JP6253055B2 - Cooked rice forming equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooked rice forming apparatus.

  The cooked rice forming device is a device that automatically molds cooked rice chunks such as knots and sushi shari balls, and is supplied from the cooked rice cracking mechanism and the cooked rice cracking mechanism that breaks the cooked rice supplied through the cooked rice hopper. And a weighing and splitting mechanism section for weighing and dividing the cooked rice so as to have a predetermined amount.

  A plurality of stages of a pair of rollers arranged across the conveying path of the cooked rice lump are arranged in the weighing division mechanism section along the conveying direction of the cooked rice lump. Each pair of rollers is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable in a direction opposite to each other (inward), and is disposed so that the interval between the pairs is reduced along the direction of transporting the cooked rice lump. Thereby, the cooked rice lump sent to the measuring and dividing mechanism section is transported in a state where the density of the rice grains is kept constant while being compressed by the pair of rollers. On the outer circumference of each of the pair of rollers, a plurality of rows of grooves extending continuously along the axial direction are provided along the circumferential direction of the rollers (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-8145 A

  However, when the density of the rice grains is increased to a certain density in order to increase the weighing accuracy of the cooked rice chunks in the weighing division mechanism part of the cooked rice molding apparatus, the roller marks become conspicuous on the surface of the molded cooked rice chunks. There is a problem that the quality of the finished product deteriorates.

  An object of this invention is to provide the technique which can improve the finishing quality of a cooked rice lump.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the cooked rice forming apparatus according to the present invention described in claim 1 is provided with a cooked rice cracking unit for breaking a cooked rice lump and a lower portion of the cooked rice cracking unit, and is sent from the cooked rice cracking unit. In the cooked rice weighing and dividing unit for weighing and dividing the cooked rice lump, and in the cooked rice weighing and dividing unit, the cooked rice lump is provided in a state of being rotatable at positions facing each other across the conveying space of the cooked rice lump, and along the conveying direction of the cooked rice lump A pair of rollers provided in a plurality of stages, and a dividing part that is provided at a lower portion of the cooked rice weighing and dividing unit and divides the cooked rice lump conveyed through a pair of rollers at the lowest stage of the pair of rollers, A plurality of rows of grooves extending intermittently along the axial direction of the roller on the outer peripheral surface of each of the pair of lowermost rollers, and in the circumferential direction of the roller. The groove adjacent to And characterized by providing an end portion of the groove in the axial direction of such shift in the axial direction.

  Moreover, the cooked rice forming apparatus of the present invention according to claim 2 is the cooked rice forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in each of the pair of rollers at the lowermost stage, the length of the groove in the circumferential direction of the roller is: It is less than the diameter of the rice grain of the cooked rice lump.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the roller marks on the surface of the cooked rice lump after the measurement division can be reduced, so that the finished quality of the cooked rice lump can be improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the force to grab and scrape the cooked rice can be increased moderately, so that it can be scraped well without kneading the cooked rice. For this reason, since the soft touch of the cooked rice lump can be maintained, the texture of the cooked rice lump can be improved. In addition, it is possible to ensure the scale accuracy.

It is a principal part perspective view of the cooked rice forming apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the II line of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the II-II line of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. It is a whole perspective view of the cooked rice formation apparatus of FIG. It is a whole perspective view of the general lowermost roller of the cooked rice forming apparatus. (A) is a side view of the lowermost roller in FIG. 5, and (b) is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 6 (a). FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a lowermost roller of the cooked rice forming apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a side view of the lowermost roller in FIG. 7. It is sectional drawing of the IV-IV line of FIG. FIG. 8 is a front view of one axial end surface of the lowermost roller in FIG. 7. It is sectional drawing of the VV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the VI-VI line of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the VII-VII line of FIG. It is the figure which compared the quantity measurement result by the case where a general roller is used as a lowermost roller, and the case where the roller of this Embodiment is used, and was shown in the table | surface. It is the figure which showed the quantity measurement result of FIG. 14 on the graph. It is a figure of the histogram produced based on the quantity measurement result of 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.

  1 is a perspective view of a main part of the cooked rice forming apparatus of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view) taken along line II of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. II-II is a sectional view (longitudinal sectional view), and FIG. 4 is an overall perspective view of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. In addition, in FIG. 2, the state of the division | segmentation mechanism part (movable blade) at the moment when the cooked rice lump was divided | segmented is shown.

