Noodle wrapper manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus that produces noodle wrappers by forming protrusions on a noodle sheet, which is a strip of dough, and then cutting out the region containing the protrusions as noodle wrapper pieces, and that can suppress unintended deformation of the noodle sheet when forming the protrusions. [Solution] The noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus includes a mold roller having a substantially cylindrical outer surface and rotating about the axis of the cylindrical shape, with a female mold formed thereon such that a protrusion is formed on the noodle sheet when the outer surface is pressed against the noodle sheet; a conveyor device for transporting the noodle sheet with the protrusion formed thereon; and a cutting cutter for separating the region of the noodle sheet transported by the conveyor device, which includes the protrusion, as a noodle wrapper, wherein the mold roller has a surface recess formed in a region on its outer surface that is different from the female mold.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing noodle dough sheets having a forming roller.

Background Art

[0002] An apparatus for producing noodle dough sheets is disclosed, which forms protrusions on the surface of a noodle belt, which is a strip-shaped dough, by pressing a forming roller having female molds against the noodle belt, and then separates the region including the protrusions from the noodle belt (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Literature

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the inventors have found that unintended deformation of the noodle belt (for example, wrinkles on the surface of the noodle dough sheet and / or meandering of the noodle belt) may occur when the protrusions are formed by pressing the forming roller included in the above production apparatus against the noodle belt. The meandering of the noodle belt can occur due to the noodle belt pressed by the forming roller deflecting in the width direction. If unintended deformation occurs in the noodle belt, there is a risk that production of noodle dough sheets of an intended shape will be hindered.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for producing noodle dough sheets that suppresses the occurrence of unintended deformation in the noodle belt when forming protrusions by pressing with a forming roller, and can thereby produce noodle dough sheets of an intended shape.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The first invention of the present invention relates to a noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus, which includes a mold roller having a substantially cylindrical outer surface and rotating about the axis of the cylindrical shape, and having a female mold formed on it such that a protrusion is formed on the noodle sheet when the outer surface is pressed against the noodle sheet; a conveyor device for transporting the noodle sheet on which the protrusion is formed; and a cutting cutter for separating the region of the noodle sheet transported by the conveyor device, which includes the protrusion, as a noodle wrapper, wherein the mold roller has a surface recess formed on its outer surface in a region different from the female mold.

[0007] The mold roller according to the first invention has a female mold for forming a convex portion, as well as a surface recess. Therefore, when the mold roller rotates and its outer surface is pressed against the noodle sheet, a portion of the noodle sheet (more specifically, the dough constituting the noodle sheet) enters the female mold, and another portion of the noodle sheet enters the surface recess. As a result, unintended deformation of the noodle sheet caused by a decrease in the pressure acting on the noodle sheet when pressed by the mold roller is suppressed. Consequently, according to the first invention, the possibility of producing noodle pieces of the intended shape is increased.

[0008] The noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus according to the second invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the surface recess includes an annular groove centered on the axis.

[0009] According to the second invention, when the outer surface of the mold roller is pressed against the noodle sheet, a portion of the noodle sheet enters the annular groove, thereby reducing the pressure acting on the noodle sheet and preventing unintended deformation of the noodle sheet.

[0010] The noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus according to the third invention of the present invention is, in the first invention described above, wherein the cutting cutter is detachably fixed to a rotating shaft and rotates together with the rotating shaft so that the cutting edge comes into contact with the noodle sheet.

[0011] In the third invention, the cutting cutter rotates while cutting noodle wrapper pieces from the noodle sheet, so there is no need to stop the conveyor device when cutting noodle wrapper pieces from the noodle sheet. Therefore, according to the third invention, the process of cutting noodle wrapper pieces from the noodle sheet can be carried out efficiently.

[0012] The noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus according to the fourth invention of the present invention is, in the third invention described above, wherein the cutting cutter is made of hardened steel and the cutting edge is formed by grinding.

[0013] According to the fourth invention, a cutting cutter with a sharp and durable blade can be manufactured relatively easily.

[0014] The noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus according to the fifth invention of the present invention includes, in the third invention described above, an angle acquisition unit that acquires an angle correlation value correlated with the rotation angle of the mold roller, and a control unit that controls the rotation angle according to the angle correlation value.

