Food dough dividing device

Abstract

A dividing device is provided that can appropriately divide a food dough according to set conditions for the food dough, including at least the hydration rate of the food dough. [Solution] The dividing device has a sliding head in which a dividing space for the food dough is formed. A partition member is arranged in the dividing space to divide the dividing space into a plurality of divided pockets. The partition member can be arbitrarily set to a fixed state or a movable state. In the fixed state, the partition member is fixed within the dividing space to divide the dividing space, while in the movable state, the partition member slides within the divided pocket. A piston is arranged in each divided pocket. When the food dough is pressed into the dividing space, the piston slides within the divided pocket and can be arbitrarily set to an open state in which the divided pocket can accept the food dough, or a closed state in which the divided pocket cannot accept the food dough.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dividing device that receives food dough, such as kneaded bread dough, from a hopper, divides it into predetermined amounts, and supplies the divided amounts. [Background technology]

[0002] In the bread-making process, a large amount of kneaded dough is divided into predetermined amounts of dough balls, and then the process proceeds to intermediate fermentation before the baking process. A dividing device is used to mass-produce multiple dough balls from the dough (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The dividing device of Patent Document 1 has a cylinder that receives food dough from a hopper provided on the top of the device body, with a knife and a main ram arranged inside the cylinder. A slide head that is held so as to be movable up and down relative to the device body is provided at one end of the device body. The food dough in the cylinder is pressed toward the slide head by the main ram and forced into multiple dividing pockets provided in the slide head. This causes the food dough to be divided into multiple dough balls of a size corresponding to the capacity of each dividing pocket. The dough balls in each dividing pocket are discharged to the outside after the slide head descends and are transported by a belt conveyor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2023-094789 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the bread-making process, the hydration rate (the ratio of water added to wheat flour or other grain flour) varies depending on the type of flour used and the type of bread being made, with the hydration rate for typical bread said to be 60% to 65% relative to 100% wheat flour. As the hydration rate increases, the gluten membrane that forms when the dough is kneaded becomes softer, giving the baked bread a springy and moist texture and a longer-lasting flavor.

[0006] On the other hand, high-hydration dough tends to be sticky due to its high moisture content, which presents a problem of poor workability during the dough dividing process and subsequent shaping. Therefore, high-hydration dough cannot be processed in the same way as dough with a normal hydration content, making it difficult to produce dough balls using conventional dividing devices. While it is possible to prepare a dedicated machine for dividing high-hydration dough in addition to a normal dividing device, this poses the problem of requiring funds and space for installation. Given this background, high-hydration dough is currently divided manually, and a dividing device capable of appropriately dividing dough into portions according to dough characteristics such as hydration, dough type, and dough ball size has been sought. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and its purpose is to provide a dividing device that can appropriately divide food dough according to set conditions of the food dough, including at least the hydration rate of the food dough.