  The cooked rice forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a device for forming a cooked rice lump such as a sushi shari ball, for example, a cooked rice cracking unit 2, a cooked rice metering division unit 3 disposed below, A turntable 4 (see FIGS. 2 to 4) disposed below is provided.

  The cooked rice cracking unit 2 is a mechanism unit for softly cooking cooked rice, and is installed in a rotatable state inside the hopper 2a, a cooked rice supply tube 2b disposed below the hopper 2a, and the cooked rice feed tube 2b. There are provided two unlocking members 2c, 2d and a plurality of fixed blades 2e (see FIGS. 2 and 3) fixed to the inner wall surface (back surface) on the back side in the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b. In FIG. 1, the insides of the hopper 2 a and the cooked rice supply cylinder 2 b are shown through in order to make the configuration of the cooked rice disassembling unit 2 easy to understand.

  The hopper 2 a is installed at the top of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1. The hopper 2a is formed with a substantially inverted quadrangular pyramid shaped opening 2aa that decreases in area from the top to the bottom, and the cooked rice can be put into the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 through the opening 2aa. It has become.

  The cooked rice supply cylinder 2b is disposed between the hopper 2a and the cooked rice weighing division unit 3. The cooked rice supply cylinder 2b is formed with a funnel-shaped opening 2ba whose area decreases from the top to the bottom. The upper part of the opening 2ba of the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b coincides with the lower part of the opening 2aa of the hopper 2a and is connected in a state of communicating with each other.

  The inside of the opening 2ba of the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b is a space for softly breaking the cooked rice lump supplied from the hopper 2a, and for guiding the cracked cooked rice lump to the cooked rice weighing division unit 3. It is a space.

  In the lower part of the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b, the light emitting side and the light receiving side window part and the reflector side window part of the sensor (not shown) for detecting the cooked rice lump are provided on both side surfaces so as to face each other. ing. When the sensor detects the mass of cooked rice (for example, when the cooked rice block blocks the detection light from the light emitting part of the sensor), it determines that the cooked rice chunk is sufficient and stops sending the cooked rice chunk. On the other hand, if the cooked rice chunk is not detected by the sensor (for example, if the cooked rice chunk does not block the detection light from the light emitting part of the sensor), it is determined that the cooked rice chunk is insufficient and the delivery of the cooked rice chunk is resumed. It has become.

  The unraveling members 2c and 2d are members for stirring and unraveling the cooked rice by its rotating operation, and feeding the undissolved cooked rice to the cooked rice weighing division unit 3, and are provided with a plurality of rotating shafts 2ca and 2da and a plurality of protrusions provided on the outer periphery thereof. Unwinding blades 2cb and 2db are provided.

  The rotary shafts 2ca and 2da of the unwrapping members 2c and 2d are spanned between both side surfaces of the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b at positions separated from the front side and the rear side in the opening 2ba of the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b. The shaft is supported so as to be rotatable around the shaft.

  The plurality of unraveling blades 2cb of the inner side unraveling member 2c have the same size and shape, but the plurality of unraveling blades 2db of the unraveling side unraveling member 2d are provided with different sizes and shapes. ing. In addition, although the case where the two unrolling members 2c and 2d are installed in the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b has been described here, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, only one member may be provided.

  The fixed blade 2e extends along the axial direction of the rotary shaft 2da in a state where the fixed blade 2e is located below the rotary shaft 2da of the unrolling member 2d in the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b and is positioned so as to be positioned between the adjacent unwinding blades 2db. Are arranged. Each fixed blade 2e is formed so as to become gradually thinner from the lower end toward the upper end, and is erected so as to be vertical with the lower end fixed to the inner wall surface on the back side in the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b. .

  The above-mentioned cooked rice weighing and dividing unit 3 is a mechanism unit for weighing and dividing the cooked rice lump supplied from the cooked rice cracking unit 2 so as to have a predetermined size, shape, and weight. And a dividing mechanism part (dividing part) 3b installed at the outlet of the lower cooked rice lump.

  The measuring part 3a is installed in the lower part of the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b. The entrance portion of the cooked rice lump at the top of the measuring unit 3a coincides with the opening 2ba of the cooked rice supply tube 2b and is connected in a communicating state.

