Cooked rice forming device

Abstract

To provide a cooked rice forming device that causes ingredients placed in sheet-shaped cooked rice chunks to stay at a predetermined position so that the ingredients do not move during and after formation in the rice ball-shaped cooked rice chunks and do not impair the appearance while maintaining plump feeling without pressing and crushing the ingredients during the formation.SOLUTION: A cooked rice forming device M comprises: an intake conveyor 60 that receives sheet-shaped cooked rice chunks R conveyed by a conveying unit 1; a cooked rice folding unit 21 for bending the sheet-shaped cooked rice chunks R; a movement prevention plate 30 that regulates the movement of the sheet-shaped cooked rice chunks R; and a folding unit control unit 3 that controls a bending operation. The cooked rice folding unit 21 comprises a folding plate 40 and a fold-back plate 50. The folding unit control unit 3 comprises a first gear case 80 that rotatably supports the folding plate 40, and a second gear case 90 that rotatably supports the fold-back plate 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooked rice forming device for folding a sheet-like mass of cooked rice formed at a predetermined density into a rice ball-shaped mass of cooked rice. [Background technology]

[0002] The rice ball forming device has a sheet-shaped rice forming device that divides cooked rice into predetermined amounts of cooked rice blocks, folds the cooked rice blocks for one meal, for example, formed into a sheet-like shape, and forms an onigiri-shaped cooked rice block. In this type of forming device, the rice ball-shaped cooked rice block is formed by folding the sheet-shaped cooked rice so that ingredients placed on the rice sheet are wrapped in the cooked rice, and the rice ball-shaped cooked rice block containing the ingredients is placed on a conveying section such as a belt conveyor, and is sent by the conveying section to a rice ball forming section that forms the rice ball-shaped cooked rice block into an onigiri block.

[0003] In such a forming device, it is desired that the rice ball lump formed from the sheet-like cooked rice lump becomes a plump rice ball lump as if it were made by a human hand. One of this type of forming device uses three plates to form a sheet-like cooked rice lump into an onigiri-shaped cooked rice lump (for example, Patent Document 1). This forming device includes a movable support part that supports the approximate center of the sheet-like cooked rice lump, left and right folding pieces connected to both ends of the long side of the movable support part, and a folding opening closing device that closes the openings formed above the left and right folding pieces when the left and right folding pieces are transformed into a form perpendicular to the movable support part. This forming device can form the sheet-like cooked rice lump into an onigiri-shaped cooked rice lump by folding and storing the sheet-like cooked rice on which ingredients are placed in the forming space formed by the movable support part, the left and right folding pieces, and the folding opening closing device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-62106 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a conventional forming device for forming a sheet-shaped cooked rice mass into an onigiri-shaped cooked rice mass, the forming space in which cooked rice is stored is always constant, and the following problems arise depending on the size of the ingredients placed on the sheet-shaped cooked rice mass. For example, if the ingredients placed on the sheet-shaped cooked rice mass are large, there is a risk that the ingredients will be pressed and crushed by the cooked rice when the sheet-shaped cooked rice mass is formed into an onigiri-shaped cooked rice mass. Also, if the ingredients placed on the sheet-shaped cooked rice mass are small, a gap is generated between the cooked rice and the ingredients in the ingredient storage space formed inside the onigiri-shaped cooked rice mass when the sheet-shaped cooked rice mass is formed into an onigiri-shaped cooked rice mass, and there is a risk that the ingredients will not be positioned at the specified position of the onigiri-shaped cooked rice mass when the sheet-shaped cooked rice mass is formed into an onigiri-shaped cooked rice mass.

[0006] In addition, in conventional cooked rice forming devices, when a sheet-like cooked rice block is folded to form an onigiri-shaped cooked rice block, depending on the size of the ingredients, the peripheral parts of the folded sheet-like cooked rice block may not come into contact with each other, and the ingredients placed on the sheet-like cooked rice block may not be contained within the folded cooked rice. In this way, when the peripheral parts of the onigiri-shaped cooked rice block are not in contact with each other, gaps are generated at the peripheral parts of the formed onigiri block, and the contained ingredients can be seen from the outside through the gaps, which may spoil the aesthetic appearance of the onigiri block.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a cooked rice forming device that can keep ingredients placed on a sheet-like cooked rice block in a predetermined position without moving during and after forming into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block, and can form a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block that maintains a fluffy texture and does not impair its aesthetic appearance without pressing and crushing the ingredients during forming. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A first aspect of the present invention is a cooked rice forming device that folds a sheet-like cooked rice block that has been preliminarily formed into a predetermined shape and has ingredients placed on the upper surface thereof to form a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block, the cooked rice forming device having an intake conveyor that receives the sheet-like cooked rice block transported by a transport unit, a cooked rice folding unit that is provided behind the intake conveyor in the transport direction and is configured to receive the sheet-like cooked rice block together with the intake conveyor and perform a folding operation to fold the sheet-like cooked rice block, a movement prevention plate that restricts movement of the sheet-like cooked rice block during the folding operation, and a folding unit control unit that controls the folding operation of the cooked rice folding unit, the cooked rice folding unit being provided behind the intake conveyor in the transport direction and perpendicular to the transport surface of the intake conveyor to fold the sheet-like cooked rice block. The folding unit control unit includes a folding plate that enables the non-ingredient placing portion of the sheet-like cooked rice block to be folded at a right angle to the ingredient placing portion, and a folding and stacking plate that is provided rearward of the folding plate with respect to the transport direction of the take-in conveyor and enables the sheet-like cooked rice block to be folded at an acute angle to the folding plate until the ingredient non-placement portion comes into contact with the ingredient placing portion, and the folding unit control unit includes a first gear case that supports the folding plate rotatably with a rotation axis direction that is perpendicular to the transport direction of the take-in conveyor in a planar view, and a second gear case that is rotatably supported by the first gear case with the rotation axis direction that is perpendicular to the transport direction, and supports the folding and stacking plate rotatably with the rotation axis direction that is perpendicular to the transport direction.

[0009] In a second aspect of the present invention, the intake conveyor, the folding plate, and the fold-over plate form a set surface that receives the sheet-like cooked rice block transported by the transport section.

