Rice ball making machine

Abstract

To provide a rice ball making device that can efficiently produce fluffy rice balls. [Solution] The rice ball making apparatus 100 comprises a circular turntable 10, multiple molds 20 that can be deformed between an open state and a closed state, each positioned at intervals in the circumferential direction of the turntable 10, a drive mechanism 30 that rotates the turntable 10 around a rotation center X, and a control unit 120 that controls the drive mechanism 30 and the rice supply device 110, wherein the molds 20 positioned on the turntable 10 pass below the rice supply port of the rice supply device 110. The control unit 120 controls the drive mechanism 30 to rotate the turntable 10 continuously around the rotation center X, and controls the rice supply device 110 to feed rice onto the open mold 20 when one mold 20 is in an open state and passing below the rice supply port.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice ball manufacturing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] In factories and stores, a rice forming apparatus that forms cooked rice into a predetermined shape is used. Some rice forming apparatuses use a turntable that rotates horizontally to reduce the burden on workers.

[0003] The material supply apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is an automated food forming machine material supply apparatus for supplying cooked rice to a food forming machine such as a rice ball machine. It has a hopper for loading cooked rice and a turntable that is pivotally supported on the bottom plate and rotates intermittently. On the upper surface of the turntable, a plurality of forming molds in the shape of a plane triangle are recessed. Cooked rice is dropped and supplied into the forming molds of the turntable, and the cooked rice is compression-molded into a triangle.

[0004] The rice ball forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 has a hole forming device, a lifting drive mechanism, and a rice ball forming device. The rice ball forming device has a gantry and a rotating table pivotally supported on the gantry. A plurality of forming holes are recessed in the rotating table, and the forming holes are filled with cooked rice. The cooked rice filled in the forming holes is drilled by a hole drilling rod, and ingredients are put into the holes.

[0005] The food forming apparatus described in Patent Document 3 is for forming food ingredients such as cooked rice into a predetermined shape. It has a food ingredient supply unit for supplying food ingredients and a food forming unit equipped with a forming mold for forming the supplied food ingredients into a predetermined shape. The food forming unit has a forming mold for forming the cooked rice dropped and input from the food ingredient supply unit into a predetermined shape, a pedestal to which the forming mold is attached, and a pair of guide rails for sliding the pedestal. By sliding the pedestal along the guide rails, the forming mold can move forward and backward with respect to the dropping position of the cooked rice.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-32711 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-229558 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-19492 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] Incidentally, the rice molding apparatus described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are both relatively large-scale devices used in factories, and their turntables rotate intermittently, making them unsuitable for producing fluffy rice balls. Furthermore, the food molding apparatus described in Patent Document 3 requires the base to which the molding die is attached to be slid back and forth, which is inconvenient for producing rice balls due to its poor work efficiency.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention aims to enable the efficient production of fluffy rice balls. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To address the above issues, the present invention provides a rice ball manufacturing apparatus comprising a rice supply device and a rice ball unit detachably attached to the rice supply device, the apparatus comprising: a circular turntable; a plurality of molds, each arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the turntable, which are deformable between an open state and a closed state; a drive mechanism for rotating the turntable around a center of rotation, such that the molds arranged on the turntable pass below the rice supply port of the rice supply device; and a control unit for controlling the drive mechanism and the rice supply device, wherein the control unit controls the drive mechanism to rotate the turntable continuously around the center of rotation, and controls the rice supply device to feed rice onto the open mold when one mold is in an open state and passing below the rice supply port. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The rice ball making apparatus according to the present invention can efficiently produce fluffy rice balls. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the entire rice ball manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a top view of the rice ball unit. [Figure 3A] This is a plan view of the mold in its closed state. [Figure 3B] This is a side view of the mold in its closed state. [Figure 4A] This is a plan view of the mold in its open state. [Figure 4B] This is a side view of the mold in its open state. [Figure 5] This diagram shows a magnified view of the removal work area. [Figure 6] This is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of a rice ball manufacturing machine. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the entire rice ball manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a top view of the rice ball unit 1.

