JP6256971B2 - Cooked rice forming equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooked rice molding apparatus, for example, a structure of a cooked rice molding apparatus used for molding nigiri sushi and nigiri rice.

  The cooked rice forming device is a device for forming a cooked rice lump such as a shari ball, and the cooked rice supply unit that supplies the cooked rice to the main body of the device and the cooked rice supplied from the cooked rice supply unit are in a predetermined amount. A measuring division unit for measuring and dividing and a forming unit for forming the divided rice cake block. 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 the case of this cooked rice forming apparatus, a fixed shaped cooked rice lump can be formed in a fixed amount, but only one cooked rice lump can be formed in one unit operation, so that it can sufficiently cope with a large amount of demand in the restaurant industry and the like. I can't. In view of this, a rice splitting mechanism is provided that cuts the plate-shaped cooked rice that is compressed and transferred by the intermittent transfer mechanism that also serves as the above-described weighing unit into a substantially strip shape at regular intervals in the width direction (the axial direction of the roller). Rice cooker has been put into practical use. In the case of this cooked rice molding apparatus, a plurality of cooked rice chunks can be molded by one unit operation, so that it can sufficiently meet a large amount of demand (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2004-8145 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-285262

  By the way, this inventor examined the cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus of the structure which arrange | positions a shaping | molding part alongside the measurement division | segmentation part which carries out the measurement division | segmentation of the cooked rice lump, and conveys the divided and divided cooked rice lump to a shaping | molding part with a conveyance type.

  In the case of this cooked rice molding device, there is an excellent advantage that the cooked rice molding device can be miniaturized by not providing a molding part directly under the measurement division unit, but while the cooked rice lump is being transported to the molding unit with a conveying mold The weighing division operation must be stopped, and during the division of the cooked rice, the conveyance mold must be kept underneath the weighing division section, which reduces the productivity of the cooked rice molding device. This inventor discovered for the first time.

  This invention is made | formed from the above-mentioned technical background, The objective aims at providing the technique which can improve the productivity of the cooked rice lump of a cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the cooked rice forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a cooked rice supply unit that supplies a cooked rice lump to the apparatus main body, and a cooked rice lump supplied from the cooked rice supply unit. Holding a weighing unit for weighing while sandwiched and conveyed by each of a plurality of pairs of first rollers arranged along the conveying direction, a dividing unit for dividing the cooked rice lump conveyed from the weighing unit, and holding the cooked rice lump A holding unit that includes an opening / closing means provided in a freely openable and closable manner at the bottom of the holding region, and is disposed below the dividing unit, and temporarily holds the cooked rice chunk divided by the dividing unit; A forming part for forming a cooked rice lump divided by the part, and a reciprocating movable state between the holding part and the forming part below the holding part, and the opening / closing means is opened to open the holding part. Contains the dropped rice cake Characterized by comprising conveying means for conveying to the form unit.

  Moreover, the present invention according to claim 2 is the cooked rice forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion includes a fall accelerating means that promotes the falling of the cooked rice lump.

  Further, the present invention according to claim 3 is the cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drop promoting means is constituted by a pair of second rollers provided so as to sandwich the cooked rice lump. A pair of 2nd roller is provided in the state which can be rotationally controlled by a drive means, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Moreover, the present invention described in claim 4 is the cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the conveying means also serves as a mold for molding the side surface of the cooked rice lump in the molding unit. It is characterized by.

  Moreover, this invention of Claim 5 is a cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4. WHEREIN: In the reciprocation direction of the said conveyance means, the back | latter stage of the said shaping | molding part is the said conveyance means. An input portion is provided for placing the conveyed cooked rice mass on the container below the input hole through the input hole by the input member.

  Moreover, this invention of Claim 6 is the cooked rice forming apparatus of Claim 1 or 2, WHEREIN: The said measurement part follows the area | region between the adjoining of a pair of said 1st roller along the longitudinal direction of the said 1st roller. A plurality of partition members that are divided into a plurality of regions, and the dividing unit is configured to collectively divide a plurality of cooked rice chunks that are divided by the plurality of partition members and conveyed from the weighing unit. The transport means has a structure for transporting the plurality of cooked rice chunks in a lump.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the division of the cooked rice lump and the conveyance by the conveying means can be performed independently, the productivity of the cooked rice lump of the cooked rice molding apparatus can be improved.