[0010] In a third aspect of the present invention, the second gear case is configured to rotate in conjunction with the first gear case from a parallel state to an orthogonal state perpendicular to the first gear case, and to rotate independently of the first gear case from the orthogonal state to a state forming an acute angle with the first gear case. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, a cooked rice forming device that folds a sheet-like cooked rice block that has been preliminarily formed into a predetermined shape and has ingredients placed on the upper surface thereof to form a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block, the cooked rice forming device having an intake conveyor that receives the sheet-like cooked rice block transported by a transport unit, a cooked rice folding unit that is provided behind the intake conveyor in the transport direction and configured to receive the sheet-like cooked rice block together with the intake conveyor and perform a folding operation to fold the sheet-like cooked rice block, a movement prevention plate that restricts movement of the sheet-like cooked rice block during the folding operation, and a folding unit control unit that controls the folding operation of the cooked rice folding unit, the cooked rice folding unit being provided behind the intake conveyor in the transport direction and perpendicular to the transport surface of the intake conveyor so as to be able to fold the ingredient-free portion of the sheet-like cooked rice block perpendicularly to the ingredient-placed portion of the sheet-like cooked rice block. and a folding plate that is provided rearward of the folding plate in the transport direction of the take-in conveyor and forms an acute angle with the folding plate so as to be able to fold the sheet-like cooked rice block until the ingredient non-placement portion comes into contact with the ingredient placement portion, and the folding unit control portion includes a first gear case that supports the folding plate rotatably with a rotation axis direction that is perpendicular to the transport direction of the take-in conveyor in a plan view, and a second gear case that is rotatably supported by the first gear case with the rotation axis direction that is perpendicular to the transport direction, and supports the folding plate rotatably with the rotation axis direction that is perpendicular to the transport direction. With this configuration, the ingredients placed on the sheet-like cooked rice block can be shaped into a rice ball-shaped rice block without moving them, and the ingredients can be positioned in predetermined positions in the rice ball-shaped rice block after shaping. In addition, by making it possible to bend the folding plate so that it forms an acute angle with the folding plate and so that the non-ingredient placement portion comes into contact with the ingredient placement portion, the ingredients placed on the sheet-like cooked rice block can be reliably contained within the cooked rice when the sheet-like cooked rice block is folded to form into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block.

[0012] According to the second aspect of the present invention, by forming a set surface for receiving the sheet-like cooked rice block transported by the intake conveyor, the folding plate, and the fold-over plate, the formed rice ball-shaped cooked rice block is placed on the intake conveyor, and the rice ball-shaped cooked rice block can be transported to the next process simply by driving the intake conveyor.

[0013] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the second gear case is provided to rotate in conjunction with the first gear case from a parallel state to an orthogonal state perpendicular to the first gear case, and to rotate independently of the first gear case from the orthogonal state to a state in which it forms an acute angle with the first gear case, so that the sheet-shaped cooked rice block can be transformed into a desired shape without applying a local load to the cooked rice block in the process of folding the sheet-shaped cooked rice block. Also, since the second gear case is provided to rotate independently of the first gear case from the orthogonal state to a state in which it forms an acute angle with the first gear case, the angle of the folding plate with respect to the folding plate can be adjusted according to the size of the ingredients placed on the sheet-shaped cooked rice block, and the pressing force of the sheet-shaped cooked rice block being folded can be adjusted to form a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block that maintains a fluffy feel and a beautiful appearance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view showing a cooked rice molding device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a cooked rice molding device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1A and 1B are perspective views showing a cooked rice folding section of a cooked rice molding device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a perspective view seen from above the front side, and (b) is a perspective view seen from above the rear side. [Figure 4] 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the cooked rice molding section of the cooked rice molding device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a diagram showing a state before folding, and (b) is a diagram showing an intermediate stage of folding. [Diagram 5]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of a cooked rice forming unit of a cooked rice forming device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows a state in which a sheet-like cooked rice lump has been formed into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice lump, and (b) shows a state in which the formed rice ball-shaped cooked rice lump is being transported. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of a cooked rice forming unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of a cooked rice forming unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a folding unit control section according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] The present invention is a cooked rice forming device that forms a supplied sheet-like cooked rice mass into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice mass, and by devising a folding method for the cooked rice mass supplied from a conveying section, ingredients are accommodated in a predetermined position in the formed rice ball-shaped cooked rice mass, and the ingredients accommodated in the cooked rice mass are not crushed, and the cooked rice forming device can provide a rice ball-shaped cooked rice mass that maintains a plump feel. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] The overall configuration of the cooked rice molding device M according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cooked rice molding device M. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cooked rice molding device M. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the cooked rice folding unit 21. Figs. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing how the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R is transformed into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B. Figs. 6 and 7 are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the folding plate 40 and the folding plate 50. Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the folding unit control unit 3. In the description of this embodiment, the left-right direction in Fig. 2 will be described as the left-right direction in the cooked rice molding device M, and the up-down direction in Fig. 2 will be described as the front-rear direction in the cooked rice molding device M. In addition, the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R supplied to the cooked rice molding device M in this embodiment is a sheet-shaped cooked rice block formed in a flat plate shape. In this embodiment, a sheet-shaped cooked rice block R having a substantially rhombus shape in a plan view will be described as an example.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, the sheet-like cooked rice block R in this embodiment includes a central surface portion R3 that forms the bottom surface portion when transformed into a rice ball shape, and an ingredient placement portion R1 and an ingredient non-placement portion R2 that are formed in a substantially triangular shape with the front and rear end edges of the central surface portion R3 as bases, and is a sheet-like cooked rice block that forms a substantially rhombus (substantially hexagonal) shape in a plan view with these portions. In a plan view, the sheet-like cooked rice block R has a shape that is symmetrical or substantially symmetrical in both the longitudinal and lateral directions, with the side of the central surface portion R3 on which the ingredient placement portion R1 and the ingredient non-placement portion R2 are arranged being the longitudinal direction, and the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction being the lateral direction. The sheet-like cooked rice block R has ingredients placed on the ingredient placement portion R1, and is transported through the transport section 1 from right to left.

[0018] The cooked rice forming device M has an intake conveyor 60 that receives the sheet-like cooked rice block R transported by a transport section 1 that transports the sheet-like cooked rice block R, which has been preliminarily formed into a predetermined shape and has ingredients placed on an ingredient placing section R1, to a predetermined location, a cooked rice forming section 2 that receives the sheet-like cooked rice block R transported by the transport section 1 together with the intake conveyor 60 and forms the sheet-like cooked rice block R into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B, and a folding unit control section 3 that controls the folding operation of the cooked rice forming section 2.

[0019] The transport section 1 has a transport conveyor 10 disposed along the left-right direction, and a cooked rice delivery device 14 provided in the vicinity of the terminal end of the transport conveyor 10 in the transport direction.