[0014] The rice ball manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a rice ball unit 1 and a cooked rice supply apparatus 110. The cooked rice supply apparatus 110 is a mechanism for supplying cooked rice to the rice ball unit 1, and includes a lid portion 111, a storage portion 112, an input portion 113, and a discharge portion 114. Cooked rice is stored in the storage portion 112, and the storage portion 112 is covered by the lid portion 111. The cooked rice stored in the storage portion 112 is discharged from the discharge portion 114 to the rice ball unit 1. The input portion 113 is configured by a touch panel for setting the supply amount of cooked rice by the cooked rice supply apparatus 110.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the rice ball unit 1 is detachable from the cooked rice supply apparatus 110. The rice ball unit 1 includes a substrate 2, a turntable 10, a molding die 20, a drive mechanism 30, a cooked rice sensor 51, a first molding die sensor 52, and a second molding die sensor 53.

[0016] The turntable 10 is installed on the substrate 2. The turntable 10 is formed in a disc shape and rotates in the horizontal direction about the rotation center X. A driven gear 11 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the turntable 10.

[0017] The molding die 20 is installed on the turntable 10. The molding die 20 is respectively arranged at four positions set at equal angular intervals with respect to the rotation center X of the turntable 10. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 4B, the molding die 20 includes a pair of receivers 21 and a connecting portion 22 that connects the receivers 21 to each other. The connecting portion 22 of the molding die 20 is fixed to the turntable 10, but can be removed from the turntable 10.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 3A, the forming mold 20 is configured to be openable and closable (deformable) between a closed state (folded state) in which two receivers 21 face each other and stand vertically, and an open state in which the two receivers 21 open outward from each other around their respective lower parts and are in a horizontal posture as shown in FIG. 3B. The forming mold 20 forms the cooked rice supplied therein into the shape of a rice ball in the closed state.

[0019] The drive mechanism 30 rotates the turntable 10. The drive mechanism 30 includes a motor 31 and a driving gear 32 that is rotationally driven by the motor 31. The driving gear 32 meshes with the driven gear 11 to rotate the turntable 10 counterclockwise. The drive mechanism 30 continuously rotates the turntable 10 around the rotation center X in such a way that the forming mold 20 arranged on the turntable 10 passes below the rice supply port (discharge portion 114) of the rice supply device 110. Considering that the moving speed of the forming mold 20 is 7 - 10 seconds / 90°, it is desirable for the turntable 10 to make one rotation in 28 - 40 seconds. The rotation speed of the turntable 10 is variable.

[0020] In the following description, as an example, the rotation direction of the turntable 10 is assumed to be counterclockwise. When the position of the forming mold 20 when passing below the discharge portion 114 in the rotation direction of the turntable 10 is defined as the rice supply position P1, the position of the forming mold 20 arranged one ahead in the rotation direction with respect to the rice supply position P1 is defined as the leveling operation position P2, the position of the forming mold 20 arranged two ahead in the rotation direction is defined as the forming operation position P3, and the position of the forming mold 20 arranged three ahead in the rotation direction is defined as the take - out operation position P4. Here, the leveling operation position P2, the forming operation position P3, and the take - out operation position P4 are provided as examples, but these are merely illustrative, and the locations and numbers of the operation positions provided are not particularly limited.

[0021] If the rice supply position P1 is the position where the cooked rice is automatically supplied to the open - state forming mold 20 arranged below the discharge portion 114 by dropping the cooked rice from the discharge portion 114 of the rice supply device 110.

[0022] The leveling position P2 is located 90 degrees counterclockwise from the rice supply position P1. The leveling position P2 is the position where the rice that has been fed into the mold 20 at the rice supply position P1 is leveled by the worker's hands. In addition to leveling the rice, the leveling position P2 may also be the position where the ingredients for the rice ball 80 are placed on top of the leveled rice. In the following description, the term "rice ball 80" is used in a broad sense to include a mass of rice that has been weighed to a predetermined weight and is not yet molded into a specific shape.

