JP2015033363A - Foodstuff processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To level the amount of cooked rice of a measuring part.SOLUTION: A foodstuff processor includes: two axially divided leveling rollers 30a, 30b which are independently rotatably arranged and level cooked rice; two axially divided feed rollers 31a, 31b which are independently rotatably arranged and discharge the leveled cooked rice; a measuring part 10a which measures the discharged cooked rice; two sensors SRa, SRb which are installed between the feed rollers 31a, 31b and the measuring part 10a and detect the presence of the cooked rice on the measuring part 10a; and a control part which, when the cooked rice is not detected by the sensors SRa, SRb, controls so as to rotate the leveling rollers 30a, 30b and the feed rollers 31a, 31b corresponding to the sensors SRa, SRb to supply the cooked rice to the measuring part 10a.

Description

  The present invention relates to a food processing apparatus, for example, to a food processing apparatus used for processing rice or the like used for forming nigiri sushi or nigiri rice.

  A cooked rice forming device, which is a kind of food processing device, is a device for forming a cooked rice lump such as a sprout ball, a cooked rice supply unit that supplies cooked rice to the device body, and a cooked rice supplied from the cooked rice supply unit Is provided with a measuring division unit for measuring and dividing so as to have a predetermined amount, and a forming unit for forming a cooked rice lump which is a mass of divided food. The weighing division unit is fed from the weighing unit and the weighing unit for weighing the cooked rice chunk supplied from the cooked rice supply unit while being sandwiched by a plurality of pairs of rollers arranged along the conveying direction of the cooked rice chunk. A dividing unit that divides the cooked rice chunk at a predetermined position is disposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In such a food processing apparatus, it is required that stable metering is performed so that the divided food lump is quantified.

  Here, in particular, when the width of the measuring portion is wide, a region where no food material exists in the width direction of the measuring portion is generated. In this way, even if there is a region where no food is present, if the weighing is performed by rotating a plurality of pairs of rollers, the mass of food divided by the dividing unit after the measurement will be less than the expected amount. Become.

  In order to eliminate such inconvenience, a plurality of sensors for detecting the presence or absence of foodstuffs are arranged along the width direction at the top of the weighing unit, and when any sensor detects that there is no foodstuff, A configuration is conceivable in which a feed roller installed upstream of the measuring unit is rotated to supply food to the measuring unit.

JP 2004-8145 A

  However, in the food processing apparatus having the above-described configuration, although there is no region where no food is present in the width direction of the weighing unit, more food is supplied to the region where the food is already present. The amount of food will be uneven with respect to the direction.

  This invention is made | formed from the above-mentioned technical background, The objective is to provide the technique which can equalize the quantity of the foodstuff with respect to the width direction of a measurement part.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the food processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a food supply unit that supplies the food onto the conveyance path, a plurality of food processing units arranged along the rotation axis direction, and each other. It can be rotated independently, and a leveling roller for leveling the unevenness of the food on the conveyance path, and a plurality of rollers arranged along the rotation axis corresponding to the leveling roller and independent of each other. A pair of a plurality of stages arranged along the conveying direction of the food material, and a feed roller that feeds the food material on the transport path leveled by the leveling roller and the food material fed from the feed roller. Corresponding to the weighing unit for weighing while being nipped and conveyed by each of the rollers, a dividing unit for dividing the food conveyed from the weighing unit, and the leveling roller and the feeding roller of each divided part A plurality of sensors that are provided between the feed roller and the weighing unit and detect the presence or absence of food accumulated on the weighing unit, and when the food is not detected by the sensor, rotation driving means is provided. And a controller that controls to rotate the leveling roller and the feed roller corresponding to the sensor to supply food to the weighing unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the food processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the width of the conveying path is narrowed from the food material supply unit toward the leveling roller.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the food processing apparatus according to the second aspect, the leveling roller has a diameter at the center portion larger than the diameter at both end portions.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the food processing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the rotation driving means is disposed on one end side of the rotation shaft of the leveling roller. And a feed roller side rotation drive means disposed on one end side of the rotation shaft of the feed roller, and the leveling roller side rotation drive means and the feed roller side rotation drive means are mutually connected. And a first rotation drive unit and a second rotation drive unit that respectively rotate a first drive shaft and a second drive shaft provided on the same axis, and the leveling roller and the delivery roller are on the rotation drive means side. Each of the first roller portion and the second roller portion on the opposite side of the rotation driving means. The first roller portion is attached to the first drive shaft, and the second roller portion is attached to the second drive shaft. Is There, characterized in that.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the food processing apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the first drive shaft is disposed in parallel with a rotation shaft of the first rotation drive unit, and the first rotation drive unit rotates. A pulley attached to a shaft, and a belt spanned between the pulley and the first drive shaft, are connected to a rotation shaft of the first rotation drive unit, and the second drive shaft is connected to the first drive It is characterized in that it is coaxially connected to the rotation shaft of the second rotation drive unit through a shaft through a coupling.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the food processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the metering unit is disposed between the pair of rollers and adjacent to the pair of rollers. A plurality of partition members that divide the region into a plurality of regions along the longitudinal direction of the roller.

  The present invention according to claim 7 is the food processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the forming part for forming the food divided by the dividing part, and the lower part of the dividing part, It is provided with the conveyance means which is provided in the state which can reciprocate between a division part and the above-mentioned shaping part, and accommodates the food divided by the above-mentioned division part, and conveys it to the above-mentioned shaping part.

  According to the present invention, the food is supplied to the area where no food is present in the width direction of the weighing unit, but no further food is supplied to the area where the food is already present. It becomes possible to make uniform the quantity of the foodstuff supplied on the width direction of the said measurement part.

It is a front view of the cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus which is a foodstuff processing apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the back side of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a leveling part and a part of main processing part of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. It is a top view of the leveling part of FIG. It is a front view of the leveling part of FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a leveling roller and a feed roller that constitute the leveling portion of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a leveling roller and a feed roller that constitute the leveling portion of FIG. 3. It is a principal part block diagram of the main process part of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. It is an enlarged front view of the measurement part of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the II line of the measurement part of FIG. (A), (b) is a front view of the measurement part of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 11A is a front view of the main part of the mechanism unit on the back side of the back plate of the measuring unit in FIG. 11, and FIG. 12B is a front view of the main unit of the mechanism unit on the back side of the back plate of the measuring unit showing the rotating gear in FIG. FIG. (A)-(e) is sectional drawing of the location corresponded to the II line | wire of FIG. 9 which showed the case where the shape and installation state of a partition plate were changed. It is a block diagram of the main process part in the formation process of the cooked rice lump in the cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram of the main process part in the formation process of the cooked rice lump in the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1 following FIG. It is a block diagram of the main process part in the formation process of the cooked rice lump in the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1 following FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment as an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a front view of a cooked rice forming apparatus which is a food processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the back side of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG.