[0020] The transport conveyor 10 is configured to transport the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R formed into a substantially rhombus shape in plan view by a cooked rice block forming section (not shown) and send it out to the intake conveyor 60 and the cooked rice forming section 2. The transport conveyor 10 has a transport direction aligned with the left-right direction, from the right side to the left side.

[0021] The transport conveyor 10 has support rollers 11 (only the support roller 11 on the downstream side in the conveyor transport direction is shown) provided at both the front and rear ends in the transport direction (hereinafter referred to as the "conveyor transport direction"), and an endless conveyor belt 12 wound around these support rollers 11, forming a substantially horizontal transport surface 13 with the conveyor belt 12. The conveyor belt 12 is formed so that the width dimension of the transport surface 13 is slightly longer than the longitudinal length of the sheet-like cooked rice block R placed on the transport surface 13. In other words, the conveyor belt 12 is formed so that it is slightly longer than the length from the tip end (front end) of the ingredient placement portion R1 to the tip end (rear end) of the ingredient non-placement portion R2 that is overlapped on the ingredient placement portion R1. The sheet-like cooked rice blocks R are placed on the conveying surface 13 of the transport conveyor 10 so that their longitudinal direction is aligned with the front-rear direction (the width direction of the transporting surface 13), and are transported intermittently to the left by the drive of the conveyor belt 12. On the conveying surface 13, the sheet-like cooked rice blocks R are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the conveyor transport direction, and the transport conveyor 10 is configured to perform intermittent transport operations according to the arrangement pitch of the sheet-like cooked rice blocks R.

[0022] The cooked rice delivery tool 14 is supported by a drive means disposed in the housing H of the cooked rice molding device M via a support bracket 15. The support bracket 15 is connected at its lower base end to the drive means and extends vertically upward. The cooked rice delivery tool 14 has a delivery tool main body 14A, which is a plate-shaped part bent into a substantially L-shape. The delivery tool main body 14A has a vertical part 14a whose lower part is connected to the support bracket 15, and a horizontal part 14b that is bent at a right angle from the upper end of the vertical part 14a toward the transport conveyor 10 and extends horizontally (see FIG. 1). The drive means stored in the housing H is configured to be capable of lifting and lowering and swinging left and right. The support bracket 15 is provided so that it can lift and lower and swing left and right by the operation of the drive means.

[0023] The cooked rice delivery device 14 is provided so that it can move in parallel in the vertical and horizontal directions (conveyor conveyance direction) within a range of its operating range from a conveyance position where the horizontal part 14b is aligned along the conveyance surface 13 of the conveyor 10 to a standby position where it has moved a certain distance above the conveyance position while being parallel to the conveyance surface 13 of the conveyor 10. In other words, the cooked rice delivery device 14 is provided so that it can move between the conveyance position and the standby position while temporarily stopping at either position by the driving means while always maintaining the horizontal part 14b parallel to the conveyance surface 13 of the conveyor 10.

[0024] A sending tool 16 that comes into contact with the sheet-like cooked rice block R and pushes it out is connected to the horizontal part 14b of the cooked rice sending tool 14. The sending tool 16 has a rectangular plate-like outer shape with the plate thickness direction being the up-down direction, and the surface part on the side that comes into contact with the sheet-like cooked rice block R is the action part 17. The sending tool 16 has a flat bottom surface on the lower plate side, and when the cooked rice sending tool 14 is in the conveying position, the bottom surface comes into contact or almost comes into contact with the conveying surface 13. The action part 17 is formed so that it can come into contact with the sheet-like cooked rice block R placed on the conveying surface 13 over a range covering almost the entire side surface in the longitudinal direction from the right side (upstream side in the conveyor conveying direction). In addition, the sending tool 16 has a dimension in the plate thickness direction larger than the thickness of the sheet-like cooked rice block R, and the action part 17 comes into contact with the entire side surface of the sheet-like cooked rice block R in the thickness direction of the sheet-like cooked rice block R.

[0025] The cooked rice sending device 14 has an action part 17 for the sheet-like cooked rice block R, which has a shape that follows the shape of the side part of the sheet-like cooked rice block R in a plan view. Specifically, the cooked rice sending device 14 has a sending device 16 that is a plate-like part with the plate thickness direction being in the up-down direction, and the left side part of this sending device 16 has a recessed part that has a recessed shape that matches the protruding shape of the side part of the sheet-like cooked rice block R in a plan view, and this recessed part serves as the action part 17. In detail, the sending device 16 has locking protrusions 16a, 16a on both the front and rear sides as the recessed part, which are generally right-angled triangular in plan view with the front and rear outer sides as the right-angled sides and the left side as the hypotenuse side. The delivery device 16 has a shape that conforms to the right side portion of the sheet-like cooked rice block R, with the inclined surfaces of the engagement protrusions 16a, 16a on both the front and rear sides and the flat portion 16b between them, and this portion serves as the action portion 17 for the sheet-like cooked rice block R.

[0026] The cooked rice delivery device 14 is provided so as to be reciprocally movable in the left-right direction by a driving means. For example, a configuration is used for moving the cooked rice delivery device 14 in the left-right direction by using the expansion and contraction action of a cylinder mechanism such as an air cylinder to reciprocate the cooked rice delivery device 14 back and forth. The means for moving the cooked rice delivery device 14 in the left-right direction is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and may be configured in any way as long as the cooked rice delivery device 14 can swing in the left-right direction.

[0027] The cooked rice sending device 14 is provided so as to be movable in the left-right direction within a range from a retracted position, which is the rearmost position, to a forward position, which is the forwardmost position. When the cooked rice sending device 14 is in the retracted position, the sending device 16 is positioned immediately to the right of the sheet-like cooked rice block R that is at the end stop position on the conveying surface 13 of the transport conveyor 10 (see FIG. 2). When the cooked rice sending device 14 is in the forward position, at least a part of the sending device 16 is positioned on the set surface 20 so as to position the sheet-like cooked rice block R on the set surface 20 of the cooked rice folding unit 21.

[0028] The cooked rice sending device 14 having the above-mentioned configuration operates as follows. The cooked rice sending device 14 pushes out the sheet-like cooked rice block R from the conveying surface 13 to the left by a sending operation in which the horizontally positioned sending device 16 moves from the rear end to the forward end, and supplies the sheet-like cooked rice block R to the cooked rice forming device M. In the cycle operation of the cooked rice sending device 14 which is continuously repeated to continuously send out the sheet-like cooked rice block R conveyed by the conveyor 10, the state in which the cooked rice sending device 14 is in a standby position above the conveyor 10 and in a retreated position is set as a starting state. In this starting state, the sheet-like cooked rice block R is present at the end stop position on the conveying surface 13 on the downstream side in the conveyor conveying direction. In the cooked rice forming device M, the sheet-like cooked rice block R is folded and a forming operation into a rice ball-like cooked rice block B is performed.