[0008] That is, the present invention provides a device comprising: a device main body; a hopper provided on the device main body for storing food dough; a cylinder provided on the device main body for receiving the food dough from the hopper through a dough inlet provided at the bottom end of the hopper; a slider head disposed at one end of the device main body and having a divided space capable of receiving the food dough from the cylinder, the slider head being movable up and down between a first position for receiving the food dough from the cylinder into the divided space and a second position for discharging the food dough into a plurality of divided dough pieces from the divided space; one or more partition members for dividing the divided space into a plurality of divided pockets, each of which can simultaneously receive the food dough extruded from the cylinder; and a slider head reciprocating within the cylinder for setting the food dough received in the cylinder at the first position. a main ram that pushes the food dough toward the divided pockets of the slide head that is fixed thereto; a knife that reciprocates parallel to the main ram between the hopper and the cylinder and opens and closes the dough inlet; and a piston that is housed in each divided pocket and that, when the food dough is pushed into the divided space, slides within the divided pocket to arbitrarily set the divided pocket to an open state in which the divided pocket can accept the food dough, and a piston that is fixed within the divided pocket to arbitrarily set the divided pocket to a closed state in which the divided pocket cannot accept the food dough.The partition member can be arbitrarily set to a fixed state and a movable state, and in the fixed state, the partition member is fixed within the divided space to partition the divided space, while in the movable state, the partition member slides within the divided pocket together with the piston within the divided pocket that is set to an open state. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the dividing device of the present invention, the dividing pockets arranged on the slide head can be freely set to open or closed states by the piston, and the partition members can be freely set to fixed or movable states. Therefore, by combining these settings, the dividing device can configure the dividing pockets according to set conditions such as the divided dough weight, the number of divided dough pieces produced per unit time, and the hydration rate of the dough, and can divide the dough according to the set conditions. This allows the dividing device to mechanically produce divided dough with high shaping accuracy, even for doughs with different hydration rates. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a dividing device to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the dividing device with the dough inlet open. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the mounting relationship between the device body and the slide head. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the dividing device in a state where the food dough is pushed into the slide head. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the dividing device in a state where the food dough is pushed into the slide head. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a top view showing the dividing device in a state where the food dough is pushed into the slide head. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the dividing device in a state where the food dough has been discharged from the slide head. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The dividing device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of a dividing device 100 to which the present invention is applied. The dividing device 100 is an automated machine used in the bread-making process to divide bread dough, which is food dough, into dough balls of a predetermined amount. In the bread-making process, the dividing device 100 divides the bread dough into multiple dough balls, and then the process proceeds to intermediate fermentation before the baking process. The dividing device 100 performs a predetermined process on the received bread dough and then sequentially discharges the dough balls from a belt conveyor 110. Dough setting conditions such as the weight of the dough balls, the number of dough balls produced per unit time, and the hydration rate of the dough can be input to a control unit (not shown) via an operation panel 120. Note that in this embodiment, a highly hydrated bread dough will be described as an example of food dough, but various other types of food dough can also be used, such as dough for cookies, noodles, fried foods, etc.

[0013] The dividing device 100 has a device frame 130, and a device main body 200 is housed within the device frame 130. A hopper 140 for accommodating dough is provided on the upper part of the device main body 200. The hopper 140 communicates with a cylinder 210 provided in the device main body 200 via a dough inlet 141 provided at the bottom end of the hopper 140. The cylinder 210 can receive dough that hangs down from the hopper 140 under its own weight via the dough inlet 141.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the components of the dividing device 100. The dividing device 100 includes a knife 220 that reciprocates longitudinally within the cylinder 210 and a main ram 230 that reciprocates parallel to the knife 220 within the cylinder 210. Because the knife 220 and the main ram 230 are driven by independent electric actuators, the control unit can individually set the movements of the knife 220 and the main ram 230. This allows the control unit to move the knife 220 and the main ram 230 forward or backward within the cylinder 210. The movements of the knife 220 and the main ram 230 are determined based on the dough setting conditions input to the control unit. The electric actuator connected to the main ram 230 includes a torque sensor for measuring the torque applied to the motor.

[0015] The knife 220 can close or open the dough inlet 141 relative to the cylinder 210 as it reciprocates within the cylinder 210. That is, the knife 220 can open and close the dough inlet 141. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the dough inlet 141 is open. In this open state, the dough in the hopper 140 hangs down by its own weight through the dough inlet 141 into the cylinder 210. Meanwhile, the tip of the knife 220 has a spire-shaped blade, and when the knife 220 advances within the cylinder 210 to close the dough inlet 141, the knife 220 cuts the dough hanging down from the dough inlet 141 into the cylinder 210. The control unit can also set the knife 220 to partially close the dough inlet 141, leaving a slight gap between the dough inlet 141 and the knife 220. At this time, the dough hanging down into the cylinder 210 is not cut, and the dough in the hopper 140 and the dough in the cylinder 210 remain integrated.