  A cooked rice forming apparatus (food processing apparatus) 1 according to the present embodiment is a cooked rice forming apparatus that forms a cooked rice lump (an example of a lump of food) such as a shari ball or a bowl-shaped cooked rice lump. This is a cooked rice molding apparatus that can mold individual cooked rice chunks and can change the size (type) of cooked rice chunks in one unit.

  This cooked rice forming apparatus 1 includes a gantry 2, a rice lifter (food supply unit) 3a, a supply hopper (food supply unit) 3b, a leveling unit 3c, a main processing unit 4, a tray stocker 5a, and an air inlet unit. 5b, an alcohol spray section 5c, a tray transport section 5e, a main operation section 6a, and a sub operation section 6b.

  The rice lifter 3 a is a mechanism unit that puts cooked rice, which is an example of food, into the supply hopper 3 b, and is installed on one side of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1.

  The supply hopper 3 b is a mechanism unit that unwinds the cooked rice introduced from the rice lifter 3 a and unwinds it by rotating the wings, and then feeds it to the leveling unit 3 c, and is installed at the top of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1. The rotation operation of the unwinding wings of the supply hopper 3b is controlled based on the detection information from the optical sensor installed in the leveling unit 3c.

  The leveling unit 3c is configured to level the unevenness of cooked rice supplied from the supply hopper 3b onto the downwardly inclined conveyor (conveyance path) 32 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the apparatus by the leveling roller 30 (that is, the width direction of the leveling roller 30). And a mechanism unit that supplies the main processing unit 4 via a feed roller 31 and a downwardly inclined conveyor 32 that are arranged downstream of the leveling roller 30 in the conveying direction of the cooked rice mass, and a supply hopper 3b And the main processing unit 4. The leveling portion 3c will be described in detail later.

  The main processing unit 4 is a mechanism unit that measures the cooked rice supplied from the leveling unit 3 c with the weighing unit 10 a, divides it with the dividing unit 10 b, and then forms it into a cooked rice lump, between the leveling unit 3 c and the gantry 2. Is installed. The main processing unit 4 will also be described in detail later.

  The tray stocker 5a is a mechanism unit that accommodates a plurality of trays on which a plurality of molded rice balls are placed and takes them one by one and supplies them to the tray transport unit 5e. It is installed between the parts 4. The tray stocker 5a can accommodate, for example, 50 trays.

  The air inlet portion 5b (see FIG. 2) is an external air for adsorbing the tray when carrying the tray from the tray stocker 5a to the tray carrying portion 5e or spraying alcohol for sterilizing the tray carrying portion 5e. Is installed on the back side of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 and the rear side of the rice lifter 3a.

  The alcohol spray unit 5c is a mechanism unit that sprays sterilizing alcohol in an alcohol tank (not shown) onto the surface of the tray that has been transported from the tray stocker 5a, and is installed in the middle of the tray transport path. ing.

The tray transport unit 5e is a mechanism unit that transports a tray, on which a plurality of molded rice chunks after being formed are placed, which is supplied from the tray stocker 5a, to the input unit and the outlet, and is installed at the subsequent stage of the main processing unit 4. ing.
The main operation unit 6a is an operation unit for operating the entire operation of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1, and is installed in a state where it can be moved according to the standing position of the operator. The cable length of the main operation unit 6a is, for example, about 10 m.

  The sub operation unit 6b is an emergency operation unit in which only a stop button and an emergency stop button are arranged. The sub operation unit 6b is fixed in position because it performs an operation requiring urgency.

  3 is a perspective view showing a part of the leveling unit and the main processing unit of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the leveling unit of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a leveling unit of FIG. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the leveling roller and the delivery roller constituting the leveling part of FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the leveling roller and the delivery roller constituting the leveling part of FIG. .

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the leveling roller 30 and the delivery roller 31 are arranged so as to be sandwiched between the front plate FB and the back plate RB at a predetermined interval from the downward inclined conveyor 32 forming the conveyance path. The motor (rotation drive means) 40 is rotatably provided (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

  Further, as shown in detail in FIG. 4, on the inner side of the front plate FB and the rear plate RB, a rice rice conveyance path having a width corresponding to the supply hopper 3 b is provided on both sides between the leveling rollers 30. A guide plate GB for gradually narrowing to a predetermined width is installed. By this guide plate GB, the cooked rice supplied from the supply hopper 3b to the downwardly inclined conveyor 32 is gradually brought to the center while reaching the leveling roller 30, and the density unevenness of the cooked rice in the width direction of the transport path is reduced. . In the present embodiment, the width of the conveyance path on the supply hopper 3b side is 364 mm, and the width after being narrowed by the guide plate GB is 275 mm. However, these widths can be set freely.

  As described above, the leveling roller 30 is for leveling the unevenness of the cooked rice supplied to the downwardly inclined conveyor 32 and supplying it to the subsequent process with a substantially equal thickness. A plurality of grooves 33 are formed to extend in the axial direction so that cooked rice can be smoothly fed when 30 rotates.

  The leveling roller 30 has a larger diameter at the center than at both ends. This is because when the density of the cooked rice at the center is relatively high due to the rice being brought to the center by the guide plate GB, it is spread in the width direction and averaged. As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the diameter of the center portion of the leveling roller 30 is 115 mm, and the diameters of both end portions are 105 mm. And the distance between both ends and the downward inclined conveyor 32 is 38 mm. However, these widths can also be set freely. Further, the leveling roller 30 does not necessarily have a larger diameter at the center.

  The feed roller 31 provided downstream of the leveling roller 30 feeds the cooked rice on the downward inclined conveyor 32 leveled by the leveling roller 30, and a large number of scraping projections 34 are formed on the outer peripheral surface. . Thereby, when the feed roller 31 rotates, the cooked rice 34 is fed to the subsequent process while being unwound by the scraping projection 34.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the motor 40 includes a leveling roller side motor (leveling roller side rotation driving means) 41 disposed on one end side of the rotation shaft of the leveling roller 30, and a feed-out. It is composed of a feed roller side motor (feed roller side rotational drive means) 42 arranged on one end side of the rotation shaft of the roller 31.