  In the weighing unit 3a, a pair of rollers 3aa, 3ab, 3ac facing each other across the conveying space for the cooked rice lump is installed along the conveying direction of the cooked rice lump. Here, a pair of three-stage rollers 3aa, 3ab, 3ac having a large diameter, a medium diameter, and a small diameter are arranged from the upper part to the lower part, but the present invention is not limited to this. A step may be used.

  Each pair of rollers 3aa, 3ab, 3ac is pivotally supported on the inner wall surface on the back side of the measuring portion 3a so as to be rotatable in the opposite direction (inward) as shown by the arrows in FIG. In addition, the opposing distances (conveying space for the cooked rice lump) of each pair of rollers 3aa, 3ab, 3ac are arranged along the conveying direction of the cooked rice lump. Thereby, the cooked rice lump supplied to the measuring unit 3a is compressed in order by the pair of rollers 3aa, 3ab, 3ac and sent downward while keeping the density of the rice grains constant.

  A plurality of protrusions Pf and a groove Gf are formed on the outer periphery of the uppermost pair of rollers 3aa and 3aa to scrape the cooked rice lump downward. The protrusions Pf and the grooves Gf extend continuously from one end of the roller 3aa in the axial direction toward the other end, and are alternately arranged so as to form irregularities along the circumferential direction of the roller 3aa. Has been.

  A plurality of protrusions Ps and grooves Gs are formed on the outer periphery of the middle pair of rollers 3ab, 3ab to scrape the cooked rice lump downward. The protrusions Ps and the grooves Gs are formed so as to continuously extend from one end to the other end in the axial direction of the roller 3ab, and are alternately arranged so as to form irregularities along the circumferential direction of the roller 3ab. Has been.

  In addition, a plurality of protrusions Pt and grooves Gt are formed on the outer circumferences of the lowermost pair of rollers 3ac, 3ac to scrape the cooked rice lump downward. The protrusion Pt is formed to continuously extend from one end of the roller 3ac in the axial direction to the other end. On the other hand, the groove Gt is intermittently disposed from one end of the roller 3ac in the axial direction toward the other end. The protrusions Pt and the grooves Gt are alternately arranged so as to form irregularities along the circumferential direction of the roller 3ac. The lowermost roller 3ac will be described later.

  Further, the outer circumferences of the pair of rollers 3ab and 3ac at the middle stage and the lowermost stage are formed in a substantially elongated arc shape when viewed from above, and a substantially flat elliptical shape is formed between the opposed surfaces of the pair of rollers 3ab and 3ac. A space is formed.

  The above-described dividing mechanism unit 3b includes two movable blades 3ba and 3bb (see FIG. 2). Each movable blade 3ba, 3bb has a cutting edge formed in a comb-tooth shape, and can move in the direction of approaching and separating from each other with the cutting edges facing each other toward the outlet of the cooked rice lump. Is installed. The movable blades 3ba and 3bb at the time of standby are installed so as to be substantially horizontal to each other. However, the movable blades 3ba and 3bb at the time of cutting move horizontally in the directions close to each other until the respective comb teeth engage with each other, The movable blade 3bb is slightly lowered below the height position of the other movable blade 3ba.

  The mass of cooked rice sent from the measuring unit 3a is divided at a timing that becomes a predetermined size, shape and weight by the sliding operation of the movable blades 3ba and 3bb. In such a cooked rice metering division 3, the cooked rice chunk can be metered and divided into an appropriate amount with a simple structure. The cooked rice lump divided by the dividing mechanism portion 3 b is accommodated in the forming hole MH of the turntable 4.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the turntable 4 is formed of, for example, a planar circular plate, and is pivotally supported on the gantry 5 in a state where it can be intermittently rotated by a drive source (not shown) built in the gantry 5. Has been.

  In the vicinity of the outer periphery of the turntable 4, a plurality of forming holes MH are formed that penetrate the upper and lower surfaces of the turntable 4 at predetermined intervals along the outer peripheral direction. The molding hole MH is a hole that accommodates the cooked rice lump after measurement division, and the planar shape thereof is formed, for example, in an elliptical shape. However, the shape of the forming hole MH is not limited to this, and can be variously changed. For example, the shape may be a rounded rectangular shape, a rounded triangular shape, or a circular shape.

