of the pulley, and an arc-shaped punching metal is fitted on the inner circumferential concave surface of the arc-shaped guide member. There is no particular limitation as long as it is a food molding apparatus (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “type II food molding apparatus”) that can be shaped into a substantially spherical shape while being transported as the pulley rotates. As the kneaded food material, the shape of the raw material such as minced meat, starches, gums, minced vegetables is not particularly limited as long as it is a kneaded food material that can be shaped into a substantially spherical shape and then retained, These raw materials can be used in combination. In particular, it is preferable to use beef, pork, chicken, fish and other finely ground meat for meat-like foods such as meatballs, meat dumplings, tsukune, and tsumelet, and a meatball pate is particularly preferable. Can do. In addition, since the present invention aims to improve the appearance of the spherical processed food, the present invention is intended to improve the appearance of the spherical processed food. It means that it is molded into an almost spherical shape with a handmade feeling.

  An example of the pulley having a plurality of grooves having a substantially semicircular cross section is one that is rotated by known driving means such as a motor. The groove formed in the pulley may have a substantially semicircular cross-sectional shape, and the radius of the groove can be appropriately changed according to a desired shape. For example, in the case of a meatball molding apparatus for molding a meatball putty into a substantially spherical shape, the radius of the groove is preferably 2 to 3 cm. Also, the rotational speed of the pulley can be appropriately adjusted in consideration of the type of kneaded food material. For example, in the case of a meatball molding apparatus that molds a putty for meatballs into a substantially spherical shape, it is preferably set to 20 to 30 rpm. The number of grooves provided in the pulley is preferably 2 to 10, more preferably 3 to 5, considering production efficiency. The material of the pulley is not particularly limited, but hard plastic is preferable from the viewpoint of ease of processing the friction surface formed on the groove inner surface of the pulley. Moreover, the radius of the pulley is preferably 4 to 9 cm, which is about 2 to 3 times the radius of the groove.

  As the arcuate guide member having an inner circumferential concave surface having a substantially semicircular cross section, an arcuate hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section can be formed so as to be opposed to the pulley groove and cooperate with the pulley groove. An inner circumferential concave surface having a radius substantially equal to the radius of the pulley groove, a peripheral edge having a radius slightly larger than the radius of the pulley, and an inner circumferential concave surface having a radius of the sum of the pulley radius and the pulley groove radius. Any arcuate member having a bottom may be used. The upper end of the arcuate guide member is preferably disposed at a position corresponding to 90 to 135 degrees from the lowermost end of the pulley so that the short columnar kneaded food material can be easily put into the arcuate hollow tube. In addition, the lower end of the arcuate guide member is generally in a subarc shape at a position corresponding to 0 to 30 degrees from the lowermost end of the pulley so that the kneaded food material formed in a substantially spherical shape can be easily discharged from the arcuate hollow tube. It is preferable to arrange. Furthermore, a linearly extending portion can be provided on the upper end and the lower end of the arcuate guide member as necessary. Further, the material of the arcuate guide member is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the arcuate guide member is made of a hard plastic having the same quality as the pulley from the viewpoint of easy processing of the friction surface formed on the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member. However, it can also be a non-rusting metal. When a non-rusting metal is used, the metal arcuate guide member can be provided with a heating mechanism so that the surface of the kneaded food material can be heated.

  The friction surface formed on the groove inner surface of the pulley in the type I food molding apparatus and type II food molding apparatus, and the friction surface formed on the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member in the type I molding apparatus, Any shape can be used as long as it is configured as a rotational force imparting mechanism capable of imparting rotational force to a short columnar kneaded food material transported in an arc-shaped hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section formed by an arc-shaped guide member. There are no particular restrictions on protrusions, holes, or notches. However, notches and holes are preferred in terms of ease of processing, and the groove inner surface of the pulley and the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member in the same direction as the pulley axial direction in terms of providing efficient rotational force. The notch formed in at least one of these can be illustrated suitably. In the case of a metal arcuate guide member in a type I food molding apparatus, it is preferable from the viewpoint of ease of processing that the arcuate guide member is configured as a punching metal. And it is preferable to disperse | distribute friction surfaces, such as a protrusion of various shapes, a hole, and a notch, uniformly, in order to provide smooth rotational force.

  In type II food molding equipment, a friction surface is formed on the inner surface of the groove of the pulley, but it is not always necessary to form a friction surface on the concave inner surface of the arcuate guide member. An arc-shaped punching metal is provided so as to fit on the inner peripheral concave surface of the arc-shaped guide member. For the sake of convenience, the arc-shaped punching metal hole includes a mesh-like hole and a hole in which a part of the surface is recessed, in addition to the penetrating hole. And the diameter of these holes can be suitably changed according to the kind and magnitude | size of a short column-shaped kneaded food material.