  Further, the leveling roller side motor 41 includes a first motor (first rotation drive unit) 41a and a first rotation shaft that rotate the first drive shaft 41-1 and the second drive shaft 41-2 provided coaxially with each other. It has 2 motors (second rotation drive unit) 41b. The first drive shaft 41-1 is arranged in parallel with the rotation shaft of the first motor 41a, the pulley 45 attached to the rotation shaft of the first motor 41a, and the pulley 45 and the first drive shaft 41-1. The second drive shaft 41-2 passes through the first drive shaft 41-1, via the coupling 44, and is connected to the rotation shaft of the first motor 41a via a belt 43 that spans between the first and second motors 41a. The second motor 41b is coaxially connected to the rotation shaft.

  Similarly, the delivery roller side motor 42 includes a first motor (first rotation drive unit) 42a and a first rotation shaft 42a for rotating the first drive shaft 42-1 and the second drive shaft 42-2 provided coaxially with each other. It has two motors (second rotation drive unit) 42b. The first drive shaft 42-1 is arranged in parallel with the rotation shaft of the first motor 42a, the pulley 45 attached to the rotation shaft of the first motor 42a, and the pulley 45 and the first drive shaft 42-1. The second drive shaft 42-2 passes through the first drive shaft 42-1 and is coupled via the coupling 44 through a belt 43 that extends between the first drive shaft 42-1 and the rotation shaft of the first motor 42a. The second motor 42b is coaxially connected to the rotation shaft.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, the leveling roller 30 includes a first roller portion 30 a on the motor 40 (leveling roller side motor 41) side and a second roller portion 30 b on the opposite side of the motor 40. Are divided along the rotational axis direction. The first roller portion 30a is attached to the first drive shaft 41-1, and the second roller portion 30b is attached to the second drive shaft 41-2. Accordingly, the first roller portion 30a is separately driven on the same axis by the first motor 41a, and the second roller portion 30b is separately driven on the same axis by the second motor 41b, and can be rotated independently of each other.

  Further, the feed roller 31 corresponds to the leveling roller 30 divided into two in this way, the first roller portion 31a on the motor 40 (feed roller side motor 42) side and the second roller portion on the opposite side of the motor 40. It is divided along the rotation axis direction into two of 31b. The first roller portion 31a is attached to the first drive shaft 42-1, and the second roller portion 31b is attached to the second drive shaft 42-2. Accordingly, the first roller portion 31a is driven separately on the same axis by the first motor 42a, and the second roller portion 31b is driven separately on the same axis by the second motor 42b, and can be rotated independently of each other like the leveling roller 30. Yes.

  The leveling roller 30 and the feed roller 31 only need to be divided into a plurality of parts, and are not limited to two parts as in the present embodiment. Even if the leveling roller 30 and the delivery roller 31 are divided into two, the first roller portions 30a and 31a are attached to the first roller portions 30a and 31a by the pulley 45 and the belt 43 as in the present embodiment. The drive shafts 41-1 and 42-1 are connected to the rotation shafts of the first motors 41a and 42a, and the second drive shafts 42-1 and 42-2 to which the second roller portions 30b and 31b are attached by the coupling 44 are provided. It is not necessary to have a configuration in which the second motors 41b and 42b are coaxially connected to the rotation shaft.

  Now, in FIG. 3, the measuring unit 10 a of the main processing unit 4 described above is installed directly under the cooked rice outlet of the leveling unit 3 c having the above-described configuration, and the cooked rice supplied from the leveling unit 3 c is preliminarily stored. It conveys to the division part 10b, measuring to the decided magnitude | size, shape, and weight.

  Between the delivery roller 31 and the metering unit 10a, the leveling roller and the delivery roller (that is, the first roller unit 30a and the second roller unit 30b of the leveling roller 30), Two optical sensors (sensors) SR for detecting the presence or absence of cooked rice accumulated on the weighing unit 10a are arranged corresponding to the first roller unit 31a and the second roller unit 31b) of the feed roller 31, respectively. . That is, the optical sensor SRa is disposed corresponding to the first roller portions 30a and 31a, and the optical sensor SRb is disposed corresponding to the second roller portions 30b and 31b.

  Each of these optical sensors SR is composed of a pair of a light emitting unit located on one side of the cooked rice accumulated on the weighing unit 10a and a light receiving unit located on the other side of the cooked rice. The presence / absence of cooked rice on the weighing unit 10a is detected based on whether the light from the light is received by the light receiving unit based on the presence / absence of cooked rice. The sensor is not limited to the optical type as in the present embodiment, and various types of sensors can be used as long as they can detect the presence or absence of cooked rice accumulated on the weighing unit 10a. Can be applied.

  Now, the rotation operation of the leveling roller 30 and the delivery roller 31 of the leveling unit 3c is controlled by a control unit (not shown) that has received the detection information from the two optical sensors SR.

  Here, control of the rotation operation of the leveling roller 30 and the feed roller 31 by the control unit will be described.

  When the cooked rice is not detected by the optical sensor SR (SRa, SRb), the control unit controls the motor 40 (the first motor 41a and the second motor 41b constituting the leveling roller side motor 41, and the feed roller side motor 42). The portion of the leveling roller 30 (that is, the first roller portion 30a and the second roller portion 30b) corresponding to the optical sensor SR (SRa, SRb) and the delivery through the first motor 42a and the second motor 42b) constituting the first motor 42a and the second motor 42b). The roller 31 (that is, the first roller portion 31a and the second roller portion 31b) is rotated to control the supply of cooked rice to the weighing unit 10a.

  That is, when the cooked rice is not detected by both of the two optical sensors SR (optical sensors SRa and SRb), the first motor 41a and the second roller portion 30b that rotate the first roller portion 30a constituting the leveling roller 30. A second motor 41b that rotates the first roller 42a, a second motor 42b that rotates the first roller part 31a that rotates the first roller part 31a that constitutes the delivery roller 31, and a second motor part 42b that rotates the second roller part 31b. The cooked rice of 3c is supplied over the whole measuring part 10a.

  When the cooked rice is detected by both of the two optical sensors SR (optical sensors SRa and SRb), the first motor 41a and the second motor 41b of the leveling roller 30 are stopped, and the first roller 31 of the feed roller 31 is stopped. The first motor 42a and the second motor 42b are stopped, and the supply of cooked rice from the leveling unit 3c to the weighing unit 10a is stopped.

  Then, when cooked rice is not detected on one side of the optical sensor SR but is detected on the other side, for example, when cooked rice is not detected on the optical sensor SRa but detected on the optical sensor SRb, the cooked rice is not detected on the optical sensor SRa. Only the leveling roller 30 and the delivery roller 31 of the corresponding part are rotated, and the cooked rice is supplied to the weighing unit 10a using only the leveling roller 30 and the delivery roller 31 of the part.