[0029] At the end of the conveyor 10, an intervening member 18 is provided between the conveyor 10, the take-in conveyor 60, and the rice folding section 21. The intervening member 18 has a horizontal guide surface 18a that is located at a position that is substantially flush with the conveying surface 13 of the conveyor belt 12, or at a position lower than the conveying surface 13. The guide surface 18a is a rectangular surface with the longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction, has a length in the longitudinal direction that is substantially the same as the width dimension of the conveying surface 13, and is continuous with or substantially continuous with a small gap to the set surface 20 formed by the take-in conveyor 60 and the rice folding section 21. That is, the guide surface 18a is interposed between the downstream end of the conveying surface 13 and the set surface 20, and the conveying surface 13, the guide surface 18a, and the set surface 20 form a substantially continuous horizontal flush surface as a surface along which the sheet-like cooked rice block R slides. The set surface 20 in this embodiment is a surface formed by the conveying surface of the intake conveyor 60, the upper surface of the folding plate 40 that constitutes the cooked rice folding section 21, and the upper surface of the folding plate 50, and is a placement surface for the sheet-like cooked rice block R for forming the sheet-like cooked rice block R into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B.

[0030] The cooked rice molding device M has a box-shaped housing H that houses the drive source and drive mechanism for operating each of these parts. The housing H has a horizontal upper surface H1 (hereinafter referred to as the "housing upper surface"), and the cooked rice molding section 2 and the folding unit control section 3 are provided on the housing upper surface H1. The housing H has a predetermined leg on its lower side, and is placed on a floor surface G.

[0031] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the cooked rice forming section 2 is an equipment part that folds the sheet-like cooked rice block R with ingredients placed on the ingredient placing section R1 approximately in half along its longitudinal direction and forms it into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B that is approximately triangular or approximately trapezoidal in plan view, and is a pre-forming equipment part for forming the rice ball block.

[0032] The cooked rice forming unit 2 is provided on the downstream side of the conveyor 10, and receives a sheet-like cooked rice block R sent out from the downstream end (terminal end) of the conveyor 10 by the operation of the cooked rice sending device 14, and folds the sheet-like cooked rice block R in half from approximately the center in the longitudinal direction to form a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B encasing ingredients. In this embodiment, the cooked rice forming unit 2 receives the sheet-like cooked rice block R in a placed state while maintaining the conveying posture on the conveyor 10, and folds the sheet-like cooked rice block R by folding the non-ingredient placing part R2 of the sheet-like cooked rice block R over the ingredient placing part R1, forming a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B.

[0033] The cooked rice forming section 2 forms a set surface 20 by a folding plate 40, a fold-over plate 50, and a take-in conveyor 60, and has a movement prevention plate 30 above the set surface 20. The folding plate 40 and the fold-over plate 50 form a cooked rice folding section 21 that acts to form the sheet-like cooked rice block R. The cooked rice folding section 21 has a flat state in which its upper surface is flat so that it receives the sheet-like cooked rice block R, and from this flat state, it becomes a folded state in which it is folded so that it forms a curved shape as a whole in order to fold and form the sheet-like cooked rice block R.

[0034] The cooked rice folding unit 21 in its flat state is an open state in which it forms part of the flat set surface 20 on which it receives and places the sheet-like cooked rice block R sent out from the transport conveyor 10. In its flat state, the cooked rice folding unit 21 forms the set surface 20 together with the take-in conveyor 60. The cooked rice folding unit 21 in its folded state is a closed state in which the sheet-like cooked rice block R set on the set surface 20 is folded by bending a part (rear part) of the set surface 20, and the sheet-like cooked rice block R is sandwiched together with the take-in conveyor 60.

[0035] The folding plates 40 and the folded-over plates 50 that make up the cooked rice folding section 21 have a substantially constant width dimension (left-right dimension), and in the cooked rice folding section 21 in a flat state (hereinafter also simply referred to as the "flat state"), the folded-over plates 50 and the folded-over plates 40 are arranged in that order from the rear side to the front side.

[0036] The movement prevention plate 30 has a movement prevention part 33 which is a plate-like part having an outer shape that follows one side (front side) of the sheet-like cooked rice block R in the longitudinal direction. The movement prevention plate 30 supports the movement prevention part 33 via a support stay 32 on a rotating support shaft 31 which extends rightward along the left-right direction from the right side surface of a control box 70 formed in a box shape that controls the cooked rice folding unit 21. The movement prevention part 33 is provided at the tip of the support stay 32.

[0037] The pivot support shaft 31 is an axial member whose axial direction is the left-right direction. The support stay 32 is supported in a fixed state relative to the pivot support shaft 31. The movement prevention portion 33 is supported in a fixed state relative to the support stay 32. The pivot support shaft 31, the support stay 32, and the movement prevention portion 33 that constitute the movement prevention plate 30 rotate integrally around the axis of the pivot support shaft 31.

[0038] The movement prevention plate 30 is provided to rotate within a range from a movement restricted state in which the movement prevention portion 33 is aligned along the transport surface 61 of the intake conveyor 60 to an inclined state in which the movement prevention portion 33 is spaced upward relative to the transport surface 61 so as to face diagonally downward and forward. In other words, the movement prevention plate 30 is placed in either the movement restricted state or the inclined state by its rotational movement.

[0039] The movement preventing portion 33 has a flat bottom surface 33a, and when the movement preventing portion 33 is in a movement restricted state, the bottom surface 33a is brought into contact or approximately contacts the transport surface 61 of the intake conveyor 60. The movement preventing portion 33 also has an action portion 34 which becomes a portion which comes into contact with the sheet-like block of cooked rice R. The action portion 34 is a notched recess which receives at least the front end portion of the sheet-like block of cooked rice R on the transport surface 61. The action portion 34 has a right inclined surface 34a, a left inclined surface 34b, and an intermediate surface 34c which is a curved surface which smoothly connects the left and right inclined surfaces as side surfaces which form an outline following the approximately trapezoidal shape of the sheet-like block of cooked rice R in a plan view (see FIG. 2).