[0016] The main ram 230 can advance within the cylinder 210 toward a slide head 240 disposed at one end of the device body 200. This causes the dough in the cylinder 210 to be pushed toward the slide head 240. The dough pushed out by the main ram 230 is pushed into a partition space 250 provided in the slide head 240. The partition space 250 is divided into a plurality of partition pockets 241 by partition members 251, which will be described later.

[0017] The control unit can arbitrarily set the moving speed of the main ram 230. This allows the dividing device 100 to set the number of dough balls to be produced per unit time. Therefore, the dividing device 100 sets the moving speed of the main ram 230 according to the number of dough balls to be produced per unit time input to the control unit via the operation panel 120.

[0018] 3 is a diagram showing the mounting relationship between the device main body 200 and the slide head 240, with the hopper 140 provided on the top of the device main body 200 omitted. The slide head 240 is held by a pair of supports 201 provided at one end of the device main body 200 so as to be vertically movable relative to the device main body 200. Therefore, the slide head 240 can move vertically between a first position where one end of the partition space 250 faces the cylinder 210 to receive dough, and a second position where the slide head 240 discharges dough from the partition space 250. In FIG. 2, the position of the slide head 240 indicated by the solid line is the first position, and the position of the slide head 240 indicated by the dashed line is the second position.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a front view of the slide head 240. The partition space 250 communicates with the cylinder 210 at the first position of the slide head 240. The partition space 250 is formed penetrating from one end of the slide head 240 to the other end. One or more partition members 251 are arranged in the partition space 250. The partition members 251 can divide the partition space 250 into a plurality of partition pockets 241. In this embodiment, the slide head 240 has three partition members 251 arranged at equal intervals along the width direction of the partition space 250. Therefore, the slide head 240 has four partition pockets 241 arranged horizontally. The partition members 251 can be arbitrarily set to a fixed state or a movable state. In the fixed state, the partition members 251 are fixed within the partition space 250. On the other hand, in the movable state, the partition members 251 are released from the partition spaces 250, and can slide within the partition spaces 250 along the longitudinal direction of the divided pockets 241. In this embodiment, all of the partition members 251 are set to a fixed state.

[0020] A piston 243 is housed in the divided pocket 241. The piston 243 is formed to have approximately the same size as the cross-sectional area of ​​the divided pocket 241. The piston 243 can slide in the divided pocket 241 in the longitudinal direction of the divided pocket 241. Therefore, when the main ram 230 pushes dough into the divided pocket 241, the piston 243 housed in the divided pocket 241 slides, and the dough is pushed into the divided pocket 241 from one end. This state is called an open state in which the divided pocket 241 is able to accept dough.

[0021] Meanwhile, the piston 243 can be fixed in the divided pocket 241 by a fixing pin 244. The fixing pin 244 passes through a hole (not shown) formed in the upper part of the dividing space 250 and is inserted into a recess 245 formed in the upper part of the piston 243. Therefore, the piston 243 fixed in the divided pocket 241 does not slide when the main ram 230 pushes dough into the divided pocket 241, and functions as a lid that covers the divided pocket 241. This state is called a closed state in which the divided pocket 241 cannot accept dough. Therefore, the piston 243 can be freely set to an open state or a closed state for each of the multiple divided pockets 241 formed in the sliding head 240.

[0022] 5 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which dough has been pushed into the divided pocket 241. In this state, a portion of the dough 300 hanging down from the hopper 140 is cut by the knife 220, and the dough inlet 141 is closed. The slide head 240 is set to a first position in which one end of the divided pocket 241 faces the cylinder 210. The main ram 230 advances, pushing the dough 300 in the cylinder 210 toward the divided pocket 241, and a portion of the dough 300 is pushed into the open divided pocket 241. In this case, if all the divided pockets 241 are open, a portion of the dough 300 is pushed into all the divided pockets 241. On the other hand, if some of the divided pockets 241 are set to a closed state, a portion of the dough 300 is pushed only into the other divided pockets 241 except for the closed divided pockets 241.

