Rice ball forming machine

Abstract

The starting height of the lowering of the upper mold can be easily adjusted to match the molding thickness of the rice ball according to the specifications of the rice ball. [Solution] The system includes an upper mold 26c that compresses the cooked rice placed in the molding hole 26a of the molding table 26 from above, a support 30a that supports the upper mold 26c, a molding drive unit 30b that raises and lowers the upper mold 26c via the support 30a and compresses the cooked rice in the molding hole 26a to form a rice ball, a molding thickness adjustment shaft 30c that moves the support 30a vertically to change the starting height of the lowering of the upper mold 26c and adjust the molding thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold 26c, an operation panel 11 for setting the specifications of the rice ball to be formed, and a control unit CPU that controls the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30c so that the molding thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold 26c corresponds to the thickness of the rice ball set on the operation panel 11.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice ball forming device.

Background Art

[0002] A rice ball forming device is a device that puts measured cooked rice of a predetermined weight or cooked rice with ingredients placed thereon of a predetermined weight into a forming hole and compresses it vertically with a forming mold (upper mold and lower mold) to form a rice ball.

[0003] In a rice ball forming device, the forming thickness of the rice ball is adjusted by changing the height (starting descent height) of the upper mold according to the specifications of the rice ball, such as the weight of the cooked rice, the type and weight of the ingredients, so that the rice ball has a plump texture even when the specifications of the rice ball change.

[0004] At this time, if the structure is such that the height of the upper mold is adjusted at the attachment portion of the upper mold, it is necessary to remove each part of the device body or reinstall each part after adjusting the height of the upper mold, and the operation of adjusting the height of the upper mold becomes a complicated operation that requires time and labor.

[0005] Therefore, a technique that avoids such complexity and enables easy adjustment of the height of the upper mold is disclosed in Patent Document ①. Patent Document ① describes a device including a height adjustment mechanism unit that moves a support body supporting the upper mold in the vertical direction to adjust the height of the upper mold, and an operation unit that operates the height adjustment mechanism unit, and the height of the upper mold can be easily adjusted by operating the operation unit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document ①

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

特許文献1

Patent Document ①

[0007] However, with the rice ball forming device described above, it is necessary to manually operate the control unit to adjust the height of the upper mold each time the thickness of the formed rice changes.

[0008] In rice ball forming machines, the forming thickness needs to be changed frequently depending on the specifications of the rice ball, such as the weight of the cooked rice and the type and weight of the fillings. Therefore, the task of frequently operating the control panel becomes extremely cumbersome.

[0009] In addition, since the height of the upper mold must be adjusted by operating the control unit to match the molding thickness according to the specifications of the various types of rice balls, there is a risk of making mistakes in adjusting the height of the upper mold.

[0010] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned technical background, and aims to provide a rice ball forming apparatus that can easily adjust the starting height of the lowering of the upper mold to the forming thickness of the rice ball according to the specifications of the rice ball. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the above problems, the rice ball forming apparatus of the present invention as described in claim 1 is characterized by comprising: a forming table having a forming hole into which a predetermined weight of cooked rice, or a predetermined weight of cooked rice and ingredients, is fed; an upper mold for compressing the cooked rice in the forming hole from above; a support for supporting the upper mold; a forming drive unit for raising and lowering the upper mold via the support, and for compressing the cooked rice in the forming hole with the upper mold to form a rice ball; a forming thickness adjustment unit for moving the support vertically to change the starting height of the lowering of the upper mold and adjusting the forming thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold; a setting unit for setting the specifications of the rice ball to be formed; and a control unit for controlling the forming thickness adjustment unit so that the forming thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold corresponds to the thickness of the rice ball set by the setting unit.

[0012] The rice ball forming apparatus of the present invention as described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the specifications of the rice ball set in the setting unit include at least the weight of cooked rice.

[0013] The rice ball forming apparatus of the present invention as described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 2, the specifications of the rice ball set in the setting unit further include at least one of the following: type of cooked rice, type of filling, type of filling, and weight.

[0014] The rice ball forming apparatus of the present invention as described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the forming thickness adjustment unit comprises a forming thickness adjustment shaft screwed to a support base constituting the support, a motor that rotates the forming thickness adjustment shaft to move the support in the vertical direction, and a height detection unit that detects the height of the support moved by the motor.

[0015] The rice ball forming apparatus of the present invention as described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 4, the height detection unit comprises a rotating disc mounted on the rotation axis of the motor and having notches formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction, a sensor for detecting the movement of the notches due to the rotation of the rotating disc, and a calculation unit for calculating the height of the support by measuring the displacement of the rotation of the rotating disc from the movement of the notches detected by the sensor.

[0016] The rice ball forming apparatus of the present invention as described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, the forming table is a rotating body that rotates intermittently in the horizontal direction, and the forming holes are formed in a plurality at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the forming table.

[0017] The rice ball forming apparatus of the present invention as described in claim 7 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 6, the forming hole formed in the forming table is triangular in shape when viewed from above.

