JP3325247B2 - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic cooked rice forming apparatus for forming cooked rice into a predetermined shape, size and hardness as a pre-process for grasping, for example, an encased rice ball or a sand rice ball. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a method and an apparatus for producing onigiri, in which appropriate ingredients are encased or sandwiched between a triangular or circular rice body and a rice body, include a molding die and a press die. After the lower rice body is formed and the ingredients are supplied to the upper surface of the lower rice body in the molding die, the cooked rice is put into the molding die by a press mold, compressed to form the upper rice body, and at the same time, the upper and lower rice bodies are united. Manufacture rice balls. It is known that the upper rice body and the lower rice body are separately formed, and after the ingredients are supplied to the upper surface of the lower rice body in a molding die, the upper and lower rice bodies are combined by a press mold to produce a rice ball. .

[0003]

However, in the above-described manufacturing method and apparatus, the lower rice body is compressed twice when the lower rice body is formed and when the lower rice body is formed and combined. The rice density and the hardness of the rice body and the lower rice body are different,
It is difficult to obtain rice balls with uniform rice density and hardness, and as a result, the commercial value is reduced.

Further, according to the above-described manufacturing method and apparatus, the upper rice body and the lower rice body are compressed twice each when they are formed and when they are combined after the ingredients are supplied. There is a problem that the lower rice body is over-compressed and the whole rice ball is hardened, or the rice rice density is not uniform between the surface and the inside, so that a good rice ball cannot be obtained.

[0005]

[Object] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, and has a fixed weight cooked rice supplied positioned at the center of an introduction conveyor, and is positioned right and left from the center by a cutter. In the process of transferring the pair of left and right cooked rice transport passages, each of the divided cooked rice is unraveled by each unraveling mechanism, and then transferred to a pair of molding holes, and a pair of cooked rice is formed. It is put into each forming hole by a press mold and compressed to form the same and same size and size of the upper rice body and the lower rice body at the same time and separately. By doing so, the upper and lower rice bodies are not over-compressed, the degree of rice compression is even, plump and soft, the texture and taste are good, and the weight of the upper and lower rice bodies is the same, and the appearance of high quality Can produce stuffed rice balls and sandwich rice balls Goods (Uemeshitai, Shitameshitai) and to provide a cooked rice molding apparatus which can efficiently molded.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a cooked rice forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises a fixed-weight cooked rice fed from a metering and feeding mechanism, which is fed from an upper front of an introduction conveyor for transferring the rice from a rear to a front. Backward, a fixed weight rice width shifting mechanism that presses the fixed weight rice inward from both left and right sides inward and shifts the width to the center of the introduction conveyor, and a disk shape that cuts the fixed weight rice left and right from the center into two parts A rotary cutter and a pair of two rice disintegrating mechanisms rotatably supported in a pair in a pair of divided rice transport passages divided into two by the central partition plate left and right, are sequentially arranged, A molding block formed by vertically penetrating two pairs of molding holes on the left and right sides and a pair of two pieces of cooked rice rice, and a compression press die are disposed movably up and down on the upper part of the molded product unloading conveyor in front of the introduction conveyor. Become And wherein the door.

[0007]

The fixed-weight rice, which is intermittently supplied from the metering mechanism, is pressed inward from both left and right outer sides at the front of the rice-transfer conveyor, and the fixed-weight rice is moved toward the center of the conveyor.

[0008] The fixed-weight cooked rice is transferred from the cooked rice transfer conveyer to the rear center of the cooked rice introduction conveyer in the front, and is transferred forward by the introduction conveyer. It is cut from the center by the supported rotary cutter and is equally divided into two parts to the left and right.

[0009] The two pieces of cooked rice are unwound by a pair of left and right rice unraveling mechanisms and transported forward by a pair of left and right cooked rice unwinding mechanisms while being transported in a pair of forwarded rice transport passages by an introductory conveyor. Is transferred to the upper part of a pair of two molding holes, and a pair of two press dies descends, throws each divided rice into each of the molding holes, compresses it, and has the same shape and size with the same weight and Two molded products (upper rice body and lower rice body) of rice cooked density (hardness) are molded simultaneously and separately.

[0010] The lower end of the molding die is in close contact with the upper surface of the molded product discharge conveyor, and the discharge conveyor constitutes the bottom wall of both forming holes. It is formed into a shape along the inner shape of each forming hole without leaking from the lower end.