  As the type II food molding apparatus, it is preferable to include a lift mechanism that can push up the lower end side of the arc-shaped punching metal to the pulley side and adjust the diameter of the arc-shaped hollow tube having a substantially circular cross section. The lift mechanism is not particularly limited as long as it is a mechanism that pushes up the lower end side of the arcuate punching metal provided on the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member to the pulley side. For example, the screw hole provided in the bottom of the inner peripheral concave surface of the arcuate guide member and the screw hole penetrating from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the arcuate guide member for pushing up the lower end side of the arcuate punching metal to the pulley side. A lift mechanism including a screw can be preferably exemplified. Besides, a guide bar fixed on both sides of the arcuate punching metal lower end side and having a tip formed as a male screw part, a guide groove provided in an arcuate guide member at a position corresponding to the guide bar, A lift mechanism composed of a nut that is screwed into the male thread portion at the tip of the guide rod inserted through the guide groove can be exemplified. Moreover, the lift mechanism which consists of a wedge member inserted in the clearance gap between the lower end side of the inner peripheral concave surface of an arc-shaped guide member and the lower end side of an arc-shaped punching metal can also be mentioned.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a food molding apparatus (type I food molding apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the food molding apparatus 1 includes a pulley 2 and an arcuate guide member 3.

  The pulley 2 is a cylindrical member that rotates around an axis, and has a plurality of grooves 2a having a substantially semicircular cross section on the circumferential surface thereof. A plurality of notches 2b are formed on the inner surface of the groove 2a at predetermined intervals over the entire circumference. The notch 2b is a substantially half-moon-shaped depression formed in the same direction as the axial direction of the pulley 2. The arc side 2c is gently depressed with respect to the inner surface of the groove 2a, and the chord side 2d is the groove 2a. It is recessed with a step with respect to the inner surface. And this notch 2b is formed so that the circular arc side 2c may face the rotation direction of the pulley 2 mentioned later.

  The arcuate guide member 3 is an arcuate member and has an inner circumferential concave surface 3a having a substantially semicircular cross section (see FIG. 2). A plurality of notches 3b are formed on the inner peripheral concave surface 3a at a predetermined interval. The notch 3b is a substantially half-moon-shaped depression formed in the same direction as the axial direction of the pulley 2 in a state where the arc-shaped guide member 3 is disposed opposite to the pulley 2, and the arc side 3c is formed on the inner circumference. The concave surface 3a is gently depressed, and the string side 3d is recessed with a step with respect to the inner peripheral concave surface 3a. And this notch 3b is formed so that the circular arc side 3c may face the rotation direction of the pulley 2 mentioned later, when it arranges facing the pulley 2. As shown in FIG.

  The pulley 2 and the arcuate guide member 3 configured as described above are provided with a gap between the pulley 2 and the arcuate guide member 3 so that the pulley 2 can rotate, and the arcuate guide member 3 becomes a groove of the pulley. It arrange | positions so that it may each oppose 2a (refer FIG. 1). The groove 2a of the pulley and the inner circumferential concave surface 3a of the arcuate guide member cooperate to form an arcuate hollow tube T having a substantially circular cross section. Among the openings of the arc-shaped hollow tube T, a putty supply device (not shown) for supplying putty P cut into a short cylindrical shape is disposed above the opening in the upper end side vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as the inlet). A conveyor (not shown) that conveys the formed putty P to the next process is disposed on the side of the opening in the horizontal direction on the lower end side (hereinafter referred to as a discharge port).

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operating state of the food molding apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the pulley 2 rotates in the direction in which the putty P is wound, for example, counterclockwise in FIG. 3, so that the putty P can be transferred from the input port to the discharge port. The pulley 2 hooks the putty P by a notch 2b formed in the groove 2a to apply a rotational force to the putty P, and rotates the putty P clockwise in FIG. At this time, the pulley groove 2a and the concave inner circumferential surface 3a of the arcuate guide member cooperate to form an arcuate hollow tube T (see FIG. 1) having a substantially circular cross section. For this purpose, a short cylindrical putty P cut by a putty supply device (not shown) is formed into a substantially spherical shape while rotating in an arc-shaped hollow tube T having a substantially circular cross section. Further, since the notches 2b and 3b formed in the groove inner surface of the pulley and the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member are formed in the same direction as the axial direction of the pulley 2, the short cylindrical putty P is transferred. Rotate in the direction. Therefore, the short cylindrical putty P can be more efficiently formed into a substantially spherical shape, and can be stably formed into a substantially spherical shape.