  In addition, a molding upper die 6U of a molding device (molding unit) 6 is installed on the outer periphery of the turntable 4 above the downstream of the outlet of the measuring unit 3a. The forming device 6 is a device for forming the cooked rice lump after the measurement division into a product shape (final shape), a forming lower die 6L (see FIGS. 2 to 4), a forming upper die 6U, a support member 6S, A support 6P and a drive body (not shown) for moving the forming upper die 6U up and down are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the lower molding die 6 </ b> L is accommodated in each molding hole MH of the turntable 4. The upper surface of the molded lower mold 6L is formed in a curved surface, for example. Further, on the lower surface side of the molded lower mold 6L, the molded lower mold 6L can smoothly move on the lower mold rail portion (not shown) provided in the gantry 5 following the intermittent rotation operation of the turntable 4. As shown, the rotating roller 6La (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is installed in a rotatable state.

  On the other hand, the molding upper die 6U is a member that molds the cooked rice lump into a predetermined shape by pressing the cooked rice lump placed on the upper surface of the molded lower mold 6L in the molding hole MH. The (lower surface) is formed in, for example, a curved shape that is gradually depressed toward the center in the longitudinal direction.

  The upper molding die 6U is joined to the support 6P via the support member 6S and supported in a state in which it can move up and down (reciprocate to a position where the cooked rice lump is formed and a position away from the cooked rice lump). The drive body that moves the molding upper die 6U up and down includes, for example, a drive source such as a rotary motor and a mechanism unit that converts the rotation operation into a linear operation.

  At the time of molding, the molding hole MH, in which the mass of cooked rice is accommodated in the turntable 4, is positioned directly below the pressing surface (lower surface) of the molding upper die 6U, and the upper surface of the molding lower die 6L and the molding upper die 6U are pressed. After the surface (lower surface) is opposed to the cooked rice chunk, the upper mold 6U is lowered and the cooked rice cake in the molding hole MH is pressed by the molded upper die 6U so as to be molded into a predetermined shape. It has become.

  Next, the bottom pair of rollers 3ac constituting the measuring unit 3a of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of a general lowermost roller of the cooked rice forming apparatus, FIG. 6 (a) is a side view of the lowermost roller of FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 (b) is an illustration of FIG. It is sectional drawing of a III-III line.

  On the outer periphery of a general lowermost roller 50, similar to the uppermost and middle rollers 3 aa and 3 ab, a protrusion 50 a and a groove 50 b are provided from one end to the other end in the axial direction of the roller 50. While extending continuously, it is alternately arranged so as to form irregularities along the outer periphery of the roller 50.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the axial length Lc of the roller 50 is 48 mm, for example. Further, the diameter Rc1 of both end faces in the axial direction of the roller 50 is, for example, 41 mm, and the diameter Rc2 of the center in the axial direction of the roller 50 is, for example, 26 mm.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the angle θc (the width direction of each of the two grooves 50b, 50b adjacent to the circumferential direction of the roller 50 (the direction intersecting the axial direction of the roller 50; the short direction)) and the center The angle formed by connecting the shaft center of the roller 50) is, for example, 30 degrees. Further, the radius of roundness in the width direction of the groove 50b is, for example, 3.5 mm. Further, the depth of the groove 50b is, for example, 1 mm.

  According to the inventor's study, when the density of the rice grains is increased to a certain density in order to increase the weighing accuracy of the cooked rice lump in the weighing division mechanism of the cooked rice forming apparatus having the roller 50 described above, the surface of the formed cooked rice lump There is a problem that the roller marks become conspicuous and the finished quality of the cooked rice lump deteriorates.

  7 is an overall perspective view of the lowermost roller of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 8 is a side view of the lowermost roller of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. is there.

  In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral groove Gt of the lowermost roller 3ac is intermittently formed along the axial direction of the roller 3ac. Further, the protrusion Pt adjacent in the circumferential direction of the roller 3ac is connected through the protrusion Ptc between the grooves Gt and Gt adjacent in the axial direction of the roller 3ac.

  Further, the grooves Gt adjacent in the circumferential direction of the roller 3ac are provided such that the positions of the end portions of the grooves Gt in the axial direction of the roller 3ac are shifted from each other in the axial direction. For this reason, the protrusion Ptc (protrusion between the grooves Gt adjacent in the axial direction of the roller 3ac) is not linearly connected along the circumferential direction of the roller 3ac and is shifted in the axial direction of the roller 3ac.