[0018] The onigiri forming device of the present invention according to claim 8 is, in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7 above, a shape adjusting part that forms ingredient holes and constrictions in the cooked rice, an ingredient placing part that places a predetermined ingredient on the cooked rice that has passed through the shape adjusting part, and folding means that folds the cooked rice on which the ingredient has been placed at the ingredient placing part, and is characterized in that the cooked rice folded by the folding means is put into the forming holes of the forming table.

Effect of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, since the forming thickness adjustment part is controlled by the control part so that the forming thickness of the onigiri formed by the upper mold becomes the thickness of the onigiri corresponding to the specification of the onigiri set by the setting part, and the start height of the descent of the upper mold is adjusted, it becomes possible to easily adjust the start height of the descent of the upper mold to the forming thickness of the onigiri according to the specification of the onigiri.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] It is a schematic view showing the cooked rice dividing and generating part and the onigiri forming part according to an embodiment of the present invention from the front. [Figure 2] It is a schematic view showing the cooked rice dividing and generating part and the onigiri forming part according to an embodiment of the present invention from the plane. [Figure 3] It is a view showing the cooked rice formed by the shape adjusting part constituting the onigiri forming part according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a schematic view showing the main part of the shape adjusting part constituting the onigiri forming part according to an embodiment of the present invention from the front. [Figure 5] It is a schematic view showing the main part of the shape adjusting part constituting the onigiri forming part according to an embodiment of the present invention from the plane. [Figure 6] It is a front view showing the folding part constituting the onigiri forming part according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] It is a plan view showing the folding part constituting the onigiri forming part according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]It is a perspective view showing the main part of the rice ball forming section in the state where the height of the support is the lowest. [Figure 9] It is a front view showing a part of the rice ball forming section in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] It is a cross-sectional view in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] It is a side view showing a part of the rice ball forming section in FIG. 8. [Figure 12] It is a perspective view showing the main part of the rice ball forming section in the state where the height of the support is the highest. [Figure 13] It is a front view showing a part of the rice ball forming section in FIG. 12. [Figure 14] It is a cross-sectional view in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] It is a side view showing a part of the rice ball forming section in FIG. 12. [Figure 16] It is a block diagram showing the control system of the rice ball forming section. [Figure 17] It is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the settings on the screen of the operation panel of the rice ball forming section of the present embodiment. [Figure 18] It is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the settings on the screen of the operation panel of the rice ball forming section of the present embodiment. [Figure 19] It is an explanatory diagram showing still another example of the settings on the screen of the operation panel of the rice ball forming section of the present embodiment. [Figure 20] It is an explanatory diagram showing still another example of the settings on the screen of the operation panel of the rice ball forming section of the present embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments as an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same components are generally denoted by the same reference numerals, and the repeated explanations thereof are omitted.

[0022] The rice ball manufacturing apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 consists of a rice portioning and generation unit M1 that divides and generates cooked rice into, for example, sheet-like portions, and a rice ball forming unit (rice ball forming apparatus) M2 that receives the cooked rice generated by the rice portioning and generation unit M1, transports it, and forms it into rice balls.

[0023] The rice portioning and generation unit M1 has a first weighing conveyor 3, a transport conveyor 4, and a second weighing conveyor 5 arranged along the transport direction from upstream to downstream on a base 2a that is movable by casters 1a. Above the first weighing conveyor 3 and the transport conveyor 4, a first dispensing unit 6a and a second dispensing unit 6b are arranged, respectively, to form the cooked rice into a sheet and send it out.

[0024] On the rear side of the base 2a (right side in Figure 1), a lifter 9 is provided that raises and lowers the rice container 8 along a pair of vertical rails 7 that extend vertically. The lifter 9 lifts the rice container 8 to the position of the hopper 10 installed above it, and a reversing part provided at the upper end of the lifter 9 inverts it upside down towards the hopper 10, so that the rice in the rice container 8 is fed into the hopper 10.

[0025] The hopper 10 is equipped with a loosening roller (not shown) for loosening the rice that has been fed into it, and further equipped with a conveying roller (not shown) for transporting the rice loosened by the loosening roller toward the first discharge unit 6a, and a conveying roller (not shown) for transporting the rice loosened by the loosening roller toward the second discharge unit 6b.

[0026] Adjacent to the hopper 10 is an operation panel (setting unit) 11 for setting the specifications of the rice balls to be formed, the number of rice balls to be produced, and other operational details of the device while viewing the screen. Details of the operation panel 11 will be described later.

[0027] The first dispensing section 6a is equipped with a guide plate 12 that guides the cooked rice in the hopper 10 downward, and a pair of rollers, or roller pair 13, which are arranged opposite each other and rotate to send the cooked rice guided by the guide plate 12 downward. Therefore, the cooked rice in the hopper 10 is guided by the guide plate 12 to the roller pair 13 and sent downward by the rotation of the roller pair 13. The roller pair 13 may be arranged in multiple stages vertically.