[0040] The folding plate 40 is a generally rectangular plate-shaped part with the longitudinal direction being the left-right direction, and has a dimension in the short direction (the front-rear direction in a flat state) that is roughly half that of the folded-over plate 50. The folding plate 40 is provided on the rear side of the movement prevention plate 30 so as to be rotatable with the left-right direction as the rotation axis direction.

[0041] The folding plate 40 has one plate surface (upper surface) serving as a forming surface 41 facing upward when in a flat state, and the forming surface 41 forms the front-rear intermediate portion of the set surface 20. The folding plate 40 is provided so as to rotate with respect to the take-in conveyor 60 within a range (a rotation range of approximately 90°) from a horizontal state in which the forming surface 41 is approximately flush with the transport surface 61 of the take-in conveyor 60 to a vertical state in which the forming surface 41 is perpendicular to the transport surface 61 so as to form a right angle with the take-in conveyor 60.

[0042] A recess 41a is formed on the forming surface 41 of the folding plate 40 to position the central surface portion R3 of the sheet-like cooked rice block R. The recess 41a is formed over the entire middle portion of the folding plate 40 except for both longitudinal ends, and has a flat bottom surface and left and right side surfaces, with both widthwise sides of the forming surface 41 being open.

[0043] The folding plate 40 has a bottom surface 42 side, which is the other plate surface, supported by a support bracket 82. The support bracket 82 extends rightward along the left-right direction from a bottom surface 81 of a first gear case 80 constituting the folding unit control section 3. That is, the folding plate 40 is supported by the support bracket 82 with the bottom surface 42 as a fixed surface for the support bracket 82, and is connected to the first gear case 80 via the support bracket 82. The support bracket 82 is a plate-like portion formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and is formed to have substantially the same length in the front-rear width as the folding plate 40. The base end of the support bracket 82 is fixed to the bottom surface 81 of the first gear case 80 by a fastening member such as a bolt. That is, the support bracket 82 is provided integrally with the first gear case 80. Details of the first gear case 80 will be described later.

[0044] The folding plate 50 has one plate surface (upper surface) as a forming surface 51 that faces upward in a flat state, and the forming surface 51 forms the rear portion of the set surface 20. The folding plate 50 is provided so as to rotate with respect to the folding plate 40 within a range from a horizontal state in which the forming surface 51 is approximately flush with the forming surface 41 of the folding plate 40 in the horizontal state, to a state in which the forming surface 51 forms an acute angle with respect to the forming surface 41 of the folding plate 40 in the vertical state.

[0045] The folding plate 50 rotates from a horizontal state in which its forming surface 51 forms part of the set surface 20 to a parallel state in which the forming surface 51 faces the conveying surface 61 of the conveyor 60 from above with a relative rotation with respect to the folding plate 40, and then the folding plate 50 rotates independently from the folding plate 40 to a state in which it forms an acute angle with respect to the folding plate 40. The state in which the folding plate 40 and the folding plate 50 are rotated until the forming surface 51 of the folding plate 50 is inclined downward from the rear end to the front end (inclined downward from the front) corresponds to the folded state of the cooked rice folding section 21.

[0046] A recess 52 is formed on the forming surface 51 of the folding plate 50, the recess 52 being substantially trapezoidal in plan view, which is the shape of the non-ingredient placement portion R2 of the sheet-like cooked rice block R. The recess 52 is formed symmetrically in the left-right direction of the folding plate 50 in plan view, with the front side open (see FIG. 3). When the cooked rice folding portion 21 is in a flat state, the recess 52 is continuous with the recess 41a of the folding plate 40, and serves as a positioning recess for positioning the non-ingredient placement portion R2 of the sheet-like cooked rice block R and the lower surface side of the central surface portion R3 in a fitted manner.

[0047] The other plate surface (lower surface) of the folded plate 50 is supported by a support bracket 92. The support bracket 92 is formed in a flat plate shape extending rightward along the left-right direction from the lower surface of the second gear case 90. The folded plate 50 is connected to the second gear case 90 by the support bracket 92. A base end of the support bracket 92 is fixed to a bottom surface 91 of the second gear case 90 by a fastening member such as a bolt. The folded plate 50 is displaced integrally with the second gear case 90 via the support bracket 92. That is, the second gear case 90 rotates integrally with the folded plate 50.

[0048] The cooked rice folding unit 21 having the above-mentioned configuration performs a folding operation of the sheet-like cooked rice block R. The folding operation of the cooked rice folding unit 21 is controlled by a folding unit control unit 3 placed on the left side of the cooked rice folding unit 21 and on the housing upper surface part H1.

[0049] The folding unit control section 3 is configured to cause the cooked rice folding section 21 to perform a folding operation, and includes an operation mechanism section for rotating the folding plate 40 and the folded-over plate 50. The folding unit control section 3 includes a control box 70 formed in a box shape, and the operation mechanism section includes a hollow first rotating shaft 83 extending rightward from the right side surface of the control box 70 along the left-right direction, a first gear case 80 connected to the tip of the first rotating shaft 83, a second rotating shaft 84 provided in the hollow section of the first rotating shaft 83 and having a tip inserted into the first gear case 80, and a second gear case 90 rotatably supported by the first gear case 80.

[0050] 8, the first rotating shaft 83 has a flange portion 83a at its tip for connecting to the first gear case 80. The flange portion 83a is a disk-shaped expanded diameter portion that protrudes radially outward from the tip of the first rotating shaft 83, and is formed as a part of the first rotating shaft 83. The flange portion 83a is connected and fixed to the first gear case 80 via a fastening member such as a bolt.

[0051] The first gear case 80 is formed in a substantially box-like shape, has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, and is a part for displacing the folding plate 40 from a horizontal state to a vertical state by the operation of a motor or the like provided in the control box 70. The upper surface of the support bracket 82 on the tip side is connected and fixed to the bottom surface 42 of the folding plate 40.

[0052] The first gear case 80 is fixedly connected to a flange portion 83a formed at the tip of a first rotating shaft 83 extending rightward from the right side surface of the folding control box 70 along the left-right direction. The first rotating shaft 83 is provided so as to be rotatable about a direction perpendicular to the take-in conveyor 60 as a rotating shaft direction by the operation of a motor or the like provided in the folding control box 70. The first gear case 80 rotates integrally with the first rotating shaft 83 about an axis C1 of the first rotating shaft 83. A second rotating shaft 84 equipped with a drive unit such as a motor is inserted into the hollow portion of the first rotating shaft 83 in the folding control box 70. The second rotating shaft 84 is arranged so that its axis coincides with the axis C1 of the first rotating shaft 83.