[0023] 6 is a perspective view showing the slide head 240 with part of the dough 300 pressed into the divided pocket 241. Of the four divided pockets 241 arranged in this slide head 240, the divided pockets 241a at both ends are set to an open state, and the inner divided pocket 241b is set to a closed state. All of the partition members 251 are set to a fixed state. When the main ram 230 pushes the dough 300 in the cylinder 210 toward the slide head 240, the piston 243a housed in the open divided pocket 241a is pushed by the dough 300 and slides within the divided pocket 241a, and part of the dough 300 is pushed out from the other end of the divided pocket 241a. The dough 300 is pressed into the divided pocket 241a by the volume of the piston 243a exposed from the other end of the divided pocket 241a. The bread dough 300 pressed into the divided pocket 241a is integrated with the bread dough 300 in the cylinder 210, but since Figure 7 is a cut-out view of only the slide head 240, a cross section of the bread dough 300 in the divided pocket 241a is depicted.

[0024] In the dividing device 100 of this embodiment, the dough inlet 141 is closed by controlling the knife 220, but the dough inlet 141 may also be partially closed. In this case, when the main ram 230 pushes the dough 300 into the dividing pocket 241, the excess dough 300 relative to the capacity of the cylinder 210 is pushed back into the hopper 140 via the dough inlet 141. Therefore, setting the dough inlet 141 to be partially closed reduces damage to the dough 300, which is particularly effective for dough with a high hydration rate. The control unit can set the dough inlet 141 to be closed or partially closed depending on the hydration rate of the dough 300.

[0025] On the other hand, when the main ram 230 pushes the dough 300 in the cylinder 210 toward the slide head 240, the piston 243b in the divided pocket 241b functions as a lid for the divided pocket 241b, preventing the dough 300 from being pushed into the divided pocket 241b. For this reason, a cross section of the piston 243b is depicted in the divided pocket 241b in Figure 6. The settings for the open and closed states of the multiple divided pockets 241 do not need to be the same as those of the dividing device 100 of this embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate depending on setting conditions such as the weight of the dough balls, the production volume of the dough balls per unit time, and the hydration rate of the dough balls.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which a portion of the dough 300 has been pushed into the dividing pocket 241a, as viewed from above the device body 200. The piston 243a pushed out of the dividing pocket 241a is received by the pushing member 400, which is located opposite the other end of the dividing pocket 241a. This stops the piston 243a sliding within the dividing pocket 241a. That is, the pushing member 400 sets the most retracted position of the piston 243a, and the most retracted position of the piston 243a can be changed by changing the position of the pushing member 400. This allows the dividing device 100 to adjust the volume of dough 300 filled into the dividing pocket 241a. The pushing member 400 can be moved in the sliding direction of the piston 243a by an actuator (not shown). When the target weight of the dough ball is set on the operation panel 120, the actuator operates to set the most retracted position of the piston 243a.

[0027] The pusher members 400 are provided corresponding to all of the divided pockets 241. Therefore, even when all of the divided pockets 241 are set to the open state, the pusher members 400 can receive the pistons 243a corresponding to each divided pocket 241. Furthermore, the pusher members 400 can move freely up and down between a first position and a second position together with the slide head 240. The up and down movements of the pusher members 400 and the slide head 240 are synchronized.

[0028] The main ram 230 has an upper limit for the pressing force against the dough 300, and moves forward within the cylinder 210 toward the slide head 240 until the pressing force of the main ram 230 reaches the upper limit threshold. That is, a threshold for the torque applied to the motor is set in the electric actuator that drives the main ram 230, and the electric actuator measures the torque applied to the motor using a torque sensor. Therefore, the value of the torque applied to the motor is less than the threshold until the piston 243, which is pushed out from the divided pocket 241, abuts against the extrusion member 400, and then gradually increases until it reaches the threshold after the piston 243 abuts against the extrusion member 400 and until the driving of the main ram 230 stops.