[0028] Below the pair of rollers 13, there is a frame section 14 into which the cooked rice sent from the pair of rollers 13 is introduced. Below this frame section 14, there is a cutter 15 that divides the cooked rice sent downward from the frame section 14 into predetermined amounts. Furthermore, below the cutter 15, there is an opening / closing plate 16 that works in cooperation with the frame section 14 and the cutter 15 to divide the cooked rice into sheets of a predetermined thickness and drop them onto the first weighing conveyor 3.

[0029] The second delivery section 6b is equipped with a pair of first rollers 17, one on the left and one on the right. Below the first rollers 17 are two pairs of second rollers 18, one on the left and one on the right, for a total of two layers. Furthermore, directly below the second rollers 18 are loosening rollers 19. Therefore, the cooked rice sent downward through the first rollers 17 and the second rollers 18 is loosened by the loosening rollers 19 as it falls.

[0030] A shutter 20 is positioned along the path through which the cooked rice falls, allowing it to open and close. When the shutter 20 opens, the cooked rice is sent downward and placed on top of the cooked rice that has been transported from the first weighing conveyor 3 to the transport conveyor 4.

[0031] In the first delivery unit 6a, cooked rice of the target weight is produced and weighed on the first weighing conveyor belt 3. In the second delivery unit 6b, cooked rice of a weight corresponding to the difference (shortfall) between the target weight and the weight measured on the first weighing conveyor belt 3 is produced and placed on top of the cooked rice produced in the first delivery unit 6a on the transport conveyor belt 4, after which it is weighed on the second weighing conveyor belt 5. Therefore, if the weight of the cooked rice produced in the first delivery unit 6a is the target weight, no cooked rice will be supplied from the second delivery unit 6b.

[0032] Furthermore, the rice portioning and production unit M1 of this embodiment has the capacity to produce approximately 3,000 portions of rice weighed to a predetermined weight per hour.

[0033] Downstream from the rice portioning and generation unit M1 in the conveying direction, there is a rice ball forming unit M2 for shaping the rice into a predetermined shape (for example, into a triangle). The rice, which has been transported from the conveying conveyor 4 to the second weighing conveyor 5, is then taken from the rice portioning and generation unit M1 to the rice ball forming unit M2. The weight measured by the second weighing conveyor 5 is used to detect the weight of the ingredients to be placed on top of the rice in a subsequent process.

[0034] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rice ball forming section M2 includes a shape adjustment section 21 that forms filling holes (holes for placing fillings) and constricted sections (sections where the density of the rice is reduced so that the folded rice does not stick together) in the sheet-like rice that has been weighed to the desired weight in the rice division and generation section M1, and a filling placement conveyor (filling placement section) 22 which is an area for placing predetermined fillings such as mentaiko, salmon fillets, pickled plums, and bonito flakes on the rice that has passed through the shape adjustment section 21. The system includes a checker 23 that checks the presence or absence of ingredients in the rice as it passes through and the total weight (weight of the rice with ingredients placed on it), a conveyor belt 24 that transports the rice with ingredients placed on it, a folding section (folding means) 25 that folds the rice transported by the conveyor belt 24, a forming table 26 with a triangular forming hole 26a in plan view that compresses the rice folded in the folding section 25 to form a rice ball, and a removal mold 27 that removes the formed rice ball.

[0035] Then, the weight of the ingredients is calculated by subtracting the weight measured by the second weighing conveyor 5 from the total weight of the cooked rice measured by the checker 23. If the calculated weight of the ingredients is within a predetermined range (i.e., the amount of ingredients is specified), the cooked rice is transported to the folding process. If it is outside the predetermined range (i.e., the amount of ingredients is insufficient or excessive compared to the specified amount), the operation of the rice ball making machine is stopped.

[0036] The rice ball forming unit M2 includes an input mold 26b that feeds the rice folded in the folding unit 25 into the forming hole 26a of the forming table 26, and triangular forming molds 26c and 29 in plan view that compress the rice fed into the forming hole 26a in the vertical direction to form the rice ball. The forming mold consists of an upper mold 26c that compresses the rice in the forming hole 26a from above by a lifting motion, and a lower mold 29 that supports the rice fed into the forming hole 26a from below to prevent it from falling out.

[0037] The molding holes 26a formed in the molding table 26 may be, for example, round or cylindrical in shape when viewed from above. In this case, the molding dies 26c and 29 used to compress the cooked rice in the molding holes 26a to form the rice balls may also be round or cylindrical in shape when viewed from above.

[0038] The molding table 26 is a rotating body that rotates intermittently in the horizontal direction by a motor (not shown), and multiple molding holes 26a are formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the molding table 26 (eight in this embodiment). The input mold 26b, molding molds 26c, 29, and removal mold 27 are arranged sequentially along the rotational direction of the molding table 26.

[0039] The shape adjustment unit 21 is integrated with the aforementioned rice portioning and generation unit M1, the ingredient placement conveyor 22 is installed on a stand 28, and the transport conveyor 24, folding unit 25, molding table 26, input mold 26b, molding molds 26c, 29 and removal mold 27 are installed on a base 2b that is movable by casters 1b.