[0015] In the fifth invention, the rotation angle of the cutting cutter is controlled according to the rotation angle of the mold roller, which increases the likelihood that the intended area of ​​the noodle sheet will be cut out as a noodle wrapper piece by the cutting cutter. Therefore, according to the fifth invention, the likelihood of producing noodle wrapper pieces of the intended shape increases.

[0016] The noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus according to the sixth invention of the present invention, in the first invention described above, the conveyor device includes a first conveyor device that moves the noodle sheet in accordance with the rotation of the mold roller, and a second conveyor device arranged downstream of the first conveyor device, wherein the cutting cutter moves in the thickness direction of the noodle sheet placed on the second conveyor device when the second conveyor device is stopped, and the cutting edge contacts the noodle sheet.

[0017] According to the sixth invention, since the second conveyor device is stopped when the noodle wrapper pieces are cut from the noodle sheet by the cutting cutter, the likelihood of producing noodle wrapper pieces of the intended shape is increased. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2]This is a front view of a die roller provided in the noodle skin piece manufacturing apparatus. [Figure 3] This is a partial perspective view of a noodle strip on which convex portions are formed by a die roller. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the shapes of the convex portions of the noodle strip formed by the die roller, and the noodle skin piece including the convex portion cut out from the noodle strip. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of a cutter provided in the noodle skin piece manufacturing apparatus. [Figure 6] This is a cross-sectional view of the cutter. [Figure 7] This is a time chart showing the sequential operation of each of the separation apparatuses equipped with the cutter. [Figure 8] This is a front view of a die roller according to a first modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a schematic configuration diagram of a noodle skin piece manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0019] <First Embodiment> A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. 1 schematically shows a noodle skin piece manufacturing apparatus 1 (also simply referred to as manufacturing apparatus 1) according to the first embodiment. The manufacturing apparatus 1 is configured to cut out noodle skin pieces Np (see FIG. 4) from a noodle strip Ns. The noodle strip Ns is a belt-shaped dough containing wheat flour and water. Accordingly, the noodle skin piece Np is a grain processed product, and is used, for example, as a dumpling wrapper.

[0020] The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a die roller 21, a pressing roller 23, conveyor devices 31 to 32, and a separation device 4, and is controlled by a control unit 6. The control unit 6 is constituted by a well-known control device (for example, a general-purpose computer or an electronic control unit) including a CPU 61, a RAM 62, and a nonvolatile memory 63. The nonvolatile memory 63 stores programs to be executed by the CPU 61.

[0021] Each of the mold roller 21 and the pressure roller 23 has a substantially cylindrical outer surface and is rotatably supported. More specifically, a predetermined gap is provided between the outer surface of the mold roller 21 and the outer surface of the pressure roller 23. Each of the mold roller 21 and the pressure roller 23 is rotated in opposite directions by electric motors 24a to 24b (e.g., servo motors) controlled by the control unit 6. The torque transmission mechanism from the electric motors 24a to 24b to the mold roller 21 and the pressure roller 23 is not shown or described.

[0022] Multiple female molds 21a and annular grooves 21b are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mold roller 21. The shapes of the female molds 21a and annular grooves 21b and their specific arrangement on the mold roller 21 will be described later. The noodle sheet Ns is inserted between the rotating mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23, thereby rolling the noodle sheet Ns. In addition, the female molds 21a and annular grooves 21b shape the surface of the noodle sheet Ns on the mold roller 21 side. In particular, the female molds 21a form a convex portion Ca on the noodle sheet Ns.

[0023] The noodle sheet Ns, on which the protrusion Ca has been formed, is carried by conveyor devices 31-32 to below the cutting device 4. Each of the conveyor devices 31-32 is driven by electric motors 34a-34b. The control unit 6 controls the electric motors 34a-34b so that the conveyor devices 31-32 move the noodle sheet Ns according to the speed at which the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23 push out the noodle sheet Ns. The torque transmission mechanism from the electric motors 34a-34b to the conveyor devices 31-32 is not shown or explained.

[0024] The region of the noodle sheet Ns containing the protruding portion Ca is separated as noodle skin piece Np by the separation device 4. Each noodle skin piece Np is further transported by the conveyor device 32 for subsequent processes, including packaging. Meanwhile, a remaining portion of the noodle sheet Ns is generated from the separation of the noodle skin pieces Np. This remaining portion of the noodle sheet Ns is transported above the conveyor device 32 by a remaining portion conveyor device (not shown) and then collected.

