JP6784387B2 - Rice molding equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooked rice molding apparatus.

For example, in a food retail store that handles nigiri sushi, a cooked rice molding device is used as a device for producing a cooked rice molded product (sushi ball) (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

The cooked rice molding apparatus includes, for example, a hopper, a compression unit, a molding unit, a transport unit, and a detection unit. The hopper stores cooked rice, which is the raw material for rice balls, and supplies the cooked rice to the compression section. The compression section evens out the cooked rice supplied from the hopper, and supplies the cooked rice with a uniform density to the molding section. The molding section molds cooked rice with a uniform density into rice balls having a predetermined shape. The transporting section receives and transports the rice balls molded by the molding section. The detection unit detects, for example, the presence or absence of rice balls at a predetermined position of the transport unit.

The molding unit includes a pair of rotating shafts and a pair of forming rollers attached to the rotating shafts. The molding roller is provided with a plurality of storage portions on the outer peripheral surface. The pair of forming rollers are attached to a pair of rotating shafts and rotate in opposite directions. The rotations of the pair of forming rollers are synchronized so that the accommodating portions face each other as the forming rollers rotate.

Cooked rice is filled (stored) in the storage part of the rotating molding roller. When the storage portions face each other, the cooked rice in the storage portions is formed into a rice ball having a predetermined shape (for example, substantially a bale shape). The rice balls are released (fall) from the storage portion to the transport portion as the forming roller rotates.

The transport unit includes, for example, a turntable on which rice balls are placed and rotated. The turntable rotates by a predetermined angle in a predetermined direction and intermittently. When the turntable rotates, the cooked rice forming apparatus releases the next rice ball from the forming portion onto the turntable. In the cooked rice forming device, when the rice balls on the turntable move to a predetermined position (for example, the position before the turntable goes around), the rotation of the turntable is stopped, and the rice balls moved to the predetermined position are taken out by an operator or the like. When it is done, the rotation of the turntable is restarted. The presence or absence of the rice ball at the predetermined position is detected by the detection unit.

Normally, the rotation direction of the turntable is set according to the work environment such as the arrangement of the cooked rice forming device in the workplace, the dominant hand of the worker, and the standing position of the worker so that the worker can easily take out the rice balls. Fixed in the direction.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-135651 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-197823

However, the placement of cooked rice molding equipment in the workplace is often changed. In such a case, the deviation of the positional relationship between the rotation direction of the turntable and the operator causes the operator to perform the work of taking out the rice balls at a distant position. Further, for example, when two workers stand on both sides of one cooked rice forming device, one worker takes out a rice ball located away from the worker or the turntable is shaved. You have to wait for the ball to be delivered near the operator's hand. As described above, in the conventional cooked rice molding apparatus in which the rotation direction of the turntable is fixed in one direction, the work efficiency of the worker is significantly lowered depending on the work environment.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooked rice molding apparatus that improves the work efficiency of a worker without depending on a work environment. ..

The present invention is a cooked rice molding apparatus, and includes a molding unit for molding a cooked rice molded product, a turntable for transporting the cooked rice molded product molded by the molded portion, and a control unit for controlling the rotation of the turntable. The turntable is provided with a plurality of mounting portions on which the cooked rice molded product molded by the molding portion is placed, the turntable can be rotated in two directions, and the control unit is molded by the molding portion. It is characterized in that the turntable is rotated so that one of the plurality of mounting portions moves to the discharge position where the cooked rice molded product is discharged.

According to the present invention, the work efficiency of a worker can be improved without depending on the work environment.

It is a perspective view which shows the embodiment of the cooked rice molding apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the cooked rice molding apparatus of FIG. It is a front view of the cooked rice molding apparatus in the state which the panel provided in the cooked rice molding apparatus of FIG. 1 is removed. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the cooked rice forming apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view of a pair of molding rollers provided in the cooked rice molding apparatus of FIG. It is a front view sectional view of the pair of forming rollers of FIG. It is a partially enlarged sectional view of the forming roller of FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB of the forming roller of FIG. It is a schematic view which looked at the turntable provided in the cooked rice molding apparatus of FIG. 1 from above. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of the rotation of the turntable of FIG. (A) is a front view sectional view of the pair of forming rollers of FIG. 5 in the first state, and (b) is a front view sectional view of cooked rice stored in the pair of forming rollers in the first state. (A) is a front sectional view of the pair of forming rollers of FIG. 5 in the second state, and (b) is a front sectional view of cooked rice stored in the pair of forming rollers in the second state. (A) is a front view sectional view of the pair of forming rollers of FIG. 5 in the third state, and (b) is a front view sectional view of cooked rice stored in the pair of forming rollers in the third state. (A) is a front sectional view of the pair of molding rollers of FIG. 5 in the fourth state, and (b) is a front sectional view of the cooked rice molded product discharged from the pair of molding rollers in the fourth state. It is a front view sectional view of the cooked rice molded product immediately after being discharged from the pair of molding rollers of FIG. It is a front view sectional view of the cooked rice molded product which has passed a predetermined time from the state of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which the first cooked rice molded article was discharged to the turntable. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which the next cooked rice molded article of FIG. 17 was discharged to a turntable. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which the next cooked rice molded article of FIG. 18 was discharged to a turntable. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which the next cooked rice molded article of FIG. 19 was discharged to a turntable. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which one cooked rice molded article was taken out in the state of FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the cooked rice molding apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In the following description, the XYZ coordinate system shown in the drawings is shown with the X direction as the front-back direction, the Y direction as the left-right direction, and the Z direction as the up-down direction. In each direction, the direction indicated by the arrow is the + direction. In the X direction, the + X direction is the front direction and the −X direction is the rear direction. In the Y direction, the + Y direction is the left direction and the −Y direction is the right direction. In the Z direction, the + Z direction is the upward direction and the −Z direction is the downward direction. In addition, in the figure, the notation in which "・" is described in "○" indicates an arrow (+ direction) from the back side of the paper to the front side.

● Rice molding equipment ●
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a cooked rice molding apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the cooked rice molding apparatus.
The cooked rice molding apparatus 100 molds, for example, cooked rice R (see FIG. 3, the same applies hereinafter) such as sushi rice into a cooked rice molded product (hereinafter referred to as “sharitama”) RB for nigiri sushi. The rice ball RB formed by the cooked rice forming apparatus 100 has a predetermined shape (for example, substantially a bale shape). The cooked rice molding apparatus 100 operates the hopper 1, the housing 2, the compression unit 3, the molding unit 4, the transport unit 5, the detection unit 6, the control unit 7, the drive unit 8, and the panel 9. It has a part 10.