[0029] At this time, the main ram 230 advances smoothly until the piston 243 extruded from the dividing pocket 241 abuts against the extrusion member 400, and then advances slowly from the time the piston 243 abuts against the extrusion member 400 until the driving of the main ram 230 stops. When the torque applied to the motor reaches the threshold, the main ram 230 stops while applying pressure to the dough 300. The threshold for the pressing force of the main ram 230, i.e., the threshold for the torque applied to the motor, can be set depending on the hydration rate of the dough 300, which is one of the setting conditions. Therefore, the dividing device 100 can be configured so that the threshold for the pressing force of the main ram 230 is set depending on the hydration rate of the dough 300, which is input via the operation panel 120.

[0030] For example, when using dough with a high hydration content, the threshold pressure of the main ram 230 can be set lower than when using dough with a normal hydration content. This prevents moisture from leaking out of the dough 300 being pressed into the dividing pockets 241. Furthermore, if the pressing force of the main ram 230 is kept constant regardless of the hydration content, there is a concern that the dividing pockets 241 may not be filled sufficiently with the dough 300 or that damage to the dough 300 may be significant. However, since the dividing device 100 can set the pressing force of the main ram 230 according to the hydration content, it is possible to achieve an optimal setting that takes into account the filling of the dividing pockets 241 with the dough 300 and damage to the dough 300.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the dividing device 100 with the slide head 240 and the push-out member 400 set to the second position. The slide head 240 and the push-out member 400 descend after pushing a portion of the dough 300 into the dividing pocket 241. At this time, a portion of the dough 300 filled in the dividing pocket 241 is cut from the dough 300 filled in the cylinder 210 to form dough balls 500 corresponding to the volume of each dividing pocket 241. The dough balls 500 are independent portions cut from the dough 300, which is food dough. As shown in FIG. 9, when the slide head 240 and the push-out member 400 are set to the second position, the push-out member 400 pushes back the piston 243a, which has been pushed out by the dough 300, toward the cylinder 210. As a result, the dough balls 500 contained in the dividing pocket 241a are discharged from one end of the dividing pocket 241a.

[0032] In the dividing device 100 of this embodiment, the divided pockets 241a at both ends of the multiple divided pockets 241 are set to an open state, so that two dough balls 500 are discharged from each divided pocket 241a. When the dough balls 500 are discharged from the divided pockets 241a, they are attached to the slide head 240 in a state in which they are slightly wider than the openings of the divided pockets 241.

[0033] Here, because dough 300 with a high hydration content is highly sticky, if dough balls 500 produced from that dough 300 come into contact with each other, they may stick together and become one with the other. In this regard, the dividing device 100 of this embodiment sets the divided pockets 241a at both ends in an open state and leaves two divided pockets' worth of space between the discharged dough balls 500. This prevents the discharged dough balls 500 from coming into contact with each other, even when using dough 300 with a high hydration content. On the other hand, dough 300 with a normal hydration content has lower viscosity than dough 300 with a high hydration content. Therefore, even if the dough balls 500 come into contact with each other, they will not become one with the other. Therefore, dough balls 500 can be produced without any problems even if all divided pockets 241 are in an open state. Thus, the open or closed state of the divided pockets 241 can be arbitrarily changed depending on the hydration content of the dough 300. However, when producing multiple dough balls 500 from bread dough 300 with a high hydration content, it is preferable to set the divided pockets 241a in an open state so that they are not adjacent to each other. In other words, it is preferable to set the divided pockets 241 so that one or more closed divided pockets 241b are sandwiched between the open divided pockets 241a. This ensures that the dough balls 500 discharged from the divided pockets 241a are spaced apart by at least one divided pocket and are attached to the slide head 240.