[0053] The first gear case 80 houses a first gear 85 connected to the tip of the second rotating shaft 84, and a second gear 86 that rotates along the outer circumferential surface of the first gear 85 while meshing with the first gear 85. The first gear 85 and the second gear 86 configure a planetary gear device in which the second gear 86, which serves as a planetary gear, rotates around the outer circumferential surface of the first gear 85, which serves as a sun gear.

[0054] The first gear 85 is connected and supported by the tip end of the second rotating shaft 84. In other words, the first gear 85 is fixed to the right end of the second rotating shaft 84. The first gear 85 has a gear portion 85a that forms a gear surface that meshes with the second gear 86.

[0055] The second gear 86 has a gear portion 86a that meshes with the gear portion 85a of the first gear 85, and a support shaft portion 86b that is formed in the center of the left and right side surfaces of the second gear 86 and protrudes to both the left and right sides. The second gear 86 is rotatably supported on the left side wall surface of the first gear case 80 by the left support shaft portion 86b. The support shaft portion 86b on the right side (the set surface 20 side) of the second gear 86 protrudes outward from the right side wall surface of the first gear case 80, and the second gear case 90 is connected to the protruding portion so as not to rotate relative to the first gear case 80. Therefore, the second gear case 90 rotates integrally with the second gear 86 around the axis C2 of the second gear 86 relative to the first gear case 80.

[0056] The second gear case 90 is formed in a substantially box-like shape with the longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction when the set surface 20 is flat, and has a rectangular parallelepiped outer shape. The second gear case 90 has a support shaft portion 86b connected to the vicinity of the front end portion, which is one end portion of the second gear case 90 in the longitudinal direction. The second gear case 90 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the first gear case 80. That is, the second gear case 90 rotates by approximately twice the amount of rotation of the first gear case 80 relative to the conveying surface 61 of the take-in conveyor 60 due to the rotation of the first gear case 80 by the first rotating shaft 83 and the rotation of the second gear 86 accompanying the rotation of the first gear case 80. Therefore, in a configuration in which the first gear case 80 and the second gear case 90 rotate in the same direction in unison from a state in which their longitudinal directions are aligned in the front-to-rear direction, the rotational speed (angular velocity) of the second gear case 90 becomes approximately twice that of the first gear case 80, and when the first gear case 80 rotates approximately 90 degrees so as to be perpendicular to the conveying surface 61, the second gear case 90 rotates approximately 180 degrees relative to the conveying surface 61 and displaces to a state parallel to the conveying surface 61.

[0057] Moreover, the second gear case 90 rotates relative to the first gear case 80 in conjunction with the rotation of the second rotating shaft 84. To explain this operation in detail, as the second rotating shaft 84 rotates counterclockwise when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis from the right (as viewed from the right side) (see arrow A1 in FIG. 6(b)), the first gear 85 rotates integrally with the second rotating shaft 84. Due to the rotation of the first gear 85, the second gear 86 meshed with the first gear 85 rotates in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the first gear 85 (see arrow A2 in FIG. 6(b)). As the second gear 86 rotates, the second gear case 90 connected and fixed to the support shaft portion 86b on the right side of the second gear 86 rotates in the same rotation direction as the second gear 86. Such rotation of the second gear case 90 accompanying the rotation of the second rotating shaft 84 is performed independently of the first gear case 80 which rotates about the axis C1 integrally with the folding plate 40. In other words, the rotation of the second rotating shaft 84 is transmitted to the second gear case 90 via the first gear 85 and the second gear 86, and the folded-over plate 50 which rotates about the axis C2 integrally with the second gear case 90 can be rotated independently of the folding plate 40.

[0058] With the cooked rice forming section 2 and the folding unit control section 3 having the above-described configuration, as shown in FIG. 4(a), when the cooked rice folding section 21 displaces the sheet-like cooked rice block R from a flat state to a folded state, the tip of the ingredient placing section R1 of the sheet-like cooked rice block R engages with the movement prevention section 33 of the movement prevention plate 30, thereby restricting the forward movement of the sheet-like cooked rice block R.

[0059] 4(b), in the cooked rice folding section 21, the sheet-like cooked rice block R is folded in half to form a cooked rice block r by rotating the first gear case 80 and the second gear case 90 of the folding unit control section 3. Here, the first rotating shaft 83 that rotates the first gear case 80 and the second rotating shaft 84 that rotates the second gear case 90 relatively to the first gear case 80 rotate in the same direction and by the same amount of rotation.

[0060] 5(a), in the cooked rice folding section 21, the folding plate 50, which is parallel to the transport surface 61 of the take-in conveyor 60, is displaced relative to the folding plate 40 so as to be inclined downward from the front end to the rear end of the folding plate 50 relative to the transport surface 61. Here, the relative rotation of the folding plate 50 with respect to the folding plate 40 is performed by the rotation of the second rotating shaft 84 with respect to the first rotating shaft 83, which is in a stopped state. By this additional rotation of the folding plate 50, a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B can be formed in which the peripheral edge of the ingredient placement portion R1 and the peripheral edge of the ingredient non-placement portion R2 constituting the sheet-like cooked rice block R are joined together.

[0061] As shown in Fig. 5(b), the formed rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B is placed entirely on the transport surface 61 of the intake conveyor 60 in a plan view, and is transported to the rice ball forming section in the next process by moving the transport surface 61 of the intake conveyor 60 downstream, completing the forming work in the cooked rice forming section 2. Note that, for convenience, Figs. 4(a), (b) and 5(a), (b) show a cross section at the center position in the left-right direction only for the movement prevention section 33.

[0062] In this way, the cooked rice forming device M of this embodiment forms a set surface 20 for the sheet-like cooked rice block R by the upstream part of the conveying surface 61 of the take-in conveyor 60 and the forming surfaces 41, 51 of the folding plate 40 and the fold-over plate 50, and of the sheet-like cooked rice block R, the ingredient placement portion R1 is placed on the conveying surface 61 of the take-in conveyor 60 and the ingredient non-placement portion R2 is placed on the forming surfaces 41, 51 of the folding plate 40 and the fold-over plate 50 with respect to this set surface 20. Then, by controlling the operation of the cooked rice folding portion 21 by the folding unit control portion 3, when forming the sheet-like cooked rice block R, a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B can be formed without moving (shifting) the ingredients placed on the ingredient placement portion R1 from their predetermined positions.