  That is, when cooked rice is not detected by the optical sensor SRa but is detected by the optical sensor SRb, the second roller unit is driven while driving the first motor 41a for rotating the first roller unit 30a constituting the leveling roller 30. The second motor 41b that rotates 30b is stopped, and further, the first motor 42a that rotates the first roller portion 31a constituting the feed roller 31 is driven, while the second motor 42b that rotates the second roller portion 31b is stopped. To do. And only the 1st roller part 30a of the leveling roller 30 and the 1st roller part 31a of the sending-out roller 31 are rotated, and the cooked rice of the leveling part 3c is supplied to the measurement part 10a.

  Conversely, when cooked rice is detected by the optical sensor SRa but not detected by the optical sensor SRb, the first motor 41a for rotating the first roller portion 30a constituting the leveling roller 30 is stopped while the second The second motor 41b that drives the second motor 41b that rotates the roller unit 30b, stops the first motor 42a that rotates the first roller unit 31a that constitutes the feed roller 31, and rotates the second roller unit 31b. Drive. And only the 2nd roller part 30b of the leveling roller 30 and the 2nd roller part 31b of the sending-out roller 31 are rotated, and the cooked rice of the leveling part 3c is supplied to the measurement part 10a.

  Thereby, although the cooked rice is supplied from the leveling portion 3c to the region where the cooked rice 10a is not present in the width direction of the measuring unit 10a, the cooked rice is not further fed to the region where the cooked rice is already present. The amount of cooked rice supplied on the weighing unit 10a can be made uniform in the width direction of the weighing unit 10a.

  Moreover, since the quantity of cooked rice is equalized by controlling the process upstream of the measuring unit 10a, that is, the leveling unit 3c, the structure of the measuring unit 10a is simplified.

  As described above, the leveling roller 30 and the delivery roller 31 may be divided into a plurality of parts, and are not limited to two. Accordingly, the optical sensor SR is provided corresponding to the number of divisions of the leveling roller 30 and the feeding roller 31. For example, if the leveling roller 30 and the feeding roller 31 are divided into three, the optical sensor SR is also 3. Are provided.

  Next, FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of the main part of the main processing unit of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 9 is an enlarged front view of the measuring unit of FIG. 8, and FIG. FIG. In FIG. 8, the partition plate SB is hatched to make the drawing easy to see. In FIG. 9, the roller R is hatched to make the drawing easy to see.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the main processing unit 4 includes a weighing division unit 10, a buffer unit 11, a cooked rice conveyance mold 12, a molding unit 13, and a feeding unit 14.

  The measuring and dividing unit 10 is a mechanism unit that measures and divides the cooked rice supplied from the leveling unit 3c so as to have a predetermined size, shape, and weight, and includes a measuring unit 10a and a dividing unit 10b. ing.

  As described above, the weighing unit 10a is a mechanism unit that conveys the cooked rice supplied from the leveling unit 3c to the division unit 10b while weighing the cooked rice to a predetermined size, shape, and weight, and the leveling unit 3c. It is installed directly under the rice cooker exit.

  For example, a three-stage pair of rollers R, four partition plates (partition members) SB, and a scraper SP are arranged in the measuring unit 10a. However, the number of stages of the pair of rollers R is not limited to three, and may be two or four, for example. Further, the number of partition plates SB is not limited to four, and may be three or less or five or more, for example.

  The pair of rollers R are disposed so as to face each other across the conveying space for the cooked rice lump, and are fixed to the rotation axis Ax so as to be rotatable in the opposite direction (inward). And each pair of roller R is arrange | positioned so that the opposing space | interval (conveyance space of cooked rice lump) of each pair may become narrow along the conveyance direction (downward) of cooked rice lump. As a result, the cooked rice lump supplied to the weighing unit 10a is sandwiched in order by the pair of rollers R at each stage while the density of the rice grains is kept constant, and is sent downward while being compressed.

  Each roller R is formed of a horizontally long cylindrical body along the axial direction, and a plurality of protrusions P for scraping down the cooked rice lump downward form an unevenness along the circumferential direction. Are formed at predetermined intervals.

  Further, between the inner periphery of each roller R and the outer periphery of the rotation shaft Ax, rotation transmission members Ta and Tb for transmitting the rotation operation of the rotation shaft Ax to the roller R are provided. Thus, each roller R is mounted on the rotation axis Ax in a rotatable and detachable state.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the uppermost roller R and the middle roller R are formed with a hollow hole Ha having a substantially square shape on the end surface side of the roller R. On the other hand, on the outer periphery of the rotation shaft Ax at the uppermost stage and the middle stage, a rotation transmission member Ta formed in a substantially square shape whose end face shape is just fit in the hollow hole Ha of the uppermost and middle stage rollers R is joined. Yes. The uppermost and middle rollers R are detachably mounted on the rotation shaft Ax by fitting the rotation transmitting member Ta into the hollow hole Ha.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the lowermost roller R has a hollow hole in which the shape of the end surface side of the roller R has a circular region and a spreading region that spreads radially in two symmetrical positions on the outer periphery thereof. Hb is formed. On the other hand, on the outer periphery of the lowermost rotation axis Ax, the end surface shape is a circular portion and a protruding portion that protrudes radially at two symmetrical positions on the outer periphery (not shown in FIG. 9; reference numeral in FIG. 12A). Rotation transmission member Tb formed in a shape having Tbp) is joined. The lowermost roller R is detachably mounted on the rotation shaft Ax by fitting the rotation transmitting member Tb into the hollow hole Hb.

  A fixing groove (not shown) extending in the circumferential direction of the lowermost roller R is formed on the side surface of the hollow hole Hb of the lowermost roller R. By fitting the protruding portion of the rotation transmission member Tb (see the symbol Tbp in FIG. 12A) into the fixed groove of the lowermost roller R, the lowermost roller R does not move in the axial direction (longitudinal direction). So that it is fixed.

  Further, a positioning groove for positioning and fixing the partition plate SB (positioning portion: not shown in FIG. 9, see PT in FIG. 13E) is formed on the outer periphery of the lowermost roller R. . The positioning groove is formed so as to make one round along the outer periphery of the roller R at predetermined intervals along the axial direction of the lowermost roller R. The partition plate SB is positioned and fixed by fitting both end portions in the width direction of the partition plate SB into the positioning groove. This positioning groove is not formed in the uppermost and middle rollers R. By forming the positioning groove only on the lowermost roller R, only the lowermost roller R needs to be replaced when the number of divisions by the partition plate SB is changed. For this reason, replacement work can be facilitated. Moreover, since the number of replacement parts can be reduced, the cost of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 can be reduced.