[0040] Here, as shown in Figure 3(a), the constricted portion R1 formed in the cooked rice R by the shape adjustment unit 21 is a constriction with two recessed areas on the front side in the direction of conveyance of the cooked rice. The shape adjustment unit 21 that forms such a constricted portion R1 consists of a conveying conveyor 21a that conveys the sheet-like cooked rice R, a constricted portion forming unit 21b that forms the constricted portion R1 by sandwiching the cooked rice R on the conveying conveyor 21a from both sides in the direction of conveyance, and a filling hole forming unit 21c that forms a filling hole R2 for placing fillings on the cooked rice R on the conveying conveyor 21a.

[0041] As shown in these drawings, the constriction-forming section 21b consists of a first forming plate 21b-1 having a projection 21b-1a that restricts the front side of the sheet-like cooked rice R in the conveying direction and creates a recess at a predetermined position, and a second forming plate 21b-2 that restricts the rear side of the sheet-like cooked rice R in the conveying direction. These first forming plate 21b-1 and second forming plate 21b-2 are each attached to a rotating shaft 21d that is oriented horizontally and parallel to each other, so that they can rotate. They then reciprocate by rotating between a non-contact position where they are not in contact with the cooked rice R, and a recess-forming position where they sandwich the cooked rice R from both sides with the first forming plate 21b-1 and the second forming plate 21b-2 to form a recess in the cooked rice R.

[0042] The component hole forming section 21c, as described above, presses the cooked rice R from above to form the component hole R2, and consists of a shaft 21c-1 and a pressing section 21c-2 formed at the tip of the shaft 21c-1 and having a larger diameter than the shaft 21c-1.

[0043] Then, when the sheet-like cooked rice R reaches directly below the hole-forming section 21c, the conveying operation of the transport conveyor 21a is stopped. Next, the first forming plate 21b-1 rotates from the non-contact position to the recess-forming position, and then the second forming plate 21b-2 rotates from the non-contact position to the recess-forming position, forming constrictions R1 in two places on the cooked rice R. Then, with the first forming plate 21b-1 and the second forming plate 21b-2 in the recess-forming position, the hole-forming section 21c descends and presses the cooked rice R from above, forming holes R2.

[0044] Once the constricted portion R1 and the filling hole R2 are formed in the cooked rice R in this manner, the first forming plate 21b-1 and the second forming plate 21b-2 rotate to a non-contact position, the filling hole forming portion 21c rises, and the conveying operation of the conveyor belt 21a resumes.

[0045] In this embodiment, two constricted portions R1 are formed, but at least one is sufficient. Also, as shown in Figure 3(b), constricted portions R1 may be formed on the front and rear sides in the direction of rice transport.

[0046] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the folding section 25 comprises a center plate 25-1 located in the center, and two side plates 25-2 connected to the center plate 25-1 via hinges 25b on both sides, allowing them to pivot relative to the center plate 25-1. The center plate 25-1 corresponds to the two constricted sections R1 of the cooked rice mentioned above. The two side plates 25-2 correspond to the outer parts of the two constricted sections R1, respectively. With this structure, the two side plates 25-2 rise up using the center plate 25-1 as a pivot point, and pivot so that their free ends approach each other above the center plate 25-1.

[0047] Therefore, when a sheet of cooked rice R with a constricted portion R1 is placed on plates 25-1 and 25-2 of the folding section 25, both sides of the cooked rice R rise up, with the position of the hinge 25b, i.e., the position of the constricted portion R1, as the folding position, and it folds at the position of the constricted portion R1 so that it falls towards the center.

[0048] The folded cooked rice is then fed into the triangular molding hole 26a formed in the molding table 26 by the aforementioned input mold 26b. It is then compressed vertically by the molding molds 26c and 29 to form the shape of the molding hole 26a, i.e., a rice ball, and then removed from the molding hole 26a by the removal mold 27. After that, it is sent from the rice ball molding section M2 to the rice ball packaging section (not shown) where it is packaged to become the final product.

[0049] Next, Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the main part of the rice ball forming section with the support height at its lowest setting, Figure 9 is a front view showing a part of the rice ball forming section in Figure 8, Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 9, Figure 11 is a side view showing a part of the rice ball forming section in Figure 8, Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the main part of the rice ball forming section with the support height at its highest setting, Figure 13 is a front view showing a part of the rice ball forming section in Figure 12, Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 13, Figure 15 is a side view showing a part of the rice ball forming section in Figure 12, Figure 16 is a block diagram showing the control system of the rice ball forming section, and Figures 17 to 20 are explanatory diagrams illustrating the settings on the operation panel screen of the rice ball forming section in this embodiment.

[0050] As shown in Figures 8 to 10 and Figures 12 to 15, the rice ball forming unit M2 includes a support 30a that supports the upper mold 26c mentioned above, a forming drive unit 30b that lowers the upper mold 26c to compress the cooked rice in the forming hole 26a and form it into a rice ball, and a forming thickness adjustment unit 30c that adjusts the forming thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold 26c.