[0023] The molding position P3 is located 90 degrees counterclockwise from the leveling position P2. At the molding position P3, the mold 20, which has been leveled with cooked rice at the leveling position P2, is manually deformed by the worker to form a closed rice ball 80, and then the mold 20 is manually deformed by the worker to form an open rice ball.

[0024] Specifically, with the connecting section 22 fixed to the turntable 10, the worker brings the two receiving containers 21 facing each other with their left and right palms and raises them vertically to close them, thereby joining the rice contained in each receiving container 21 into one and forming it into the shape of a rice ball. After that, the worker grasps the receiving containers 21 with both hands and opens them, and lays the formed rice ball on its side into either the left or right receiving container 21, thus completing the forming process.

[0025] The removal position P4 is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the molding position P3, and the position rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the removal position P4 is the rice supply position P1. The removal position P4 is the position where the rice balls 80, which have been molded at the molding position P3 and are placed on the open mold 20, are removed from the turntable 10 by the operator's manual labor.

[0026] Separate workers may be positioned next to the leveling work position P2, the molding work position P3, and the removal work position P4, each responsible for the work at each respective position P2, P3, and P4. Alternatively, a single worker may be responsible for all the work at the leveling work position P2, the molding work position P3, and the removal work position P4. If a single worker is responsible for all the work, it is desirable that this worker be positioned next to the molding work position P3. This has the advantage of making it easier for the single worker to perform their work because they are not only close to the molding work position P3 but also close to the adjacent leveling work position P2 and the removal work position P4.

[0027] On the other hand, if the rice supply position P1, leveling position P2, shaping position P3, and removal position P4 are arranged at equal intervals (90-degree intervals) around the turntable 10, even if multiple workers are positioned next to the leveling position P2, shaping position P3, and removal position P4, the work to shape the rice balls 80 can be carried out while maintaining appropriate spacing with the turntable 10 divided.

[0028] The turntable 10 is used in a divided state according to the number of steps required in the process of forming the rice ball 80. However, the leveling, forming, and removal steps are merely examples, and any of these steps may be omitted, or other steps may be added. In addition, the turntable is divided into equal intervals according to the number of steps, but if the number of divisions decreases, multiple steps can be performed in one place. Furthermore, the work positions on the turntable are merely for convenience and do not necessarily have to be divided into equal intervals.

[0029] Furthermore, if the dimensions (diameter) of the turntable 10 are large, additional work positions other than work position P2, molding work position P3, and removal work position P4 may be added to increase the number of divisions of the turntable 10 and allow it to be used at intervals other than 90 degrees. Conversely, if the dimensions (diameter) of the turntable 10 are small, one of the work positions P2, molding work position P3, or removal work position P4 may be eliminated, or one of the operations may be performed at the same work position, reducing the number of divisions of the turntable 10 and allowing it to be used at intervals other than 90 degrees.

[0030] The four work positions, rice supply position P1, leveling work position P2, molding work position P3, and removal work position P4, are provided according to the position where the molding die 20 is placed. However, if the molding die 20 is not placed because any of the work positions are unnecessary, the number of divisions of the turntable 10 can be reduced accordingly, thereby increasing the work space at each work position.

[0031] A reinforcing member 12 is provided between the molding work position P3 and the removal work position P4 on the lower side of the turntable 10. Since it is conceivable that an operator may apply force from above by placing their hands on the turntable 10 at the molding work position P3 or the removal work position P4, the reinforcing member 12 is provided to prevent deformation of the turntable 10 so that it can withstand the force from above.

[0032] A tray 60 containing ingredients to be placed on top of the rice is positioned at the rotation center X of the turntable 10. The tray 60 is detachably attached to the turntable 10. If it is not necessary to add ingredients to the rice at the leveling work position P2, the tray 60 may be omitted.