● Configuration of the cooked rice forming apparatus FIG. 3 is a front view of the cooked rice forming apparatus 100 in a state where the panel 9 is removed.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of the cooked rice forming apparatus 100 of FIG.

The hopper 1 stores, stirs, and supplies cooked rice R. The hopper 1 includes a storage unit 11, a stirring unit 12, and a supply unit 13. The storage unit 11 stores cooked rice R inside. The storage portion 11 is detachably attached to the upper part of the housing 2. The stirring unit 12 includes, for example, a plurality of stirring arms (not shown), and the stirring arm stirs the cooked rice R in the stirring unit 12. The stirring unit 12 is arranged below the storage unit 11. The stirring unit 12 is attached to the upper front surface of the housing 2. The supply unit 13 is integrally provided below the stirring unit 12. The agitated cooked rice R is sent below the supply unit 13 via the supply unit 13.

The housing 2 supports the compression unit 3, the molding unit 4, and the transport unit 5, and houses the drive unit 8 and the like. The housing 2 includes a plurality of support portions. The support portion supports, for example, the compression portion 3 and the molding portion 4.

The compression unit 3 evens out the cooked rice R supplied from the hopper 1 so that the rice ball RB can be easily formed by the forming unit 4 and supplies the rice rice R to the forming unit 4. That is, the cooked rice R supplied from the compression unit 3 to the molding unit 4 is appropriately leveled (compressed) to have a uniform density. The compression unit 3 includes a plurality of rotating shafts 31, an upper compression roller pair 32, a lower compression roller pair 33, and a support plate pair 34.

The rotating shaft 31 supports the upper compression roller pair 32 and the lower compression roller pair 33. The rotating shaft 31 is rotatably supported by the housing 2 via the supporting portion of the housing 2. The upper compression roller pair 32 compresses the cooked rice R supplied from the hopper 1 and evens it uniformly. The upper compression roller pair 32 is composed of a first compression roller 32a and a second compression roller 32b. The lower compression roller pair 33 further smoothes the cooked rice R compressed by the upper compression roller pair 32. The lower compression roller pair 33 is composed of a third compression roller 33a and a fourth compression roller 33b.

The upper compression roller pair 32 and the lower compression roller pair 33 are attached to the housing 2 via the rotating shaft 31. The upper compression roller pair 32 is arranged below the supply unit 13 of the hopper 1 at a predetermined distance in the left-right direction. The lower compression roller pair 33 is arranged below the upper compression roller pair 32 with a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. The distance between the third compression roller 33a and the fourth compression roller 33b is narrower than the distance between the first compression roller 32a and the second compression roller 32b.

The rotating shaft 31 is rotated by a rotational driving force from the driving unit 8. The rotation speed and rotation direction of the upper compression roller pair 32 and the lower compression roller pair 33 supported by the rotation shaft 31 are controlled by the control unit 7. The rotation direction of the upper compression roller pair 32 and the lower compression roller pair 33 is a direction in which the cooked rice R supplied to the compression unit 3 is moved from above to below.

The support plate pair 34 supports the cooked rice R supplied to the compression portion 3 and the molding portion 4 from the front and back. The support plate pair 34 includes a front support plate (not shown) and a rear support plate 34a. The rear support plate 34a is attached to the front surface of the housing 2. The front support plate is attached to the rear surface of the panel 9.

The configuration of the compression unit 3 is not limited to the present embodiment. That is, for example, the roller pair provided in the compression unit 3 has two stages of the upper compression roller pair 32 and the lower compression roller pair 33, but the roller pair provided in the compression unit may have one stage or three or more stages. Further, the compression unit may be a belt type instead of a roller type.

The molding unit 4 molds rice balls RB from cooked rice R whose density is made uniform by the compression unit 3. The molding portion 4 is arranged below the compression portion 3. The molding portion 4 is arranged on the front surface of the housing 2. The molding unit 4 includes a first rotating shaft 41, a second rotating shaft 42, a first forming roller 43, and a second forming roller 44.

The first rotating shaft 41 supports the first forming roller 43. The second rotating shaft 42 supports the second forming roller 44. The latter half of each of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 is rotatably supported by the supporting portion of the housing 2 at a predetermined distance in the left-right direction. The axial directions of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 are along the front-rear direction. The front half side portions of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 each project forward from the support portion of the housing 2. That is, the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 are cantilevered and supported by the support portion.

The first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 rotate by the rotational driving force from the driving unit 8. The rotation speed, rotation direction, and the like of the first rotation shaft 41 and the second rotation shaft 42 are controlled by the control unit 7.

The first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 form cooked rice R whose density is made uniform by the compression portion 3 into rice balls RB. First forming roller 43 is attached to a portion of the front half side of the first rotary shaft 41. The second forming roller 44 is attached to a portion of the front half side of the second rotary shaft 42. The outer peripheral surface of the first forming roller 43 faces the outer peripheral surface of the second forming roller 44.

The rotation direction of the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 is a direction in which the cooked rice R supplied from the compression unit 3 is formed and the formed rice balls RB are discharged downward. That is, the rotation direction of the first forming roller 43 is the clockwise direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 3) in the front view. The rotation direction of the second forming roller 44 is a counterclockwise direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 3) when viewed from the front. The rotation of the first forming roller 43 is synchronized with the rotation of the second forming roller 44.

In a state where the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 are removed, the distance L between the axes of the first rotating shaft 41 (second rotating shaft 42) at different positions in the axial direction is different. The inter-axis distance L is the distance between the axis (axis center) of the first rotating shaft 41 and the axis of the second rotating shaft 42. The distance between the axes on the rear end side of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 is defined as the inter-axis distance L1, and the inter-axis distance L2 is defined as the distance between the shafts on the front end side of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42. The inter-axis distance L1 is longer than the inter-axis distance L2. That is, in a state where the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 are removed, the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 are not parallel to each other.

Next, the configuration of the first forming roller 43 and the configuration of the second forming roller 44 will be described. The configuration of the first forming roller 43 and the configuration of the second forming roller 44 are symmetrical except for the unevenness described later. Therefore, the configuration of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 will be described below using the first forming roller 43.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44.
The first forming roller 43 is made of a synthetic resin such as a fluorine-based resin. The first forming roller 43 is columnar. The first forming roller 43 includes a shaft hole 43h and a storage portion 43a.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44.
The figure shows a cut surface of a pair of forming rollers 43, 44 obtained by cutting a pair of forming rollers 43, 44 at a central portion of the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction). In the figure, the white arrows adjacent to the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 indicate the rotation directions of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 (hereinafter, the same applies to FIGS. 7 and 12-14).