After each divided cooked rice is formed, first, a pair of press dies rises slightly above the thickness of the molded product and temporarily stops, and then the molded block rises higher than the thickness of the molded product. At this time, if the molded product adheres to the inside of the molding hole, the molded product is lifted up integrally with the molding block and hits the press die, separated from the molding hole and dropped onto the upper surface of the carry-out conveyor.

Next, the press die rises to a height at which the next divided rice can be transported to the upper portion of the forming hole and stops. The molded article dropped on the upper surface of the carry-out conveyor is transferred to a predetermined position by the carry-out conveyor. By repeating the above-mentioned series of operations, two molded products (upper rice body, lower rice body) of equal weight and rice density are simultaneously and separately separated.
Moreover, it can be formed continuously.

[0013] Two molded articles, for example, a rice cooker and a lower rice cooker are united by manually interposing ingredients to produce an encased rice ball or a sand rice ball.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an apparatus for forming an encased rice ball, a rice ball for sand rice balls, and a rice rice body for a rice ball, showing an embodiment of the rice rice molding apparatus according to the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of the molding apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially sectional side view of the same apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of a width shifting mechanism, a rotary cutter, and a release mechanism of the same apparatus. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged front view of the fixed weight rice width shifting mechanism of the same device, FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the width shifting mechanism, FIG. 6 shows an enlarged front view of the unraveling mechanism, FIG. 7 shows a front view of a molding block and a press die and a driving mechanism of the same in the above-mentioned apparatus, and FIGS.
Shows cross-sectional views of the same state of the apparatus in the operating state of forming and removing the two-piece cooked rice, FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of the upper rice body, lower rice body and ingredients formed by the same apparatus, FIG. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a sandwich rice ball manufactured by combining a rice body and a lower rice body with ingredients interposed therebetween.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus of the present invention comprises a rice metering and feeding mechanism A, a constant weight rice introduction conveyor B, a constant weight rice width shifting mechanism C, and a left and right fixed weight rice. A rotary cutter D for cutting into two parts, a pair of divided rice transport paths E, E, a pair of rice unraveling mechanisms F, F, a pair of rice transport paths G, G, and a pair of rice transport paths G, G. , A pair of molded blocks I, a pair of pressed dies J, J, and a conveyer K for carrying out molded products are main constituent members.

The cooked rice metering mechanism A is configured as follows. As shown in FIG. 2, a main cooked rice supply mechanism 1, a cooked rice metering conveyor 2, and an auxiliary cooked rice supply mechanism 3 are arranged in this order from the rear (left side in FIG. 1) to the front. Rear and front, that is, the main rice feeding mechanism 1
In addition, the rice-carrying conveyors 4 and 5 which rotate intermittently are provided below the auxiliary cooked rice supply mechanism 3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rice-carrying conveyors 4 and 5 have driving rollers 4a and 5a and a driven roller 4a, which are arranged in parallel between left and right side plates 7 and 8 of a frame 6.
The conveyor belts 4c and 5c are formed by winding the conveyor belts 4b and 5c around the belts 5b and 5b, and are rotated from the rear (the left side in FIG. 1) indicated by arrows A and B to the front (the right side in FIG. 1) by a drive source (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially block-shaped rice rice a supplied from the main rice supply mechanism 1 to the upper surface of the rice transport conveyor 4 is provided above the front of the rice transport conveyor 4.
Is compressed downward from above to prevent the rice a from collapsing, and a compression plate 9 is rotatably supported in a vertically reciprocating manner.

According to the rice-measuring and feeding mechanism A described above, the rice-carrying conveyor 4 below the main rice-feeding mechanism 1 is provided.
Is fed to the weighing conveyor 2 in the front and weighed, but the weight is adjusted to be equal to or less than the set value. rice a ₁ shortfall from the rice supply mechanism 3, the supplemented on rice a, constant weight rice a that has been set in advance
₂ is obtained.

The conveyor B for introducing the fixed weight rice a ₂ is
It is configured as follows. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,
It is long and horizontally disposed in the front-rear direction (the left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) in front of the rice-carrying conveyor 5 described above.
The belt 2 is formed by winding a conveyor belt 15 around a driving roller 13 and a driven roller 14 which are supported and arranged side by side at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction, and is rotated forward from the rear by a driving source (not shown).