[0033] Figure 5 is a magnified view of the removal position P4. The rice ball unit 1 is equipped with a rice sensor 51 that detects whether or not a rice ball 80 is placed in the mold 20 at the removal position P4. The rice sensor 51 is located on the extension of the tangent line to the turntable 10 at the removal position P4.

[0034] The rice sensor 51 is, for example, a reflective optical sensor that emits light toward the removal work position P4 and detects whether or not a rice ball 80 (lump of rice) is placed in the mold 20 by detecting whether or not it receives reflected light from the removal work position P4. In other words, if the rice ball 80 has not been removed from the mold 20 located at the removal work position P4, the rice sensor 51 detects that the rice ball 80 is present by receiving reflected light from the rice ball 80, and if the rice ball 80 has been removed from the mold 20 located at the removal work position P4, the rice sensor 51 does not receive reflected light from the rice ball 80 and therefore detects that the rice ball 80 is not present. The location and type of the rice sensor 51 are not particularly limited as long as it can detect whether or not a rice ball 80 is placed in the mold 20.

[0035] If the rice sensor 51 detects that a rice ball 80 (lump of rice) is placed in the mold 20 at the removal position P4, the rotation of the turntable 10 is stopped until the rice ball 80 is removed from the mold 20. Therefore, it is possible to avoid transporting the mold 20 with the rice ball 80 still in it to the rice supply position P1 and supplying more rice on top of the rice ball 80.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2, the rice ball unit 1 is equipped with a first mold sensor 52 that detects whether or not the mold 20 has reached the rice supply position P1. The first mold sensor 52 is located to the side of the turntable 10 at the rice supply position P1 and emits light in the direction of the rotation center of the turntable 10.

[0037] The first mold sensor 52 detects when the mold 20 has reached the rice supply position P1. Then, the weight sensor 123 (described later) detects the weight of the rice that has fallen from the discharge section 114 of the rice supply device 110 into the measuring cup. If the weight sensor 123 detects that the weight of the rice is appropriate, the rice is supplied from the measuring cup of the rice supply device 110 to the mold 20.

[0038] Furthermore, in order to detect whether or not the mold 20 has reached the rice supply position P1, if it is not possible to place the first mold sensor 52 at the rice supply position P1, a second mold sensor 53 may be placed at the molding work position P3 instead of the first mold sensor 52. The second mold sensor 53 is located on the lower side of the turntable 10 at the molding work position P3. That is, by irradiating the mold 20 located at the molding work position P3, which is on the opposite side of the rice supply position P1 in the circumferential direction of the turntable 10, with light using the second mold sensor 53, it is possible to indirectly detect whether or not the mold 20 has reached the rice supply position P1 by detecting the mold 20 at the molding work position P3. Furthermore, the second mold sensor 53 may be placed at either the leveling work position P2 or the removal work position P4.

[0039] The second mold sensor 53 consists of a disc-shaped rotating body that rotates around the rotation center X of the turntable 10 and has a slit formed on it, and a photomicrosensor that detects light passing through the slit. When the mold 20 reaches the molding position P3, the rotating body rotates and changes from a light-shielding state to a light-transmitting state, and the light passing through the slit is detected by the photomicrosensor.

[0040] The photomicrosensor detects either a light-shielding state or a light-transmitting state depending on the position of the slit formed in the rotating body. For example, when the slit is in a light-transmitting state, it indirectly detects that the mold 20 is at the rice supply position P1, and the measuring cup of the rice supply device 110 opens. When the rotating body rotates and the photomicrosensor is in a light-shielding state, the measuring cup of the rice supply device 110 closes. Alternatively, the photomicrosensor may indirectly detect that the mold 20 is at the rice supply position P1 when the slit is in a light-shielding state.