The shaft hole 43h is a hole through which the first rotating shaft 41 is inserted. The shaft hole 43h is arranged on the shaft core line (central axis) of the first forming roller 43 so as to pass through the first forming roller 43. The shaft hole 43h is hexagonal in front view. The shaft hole 43h, part of the front half side of the first rotary shaft 41 is fitted.

The storage portion 43a stores the cooked rice R together with the storage portion 44a of the second molding roller 44, and molds the cooked rice R into a rice ball RB. The storage portion 43a is recessed in a substantially ship bottom shape from the outer peripheral surface of the first forming roller 43 toward the center. The length of the accommodating portion 43a in the axial direction of the first forming roller 43 is longer than the length of the accommodating portion 43a in the circumferential direction of the first forming roller 43 (see FIG. 5). The storage portions 43a are arranged at six locations at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the first forming roller 43.

In the present invention, the number of storage portions included in the first forming roller and the second forming roller is not limited to "6".

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the first forming roller 43.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line BB of the first forming roller 43 of FIG.
The storage portion 43a includes a side wall surface 43a1, an upper wall surface 43a2, a bottom wall surface 43a3, a front wall surface 43a4, and a rear wall surface 43a5. The cooked rice R is formed into the shape of a rice ball RB by being stored in the storage portion 43a. The side wall surface 43a1 corresponds to the side surface of the rice ball RB. The upper wall surface 43a2 corresponds to the upper surface of the rice ball RB. The bottom wall surface 43a3 corresponds to the bottom surface of the rice ball RB. The front wall surface 43a4 and the rear wall surface 43a5 correspond to the end faces (front end face, rear end face) in the longitudinal direction of the rice ball RB. Volume between empty in the accommodating portion 43a (the space surrounded by the rear wall 43a5 and side wall surfaces 43a1 and the upper wall 43a2 and the bottom wall 43a3 and the front wall face 43a4) corresponds to approximately half the volume of the rice ball RB.

As shown in FIG. 6, the side wall surfaces 43a1 are arranged so that a polygon (hexagon) is formed between the six side wall surfaces 43a1 in a cross-sectional view. The upper wall surface 43a2 is located behind the side wall surface 43a1 (in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the first forming roller 43) in the rotation direction of the first forming roller 43 (clockwise direction in FIG. 6). The angle (inner angle) formed by the side wall surface 43a1 and the upper wall surface 43a2 is an obtuse angle.

The bottom wall surface 43a3 is located in front of the side wall surface 43a1 (in the rotation direction of the first forming roller 43) in the rotation direction of the first forming roller 43. The angle (inner angle) formed by the side wall surface 43a1 and the bottom wall surface 43a3 is an acute angle. That is, the angle formed by the side wall surface 43a1 and the bottom wall surface 43a3 is smaller than the angle formed by the side wall surface 43a1 and the upper wall surface 43a2.

As shown in FIG. 8, the front wall surface 43a4 is located on the front end side (lower side of the paper surface in FIG. 8) of the side wall surface 43a1. The rear wall surface 43a5 is located on the rear end side (upper side of the paper surface in FIG. 8) of the side wall surface 43a1. The angle (inner angle) formed by the side wall surface 43a1 and the front wall surface 43a4 is substantially a right angle. The angle (inner angle) formed by the side wall surface 43a1 and the rear wall surface 43a5 is the same as the angle formed by the side wall surface 43a1 and the front wall surface 43a4.

Of the outer peripheral surfaces of the first forming roller 43, the outer peripheral surface 43b located between the storage portions 43a includes a convex portion 43b1 and a concave portion 43b2. The convex portion 43b1 and the concave portion 43b2 are repeatedly provided on the outer peripheral surface 43b along the longitudinal direction (front-back direction) of the first forming roller 43. That is, the outer peripheral surface 43b of the first forming roller 43 is wavy with irregularities in the side view. The protruding shape of the convex portion 43b1 and the concave shape of the concave portion 43b2 are symmetrical to each other.

Next, the relationship between the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 will be described.
The accommodating portion 43a of the first forming roller 43 and the accommodating portion 44a of the second forming roller 44 repeat proximity and separation as the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 rotate. When the storage portion 43a and the storage portion 44a are closest to each other, the space S surrounded by both the storage portions 43a and 44a (hereinafter referred to as “rice molding space”) S is, as shown in FIG. 6, in cross-sectional view. It becomes a closed space.

The outer peripheral surface 43b of the first forming roller 43 and the outer peripheral surface 44b of the second forming roller 44 repeatedly come into contact with each other and separate from each other as the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 rotate. When the outer peripheral surface 43b of the first forming roller 43 and the outer peripheral surface 44b of the second forming roller 44 come into contact with each other, the convex portion 43b1 of the first forming roller 43 is fitted into the concave portion 44b2 of the second forming roller 44. The concave portion 43b2 of the 1 forming roller 43 is fitted into the convex portion 44b1 of the 2nd forming roller 44.

The pitch circle C1 of the first forming roller 43 circumscribes the pitch circle C2 of the second forming roller 44.

The pitch circle C1 of the first forming roller 43 is an intermediate portion between the top of the convex portion 43b1 of the first forming roller 43 and the bottom of the concave portion 43b2 in the radial direction of the first forming roller 43, and the circumference of the first forming roller 43. It is a virtual circle connected along the direction. The pitch circle C2 of the second forming roller 44 is an intermediate portion between the top of the convex portion 44b1 of the second forming roller 44 and the bottom of the concave portion 44b2 in the radial direction of the second forming roller 44, and the circumference of the second forming roller 44. It is a virtual circle connected along the direction. The radius r1 of the pitch circle C1 of the first forming roller 43 (hereinafter referred to as “pitch circle radius”) r1 is the same as the radius r2 of the pitch circle C2 of the second forming roller 44 (hereinafter referred to as “pitch circle radius”) r2. ..

In the state before mounting the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44, the distance L2 between the shafts on the front end side of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 is shorter than the sum of the pitch circle radius r1 and the pitch circle radius r2. .. Therefore, when the outer peripheral surfaces 43b and 44b come into contact with each other, the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 come into contact with the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 42 from the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42. 2 Receives stress (hereinafter referred to as "stress between shafts") acting in a direction close to the forming roller 44. As described above, the inter-axis distance L2 on the front end side of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 is shorter than the inter-axis distance L1 on the rear end side. Therefore, the influence of the stress between the shafts on the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 increases from the rear end side to the front end side of the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44.

In the state before mounting the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44, the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft are parallel if the distance L2 between the shafts is shorter than the sum of the pitch circle radius r1 and the pitch circle radius r2. It may be.