  According to invention of Claim 2, it becomes possible to forcibly drop the cooked rice lump in a holding | maintenance part.

  According to invention of Claim 3, it becomes possible to forcibly drop the cooked rice lump in a holding | maintenance part with a simple structure.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the conveying means also serves as a mold, the structure of the cooked rice molding apparatus can be simplified.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the time until the molded rice cake lump is placed on the container can be shortened, the productivity of the cooked rice molding apparatus can be improved.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since a plurality of cooked rice chunks can be formed at the same time, the productivity of cooked rice chunks of the cooked rice molding apparatus can be greatly improved.

It is a front view of the cooked rice shaping | molding 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 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. 6A 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. 6, and FIG. 7B 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 in FIG. FIG. (A)-(e) is sectional drawing of the location corresponded to the II line | wire of FIG. 4 which showed the case where the shape and installation state of a partition plate were changed. It is a principal part perspective view of the shaping | molding part which comprises the cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus of FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing of the shaping | molding part 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 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 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.

  The cooked rice forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is a cooked rice forming apparatus that forms a cooked rice lump such as a sharp ball or a bowl-shaped cooked rice lump, and is capable of simultaneously forming a plurality of cooked rice lump in one unit operation. In addition, this is a cooked rice molding apparatus that can change the size (type) of the cooked rice lump in a single unit.

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

  The rice lifter 3 a is a mechanism unit that feeds cooked rice 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 a mechanism unit that evenly mixes the cooked rice supplied from the supply hopper 3b with two pairs of rollers, and supplies the cooked rice to the main processing unit 4 via the scraped feathers and the downwardly inclined conveyor. The supply hopper 3b And the main processing unit 4.

  The rotation operation of the two pairs of rollers and the scraping blades of the leveling unit 3c is controlled based on detection information from two pairs of optical sensors installed below the leveling unit 3c, that is, above the main processing unit 4. Is done. For example, when cooked rice is not detected by the two pairs of optical sensors, the two pairs of rollers and scraped feathers of the leveling unit 3 c are driven, and the cooked rice from the leveling unit 3 c is supplied to the main processing unit 4. On the other hand, when the cooked rice is detected by the two pairs of optical sensors, the two pairs of rollers and the scraped feathers of the leveling unit 3c are stopped, and the supply of the cooked rice from the leveling unit 3c to the main processing unit 4 is stopped. .

  The main processing unit 4 is a mechanism unit that measures and divides the cooked rice supplied from the leveling unit 3 c into a cooked rice lump, and is installed between the leveling unit 3 c and the gantry 2. The main processing unit 4 will 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 5b (see FIG. 2) is a mechanism that supplies external air for adsorbing the tray when the tray is transported from the tray stocker 5a to the tray transporter 5e. It is installed behind 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.

  Next, FIG. 3 is a main part configuration diagram of the main processing unit of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is an enlarged front view of the measuring unit of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along line II of the measuring unit of FIG. FIG. In FIG. 3, the partition plate SB is hatched to make the drawing easy to see. In FIG. 4, the roller R is hatched to make the drawing easy to see.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the main processing unit 4 includes a weighing division unit 10, a buffer unit (holding unit) 11, a cooked rice conveying mold (conveying means) 12, a molding unit 13, and a feeding unit 14. Yes.

  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.

  The weighing unit 10a is a mechanism unit that conveys the cooked rice supplied from the leveling unit 3c to the dividing unit 10b while weighing the rice in a predetermined size, shape, and weight. It is installed directly below.

  For example, a three-stage pair of rollers (first rollers) R, four partition plates (partition members) SB, and a scraper SP are disposed 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.

  In other words, as shown in FIG. 4, 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. 4, 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 extends 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 face shape is a circular portion and a protruding portion that protrudes radially at two symmetrical positions on the outer periphery (not shown in FIG. 4; reference numeral in FIG. 7A). 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 Tbp in FIG. 7A) 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, on the outer periphery of the lowermost roller R, a positioning groove (positioning portion: not shown in FIG. 4; see the symbol PT in FIG. 8E) for positioning and fixing the partition plate SB is formed. . 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 this case, as shown in FIG. 5, a rice lump is formed between the front plate FB and the partition plate SB on the front side in the axial direction of the roller R, and the back plate RB and the partition plate on the back side in the axial direction of the roller R. 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. 5, 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 scraper grooves SPT for reducing the frictional resistance of cooked rice (see FIG. 5). Is formed.