[0025] The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a plurality of powder spreaders (not shown). One of the powder spreaders spreads powder (e.g., potato starch) onto the noodle sheet Ns before it is inserted between the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23. Another powder spreader spreads powder onto the conveyor device 31 before the noodle sheet Ns is placed on the conveyor device 31. The spread powder prevents the noodle sheet Ns from adhering to the outer surface of the mold roller 21 (particularly the female mold 21a and the annular groove 21b) or to the conveyor devices 31-32.

[0026] The female molds 21a and annular grooves 21b in the mold roller 21 will be explained with reference to Figure 2. Six female molds 21a are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mold roller 21. More specifically, two female molds 21a are formed at 120° intervals with respect to the axis La, which is the rotational axis of the mold roller 21. Each female mold 21a has a bottom surface 21a1. The depth of the female mold 21a decreases from the periphery of the bottom surface 21a1 towards the periphery of the female mold 21a. The noodle sheet Ns pressed (rolled) by the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23 has a pair of protrusions Ca arranged at approximately equal intervals in the stretching direction (i.e., the direction in which the noodle sheet Ns is pushed out from between the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23) (see Figure 3).

[0027] In addition, three annular grooves 21b are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mold roller 21. Each of the annular grooves 21b is an annular groove centered on the axis La of the mold roller 21. In other words, the annular grooves 21b are grooves that extend circumferentially on the outer circumferential surface of the mold roller 21 and have no ends. Therefore, the noodle sheet Ns pressed by the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23 has three semicircular protrusions Cb that are approximately semi-cylindrical in shape and extend in the stretching direction (see Figure 3).

[0028] Since an annular groove 21b is formed in the mold roller 21, the pressure acting on the noodle sheet Ns when it is pressed by the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23 is reduced. More specifically, the annular groove 21b formed in the mold roller 21 increases the area of ​​the gap between the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23, which promotes the noodle sheet Ns to enter between the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23. If the noodle sheet Ns does not enter smoothly between the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23, or if a part of the noodle sheet Ns is temporarily pushed in the opposite direction to the stretching direction, the possibility of wrinkles forming in the noodle sheet Ns or the noodle sheet Ns meandering increases.

[0029] In other words, the annular grooves 21b formed in the mold roller 21 suppress unintended deformation of the noodle sheet Ns when pressed by the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23. Each of the annular grooves 21b is a recess formed in a region different from the female mold 21a on the outer surface of the mold roller 21 (more specifically, the region in contact with the noodle sheet Ns), and for convenience, it is also referred to as a "surface recess".

[0030] The shape of the protrusions Ca in the noodle sheet Ns immediately after being pressed by the mold roller 21 including the female mold 21a and the pressing roller 23 is shown in the top view and cross-sectional view in Figure 4(a). As can be seen from Figure 4(a), the elongation length and width length of the protrusions Ca are approximately dh1 and dv1, respectively. The elongation length of the protrusions Ca is the length of the protrusions Ca in the elongation direction of the noodle sheet Ns. The width length of the protrusions Ca is the length of the protrusions Ca in the width direction of the noodle sheet Ns (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the elongation direction).

[0031] The convex portion of the noodle sheet Ns has a roughly elliptical shape when viewed from above. More specifically, the length dh1 is greater than the length dv1 (i.e., dh1 > dv1). The ratio of length dh1 (i.e., elongation length) to length dv1 (i.e., width length) is also called the ellipticity Ea (i.e., Ea = dh1 / dv1 > 1).

[0032] The separation device 4 includes a pre-separation device 41, a middle-separation device 42, and a post-separation device 43 (see Figure 1). Each of the pre-separation device 41, middle-separation device 42, and post-separation device 43 includes a rotating shaft 51 and four cutters 52 (see Figure 5). Each of the cutters 52 is fixed (fastened) to the rotating shaft 51 by bolts. In Figure 5, a pair of bolt holes formed in each of the cutters 52 are shown, while the bolts are not shown. For convenience, the cutters 52 are also referred to as "separation cutters."

[0033] Two sets of cutters 52 are arranged on the rotating shaft 51, opposite each other with respect to the axis Lb of the rotating shaft 51 (see Figure 5). More specifically, cutters 52a and 52b are arranged in pairs. In addition, cutters 52c and 52d are arranged in pairs on the opposite side from cutters 52a and 52b.