The transport unit 5 transports the rice ball RB molded by the molding unit 4. The transport unit 5 is arranged below the molding unit 4 as shown in FIG. The transport unit 5 includes a turntable 51 that is circular in a plan view.

The turntable 51 conveys the rice ball RB molded by the molding unit 4 to a position where the rice ball RB is taken out by an operator or the like while being placed on the turntable 51. The turntable 51 is intermittently rotated by a predetermined angle in the circumferential direction by the rotational driving force from the driving unit 8. The rotation angle of the turntable 51 is set to, for example, 90 degrees. The rotation of the turntable 51 (for example, rotation direction, rotation angle, rotation speed, start or stop of rotation, etc.) is controlled by the control unit 7. The set information such as the rotation angle of the turntable 51 is readable by the control unit 7 and stored in a storage unit (not shown) in the cooked rice molding apparatus 100.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the turntable 51 as viewed from above.
The figure shows a detection unit 6, a control unit 7, and a drive unit 8 in a block diagram. In the figure, the alternate long and short dash line indicates the optical path of infrared rays from the detection unit 6 described later, and the alternate long and short dash line indicates a pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 (hereinafter, the same applies to FIGS. 17 to 21).

The turntable 51 can be rotated in two directions, a forward direction (clockwise direction on the paper surface of FIG. 9) and a reverse direction (counterclockwise direction on the paper surface in FIG. 9).

The turntable 51 includes, for example, four mounting portions P1-P4. Each mounting portion P1-P4 is a portion (position) on the turntable 51 on which the rice ball RB molded by the molding portion 4 is placed. The mounting portions P1-P4 are evenly arranged (at intervals of 90 degrees) on the upper surface of the turntable 51 along the circumferential direction of the turntable 51.

In the present invention, the number of mounting portions is not limited to "4". The number of mounting portions is determined by the rotation angle of the turntable 51. That is, for example, when the rotation angle of the turntable 51 is 45 degrees, the number of mounting portions is "8".

Each mounting portion P1-P4 stops at a predetermined stop position as the turntable 51 rotates intermittently in two directions. The stop position includes one release position Pa and a plurality of (two in the present embodiment) standby positions Pb.

The discharge position Pa is a position where the rice ball RB molded by the molding unit 4 is discharged. That is, the discharge position Pa is a position where the rice ball RB is placed on each of the mounting portions P1-P4 as the turntable 51 rotates. The discharge position Pa is a stop position below the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44.

The standby position Pb is a position where each mounting portion P1-P4 waits for receiving the next rice ball RB after the rice ball RB is released at the release position Pa. That is, any of the mounting portions P1-P4 located at the standby position Pb may then move to the release position Pa and receive the rice ball RB. The standby position Pb includes a first standby position Pb1 and a second standby position Pb2.

Each mounting portion P1-P4 moves to the discharge position Pa or the standby position Pb as the turntable 51 rotates in two directions. Here, the placing section P1-P4 is moved to the release position Pa is placing portion P1-P4 is meant to move to a position corresponding to the release position Pa. When the mounting portion P1-P4 moves to the standby position Pb, it means that the mounting portion P1-P4 moves to the position corresponding to the standby position Pb.

The first standby position Pb1 is a stop position 90 degrees away from the discharge position Pa in the direction opposite to the discharge position Pa in the rotation direction of the turntable 51. The second standby position Pb2 is a stop position 90 degrees away from the discharge position Pa in the positive direction in the rotation direction of the turntable 51. That is, the first standby position Pb1 and the second standby position Pb2 are equidistant from the discharge position Pa in the forward and reverse directions in the rotation direction of the turntable 51.

The rotation direction of the turntable 51 is set to preferentially rotate based on the detection result of the detection unit 6. That is, either one of the first standby position Pb1 and the second standby position Pb2 is set as a position where the next rice ball RB is preferentially placed (hereinafter referred to as "priority standby position"). In the present embodiment, the first standby position Pb1 is set to the priority standby position. The information regarding the set priority standby position is readable by the control unit 7 and stored in the storage unit in the cooked rice molding apparatus 100. The cooked rice molding apparatus 100 identifies the priority standby position based on the information stored in the storage unit.

The priority standby position may be set to the second standby position Pb2 instead of the first standby position Pb1.

The detection unit 6 detects the presence or absence of the rice ball RB of the mounting portion located at the standby position Pb among the plurality of mounting portions P1-P4 of the turntable 51. The detection unit 6 is a front end portion of the housing 2 and is arranged between the molding unit 4 and the transport unit 5 in front view (see FIG. 3). The detection unit 6 includes a first sensor 61 and a second sensor 62. The first sensor 61 and the second sensor 62 are examples of specific sensors in the present invention.

The first sensor 61 and the second sensor 62 are so-called regression reflection type photoelectric sensors that detect the presence or absence of the rice ball RB based on whether or not the irradiated infrared rays (dashed line in FIG. 9) are reflected.

The first sensor 61 is arranged on the front right side of the housing 2 (the left side of the paper surface in FIG. 3) corresponding to the first standby position Pb1. The first sensor 61 irradiates the first standby position Pb1 with infrared rays to detect the presence or absence of the rice ball RB of the mounting portion located at the first standby position Pb1.

The second sensor 62 is arranged on the front left side of the housing 2 (the right side of the paper surface in FIG. 3) corresponding to the second standby position Pb2. The second sensor 62 irradiates the second standby position Pb2 with infrared rays to detect the presence or absence of the rice ball RB of the mounting portion located at the second standby position Pb2.

The detection result of the first sensor 61 and the detection result of the second sensor 62 are sent to the control unit 7 as detection signals. Based on these detection results, the control unit 7 rotates the turntable 51 so that the mounting unit located at the standby position Pb of the two standby positions Pb moves to the release position Pa. ..

The configuration of the detection unit 6 is not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment as long as the presence or absence of the rice ball RB of the mounting unit located at the standby position Pb can be detected. That is, for example, the detection unit may be composed of a weight sensor that detects a change in the weight of the turntable 51 at a predetermined position, an inclination sensor that detects the inclination of the turntable 51, and the like.

The control unit 7 controls the operation of the entire cooked rice molding apparatus 100, such as controlling the rotation of the molding unit 4 and the conveying unit 5. The control unit 7 is housed in, for example, a housing 2.

The drive unit 8 supplies a rotational driving force to, for example, the stirring unit 12, the compression unit 3, the molding unit 4, and the transport unit 5 according to the instruction from the control unit 7. The drive unit 8 is housed in the housing 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The drive unit 8 is composed of, for example, a plurality of motors. The rotational driving force from the driving unit 8 is supplied to each member via a gear (not shown) or the like.