  The division part 10b shown in FIG. 3 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 lowermost cooked rice 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 temporarily holds the cooked rice lump supplied from the weighing division unit 10 and adjusts the timing to supply the cooked rice batch to the lower cooked rice conveyance mold 12, thereby making the weighing division unit 10 and the cooked rice conveyance mold 12 independent. It is a mechanism part which can be operated. The buffer unit 11 is installed immediately below the cooked rice carry-out port of the weighing division unit 10, and includes a pair of rollers (drop promotion means, second roller) BR, BR, an opening / closing plate (opening / closing member) BB, and the buffer. Area (holding 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 pair of rollers BR is installed in a state in which the rotation speed can be controlled from a low-speed rotation to a high-speed rotation by a dedicated drive motor (drive means).

  When the pair of rollers BR is not provided or when the rotation control is not possible even with the pair of rollers BR, the cooked rice lump is dropped into the cooked rice transport mold 12 only by free fall. It may take time. For example, when the cooked rice cooled by vacuum cooling or the like is used, it has been found by the inventor's examination that the falling time is delayed as compared with the case of using warm cooked rice.

  However, if the cooked rice in the buffer area BA does not fall according to the set time, the cooked rice transport mold 12 that should receive the cooked rice lump when the cooked rice is moved moves to the molding unit 13 side and cannot be transported. In that case, the waiting time of the cooked rice conveyance type | mold 12 must be lengthened, and the problem that productivity of cooked rice lump falls arises.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by providing a pair of rollers BR that can be rotationally controlled, the cooked rice lump can be forcibly dropped according to the state of the cooked rice lump and the production speed. Regardless of the state of the lump and the production speed, the lump of cooked rice can be dropped into the cooked rice transport mold 12 according to the set time. That is, the cooked rice lump after the measurement division can be conveyed to the molding unit 13 by the cooked rice conveyance mold 12. Therefore, since it is not necessary to lengthen the waiting time of the cooked rice conveyance mold 12, the productivity of cooked rice can be improved.

  The open / close 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 openable and closable (movable in the horizontal direction in FIG. 3). 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 such a manner that it can freely reciprocate (moves in the horizontal direction in FIG. 3) directly below and between the forming unit 13 and the input unit 14 along the transport table CS.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of cooked rice storage areas of the cooked rice transport mold 12 are arranged side by side 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. Can be simultaneously conveyed to the molding unit 13 and the charging unit 14.

  Moreover, the cooked rice conveyance type | mold 12 serves as the shaping | molding die of the side surface of the cooked rice lump at the time of shaping | molding so that it may mention later. Thereby, the structure of the cooked rice forming apparatus can be simplified.

  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 conveying mold 12 as described above, the molding unit 13 and the charging unit are placed directly below the buffer unit 11. The height of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 is increased by the amount of arrangement of the component device that moves the portion 14 up and down. 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 molded part 13 will be described in detail later.

  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.

  There is also a transfer mechanism by chucking that mechanically grabs the formed cooked rice mass with two resin plates and transfers it to the location of the container as a mechanism to transport the molded cooked rice cake to the container. In order to convey the cooked rice cake after molding, a series of operations such as sandwiching, lifting and rotating the cooked rice cake is required, so that the production rate of the cooked rice cake has not been increased so much. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the chunk of cooked rice is linearly moved from the molding unit 13 to the charging unit 14, dropped through the charging hole 14b, and placed on the tray, so that the above-described chucking is performed. Compared to the case where the cooked rice chunk is placed on the tray by the transfer mechanism, the time until the cooked rice chunk is placed on the tray can be shortened, so that the production rate of the cooked rice chunk can be improved. did it.

  Next, FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are front views of the weighing unit of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 (a) is a front view of essential parts of the mechanism unit on the back side of the back plate of the weighing unit of FIG. FIG.7 (b) is a principal part front view of the mechanism part by the side of the back plate of the measurement part which showed the rotation gear of Fig.7 (a). In FIG. 7B, 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. 6A and 6B, 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. 6 and 7, 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. 6A and 6B, 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. 7, 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. 8A to 8E are cross-sectional views corresponding to the line II in FIG. 4 showing the case where the shape and installation state of the partition plate are changed.