[0063] In addition, the cooked rice forming device M links the folding plate 50 to the rotation of the folding plate 40 from the flat state of the cooked rice folding section 21 (see FIG. 4(a)) to a right-angle state in which the folding plate 50 and the folding plate 40 form a right angle when viewed from the side (see FIG. 4(b)), and is configured so that the folding plate 50 can rotate independently of the folding plate 40 from the right-angle state to an acute angle state in which the folding plate 50 forms an acute angle with respect to the folding plate 40 (see FIG. 5(a)).

[0064] That is, the second gear case 90 has a first rotation range in which it rotates in conjunction with the first gear case 80 and a second rotation range in which it rotates independently of the first gear case 80, from a state parallel to the first gear case 80 to a state in which it forms an acute angle with the first gear case 80. The angle between the first gear case 80 and the second gear case 90 is an angle α formed by a first straight line L1 along the longitudinal direction of the first gear case 80 and a second straight line L2 along the longitudinal direction of the second gear case 90, as viewed from the right side. As viewed from the right side, the first straight line L1 is a direction along the forming surface 41 of the folding plate 40, and the second straight line L2 is a direction along the forming surface 51 of the folding plate 50.

[0065] The parallel state of the second gear case 90 with respect to the first gear case 80 is a state where the angle α is 180° or approximately 180°. A first rotation range is from the parallel state of the second gear case 90 with respect to the first gear case 80 to a right-angle state where the angle α is 90° or approximately 90°, and a second rotation range is from the right-angle state to an acute angle state where the second gear case 90 forms an acute angle with the first gear case 80. The angle α in the acute angle state is, for example, 80 to 89°.

[0066] With this configuration, the pressing force of the non-ingredient placement section R2 can be adjusted according to the size of the ingredients to be stored in the rice ball-shaped rice block B, and when forming the sheet-shaped rice block R into the rice ball-shaped rice block B, the ingredients do not need to be pressed and crushed, and the rice that constitutes the rice ball-shaped rice block B can be formed into a rice ball-shaped rice block B that maintains a fluffy texture.

[0067] The rotation angle of the folding plate 50 until the cooked rice folding portion 21 changes from a right angle to an acute angle is, for example, about 1 to 10°, and preferably about 2 to 5°.

[0068] In the cooked rice forming section 2 described above, the operation of the cooked rice folding section 21 when forming the sheet-like cooked rice block R sent from the conveying section 1 to the set surface 20 of the cooked rice forming section 2 into a rice ball-like cooked rice block B will be described.

[0069] The sheet-like cooked rice block R formed into a diamond shape by the cooked rice block forming section is transported to the left cooked rice forming section 2 while receiving predetermined ingredients placed on the ingredient placement section R1 during transport by the transport conveyor 10 of the transport section 1. Here, the transport conveyor 10 intermittently performs a transport operation according to the pitch between adjacent sheet-like cooked rice blocks R.

[0070] The sheet-like cooked rice block R, transported to the terminal end of the conveying conveyor 10 by the intermittent conveying operation of the conveying conveyor 10, is discharged toward the left from the terminal end of the conveying conveyor 10 by the action part 17 of the cooked rice delivery device 14, and slides from the conveying surface 13 of the conveyor belt 12 via the guide surface 18a of the intermediate member 18 onto the set surface 20 of the cooked rice forming section 2 while maintaining its longitudinal direction aligned in the front-to-rear direction.

[0071] The sheet-like cooked rice block R transferred from the conveying surface 13 to the setting surface 20 is placed on the shaping surface 41 of the folding plate 40, the shaping surface 51 of the fold-over plate 50, and the conveying surface 61 of the take-in conveyor 60. At this time, the sheet-like cooked rice block R is positioned on the setting surface 20 by a step portion formed by the recess 41a of the folding plate 40 and the recess 52 of the fold-over plate 50. In detail, the central surface portion R3 of the sheet-like cooked rice block R contacts the position regulating portions 43 forming the left and right side surfaces of the recess 41a of the folding plate 40, and the ingredient non-placing portion R2 is positioned within the recess 52 of the fold-over plate 50, thereby positioning the sheet-like cooked rice block R. As a result, a straight line connecting the tip of the ingredient placement portion R1 and the tip of the ingredient non-placing portion R2 of the sheet-like cooked rice block R is oriented along the front-rear direction. That is, the sheet-like cooked rice block R transferred from the conveying surface 13 to the setting surface 20 is placed on the setting surface 20 by the action portion 17 of the sending tool 16 and the position regulating portion 43 of the folding plate 40 with its longitudinal direction oriented along the front-to-rear direction.

[0072] When the sheet-like cooked rice block R is placed on the setting surface 20, a driving device such as a motor provided in the control box 70 of the folding unit control section 3 is driven to rotate the first rotating shaft 83 clockwise when viewed from the right side.

[0073] As the first rotating shaft 83 rotates, the first gear case 80 connected to the first rotating shaft 83 via the flange portion 83a rotates in the same direction as the first rotating shaft 83. That is, the first gear case 80 rotates clockwise when viewed from the right side. Here, the first rotating shaft 83 rotates the first gear case 80 until the first gear case 80 is perpendicular to the transport surface 61 of the take-in conveyor 60. That is, the first gear case 80 rotates approximately 90 degrees from a state in which its longitudinal direction is aligned with the front-rear direction.

[0074] When the first gear case 80 rotates clockwise in a right side view, the second gear 86 supported on the left wall surface of the first gear case 80 moves along the circumferential surface of the first gear 85 while remaining meshed with the first gear 85. Here, the second gear 86 rotates about the axis C2 in the same direction as the rotation direction of the first gear case 80 about the axis C1. As a result, the second gear case 90 rotates integrally with the second gear 86 about the axis C2.

[0075] After the first gear case 80 and the second gear case 90 rotate to a right-angle state in which the longitudinal directions of both gear cases are substantially perpendicular to each other as viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, the second rotating shaft 84 inserted into the hollow portion of the first rotating shaft 83 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from the right side. As the second rotating shaft 84 rotates counterclockwise, the second gear case 90 rotates clockwise as viewed from the right side via the first gear 85 and the second gear 86, displacing the folded plate 50 into a downward inclination with the front lowered. As a result, the rice folding portion 21 becomes in an acute angle state.

[0076] In this way, the cooked rice molding device M forms a folded cooked rice block r from the sheet-like cooked rice block R placed on the set surface 20 as the first rotating shaft 83 rotates, and from the shape of the folded cooked rice block r, it further forms a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B by rotating the second rotating shaft 84 and displacing the second gear case 90 forward in a downward inclined manner.