The panel 9 protects the stirring unit 12, the supply unit 13, the compression unit 3, and the molding unit 4 of the hopper 1 from dust and the like around the cooked rice molding apparatus 100. The panel 9 is attached to the front surface of the housing 2.

The operation unit 10 sets the amount of cooked rice R, the number of rice balls RB formed, and the like. The operation unit 10 includes a display unit, a power switch, an emergency stop button, a mode selection button, and the like.

-Method of controlling the rotation of the turntable 51 Next, a method of controlling the rotation of the turntable 51 by the control unit 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling the rotation of the turntable 51 by the control unit 7.

First, the detection unit 6 detects the presence or absence of the rice ball RB of the mounting unit P2 located at the first standby position Pb1 and the mounting unit P4 located at the second standby position Pb2 (S1). ). The detection result of the detection unit 6 is sent to the control unit 7.

Next, the control unit 7 detects the rice ball RB of the mounting unit P2 located at the first standby position Pb1 set as the priority standby position based on the detection result of the first sensor 61. Confirm whether or not it is done (S2).

When the first sensor 61 does not detect the rice ball RB (“No” in S2), the control unit 7 moves the turntable 51 in the forward direction (hereinafter, the same applies) via the drive unit 8 (hereinafter, the same applies). Rotate 90 degrees in the clockwise direction of the paper (S3). That is, when the first sensor 61 does not detect the rice ball RB, the control unit 7 sets the mounting unit P2 located in the priority standby position to the release position Pa based on the detection result of the first sensor 61. The turntable 51 is rotated so as to move. After that, the rice ball RB molded by the molding unit 4 is placed on the mounting portion P2 located at the discharge position Pa. The process by the control unit 7 returns to process S1.

When the first sensor 61 detects the rice ball RB (“Yes” in S2), the control unit 7 is placed at the second standby position Pb2 based on the detection result of the second sensor 62. It is confirmed whether or not the second sensor 62 has detected the rice ball RB of the unit P4 (S4).

When the second sensor 62 does not detect the rice ball RB (“No” in S4), the control unit 7 rotates the turntable 51 in the opposite direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 9) by 90 degrees (S5). ). That is, when the first sensor 61 detects the rice ball RB and the second sensor 62 does not detect the rice ball RB, the control unit 7 receives the second standby based on the detection result of the second sensor 62. The turntable 51 is rotated so that the mounting portion P4 located at the position Pb2 moves to the discharge position Pa. After that, the rice ball RB molded by the molding unit 4 is placed on the mounting unit P4 located at the discharge position Pa. The process by the control unit 7 returns to process S1.

When the second sensor 62 detects the rice ball RB (“Yes” in S4), the control unit 7 stops the rotation of the turntable 51 (S6). At this time, the control unit 7 stops the release of the rice ball RB from the molding unit 4. The process by the control unit 7 returns to process S1.

After that, when the rice balls RB of the mounting portions P2 and P4 located at at least one of the first standby position Pb1 and the second standby position Pb2 are taken out by an operator or the like, the control unit 7 moves as described above. The turntable 51 is rotated in either the forward direction or the reverse direction (S1-S5). That is, the control unit 7 determines the timing of starting the rotation of the turntable 51 based on the detection result of the detection unit 6.

Further, neither the first sensor 61 nor the second sensor 62 has detected the rice ball RB (the rice balls P2 and P4 located at the first standby position Pb1 and the second standby position Pb2, respectively). When the ball RB does not exist), the control unit 7 moves the turntable 51 so that the mounting unit P2 located at the first standby position Pb1 set as the priority standby position moves to the release position Pa. (Rotate 90 degrees in the forward direction).

In this way, the control unit 7 controls (determines) the rotation direction of the turntable 51 based on the detection result of the detection unit 6. As described above, the turntable 51 can rotate in two directions. That is, the rotation direction of the turntable 51 can be freely changed according to the work environment such as the arrangement of the cooked rice forming apparatus 100 in the workplace, the dominant hand of the worker, and the standing position of the worker.

● Operation of the cooked rice forming apparatus Next, the operation of the cooked rice forming apparatus 100 will be described.

First, cooked rice R such as sushi rice is put into the storage portion 11 of the hopper 1. When the power switch of the cooked rice molding apparatus 100 is turned on with the cooked rice R charged into the storage section 11, the cooked rice R is agitated and solved by the stirring section 12.

Next, the control unit 7 controls the drive unit 8 to drive the compression unit 3 (rotate the upper compression roller pair 32 and the lower compression roller pair 33). By rotating the upper compression roller pair 32 and the lower compression roller pair 33, the cooked rice R supplied from the supply unit 13 of the hopper 1 is sent to the molding unit 4 in a state where the density is made uniform.

When the cooked rice R reaches the molding unit 4, the control unit 7 stops driving the compression unit 3. At this time, the cooked rice molding apparatus 100 is in the standby state. When the cooked rice forming apparatus 100 is in the standby state, the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in a state where the outer peripheral surface 43b of the first forming roller 43 and the outer peripheral surface 44b of the second forming roller 44 are in contact with each other (hereinafter, "first state"). ".).

Next, the control unit 7 controls the drive unit 8 to rotate the upper compression roller pair 32, the lower compression roller pair 33, and the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44. By rotating the upper compression roller pair 32, the lower compression roller pair 33, and the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44, the forming unit 4 repeats storing the cooked rice R, forming the rice ball RB, and releasing the rice ball RB.

FIG. 11A is a front sectional view of the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 in the first state. FIG. 11B is a front sectional view of the cooked rice R stored in the molding portion 4 in the first state.

When the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in the first state, the storage portions 43a, 44a located behind the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 in the rotational direction with respect to the outer peripheral surfaces 43b, 44b that are in contact with each other are viewed from the front. Faces a V shape at.

When the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in the first state, the storage portion 43a and the storage portion 44a are not located between the shaft core of the first rotating shaft 41 and the shaft core of the second rotating shaft 42. That is, when the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in the first state, there is no space between the shaft core of the first rotating shaft 41 and the shaft core of the second rotating shaft 42. At this time, between the axis of the first rotary shaft 41 and the axis of the second rotary shaft 42 is a dense state by a pair of forming rollers 43 and 44.

When the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in the first state, the cooked rice R supplied from the compression unit 3 is stored in the storage portions 43a, 44a facing in a V shape when viewed from the front.

When the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 further rotate from the first state, the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 have the accommodating portions 43a and 44a with the axis of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42. It is in a state of advancing between the shaft core and the shaft (hereinafter referred to as "second state").