  Fig.8 (a) has shown the shape and arrangement | positioning of the 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. 8B, the upper part of the partition plate SB is higher than the upper part of the uppermost roller R, and only the upper part of the partition plate SB is tapered, 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. 8 (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. 8D 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. 8 (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. In addition, the code | symbol PT of FIG.8 (e) is the said positioning groove formed in the roller R for positioning fixing of the partition plate SB.

  Next, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the main part of the forming part constituting the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. 1, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the forming part of FIG.

  The molding unit 13 includes a support 13c, an operation unit 13d, a display unit 13e, a height adjustment mechanism unit 13f, and a molding drive unit 13g.

  The support 13c constituting the molding unit 13 is a part that collectively supports a plurality of upper molds 13a, and is a square frame shape having a support member 13cs, two support pillars 13cp, and a support base 13ct. It is comprised by the structure.

  A plurality of upper molds 13a are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the support member 13cs. Each upper mold 13a is supported by a support member 13cs in a detachable state by a bolt B1. For this reason, since the structure of the support member 13cs can be simplified compared with the structure which provides a height adjustment mechanism for every some upper mold | type 13a, the support member 13cs can be reduced in weight.

  The support member 13cs is stretched over two support pillars 13cp arranged on both ends in the longitudinal direction, and is supported in a detachable state by a bolt B2. By making the support member 13cs detachable, the plurality of upper molds 13a can be exchanged together with the support member 13cs, so that the plurality of upper molds 13a can be easily exchanged.

  The two support pillars 13cp are erected in a detachable state with bolts B3 on both ends in the longitudinal direction of the support base 13ct. A part of the height adjusting mechanism portion 13f described above is joined to the center in the longitudinal direction of the support base 13ct. The height of the plurality of upper molds 13a is collectively set by moving the support 13c in the vertical direction by the height adjusting mechanism 13f. For this reason, compared with the case where the height of several upper mold | types 13a is set individually, the height of the upper mold | type 13a can be set easily.

  The operation part 13d constituting the molding part 13 includes a rotation handle part (grip part) 13dh, a rotation shaft (transmission member) 13da, an operation side pulley (transmission member) 13dp, and a pulley belt (transmission member) 13db. It has.

  The rotating handle portion 13dh is an operation portion for setting the height of the plurality of upper molds 13a from the outside of the apparatus main body, and is mounted on the upper portion of the rotating shaft 13da so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions. Yes.

  An operation side pulley 13dp is joined to the lower portion of the rotation shaft 13da. The operation-side pulley 13dp and the driven-side pulley 13fp of the height adjusting mechanism portion 13f are engaged by a pulley belt 13db that is stretched over them. For this reason, when the rotary handle portion 13dh is turned, the operation side pulley 13dp of the operation portion 13d rotates according to the rotation direction and the rotation amount, and the driven pulley 13fp of the height adjustment mechanism portion 13f also rotates following the rotation. It has become.

  The operator can adjust the height of the upper mold 13a via the mechanism part inside the apparatus main body by operating the rotary handle part 13dh outside the apparatus main body. This eliminates the need for the operator to remove each part of the apparatus main body and reattach each part after adjusting the height in order to adjust the height of the upper mold 13a. Can be set. Further, since the heights of the plurality of upper molds 13a can be set all at once by operating only one rotating handle portion 13dh, the heights of the plurality of upper molds 13a can be easily set.

  The display unit 13e constituting the molding unit 13 described above is a device that measures and displays the rotation direction and the rotation amount (that is, the operation amount of the operation unit 13d) of the rotation shaft 13da of the operation unit 13d. It is installed in the middle of the longitudinal direction. Here, a digital scale or the like is used as the display unit 13e, for example, the rotation direction of the rotation shaft 13da is displayed with a positive / negative symbol or the like, and the rotation amount is displayed with a numerical value or the like.

  In the vicinity of the display unit 13e, a correlation between the weight of the cooked rice mass and the numerical values (the rotation direction and the rotation amount) of the display unit 13e is shown. That is, the operation amount (numerical value of the display unit 13e) set to the optimum height of the upper mold 13a is shown for each weight of the cooked rice lump so that cooked rice of that weight is more deliciously shaped. The operator refers to the correlation and turns the rotary handle portion 13dh until the numerical value on the display portion 13e reaches a value that is optimal for the weight of the cooked rice cake to be formed. Thereby, anyone can easily set the height of the upper mold 13a to the optimum height for the weight of the cooked rice lump to be molded.