The transversely shifting mechanism C of the constant weight rice a ₂ is constructed as follows. 1 and 2 as well as FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper holding plate 16 of the constant weight rice a _2, right and left two pair of side pressing plates 17, the two pair of side It comprises a drive mechanism 19 for the part pressing plates 17 and 18 and a drive source 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper holding plate 16 is located at the upper front part of the introduction conveyor B and is located on the center line b of the introduction conveyor B. And is vertically moved by a certain stroke by a driving source (not shown).

The pair of two side pressing plates 17 and 18 described above
Is configured as follows. As clearly shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, one end of the side plate 12 is provided above the front part of the introduction conveyor B described above.
And a pair of two rotating shafts 2 whose base ends are rotatably fixed to the support plate 22 extending in the width direction of the introduction conveyor B at a predetermined interval in the width direction of the introduction conveyor B.
By fixing rotating bodies 25, 26 having gears 25a, 26a engraved on opposed portions to the gears 3, 24, both gears 25a, 26 are fixed.
a, and presses the side pressing plates 17 and 18 at symmetrical positions of a pair of left and right operating plates 27 and 28 fixed to the tips of the rotating shafts 23 and 24, respectively, and fixes the upper ends thereof to the fixed shaft 29. By fixing it at 30, it is suspended downward at a constant interval in the left-right direction.

The above-mentioned pair of rotating bodies 25, 2
6, the upper part of the rotating body 26 is fixed to the tip of the drive shaft 19a in the drive mechanism 19, and the base end of the drive shaft 19a is rotated by the drive source 20 in the illustrated example. 19b and the cam mechanism 19b
The drive shaft 19a is reciprocated by a constant stroke in the left-right direction, so that the rotating body 26 is rotated at a predetermined angle (for example,
4), the rotating body 26 and the other rotating body 25 are reciprocated in the opposite direction, whereby the pair of two side pressing plates 17 and 18 are shown by solid lines in FIG. When the position indicated by two-dot chain line in reciprocating rotation, constant weight rice a ₂
Are pressed inward from the left and right outer sides to the inner side and are shifted to the center of the introduction conveyor B.

The rotary cutter D is configured as follows. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the introduction conveyor is formed in a disk shape and provided with a thin, substantially corrugated or saw-tooth-shaped blade portion 31 on the outer periphery, and above the front part of the introduction conveyor B described above. B is rotatably supported by a horizontal shaft 34 between the left and right guide side plates 32 and 33 and is rotated in a counterclockwise direction indicated by an arrow C in FIG. 2 by a driving source (not shown). is the fact is, cutting the constant weight rice a ₂ to be transferred forward from the rear by the introduction conveyor B from the center, is divided into two parts left and right.

The left and right guide side plates 32, 33 are shown in FIG.
As shown in the above, at a certain interval in the direction perpendicular to the length direction (front-back direction) of the introduction conveyor B (front-back direction) (width direction),
In the state where it has extended forward from the rear end of the introduction conveyor B,
Are fixed in parallel by a plurality of supports 35 shown in FIG. 2 and fixed inside the left and right side plates 11 and 12 described above.

At the center between the left and right guide side plates 32 and 33, a partition plate 36 is disposed to extend forward from the rear portion of the rotary cutter D so as to be aligned with the center line b of the introduction conveyor B, and Yes so arranged parallel to the plate 32 and 33, whereby, with the partition plate 36, between the left and right guide plates 32 and 33, a constant weight rice a ₂ is divided into two parts left and right by the rotary cutter D left and right bisected rice a _3, a ₃ two pair of split rice transfer passage E for transporting, E is longer juxtaposed in the front-rear direction.

The pair of two rice-raising mechanisms F, F are constructed as follows. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. 6, the rotary shaft supported and supported by the above-mentioned two guide side plates 32, 33 and the partition plate 36 in the pair of divided rice transport passages E, E described above. A plurality of rotating blades 38, 38,... Are radially fixed at predetermined intervals in the direction around the axis and in the axial direction, and are disposed above and near the front of the introduction conveyor B, as shown in FIG. The driving source 39 shown in FIG.
Arrow D is rotated in the counterclockwise direction shown, transfer passage E, the block shape is transferred to the E bisection rice a ₃ to,
The a _3, and is configured to disintegrate uniformly from the introduction conveyor B was stirred as scraping forward.