[0034] The dough balls 500 adhering to the slide head 240 are scraped off the slide head 240 by the electric flicker 600, which has a scraper attached to its tip, and fall onto the belt conveyor 110. The timing of the electric flicker 600's swing can be changed depending on the dough ball weight and the number of dough balls produced per unit time, which are input to the control unit. The speed at which the electric flicker 600 swings down can be changed depending on the hydration rate of the dough 300, which is input to the control unit. Because the dividing device 100 of this embodiment produces dough balls 500 using highly hydrated dough 300, the dough 500 adhering to the slide head 240 is highly fluid and tends to sag downward due to gravity, losing its shape. Therefore, the dough balls 500 discharged from the slide head 240 must be quickly scraped off onto the belt conveyor 110, and the speed of the electric flicker 600 is set faster than when producing dough 300 with a normal hydration rate.

[0035] Next, the knife 220 and the main ram 230 are retracted to their respective most retracted positions within the cylinder 210. When the knife 220 is retracted, the dough inlet 141 of the cylinder 210 is completely opened, and the dough in the hopper 140 flows into the cylinder 210. At this time, because a slight negative pressure exists within the cylinder 210, the dough in the hopper 140 is sucked into the cylinder 210 as the main ram 230 retracts. This allows the dough in the hopper 140 to flow quickly and be filled into the cylinder 210 through the dough inlet 141. Thereafter, the main ram 230 pushes the dough 300 into the dividing pockets 241, and the dough is discharged from the dividing pockets 241 and falls onto the belt conveyor 110. This process is repeated to produce a predetermined number of dough balls 500.

[0036] As described above, the dividing device 100 can arbitrarily set the partition members 251 between fixed and movable states, allowing for a wide range of adjustment for the weight of the dough balls and for any desired spacing between the dough balls discharged from the sliding head 240. In the dividing device 100 of this embodiment, all partition members 251 are fixed and the central dividing pocket 241 is closed. This is an example of a dividing device 100 setting for use with high-hydration dough 300. For example, when using dough 300 with a normal hydration rate, the central partition member 251a can be fixed and the end partition members 251b can be movable, leaving all dividing pockets 241 open (see FIG. 4). In this way, when dough 300 is pushed into the dividing space 250 from the cylinder 210, all of the pistons 243 and the partition members 251b other than the central partition member 251a slide and are pushed out from the other end of the dividing space 250. Therefore, each piece of dough 300 pushed into the left and right sides of the partition member 251a has the size of two divided pockets 241. Therefore, the dividing device 100 can adjust the amount of dough balls pushed into the divided pockets 241 by setting the most retracted position of the piston, and can also adjust the weight of the dough balls by the partition member 251. Note that, although it is possible to increase the weight of the dough balls by adjusting the most retracted position of the piston, it is more effective at reducing damage to the dough by merging adjacent divided pockets 241 and reducing the amount of dough pushed in, rather than pushing the dough deep into divided pockets 241 with small cross sections.

[0037] Furthermore, the dividing device 100 can arbitrarily set the open and closed states of the arranged dividing pockets 241 using the piston 243. Therefore, appropriate settings are possible for both bread dough 300 with a normal hydration content and bread dough 300 with a high hydration content. For example, in the case of high-hydration dough 300, by configuring one or more closed dividing pockets 241b between open dividing pockets 241a, as in the dividing device 100 of this embodiment, highly hydrated dough balls can be mechanically mass-produced while improving the shaping accuracy of the dough balls. On the other hand, in the case of bread dough 300 with a normal hydration content, all dividing pockets 241 can be set to the open state to enable mass production with an emphasis on production efficiency. Furthermore, the open and closed states of the dividing pockets 241 can be changed depending on set conditions such as the weight of the dough balls and the number of dough balls produced per unit time, in addition to the hydration content. Therefore, the dividing device 100 can appropriately divide the food dough according to the set conditions.

[0038] Furthermore, the dividing device 100 can arbitrarily set the settings of the partition members 251 and the dividing pockets 241 by the pistons 243, and combine these settings. This allows the dividing device 100 to make appropriate settings according to the hydration rate, weight, and number of pieces to be produced per unit time of the bread dough to be used.