  The height adjusting mechanism portion 13f constituting the molding portion 13 includes a driven pulley (driven portion) 13fp, a height adjusting shaft (motion converting portion) 13fh, and a vertically moving portion (motion converting portion) 13ft. ing.

  The driven pulley 13fp is a portion that rotates following the rotational operation of the rotary handle portion 13dh, and is axially fixed in a state that it can rotate in both forward and reverse directions. The driven pulley 13fp does not move up and down and has a fixed height.

  The height adjustment shaft 13fh has a function of converting the forward / reverse rotation of the driven pulley 13fp into a vertical linear motion. The lower outer periphery of the height adjusting shaft 13fh is coupled to the inner periphery of the driven pulley 13fp by a spline fitting method. As a result, the height adjusting shaft 13fh rotates in both forward and reverse directions following the forward and reverse rotations of the driven pulley 13fp, and moves up and down following the vertical movements of the drive lever 13ga of the molding drive unit 13g. It is supposed to be.

  The vertical movement portion 13ft is a portion that moves in the vertical direction according to the rotation of the height adjustment shaft 13fh in the forward and reverse directions. As shown in FIG. 10, a hole Hc extending in the axial direction is formed in the lower end surface in the axial direction of the vertical movement portion 13ft, and the upper portion of the height adjusting shaft 13fh is inserted into the hole Hc. ing.

  A screw part is formed on the lower inner surface of the hole Hc of the vertical movement part 13ft and a part of the outer periphery of the height adjustment shaft 13fh, and the vertical movement part 13ft and the height adjustment shaft 13fh are formed by this screw part. Are connected to each other. For this reason, when the height adjusting shaft 13fh rotates, the vertical movement portion 13ft moves in the vertical direction by a predetermined height according to the rotation direction and the rotation amount, and stops.

  This vertical movement part 13ft is connected to the above-mentioned support base 13ct. For this reason, if the up-and-down moving part 13ft moves up and down, the support body 13c also moves up and down. Thereby, the several upper mold | type 13a supported by the support body 13c can be set to predetermined height. The height of the upper mold 13a is adjusted above the broken line in FIG.

  A stopper 13fs is joined to the outer periphery of the upper and lower moving portion 13ft. In addition, a coil spring 13fe is mounted between the clasp 13fs and the support base 13ct on the outer periphery of the vertical movement portion 13ft. This coil spring 13fe is a member that absorbs the force applied to the support 13c when it becomes a situation where a larger lump of cooked rice is formed.

  The molding drive unit 13g constituting the molding unit 13 is a mechanism unit that simultaneously moves the plurality of upper molds 13a up and down during the formation of the cooked rice lump, and includes a drive lever unit 13ga and connecting members 13gb and 13gc. Yes.

  The drive lever 13ga is a part that converts the rotation of a rotary motor (not shown) into a vertical movement via a main shaft and a cam. The tip of the drive lever 13ga is connected to the lower end of the height adjusting shaft 13fh via the connecting members 13gb and 13gc. For this reason, when the tip of the drive lever portion 13ga is lowered during molding, the height adjusting shaft 13fh and the vertical movement portion 13ft are lowered, and further, the support body 13c is lowered and the plurality of upper molds 13a are lowered. ing. The vertical movement amount (length) of the drive lever 13ga is the stroke of the upper mold 13a. The stroke of the upper mold 13a is fixed.

  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, 9, and 11 to 13. FIGS. 11-13 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 a preparation stage, the height of the plurality of upper molds 13a shown in FIG. 9 is set to an optimum height for the weight of the cooked rice chunk to be formed.

  That is, the rotary handle portion 13dh of the operation portion 13d disposed outside the main body of the cooked rice forming apparatus 1 is rotated by a predetermined rotation amount in either the forward or reverse direction. Then, the operation side pulley 13dp is rotated, and the driven side pulley 13fp of the height adjusting mechanism portion 13f is rotated by the pulley belt 13cb. Further, when the driven pulley 13fp rotates, the height adjusting shaft 13fh rotates, and the vertical movement portion 13ft moves in the vertical direction and stops according to the rotation direction and the rotation amount. Thereby, the support body 13c is moved to a predetermined height, and the heights of the plurality of upper molds 13a are set simultaneously. For example, the upper mold 13a is set at a higher position when the weight of the cooked rice mass is heavier than when it is light. Further, the vertical movement portion 13ft is raised when the rotary handle portion 13dh is turned to one side, and lowered when the rotation handle portion 13dh is turned to the other side.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the height of the upper mold 13a of the molding unit 13 is controlled via the mechanism portion inside the apparatus main body by operating the rotary handle 13dh disposed outside the apparatus main body of the cooked rice molding apparatus 1. Can be adjusted. For this reason, when the height of the upper mold 13a is adjusted, it is possible to omit the removal and attachment of each part of the apparatus main body, so that the height of the upper mold 13a can be easily set.