[0077] The rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B formed by the operation of each part of the cooked rice folding unit 21 is transported to the rice ball manufacturing process by moving forward on the transport surface 61 of the take-in conveyor 60. This completes the work of forming the sheet-like cooked rice block R into the rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B by the cooked rice forming unit 2.

[0078] The cooked rice molding device M of this embodiment has an intake conveyor 60 that receives the sheet-like cooked rice block R transported by the transport section 1, a cooked rice folding section 21 that is provided behind the intake conveyor 60 in the transport direction and is configured to receive the sheet-like cooked rice block R together with the intake conveyor 60 and perform a folding operation to fold the sheet-like cooked rice block R, a movement prevention plate 30 that restricts the movement of the sheet-like cooked rice block R during the folding operation, and a folding unit control section 3 that controls the folding operation of the cooked rice folding section 21, so that the ingredients placed on the sheet-like cooked rice block R can be formed into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B without moving them, and the ingredients can be positioned in a predetermined position in the rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B after molding.

[0079] In addition, the cooked rice folding section 21 includes a folding plate 40 that is provided on the rear side in the conveying direction of the take-in conveyor 60 and is perpendicular to the conveying surface 61 of the take-in conveyor 60, allowing the non-ingredient placing section R2 of the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R to be folded at a right angle to the ingredient placing section R1 of the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R, and a folding and stacking plate 50 that is provided on the rear side of the folding plate 40 in the conveying direction of the take-in conveyor 60 and is at an acute angle to the folding plate 40, allowing the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R to be folded until the ingredient non-placement section R2 comes into contact with the ingredient placing section R1. This configuration allows the ingredients placed on the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R to be reliably contained within the cooked rice when the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R is folded to form the rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B.

[0080] In addition, the folding unit control unit 3 is equipped with a first gear case 80 that supports the folding plate 40 so that it can rotate with its axis direction being perpendicular to the conveying direction of the take-in conveyor 60 in a planar view, and a second gear case 90 that is rotatably supported by the first gear case 80 with its axis direction being perpendicular to the conveying direction of the take-in conveyor 60, and that supports the folded-up plate 50 so that it can rotate with its axis direction being perpendicular to the conveying direction. As a result, the folding plate 40 and the folded-up plate 50 can rotate while maintaining their parallel state, and a rice ball-shaped block of rice B can be formed from the sheet-like cooked rice block R in which the peripheral portions of the ingredient placement portion R1 and the ingredient non-placement portion R2 overlap each other.

[0081] In addition, the intake conveyor 60, the folding plate 40, and the fold-over plate 50 form the setting surface 20 that receives the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R transported by the transport section 1, so that the ingredient placement portion R1 of the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R is supported by the intake conveyor 60 of the setting surface 20, the ingredient non-placement portion R2 of the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R is supported by the fold-over plate 50 of the setting surface 20, and the central surface portion R3 of the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R is supported by the folding plate 40 of the setting surface 20. When the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R is formed into a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B in the rice forming section 2, the formed rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B is placed on the intake conveyor 60, and the rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B can be transported to the next process simply by driving the intake conveyor 60.

[0082] In addition, the second gear case 90 is provided to rotate in conjunction with the first gear case 80 from a parallel state to the first gear case 80 until it becomes an orthogonal state perpendicular to the first gear case 80, and to rotate independently of the first gear case 80 from the orthogonal state to a state forming an acute angle with the first gear case 80, so that the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R can be transformed into a desired shape without localized load being applied to the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R in the process of folding the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R. In addition, since the second gear case 90 is provided to rotate independently of the first gear case 80 from the orthogonal state to a state forming an acute angle with the first gear case 80, the angle of the folding plate 50 with respect to the folding plate 40 can be adjusted according to the size of the ingredients placed on the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R, and the pressing force of the sheet-shaped cooked rice block R to be folded can be adjusted to form a rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B that maintains the plumpness of the rice ball-shaped cooked rice block B after forming while also maintaining an aesthetic appearance.

[0083] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described, the above description is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Therefore, even if the embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment, various modifications can be made depending on the design, etc., as long as they do not deviate from the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1. Conveyor section 2 Rice forming section 3 Folding unit control section 20 Set Surface 21 Rice folding section 30 Anti-movement plate 40 Folding Plate 50 Folding Plate 60 Intake Conveyor 70 Control Box 80 First gear case 90 2nd gear case B. Rice ball-shaped lump of cooked rice R Cooked rice sheet r rice lump M Rice forming device

Claims

1. A cooked rice forming device that folds a sheet-like cooked rice block that has been preliminarily formed into a predetermined shape and has ingredients placed on the upper surface thereof to form a rice ball-like cooked rice block, An intake conveyor that receives the sheet-like cooked rice block transported by a transport unit; A cooked rice folding unit is provided behind the intake conveyor in the conveying direction, and configured to receive the sheet-like cooked rice block together with the intake conveyor and perform a folding operation to fold the sheet-like cooked rice block; A movement prevention plate that restricts the movement of the sheet-like cooked rice block during the folding operation; A folding unit control unit that controls the folding operation of the cooked rice folding unit, The cooked rice folding section is a folding plate provided on the rear side of the take-in conveyor in the conveying direction, and perpendicular to the conveying surface of the take-in conveyor, so that the non-ingredients placement portion of the sheet-shaped cooked rice block can be folded perpendicularly to the ingredients placement portion of the sheet-shaped cooked rice block; A folding plate is provided on the rear side of the folding plate with respect to the conveying direction of the take-in conveyor, and is capable of folding the sheet-like cooked rice block until the ingredient non-placement portion comes into contact with the ingredient placement portion in a state where the folding plate forms an acute angle with the folding plate, The folding unit control unit A first gear case supports the folding plate so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the intake conveyor in a plan view; a second gear case that is rotatably supported by the first gear case with a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction as a rotation axis direction, and that supports the folded plate rotatably with the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction as a rotation axis direction. A cooked rice molding device characterized by the above.

2. The cooked rice molding device according to claim 1, characterized in that the intake conveyor, the folding plate, and the fold-over plate form a set surface that receives the sheet-like cooked rice mass transported by the transport section.

3. The second gear case includes: The cooked rice molding device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it rotates in conjunction with the first gear case from a parallel state to an orthogonal state perpendicular to the first gear case, and rotates independently of the first gear case from the orthogonal state to a state forming an acute angle with the first gear case.

Images