[0034] The rotating shaft 51 is rotated by an electric motor 54 (e.g., a servo motor) controlled by the control unit 6. The torque transmission mechanism from the electric motor 54 to the rotating shaft 51 is not shown or described. When the cutter 52 rotates together with the rotating shaft 51, the tip of the cutter 52 (i.e., the cutting edge) comes into contact with the noodle sheet Ns, and a roughly elliptical cut is made around the convex portion Ca in the noodle sheet Ns. This separates the noodle skin piece Np from the noodle sheet Ns. In other words, the cutter 52 is a rotary cutter.

[0035] As can be seen from the cross-sectional view in Figure 6, the tip of the cutter 52 has a sharp shape. The region Ra shown in Figure 6 represents the cross-sectional shape of the portion that was ground and removed during the manufacturing process of the cutter 52. More specifically, the cutter 52 is made of hardened steel. In addition, the substantially elliptical tip of the cutter 52 is formed by grinding away the tip portion of the cutter 52 corresponding to region Ra (i.e., the substantially elliptical annular portion). In the manufacturing process of the cutter 52, grinding is performed after hardening, but hardening may be performed after grinding. Note that in Figure 5, the illustration of the sharply processed cutting edge (i.e., tip) of the cutter 52 is omitted.

[0036] The shape of the noodle skin piece Np immediately after being cut by the cutter 52 is shown in the top view and cross-sectional view in Figure 4(b). As shown in Figure 4(b), the elongated length and width of the convex portion Ca contained in the noodle skin piece Np are approximately dh2 and dv2, respectively. The ratio of length dh2 to length dv2 is also called the ellipticity Eb (i.e., Eb = dh2 / dv2).

[0037] Incidentally, the noodle sheet Ns shrinks after being pressed by the mold roller 21 and the pressure roller 23. Therefore, when the region of the noodle sheet Ns containing the convex portion Ca is cut out as a noodle piece Np by the cutter 52, the noodle sheet Ns has shrunk along with the convex portion Ca compared to immediately after being pressed by the mold roller 21 and the pressure roller 23. In addition, the shrinkage rate of the noodle sheet Ns in the stretching direction is smaller than that in the width direction. Therefore, the shape of the convex portion Ca, which has an elliptical shape in a top view as shown in Figure 4(a), approaches a perfect circle when cut out by the cutter 52. That is, the ellipticity Eb is smaller than the ellipticity Ea (i.e., Ea > Eb).

[0038] Furthermore, the shape of the noodle wrapper piece Np that is shipped as a product and distributed in the market is shown in the top view and cross-sectional view in Figure 4(c). As shown in Figure 4(c), the elongation length and width of the convex portion Ca contained in the noodle wrapper piece Np are approximately dh3 and dv3, respectively. The ratio of length dh3 to length dv3 is also called the ellipticity Ec (i.e., Ec = dh3 / dv3).

[0039] The convex portion Ca in the noodle wrapper piece Np shown in Figure 4(c) has a nearly circular shape when viewed from above (i.e., Eb > Ec ≈ 1). In addition, the outer shape of the noodle wrapper piece Np shown in Figure 4(c) also has a nearly circular shape when viewed from above. More specifically, the shapes of the female mold 21a in the mold roller 21 and the cutter 52 in the cutting device 4 are adapted so that the noodle wrapper pieces Np distributed in the market have a nearly circular shape when viewed from above. Therefore, the noodle wrapper piece Np shown in Figure 4(b) has an elliptical shape when viewed from above, and its ellipticity is nearly equal to the ellipticity Eb.

[0040] Each of the cutting devices 4 (i.e., the pre-cutting device 41, the middle cutting device 42, and the post-cutting device 43) cuts noodle skin pieces Np from the noodle sheet Ns in this order. For example, when the region of the noodle sheet Ns containing the pair of protrusions Ca1 shown in Figure 3 is cut out as noodle skin piece Np by the pre-cutting device 41, the region containing the pair of protrusions Ca2 adjacent to the protrusions Ca1 in the stretching direction is cut out as noodle skin piece Np by the middle cutting device 42. Next, the region containing the pair of protrusions Ca3 adjacent to the protrusions Ca2 is cut out as noodle skin piece Np by the post-cutting device 43. Furthermore, the region containing the pair of protrusions Ca4 adjacent to the protrusions Ca3 is cut out as noodle skin piece Np by the pre-cutting device 41.