  Also, instead of setting the height for each of the plurality of upper molds 13a, the height of the plurality of upper molds 13a can be batched by simply turning the rotating handle portion 13dh disposed at one location outside the apparatus body. Since it can be set, the height of the plurality of upper molds 13a can be easily set.

  In general, when the heights of a plurality of upper molds 13a are collectively set, a structure in which a stopper is provided below the support 13c that supports the plurality of upper molds 13a is conceivable. However, in that case, noise and foreign matter are generated due to the collision between the support 13c and the stopper. Generation | occurrence | production of a foreign material is unpreferable on hygiene as an apparatus which produces food. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since it is not a structure that stops the operation of the support 13c with a stopper, noise due to collision does not occur. Further, since no foreign matter is generated due to the collision, it is preferable in terms of hygiene.

  In the height setting operation of the upper mold 13a, the height of the upper mold 13a is set according to the weight of the cooked rice lump. That is, the operator refers to the correlation between the weight of the cooked rice lump and the operation amount of the operation unit 13d (the value of the display unit 13e), and the value of the display unit 13e is optimal for the weight of the cooked rice lump to be formed. The rotating handle portion 13dh is turned until the numerical value is reached. Thereby, anyone can easily set the height of the upper mold 13a to the optimum height for the weight of the cooked rice lump to be molded. For this reason, for each weight of the cooked rice lump, the outside is firm, and the inside is soft and the whole can be easily produced as a tasty cooked rice lump that can be easily melted when put into the mouth with a moderate hardness.

  Next, 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, and is put into the leveling portion 3c. send.

  Subsequently, in the leveling unit 3c, the cooked rice sent from the supply hopper 3b is leveled evenly by two pairs of rollers and sent to the weighing unit 10a 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 inward rotation 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. 12, after the cooked rice transport mold 12 is moved directly below the cooked rice transport port (buffer unit 11) of the weighing unit 10a, 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. Thereby, regardless of the state of the cooked rice lump RM and the production speed, the cooked rice lump RM can be reliably dropped onto the cooked rice transport mold 12, so that the productivity of cooked rice can be improved.

  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. 13, after the rice cooker mold 12 is linearly moved in the lateral direction to transport the cooked rice lump RM to the molding section 13, the drive lever section 13 ga is lowered to lower the plurality of upper molds 13 a. , And the upper die 13a and the lower die 13b are moved in directions close to each other to form the cooked rice lump RM.