  Thus, by forming the groove | channel Gt intermittently, it can suppress or prevent that a rice grain will completely enter into the groove | channel Gt. Further, the rice grains can be made difficult to be aligned by shifting the position of the groove Gt adjacent in the circumferential direction of the roller 3ac in the axial direction. By these, since the roller traces on the surface of the cooked rice lump after the measurement division can be reduced, the finished quality of the cooked rice lump can be improved.

  Next, FIG. 10 is a front view of one end surface in the axial direction of the lowermost roller in FIG. 7, and FIGS. 11 to 13 are sectional views taken along lines VV, VI-VI, and VII-VII in FIG. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the angle θ1 (the center of the width direction of each of the two grooves Gt and Gt adjacent to the circumferential direction of the roller 3ac (the direction along the circumferential direction of the roller 3ac; the short direction)) and the axial center of the roller 3ac Is smaller than the angle θc (see FIG. 6B) of the roller 50 (see FIG. 7), for example, 18 degrees. Further, the radius of roundness of the groove Gt in the width direction is smaller than the radius of roundness of the groove 50b of the roller 50 in the width direction, for example, 2 mm.

  For this reason, the width of the groove Gt of the roller 3ac (the length in the circumferential direction of the roller 3ac; the length in the short direction) is shorter than the width of the groove 50b of the general roller 50. As a result, the rise of both ends in the width direction of the groove Gt is steep, and the number of grooves Gt arranged in the circumferential direction of the roller 3ac is equal to that of the groove 50b arranged in the circumferential direction of the general roller 50. More than the number.

  In the case where the groove Gt is intermittently arranged along the axial direction of the roller 3ac, if the width of the groove Gt is long and the number is small, the force to grab and scrape the cooked rice becomes weak, and as a result, the cooked rice is kneaded. The texture of the cooked rice lump after splitting may deteriorate. In addition, the scale accuracy also decreases. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by reducing the width of the groove Gt of the roller 3ac and increasing the number of grooves Gt, it is possible to moderately increase the force to grab and scrape the cooked rice. Can be scraped well. Thereby, since the soft touch of the cooked rice lump can be maintained, the texture of the cooked rice lump can be improved. Moreover, the quantity accuracy could be within the expected range.

  From such a viewpoint, the width of the groove Gt is set to be equal to or smaller than the diameter (short direction length, width) of the rice grains of the cooked rice lump after cooking, for example, about 3 mm to 4 mm. Also in this case, it is possible to suppress or prevent the rice grains from completely entering the groove Gt, and thus it is possible to further reduce the roller marks on the surface of the cooked rice lump after the measurement division. Moreover, since the force to grab and scrape the cooked rice can be increased moderately as described above, the cooked rice can be scraped well without kneading. Therefore, the finished quality of the cooked rice cake including the texture of the cooked rice cake could be improved. In addition, the accuracy of the quantity could be within the expected range.

  The depth of the groove Gt is shallower than the depth of the groove 50b of the roller 50 described above, for example, 0.5 mm. Thereby, even if the both ends of the groove Gt in the width direction of the roller 3ac are steep and steep, the cleanability in the groove Gt can be secured.

  In addition, as shown in FIGS. 11-13, the length L1 of the roller 3ac in the axial direction is 48 mm, for example, similarly to the length Lc of the general roller 50. Further, the diameter R1 of both end surfaces in the axial direction of the roller 3ac is 41 mm, for example, the same as the diameter Rc1 of the general roller 50. The diameter R2 at the center in the axial direction of the roller 3ac is, for example, 26 mm, similar to the diameter Rc2 of the general roller 50. Further, the radius of roundness at both ends in the axial direction of the groove Gt is larger than the radius of roundness at both ends in the width direction of the groove Gt, for example, 3 mm.

  Next, FIG. 14 is a table comparing the measurement results of the quantity between the case where a general roller is used as the lowermost roller and the case where the roller of the present embodiment is used, and FIG. FIG. 16 is a graph showing the measurement results of the quantities in FIG. 14, and FIG. 16 is a histogram created based on the measurement results of the quantities in FIG.