[0039] Additionally, the dividing device 100 can control the operation of the knife 220, the main ram 230, and the electric flicker 600 by inputting setting conditions, including the hydration rate of the dough 300, into the control unit. The control unit can set the dough inlet 141 to be closed, partially closed, or open by controlling the knife 220. The control unit can also set the pressing force of the main ram 230 against the food dough by controlling the electric actuator that drives the main ram 230. Furthermore, the control unit can change the movement speed of the electric flicker 600. Therefore, the dividing device 100 can integrally control the knife 220, the main ram 230, and the electric flicker 600 according to the setting conditions. For example, for dough 300 with a hydration rate of 120%, the knife 220 can be set to be partially closed, the pressing force of the main ram 230 against the food dough can be set to be low, and the swing-down speed of the electric flicker 600 can be set to the fastest. On the other hand, in the case of bread dough 300 with a hydration rate of 60%, the knife 220 can be set to closed, the pressing force of the main ram 230 can be set to high, and the swinging down speed of the electric flicker 600 can be set to normal. In this way, by controlling the knife 220, the main ram 230, and the electric flicker 600 according to the hydration rate of the bread dough 300, it is possible to mechanically produce dough balls 500 with high shaping accuracy, even for food doughs with different hydration rates. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 100...dividing device, 110...belt conveyor, 120...operation panel, 130...device frame, 140...hopper, 141...dough inlet, 200...device body, 210...cylinder, 220...knife, 230...main ram, 240...slide head, 241...dividing pocket, 243...piston, 300...bread dough, 400...extrusion member, 500...dough ball, 600...electric flicker

Claims

1. A device body, a hopper provided on the device body for storing the food dough; a cylinder provided in the device body to receive the food dough from the hopper through a dough inlet provided at the bottom end of the hopper; a slide head that is disposed at one end of the device body, has a divided space that can receive the food dough from the cylinder, and is movable up and down between a first position that receives the food dough from the cylinder into the divided space and a second position that discharges a plurality of divided dough pieces formed by dividing the food dough from the divided space; one or more partition members that divide the partition space to form a plurality of divided pockets, and each divided pocket can simultaneously receive the food dough extruded from the cylinder; a main ram that reciprocates within the cylinder and presses the food dough received in the cylinder toward the dividing pockets of the slide head set at the first position; A knife that reciprocates between the hopper and the cylinder in parallel with the main ram to open and close the dough inlet; a plurality of pistons that are accommodated in each divided pocket and that can individually set, when the food dough is pushed into the divided space, the divided pockets to an open state in which the food dough can be received by sliding within the divided pockets, and a closed state in which the divided pockets are fixed within the divided pockets and cannot receive the food dough; Equipped with the partition member can be arbitrarily set to a fixed state or a movable state, a dividing device characterized in that, in the fixed state, the partition member is fixed within the divided space to partition the divided space, while, in the movable state, the partition member slides within the divided pocket together with a piston within the divided pocket that is set to an open state.

2. An electric flicker that scrapes off the plurality of divided doughs extruded from the divided pockets; a control unit that can change the moving speed of the electric flicker in accordance with set conditions including at least the water content of the food dough; The splitting device of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The dividing device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is capable of integrally controlling the main ram and the electric flicker in accordance with the set conditions.

4. a threshold value corresponding to a water content of the food dough is preset for the pressing force of the main ram against the food dough; 3. The dividing device according to claim 2, wherein the slide head moves from the first position to the second position after the pressing force of the main ram reaches a threshold and the main ram stops.

5. 5. The dividing device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit changes the threshold value in accordance with an input water content.

6. 6. The dividing device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is capable of integrally controlling the speed of the electric flicker and the pressing force of the main ram in accordance with the set conditions.

7. The dividing device according to claim 6 , wherein the control unit is capable of integrally controlling the knife, the main ram, and the electric flicker in accordance with the set conditions.

8. 8. The dividing device according to claim 7, wherein the knife can be set to a partially closed position with a gap at the dough inlet.

9. The dividing device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit can integrally control the opening, closing or partial closing of the dough introduction port by the knife, the speed of the electric flicker, and the pressing force of the main ram according to the setting conditions.

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