[0051] The support 30a that constitutes the rice ball forming section M2 is a part that collectively supports multiple upper molds 26c, and has a support plate 30aa, two support columns 30ab, and a support base 30ac.

[0052] Multiple upper molds 26c (three in this embodiment) are arranged on the support plate 30aa so as to correspond vertically to some of the multiple molding holes 26a (three in this embodiment) formed in the molding table 26 described above. Each upper mold 26c is supported on the support plate 30aa in a detachable manner by bolts B1. Therefore, compared to a structure in which a height adjustment mechanism is provided for each of the multiple upper molds 26c, the configuration of the support plate 30aa can be simplified, and thus the support plate 30aa can be made lighter.

[0053] This support plate 30aa is supported by two support columns 30ab located on one end and is attached in a detachable manner by bolts (not shown). By making the support plate 30aa detachable, multiple upper molds 26c can be replaced together with the support plate 30aa, thus making it easy to replace multiple upper molds 26c.

[0054] Two support columns 30ab are detachably attached to both longitudinal ends of the support base 30ac by bolts B2. A molding thickness adjustment shaft (molding thickness adjustment section) 30ca, which forms part of the molding thickness adjustment section 30c, is screwed into the longitudinal center of the support base 30ac. By rotating this molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca and moving the support body 30a vertically, the heights of multiple upper molds 26c can be adjusted simultaneously. Therefore, the height of the upper molds 26c can be adjusted more easily compared to adjusting the height of multiple upper molds 26c individually.

[0055] The two support columns 30ab are supported by a support block 30ad through which the support columns 30ab pass, allowing them to move vertically. As a result, even if heavy objects such as a support plate 30aa or an upper mold 26c are attached to the support columns 30ab in a cantilevered manner, the support columns 30ab are supported by the support block 30ad and can move straight up and down.

[0056] Figures 8 to 10 and Figure 11 (described later) show the state in which the height of the support 30a is at its lowest, while Figures 12 to 14 and Figure 15 (described later) show the state in which the height of the support 30a is at its highest.

[0057] Next, the molding drive unit 30b is the part that compresses the cooked rice placed in the molding hole 26a formed in the molding table 26 by the upper mold 26c from above by raising and lowering the upper mold 26c via the support 30a, thereby forming it into a rice ball, and comprises a drive lever 30ba and connecting members 30bb and 30bc.

[0058] The drive lever section 30ba is the part that converts the rotational motion of a rotary motor (not shown) into an up-and-down oscillating motion via the main shaft and cam. The tip of this drive lever section 30ba is rotatably connected to the lower end of the aforementioned molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca via connecting members 30bb and 30bc.

[0059] Therefore, when the tip of the drive lever 30ba descends during molding, the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca descends, causing the support 30a to descend and the upper mold 26c supported by the support 30a to descend, and the cooked rice in the molding hole 26a is compressed by the upper mold 26c. Also, when the tip of the drive lever 30ba rises during molding, the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca rises, causing the support 30a to rise and the upper mold 26c to rise. The vertical movement (length) of the drive lever 30ba is equal to the stroke length of the upper mold 26c. The stroke length of the upper mold 26c is fixed.

[0060] The connecting members 30bb and 30bc have a ball joint structure, consisting of a connecting member 30bb, which is a ball stud in which a metal ball 30bb-1 and a round bar 30bb-2 are integrally formed, and a connecting member 30bc, which is a socket that makes spherical contact with the metal ball 30bb-1. This ball joint structure allows the connecting member 30bb to rotate freely around the axis of the round bar 30bb-2. As shown in the figure, in the connecting member 30bb, the metal ball 30bb-1 is on the lower side and the round bar 30bb-2 is on the upper side, arranged in the vertical direction, and the tip of the round bar 30bb-2 is connected to the lower end of the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca.

[0061] The connecting member 30bb and the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca are fixed together by screws. Therefore, when the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca is rotated to move the support body 30a vertically, the connecting member 30bb rotates together with the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca, but the connecting member 30bc does not rotate.

[0062] The molding thickness adjustment unit 30c adjusts the molding thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold 26c by moving the support body 30a in the vertical direction to change the height of the upper mold 26c (the height at which descent begins). This molding thickness adjustment unit 30c comprises the aforementioned molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca screwed into the support base 30ac that constitutes the support body 30a, a motor 30cb that rotates the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca to move the support body 30a in the vertical direction, a height detection unit 30cc that detects the height of the support body 30a moved by the motor 30cb, and a mounting plate 30cd on which the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca, motor 30cb, and height detection unit 30cc are mounted.

[0063] The mounting plate 30cd consists of two plates 30cda positioned vertically, a rod 30cdb positioned between the plates 30cda to form a predetermined gap between them, and bolts B3 for fixing the plates 30cda to the upper and lower ends of the rod 30cdb. The lower plate 30cda is supported by bolting one side to the upper ends of two support rods 30cde.