[0041] Figure 6 is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of the rice ball making apparatus 100. The rice ball unit 1 is composed of a sensor unit 41, a drive unit 42, and a first communication unit 43. The cooked rice supply device 110 is composed of a control unit 120, a second communication unit 121, a supply unit 122, a weight sensor 123, and a memory 124.

[0042] The sensor unit 41 collectively represents various sensors, including a rice sensor 51, a first mold sensor 52, and a second mold sensor 53. The sensor unit 41 is electrically connected to the control unit 120 via a first communication unit 43 and a second communication unit 121, and signals detected by the various sensors are input to the control unit 120.

[0043] The drive unit 42 corresponds to the drive mechanism 30 and is electrically connected to the control unit 120 via the first communication unit 43 and the second communication unit 121.

[0044] The first communication unit 43 is a communication interface for communicating with the rice supply device 110. When the rice ball unit 1 is attached to the rice supply device 110, the first communication unit 43 communicates electrically with the second communication unit 121 on the rice supply device 110 side.

[0045] The control unit 120 is electrically connected to the second communication unit 121, the supply unit 122, the weight sensor 123, and the memory 124, and is also electrically connected to the rice ball unit 1 via the first communication unit 43 and the second communication unit 121. The control unit 120 performs overall control of the rice ball manufacturing apparatus 100.

[0046] The control unit 120 determines whether it is time to supply rice based on the signal received from the sensor unit 41 (first mold sensor 52 or second mold sensor 53). Specifically, when one mold 20 is in the open state and located below the discharge section 114, the control unit 120 controls the rice supply device 110 to drop rice from the discharge section 114 into the open mold 20. Also, if the weight sensor 123 detects that the weight of the rice is appropriate, the control unit 120 controls the measuring cup of the rice supply device 110 to supply rice from the measuring cup to the mold 20.

[0047] Furthermore, the control unit 120 controls the drive mechanism 30 to continuously rotate the turntable 10 around the rotation center X. Based on the signal received from the sensor unit 41 (rice sensor 51), if the control unit 120 determines that the rice ball 80 has not been removed from the mold 20 located at the removal work position P4, the control unit 120 controls the drive unit 42 to stop the rotation of the motor 31, which is the motor for driving the turntable 10, until the rice ball 80 is removed from the mold 20. On the other hand, based on the signal received from the sensor unit 41 (rice sensor 51), if the control unit 120 determines that the rice ball 80 has been removed from the mold 20 at the removal work position P4, the control unit 120 drives the drive unit 42 to rotate the motor 31, which is the motor for driving the turntable 10.

[0048] The second communication unit 121 is a communication interface for communicating with the rice ball unit 1. When the rice ball unit 1 is attached to the rice supply device 110, the second communication unit 121 communicates electrically with the first communication unit 43 on the rice ball unit 1 side.

[0049] The supply unit 122 supplies cooked rice to the mold 20 located at the cooked rice supply position P1 via the discharge unit 114. The amount of cooked rice discharged from the discharge unit 114 is determined based on a control signal from the control unit 120.

[0050] The weight sensor 123 detects the weight of the cooked rice contained in the measuring cup provided in the discharge section 114. The information regarding the weight of the cooked rice detected by the weight sensor 123 is input to the control unit 120. If the weight sensor 123 detects that the weight of the cooked rice is appropriate, the control unit 120 controls the measuring cup of the cooked rice supply device to supply cooked rice from the measuring cup to the mold 20.

[0051] Memory 124 stores information such as the movement speed of the mold 20 and the rotation speed of the turntable 10. For example, the movement speed of the mold 20 is 7 to 10 seconds per 90°, and the rotation speed of the turntable 10 is 28 to 40 seconds per revolution, but it is not limited to these values.

[0052] In this way, the rice ball unit 1 and the rice supply device 110 exchange various information such as their respective operating status, setting status, requests for various information (transmission requests), and drive commands via the first communication unit 43 and the second communication unit 121.