FIG. 12A is a front sectional view of the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 in the second state. FIG. 12B is a front sectional view of cooked rice R housed in the molding portion 4 in the second state.

When the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in the second state, at least a part of the storage portions 43a, 44a is located between the shaft core of the first rotating shaft 41 and the shaft core of the second rotating shaft 42. That is, when the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in the second state, a space (in the space) provided by the storage portions 43a, 44a is between the shaft core of the first rotating shaft 41 and the shaft core of the second rotating shaft 42. Is stored in rice R).

When the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in the second state, the cooked rice R stored in the storage portions 43a, 44a begins to be formed into the rice balls RB.

When the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 further rotate from the second state, the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 are in a state in which the accommodating portion 43a and the accommodating portion 44a face each other substantially in parallel (hereinafter, "first". It is called "3 states").

FIG. 13A is a front sectional view of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 in the third state. FIG. 13B is a front sectional view of cooked rice R housed in the molding portion 4 in the third state.

When the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in the third state, the storage portion 43a and the storage portion 44a face each other. When the storage portion 43a and the storage portion 44a face each other, the storage portion 43a is closest to the storage portion 44a. When the storage portion 43a and the storage portion 44a face each other, the distance between the upper wall surfaces 43a2 and 44a2 is substantially the same as the distance between the bottom wall surfaces 43a3 and 44a3.

When the storage portion 43a and the storage portion 44a face each other, the line connecting the upper wall surface 43a2 of the storage portion 43a and the upper wall surface 44a2 of the storage portion 44a is rearward in the rotational direction of the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 in the front view. It has a convex dome shape (above the paper surface of FIG. 13). On the other hand, the line connecting the bottom wall surface 43a3 of the storage portion 43a and the bottom wall surface 44a3 of the storage portion 44a has a mountain shape that is convex rearward in the rotational direction of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 when viewed from the front.

When the storage portion 43a and the storage portion 44a face each other, the cooked rice molding space S formed by the storage portions 43a and 44a has a dome shape whose upper part is convex upward and a mountain shape whose bottom is convex upward when viewed from the front. is there.

When the storage portion 43a and the storage portion 44a face each other, the cooked rice R in the cooked rice molding space S is molded into a rice ball RB by the storage portions 43a and 44a. At this time, the bottom surface of the rice ball RB is provided with a concave portion RBa. Recess RBa is recessed toward the center of the rice ball RB along the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction) of the rice ball RB. The concave RBa has a mountain shape that is convex rearward in the rotational direction of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 when viewed from the front.

When the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 further rotate from the third state, the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 are in a state in which the bottom portion of the cooked rice forming space S expands in the left-right direction from the third state (hereinafter, "third state"). It is called "4 states").

FIG. 14A is a front sectional view of the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 in the fourth state. FIG. 14B is a front view sectional view of the rice ball RB molded by the molding portion 4 in the fourth state.

When the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 are in the fourth state, the outer peripheral surfaces 43b and 44b on the rear side of the cooked rice forming space S are brought into close contact with each other in the rotational direction of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 due to the stress between the shafts. That is, the convex portion 43b1 of the outer peripheral surface 43b is in close contact with the concave portion 44b2 of the outer peripheral surface 44b, and the concave portion 43b2 of the outer peripheral surface 43b is in close contact with the convex portion 44b1 of the outer peripheral surface 44b. Therefore, the cooked rice R does not remain between the outer peripheral surface 43b and the outer peripheral surface 44b. As a result, molding defects (burrs) are not formed on the upper surface of the rice ball RB. That is, the rice ball RB is separated from the cooked rice R in a good molded state without burrs.

When the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 rotate from the third state to the fourth state, the bottom wall surface 43a3 of the storage portion 43a and the bottom wall surface 44a3 of the storage portion 44a are separated from each other in the left-right direction in the front view. When the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 are in the fourth state, the line connecting the bottom wall surfaces 43a3, 44a3 is substantially a straight line in the front view.

When the bottom wall surfaces 43a3 and 44a3 are separated from each other in the left-right direction, the bottom surface of the rice ball RB expands in the left-right direction in accordance with the movement of the bottom wall surfaces 43a3 and 44a3. As a result, the density on the bottom surface side of the rice ball RB is smaller than the density on the upper surface side of the rice ball RB. That is, the bottom surface side of the rice ball RB contains a larger amount of air than the upper surface side of the rice ball RB.

When the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 are in the fourth state, the rice ball RB is pushed from the upper wall surfaces 43a2 and 44a2 toward the front in the rotational direction of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44. Therefore, the concave portion RBa on the bottom surface of the rice ball RB is smaller than that when the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 are in the third state.

When the pair of forming rollers 43, 44 further rotate from the fourth state, the rice ball RB is discharged (falls) from the cooked rice molding space S to the mounting portion located at the lower discharge position Pa.

As described above, no burrs are formed on the rice ball RB. The sushi ball RB without burrs is easier to separate from the storage portions 43a and 44a than the sushi balls with burrs. That is, the sushi ball RB without burrs separates from the storage portions 43a and 44a earlier than the sushi balls with burrs. In addition, there is no tipping or tilting of the rice ball RB released from the cooked rice molding space S. Therefore, the drop position and the drop posture of the rice ball RB on the turntable 51 are stable. As a result, the rotation angle of the turntable 51 is narrowed, and the time required for the rotation of the turntable 51 is shortened.

FIG. 15 is a front view sectional view of the rice ball RB immediately after the release (molding).
The state of the rice ball RB immediately after molding is almost the same as the state of the rice ball RB when the pair of molding rollers 43 and 44 are in the fourth state. That is, the bottom surface side of the rice ball RB is in a state of containing a larger amount of air than the upper surface side of the rice ball RB.

FIG. 16 is a front view sectional view of the rice sushi ball RB after a lapse of a predetermined time from the molding.
In the rice ball RB after a predetermined time has passed since it was molded, the rice R on the upper surface moves to the bottom side due to its own weight, so that air is also discharged to the upper surface side of the rice ball RB as compared with the rice ball RB immediately after molding. It will be in the included state. As a result, the texture of the rice ball RB molded by the cooked rice molding device 100 is more airy and plump than the texture of the rice ball molded by the conventional cooked rice molding device. The bottom surface of the rice ball RB becomes flat along the surface of the turntable 51.

In this way, the rice ball RB is formed as the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 rotate. At this time, the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 receive a force due to elasticity or the like (hereinafter referred to as "repulsive force") from the cooked rice R when the rice ball RB is formed. The direction of the repulsive force acting on the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 is the direction in which the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 are separated from each other (left-right direction on the paper surface in FIG. 13).