  Here, the cooked rice conveyance mold 12 also serves as a mold for the side surface of the cooked rice lump RM, so that the structure of the cooked rice molding apparatus 1 can be simplified. In this step, the opening / closing plate BB of the buffer unit 11 is closed, the pair of rollers BR is stopped, and the two movable blades C, C of the dividing unit 10b are moved away from each other. Start weighing rice. The throwing member 14a is stopped at a fixed position (standby position).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 11, the cooked rice conveyance mold 12 is linearly moved in the lateral direction to convey the cooked rice lump RM to the feeding unit 14 at the subsequent stage of the molding unit 13, and then the feeding member 14 a is moved downward. Thus, the formed cooked rice mass RM is placed on a tray (not shown) through the charging hole 14b. Thereby, compared with the transfer mechanism by chucking as described above, it is possible to shorten the time until the cooked cooked rice cake is placed on the tray, so that the production rate of cooked rice cake can be improved. 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 measurement division of the measurement division unit 10 and the conveyance by the cooked rice conveyance mold 12 can be performed independently. For this reason, since the measurement division | segmentation part 10 can start and perform the measurement division | segmentation of cooked rice even at the time of a shaping | molding and throwing-in process of cooked rice lump, productivity of a boiled 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 (type) 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, the case where the present invention is applied to the cooked rice forming apparatus capable of changing the adjacent distance between the pair of rollers of the measuring unit and the adjacent distance between the partition plates is not limited to this. A rice forming apparatus in which the adjacent spacing between the rollers can be changed but the adjacent spacing between the partition plates is fixed, or a rice forming apparatus in which the adjacent spacing between the partition plates can be changed but the adjacent spacing between the pair of rollers is fixed or It can also be applied to a cooked rice forming apparatus in which both the adjacent distance between the pair of rollers and the adjacent distance between the partition plates are fixed.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where it applied to the cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus provided with a some upper mold | type in a shaping | molding part was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, For example, one upper mold | type is formed in a shaping | molding part. You may apply to the cooked rice forming apparatus with which it is equipped. In this case as well, the height of the upper mold of the molding part can be set only by turning the rotary handle part outside the apparatus main body. For this reason, it is not necessary to remove or attach a part of the apparatus main body when adjusting the height of the upper mold, so that the height of the upper mold can be easily set.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where it applied to the cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus which shape | molds a several cooked rice lump by 1 unit operation | movement was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, For example, there is no said partition plate SB You may apply to the cooked rice shaping | molding apparatus which shape | molds one cooked rice lump by 1 unit operation | movement. Also in this case, by providing the buffer unit, the weighing and the conveyance of the cooked rice cake after measurement can be performed independently, so that the productivity of the cooked rice cake can be improved.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which a plurality of pairs of rollers in a plurality of stages are all detachable. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, 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 forming apparatus that forms a shari ball or a bowl-shaped cooked rice lump is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, sushi rice stuffed inside Inari sushi is used. You may apply to other cooked rice forming apparatuses, such as a cooked rice forming apparatus to shape | mold.

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 13c Support body 13cs Support member 13cp Support column 13ct Support base 13d Operation part 13dh Rotation handle part 13da Rotating shaft 13dp Operation side pulley 13db Pulley belt 13e Display part 13f Height adjustment mechanism part 13fp Driven pulley 13fh Height adjustment shaft 13ft Vertical movement part 13fe Coil spring 13fs Clasp 13g Molding drive part 13ga Drive lever part 13gb, 13gc Connecting member 14 Input part 14a Input member 14b Input hole 20a 20b Connecting plate 21 Operation portion 21a Operation lever Ax Rotating shaft R Roller Ha, Hb Hollow hole Hc Hole Ta, Tb Rotation transmission member Tbp Protrusion C Movable blade BR Roller BB Opening / closing plate BA Buffer area SB Partition plate SP Scraper SPT Scraper groove FB Front plate RB Rear plate CS Carriage 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

Claims (6)

A cooked rice supply unit for feeding cooked rice chunks to the apparatus body;
A weighing unit for weighing the rice mass supplied from the cooked rice supply unit while being sandwiched and conveyed by each of a plurality of pairs of first rollers arranged along the conveyance direction of the rice mass,
A dividing unit for dividing the cooked rice chunk conveyed from the weighing unit;
A holding region for holding the cooked rice mass and an opening / closing means provided at the bottom of the holding region so as to be freely opened and closed are disposed below the dividing unit and temporarily hold the cooked rice mass divided by the dividing unit. And
A forming part for forming a cooked rice lump divided by the dividing part;
A reciprocating movement is provided between the holding part and the forming part below the holding part, and the opening / closing means is opened to accommodate the rice mass dropped from the holding part and transport it to the forming part. Conveying means;
A cooked rice forming apparatus comprising:   The cooked rice forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit includes a fall accelerating unit that promotes the fall of the cooked rice lump. The drop promoting means is composed of a pair of second rollers provided so as to sandwich the cooked rice mass,
3. The cooked rice forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pair of second rollers are provided in a state in which the rotation can be controlled by a driving unit.   The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the conveying means also serves as a molding die for molding the side surface of the cooked rice lump in the molding unit.   In the rear stage of the forming unit in the reciprocating direction of the transfer unit, a charging unit is provided for placing the cooked rice cake transferred by the transfer unit on the container below the charging hole through the charging hole by the charging member. The cooked rice forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The weighing unit includes a plurality of partition members that divide a region between adjacent ones of the pair of first rollers into a plurality of regions along a longitudinal direction of the first roller,
The dividing unit includes a structure that collectively divides a plurality of cooked rice chunks divided by the plurality of partition members and conveyed from the weighing unit,
The transport means has a structure for transporting the plurality of cooked rice lump in a lump.
The cooked rice forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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