  The partition plates SB are arranged at predetermined intervals along the axial direction (longitudinal direction) of the roller R. Thereby, in this Embodiment, the cooked rice supplied from the leveling part 3c can be divided | segmented into the some cooked rice lump in the measurement part 10a. For this reason, since the division | segmentation operation | work of the cooked rice in a post process becomes unnecessary, the cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus 1 can be reduced in size.

  Moreover, the partition plate SB is installed in a detachable state in a state where it is fixed to a positioning groove formed in the pair of rollers R at the lowermost stage. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, by removing and replacing the lowermost pair of rollers R (replacement with another roller R having a different positioning groove position or number), the adjacent interval or number of the partition plates SB Can be changed. That is, the length (kind) of the cooked rice lump in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) can be variously changed with a single cooked rice forming apparatus 1 without modifying the apparatus main body and with a simple structure.

  In addition, there is a structure in which a transfer drive unit (corresponding to the roller R) of the cooked rice lump is provided for each area divided by the plurality of partition plates SB. I can not cope. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the number of cooked rice chunks and the number of cooked rice chunks can be reduced by using the horizontally long roller R without dividing the cooked rice chunk transport drive unit for each region divided by the plurality of partition plates SB. It is possible to easily cope with a change in the axial length.

  Further, the partition plate SB may be pushed in the axial direction of the roller R depending on the supply state of the cooked rice lump, and the pair of rollers R at the lowest stage may move in the axial direction. In that case, as shown in FIG. 10, on the front side in the axial direction of the roller R, a cooked rice lump is formed between the front plate FB and the partition plate SB, and on the back side in the axial direction of the roller R, the back plate RB and the partition plate. Since the cooked rice lump is formed between the SB and the bottom roller R moves in the axial direction, the longitudinal length of the cooked rice lump on both axial sides is different from the longitudinal length of the other cooked rice lump. End up. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the pair of lowermost rollers R are fixed so as not to move in the axial direction. It can be avoided.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the partition plate SB extends from the height position of the center of the rotation axis Ax of the uppermost roller R to a height position slightly lower than the center of the rotation axis Ax of the lowermost roller R, and terminates. And has a taper that gradually increases in thickness from the upper part toward the lower part. Thereby, in the measuring part 10a, the cooked rice lump can be satisfactorily conveyed without causing troubles in conveyance such as omission or excessive kneading of rice or clogging. This will be explained later.

  In addition, it is desirable that the lower part of the partition plate SB extends to the vicinity of the upper surface of the movable blade C of the dividing part 10b. Here, since the scraper SP is disposed, it is desirable that the lower part of the partition plate SB is close to the upper surface of the scraper SP.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, although the case where the adjacent space | interval of partition plate SB was made into equal intervals was illustrated, it is not limited to this, You may change the adjacent space | interval of partition plate SB with a place. Thereby, the cooked rice lump with which length differs by 1 unit operation | movement can be shape | molded simultaneously.

  The scraper SP is a member that prevents the cooked rice from entering between the pair of lowermost rollers R and the movable blade C of the dividing portion 10b. That is, by providing the scraper SP, it is possible to prevent the cooked rice from spreading over time in the lower part between adjacent pairs of the lowermost rollers R and to measure the cooked rice mass well. .

  The scraper SP is installed in the lower part between adjacent pairs of the lowermost rollers R, and has an opening for each divided rice cake lump. The inner surface of the opening portion of the scraper SP is formed with an inclination such that the opening surface gradually decreases downward, and a plurality of grooves SPT (see FIG. 10) for reducing the frictional resistance of cooked rice. Is formed.

  The division part 10b shown in FIG. 8 is a mechanism part which divides | segments the some cooked rice lump sent from the weighing | measuring part 10a collectively, and is arrange | positioned at the lowest rice cooker exit of the measurement part 10a. The dividing unit 10b includes two movable blades C and C. The movable blades C and C are installed in a state in which the blade edges are opposed to each other and are movable in the directions approaching and separating from each other. The cooked rice lump sent from the measuring unit 10a is divided by the sliding movement of the two movable blades C, C in the proximity direction at a predetermined size, shape and weight. It is accommodated in the buffer area BA.

  The buffer unit 11 adjusts the timing of supplying the cooked rice lump supplied from the weighing division unit 10 to the lower cooked rice conveyance mold 12, and enables the weighing division unit 10 and the cooked rice conveyance mold 12 to operate independently. Part. The buffer unit 11 is installed immediately below the cooked rice outlet of the weighing division unit 10 and includes a pair of rollers BR and BR, an opening / closing plate BB, and the buffer area BA.

  The pair of rollers BR is a mechanism unit for forcibly dropping the cooked rice lump accommodated in the buffer area BA, and is installed in two stages along the height direction, for example. The opening / closing plate BB is a mechanism that controls the holding and dropping of the cooked rice lump accommodated in the buffer area BA, and is installed at the bottom of the buffer area BA so as to be freely opened and closed (moved in the horizontal direction in FIG. 8). Yes.

  If the buffer unit 11 is not provided, the measurement division in the measurement division unit 10 must be stopped while the cooked rice conveyance mold 12 is moved to the molding unit 13 or the like. During this time, the cooked rice conveyance mold 12 must be kept waiting just below the buffer unit 11, so that the productivity of cooked rice lump is lowered. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by providing the buffer unit 11, the movement of the cooked rice transport mold 12 and the weighing division at the weighing division unit 10 can be performed independently. That is, while the cooked rice transport mold 12 is moving, the weighing division in the weighing division unit 10 is possible, so that the productivity of the cooked rice lump can be improved.

  The cooked rice conveyance mold 12 is a member that conveys the cooked rice lump supplied from the buffer unit 11 to the molding unit 13 and the feeding unit 14 and constitutes a horizontal mold at the time of molding and a cooked rice loading guide at the time of feeding. It is installed in a state in which it can be moved (moved in the horizontal and horizontal directions in FIG. 8) between the molding unit 13 and the loading unit 14 directly below the conveyance table CS.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of cooked rice conveyance molds 12 are arranged along the axial direction of the roller R, and a plurality of cooked rice chunks divided by the partition plate SB of the weighing division unit 10 are formed into the molding unit 13 and the like. It can be simultaneously conveyed to the loading unit 14.