[0041] Figure 7 shows how each of the cutting devices 4 cuts out noodle pieces Np over time. More specifically, Figure 7(a) shows the change in the rotation angle θo of the mold roller 21. In Figure 7(a), the section indicated by the thick line represents the time period during which a pair of female molds 21a on the mold roller 21 are pressed against the noodle sheet Ns. For example, during the period from time t1 to time t3, two of the female molds 21a are pressed against the noodle sheet Ns.

[0042] Figures 7(b) to 7(d) show the change in rotation angle of each cutter 52 of the cutting device 4. In Figures 7(b) to 7(d), the sections shown by thick lines represent the time period during which the tip (i.e., cutting edge) of the cutter 52 is in contact with the noodle sheet Ns. As can be seen from Figures 7(b) to 7(d), each cutter 52 of the cutting device 4 stops every 180° rotation. The control of the cutting device 4 by the control unit 6 will be described later.

[0043] The rotation angle θo of the mold roller 21 is detected by the rotation angle sensor 64 (see Figure 1). The control unit 6 receives a signal representing the rotation angle θo from the rotation angle sensor 64 and controls the electric motors 54 related to each of the separation devices 4 (i.e., the pre-separation device 41, the middle-separation device 42, and the post-separation device 43) based on the rotation angle θo. For convenience, the rotation angle θo is also referred to as the "angle correlation value". The rotation angle sensor 64 that acquires the angle correlation value is also referred to as the "angle acquisition unit" for convenience.

[0044] More specifically, the control unit 6 controls the electric motor 54 to repeatedly operate and stop. When the electric motor 54 is operating, the rotating shaft 51 and cutter 52 rotate 180° to cut a pair of noodle skin pieces Np from the noodle sheet Ns. That is, when the region of the noodle sheet Ns that includes the protrusion Ca approaches the cutter 52, the control unit 6 switches the electric motor 54 corresponding to that cutter 52 to the operating state. Then, the control unit 6 switches the electric motor 54 to the stopped state at the timing when the cutter 52 has rotated 180°.

[0045] The control unit 6 has rotation angles θo (more specifically, three "set angles") corresponding to each of the cutting devices 4, which are set by the operator. When the rotation angle θo becomes equal to the set angle corresponding to the front cutting device 41, the control unit 6 switches the motor 54 corresponding to the front cutting device 41 to the operating state. That is, the control unit 6 rotates the cutter 52 of the front cutting device 41 in accordance with the speed of the noodle sheet Ns carried by the conveyor device 32. Similarly, when the rotation angle θo becomes equal to the set angle corresponding to the middle cutting device 42 or the rear cutting device 43, the control unit 6 switches the motor 54 corresponding to the middle cutting device 42 or the rear cutting device 43 to the operating state.

[0046] As described above, the noodle sheet Ns shrinks after being pressed by the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23. In other words, the spacing between adjacent protrusions Ca in the stretching direction decreases due to the shrinkage of the noodle sheet Ns. The shrinkage rate of the noodle sheet Ns varies depending on the composition of the noodle sheet Ns (e.g., the type of wheat used and its moisture content) and the temperature of the noodle sheet Ns. Therefore, each of the setting angles of the cutting device 4 can be adjusted according to the shrinkage rate of the noodle sheet Ns.

[0047] In the example shown in Figure 7, at time t2, the rotation angle θo is equal to the set angle corresponding to the pre-stage separation device 41. Therefore, the control unit 6 operates the motor 54 of the pre-stage separation device 41, and as a result, the cutter 52 of the pre-stage separation device 41 rotates by 180° during the period from time t2 to time t5. Subsequently, at time t7, the rotation angle θo is once again equal to the set angle corresponding to the pre-stage separation device 41. Therefore, the control unit 6 rotates the cutter 52 of the pre-stage separation device 41 by 180° during the period from time t7 to time t8.

[0048] Similarly, at time t4, because the rotation angle θo became equal to the set angle corresponding to the intermediate separation device 42, the control unit 6 rotates the cutter 52 of the intermediate separation device 42 by 180°. In addition, at time t6, because the rotation angle θo became equal to the set angle corresponding to the downstream separation device 43, the control unit 6 rotates the cutter 52 of the downstream separation device 43 by 180°.