[0053] Thus, in the rice ball making apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the control unit 120 controls the drive mechanism 30 to rotate the turntable 10 continuously around the rotation center X, and controls the rice supply device 110 to feed rice onto the open mold 20 when one mold 20 is in the open state and located below the rice supply opening.

[0054] As a result, the turntable 10, on which multiple molds 20 are arranged, automatically rotates along each position from the rice supply position P1, the leveling position P2, the molding position P3, to the removal position P4, which are arranged along the circumferential direction. Therefore, fluffy rice balls 80 can be efficiently produced when attached to the rice supply device 110.

[0055] In particular, the molding dies 20 are positioned at four locations set at equal angular intervals with respect to the rotation center X of the turntable 10. That is, the molding dies 20 are positioned at 90-degree intervals on the turntable 10. Therefore, multiple molding dies 20 can be used to simultaneously mold multiple rice balls 80. Note that the molding dies 20 do not need to be positioned at equal 90-degree intervals on the turntable 10; they may be positioned at any location.

[0056] Furthermore, the turntable 10 has the following positions arranged in this order: rice supply position P1, which corresponds to the rice supply port of the rice supply device 110; leveling position P2, where the rice that has been fed into the mold 20 at the rice supply position is leveled by an operator; forming position P3, where the mold 20, with the rice leveled at position P2, is deformed into a closed state to form the rice ball 80; and removal position P4, where the rice ball 80 is removed from the turntable 10 by an operator. Therefore, for example, an operator can perform work at the leveling position P2, forming position P3, and removal position P4, in addition to the rice supply position P1.

[0057] Furthermore, a rice sensor 51 is provided to detect the presence or absence of rice balls 80 (lumps of cooked rice) placed at the removal work position P4. The control unit 120 controls the drive mechanism 30 to stop the turntable 10 until the rice balls 80 are removed from the mold 20, if the rice sensor 51 detects the presence of rice balls 80 before the mold 20 passes the removal work position P4. Thus, it is possible to avoid the mold 20 with the rice balls 80 still in it being transported to the rice supply position P1 and further rice being supplied on top of the rice balls 80.

[0058] Furthermore, a first mold sensor 52 or a second mold sensor 53 is provided to detect whether the mold 20 from which the rice ball 80 has been removed has reached the rice supply position P1. When the control unit 120 detects that the first mold sensor 52 or the second mold sensor 53 has reached the rice supply position P1, it controls the rice supply device 110 so that rice is supplied to the mold 20. Thus, it is possible to avoid the mold 20 with the rice ball 80 placed inside being transported to the rice supply position P1 and further rice being supplied on top of the rice ball 80.

[0059] Furthermore, the turntable 10 is equipped with a tray 60 in the center for holding ingredients to be added when adding ingredients at the leveling work position P2. Therefore, the worker can easily add ingredients to the rice ball 80.

[0060] Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and any design modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are included in the present invention.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the drive mechanism 30 rotates the turntable 10 continuously, but the turntable 10 may be rotated intermittently. Also, in the above embodiment, the turntable 10 rotates counterclockwise, but the turntable 10 may rotate clockwise. When the turntable 10 rotates clockwise, the rice supply position P1, leveling position P2, molding position P3, and removal position P4 are arranged in a clockwise direction. To rotate the turntable 10 clockwise, the drive mechanism 30 can be reversed to make it rotate in the opposite direction.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the drive mechanism 30 is integrally provided with the turntable 10 as part of the components of the rice ball unit 1, but it is not limited to this, and the drive mechanism 30 may be provided separately from the turntable 10. For example, the drive mechanism 30 may be provided on the rice supply device 110 side. Also, in the above embodiment, one driven gear 11 is provided with respect to the turntable 10, but it is not limited to this, and multiple driven gears 11 may be provided with respect to the turntable 10.

[0063] Alternatively, a rectangular plate-shaped member may be provided instead of the turntable 10. That is, multiple molds 20 may be placed on a rectangular plate-shaped member, and the molds 20 may be transported by a circulating motion such as a so-called box motion, in which a pair of molds 20 rotate while maintaining a facing position.