[0064] The motor 30cb is mounted on the mounting plate 30cd with its rotation axis 30cba facing upward. In this embodiment, the motor 30cb is a brushless motor, for example, that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions and whose rotation amount can be controlled. However, as long as it has these functions, various other types of motors can be used for the motor 30cb.

[0065] A disc-shaped drive gear 30ce is coaxially mounted to the rotating shaft 30cba of the motor 30cb via a cylindrical cam bracket 30cca, which is provided coaxially with the rotating shaft 30cba. The molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca is rotatably mounted on the mounting plate 30cd via a shaft collar 30cab. A disc-shaped driven gear 30cf, which is gear-coupled with the drive gear 30ce, is mounted coaxially to the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca on the shaft collar 30cab.

[0066] Therefore, when the motor 30cb rotates, the drive gear 30ce rotates according to its direction and amount of rotation, and the driven gear 30cf rotates in accordance with it. As a result, the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca rotates, and the support base 30ac into which the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca is screwed moves downward (Figures 8 to 10) or upward (Figures 12 to 14), thereby moving the support body 30a in the vertical direction and adjusting the height (starting height for descent) of the upper mold 26c.

[0067] The height detection unit 30cc includes a signal cam (rotating disc) 30ccb mounted coaxially with the rotation axis 30cba of the motor 30cb via a cam bracket 30cca, with notches (not shown) formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction; a sensor 30ccd that measures the rotational displacement of the signal cam 30ccb from the movement of the notches due to the rotation of the signal cam 30ccb; and a calculation unit 30cce that calculates the height of the support body 30a from the rotational displacement of the signal cam 30ccb measured by the sensor 30ccd. By calculating the height of the support body 30a, the height (starting height for descent) of the upper mold 26c supported by the support body 30a can be determined.

[0068] Here, when the molding drive unit 30b lowers the upper mold 26c via the support 30a, the upper mold 26c descends (strokes) to a lower limit position corresponding to the starting height of the upper mold 26c's descent, compressing the cooked rice placed in the molding hole 26a of the molding table 26 and forming it into a rice ball. As mentioned above, since the stroke length of the upper mold 26c is fixed, if the starting height of the upper mold 26c's descent is relatively high, the lower limit position, i.e., the position where the cooked rice in the molding hole 26a is compressed, also becomes relatively high, and therefore the cooked rice is formed into a rice ball with a relatively thick molding thickness. Conversely, if the starting height of the upper mold 26c's descent is relatively low, the lower limit position, i.e., the position where the cooked rice in the molding hole 26a is compressed, also becomes relatively low, and the cooked rice is formed into a rice ball with a relatively thin molding thickness.

[0069] In Figures 11 and 15, a movement range detection plate 31 is attached to the support base 30ac with bolts B4. The plate 31 has a length that reaches the upper plate 30cda, which constitutes the mounting plate 30cd, when the height of the support body 30a is at its lowest point (Figure 11). Two laterally opening notches 31a are formed at the top and bottom of this movement range detection plate 31, with a vertical width corresponding to the width between the upper limit (Figure 15) and lower limit (Figure 11) of the allowable movement range of the support body 30a by the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca. On the other hand, a movement range detection sensor 32 is installed on the upper plate 30cda of the mounting plate 30cd to restrict the movement of the support body 30a by the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca to a range that the notch 31a can detect by optically detecting the lower notch 31a of the movement range detection plate 31.

[0070] This mechanism prevents the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca from moving the support 30a beyond the upper or lower limits of the support 30a's allowable movement range. This prevents the support 30a from exceeding the upper limit of its allowable movement range and falling off the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca, and also prevents the lower limit position (the position where the rice is compressed in the molding hole 26a) from becoming too low when the upper mold 26c strokes due to the support 30a exceeding the lower limit of its allowable movement range.

[0071] Here, Figure 16 shows a block diagram of the control system of the rice ball molding unit in this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the control system of the rice ball molding unit in this embodiment consists of a control unit CPU that controls the overall operation of the device, the aforementioned motor 30cb which is controlled and rotated by the control unit CPU, a molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca which rotates with the rotation of the motor 30cb and moves the support body 30a in the vertical direction (that is, it adjusts the starting height of the descent of the upper mold 26c supported by the support body 30a and adjusts the molding thickness of the rice ball molded by the upper mold 26c), a signal cam 30ccb which rotates with the rotation of the motor 30cb, a sensor 30ccd which measures the rotational displacement of the signal cam 30ccb, a calculation unit 30cce which calculates the height of the support body 30a from the rotational displacement of the signal cam 30ccb measured by the sensor 30ccd and sends it to the control unit CPU, and an operation panel 11 which sets the operation details of the device, such as the specifications of the rice balls to be molded and the number of rice balls to be produced, and sends them to the control unit CPU.