[0049] <First variation> A first modification of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 8. In the first modification, a mold roller 22 is used instead of the mold roller 21. In addition to the female mold 21a and the annular groove 21b, a plurality of elongated grooves 22a are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the mold roller 22. Each of the elongated grooves 22a is a groove that extends circumferentially on the outer circumferential surface of the mold roller 22 and has ends. More specifically, three elongated grooves 22a are formed between adjacent female molds 21a in the circumferential direction of the mold roller 21.

[0050] In other words, the number of elongated grooves 22a formed on the mold roller 22 is "18". Each of the elongated grooves 22a is also referred to as a "surface recess," similar to the annular groove 21b. Because elongated grooves 22a are formed on the mold roller 22, the noodle sheet Ns, after being pressed (rolled) by the mold roller 22 and the pressing roller 23, has three stretched protrusions (not shown) that are approximately semi-cylindrical in shape, extend in the stretching direction, and have ends, formed between adjacent protrusions Ca in the stretching direction. The cutter 52 cuts out the region of the noodle sheet Ns that includes the protrusions Ca but does not include the stretched protrusions as a noodle skin piece Np.

[0051] <Second variation> A second modification of the first embodiment will now be described. In the control unit 6 described above, when the rotation angle θo of the mold roller 21 became equal to the respective set angle of the separation device 4, the separation device 4 corresponding to that set angle was activated. In contrast, the control unit 6a in the second modification operates the separation device 4 corresponding to the respective set time after the rotation angle θo has become a reference angle (for example, θo = 0°) and the respective "set time" of the separation device 4 has elapsed. Each of the set times is set by the operator.

[0052] For example, after the rotation angle θo becomes the reference angle, and a set time corresponding to the pre-stage separation device 41 has elapsed, the control unit 6a switches the motor 54 of the pre-stage separation device 41 to the operating state and rotates the cutter 52 of the pre-stage separation device 41 by 180°. Similarly, after the rotation angle θo becomes the reference angle, and a set time corresponding to the middle-stage separation device 42 or the post-stage separation device 43 has elapsed, the control unit 6a switches the motor 54 corresponding to that set time to the operating state and rotates the cutter 52 corresponding to that motor 54 by 180°.

[0053] <Second Embodiment> A second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 shows a noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus 1a (also simply referred to as manufacturing apparatus 1a) according to the second embodiment. Manufacturing apparatus 1a includes a conveyor device 33, a cutting device 4a, and a control unit 6b instead of the conveyor device 32, cutting device 4, and control unit 6. While the conveyor device 32 was controlled to operate continuously, the conveyor device 33 is controlled by the control unit 6b to operate intermittently. The conveyor device 33 is driven by an electric motor 34c. In addition, while the cutting device 4 had a rotating cutter 52, the cutting device 4a has a cutter 53 which is a punching cutter. The following will focus on these differences.

[0054] The cutting device 4a has two cutters 53 arranged in the width direction of the noodle sheet Ns. In Figure 9, only one of the cutters 53 (i.e., the cutter 53 located on the front side in the plane of Figure 9) is shown. The cutters 53 are supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction (more specifically, in the direction perpendicular to the noodle sheet Ns in the conveyor device 33, and also in the thickness direction of the noodle sheet Ns). The vertical position of the cutters 53 is adjusted by the rotation of an electric motor 55 included in the cutting device 4a and controlled by the control unit 6b. The power transmission mechanism that converts the rotation of the electric motor 55 into vertical movement of the cutters 53 is not shown or described. For convenience, the cutters 53 are also referred to as "cutting cutters".

[0055] As the pair of cutters 53 move downward (i.e., towards the noodle sheet Ns), the tips of the cutters 53 (i.e., the blade edges) come into contact with the noodle sheet Ns, and as a result, each region containing the pair of protrusions Ca is cut out as a noodle skin piece Np. Immediately after being cut from the noodle sheet Ns by the cutters 53, the noodle skin pieces Np have a shape similar to the noodle skin pieces Np shown in Figure 5(b). In other words, the tips of the cutters 53 have a roughly elliptical cylindrical shape.

[0056] The control unit 6b operates the conveyor device 31 continuously in accordance with the rotational speed of the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23, similar to the control unit 6 in the first embodiment. The conveyor device 31 is also referred to as the "first conveyor device" for convenience. On the other hand, when the cutter 53 cuts out the noodle skin pieces Np from the noodle sheet Ns, the control unit 6b temporarily stops the conveyor device 33. That is, the control unit 6b intermittently drives the conveyor device 33. The conveyor device 33 is also referred to as the "second conveyor device" for convenience.