[0064] Furthermore, although the control unit 120 and memory 124 were provided on the rice supply device 110 side in the above embodiment, they may also be provided on the rice ball unit 1 side.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the turntable 10 is rotated by the drive gear 32, which is rotationally driven by the motor 31, engaging with the driven gear 11. However, instead, a chain or belt may be interposed between the motor 31 and the turntable 10, and the turntable 10 may be rotated by the driving force transmitted from the motor 31 to the chain or belt. Moreover, the rotational force of the motor 31 may be transmitted directly to the driven gear 11, or the turntable 10 may be rotated by the friction between the rubber rollers attached to the outer circumference of the turntable 10 and the drive gear 32.

[0066] The rice ball making apparatus 100 of this embodiment combines a rice ball unit 1 and a rice supply device 110. However, the rice ball unit 1 does not constitute the rice ball making apparatus 100 together with the rice supply device 110, and may be composed of the rice ball unit 1 alone. Therefore, although the rice ball unit 1 of the present invention may be used in combination with the rice supply device 110, it is not limited to being manufactured or sold together with the rice supply device 110, and any unit that has the configuration of the rice ball unit 1 is acceptable.

[0067] The rice ball unit 1 of the rice ball making apparatus 100 of this embodiment can be removed from the rice supply device 110, allowing the rice supply device 110 to be used independently as a device for supplying rice to bowls or the like. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0068] 1: Onigiri Unit 10: Turntable 20: Molding mold 30: Drive mechanism 51: Rice Sensor 52: First molding sensor 53: Second molding sensor 60: Tray 100: Rice ball making machine 110:Rice supply device 120: Control Unit P1:Rice supply position P2: Leveling work position P3: Molding work position P4: Retrieval work position X: Center of rotation

Claims

1. A rice ball manufacturing apparatus comprising a rice supply device and a rice ball unit that can be attached to the rice supply device, A circular turntable, Multiple molds, which can be freely deformed between an open state and a closed state, are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the turntable. The mold placed on the turntable is positioned to pass below the rice supply port of the rice supply device, and the turntable is rotated around the rotation center by a drive mechanism, The system comprises the aforementioned drive mechanism and a control unit that controls the rice supply device, The control unit controls the drive mechanism to rotate the turntable continuously around the rotation center, and controls the rice supply device to feed rice onto the open mold when one mold is passing below the rice supply opening in an open state.

2. The rice ball manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the molding die is arranged at four positions set at equal angular intervals with respect to the rotation center of the turntable.

3. When the position of the molding die as it passes below the rice supply opening in the rotational direction of the turntable is defined as the rice supply position, the position of the molding die positioned one position ahead in the rotational direction is defined as the leveling work position, the position of the molding die positioned two positions ahead in the rotational direction is defined as the molding work position, and the position of the molding die positioned three positions ahead in the rotational direction is defined as the removal work position. The leveling work position is the position where the rice that has been fed into the mold at the rice supply position is leveled by an operator. The molding position is the position in which the molding mold, which has been leveled with cooked rice at the leveling position, is deformed into a closed state to form a rice ball. The rice ball manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the removal work position is a position in which the rice balls formed at the molding work position are removed from the turntable by an operator.

4. The system includes a rice sensor that detects the presence or absence of rice lumps placed at the aforementioned removal work position. The rice ball manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the drive mechanism to stop the turntable until the rice mass is removed from the mold, when the rice sensor detects the presence of a rice mass before the mold passes the removal position.

5. The system includes a mold sensor that detects whether or not the mold from which the rice ball was dispensed has reached the aforementioned rice supply position. The rice ball manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the rice supply device so that rice is supplied to the mold when the mold sensor detects that the mold from which the rice ball has been removed has reached the rice supply position.

6. The rice ball making apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the turntable is provided in the center with a tray for placing ingredients to be added when the ingredients are added at the leveling work position.

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