[0072] As mentioned above, the control panel 11 is a functional unit that allows users to set the specifications of the rice balls to be formed while viewing the screen. Here, an example of a screen for setting the specifications of the rice balls to be formed is shown in Figures 17 to 20.

[0073] In these diagrams, "Rice Settings" is where you set the weight and type of cooked rice used to form the rice ball, which is one of the specifications for the rice ball, and "Ingredient Settings" is where you set the weight and type of ingredients used to wrap the rice ball, which is another specification for the rice ball. Once these rice ball specifications are set, the height of the rice ball (the thickness of the rice ball's formation) corresponding to those specifications will be displayed in the "Forming Height" window.

[0074] Then, the control unit CPU shown in Figure 16, upon receiving the height of the rice ball corresponding to the specifications of the rice ball from the operation panel 11, rotates the motor 30cb to move the support 30a upward or downward using the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca, and calculates the height of the support 30a each time from the amount of rotation of the motor 30cb. In this way, the height of the support 30a (i.e., the starting height of the downward movement of the upper mold 26c supported by the support 30a) is adjusted so that the height of the rice ball formed by the upper mold 26c matches the height of the rice ball displayed on the operation panel 11.

[0075] For example, as shown in Figure 17, if "Rice setting" is set to "White rice A (100g)" and "Ingredient setting" is set to "Spicy cod roe (10g)", the "Forming height" will be displayed as "35±0.00mm" (i.e., 35mm). Then, the motor 30cb controlled by the control unit CPU rotates the forming thickness adjustment shaft 30ca, and the height of the support 30a is adjusted so that the forming height of the cooked rice in the forming hole 26a, which is compressed by the upper mold 26c (the forming thickness of the rice ball), becomes 35mm.

[0076] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 18, when "Rice Setting" is set to "White Rice B (95g)" and "Ingredient Setting" is set to "Spicy Cod Roe (10g)", the "Forming Height" is displayed as "35-2.00mm" (i.e., 33mm) because the amount of rice set has decreased from 100g to 95g compared to the setting shown in Figure 17. The control unit CPU then adjusts the height of the support 30a so that the forming thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold 26c is 33mm.

[0077] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 19, if "Rice setting" is set to "White rice B (95g)" and "Ingredient setting" is set to "Mentaiko (spicy cod roe) - Increased amount (15g)", the "Forming height" will be displayed as "35 + 2.00 mm" (i.e., 37 mm) because the amount of mentaiko has increased from 10g to 15g compared to the setting shown in Figure 18. Then, the control unit CPU adjusts the height of the support 30a so that the forming thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold 26c is 37 mm.

[0078] Then, as shown in Figure 20, when "Rice setting" is set to "White rice B (95g)" and "Ingredient setting" is set to "Salmon fillet (15g)", the "Forming height" is displayed as "35 + 4.00 mm" (i.e., 39 mm) because the type of ingredient has changed from mentaiko to a thick salmon fillet compared to the settings shown in Figure 19. The control unit CPU then adjusts the height of the support 30a so that the forming thickness of the rice ball made by the upper mold 26c is 39 mm.

[0079] Here, the specifications for an onigiri (rice ball) only need to allow setting the weight of the rice. However, if at least one of the following can be set, such as the type of rice (e.g., plain rice, fried rice, mixed rice), the type of filling (e.g., mentaiko, salmon fillet, pickled plum, bonito flakes, tuna mayonnaise, kelp, salmon roe), or the type and weight of the filling, then more detailed settings will be possible. Note that the specifications for an onigiri are not limited to these, and other specifications may also be set.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the "Shaping Height" on the screen of the operation panel 11 displays a predetermined value corresponding to the set specifications of the rice ball, but it may be possible to change it to any value.

[0081] Next, the operation of the rice ball forming unit M2 having the above configuration will be described.

[0082] Once the specifications for the rice ball are set by operating the screen of the control panel 11, the molding height (molding thickness) of the rice ball is displayed. If the height (current position) of the support 30a differs from the height corresponding to the molding height of the rice ball, the control unit CPU rotates the motor 30cb in either forward or reverse direction to move the support 30a upward or downward using the molding thickness adjustment shaft 30ca, and calculates the height of the support 30a each time from the amount of rotation of the motor 30cb. When the height of the support 30a (i.e., the starting height of the downward movement of the upper mold 26c supported by the support 30a) reaches the position where the height (molding thickness) of the rice ball molded by the upper mold 26c matches the height (molding thickness) of the rice ball displayed on the control panel 11, the control unit CPU stops driving the motor 30cb.

[0083] Thus, according to the rice ball forming unit M2 of this embodiment, the control unit CPU controls the forming thickness adjustment axis 30ca and adjusts the lowering start height of the upper mold 26c so that the forming thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold 26c corresponds to the rice ball specifications set on the operation panel 11. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily adjust the lowering start height of the upper mold 26c to the forming thickness of the rice ball according to the rice ball specifications.