Since the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42 are cantilevered supports, the influence of the repulsive force increases toward the free end (front end) of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42. .. On the other hand, the influence of stress between the shafts also increases toward the free end (front end) of the first rotating shaft 41 and the second rotating shaft 42. Here, the stress between the shafts is set to be larger than the repulsive force by adjusting the distance between the front end of the first rotating shaft 41 and the front end of the second rotating shaft 42. Therefore, the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44 are not separated by the repulsive force. That is, burrs do not occur on the rice ball RB formed by the cooked rice forming apparatus 100. That is, the rice ball RB is easily separated from the storage portions 43a and 44a. As a result, the cooked rice molding apparatus 100 molds the rice ball RB at high speed while suppressing the occurrence of molding defects.

The magnitude of the stress between the shafts may be the same as the magnitude of the repulsive force. In this case, the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 come into contact with each other with equal force in the axial direction (front-back direction) of the pair of forming rollers 43 and 44.

● Operation of the transport unit 5 Next, the operation of the transport unit 5 will be described.

FIG. 17 is a schematic view showing a state in which the first rice sushi ball RB1 is released to the turntable 51.
In the figure, the broken arc arrows indicate the movement paths of the mounting portions P1-P4 (hereinafter, the same applies to FIGS. 18 to 21).

First, the first rice ball RB1 is released (mounted) on the mounting portion P1 located at the discharge position Pa. At this time, the first sensor 61 does not detect the rice ball RB of the mounting portion P2 located at the first standby position Pb1 set as the priority standby position. Similarly, the second sensor 62 does not detect the rice ball RB of the mounting portion P4 located at the second standby position Pb2.

Since the rice ball RB does not exist in the mounting unit P2 located at the priority standby position, the control unit 7 rotates the turntable 51 in the forward direction (clockwise in FIG. 17) by 90 degrees. As a result, the mounting portion P2 moves to the release position Pa. After the turntable 51 is rotated, the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 release the second rice ball RB2 to the mounting portion P2.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing a state in which the second rice ball RB2 is released to the turntable 51.

When the turntable 51 on which the first rice ball RB1 is placed is rotated 90 degrees in the positive direction, the first sensor 61 does not detect the rice ball RB of the mounting portion P3 located at the first standby position Pb1. .. On the other hand, the second sensor 62 detects the rice ball RB1 of the mounting portion P1 located at the second standby position Pb2.

Since the rice ball RB does not exist in the mounting unit P3 located at the priority standby position, the control unit 7 rotates the turntable 51 90 degrees in the forward direction. As a result, the mounting portion P3 moves to the release position Pa. After the turntable 51 is rotated, the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 release the third rice ball RB3 to the mounting portion P3.

FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing a state in which the third rice ball RB3 is released to the turntable 51.

When the turntable 51 on which the second rice ball RB2 is mounted is rotated 90 degrees in the positive direction, the first sensor 61 detects the rice ball RB of the mounting portion P4 located at the first standby position Pb1. Absent. On the other hand, the second sensor 62 detects the rice ball RB2 of the mounting portion P2 located at the second standby position Pb2.

Since the rice ball RB does not exist in the mounting unit P4 located at the priority standby position, the control unit 7 rotates the turntable 51 90 degrees in the forward direction. As a result, the mounting portion P4 moves to the release position Pa. After the turntable 51 is rotated, the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 release the fourth rice ball RB4 to the mounting portion P4.

FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing a state in which the fourth rice ball RB4 is released to the turntable 51.

When the turntable 51 on which the third rice ball RB3 is mounted is rotated 90 degrees in the positive direction, the first sensor 61 detects the rice ball RB1 of the mounting portion P1 located at the first standby position Pb1. There is. On the other hand, the second sensor 62 detects the rice ball RB3 of the mounting portion P2 located at the second standby position Pb2.

Since both the first sensor 61 and the second sensor 62 detect the rice ball RB, the control unit 7 stops the rotation of the turntable 51. In the control unit 7, either one of the rice ball RB1 of the mounting unit P1 located at the first standby position Pb1 and the rice ball RB3 of the mounting unit P3 located at the second standby position Pb2 The turntable 51 does not start rotating unless it is taken out by an operator or the like.

FIG. 21 is a schematic view showing a state in which the rice ball RB3 of the mounting portion P3 located at the second standby position Pb2 is taken out in the state of FIG.

When the rice ball RB3 of the mounting portion P3 located at the second standby position Pb2 in the state of FIG. 20 is taken out by an operator or the like, the control unit 7 moves the turntable 51 in the opposite direction (counterclockwise of FIG. 21). Rotate 90 degrees clockwise). As a result, the mounting portion P3 moves to the release position Pa. After the turntable 51 is rotated, the first forming roller 43 and the second forming roller 44 discharge the fifth rice ball (not shown) to the mounting portion P3.

In the state of FIG. 20, when the rice ball RB1 of the mounting unit P1 located at the first standby position Pb1 is taken out by an operator or the like, the control unit 7 rotates the turntable 51 90 degrees in the forward direction. Let me. As a result, the mounting portion P1 moves to the release position Pa.

In this way, the turntable 51 rotates in the direction corresponding to the position of the rice ball RB taken out by an operator or the like. That is, the rotation direction of the turntable 51 is controlled (switched) by the control unit 7 in a direction suitable for the working environment. That is, the cooked rice forming apparatus 100 does not need to change the rotation direction of the turntable 51 according to the working environment (arrangement of the cooked rice forming apparatus 100 in the workplace, the dominant hand of the worker, the standing position of the worker, etc.), and the worker Improve work efficiency.

● Summary According to the embodiment described above, the control unit 7 rotates the turntable 51 in the forward direction when the first sensor 61 does not detect the rice ball RB. On the other hand, the control unit 7 rotates the turntable 51 in the opposite direction when the second sensor 62 does not detect the rice ball RB. That is, the control unit 7 rotates the turntable 51 in either of the two directions based on the detection result of the detection unit 6.

Further, among the plurality of standby positions Pb, the first standby position Pb1 is set as the priority standby position. In the control unit 7, when the detection unit 6 does not detect the rice ball RB of the mounting unit located at the priority standby position (first standby position Pb1), the mounting unit located at the priority standby position is The turntable 51 is rotated so as to move to the discharge position Pa.

As described above, the cooked rice molding apparatus according to the present invention has a work efficiency of the operator as compared with the conventional cooked rice molding apparatus in which the rotation direction of the turntable 51 is not fixed and the rotation direction of the turntable is fixed. To improve.