  When the molding unit 13 and the charging unit 14 are installed directly below the buffer unit 11 without adopting the method of transporting the cooked rice mass with the cooked rice transport mold 12 as described above, the molding unit 13 and the charging unit immediately below the buffer unit 11. The height of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 is increased by the amount of the 14 constituent devices. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by adopting the transfer method of the cooked rice transfer mold 12 as described above, the molding unit 13 and the charging unit 14 can be arranged side by side next to the weighing division unit 10. The height of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 can be reduced.

  The shaping | molding part 13 is a mechanism part which shape | molds the cooked rice lump conveyed by the shaping | molding position with the cooked rice conveyance type | mold 12, the upper mold | type 13a, and the lower mold | type 13b. The upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b are installed in a state of being movable in directions close to and away from each other (vertical direction). The pressing surface of the upper mold 13a is formed in a curved shape in accordance with the required shape of the cooked rice lump to be molded.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of upper molds 13a and lower molds 13b are arranged side by side along the axial direction of the roller R so as to correspond to the plurality of cooked rice conveying molds 12. By simultaneously operating the mold 13b, it is possible to simultaneously mold a plurality of cooked rice chunks divided by the partition plate SB of the weighing division unit 10.

  The input unit 14 is a mechanism unit that pushes the cooked rice mass formed by the forming unit 13 downward through the input hole 14b by the input member 14a and places it on the tray that has been conveyed downward. The input member 14a is installed in a state of being movable up and down immediately above the input hole 14b. The pressing surface of the charging member 14a is also formed in a curved shape in accordance with the required shape of the cooked rice lump to be molded.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of throwing members 14a and throwing holes 14b are arranged along the axial direction of the roller R so as to correspond to the plurality of cooked rice conveying molds 12, and the plurality of throwing members 14a are simultaneously arranged. By descending, a plurality of cooked rice chunks divided by the partition plate SB of the weighing division unit 10 can be placed on the tray at the same time.

  Next, FIG. 11 (a), (b) is a front view of the measuring part of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 12 (a) is a main part front view of the mechanism part on the back side of the back plate of the measuring part of FIG. FIG. 12B is a front view of the main part of the mechanism unit on the back side of the back plate of the measuring unit showing the rotating gear of FIG. In FIG. 12B, the rotating gear connected to the roller R is hatched to make the drawing easy to see.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the three rows of rollers R in the right row rotate in the horizontal direction about the rotation axis Ax of the uppermost roller R in the right row. Installed as possible. That is, the pair of rollers R in the middle and lowermost stages are installed in a state in which their adjacent intervals can be enlarged or reduced.

  Thereby, in the cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus 1 of this Embodiment, the width direction length (kind) of a cooked rice lump can be changed by one unit, without modifying an apparatus main body. For example, when forming a sprout ball, the adjacent interval between the pair of rollers R at the middle and lowermost stages is narrowed, and when forming a bowl-shaped cooked rice lump, the adjacent interval between the pair of rollers R at the middle and lowermost stages is increased. . Thereby, it can respond easily to shaping | molding of different types of cooked rice chunks, such as a shrimp ball and a bowl-shaped cooked rice cake, etc. with one apparatus. However, although the case where the adjacent interval between the pair of rollers R can be changed in two steps has been described here, the present invention is not limited to this and can be changed in three or more steps.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the rotation shaft Ax of the three-stage roller R in the right row is engaged with the connecting plate 20a via a bearing or the like. The connecting plate 20a is connected to the operation unit 21 through the connecting plate 20b. Then, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, when the operation lever 21a of the operation unit 21 is moved up and down, the middle and lowermost rollers R in the right row move laterally, and the middle and lowermost rollers are moved. The adjacent interval between the pair of rollers R is configured to expand and contract.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the rotation gear Ga is joined to the axial direction end side of the rotation axis Ax of the three-stage rollers R in the right row. A rotation gear Gb is joined to the axial end of the rotation axis Ax of the three-stage rollers R in the left row.

  The rotation gear Ga joined to the rotation axis Ax of the uppermost roller R in the right row and the rotation gear Gb joined to the rotation axis Ax of the uppermost roller R in the left row are two rotation gears Gc between them. , Gc. The two rotation gears Gc engage with each other and are pivotally fixed to the back wall 22 in a rotatable state.

  The rotation gear Gb joined to the rotation axis Ax of the roller R in the uppermost row in the left column is engaged with the rotation gear Gd on the upper left side. A rotation motor (not shown) for rotating the upper roller is connected to the rotation gear Gd. When the rotation gear Gd is rotated by a rotation motor for rotating the upper roller, the uppermost pair of rollers R are simultaneously rotated in the opposite direction by the action of the rotation gear.

  The rotation gear Ga joined to the rotation axis Ax of the middle row roller R and the rotation gear Gb joined to the rotation axis Ax of the left row middle roller R are two rotation gears Ge, Gf between them. Is engaged through. The two rotation gears Ge and Gf are engaged with each other.

  Further, the rotation gear Gb joined to the rotation axis Ax of the roller R in the middle row on the left row is engaged with the rotation gear Gg on the upper left side. A rotation motor (not shown) for rotating the middle roller is connected to the rotation gear Gg. When the rotation gear Gg is rotated by a rotation motor for rotating the middle roller, the pair of rollers R in the middle row are simultaneously rotated in the opposing direction by the action of the rotation gear.

  Further, the rotation gear Ga and the rotation gears Ge and Gf joined to the rotation axis Ax of the roller R in the middle row of the right row are connected via link plates La and Lb. One rotation gear Gf is pivotally fixed to the back wall 22 in a rotatable state, while the other rotation gear Ge has two link plates La, La, Lb, Lb arranged in the thickness direction. The shaft is fixed to the link plates La, La, Lb, and Lb in a floating state.

  As a result, when the roller R in the middle row on the right side is moved in the horizontal direction in order to expand or contract the adjacent interval between the pair of rollers R in the middle row, the rotation gear Ge moves obliquely in the vertical direction by the action of the link plates La and Lb. (The link plates La and Lb are in a bent state or a linear state), but move while maintaining the engaged state with the rotating gear Gf. For this reason, even when the adjacent interval between the pair of rollers R in the middle stage is enlarged or reduced, the rotation operation of the rotary gear Gg can be transmitted to the rollers R in the middle stage of the right row.

  The rotation gear Ga joined to the rotation axis Ax of the lowermost roller R of the right row and the rotation gear Gb joined to the rotation axis Ax of the lowermost roller R of the left row are two rotation gears Gh between them. , Gi are engaged. The two rotation gears Gh and Gi are engaged with each other.