[0084] Although the invention made by the present inventors has been specifically described above based on embodiments, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not limited to the disclosed art. That is, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted restrictively based on the description in the embodiments above, but rather should be interpreted in accordance with the claims, and includes art equivalent to the art described in the claims and all modifications that do not depart from the gist of the claims.

[0085] For example, in this embodiment, cooked rice and fillings weighed to a predetermined weight are placed into the molding hole and compressed in the upper mold 26c to form a rice ball. However, fillings are not mandatory, and only cooked rice may be placed into the molding hole and compressed in the upper mold 26c. In this case, the "Filling Settings" on the screen for setting the specifications of the rice ball shown in Figures 17 to 20 will include an item for "No fillings". It should be noted that the type and amount of fillings are not limited to those shown in Figures 17 to 20.

[0086] Furthermore, the display format of the screen on the control panel 11 for setting the specifications of the rice ball is not limited to those shown in Figures 17 to 20. For example, if the shaping height of the rice ball is predetermined according to the set specifications of the rice ball and cannot be changed to an arbitrary height, the "shaping height" on the screen does not need to be displayed. [Industrial applicability]

[0087] In the above description, the rice ball forming section of the rice ball manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is shown as an integrated unit comprising a shape adjustment section that forms filling holes and constrictions in a sheet of cooked rice, a filling placement conveyor for placing fillings, and a forming table for folding and compressing the cooked rice with the fillings to form a rice ball. However, each of these components may be separate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0088] 11. Control Panel (Settings Section) 21 Shape adjustment section 21a Conveyor 21b Constriction formation area 21c Tool hole forming part 22. Ingredient placement conveyor (ingredients placement section) 24 Conveyor 25. Folding section (folding mechanism) 26 molding tables 26a Molding hole 26b Insertion type 26c Upper mold (molding mold) 27 Removal type 29 Lower mold (molding mold) 30a support 30aa support plate 30ab support column 30ac support stand 30ad Support Block 30b Molding drive unit 30ba drive lever section 30bb connecting member 30bb-1 metal ball 30bb-2 Round bar 30bc connecting member 30c Molding thickness adjustment section 30ca Molding thickness adjustment shaft (molding thickness adjustment part) 30cab shaft color 30cb motor 30cba Rotation axis 30cc detection unit Bracket for 30cca cam 30ccb signal cam (rotating disc) 30ccd sensor 30cce calculation part 30cd chip 30cda plate 30cdb rod 30cde support rod 30ce drive gear 30cf driven gear 31 Plate for detecting movement range 31a Notch 32 Sensor for detecting movement range B1~B4 Bolts CPU control unit M1 Rice division generator M2 Rice Ball Forming Section (Rice Ball Forming Machine) R Rice

Claims

1. A molding table having a molding hole into which rice weighed to a predetermined weight, or rice weighed to a predetermined weight and ingredients, An upper mold for compressing the cooked rice in the molding hole from above, A support that supports the upper mold, A molding drive unit that raises and lowers the upper mold via the support, and compresses the cooked rice in the molding hole with the upper mold to form a rice ball, A molding thickness adjustment unit moves the support vertically to change the starting height of the lowering of the upper mold, thereby adjusting the molding thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold. A setting unit for setting the specifications of the rice ball to be formed, A control unit controls the molding thickness adjustment unit so that the molding thickness of the rice ball formed by the upper mold corresponds to the thickness of the rice ball set in the setting unit, A rice ball forming apparatus characterized by having [a certain feature].

2. The specifications of the rice ball set in the aforementioned setting unit are: Including at least the weight of cooked rice, The rice ball forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by its features.

3. The specifications of the rice ball set in the aforementioned setting unit are: Furthermore, it includes at least one of the following: type of rice, type of ingredients, type of ingredients, and weight. The rice ball forming apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The molding thickness adjustment section is, The support base constituting the aforementioned support structure and the molding thickness adjustment shaft screwed into it, A motor that rotates the molding thickness adjustment shaft to move the support in the vertical direction, A height detection unit for detecting the height of the support body moved by the motor, The rice ball forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by comprising the following features.

5. The height detection unit is A rotating disc mounted on the rotating shaft of the motor, with notches formed at regular intervals in the circumferential direction, A sensor that detects the movement of the notch due to the rotation of the rotating disk, A calculation unit that measures the rotational displacement of the turntable from the movement of the notch detected by the sensor and calculates the height of the support, The rice ball forming apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by comprising the following:

6. The molding table is a rotating body that rotates intermittently in the horizontal direction. The molding holes are formed in multiple locations at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the molding table. The rice ball forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by its features.

7. The molding hole formed in the molding table is triangular in shape when viewed from above. The rice ball forming apparatus according to claim 6.

8. A shape-adjusting part that forms holes and constrictions in the cooked rice, A component placement section for placing predetermined ingredients on cooked rice that has passed through a shape adjustment section, It further includes a folding mechanism for folding the rice on which the ingredients are placed in the ingredient placement section, The rice folded by the folding means is fed into the molding hole of the molding table. A rice ball forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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