[0057] More specifically, when the conveyor device 33 operates and the two protrusions Ca aligned in the width direction of the noodle sheet Ns reach directly below the two cutters 53, the control unit 6b stops the conveyor device 33. Next, the control unit 6b moves the pair of cutters 53 downward to cut two noodle wrapper pieces Np from the noodle sheet Ns. After that, the control unit 6b moves the pair of cutters 53 upward to separate them from the noodle sheet Ns, and then restarts the operation of the conveyor device 33.

[0058] As explained above, when the noodle sheet Ns is rolled by the die roller 21 and the pressing roller 23, which have annular grooves 21b formed on them, and when the convex portion Ca is formed, the pressure acting on the noodle sheet Ns is smaller compared to when the die roller 21 does not have annular grooves 21b formed on it. Therefore, unintended deformation of the noodle sheet Ns (specifically, the occurrence of wrinkles in the noodle sheet Ns and meandering in the width direction of the noodle sheet Ns, etc.) is suppressed.

[0059] Similarly, when the noodle sheet Ns is rolled by the mold roller 22 and the pressing roller 23 and the convex portion Ca is formed, the annular grooves 21b and annular grooves 21b are formed on the mold roller 22, which increases the likelihood that the pressure acting on the noodle sheet Ns will decrease further. As a result, unintended deformation of the noodle sheet Ns is suppressed. In other words, with the manufacturing apparatus 1, 1a, the likelihood of producing noodle wrappers Np of the intended shape (for example, noodle wrappers Np that have no wrinkles on the surface and have a nearly circular shape when viewed from above) increases. That is, with the manufacturing apparatus 1, 1a, the yield rate in the production of noodle wrappers Np can be improved.

[0060] In addition, since bolts are used to fix the cutter 52 to the rotating shaft 51, the cutter 52 can be easily detached from the rotating shaft 51. Therefore, it is possible to repair (for example, resharpen the tip) and replace the cutter 52 in the manufacturing apparatus 1 relatively easily. If it were difficult to repair the cutter 52, a cutter 52 that is not suitable for the noodle sheet Ns carried by the conveyor device 32 may continue to be used. As a result, there is a higher possibility that the noodle sheet Np will be deformed when the cutter 52 is used to separate the noodle sheet Ns from the noodle sheet Ns, or that the conveyor device 32 will be damaged when the cutter 52 rotates. On the other hand, with a cutter 52 that is detachably fixed to the rotating shaft 51, repair of the cutter 52 becomes easier, which can contribute to reducing the possibility of producing noodle sheet Np of unintended shapes.

[0061] In addition, the control unit 6 operates the cutting device 4 when the rotation angle θo becomes equal to the corresponding set angle for each of the cutting devices 4, so that an appropriate area of ​​the noodle sheet Ns can be cut out as a noodle piece Np by the cutting device 4. In other words, the operator can adjust the area to be cut out as a noodle piece Np by adjusting the set angle set for the control unit 6. For example, if the shrinkage rate of the noodle sheet Ns changes due to changes in the moisture content and temperature of the noodle sheet Ns during the period from when it is pressed by the mold roller 21 and the pressing roller 23 until it reaches below the cutting device 4, the operator can change the set angle based on the change in shrinkage rate. Similarly, the operator can adjust the area to be cut out as a noodle piece Np by adjusting the set time set for the control unit 6a. This reduces the possibility of producing noodle pieces Np of unintended shapes.

[0062] In addition, in the manufacturing apparatus 1a, the conveyor device 33 stops when the cutter 53 cuts out the noodle wrapper pieces Np from the noodle sheet Ns, thus preventing the cut noodle wrapper pieces Np from taking on unintended shapes.

[0063] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes, substitutions, and improvements are possible without departing from the object of the present invention. For example, the surface recesses formed on the mold rollers 21 to 22 may differ from the surface recesses of the mold rollers 21 to 22 described above. As an example, the surface recesses may include a plurality of circular recesses and / or elongated grooves arranged in a ring shape around the axis La, instead of the annular groove 21b. In addition, the surface recesses may include a plurality of circular recesses arranged between adjacent female molds 21a in the circumferential direction of the mold roller. Furthermore, the surface recesses may include elongated grooves arranged between adjacent female molds 21a in the circumferential direction of the mold rollers 21 to 22 and inclined with respect to the circumferential direction.