  The rotation gear Gb joined to the rotation axis Ax of the roller R in the lowermost row in the left row is engaged with the rotation gear Gk via the two left rotation gears Gj and Gj. The two rotary gears Gj and Gj are engaged with each other. In addition, a rotation motor (not shown) for rotating the lower roller is connected to the rotation gear Gk. When the rotating gear Gk is rotated by the rotating motor for rotating the lower roller, the lower pair of rollers R are simultaneously rotated in the opposite direction by the action of the rotating gear.

  Further, the rotation gear Ga and the rotation gears Gh, Gi joined to the rotation axis Ax of the lowermost roller R in the right row are connected via link plates Lc, Ld. One rotating gear Gi is pivotally fixed to the back wall 22 in a rotatable state, while the other rotating gear Gh is provided with two link plates Lc, Lc, Ld, Ld arranged in the thickness direction thereof. The shaft is fixed to the link plates Lc, Lc, Ld, and Ld in a floating state.

  As a result, when the lowermost roller R in the right row is moved in the left-right direction in order to expand or contract the adjacent interval between the pair of lowermost rollers R, the rotating gear Gh is moved obliquely up and down by the action of the link plates Lc and Ld. It moves (the link plates Lc and Ld are in a bent state or a linear state), but moves while maintaining the engaged state with the rotating gear Gi. For this reason, even if the interval between adjacent pairs of the lowermost rollers R is enlarged or reduced, the rotation operation of the rotating gear Gk can be transmitted to the lowermost roller R in the right row.

  As a structure for changing the adjacent interval between the pair of rollers R, the row of the rollers R on one side may be moved in the left-right direction. However, when the row of the rollers R on one side is rotated as described above, it is linked to the rotating gear. The interval between adjacent pairs of rollers R can be changed with a simple structure using a plate.

  Next, FIGS. 13A to 13E are cross-sectional views of a portion corresponding to the line II in FIG. 9 showing the case where the shape and installation state of the partition plate are changed.

  Fig.13 (a) has shown the shape and arrangement | positioning of partition plate SB of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 of this Embodiment. In this case, as described above, the cooked rice lump could be transported satisfactorily without causing troubles in transportation such as omission or excessive kneading of the cooked rice or clogging.

  In FIG. 13B, the upper part of the partition plate SB is higher than the upper part of the uppermost roller R, the taper is formed only on the upper part of the partition plate SB, and the lower part is a vertical surface. Shows the case. In this case, there was a frequent problem that the cooked rice was not picked up by the uppermost roller R, and the cooked rice was removed.

  In FIG. 13 (c), the upper part of the partition plate SB is at the height position of the rotation center of the uppermost roller R, but only the upper part of the partition plate SB is tapered, and the lower part is a vertical surface. It shows the case. In this case, the grip of the uppermost roller R was insufficient and a problem that the cooked rice was lost occurred.

  FIG. 13D shows a case where the upper part of the partition plate SB is at the height position of the rotation center of the middle roller R, and the taper is formed from the upper part to the lower part of the partition plate SB. In this case, the rice was gradually clogged and the rice had been kneaded.

  FIG. 13 (e) shows a case where the partition plate SB is provided at the cooked rice outlet of the measuring unit 10a and a taper is formed from the upper part to the lower part of the partition plate SB (integrated scraper type). In this case, the rice was immediately jammed. Note that the symbol PT in FIG. 13E is the positioning groove formed in the roller R for positioning and fixing the partition plate SB.

  Next, the cooked rice forming method of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 14 to 16. 14-16 is a block diagram of the main process part in the formation process of the cooked rice lump in the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the cooked rice in the rice lifter 3a of the cooked rice molding apparatus 1 is put into the supply hopper 3b, and is unraveled moderately by the rotating operation of the unwinding wings in the supply hopper 3b to the leveling portion 3c. send.

  Subsequently, in the leveling unit 3 c, the cooked rice sent from the supply hopper 3 b is leveled evenly by the leveling roller 30 and sent to the weighing unit 10 a of the main processing unit 4.

  Subsequently, in the measuring unit 10a, the cooked rice sent from the leveling unit 3c is compressed and sent downward while being measured by the inwardly rotating operation of the three pairs of rollers R as shown in FIG. At this time, the weighing unit 10a can feed the cooked rice lump satisfactorily without causing omission, over-kneading, clogging, etc. of the cooked rice because the partition plate SB has the above shape and arrangement.

  Subsequently, the dividing unit 10b divides the cooked rice lump sent to the dividing unit 10b by moving the two movable blades C and C in the proximity direction at a predetermined timing. As a result, the cooked rice mass RM having a predetermined size, shape and weight is dropped into the buffer area BA of the buffer unit 11.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15, after the cooked rice transport mold 12 is moved directly below the cooked rice transport port (buffer unit 11) of the weighing unit 10 a, the opening / closing plate BB of the buffer unit 11 is opened and the pair of rollers BR is rotated. Then, the cooked rice lump RM in the buffer area BA is forcibly dropped into the cooked rice transfer mold 12. In this step, the weighing operation in the weighing unit 10a is stopped, the two movable blades C, C are moved in directions close to each other, and the stacked cooked rice conveyance port is closed. Further, the upper mold 13a, the lower mold 13b, and the input member 14a are stopped at a fixed position (standby position).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 16, after the cooked rice conveying mold 12 containing the cooked rice lump RM has been conveyed to the molding unit 13, the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b are moved in directions close to each other to form the cooked rice lump RM. To do. In this step, the open / close plate BB of the buffer unit 11 is closed, the pair of rollers BR is stopped, the two movable blades C, C of the dividing unit 10b are moved away from each other, and the cooked rice in the weighing unit 10a Start weighing. The throwing member 14a is stopped at a fixed position (standby position).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 14, after the cooked rice transport mold 12 containing the molded cooked rice mass RM is transported to the input unit 14, the molded rice cooked mass RM is moved to the tray by moving the input member 14 a downward. (Not shown). In this step, the upper mold 13a and the lower mold 13b of the molding unit 13 are returned to the fixed positions. The weighing unit 10a performs a weighing operation for cooked rice.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, by providing the buffer unit 11, the weighing division unit 10 can start and execute the division of the cooked rice even during the molding and charging process of the cooked rice lump. Can be improved.