The positions of the first standby position Pb1 and the second standby position Pb2 are not limited to the present embodiment. That is, for example, the second standby position may be a stop position 180 degrees away from the release position Pa in the rotation direction of the turntable 51. At this time, the second sensor is arranged corresponding to the second standby position. In this case, the control unit determines the rotation angle of the turntable to be either 90 degrees or 180 degrees based on the detection result of the detection unit.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the stop position includes two standby positions Pb, but the number of standby positions may be "3" in the present invention. At this time, the detection unit includes three sensors corresponding to any of the three standby positions. Each of the three sensors detects the presence or absence of the rice ball RB of the mounting portion located at each of the standby positions corresponding to each sensor. In this case, the control unit determines the rotation angle of the turntable to be either 90 degrees or 180 degrees based on the detection result of the detection unit. That is, the control unit rotates the turntable so that the mounting portion moves to the discharging position regardless of the mounting portion located at which standby position the rice ball RB is taken out.

Further, the priority standby position may be set by giving priority to three or more standby positions. That is, for example, when priority standby positions are set at the three standby positions, the control unit rotates the turntable in descending order of priority.

Furthermore, based on the detection result of the detection unit 6, the control unit 7 determines whether or not to discharge the rice ball RB to the mounting unit located at the discharge position Pa after the rotation of the turntable 51. May be good. That is, for example, when the rice ball RB exists in the first standby position Pb1 and the second standby position Pb2 after the turntable 51 is rotated, the rice ball RB in the storage portions 43a and 44a is the first standby position Pb1 and the first standby position Pb1. 2 Until the rice ball RB of the mounting portion located at any of the standby positions Pb2 is taken out, it is not discharged (mounted) to the mounting portion located at the discharge position Pa.

100 Rice molding device 1 Hopper 2 Housing 3 Compressing part 4 Molding part 41 1st rotating shaft 42 2nd rotating shaft 43 1st molding roller 43a Storage part 43a1 Side wall surface 43a2 Upper wall surface 43a3 Bottom wall surface 44 2nd molding roller 44a Storage part 44a1 Side wall surface 44a2 Upper wall surface 44a3 Bottom wall surface 5 Transport unit 51 Turntable 6 Detection unit 61 1st sensor 62 2nd sensor 7 Control unit 8 Drive unit 9 Panel 10 Operation unit RB Rice molded product Pa Release position Pb1 1st standby position Pb2 2nd standby position r1 Pitch circle radius of the 1st forming roller r2 Pitch circle radius of the 2nd forming roller L Distance between the 1st rotation axis and the 2nd rotation axis

Claims (8)

Molding part for molding cooked rice and
A turntable that conveys the cooked rice molded product molded by the molding unit, and
A control unit that controls the rotation of the turntable,
A detector that detects the presence or absence of the cooked rice molded product placed on the turntable, and
Have
The turntable includes a plurality of mounting portions on which the cooked rice molded product molded by the molding portion is placed.
The turntable can rotate in two directions and
The detection unit detects the presence or absence of the cooked rice molded product in the previously described mounting portion located at a predetermined standby position among the plurality of mounting portions.
There are a plurality of the standby positions,
One of the plurality of standby positions is set as the priority standby position.
When the detection unit does not detect the cooked rice molded product of the previously described placement portion located at the priority standby position, the control unit releases the cooked rice molded product molded by the molding unit. positioned, among the plurality of mounting portion such that said priority waiting said mounting portion is positioned in a position to move, rotating the turntable,
A cooked rice molding device characterized by this. Molding part for molding cooked rice and
A turntable that conveys the cooked rice molded product molded by the molding unit, and
A control unit that controls the rotation of the turntable,
A detector that detects the presence or absence of the cooked rice molded product placed on the turntable, and
Have
The turntable includes a plurality of mounting portions on which the cooked rice molded product molded by the molding portion is placed.
The turntable can rotate in two directions and
The detection unit detects the presence or absence of the cooked rice molded product in the previously described mounting portion located at a predetermined standby position among the plurality of mounting portions.
There are a plurality of the standby positions,
One of the plurality of standby positions is set as the priority standby position.
The detection unit includes a specific sensor that detects the presence or absence of the cooked rice molded product in the previously described mounting portion located at the priority standby position among the plurality of mounting portions.
When the specific sensor does not detect the cooked rice product, the control unit gives priority to the plurality of mounting portions at the discharge position where the cooked rice molded product molded by the molded product is discharged. Rotate the turntable so that the previously described rest located in the standby position moves.
A cooked rice molding device characterized by this. Molding part for molding cooked rice and
A turntable that conveys the cooked rice molded product molded by the molding unit, and
A control unit that controls the rotation of the turntable,
A detector that detects the presence or absence of the cooked rice molded product placed on the turntable, and
Have
The turntable includes a plurality of mounting portions on which the cooked rice molded product molded by the molding portion is placed.
The turntable can rotate in two directions and
The detection unit detects the presence or absence of the cooked rice molded product in the previously described mounting portion located at a predetermined standby position among the plurality of mounting portions.
There are a plurality of the standby positions,
The plurality of standby positions include a first standby position and a second standby position.
The detection unit includes a first sensor and a second sensor.
The first sensor detects the presence or absence of the cooked rice molded product in the previously described portion located at the first standby position.
The second sensor detects the presence or absence of the cooked rice molded product in the previously described portion located at the second standby position.
When the first sensor does not detect the cooked rice product, the control unit releases the cooked rice molded product molded by the molding unit from the previously described placing portion located at the first standby position. Rotate the turntable so that it moves to the release position where it is
When the second sensor does not detect the cooked rice molded product, the control unit rotates the turntable so that the previously described portion located at the second standby position moves to the discharge position. Let,
A cooked rice molding device characterized by this. The detection unit includes a plurality of sensors and has a plurality of sensors.
Each of the plurality of sensors corresponds to any of the standby positions of the plurality of standby positions, and whether or not the cooked rice molded product is placed on the previously described placement portion located at the corresponding standby position. Detect,
The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 1 . The first standby position is set as the priority standby position,
When the first sensor does not detect the cooked rice molded product, the control unit rotates the turntable so that the previously described portion located at the priority standby position moves to the discharge position. ,
The cooked rice molding apparatus according to claim 3. The control unit determines the rotation direction of the turntable based on the detection result of the detection unit.
The cooked rice molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The control unit determines the timing of starting the rotation of the turntable based on the detection result of the detection unit.
The cooked rice molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The control unit determines the rotation angle of the turntable based on the detection result of the detection unit.
The cooked rice molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

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