The pair of two rice rice transport paths G, G are constructed as follows. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper side is opened by the above-mentioned left and right guide side plates 32 and 33, the partition plate 36, and the base plate 40 in the lower front part of the introduction conveyor B, and the above-mentioned pair of two pieces of cooked rice is transported. It is formed in a substantially concave shape communicating with the front part of the paths E, E, and is configured so that the divided cooked rice a ₃ , a ₃ falls from the front end of the introduction conveyor B to the rear part of each cooked rice transfer path G, G. ing.

The pair of rice rice pushing sliders H, H are constituted as follows. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIGS. 8 to 10, the cross section is rectangular and formed long in the front-rear direction. Yes and reciprocates freely is arranged to, these are then advanced as shown in FIG. 8 from the retracted position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, the rice transport G, G in the rear of the split rice a _3, a ₃ is a pair of two forming holes 43, 4 of a pair of front two forming blocks I to be described later.
4 and is configured to be extruded and transported to the upper part.

A pair of two extruding sliders H,
The front end of H has the same curvature as the curvature of the inner peripheral surface of each forming hole 43, 44.
Of the divided rice.
Rice a _Three, A_ThreeThe hole 4 is formed by a press mold J
3, 44 can be smoothly fed.

The reciprocating drive mechanism 41 is operatively connected to a crank mechanism or the like operatively connected to a drive shaft of a drive source (not shown).

The two pairs of molding blocks I are configured as follows. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as well as FIG. 7, the lower forming block I ₁ which is formed through the circular two pair of forming holes 43, 44 in the vertical direction on the left and right, flat, substantially sideways U-shape to the left and right A pair of left and right slide shafts 45, ₄ and 4 are vertically overlapped with an upper molding block I2 formed by vertically penetrating two pairs of molding holes 43, 44 having a shape.
A shaft hole 49a is formed horizontally at the upper end of 6 by being fixedly fixed with screws 47, 48, and penetrates vertically on both left and right sides of a pair of left and right blocks 49, 50 fixed to the frame 10 described above. , 50a, the pair of slide shafts 45,
By passing through 46, the pair of two molding blocks I are arranged to be able to move up and down.

The pair of slide shafts 45 and 46 described above are used.
Are fixed to a horizontal support bar 51, and the pair of forming blocks I are moved up and down by a fixed stroke by a drive mechanism such as a crank driven by a drive source (not shown) via a rod 52 fixed to the support bar 51. You.

The above-mentioned molded product carry-out conveyor K is constituted as follows. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7,
A conveyor belt 57 is wound around a drive roller 55 pivotally supported at the rear and front portions of the left and right conveyor frames 53, 54, and extends forward from a lower portion of the base plate 40 as described above, and is long. It is formed horizontally.

The above-mentioned two pair of forming blocks I can stop the lower end of the lower forming block I ₁ as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the lowered source in close contact with the molded article discharge conveyor K upper surface as described above held, in this state, one side opening 43a of the forming hole 43, 44 in the upper molding block I _2, 4
The front end of the pair of cooked rice transport paths G, G is communicated with the front end of the pair of cooked rice transport paths G, G. Also, the pair of two molding blocks I
The base plate 40 is moved up and down against the front end face of the base plate 40.

The two pairs of press dies J, J are constructed as follows. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, both press dies G, G have raising and lowering shafts 58, 59 erected upward. The upper support bar 62 of the elevating frame 64 formed in a rectangular frame by the slide shafts 60 and 61 and the upper support bar 62 and the lower support bar 63 provided at the upper and lower ends thereof is vertically spaced at a predetermined interval. The compression springs 65 and 66 are inserted through a pair of shaft holes 62a and 62b formed to penetrate in the vertical direction, and nuts 67 and 68 are screwed to the upper end, so that they can slide in the vertical direction, and It is formed fixed downward.

The elevating frame 64 has a pair of slide shafts 60, 61 formed with the shaft holes 49 of the blocks 49, 50.
b, 50b, and are vertically movable with a pair of press dies J, J, and are vertically moved by a drive source (not shown).

The pair of two molding blocks I and the pair of press dies J, J are operated as follows. As shown in FIG. 8, in a state where the molding block I is lowered and the lower end is in close contact with the upper surface of the molded product carry-out conveyor K, the divided cooked rice a ₃ is extruded and transferred to the upper part of the molding hole 44 by the extrusion slider H. If, then descends to press type J is shown in FIG. 9, introducing the divided rice a ₃ into the forming hole 44 of the lower forming block I _1, compressed into two pair of moldings (Uemeshitai, Lower body) a ₄ and a ₄ are formed simultaneously and separately.