  Further, when changing the size of the cooked rice lump in the width direction, the adjacent interval between the pair of rollers at the middle and lowermost stages is changed by turning the row of three-stage rollers R on one side. For example, when forming a spruce ball, the adjacent interval between the pair of rollers R in the middle and lowermost stages is narrowed, and when forming a bowl-shaped cooked rice lump, the adjacent interval between the pair of rollers R in the middle and lowermost stages is increased. Make it wide. Thereby, even if it does not remodel the apparatus main body, it can respond easily to shaping | molding of the cooked rice lump with which width | variety (kind) differs with one apparatus.

  In addition, when changing the size of the cooked rice lump in the longitudinal direction, the pair of rollers R at the uppermost stage and the middle stage are removed, the plurality of partition plates SB are removed, the pair of rollers R at the lowermost stage is removed, Other rollers R having different positions and numbers of positioning grooves are mounted on the. Then, after arranging a plurality of partition plates SB in alignment with the positioning grooves of the lowermost roller R, the pair of rollers R in the middle and uppermost stages are mounted. In this way, the number and position of the partition plates SB are changed by removing the lower pair of rollers R and changing the type of the rollers. Thereby, even if it does not remodel the apparatus main body, it can respond easily to shaping | molding of the cooked rice lumps from which length (kind) differs with one apparatus.

  Therefore, in the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, various cooked rice chunks having different widths and lengths can be easily formed with one apparatus.

  Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment, the embodiment disclosed in this specification is an example in all respects and is limited to the disclosed technology. Should not be considered. That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed restrictively based on the description in the above-described embodiment, but should be construed according to the description of the scope of claims. All modifications are included without departing from the technical scope equivalent to the described technique and the gist of the claims.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, a case where a plurality of pairs of rollers in a plurality of stages are all detachable has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least a pair of lowermost stages in which positioning grooves for partition plates are formed. The roller may be detachable. In this case, when changing the arrangement of the partition plates, the bottom pair of rollers are moved horizontally with the partition plates attached and removed, and instead, the other pair of lowermost rollers with different positions and numbers of positioning grooves are used. After preparing and attaching a partition plate to the positioning grooves of the pair of rollers, the other pair of lowermost rollers may be moved horizontally and attached to the rotating shaft while maintaining the state.

  In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to a cooked rice molding apparatus that molds cooked rice into a cooked rice lump such as a shari ball is not limited to this, but other than cooked rice and chopped vegetables Various food materials can be applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker 2 Base 3a Rice lifter 3b Supply hopper 3c Leveling part 4 Main processing part 5a Tray stocker 5b Air inlet part 5c Alcohol spraying part 5e Tray conveyance part 6a Main operation part 6b Sub operation part 10 Measurement division part 10a Measurement part 10b Dividing part 11 Buffer part 12 Rice transfer mold 13 Molding part 13a Upper mold 13b Lower mold 14 Input part 14a Input member 14b Input holes 20a, 20b Connecting plate 21 Operation part 21a Operation lever 30 Leveling roller 30a First roller part 30b Second Roller unit 31 Feed roller 31a First roller unit 31b Second roller unit 32 Downward inclined conveyor 33 Groove 34 Projection 40 Motor 41 Leveling roller side motor 41a First motor 41b Second motor 41-1 First drive shaft 41-2 First 2 Drive shaft 42 Feeding roller side motor 42a First motor 4 2b Second motor 42-1 First drive shaft 42-2 Second drive shaft 43 Belt 44 Coupling 45 Pulley Ax Rotating shaft R Roller Ha, Hb Hollow hole Ta, Tb Rotation transmitting member Tbp Protruding portion C Movable blade BR Roller BB Opening / closing plate BA Buffer region SB Partition plate SP Scrapeper FB Front plate RB Rear plate GB Guide plate CS Carriage stand Ga, Gb Rotating gear Gc, Ge, Gf, Gh, Gi, Gj Rotating gear Gd, Gg, Gk Rotating gear La, Lb , Lc, Ld Link plate PT Positioning groove RM Rice bowl SR, SRa, SRb Optical sensor SPT groove

Claims (7)

An ingredient supply unit for supplying ingredients on the conveyance path;
A leveling roller that is arranged to be divided into a plurality along the rotation axis direction and can be rotated independently of each other, and smoothes the unevenness of the food on the conveyance path;
A delivery roller that is divided into a plurality of parts along the rotation axis direction corresponding to the leveling roller and that can rotate independently of each other, and feeds out the food on the transport path leveled by the leveling roller. When,
A metering unit that measures the food fed from the feed roller while being sandwiched and conveyed by each of a plurality of pairs of rollers arranged along the conveying direction of the food;
A dividing unit for dividing the food conveyed from the weighing unit;
Corresponding to the leveling roller and the feeding roller of each of the divided parts, a plurality of parts are provided between the feeding roller and the weighing unit, and detect the presence or absence of food accumulated on the weighing unit. A sensor,
Control for controlling the supply of the food to the metering unit by rotating the leveling roller and the feed roller corresponding to the sensor via the rotation driving means when the food is not detected by the sensor. And
A food processing apparatus comprising: The width of the conveyance path is narrowed toward the leveling roller from the food supply unit,
The food processing apparatus according to claim 1. The leveling roller has a larger diameter at the center than at both ends,
The food processing apparatus according to claim 2. The rotation driving means is a leveling roller side rotation driving means arranged on one end side of the rotation shaft of the leveling roller and a delivery roller side rotation driving means arranged on one end side of the rotation axis of the delivery roller. Configured,
The leveling roller side rotation driving means and the delivery roller side rotation driving means are a first rotation driving section and a second rotation driving section that respectively rotate a first driving shaft and a second driving shaft provided coaxially with each other. Have
The leveling roller and the feed roller are each divided into a first roller portion on the rotation drive means side and a second roller portion on the opposite side to the rotation drive means,
The first roller portion is attached to the first drive shaft, and the second roller portion is attached to the second drive shaft.
The food processing apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The first drive shaft is disposed in parallel with the rotation shaft of the first rotation drive unit, and a pulley attached to the rotation shaft of the first rotation drive unit, and spans between the pulley and the first drive shaft. Connected to the rotation shaft of the first rotation drive unit via the belt formed,
The second drive shaft passes through the first drive shaft and is coaxially connected to the rotation shaft of the second rotation drive unit via a coupling.
The food processing apparatus according to claim 4. A plurality of partition members arranged between the pair of rollers adjacent to the metering unit and dividing a region between the pair of rollers into a plurality of regions along a longitudinal direction of the roller;
The food processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: A molding part for molding the food divided by the division part;
A conveying means that is provided in a state of being reciprocally movable between the dividing portion and the molding portion below the dividing portion, and that contains the food divided by the dividing portion and conveys it to the molding portion,
The food processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

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