[0064] In addition, although the number of female molds 21a formed on the mold rollers 21-22 was "6", the number of female molds 21a can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, although the number of female molds 21a arranged in the width direction was "2", the number of female molds 21a arranged in the width direction may be "1" or "3", etc. Alternatively, the female molds 21a may be arranged so that female molds 21a with "2" arranged in the width direction and female molds 21a with "1" arranged in the width direction appear alternately in the circumferential direction of the mold rollers 21-22.

[0065] In addition, although the cutting device 4 according to the first embodiment included a pre-cutting device 41, a middle-cutting device 42, and a post-cutting device 43, the number of cutting devices 4 may differ from "3". For example, the number of cutting devices 4 may be "1" or "4", etc. On the other hand, although the manufacturing apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment included one cutting device 4a, it may include multiple cutting devices 4a.

[0066] In addition, in manufacturing apparatus 1, 1a, a rotation angle sensor 64 (i.e., angle acquisition unit) acquired the rotation angle θo (i.e., angle correlation value). Alternatively, a rotary encoder that outputs a pulse signal each time the mold rollers 21-22 rotate by a predetermined angle may be used as the angle acquisition unit. In this case, the pulse signal output by the rotary encoder corresponds to the angle correlation value.

[0067] In addition, cutters 52-53 cut out elliptical regions containing the protruding Ca in the noodle sheet Ns as noodle skin pieces Np. Alternatively, cutters 52-53 may be formed to cut out oval or oval regions containing the protruding Ca in the noodle sheet Ns as noodle skin pieces Np.

[0068] In addition, the control units 6, 6a-6b may be located away from the manufacturing apparatus 1. For example, the control units 6, 6a-6b may be implemented on a server device accessed via the internet. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 1-1a...Noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus 21-22...Type roller, 23...Pressing roller, 21a...Female mold, 21a1...Bottom surface 21b... Circular groove, 22a... Long groove, 24a~24b... Electric motor 31-33...Conveyor equipment, 34a-34c...Electric motors 4~4a...Separation device, 41...Pre-stage separation device, 42...Middle-stage separation device, 43...Late-stage separation device 51... Rotating shaft, 52-53... Cutter, 54-55... Electric motor 6, 6a~6b... Control Unit 61...CPU, 62...RAM, 63...Non-volatile memory, 64...Rotation angle sensor Ca...convex part, Cb...semicircular convex part Np...noodle skin slices, Ns...noodle sheets

Claims

1. A mold roller having a roughly cylindrical outer surface, which rotates about the axis of the cylindrical shape, and in which a female mold is formed such that when the outer surface is pressed against the noodle sheet, a protrusion is formed on the noodle sheet; A conveyor device for transporting the noodle sheet with the aforementioned protrusions formed thereon, The system includes a cutting cutter for separating the region of the noodle sheet containing the protrusions, which has been transported by the conveyor device, as noodle skin pieces. The aforementioned roller is A noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus, wherein surface recesses are formed in a region on the outer surface that is different from the female mold.

2. A manufacturing apparatus for noodle wrappers according to claim 1, The aforementioned surface recess is A device for manufacturing noodle wrappers, which includes an annular groove centered on the aforementioned axis.

3. A manufacturing apparatus for noodle wrappers according to claim 1, The aforementioned cutting cutter is A device for manufacturing noodle wrappers, wherein the cutting edge is detachably fixed to a rotating shaft and rotates with the rotating shaft so that it contacts the noodle sheet.

4. A manufacturing apparatus for noodle wrappers according to claim 3, The aforementioned cutting cutter is A device for manufacturing noodle wrappers, constructed from hardened steel, with the cutting edge shaped by grinding.

5. A manufacturing apparatus for noodle wrappers according to claim 3, An angle acquisition unit that acquires an angle correlation value correlated with the rotation angle of the aforementioned roller, A noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus, comprising a control unit that controls the rotation angle according to the angle correlation value, and a noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus.

6. A manufacturing apparatus for noodle wrappers according to claim 1, The conveyor device is A first conveyor device that moves the noodle sheet in accordance with the rotation of the aforementioned roller, The system includes a second conveyor device located downstream of the first conveyor device, The aforementioned cutting cutter is A noodle wrapper manufacturing apparatus that, when the second conveyor device is stopped, moves in the thickness direction of the noodle sheet placed on the second conveyor device so that the cutting edge contacts the noodle sheet.

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