  Subsequently, a food molding apparatus (type II food molding apparatus) according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on the differences. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an arcuate guide member of another embodiment of the food forming apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the food forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the arcuate guide member 31 of another embodiment is provided so as to fit an arcuate punching metal 32 on the inner peripheral concave surface 31 a. The arc-shaped punching metal 32 is a metal plate having a plurality of holes 32a, and is formed in an arc shape so as to be fitted to the inner peripheral concave surface 31a. Further, the arc-shaped punching metal 32 is formed in a substantially semicircular cross section along the inner peripheral concave surface 31a. When the arcuate guide member 31 is used together with the arcuate punching metal 32, it is not always necessary to form a friction surface on the inner circumferential concave surface 31a, and here the inner circumferential concave surface 31a is formed smoothly. .

  The arcuate guide member 31 of the other embodiment includes a lift mechanism that pushes the lower end side of the arcuate punching metal 32 toward the pulley 2 on the inner circumferential concave surface 31a. This lift mechanism includes a screw hole 31 b and a screw 33. The screw hole 31b is a hole provided in the inner circumferential concave surface 31a of the arc-shaped guide member, and penetrates the arc-shaped guide member 31 from the bottom surface of the inner circumferential concave surface 31a toward the outer circumferential surface. And this screw hole 31b is provided in the side used as an exit when the circular-arc-shaped guide member 31 is arrange | positioned facing the groove | channel 2a of a pulley, for example, the edge part vicinity of the lower right side in FIG. The screw 33 is inserted from the outer periphery to the inner periphery of the arcuate guide member 31, and is configured such that the tip end portion of the screw 33 contacts the arcuate punching metal 32 when the screw is tightened.

  In the food molding apparatus 1 (type II food molding apparatus) according to another embodiment configured as described above, the tip of the screw 33 is adjusted by adjusting the tightening degree of the screw 33 as shown in FIG. The degree of contact with the arc-shaped punching metal 32 can be adjusted. For example, in FIG. 5, by tightening the second screw 33 from the left, the tip of the screw 33 comes into contact with the arcuate punching metal 32, and the lower end side of the arcuate punching metal 32 is pushed up to the pulley 2 side. Therefore, by adjusting the tightening degree of the screw, the size of the inner diameter of the arc-shaped hollow tube T can be adjusted, and spherical processed foods of various sizes can be easily formed.

It is a perspective view of the foodstuff shaping | molding apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part disassembled perspective view of FIG. It is sectional drawing explaining the operation state of the food shaping | molding apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the circular-arc-shaped guide member of other embodiment of the foodstuff shaping | molding apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view of other embodiment of the food molding apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Food molding apparatus 2 Pulley 2a Groove 2b Notch 3 Arc-shaped guide member 3a Inner peripheral concave surface 3b Notch 31 Arc-shaped guide member 31a Inner peripheral concave surface 31b Screw hole 32 Arc-shaped punching metal 33 Screw P Putty T Arc-shaped hollow tube

Claims (6)

A pulley having a plurality of grooves having a substantially semicircular cross section;
An arcuate guide member having an inner circumferential concave surface with a substantially semicircular cross section, which is disposed opposite to each groove of the pulley and forms an arcuate hollow tube with a substantially circular cross section in cooperation with the groove of the pulley,
A friction surface is formed on at least one of the groove inner surface of the pulley and the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member,
A food molding apparatus for forming a short cylindrical kneaded food material charged in an arc-shaped hollow tube into a substantially spherical shape while being transported as a pulley rotates.   The food molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the friction surface is formed by a notch formed in the same direction as the axial direction of the pulley. A pulley having a plurality of grooves having a substantially semicircular cross section;
An arcuate guide member having an inner circumferential concave surface with a substantially semicircular cross section, which is disposed opposite to each groove of the pulley and forms an arcuate hollow tube with a substantially circular cross section in cooperation with the pulley groove;
A friction surface is formed on the groove inner surface of the pulley, and the arcuate punching metal is fitted on the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member,
A food molding apparatus for forming a short cylindrical kneaded food material charged in an arc-shaped hollow tube into a substantially spherical shape while being transported as a pulley rotates.   The food molding apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a lift mechanism that pushes the lower end side of the arc-shaped punching metal toward the pulley side.   The lift mechanism penetrates from the outer periphery of the arcuate guide member toward the inner periphery to push the screw hole provided in the bottom of the inner circumferential concave surface of the arcuate guide member and the lower end side of the arcuate punching metal to the pulley side. The food molding apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a screw.   The food molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the short cylindrical kneaded food material is a putty for meatballs.

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