  The vertical column of FIG. 14 shows the number of measurements, the left side shows the measurement result of a general roller 50, and the right side shows the measurement result of the roller 3ac of this embodiment. The unit is gram. The broken line in FIG. 15 indicates the measurement result of the general roller 50, and the solid line indicates the measurement result of the roller 3ac of the present embodiment. Further, hatching in FIG. 16 indicates the result of the general roller 50, and black painting indicates the result of the roller 3ac of the present embodiment.

  The average value of the amount of cooked rice mass when the general roller 50 is used is, for example, 18.4 g, and the average value of the amount of cooked rice mass when the roller 3ac of the present embodiment is used is, for example, 18. 1 g. The standard deviation of the amount of cooked rice lump when using the general roller 50 is, for example, 0.94, and the standard deviation of the amount of cooked rice lump when using the roller 3ac of the present embodiment is, for example, It was 0.68.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the waveform when the roller 3ac of the present embodiment is used as the lowest roller of the measuring division unit of the cooked rice forming apparatus is substantially the same as the waveform when the general roller 50 is used. Yes, the undulation is smaller than the waveform when the roller 50 is used. In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, the amount of variation in the case of using the roller 3ac of the present embodiment is smaller than the case of using the general roller 50. Therefore, it can be seen that the use of the roller 3ac of the present embodiment as the lowermost roller has a higher accuracy than the general roller 50.

  Next, the formation process of the cooked rice lump by the cooked rice molding apparatus 1 of this Embodiment is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.

  First, when the cooked rice is put into the cooked rice molding apparatus 1 through the opening 2aa of the hopper 2a of the cooked rice molding apparatus 1, the cooked rice is undissolved by the two-stage unrolling members 2c and 2d in the cooked rice supply cylinder 2b. While being dropped, it falls along the inner wall surface in the cooked rice supply cylinder 2 b and is sent to the weighing unit 3 a of the cooked rice weighing division unit 3.

  Subsequently, the cooked rice cake sent to the measuring unit 3a is sent downward while being compressed by the inward rotation of the three pairs of rollers 3aa, 3ab, 3ac, and has a predetermined size, shape and weight. At this time, it is divided by the sliding motion of the movable blade 3bb and is accommodated in the forming hole MH of the turntable 4.

  At this time, in the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the roller marks on the surface of the cooked rice lump after the measurement division to a level where it cannot be visually observed. In addition, the accuracy of the quantity can be in the expected range. Furthermore, since the rice can be scraped well without kneading, the soft touch of the cooked rice can be maintained, and the texture of the cooked rice can be improved.

  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, the case where the turntable is used as the conveying unit has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made. For example, a linear belt conveyor or an endless belt can be used as the conveying unit. A conveyor may be used.

  In the above description, the case where the present invention is applied to the measurement of a cooked rice lump such as a sushi shari ball is not limited to this, and can be applied in various ways, such as laver rolls and knots. It can also be applied to the weighing of other foodstuffs.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cooked rice molding apparatus 2 Cooked rice cracking part 3 Cooked rice measurement division | segmentation part 3a Weighing part 3aa, 3ab, 3ac Roller 3b Dividing mechanism part (dividing part)
4 Turntable 5 Base 6 Molding device Gt Groove Pt, Ptc Projection

Claims (2)

A rice cracker that breaks the cooked rice lump,
A cooked rice metering division unit that is provided below the cooked rice cracking unit and metrically divides the cooked rice cake sent from the cooked rice cracking unit,
In the cooked rice measurement division unit, a pair of rollers provided in a rotatable state at positions facing each other across the cooked rice chunk transport space, and provided in a plurality of stages along the feed direction of the cooked rice cake,
A division unit that is provided at a lower portion of the cooked rice measurement division unit and divides the cooked rice cake conveyed through a pair of rollers at the lowest stage of the pair of rollers,
With
A plurality of grooves extending intermittently along the axial direction of the roller are provided on the outer peripheral surface of each of the pair of lowermost rollers along the circumferential direction of the roller, and adjacent to the circumferential direction of the roller. The cooked rice forming apparatus, wherein the groove is provided such that end portions of the groove in the axial direction of the roller are displaced from each other in the axial direction.   2. The cooked rice forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in each of the pair of rollers at the lowermost stage, the length of the groove in the circumferential direction of the roller is equal to or smaller than the diameter of the rice grains of the cooked rice lump.

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