[0040] Then, as the press mold J is shown by two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, stopping once rose to within molding hole 44 of the upper forming block I _2, then two pair of shaped blocks I Figure As shown in FIG. 10, the molded product a ₄ rises higher than the thickness of the molded product a ₄ and stops, and the molded product a ₄ is released from the press die J and remains on the molded product carry-out conveyor K. Next, the press die J rises to a predetermined height and stops. The molded article a ₄ remaining on the molded article unloading conveyor K is
Is carried out to a predetermined position.

[0041] In FIG. 11, a ₄ is Shitameshitai an upper rice body formed by the apparatus of the present invention, 69 denotes each of Guzai. FIG.
2, manually by the interposed a Guzai 69 shows a sand onigiri a ₅ prepared by combining the lower two food material a _4, a _4.

[0042] Incidentally, illustrated examples, and bisects one of the constant weight rice a ₃ on the left and right, simultaneously two pair of moldings, and to a case of separately molded, in addition to this, three, It is also possible to configure such that four or more molded articles are molded simultaneously and separately.

[0043]

According to the present invention, as described above, the supplied fixed-weight rice is narrowed toward the center by the width adjusting mechanism and cut from the center by a rotary cutter. The fixed-weight cooked rice is equally divided into two parts on the left and right sides, and the divided cooked rice is unraveled in each of the transfer passages and unraveled by a mechanism. , And separately molded, so that the weight and cooked rice compressed density are equal,
A pair of soft and plump molded products can be molded. Therefore, by combining these molded products (upper rice body and lower rice body) manually or with an automatic molding device with ingredients, the texture, It can produce wrapped rice balls and sand rice balls with good taste and appearance.

Further, since two molded articles can be molded simultaneously and continuously, the molding efficiency is good and the productivity can be remarkably improved as compared with the conventional apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away plan view of an apparatus for forming an encased rice ball, a rice ball for sand rice balls, and a lower rice body, showing an embodiment of the cooked rice molding apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of the entire device in a cross section.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a constant weight cooked rice width shifting mechanism, a rotary cutter and a pair of unraveling mechanisms of the same device.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view showing a width shifting mechanism and a driving mechanism of the same device.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing a width shifting mechanism of the same device.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a pair of unraveling mechanisms of the device.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a pair of two molding blocks and a pair of press dies of the same device, and a drive mechanism thereof.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the cooked rice is extruded and transferred to an upper portion of a forming hole by an extruding slider.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a state in which the cooked rice is put into a forming hole by a press die and compressed.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a molded product is extruded from a molding hole onto a molded product carrying-out conveyor, dropped, and carried out.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an upper rice body, a lower rice body, and ingredients formed by the same apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a sand rice ball manufactured by combining the upper rice body and the lower rice body formed by the above-described apparatus with ingredients interposed therebetween;

[Explanation of symbols]

A Rice metering and feeding mechanism B Introductory conveyor C Width adjustment mechanism for fixed weight cooked rice D Rotary cutter E, E Two pairs of split cooked rice transfer passages F, F Two pairs of split cooked rice unraveling mechanism I Molding blocks J, J Two a pair of press dies K molded product delivery conveyor a rice a ₂ constant weight rice a _3, a ₃ bisected rice a ₄ moldings (Uemeshitai, Shitameshitai) 36 partition plate

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A23L 1/10

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A fixed weight rice fed from a weighing and feeding mechanism is pressed from the rear to the front from the upper rear of the introduction conveyor for transferring the fixed weight rice fed from the rear to the front from both the left and right sides to the inside of the introduction conveyor. A mechanism for shifting the width of the fixed-weight rice to the center, a disk-shaped rotary cutter that cuts the fixed-weight rice to the left and right from the center, and a pair of two divided into two by the center partition plate. In the cooked rice transfer passage, a pair of rotatably supported cooked rice unraveling mechanisms are sequentially disposed, and a pair of formed holes are formed on the left and right of the molded product unloading conveyor in front of the introduction conveyor. A cooked rice molding apparatus characterized by comprising a vertically formed penetrating formed block and a pair of two cooked rice charging and compression press dies, which are vertically movable.